As Latino immigrant families assimilate in to U.S. Society there is the risk that future generations will not learn about their history,... Show moreAs Latino immigrant families assimilate in to U.S. Society there is the risk that future generations will not learn about their history, culture and traditions. Many Latin people born in the United States do not learn about their heritage, they just adapt to the American lifestyle. There is a need for new infrastructure that works as cultural exchange and support for this community. This Cultural Center is intended to be part of the existing downtown cultural infrastructure. The idea is to include it as part of the cultural and educational organizations in order to integrate it with tourism. Show less
The transit station at IIT is mono-functional, lacking connections to place or programs that engage flows of people passing in and out of the... Show moreThe transit station at IIT is mono-functional, lacking connections to place or programs that engage flows of people passing in and out of the neighborhood. Due to this fact, campus areas around the transit station become desolate and lackluster giving no motivation for people to remain at the station other than just to take train and bus. IIT’s campus lacks engagement with Bronzeville, although both the institution and neighborhood share the transit station. My proposal for these problems is to design a transit station and cultural complex that provides a social condenser for the larger community of Bronzeville. This will create a rich mixture of programs and amenities to be shared by both audiences M.S. in Architecture, December 2012 Show less
This project spans techniques used in path, enclosure, play of light, perspective illusion, and time measurement. Concepts are arrived at by... Show moreThis project spans techniques used in path, enclosure, play of light, perspective illusion, and time measurement. Concepts are arrived at by rational thought, expressing individual experience accessible by persons practicing meditation. Show less
The spectacular increasing population of Chinese rural migrant workers is a big issue faced by government in recent years. Most of Chinese... Show moreThe spectacular increasing population of Chinese rural migrant workers is a big issue faced by government in recent years. Most of Chinese migrant workers are now confronted with the difficult working and living conditions in the Chinese labor market. How to relieve the tension of housing market for these poverty migrant workers is the question of my thesis. To satisfy worker’s desire for basic living conditions, a modular housing service system in China is a practicable infrastructural project to be developed by government. M.S. in Architecture, December 2014 Show less
Holding focus on techinics and strategies of development arc, a landmark building on the south side of Chicago will be re-adapted and... Show moreHolding focus on techinics and strategies of development arc, a landmark building on the south side of Chicago will be re-adapted and transformed from a bakery to a much needed mixed use building. Sponsorship: Waldorf, Tyler Sponsorship: Denison, Dirk Show less
This Project is an urban renewal of an abandoned post-industrial land in the calumet region located on Chicago’s far southeast. The Calumet... Show moreThis Project is an urban renewal of an abandoned post-industrial land in the calumet region located on Chicago’s far southeast. The Calumet region was once the largest and richest wetland in lower north America, but 120 years of intensive industrialization, pollution and waste disposal tailored the ecosystem of this region and resulted in thousands of acres of brownfields. Show less
The Chinese Dream is President Xi Jinping's integrative and transformative vision for China, with the goals to achieve "a great rejuvenation... Show moreThe Chinese Dream is President Xi Jinping's integrative and transformative vision for China, with the goals to achieve "a great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation". However, the realities in China seem to be far from the conditions of a dream. The emerging Chinese middle class are eager to join the army of slaves to their impossible mortgages for their bedroom town homes, in fulfillment of what the modern Chinese psychodynamics have collectively decided to be a necessity in pursuance of a good life. So, where are the capacities of the Chinese Dream for the individuals in this modern times? The dream has to address the deteriorating sense of belonging and home of the millions of working middle class, before it can even consider itself a collective effort. The individuals should be encouraged to dream and strive, in order for this to happen, the fundamentals of a good living environment must be collectively accessible. Studies on the collective forms of housing in China's recent history had shed light onto the importance of urban elements such as the hutong network and socialist work unit in social control. However, a case study