Metropolitan life imposes psychological and health pressures on its residents. Unavoidable crowds, narrow spaces, the pace of life, and air and visual pollution cause a remarkable decline in people's satisfaction and well-being. With rapid urbanization, city dwellers have lost touch with nature. Urban buildings are sealed against the outdoors, resulting in closed internal spaces devoid of quality air, natural light, and green spaces, which all negatively impact human behavior and welfare. Improvement efforts involve creating opportunities for escape and establishing a relationship between humans, nature, and interior spaces in urban landscapes. Incorporating natural ventilation, passive shading, programmatic orientation, shading devices, and features like an evaporative pool and green elements aims to design captivating interiors that encourage reevaluating the connection between urban living and the environment. This thesis seeks to create compelling environments that promote ecological sustainability, support the biophilia hypothesis, and offer social opportunities in urban settings. The ultimate goal is to design livable places that enhance well-being, foster a harmonious coexistence between humans and their urban surroundings, and promote a sustainable and fulfilling urban lifestyle.

This thesis explores the benefits of alternative off-grid village design, the value of a community's closer relationship with nature, and the positive effects this can have on the environment. The proposed village is one of sustainable living and a permaculture lifestyle, including design and planning that addresses architectural engineering, food production, and structural organization modeled after natural ecosystems. A community aware and blended with the natural environment around it.

Working with a team of architecture, interiors, and real estate students, and collaborating with community stakeholders, this project focuses on expanding the capabilities of the mutual aid group, North Philly Peace Park. The site sits within a primarily Black and low income neighborhood and includes a community garden and rowhouse prototype for temporary housing. We wish to actualize the larger vision of Peace Park through architectural support in a way that meets physiological needs, invites commerce, allows knowledge exchange, and community healing so that residents can reclaim space, agency, and sense of place. The project would provide food, energy, shelter, Black self determination, and resilience that could hopefully be replicated throughout Philadelphia.

This project utilizes biodegradable and recycled materials in furniture design to reduce carbon footprints, while also addressing travel distances, manufacturing processes, and the forms of energy used for manufacturing. Additionally, information about the furniture elements and production processes will be made available in courses for the public, raising awareness for sustainable practices within furniture design.

Through understanding and defining the multifaceted idea of home, this thesis explores designing living spaces that connect people to place. In this case, connection to place is established through two methods – enhancing a sense of community and allowing for user autonomy.

The definition of Oasis is “a fertile or green area in an arid region (such as a desert).” Translating the concept of an Oasis into a built urban setting, means creating a space in the center of a developed city where people can unwind, get away, restore themselves and feel at peace with nature, while being environmentally responsible.

Urbanization requires adaptation to population density and embrace of associated housing typologies, including vertical living that is cost-efficient, sustainable, resilient, and inclusive.

Exploring the pure aesthetic perception of minimalism as both an architectural style and as a rising lifestyle trend, re.house focuses on creating opportunities for sustainability through retail, recycle awareness and community involvement.

This thesis explores the confluence of new with old in interior environments. The interventionist approach to adaptive reuse is a powerful tool to use in making old buildings pertinent in today’s world, thus preserving the cultural heritage that they bring while adding relevance, accessibility and sustainability to their presence. An interventionist approach has been applied to the proposed renovation of The Coach Barn at Shelburne Farms.

Three Court Green is a mixed use residential project offering luxurious urban living centered around three unique courtyard experiences. It explores the crossing point between vernacular lessons in thermal comfort and contemporary expectations of urban living.