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Architecture Urbanism, New York, NY (2025)

02/12/2025

“Water Cube” by Chiennapa Yampine .studio at KMITL, Bangkok.

Instructor: Nirav Jhaveri

The first ‘ADER ERROR’ flagship store at Siam Square creates a “NEW EXPERIENCE” to tell the story of ‘The Flooding’ and resiliency in Bangkok with the historical impact of the city. With a design inspired by water, rising tides, and environmental reflection, customers will experience an immersive space that brings the city’s flooding history to life through fashion, art, and interactive installations.

I explored several facade design ideas to reflect the concept effectively such as Wave-Inspired Forms. I experimented with curved, wave-like shapes to symbolize the natural flow of water. The undulating facade represents the water movement, aligning with the flooding concept while creating a dynamic, evolving exterior.

In response to Bangkok’s frequent flooding, particularly during heavy rain, the building design incorporates features that help manage and retain rainwater. The store is equipped with a system to temporarily store rainwater and gradually release it, helping to alleviate the impact of flash floods. This design aims to contribute to solving one of the city’s most pressing environmental challenges.

The design reflects the concept of water and waves throughout, including in the shapes of the facade, furniture, and materials used. The forms and lines are inspired by the fluidity of water and the movement of waves. The walls and ceilings are designed with textures and finishes that evoke the feeling of water’s surface, while the colors and materials chosen reflect natural elements like water, stone, and sand. The overall design aims to immerse visitors in the concept, with every detail contributing to the story of water and its impact on the environment.

12/15/2024

“Tides of Perspective” by Achiraya Usap at AAD KMITL, Bangkok.

Instructor: Nirav Jhaveri

Redesigning the Old Custom House in Bangkok has been an incredibly rewarding yet challenging journey, especially since I couldn’t visit the site in person. Without being able to physically experience the space, I had to rely on extensive research, site plans, and historical references to fully understand its character. The biggest challenge was translating the concept of water flow and movement into a design that truly reflects its connection to the Chao Phraya River. The curved floor extensions and water-like columns were developed through careful analysis, symbolizing the idea that “different angles reveal different perspectives” without having the advantage of direct observation. Despite the challenges, the project embodies a seamless flow of time and water, uniting the building with the river.

12/02/2024

“The New Cooking Dynamic” by Natchanund Thanaritiroj at AAD KMITL, Bangkok.

Instructor: Sutinee Prongmake

With third places becoming a rarity, a former school within the districts of Bangkok is turned into its first ever cooking community. This adaptive reuse project kick-starts dynamics of novel lifestyle and culinary accommodation.

The site was located amongst shop houses and residential buildings. Prior to the close down of the Covid-19 pandemic, it functions as a school. Since users were mostly children, spaces provided for activities were scaled down. This meant that the pre-existing structure consisted of small divided classrooms with low ceilings. The old building had full passive ventilation and lighting due to a series of windows going parallel with the hallways.

On a walkthrough around the site, there were various minor businesses that cater towards food and beverage. This became the start of conceptual design.

The concept of cooking dynamic was studied to create a sense of activeness, transforming the previous structure into a lively cooking center. Two main keywords derived from this design approach was “linear” and “dynamic”. To move smoothly means to create linear walkways with no obstruction, but also add character to its function as a work space with dynamics.

The ground floor is designed as an open plan, with a cafe occupying the atrium. Both users coming from the north and south wing of the site will firstly see a wide hang out area.

Gradually, the space is divided into exhibitions, studios, cooking zones, and libraries.

In elevation view, the pattern of linear dynamic facade is seen clearer. It completely wraps around the building in one big loop. Throughout the day, this pattern casts a unique shadow on the walls that follow the path of the sun.

11/21/2024

“Odditi” by Natchanund Thanaritiroj at AAD KMITL, Bangkok

Instructor: Nirav Jhaveri

Situated in the heart of heritage tourism of South Korea, Gwanju City. Odditi blends its design ethos of beauty and abstraction which speaks to both traditional style, and the progressing contemporary architecture of South Korea.

Odditi takes the task of representing the beauty of Korean tradition through the form of an arts center. Art sparks a wide spectrum of emotions, it can also be cathartic to some. This is when the word “odd” came into the process of conceptual design curation. The idea of “oddness” was broken down into two main keywords: misplacement and irregularity.

Essentially, this is the process whereby rules are studied before being broken to create oddness in space. This was done through Fibonacci’s golden ratio of proportions. To follow the flow of this new rule, slanted columns were used.

