The Bir Tawil, located on the border between Sudan and Egypt, is considered the most undesired territory of land in the world. Since the land has no direct access to water, the surrounding countries, Egypt and Sudan, do not want to claim it. For either of them to claim Bir Tawil would be to relinquish their claim to the Hala'ib Triangle, an area of land closest to the Red Sea.

Problems concerning this territory include: lack of access to water, vegetation, and dry, hot climate. Bir Tawil is a land-locked area approximately 400 miles from the Red Sea, the nearest body of water. Its dry land consists of no vegetation or existing plant life, making it deemed useless.

By creating a landscraper/skyscraper hybrid, our building, The Hyrdra, will enable a water filtration system connecting through the Red Sea, in order to create a sustainable, living environment. By filtering water from the Red Sea into fresh, drinkable water, this will allow life to exist in this area.

 The Hydra building, named for its ability to provide water and “hydrate” a desert oasis, functions similar to the human heart. Conceptually, its design was based off of the different valves and structure of a heart organ. Similarly, the Hydra pumps water to the different stations, just as a heart pumps water to the different systems throughout the human body.

The building has openings that allow filtration of air and light; pores throughout the entire façade open and close when the climate is too warm. Solar panels generate power on the surface of the building and supply energy in the spaces below.

This project proposes a winery in an urban context by displacing wine production from its traditionally agrarian setting. It takes as its starting point a linear production line: harvesting the grapes, de-stemming, fermenting, aging, bottling, and storage. It examines how this linear system reacts in a compact urban condition, looping back over itself to create spatial opportunities not otherwise seen and experienced in a linear system. As the wings of the form begin to turn along with its system it begins to create programmatic and volumetric relationships. The resulting spaces substitute for the agrarian ideal.

The concept for this project was derived by observing the shape and structure of wine barrels and extracting elements from its form and construction. The experience of being within a barrel serves as the inspiration for the vaults.

The spinal typology uses vaulted combinations all throughout the structure and is repeated as one, cohesive system. When the form begins to bend and curve, it causes these vaults to deform, offering spatial conditions. Repeated along the six corners of the building, this deformity creates mezzanines and pockets of outdoor space. 

Programmatic placement of the different functions of wine production

This drawing represents different spatial fragments due to corner deformation, which offer various levels of interactions. 

shows a vaulting system as one cohesive object contorting along the exterior shell of the form. 

The exterior experience reveals various types of gardens and vegetation as well as revealing the aged feel of the exterior skin of the form.

Expresses the highly activated spaces which includes wine bars, lounges, and outdoor garden spaces.

Gives the user a walkthrough of the different squences in the wine production process.

Space expresses its vaulting system, wine bars, and mezzine levels.

photo credit : Joshua White

photo credit : Joshua White

photo credit : Joshua White

photo credit : Joshua White

Blurring between two nations

As neighboring countries, the United States and Mexico share a deep history that is characterized by a vivid mix of cultures constantly exchanging ideas, work, land, and people. Located at the epicenter of this ongoing cultural infusion is the border separating the two countries which acts as a semi permeable membrane allowing a limited amount of trade to occur across this threshold. Through the study of the controversial relationship the two countries have with one another, a relation to neuron systems was made specifically referencing the knowledge that neurons are able to zap messages to other neurons without physical interaction taking place. The concept was implemented into the design of interior spaces which will allow for two separate territories to inhabit one building with shared spaces and level changes that provoke indirect interactions. A blurring of the separation of the countries occurs on the site through interlocking program which makes the current border obsolete and presents an indistinguishable border, intertwining the countries instead of separating them.

A voronoi pattern was then imposed onto the site and through methods of deduction; a plan was formulated to determine where program, circulation, atrium spaces, and voids would occupy on the site. The shapes of programs were then limited to practicality, avoiding sharp angles or virtually unusable spaces. The circulation of the buildings allow for passage of Mexican citizens onto United States land via river overpass but their programs remain separate from that of the United States. The programs most private to Mexico are placed on the Mexican side of the border while more public spaces such as the auditorium, cafeteria,lecture halls, and theater are located on the U.S. side to encourage a mix of knowledge and cultivation.

A pattern is extracted from a photo of a system of neurons. From there the form is created through selecting parts of the pattern with relation to the site. It is then distributed throughout the site, expanding and contracting and blending the two sides, creating a seamless border. 

To strengthen the initial concept of indirect communication, the project incorporates spaces that become manipulations of the border, allowing interaction to occur while still in the confinements of each country’s own territory. These spaces are created by varying floor heights and interlocking programs as well as outdoor atriums which incorporate a vertical connection linking the floors and their respective countries. Atrium spaces such as the one shown illustrate an intimate environment in which both countries are allowed access to and can see each other through glass enclosures. 

