Information
INFORMATION
INFORMATION

INFORMATION

Aligned with the first week of the fall term, Graduate Thesis at SCI-Arc cultivates an inevitable link between the theses of outgoing graduates and the curiosity of incoming students. The weekend of reviews gives graduate thesis students an invaluable platform to articulate, propose, and defend their work to the SCI-Arc community and beyond. 97 students and 21 faculty advisors will converge with an array of invited guest critics from within and outside the discipline of architecture, to review, debate, and contemplate the provocations of this year's thesis projects.

“This year's graduate thesis projects at SCI-Arc are rooted in a profound understanding of the persistent social, technological, and climatic challenges we face globally,” notes Jackilin Hah Bloom, Graduate Thesis Coordinator. “Students have established new capacities to address these issues, not from a problem-solving approach, but one that focuses more on crafting novel processes and frameworks to enhance our understanding of the built environment. While each project represents a unique and personal exploration, collectively, this year's thesis projects will invigorate discussions around technology, building, and ecology.”

Special thanks to all the constituents at SCI-Arc who help to make all Graduate Thesis events happen.

DIRECTOR/CEO

Hernán Díaz Alonso

VICE DIRECTOR/CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER

John Enright

GRADUATE PROGRAMS CHAIR

Elena Manferdini

GRADUATE THESIS COORDINATOR

Jackilin Hah Bloom

ASSISTANT TEACHER

Richard Mapes

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

Kelly Dix Van Benjamin Elmer

HISTORY + THEORY ADVISORS

John Cooper Erik Ghenoiu Marcelyn Gow

DESIGN ADVISORS

Matthew Au Kristy Balliet Jackilin Hah Bloom Ramiro Diaz-Granados David Eskenazi Soomeen Hahm Damjan Jovanović Karel Klein Zeina Koreitem Karen Lohrmann Elena Manferdini Rachael McCall Eric Owen Moss Anna Neimark Casey Rehm David Ruy Marcelo Spina William Virgil
Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc · Graduate Thesis 2023 · SCI-Arc ·

Zarina Farmer-George

Karen Lohrmann

Invis-abilities: Enhancing Accessibility in Design for Mind and Body

 

This research explores the limitations of the American Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design (ADA) in addressing the diverse needs of individuals in today’s society.

While the ADA provides enforceable accessibility guidelines for new constructions, they primarily focus on physical impairments, overlooking mental conditions and unique body types. This study advocates for the inclusion of “invis-abilities,” such as autism, social anxiety, ADHD, and depression, which are often unnoticed but significantly impact individuals’ daily experiences.

Through a phenomenological approach to architecture and design, this research aims to develop an updated design guidebook that celebrates neurodiversity and enhances the inclusivity of ADA-compliant spaces. Using technical drawings currently found in the ADA and images from various creators who use light, color, texture, and show bodies in a new light to affect emotion and comment on our attitude to bodies in society, new sets of technical drawings are created. The new sets of technical drawings, that beg the question. ‘What would the ADA technical drawings look like if we considered humanity and individuality in their creation?’, are compiled into a guidebook that shows the reader a framework of what aspects of design should be considered to create a more inclusive and healthy environment.

Leveraging both AI-generated insights and human analysis, this study seeks to inform designers about sensory experiences, cognitive differences, and considerations for safety and comfort, ultimately aiding in the audit and enhancing of the current ADA guidelines.

 
 

