Archinect - Features

Woodbury Graduate Isabel Rodriguez Explores Hybrid Housing Options for Los Angeles

2020-10-13T13:20:00-04:00

B.Arch graduate Isabel Rodriguez of Woodbury University explored alternative housing possibilities for Los Angeles in her thesis, E-Hauze. Rodriguez explains her project "explores the positive effects of hybridizing housing and an industrialized facility [...] The typical way we live in Los Angeles needs to change. The way we design our build environment should reflect our intention to integrate."

Students across the globe have persisted during a year filled with challenges due to the pandemic. To highlight their work, we connected with students like Rodriquez to learn about her thesis project and how it responds to Los Angeles's housing crisis, her perspectives on the industry, and her experience with hunting for a job after graduating.

Woodbury Graduate Jesus Montes-Herrera Uses Interactive Layering and AI to Create a Tower Responsive to a Pandemic

2020-09-25T13:41:00-04:00

B.Arch graduate Jesus Montes-Herrera of Woodbury University explored the possibilities of designing a tower resilient enough to withstand a global pandemic at a structural and performative level. In his thesis, The Xenophilactic Tower, Herrera explains the structure "introduces the topic of interactive layering as a protective skin. Concentrating on the manipulation of a variety of scientific experiments as the technical processes for form-finding." The result, Herrera tells Archinect, is that "in the event of a worldwide pandemic the tower may become the genesis of civilization. The intent is "to find the relationship between Hypertrophy and entropic spaces" using techniques such 3D printing, layering, and casting.

Despite a turbulent year with many challenges facing students across the globe, Archinect connected with the recent grad to learn about his thesis project, job prospects, the misconceptions he had about the industry as it faced a global pandemic.

Archinect's Spotlight on...

UofT Daniels Graduate Mariam Malaty Architecturalizes Grottoes

2020-09-03T11:57:00-04:00

M.Arch graduate Mariam Malaty of the University of Toronto John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design used the figurative and literal forms of grottoes to explore formal concepts in pursuit of "fantastical design" possibilities. In her thesis, The Grotto of Illusive Forms, Malaty explains, "these propositions are an open exploration of form found within the spectrum of the 'familiar' and the 'unfamiliar.'” The result, Malaty tells Archinect, "is the creation of four grottoes, each the venue and the result of three acts of colonization."

Archinect connected with Malaty to learn about her thesis, the process for creating the "digital artifacts" that make up her project, and how she has applied the skills she learned in architecture school to her family's residential and hotel business.

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 ...

Parsons M.Arch Graduate Tommy Yang Converts New York City's Train Stations into "Nuanced-Topias"

2020-08-28T13:51:00-04:00

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 ...

B.Arch Graduate Jose Lacruz Vela Modernizes the Spanish Countryside

2020-08-24T13:40:00-04:00

IE School of Architecture and Design B.Arch graduate Jose Lacruz Vela designs a new, enriched landscape that focuses on dismantling the idea of "rural picturesque" views and focuses on creating interactive and performative architectural landscapes that respond to their inhabitants. Unearthing issues facing the rural countryside of Spain, specifically in the town of Docenario in Extremadura, Spain Lacruz, Lacruz Vela uses his thesis project Rural Alchemy to "transform the landscape into holistic artificial natures, from hyper-productivity to third natures."

Lacruz Vela shares, "The proposal aims to challenge depopulation, an issue affecting the Spanish countryside, by retaining and attracting talent through providing jobs of diverse educational levels, while generating a new local economic model." Archinect connected with the recent grad to dive into his thesis project and learn more about his experience entering the workforce after graduation. Lacruz Vela's project was awarded Best...

SCI-Arc B.Arch Graduates Hongjian Qin & Chi Fong Wong Explore Post-Human Infrastructural Architecture in Las Vegas

2020-08-21T12:38:00-04:00

Using Las Vegas as the backdrop of their thesis exploration, SCI-Arc B.Arch graduates Hongjian Qin & Chi Fong Wong design a data center whose structure can adapt to its surrounding desert environment. By creating a "sustainable breathing facade" the structure, in addition to its surrounding energy facilities, helps establish "a new, horizontal corridor that is perpendicular to the Las Vegas Strip." Their design exploration unpacks the purpose of architecture during a post-human time.

