University of British Columbia
Teotitlán del Valle, Mexico
2015
Chair – Greg Johnson
In the beginning there was always the question as to the ends, that is, the question of exploration and how to manage the different levels of theory and practice. Each level should make more clear another: the theories of phenomenology, the biographies of the town and their continuation of ritual, and a student of architecture building in rural Mexico. The experiences are a path to discovery, the explorations trace these paths and make them apparent. The journey is one of reconstruction, to take apart and put back together using a new definition. This thesis investigates these explorations through living in, learning with, and building in the small Zapotec community of Teotitlán del Valle, Mexico.
University of British Columbia
2013
Instructor -Tony Robins
Located in Tofino, British Columbia, this retreat home is situated within a rugged and dynamic site along the Pacific Ocean. The client, enamored with the wide range of conditions of the site, wanted this home to reflect upon all of its conditions and experiences. The retreat, a large square concrete volume, is placed among the trees in the middle of the site. It maintains a certain distance from the dangers of the Pacific Ocean waters. The house is organized around a covered courtyard which functions as the studio space for the client. Circulation and utility spaces are placed around the perimeter of the home. Varying degrees of fenestration allow for connections to be made with the site from inside the home. Precisely by organizing the house as a circuit around the courtyard, an attempt is made to exploit the romance of the site – the forest, the ocean, and the landscape – to its fullest, while at the same time making a defiant gesture toward the deceptive beauty of the inhospitable site.