/Experimental drawings

Currently work-in-progress.

At a time of environmental uncertainty, when our very understanding of what is natural versus man-made is increasingly ambiguous, Automated Landscapes proposes a framework for distilling moments of simple and often overlooked beauty in the everyday environments around us. Referencing works such as the astutely reductive nature drawings of artist Nigel Peake and the disciplined marker compositions of designer Ronan Bouroullec, Automated Landscapes also seeks to create moments or fictions that insinuate and mimic natural phenomena. The process begins by uncovering basic patterns and ephemeral moments around us and then translating them to a palimpsest of lines, curves, dots and dashes. Through subtleties in density, variation and orientation, the framework allows for impressions without being literal and abstraction without losing intrinsic qualities - precise imperfection.

/Useful object

The CLOVE mirror is a simple and playful take on a classic wall / corridor mirror.

Three intersecting circles of different radii make up the composition so it can be rotated and hung to suit a variety of interior conditions.

/Architecture competition

Recess is a break from the norm – whether it is the time that we take off from work in order to play or the space that we go to for some rest from the activities that surround us. As an economic phenomenon – recession – it is also the period when we collectively question our material values in the face of reduced resources. The proposed pavilion engages with the realities of a material culture that is in recession, while creating opportunities for the pleasure, fun and relaxation that define summer recess. Architecturally, the pavilion provides an intimate pocket of space amidst the landscaped grounds of Governors Island where visitors can find a refuge from the afternoon sun or the unexpected summer shower, but also gather, lounge, nap, and daydream.

In New York City, economic ups and down are perhaps most visibly perceived through building construction and retail activities. Construction scaffolding and shopping bags reference the two industries respectively and act as a material index to the economies of each. In our project, rented scaffolding is transformed into a one-of-a- kind structure through customized installation, a temporary break from its usual role at construction sites. Used plastic bags are unfolded, layered and heat-fused together to make a sturdy and graphically abstract cladding material for the pavilion. The act of remaking the material into a building product not only extends the shopping bag’s lifespan as a useful artifact, but also acts as a coordinated effort to gather as many discarded bags as possible so that they can be directed toward an appropriate recycling center rather than into the landfill.

Recess was a collaboration between Matt Hutchinson of PATH and Igor Siddiqui of isssstudio.

/Speculative architectural systems

This high-performance / low-tech design develops an ongoing interest in using passive off-the-shelf components to activate individual architectural apertures or entire enclosures for environmental control. In this case, taking readily available greenhouse window/vent auto-openers which use pistons (filled with a temperature sensitive wax) that expand and contract to create mechanical movement and using them to actuate dynamic facade/surface ventilation.

Various origami folding techniques were explored for methods of opening and closing the apertures. This system uses a hex or honeycomb geometry, but a number of geometries could potentially work.

*the assembly shown here is an approximately half scale mock-up with manually adjusted operation.