The section shows a ramp leading down into the parking space. Standing above ground at approximately 11 meters tall, Odditi blends into local context where average height of town homes in Gwangju area are at no more than 3 stories tall.

The site section shows connection of outdoor and indoor spaces. With its spiral shape and slanted columns, the long protruding end welcomes visitors through gradual transition of soft to hard landscapes.

A massing of the arts center was done to compare its relations to surrounding site. To blend in context, specific local materials such as volcanic rocks were represented. Sustainable alternatives such as weathering steel was used for the claddings. Unpainted concrete was finishing for the interior to garner full attention to exhibits and art pieces.

01/05/2024

“Heart School” project by Kaliagin Sergei at Moscow Architectural Institute

Instructor: Yury Grigoryan

What is the minimum required for the educational process? What is the role in it is the teacher playing? What won’t they teach you at school? By answering these questions, we realized:
community of teachers and
students - this is already a school, like
those that were in antiquity or
Middle Ages. Today there is
inequality between social
groups in the opportunity to receive
knowledge. Knowledge should not be
accessible only to a narrow circle
people, but should be generally accepted
value. Free access to
educational programs also
will create a new form of social
interactions: joint
study. School in the city area
will play the role of a “generator”. Similar to cultural centers and offices
the structure of the school encouraged
reasoning about the difference between these concepts.
School for us is not only students
and teachers, but also some common
problem and “cloud of meanings” around
her.
Our school is an aggregator of communities,
internally firmly connected
organization that aims to
the purpose of joint research,
interdisciplinary dialogue between
representatives of communities in search
answers to modern questions.

06/09/2023

“Tech Central Gateway Building” project by Joshua Thai at University of Sydney

The design focuses on planning a functional gateway building for biomedical research and a hub for people to share knowledge. This project will help facilitate innovative disease treatments, new drugs, and health technologies.

Design proposal focused on five main design principles. The project is separated into four main buildings, leaving large open spaces between which creates pathways, green spaces and outdoor activities. By orientating the buildings to face the sun, natural sunlight is able to enter internal spaces whilst also covering the outdoor landscape. The principle of the foyer as a threshold is proposed to transition people entering from Wilson St into the main hall. Following this idea of entrances, buildings are positioned so they enclose the outside spaces to filter and draw the public inside as they enter from the street or the west. Lastly, allowing the public to have passive connections to the outdoor spaces within the site from trains and adjacent streets.

The programs were arranged to surround multiple large outdoor green spaces. The foyers and cafes become the entrances and forefront that allow people to have a collective experience of transitioning from outside to inside. From the west, there is a main cafe building that faces the morning easterly sun, and next to it are the tech central hubs where researchers are able to work within their demonstration and incubator hubs. The main building takes full opportunity of the natural sunlight and ventilation during all times of the day since its orientated to face directly north. People coming from Wilson St can enter the main hall through the foyer passage that links the natural slope of the site to the first floor.

01/01/2023

“Revival” project by Hitika Gupta and Trisha Karkhanis at RMIT Architecture

Instructor: Nic Bao

The brief of our studio was to aim toward a utopian era and propose a floating theme park that encouraged the coexistence of humans and the marine habitat. While utopian dreams are perceived as science fiction, the imagination of designs in futuristic environments, these dreams need to be considered as an optimistic proposal, a commitment to finding solutions in the wake of the worsening climate catastrophe. - Optimum design solutions and biomimicry of floating natural phenomena have been developed over the years. - Our proposal located on Heron Island aims to provide a floating structure typology that bio-mimics corals.

09/27/2022

“AI Generated Spaces | Foresting Interiors” Project by Sneha Dhanuka

The idea began by wondering how it would be like to live in an aeroponic environment with fabric acting as a skin of the structure, letting it breathe just like the trees around us. Aeroponics is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or an aggregate medium. With a curiosity of imagining a future where we create breathable spaces by foresting urban interiors, covered with synthetic materials like silk-cloth facade hence making nature a part of the structures and us.