Archinect connected with the duo to learn about their project's progress and how they transitioned the entire project to a digital format. The team also shares their thoughts on how the pandemic has affected the industry and architecture's resiliency as it responds to the turbulent events of 2020.

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...

University of Melbourne Graduate Naveen John Thomas Pays Homage to Australia's Indigenous Communities

2020-08-18T13:18:00-04:00

Pulling focus towards the history of aboriginal cultures in Australia, University of Melbourne M.Arch graduate Naveen John Thomas used his thesis "MEMORIAL REPRESENTATION REMEMBRANCE" to highlight the importance of incorporating culture and history within architectural design and narrative.

Thomas shares, "the recent events around the killing of Mr. Floyd in the US and similar reports from Australia regarding the percentage of imprisoned among the First Nation population, only reiterates the importance of acknowledgement of the past, living with that acknowledgement and respect in the present and planning for the future [...] The aim should be to make the architecture communicate. It should communicate the stories, the history, and the purpose." Archinect connected with Thomas to discuss his thesis project and his observations with how the pandemic has influenced Australia and the architecture industry as a whole.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extra...

MIT M.Arch Graduate Angeline Jacques Designs a New Conceptual Framework for Glacier National Park

2020-08-13T12:40:00-04:00

Recent MIT M.Arch graduate Angeline Jacques focuses her thesis project, Mission 2066, on the state of National Parks, specifically Glacier National Park in Montana, and how our perceptions and interventions within these parks might change for the future.

According to Jacques, her thesis seeks to, "adapt and deploy a series of interventions that augment and artificialize melting glaciers. These interventions not only assist in easing the speed of change to ecologies and economies reliant on the glaciers but also provide new inhabitations of the park." Archinect connected with Jacques to discuss her thesis project as well as her experiences entering the workforce during a pandemic. As one of the lucky students able to secure a job post-graduation, she shares with us her experiences as a young designer learning how to start her professional career remotely.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Stud...

University of Illinois Graduates Aparna Pillai and Ramya Pattanur Vasudevan Propose Integrated Hospital Design for Pandemic Response

2020-08-03T13:00:00-04:00

Planning for better and more integrated healthcare design has become an important topic of discussion recently. Since COVID-19 hit, perspectives and design approaches for how to improve architectural responses to disease and illness have become paramount. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign M.Arch students Aparna Pillai and Ramya Pattanur Vasudevan explore how hospital design can help prepare and react to current and future epidemics and pandemics. Their thesis project, One Health Community Hospital, focuses on a multi-disciplinary approach to healthcare design while focusing on human, animal, and environmental domains.

Archinect connected with the duo as they share their experience working through the pandemic while focusing on a project that aims to engage with pandemic design approaches. The designers explain, "There are recurring patterns in the way epidemics, and pandemics hit us and how we react to them. Our response to such outbreaks has always been reactionary in ...

CCNY Spitzer School of Architecture Graduate Martin Zanolli Channels Wind as a Medium to Create New Urban Park Typologies

2020-07-31T10:49:00-04:00

Recent CCNY Spitzer School of Architecture graduate Martin Zanolli explores new ways of creating urban parks to respond to their environments through his thesis, Re-conditioning the Urban. According to Zanolli, "Urban environments often dissociate us from the pleasures of the elements [...] By momentarily defamiliarizing urban dwellers from their routines, my project produces a new kind of urban park – encouraging escape and a reconsideration of the human position within the urban ecosystem.

Archinect connects with Zanolli as he shares his experience as an undergraduate student who has completed his final year during such a challenging time. He also shares his experiences during the transition to remote learning in addition to his thoughts on the industry and the value of thesis work.

