"The Nuanced-Topia: Insurgent Frameworks for Storytelling​" by Tommy Yang. Studio Instructors David Leven and Peter Robinson

With New York City's train stations as the backdrop of his thesis, Parsons School of Design M.Arch graduate Tommy Yang explores architectural narratives embedded in built environment to develop The Nuanced-Topia: Insurgent Frameworks for Storytelling. According to Yang, "My thesis manifests as an assembly that hinges on spaces of opportunities engulfing the existing train structure, creating spaces for the day-to-day actors. It is a fable between existing sites and their artifacts of process, deriving from the clash of the urban grids and intersection of transportation arteries."

Archinect connected with Yang to learn about his thesis, how he transitioned during a time of remote learning, and what it means to be an M.Arch graduate during a pandemic. Yang's thesis project is the recipient of the Alpha Ro Chi Medal 2020 for Design Excellence and NYCxDESIGN Architecture Graduates Showcase.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students were displaced as schools shut down, academic communities had to adapt to a new virtual format, end-of-year celebrations were canceled or changed dramatically, and now these students are graduating into an extremely challenging employment market. To support the 2020 class we're launching a summer series of features highlighting the work of thesis students during this unique time of remote learning amid COVID-19. Be sure to follow our 2020 thesis tag to stay up to date as we release new project highlights.

The foundation of my thesis aims to reveal the construct of the built environment through unfolding the narratives of the day to day performances that occur around us.

Briefly describe your thesis.

Human lives are stories; from old, painted worlds with mystical beings to the flying cars of The Jetsons, lives are formed, informed, altered, and enacted with characters and narratives. Roland Barthes states, “Narrative is present in every age, in every place, in every society, it is simply there like life itself.” Many essays illustrate a built environment filled with symbols and signals that mold characters to think and act a certain way in the large theatrical set of the city. These environments lead to speculations of the world with realities that intersect, as artists and designers in the literary, the visual, and the built alike think through issues and opportunities for the future.    

The foundation of my thesis aims to reveal the construct of the built environment by unfolding the narratives of the day-to-day performances that occur around us, thus considering the possibilities of making, developing, and designing by populating, drawing, and speculating on those environments. Imagine characters that move through a world of goodness, from rooms, to plans, to architecture, to neighborhood blocks, to cities, to countries, to the world, and the universe. These characters form the making and transitioning of -topias. 

Book ended by two monstrous mega-developments (Hudson Yards and Little Hong Kong), the area surrounding the Roosevelt Ave / 74th Street Station is a node for two communities, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst. The site is nuanced and features characters moving in and out of the station, selling produce, and spending the afternoon wandering the restaurants with their fading signs under the elevated. Here, my thesis manifests as an assembly that hinges on spaces of opportunities engulfing the existing train structure, creating spaces for the day-to-day actors. It is a fable between existing sites and their artifacts of process, deriving from the clash of the urban grids and intersection of transportation arteries. In this framework live objects, humans, trains, buses, and urban beasts. Interrelated zones allow characters to create, tell, and showcase fantasies that hinge themselves on the existing infrastructure of the rail line. By incorporating these spaces into the act of reclamation, my thesis examines the site as a convergence of urban ecosystems, industrial artifacts, and human events.

How did your project change as studios transitioned to remote learning?

I remember that week when we had to transition online like yesterday. Being alone in New York and frightened, I was up on my feet packing as many materials as I could into an Uber so I could work from home.  As I started up again from home, I realized that the manifestation of my thesis had become even more personal. From drawing dreams to understanding that architecture exists not only beyond the building but also as civic identity where social infrastructures intersect, my thesis became a life project, which inspired many of my personal experiences while I worked from home during the summer.

I believe the best projects anyone can illustrate are ones that show a narrative the designer urges the world to see and hear. From fantastical utopian ideals to new construction technologies, your thesis is your lifelong work.

Any tips for students as they continue to work on their thesis?

Your thesis project [which is a case study of your thesis foundations] is who you are during that specific moment when you are writing, drawing, and making.

Dream bigger, dream more, hope, and accept change. I believe the best projects anyone can illustrate are ones that show a narrative the designer urges the world to see and hear. From fantastical utopian ideals to new construction technologies, your thesis is your lifelong work. Your thesis project is who you are during that specific moment when you are writing, drawing, and making. It will change because life is dynamic, and we are remolded repeatedly by new stories that will be embedded in us. Thus, your next project will be better, and you will begin to understand your thesis theories even more. Your thesis project does not have to end up as a building design. You do not have to solve all the problems of our social, physical, and biological worlds. But you must inspire yourself, because it is your input, gift, and contribution within a larger history of designers showing how they perceive our built environment.

As a recent graduate experiencing the direct effects of the pandemic, how do you feel about the architecture industry right now? What is the job hunt like for you as a recent graduate? What has helped prepare you for the workforce? 

As a first-generation Hmong designer who graduated in May 2020, it was hard to accept this unrest within our social, physical, and biological world. I expected to compete for jobs, but not within a pandemic; truthfully it was disheartening to have bad interviews about my lack of experience. Currently, although the world is still in a standstill, I have come to accept the times and disruptions, and not to mention a constant application sending process. I began doing personal work and research [competitions, online lectures, illustrations for grassroots, and community volunteering]. All of which are case studies of my theoretical underpinning of my thesis project.

Thankfully, I was able to find freelance work, network with ambitious designers who are at the frontlines of changing architecture, lead Zoom lectures with inspiring students who graduated in 2020 and focus on impacting our environment. In addition, with the help of all this support, I will also be a part-time faculty teaching architectural representation this upcoming Fall. It'll be a great opportunity to elevate future designers and continue to build community for them. Amidst the global crisis, it is important for architects and designers to be present. To take the things we learn in school and re-analyze our daily acts. Sustainability and resiliency are no longer a jargon that we throw around. They are verbs, a practice for each one of us. Something an individual can see as small can be a huge life-changing act for others. We are standing on the shoulders of everyone in our lives who taught us, cared for us, and stood for us.

Like many disruptions throughout the history of civilization, this crisis will push all of us towards a more resilient future, or even, toward a dystopian future. But, within all dystopias there lie utopias and with all fear there lies hope. There will be a time for us to run in the streets together again and to meet at bars and dance circles. There will be a time when we are recognized as pioneers of our class, either big or small. There will be times where we fear again, but as pioneers in our fields, remember that we are the umbrellas to those we love, to our community, and to the world. Hope and change start with us and will not end with us. It takes one person to shade another in hopes of that person shading someone else.