09/22/2022

M.Arch project by Mateo Mantilla at SCAD

Instructor: Huy Ngo

This project is based on the concept of Arcology, developed by the Italian architect Paolo Soleri, who was aware that cities were not adequate for humans since they were perceived as chaotic and detrimental to our well-being. As a consequence of his awareness, Soleri came up with Arcology (architecture + ecology): a concept for cities that presents an alternative to better, less disruptive ways of living, by letting nature and architecture intertwine. While Soleri’s Arcology is defined by a number of factors - one of which is that it needs to be sited in the middle of an open and uncluttered landscape - this thesis explores the impact of an Arcology in the urban context of Bogota, Colombia. This exploration will allow us to see how the Arcology needs to change to fit its environment, the impact it causes on its surroundings, and how the experiences within this Arcology can better the user’s lives in an urbanistic and architectural manner; all of these will lead us to find - What is the Urban Arcology?

08/31/2022

“Urban Cocoon” project by Sneha Dhanuka and Dhruv Shah .shah___

Is it possible to imagine a new typology of community, using cutting edge technology with sustainable materials that can enable people to live in close proximity with nature, but have minimum impact and also feel safe?

The proposed design, in response to the dense vegetation on site, includes every structure being elevated from the ground to have minimum footprint possible.

This also opens up the ground level for more activities, immersive pathways and to allow local plant and animal species to coexist, with humans "nesting" on the upper levels.

08/29/2022

“Esotile Eden” project by Heer Rawal at Brick School

Instructors: Sharduli Paranjpe and Divya Mallavarapu

School for Nonverbal learning disabled children- The aim of this project was to investigate how architecture can provide a more suitable and holistic learning environment through design model for those special children, and groom them to be ready to be integrated into any school with conventional method of teaching.

08/28/2022

“AI x Surreal Symbiotic Architecture” project by Manas Bhatia

AI generated symbiotic architecture that breathes and grow:

The project began as an investigation into the interactions we have all had with nature, such as appreciating a tree's shade on a hot day, reading a newspaper in a courtyard under a tree, or simply hanging out in a park to take in the changing hues of the leaves. Building on these observations, came the idea of a "utopian future" in which buildings are not machines made of steel or concrete is presented. Instead, the structure is alive and has the ability to grow and breathe. Imagine a Hyperion tree (coast redwood tree in California that is considered the world's tallest known living tree, measuring 115.92 m) that has been hollowed out, with apartments facing inward and natural light flooding in to create an enchanting bio-atrium. Magical and yet, in a natural way, so pragmatist. Is it possible to design symbiotic architecture? Can structures grow? Can the envelope in which we live breathe as creatures do instead of us dwelling in air-conditioned concrete and glass boxes we call apartments?"

The design is achieved by using AI tools like Midjourney to imagine a surreal future that has ‘symbiotic’ architectural apartment towers that look like giant hollow redwood trees. Inspired by the Hyperion tree, the Indian architect seeks to go beyond the realm of physical architectural design to present a series of AI-generated images, and drawings of the apartments that really makes one question the idea of such symbiotic buildings.

08/22/2022

CLT project “Culture. Life. Time” by Sneha Dhanuka and Dhruv Shah .shah___

How can we make sure that sustainable solutions for urban housing can be implemented, without adversely affecting the cultural component of the existing settlements? How can we make the transition to CLT material in such a way that it doesn't feel like an unfamiliar material typology?

The proposal looks to provide an innovative system of modular and incremental housing solution for the dynamic and growing urban cultural setting of Indian cities.

The design approach is inspired by the close-knit community setting of Indian settlements and translates it into the new CLT system of housing, through imagining local community pockets of varying scales and uses.

This is done by playing with the interior volumes, hence by-passing alienation of the CLT construction and its aesthetic.

08/21/2022

Project by Michele Annunziata and Simona Biraglia at

Within the Design Laboratory 3 course we tackled three themes that dominated the entire project, namely: The high school of arts and crafts, the module and the non-standard prefabrication. We are in Naples in an area between the central station and the main bus station. The new area had to include two buildings that could fall within the perimeters of the pre-existing buildings and one free from constraints being the filter between the two pre-existing areas and the project area.

In the early stages of the project we started looking for the perfect module that could give us more flexibility in the creation of spaces. We identified it in the measurements of a 1m by 1.5m laboratory bench. We have a visible example in the facade of building 2 and 3 where the rhythm of solids and voids is marked by these two measures. Precisely for these two facades we were inspired by the LAN architecture studio who often work with the non-standard prefabrication of reinforced concrete load-bearing panels.