The site, which is located on the border and includes the span of the Tijuana River, presents opportunities in utilizing the threshold not as a separator but as a system of communication stretched across the border representing a re-connection between the divided nations. 

The atrium spaces are created to not only cause a connection between the U.S and Mexico territories but it also acts as a natural ventilation system by allowing the cool air to enter the spaces and releasing the hot air out of the building.

The design of this structure aids in the understanding of how weather conditions in Tijana, Mexico relate to the concept of reconnection. Since the climate of Tijuana is a dry and desert-like, the double bi-layer caused by the structure helps to regulate a cooler environment. 

The structure is broken down into a thickened shell like design. Within the shell like structure all of the primary , secondary and tertiary structures work together as one integrated system to distribute loads of forces evenly. 

The space expresses an exposed structural system and the various mezzanine levels where Mexico and U.S interact. 

This building is the headquarters for Zumbtobel Lighting, a company who focuses on creating radiant and luminescent lighting concepts. Lighting concepts are determined in terms of space. The building consists of two zones, a kinetic sculpture garden and private offices. Therefore, order to achieve corporate transparency, both zones must coexist in the same space. The formal breakdown of the building is through a modular system which is repeated to fill the given square footage to create a monolith. The systematic repetition of the modules lends itself to various scalar shifts which then create four distinct public spaces: an open space, canopy space, pin - up space, and the show room. The scalar shifts not only create opportunities for each space to be unique, but it also gives each of the aggregates a different treatment of light. Using a panelized system from repetitive modules, the panels enable openings to filter natural light. This allows it to have control over the blurred boundary between natural and artificial lighting throughout the day. Eventually, the modulation would lend itself to create an atmosphere of constant natural lighting.

Light not only became a perimeter in the investigation, but also a generator of new ways in thinking about form. The investigation drove the concept towards modulation, which studied the surface as structure. The idea of modulation also pushed forward into a revolutionized thinking of mass production and when combined with light will create provocative spaces. The structural surface will allow different modulations of spaces to manifest various emotions dictated through light. These spaces will allow various light manipulations through the public, artists, and companies. These Light manipulations will then generate various spatial explorations and create ones understanding of form and light.

The building is a steel building and the panel system responds to the structure and the geometry. The panel connects itself to the structure. There are two types of panels created from the connection between the steel framing and the panel system.  Depending on the curvature of the geometry the panels are either square panels or become triangulated to avoid steep curvature. Imbedded in the panels are fixed windows for natural light and mechanical windows for natural ventilation. The panel system in the public zone is a thin layer of thermal metal sheets that peal up when it gets too hot outside. This process of the material acting in response towards the environment creates natural ventilation when the space gets too hot. 

The building geometry of the surface is based upon a ruled surface. Ruled surface is the idea that every point is a straight line and when the lines are connected from end to end in a series they create the surface. The ruled surface not only creates the surface but when it is subdivided into smaller surfaces it creates a grid. The grid of the surface becomes its structure. The grid makes the structure more rigid, and allows it to resist lateral loads.  Since the lines derived from the subdivided surfaces are all straight lines the surface has no problem transferring loads from the various floors above. The structure provides an exoskeleton for mechanical, skin, and electrical systems to attach to.

After researching consumer behavior, I began to notice that we as consumers are not aware of the journey or process of creating a product. The parallel reality between where the product is being made, transported, and placed in a retail store for purchase is highlighted through this building space. By adding editions such as reflective panels, the space lends itself to become an exhibition space, creating a link between the consumer and the producer. The mirrored panels also essentially create a distorted reality that is controlled by the producer. Thus, this building becomes more than a studio space, it becomes an experience.

Study showing the different relationships between the consumer and producer.  

The blue sea is an exploration of sound in space. It begins to test the limits and restrictions of sound using a series of different materials. Tested materials include; wood, sheet metal, fabric dipped in resin, foam and cork. The focus began to narrow down depending on its flexibility and working properties. Foam became a great material because it offered the flexibility that was desired along with its absorption that was needed to alter the acoustics in the space. 

Material Breakdown

Module size : 6"x6"     Tile size :  12"x12"x8"  

Strengths of material :  Omnidirectional, flexible, material consistency, light weight. 

Weakness: Tearing

The manipulation of the form began by taking a  6"x6" sheet of foam and folding it back to create a 3dimensional object. From there the object repeated itself as a modular system branching out in all directions. 

Shows the system as a 12"x12"x8" tile being rived together. 

The image above begins to break down the material properties of foam and how it is affected as a tangible surface.