For this award-winning net-zero addition to the Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School in East LA, we started by thinking about alternative methods of energy storage. There would be solar panels and batteries, naturally, but we wanted to think beyond those and think about storing other essential resources. The landscape of LA gave us a great precedent: water towers could both store a water (which can be dangerously scarce when needed most, as we saw during the Altadena wildfires and could power a turbine to generate emergency backup electricity. Expanding on the concept of neighborhood cooling centers, this feature would turn Griffith school into a community resource for climate resilience in a variety of different extreme weather events and natural disasters.
Additionally, this was designed to be net zero carbon and net-positive in terms of energy generation vs. use and as a node of biodiversity. We used environmental, energy and daylight modeling to maximize the efficiency of the porous, shaded form, and explored the use of new green materials and circular construction best practices.
This project won the Architecture at Zero 2024 design competition it was designed for, and went on to win AIA East Bay’s top honors for an unbuild project at their 2025 Design Awards. I led the project team and was lead designer, working with Conrad Scheepers, Sam Miller and Yanit Mehta to develop the design and documentation. Since then, I’ve also “remastered” the renderings.
Do you ever feel like the layout of your apartment was designed for someone very different from you? Maybe it’s lacking workspace or storage, space for hosting dinner parties or a good wall for practicing your bouldering.
In this proposal for an apartment building in Denver, we designed units for maximum customization and minimal construction cost: open-plan modular mass timber shells with simple kitchens and baths, a shared workshop and tool library empower residents to build their own furniture, storage, home offices, nap pods, jungle gyms, etc. and make their apartments reflect their lifestyles as they see fit. Common coworking, childcare and workshop spaces foster community and turn the building into a neighborhood resource.
This project started as an exploration into single stair multifamily housing, but evolved into so much more as we thought about what we wanted to do with all that extra space we’d save. We wanted to design a home base for people who’d rather buy a van and built out their #vanlife dreams themselves than buy an RV.
Designed and documented with @la.exploradara
Reposting this proposal (with some updated graphics) that @youngbelalugosi and I did summer 2024 for the conversion of a vacant lot in South London into a sculptural park hosting local biodiverse plants, focused on long-term ecological succession.
We noticed that the proposals for this competition tended to remain installed much longer than planned, so we planned for permanence: the evolving permanence of nature. Not a fixed point, but a developing habitat. The designed centered on 3 tilted circular lawns defined by cobblestone retaining walls studded with masonry elements salvaged during excavation. We wanted to create forms that dramatized the history embedded in London’s soil and invite curiosity.
Lorenzo developed a plant palette of local biodiverse species with the intention that they’d overgrow their original plots and run wild, interrupted only by the desire paths worn by use. Over time, the cobblestone circles would become a part of the landscape and, if the park went unused, return to it.
Musée Biomondial is a speculative proposal for adapting a WW2 concrete windbreak at the Port of Le Havre into a biodiversity museum featuring a series of greenhouses showcasing different biomes, an aquarium, educational spaces and open park space nestled under a wavelike roof canopy.
Designed and documented with @la.exploradara
Now with updated renderings.
At last night’s AIA East Bay Design Awards, all 3 of my shortlisted projects took home a prize! It’s so nice to be recognized for your efforts and ideas.
These projects were completed at my last job (the name on the plaques & posters) and I was the Project Architect on them, working with a team to bring them to life. Big shout outs to Sayem Shah @sayemshah19 , Conrad Scheepers @rad_guitar and Sam Miller @samm2ddb for their essential contributions.
Step Up Housing in Berkeley, a 39-unit transitional supportive housing project, won Honors (the highest award in the category) in the Multifamily Category.
Agualta STEAM Engine won Honors for the Unbuilt category, with its novel approach to energy storage and community-scale climate resilience infrastructure.
The lovely little garden ADU I designed in Oakland got an Honorable Mention (the lil plaque for the lil ADU) in the Single Family Home Category, where it had some stiff competition from some gorgeous homes.
Delivered this bookshelf to its proud new owners (my in-laws and their snuggly cat) this weekend. It's a refinement of a design I did for my house and there's a couple more variations in the works for other locations.
Maple frame with Baltic Birch plywood shelves cnc'd with a kinda parametric gradient mesh of cutouts. No fasteners and very little glue - just joinery and hidden dowels.
Step Up Housing is a 39-unit transitional supportive housing project in Berkeley providing shelter and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness. Helping to make this project a reality is one of my proudest accomplishments in architecture. I was the project architect/ project manager on this building for over 3 years in my former job at Design Draw Build and residents finally moved in back in June!
#housingfirst #supportivehousing #homesnottents #berkeleyhousing #eastbayhousing
I always love collaborating with @freekeychoir . It's a beautiful creative community I'm proud to be a part of.
We created this fabric backdrop for their show Reservoir back in May, working with the lighting designers to conjure ethereal aquatic vibes.
It's not very visible in photos but @nnaaathan and I set up shimmery uplighting on the fabric by shining lights on parabolic mirrors submerged in shallow pools of water. The water was agitated with resonators from the live mic feed and little fans to create ripples on the surface that made the reflected light dance delicately across the fabric. It's a subtle effect but that's kinda the point. We don't want to pull focus from the performance, just add a little texture and ambience.
Maple ceiling glowing with afternoon sun in this double-height living room in Oakland.
The wooden trellis visible through the window shades the space from more direct midday sun.
Photo cred @spacebongos