The first building is where the flow of people is most intense. The conviction developed that the building should be the intersection of three routes that lead to the three transport infrastructures in the area: Central Station, Circumvesuviana station and bus station. To do this, we initially worked on the axes: those parallel and perpendicular to the ascent of the buses that designated the location of the building and a path, while that of the Circumvesuviana tracks outlined another path.

In a second phase we had to work on the differences in height to ensure that the building could connect perfectly to the Circumvesuviana and become a second access / exit of the station.
Furthermore, a reference that we want to point out in the end is certainly the opening that allows us to observe the Circumvesuviana station from the zero level, in memory of the old station in Piazza Garibaldi.

07/31/2022

Project by Mudra Shah

The project to design shared accommodation spaces, or a hostel block, is located in the advancing city of Ahmedabad with a high density of infrastructural context near Gulbai Tekra. The
compact site of 800 square meters is encompassed with edifices on its three sides, leaving a minimal area with height restrictions for the design proposition. The total buildable area is 492 square meters with 1.8 FSI (floor space index) after setting aside the marginal space for conservation, corresponding to the regulations in India.
The client, moreover, had a building requirement to accommodate 200 students of the design discourse along with the basic institutional amenities and break-out spaces. The major concern was to negotiate free and open spaces for the design students contrary to the commercialized setting formulated by the client. The design, therefore, explored strategies to manipulate the block to achieve adequate ventilation within the abridged site. The resulting central court is an open to sky core promoting cross-ventilation and natural light inside the block. The addition of fixed glass above this service core is functionally complemented with solar panels to generate a passive design.
The organization of the hostel block is choreographed to create a politic balance between the private and the public spaces. The ground floor of the five-storeyed hostel block is equipped with parking and storage facilities for the students whereas the remaining floors are planned with units of shared accommodation spaces and common facilities. The second and third floors are provided with balconies with student lounges and indoor gaming zones on the northern facade to ensure sufficient provision of natural light inside the hostel block. The corridors on each level open up to the units ensuring minimal circulation for the students.

04/16/2022

M.Arch Project by Yikai Zhang at Pratt SOA

Instructor: Prof. Olivia Vien studio

“HOUSE 14, ENDLESSLY”

Artists, Architects, Designers, Researchers, and more, we invite you to reinterpret/revitalize this century-old single family located at the heart of Governors island!

We, as architects, strive to create a comprehensive environment as summer programs take place. Designed by Yikai Zhang from Vien’s studio, house 14 was reborn with two-channel circulation, ensuring functionality as well as provoking creativity. The design language is compositionally inspired by pianist Ludovico Einaudi, applying repetitive patterns dynamically as interlaced dimensions throughout the flow.

02/07/2022

MLA project “Fluid Strata”, by Dafni Filippa at Bartlett Landscape

Check out the project on our website: https://architectureurbanism.com/Projects/view_project/UXJGTkh6UkRWZzN5ODBFVUV4Z29NUT09

The project is inspired by the urgent need for resilient landscape systems which can be introduced into the urban environment to mitigate unpredicted tidal and storm surges. The proposal is based on a poetic notion to reactivate London's hidden rivers as part of a responsive flood-defence organism of the stratigraphy. Through a series of membranes, landscape tissues, valves and deep channelling systems, the hydrological overflows meander between the Strata before they fuse to be exhausted into the Deep Ground. The introduced tectonic is based on an experimental application of Polymer-based hydromembranes focusing on responsive behaviour above and below ground as the landscape exists in a reciprocal relationship with human and non-human territories changing its shape according to the water’s kinetic. Performing in each tidal cycle, the landscape absorbs and channelises the incoming water flow to protect the district of Westminster and the existing underground infrastructure. Over the years, and under substantial sea-level rise, the hidden river Tyburn which operates as the main organ of the overall landscape, gradually resurfaces in reverse into the city to accommodate the needed hydrological capacity.

12/21/2021

“Good Water Corporation” project by Maggie Lan at the Bartlett School of Architecture

Site: Los Angeles, California, USA

The project speculates on the City of Los Angeles entering a state of emergency, where droughts and the effects of climate change have led to severe shortages of water. The North American Water and Power Alliance has resurfaced to siphon water from Alaska to Los Angeles via Canada, in order to acquire water for the city and its citizens.

Surrounded by a water dealership, the Los Angeles River becomes a key acquisition at the heart of the masterplan. The once disused concrete riverbed is revived to recreate the riparian landscape, which is filled with trees and luscious verdant greenery to become a private national park - bringing water and nature back to Los Angeles.

Architecture Urbanism