Milan Residential Complex - Start for Talents Competition - Gioia di Gioia

Milano -  Italy                                                                                           Feb 2017 - Apr 2017

Our design philosophy for this project was to design a building that is a part of the community, and a structure that is intended for every citizen, even those who aren’t residing here.

To achieve this goal, we formulated our design strategy to avoid making another skyscraper that only accommodates the few residents living there. To do this, we divided the structure into two towers, with the courtyard in the middle.

Each tower is formed by different shaped blocks that are stacked on top of each other to create open and green spaces for every apartment, all the way to the top floor. The concept of bringing gardens and open areas all over the building for the residential areas, creates a very vibrant communal atmosphere throughout the building, which would increase the quality of life for all its residents. 

These residential towers are located on top of the commercial and ground level parking area, and they are encircling the central courtyard. Rather than closing the courtyard only for the residents, we decided to keep it open to the public. This will help the buildings to be part of the community and the neighborhood and it creates a sense of public space for the surrounding area. This open design will also be extremely beneficial for the commercial areas, since it will attract more pedestrian traffic from the nearby Metro Station into the courtyard.

The access to the parking area in the basement level is delivered by car elevators. This helps us to utilize the space on the ground level as best as possible, and to provide an uninterrupted path for flow of people from one end of the site to the other.

The uniqueness of this project and its distinctive features makes it an exclusive addition to Milan’s skyline. Our design is centered on creating a building that provides green space and communal areas not only to all the residents but for all the neighborhood. We wanted to design a building that brings happiness, pleasure and joy to everyone, and that is why we named our project “Gioia di Gioia” , (Joy of Gioia).

Mexico City Design Museum, Arch Triumph - Recieved 4th Place -

Mexico City - Mexico                                                                        Jun 2014 - Sep 2014

The project was to design a new Design Museum for Mexico City in one of the busiest commercial centers of the city. Our concept utilizes the site's location and shape and envisages an elongated mass along the main axis of the site rising elegantly from the ground and creating a canopy in the southern edge of the building, used as the main entrance point for the visitors. This canopy shape is meant to create a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere, essentially shielding the visitors from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City.

The museum section will have light beige concrete surface engraved with ancient Aztec patterns to link the modern building with Mexico's rich cultural heritage. While the educational/office section will have a more subdued dark surface made of fiber cement panels, creating a contrast between the two masses.

Harlem Edge Project, ENYA Competitions - Hanging Gardens of Harlem -

NYC - USA                                                                                                   Nov 2011 - Feb 2012

The project was to redevelop an existing building into a transportation hub and a space which both provides areas for urban farming production and educational center, where the community can learn about the benefits of urban farming by participating in the social programs. The building is also designed to provide sufficient sun light and natural ventilation for the production areas.