University of Florida Graduates Mani Karami and Drew Kauffman Create Photobioreactor Facade Systems for Algae Architecture

2020-07-30T13:27:00-04:00

In their project Biokinetics, University of Florida School of Architecture M.Arch graduates Drew Kauffman and Mani Karami explore kinetic design systems as they apply to photobioreactor facade systems powered by algae growth. The duo, working under their project advisors Professor Lee-Su Huang (chair) and Professor Jason Alread (co-chair), experiment with a series of material studies to help create this new system.

They share, "With an emphasis on digital fabrication technologies including thermoforming, 3D printing, and CNC routing, Biokinetics advances the complementary disciplines of algae cultivation and facade design." Archinect connected with the two as they discuss the details of their research as well as their entrance into professional practice after graduating during a pandemic.

Architectural Memory and Film with UCLA's Alekya Malladi, Gesthimani Roumpani, and Yanrong Yang

2020-07-29T13:11:00-04:00

Architecture and it's ability to frame visual narratives has impacted film and entertainment for decades. With the evolution of design techniques and software, a new form of digital storytelling can aide how architecture is used to test design process and pedagogy. University of California Los Angeles Architecture and Urban Design M.Arch students Alekya Malladi, Gesthimani Roumpani, Yanrong Yang use film to dissect architecture and AI in their project, Incognito.

Advised by UCLA's IDEAS Entertainment Studio advisors Natasha Sandmeier and Nathan Su, the group explains how their film "serves as an exposé on memory, spatial reconstruction, and the role of contemporary media in delivering fact and fiction." Archinect connected with the trio as they share their perspectives on working through the pandemic and what their future holds as they enter professional practice. "Our interactions with professionals in the architecture industry have shown us that establishing a clear identity and i...

USC M.Arch Graduate Fabian Dietrich Creates an "Urban Architectural Metaphor" for Southern California

2020-07-27T14:00:00-04:00

Imagine dissecting a region and collaging areas together in order to study the relationships between two different urban landscapes. Fabian Dietrich uses his thesis, Long Air, or L.A, to do just this by creating "a composite of disparate communities, united by the shared idea of a city." Influenced by British architecture duo Smout Allen and their two drawing series LA To Be Done and LA Recalculated, Dietrich creates a conceptual cut-out using two Southern California cities, Bel Air and Long Beach, to test his hypothesis.

Since completing his M.Arch from the University of Southern California (USC), Dietrich's job search has been a bit different from other COVID-19 era graduates, as he has been able to successfully enter the workforce. Dietrich shares his own perspectives as an international student to observe how the industry has been affected by the pandemic and what students should take away from these challenging times.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been...

Columbia GSAPP MSAUD Students Tackle the Redundant Infrastructure of Retail

2020-07-24T09:00:00-04:00

Recent Masters in Science of Architecture and Urban Design (MSAUD) graduate students of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) aim to redefine the retail model with an emphasis on small businesses and community. A research project initiated by Einat Lubliner, Sushmita Shekar, Hatem Alkhathlan, and Chris Zheng titled Post Retail Apocalypse investigates a new approach for reusing big box stores by implementing design solutions that foster "social interaction and equity."

According to the group, "With the global transition from traditional shopping to e-commerce and the change in consumer trends, main street retail, Big Box stores, and malls, which were a de facto social space for American small towns, have transformed into redundant infrastructure. The repercussions of this have highly impacted social interaction, local economy, existing infrastructure, jobs and services." Their international world views and backgrounds add to the pro...

Florida International University M.Arch Student Renzo Lopez Attempts Coral Reef Restoration Through 3D Printing

2020-07-22T13:01:00-04:00

Coral reefs are a key component to the world's ecosystems. For his M.Arch thesis, Florida International University graduate Renzo Lopez utilizes a common tool in any architecture studio as a means to investigate the possibilities understanding the construction of coral reefs: 3D printing. In his thesis, titled Para-symbiotic, Lopez explores the potential generative applications of intrusion, extrusion, and other 3D printing approaches. He questions, "What if it were possible to attach a robotic apparatus to the base of coral polyp(s) which allowed it to simply orient itself in its own self process of extrusion? Could this self extrusion allow it to afford a certain level of protection from the adverse environmental conditions which currently threaten its existence?"