Invis-abilities Technical Drawing Set 1 Elevation 1

Invis-abilities Technical Drawing Set 1 Elevation 2

Invis-abilities Technical Drawing Set 2 Elevation 1

Invis-abilities Technical Drawing Set 2 Elevation 2

Invis-abilities Technical Drawing Set 3 Elevation 1

Alex Aguilera · Ahmed Almohanna · Omar Alrejaib · Lieven Baert · Maddy Berthold · Arjun Bharat · Adelle Bunch · Charite Carballo · Angelina Castagnola · Mackenzie Champlin · Junyi (Joy) Chen · Kai-Yen Chen · Wan-Yu (Wendy) Chen · Wei-Hung Chen · Yilong Chen · Yuyan Chen · James Chidiac · Shuang Chu · Jenny Cook · Kai Daniels · Emily Dinnerman · Solace Enwere  · Zarina Farmer-George ·  Kristoff Fink · Jack Freedman · Miaoyan Ge · Diba Ghazia · Qian Gu · Evelyn Hinojosa · Meng-Jung Ho · Jingbo Huang · TeKuei Huang · Matthew Hunt · Benjamin Jepsky · Suyue Jin · Xiao Jin · Abhishek Kadian · Krishna Kakadia · Yara Kamali · Morgan Knowles Sobotka  · Kaustubh Kulkarni · Aleksandra Lapshina · Daniel Chek Lam Lau · Wonjae Lee · Samson Levi · Sijia Li · Chloe Sijie Lin  · Bingkun Liu · Chunjia (Haruka) Liu  · Lexin Liu · Yanchu Liu · Freeland Livingston · Sizhe Lu · Amin Marandi · Jila Mendoza · Arthur Modine · Zhao Mu · Corey Norman · Lejian Ouyang · Matthew Pak · Jingyi (Casey) Pan  · Piyush Panchal · Hanna Park · Jinyong Park  · Nehal Patel · Felix Reyes · Mohamed Rezk · Jack Sheffield · Jiangyao Shen · Fang Shu · Man Shu · Yangmin Su · Pan Tan · Claire Trout · Marbella Vasquez Farach · Maria (Meli) Vasquez  · Jiehao Wang · Wei-Chieh Wang · Zeyu Wang · Michael Webb · Jixun Wen · Zhifeng Wu · Jinxin Xu · Huaiben Yang · Yuexiao Yang · TIffany Yu · Xinyuan Yue · Rebecca Zamani · Hiwot Zegeye · Jiaxin Zhao · Rui Zhao · Yiyu Zhou · Wei Zhu · Qingyang Zong · Haocun (Joseph) Zou  · Mange Zou · Kyle Zufra · Kyle Zufra ·  Alex Aguilera · Ahmed Almohanna · Omar Alrejaib · Lieven Baert · Maddy Berthold · Arjun Bharat · Adelle Bunch · Charite Carballo · Angelina Castagnola · Mackenzie Champlin · Junyi (Joy) Chen · Kai-Yen Chen · Wan-Yu (Wendy) Chen · Wei-Hung Chen · Yilong Chen · Yuyan Chen · James Chidiac · Shuang Chu · Jenny Cook · Kai Daniels · Emily Dinnerman · Solace Enwere  · Zarina Farmer-George ·  Kristoff Fink · Jack Freedman · Miaoyan Ge · Diba Ghazia · Qian Gu · Evelyn Hinojosa · Meng-Jung Ho · Jingbo Huang · TeKuei Huang · Matthew Hunt · Benjamin Jepsky · Suyue Jin · Xiao Jin · Abhishek Kadian · Krishna Kakadia · Yara Kamali · Morgan Knowles Sobotka  · Kaustubh Kulkarni · Aleksandra Lapshina · Daniel Chek Lam Lau · Wonjae Lee · Samson Levi · Sijia Li · Chloe Sijie Lin  · Bingkun Liu · Chunjia (Haruka) Liu  · Lexin Liu · Yanchu Liu · Freeland Livingston · Sizhe Lu · Amin Marandi · Jila Mendoza · Arthur Modine · Zhao Mu · Corey Norman · Lejian Ouyang · Matthew Pak · Jingyi (Casey) Pan  · Piyush Panchal · Hanna Park · Jinyong Park  · Nehal Patel · Felix Reyes · Mohamed Rezk · Jack Sheffield · Jiangyao Shen · Fang Shu · Man Shu · Yangmin Su · Pan Tan · Claire Trout · Marbella Vasquez Farach · Maria (Meli) Vasquez  · Jiehao Wang · Wei-Chieh Wang · Zeyu Wang · Michael Webb · Jixun Wen · Zhifeng Wu · Jinxin Xu · Huaiben Yang · Yuexiao Yang · TIffany Yu · Xinyuan Yue · Rebecca Zamani · Hiwot Zegeye · Jiaxin Zhao · Rui Zhao · Yiyu Zhou · Wei Zhu · Qingyang Zong · Haocun (Joseph) Zou  · Mange Zou · Kyle Zufra · Kyle Zufra ·