on China's gated housing models had also opened up discussions on what a complete razing of culture, history and forced resettlements had done in the name of providing quantities of housing within China's neoliberal shift. This thesis explores the elements of providing quality living environments for this group of people that have been called upward-mobile, tech-savvy and entrepreneurial. With the idea of owning a house becoming increasingly important to the Chinese middle class, architecture attempts to bridge gaps between the realities of the sub-par housing towers in gated peripheral areas and the dying traditions of collectivism. By looking at the success of the hutong and danwei dormitories as spaces for social order as well as spaces for commercial and social interaction, a translation of this is deemed to be emulated in modern housing. A super-hybrid of dwellings and designed "programmatic infection" is bound to happen by studying the development of "dream-like" housing prototypes in history. M.S. in Architecture, July 2017 Show less
THE FAÇADE HAS THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL WHEN TRYING TO OPTIMIZE THE ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF A BUILDING. THE MAIN GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO... Show moreTHE FAÇADE HAS THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL WHEN TRYING TO OPTIMIZE THE ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF A BUILDING. THE MAIN GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO INVESTIGATE WHAT IS THE VALUE OF FACADE RETROFIT AND STUDY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERFORMANCE, WEIGHT, EMBODIED ENERGY, ASSEMBLY EFFORT, COST AND POTENTIAL SAVINGS. 4 DIFFERENT FACADE SYSTEMS ARE ANALYZED AND COMPARED IN THE CONTEXT OF AN EXISTING BUILDING. ONE OF THE SYSTEMS IS CURRENTLY INSTALLED AND HAS BEEN RECENTLY RETROFITTED, WHILE THE OTHER THREE ARE DESIGN PROPOSALS WHICH FOCUS ON THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS: PERFORMANCE AND DAYLIGHT, MINIMAL STRUCTURE AND ADAPTABILITY. Sponsorship: Sobek, Werner Show less
to create a vertical community bound together by two key issues/requirements in Korean society: urban agriculture and mental health care to... Show moreto create a vertical community bound together by two key issues/requirements in Korean society: urban agriculture and mental health care to create a ‘vertical façade farm’ capable of producing 156 tons of vegetables (predominantly lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries) and 200 tons of fish per year to create a mental health sanctuary (or sanatorium) that provides short term (days), midterm (months) and long term (years) residence and care for people with mental health issues that may require physical operations and/or psychological care. to actively engage the mental health residents in aspects of the agricultural production to draw on research showing that engagement with plants/nature assists in mental healing. to create a large multi-purpose space at the ground floor of the building which will largely serve as a farmer’s market for sale of the agricultural produce and engagement between the community residents and the public to create a series of gardens/green spaces at height within the complex, as well as vertical green walls, for healing (residents and urban issues) to use the double-skin ‘façade farm’ for assisting in passive natural ventilation of internal spaces Show less
An electric vehicle charging station prototype. The project proposes coupling vehicle charging with other revenue generating program that... Show moreAn electric vehicle charging station prototype. The project proposes coupling vehicle charging with other revenue generating program that grows and shrinks according to site restrictions. A small, medium, and large prototype are developed. Show less
A commentary on Education: examination of the experience of the subject (space) in relation to the object (place). Sponsorship: Conger-Austin,... Show moreA commentary on Education: examination of the experience of the subject (space) in relation to the object (place). Sponsorship: Conger-Austin, Susan Show less
This project provide children with the learning chance they can not get in regular schools. The environment help them develop multiple... Show moreThis project provide children with the learning chance they can not get in regular schools. The environment help them develop multiple intelligences. Show less
The project is a resource center for formally incarcerated people returning to civil society. Many transitional facilities are overrun with... Show moreThe project is a resource center for formally incarcerated people returning to civil society. Many transitional facilities are overrun with the great flux of people reentering society every year. Room for Growth project proposes to stabalize this group of people by offering another option of counseling centers, housing and work training facilities in the Washington Park neighborhood of Chicago. Show less