Archinect connected with Lopez to hear more about the transition from in-person to remote learning and how his project adapted to the situation. He also provides insight on his thoughts on the pandemic and how it has aff...

MIT M.Arch Graduates Alexandre Beaudouin-Mackay & Sarah Wagner Inject "A New Way of Play" Into Architectural Pedagogy

2020-07-20T12:34:00-04:00

Graduates Alexandre Beaudouin-Mackay & Sarah Wagner take architectural pedagogy in a direction driven by play. According to the duo, "by understanding play as a powerful methodology, architects can engage others in creative processes with the ambition of implementing new, meaningful, and imaginative design strategies. Play is not aimless but productive..."

In their thesis project A New Way of Play: The Forms and Functions of Participatory Design and Critical Pedagogies, Beaudouin-Mackay and Wagner they push for architecture to reimagine play. As recent graduates from MIT's School of Architecture, they created a set of play spaces for children in order to understand how different forms of architectural authorship could be challenged.

UCLA's Chinmayi Suri, Xinran Ge, and Xue Zhao Reshape LA's Mountaintops

2020-07-17T13:17:00-04:00

The iconic hills of Los Angeles not only play a role in the city's eccentric history, but also shape its land use trends over the decades. Chinmayi Suri, Xinran Ge ,and Xue Zhao are students in UCLA Architecture and Urban Design's Master of Architecture II (M.Arch.II program). Archinect connected with the trio to discuss their final project, Third Mountain. Studying within the school's IDEAS - Urban Strategy program led by Associate Adjunct Professor Jeffrey Inaba, Gillian Shaffer, and David Jimenez Iniesta, the students explore a the addition of new urban fabric for the city of Los Angeles. According to the group, "These new sites [Third Mountain project] create a different identity for Los Angeles’s urban fabric, inspiring new glamour and ideas of building with earth and landscapes."

The research-based projects at UCLA's IDEA's campus, according to the educators, push students to not only conceptualize possible outcomes through data and prototyping but also to foster solutions fo...

ASU Graduate Selina Martinez Highlights the Influence of Indigenous Worldviews on Architecture

2020-07-16T14:32:00-04:00

Finding a "balance between the sacred and mundane" has been a driving force for recent M.Arch graduate Selina Martinez. As she completes her academic journey and steps into her career, Martinez emphasizes the role indigenous cultures have on the built environment. In her thesis BACHIA, she focuses on "prioritizing the survival of Yaqui communities, culture, and knowledge" and how this investigation within indigenous communities impacts infrastructure.

A recent graduate from Arizona State University, Martinez shares her experiences of navigating the completion of her thesis during a pandemic and discusses adjusting her workflow via remote learning. We also discuss her thoughts on the architecture industry and how her passions have given her a specific perspective on the future of employment. "I think it is obvious that we need to uplift diversity in these fields, as a lot of architecture schools are still led by white men and continue to teach 'Bauhaus' design processes that disregar...

Oussama Khalfi of Temple University Explores Radical Vertical Urban Growth

2020-07-15T13:31:00-04:00

Temple University's Tyler School of Art and Architecture M.Arch graduate Oussama Khalfi explores the idea of urban development through vertical expansion in his thesis "Perpendicular City." Khalfi proposes that his project aims to "challenge the way today's society thinks about urban development and propose visionary alternatives. Cities' cores, mainly historical, have become static, which is against the nature of evolution. It is time to give back to the city its right to evolve, become diverse, and adapt by unleashing the urban evolution machine to define the city of tomorrow."

Archinect connects with Khalfi to discuss how his thesis project was shaped, his experiences as an international student, and graduating during challenging economic conditions. We also discuss employment prospects and how recent grads are being affected by the pandemic.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students were ...

