● ● ● Design Blueprints

01 Inhabitable Surface: A Prototype for Scalable and Adaptive Housing

Independent Thesis in Satisfaction of Degree MArch
Harvard GSD
May 2025

This thesis explores the invention of a prefabricated surface—functioning simultaneously as ground and ceiling—that serves not only as a housing prototype but also as a structural and infrastructural system. It addresses one of the most enduring challenges in architecture today: the housing crisis, and more specifically, the mismatch between shrinking household sizes and the growing size and cost of homes on the market.

Surface Prototype Explained

Construction Manual

Minumum Viable Product/House

Option Variations

02 KIT HOUSE

May 2024

This project has two objectives. The first is to revisit an icon of American vernacular. The second, to reflect on the design process itself, on how –and why– we choose to do things.

The theme is part of the re-emergent phenomenon of OFFSITE MANUFACTURING or OSM, also known as Model as Building – Building as Model, whereby projects of any size or purpose are designed and built anywhere, anywhere (that is) except on site. OSM is not a technical theme, and the project is not about construction. It is about reflecting on the nature of building, and the various ways in which the conceptual breakthroughs performed by unsuspecting actors of the design and manufacturing world enrich our disciplinary understanding of architecture and urbanity.

Precedents 1 - Yurt

Precedent 2 - Dymaxion

Precedent 3 - Grain Bin

Design Prototype

Kit Package

Kit Manual 1

Kit Manual 2

Kit Manual 3

03 Lipstick Building

Advised by Kersten Geers David Van Severen
Dec 2024

This inquiry initiates with a nuanced examination of the Lipstick Building, an architectural entity that initially captivates with its aesthetic allure, only to reveal an underlyingnmotif of commercial opportunism. This dichotomy reflects a broader narrative of consumerist influence, encapsulated in the building’s nomenclature and inherent designnethos. The project posits that beneath its glamorous veneer, the building harbors elements of risk and deception tied to its profit-driven conception.

In an effort to distill the essence of the structure while shedding its commercialist trappings, a comprehensive deconstruction of the building’s architectural layout was undertaken. This process involved the meticulous removal of superfluous formalistic elements and constraints, paving the way for a reimagining of the building’s identity. The endeavor seeks to dissociate the symbolic from the structural, giving rise to a series of adaptations that retain the building’s iconic tubing yet repurpose it towards objectives aligned with communal and environmental well-being. This reconceptualization aims to transform the building from a mere emblem of consumerism into a dynamic space that harmoniously serves both societal and ecological imperatives.