UCLA AUD's Akshada Muley, Neha Oswal, and Aishwarya Rajasekar Narrativize Plastic Waste

2020-07-14T12:57:00-04:00

Archinect recently connected with Akshada Muley, Neha Oswal, and Aishwarya Rajasekar, recent graduate students of UCLA Architecture and Urban Design's Master of Architecture II program. Together we unpack their final project: FOREVER. With the proposal, the trio aims to address the issues of plastic use and waste by creating a new narrative to counter the "anthropocentric way we often describe the city." By anthropomorphizing how a city and its waste can be described, they portray how the "world is shared with many other non-human entities, each with their own tendencies and dispositions."

Archinect connected with Muley, Oswal, and Rajasekar as they explain their use of film as a medium to explain their project. They add, "our story makes plastic viscerally and emotionally present in the city. Here plastic is no longer the much-maligned victim, the neglected creature made to serve us, and discarded when no longer needed." Advised by Natasha Sandmeier & Nathan Su of UCLA's IDEAs Ent...

MIT M.Arch Graduates Kevin Marblestone and Emily Whitbeck Investigate Architecture Pedagogy's Relationship to Time

2020-07-13T12:42:00-04:00

In their thesis project, graduate students Kevin Marblestone and Emily Whitbeck engage with architectural pedagogy by exploring time and it's relation to the design process. According to the duo, "Architecture needs a new generation of practitioners that can think differently about time."

Recent graduates from MIT's School of Architecture, Marblestone and Whitbeck make use of time-based media to work through their thesis project Pedagogy of the Fourth Wall. Archinect connected with the duo to learn more about their exploration and dissection of contemporary design pedagogy and their thoughts on the architecture industry as a whole.

M.Arch Graduate Lucas Pissetti on "Designing With Informal Settlements"

2020-07-10T08:31:00-04:00

Graduate student Lucas Pissetti poses the question, how does one "improve basic life conditions for the people in need, while preserving the qualities that are very specific to their location?"

A recent graduate from the Academy of Architecture Amsterdam, Pissetti investigates favelas in Brazil and discusses his design strategy to improve the relationship residents have within these communities, specifically in Paraisópolis, in São Paulo. Pissetti explains, "My design proposes a new strategy on designing with informal settlements, which aims to improve basic life conditions for the people in need, while preserving the qualities that are very specific to these locations." Archinect connects with Pissetti as he unpacks the ideation process of his thesis and how he feels the recent events taking place has impacted the industry and career opportunities.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students ...

Tulane Graduate Jacob Smiley Creates "Symbiotic Design Strategies" for Redwood Conservation

2020-07-09T13:23:00-04:00

After exploring Northern California's iconic redwood forests and their history with unsustainable logging, land, and real estate development practices, graduate student Jacob Smiley has proposed Restorative Forestry, a new way for people and the built environment to interact with forests. According to Smiley, "The thesis presents itself as a case study within the Muir Woods National Monument, a federal preserve located just 10 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge [...] this thesis primarily focuses on the study of redwood as a structural material as well as the incorporation of biomimetics to closely mirror the ecological niche of the redwood and support the ecology, all of which to be packaged under formal guise of a tower."

Archinect was able to connect with Smiley, a recent Tulane University School of Architecture graduate, to learn more about the semester's transition from in-person to digital presentations and to hear his perspective on the job market for graduates in 2020.

Ar...

University of Toronto Graduate Student Rachel Chan Visualizes The Everyday Futures of Big Data

2020-07-08T12:04:00-04:00

Data has become a commodity that influences the world of design. This week Archinect, connects with M.Arch graduate Rachel Chan who studied at the University of Toronto John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. Chan's exploration of a data-driven world is given a comic-like visual narrative to question information's impact on culture and the physical world. Chan explains, "technology is coming to us much faster than our culture and ideologies are forming. How can we be better prepared to design for this future? [...] as the Internet’s presence becomes overwhelmingly significant and will require more mega structures to keep it online."

Syracuse University's Isabella Calidonio Stechmann and Tanvi Marina Rao Find Beauty in the Donation Center

2020-07-07T09:00:00-04:00

Isabella Calidonio Stechmann and Tanvi Marina Rao are recent graduates of Syracuse Univesity's School of Architecture B.Arch program. Archinect connected with the duo to explore their final project DO[NATION]. With guidance from their thesis advisors Daniele Profeta, Greg Corso, and Kyle Miller, the two students explore overconsumption, waste, reuse and the relationship of these concepts to the potential growth of a city.

According to Stechmann and Rao their project "imagines the start of a community that counteracts the single-use of objects and their frivolous discard once they have been exhausted of their utility value. Investigating the donation center model, the results culminated in a design of an intentional community based on a system of logistics that deals with excess through collections and encourages the reuse of donated goods."

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students were disp...

SCI-Arc's Chu Wen Ong Creates a Line-Based "Evolutionary Library" in Warsaw

2020-07-06T12:42:00-04:00

Chu Wen Ong is a recent graduate from Southern California Institute of Architecture's (SCI-Arc) B.arch program. Archinect connected with Ong to unpack her final project - END LINES. Advised by studio instructor Kristy Balliet, Ong questions the concept of paper and graphic constraints as a means to design inhabitable spaces. Ong explains "the fundamental property of a graphic line is defined by the two ends that determine where it starts and stops. By focusing on the set of ends, the collection of volumized lines starts to transform into a building where the ends are appropriated in ways that can adapt and react to different architectural roles."

UCLA's Chunsu Ouyang, Tianyi Song, and Xianrui Wang on Unpacking Architecture Through Video Game Narratives

2020-07-01T10:00:00-04:00

This week Archinect connected with Chunsu Ouyang, Tianyi Song, Xianrui Wang to learn more about their final project - INNERMOST. The trio of recent graduate students of UCLA Architecture and Urban Design's Master of Architecture II discuss their project's use of video game narratives in architecture, working remotely, and their outlook on finding a job after graduating.

Advised by Natasha Sandmeier & Nathan Su of UCLA's IDEAs Entertainment Studio program, the students work towards "conceiving a game that can make a metaphor of people growing up/self-developing while collaborating with others, in order to explore the possibility of a game as a new social medium."

GSD Grad Yang Fei Creates Conceptual Renovation and Extension of 18th-Century Townhome

2020-06-29T12:45:00-04:00

Yang Fei is a recent graduate from the Harvard GSD. Archinect connected with Yang to learn more about his final thesis project, which was nominated for the 2020 James Templeton Kelley Prize at GSD. It is a renovation and extension project for an 18th-century townhouse located in the heart of old Montreal.

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.

Kate Katz and Ryan Shaaban, Tulane University MArch graduates, Consider the Urban Grid's Relationship to Sea Level Rise

2020-06-26T12:00:00-04:00

Kate Katz and Ryan Shaaban are recent graduate students from Tulane University's 5-year M.Arch program. Together the two explore the impact of rising sea levels and alternative approaches to coastal city infrastructure. According to both students, their thesis "strives to change the perception of how we as humans relate to nature by accommodating the dynamic qualities of water into the urban grid network."

Archinect connected with Katz and Shaaban to learn more about their final thesis project, their experience transitioning to remote learning, and their thoughts on graduating during a global pandemic. Their project was selected to be featured in Tulane's 2020 Thesis Show and chosen as one of the top four presentations in their graduating class.

University of Washington M.Arch Graduate Michelle Hook on Using "Speculative Fiction as a Queer Tactic to Disorient and Deconstruct the Norm in Architecture"

2020-06-25T14:03:00-04:00

Michelle Hook is an M.Arch graduate from the University of Washington College of Built Environment. Archinect was able to chat with Hook and dive into her thesis project, "Step into my Queerhouse: Queering the Now/Future." Hook explores architecture's role in representation and how speculative fiction can help change the built environment's perspectives.

Hook shares, "...to construct a new architecture, one that may be inherently queer, speculative fiction becomes the tactic of world-building, free from the constraints and the framework of the normative. The final action of imagining, and therefore queering, creates the new world." She also discusses her take on finding a job during a pandemic and her plans for staying sharp as opportunities present themselves.