ADC2
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Alternative Desert Cities 2
Powell Underground Study

Alternative Desert Cities 2

Combined plan and section study for a hidden community of underground mountain dwellings by student Brandon PowellCombined plan and section study for a hidden community of underground mountain dwellings by student Brandon PowellCombined plan and section study for a hidden community of underground mountain dwellings by student Brandon PowellCombined plan and section study for a hidden community of underground mountain dwellings by student Brandon Powell
Combined plan and section study for a hidden community of underground mountain dwellings by student Brandon Powell
Combined plan and section study for a hidden community of underground mountain dwellings by student Brandon Powell

Plans

Sections

Housing

Landscape

Teaching

RELATED RESEARCH IMAGES

Model showing the densification of the suburbs with additional housing units by student Christopher FernandezModel showing the densification of the suburbs with additional housing units by student Christopher FernandezModel showing the densification of the suburbs with additional housing units by student Christopher FernandezModel showing the densification of the suburbs with additional housing units by student Christopher Fernandez
Exploded isometric concept drawing showing the layering of housing, farming, and community by student Alejandra LobatoExploded isometric concept drawing showing the layering of housing, farming, and community by student Alejandra LobatoExploded isometric concept drawing showing the layering of housing, farming, and community by student Alejandra LobatoExploded isometric concept drawing showing the layering of housing, farming, and community by student Alejandra Lobato
Concept collage projecting the Phoenix suburbs in 2070 as inhospitable for human habitation by student Brandon PowellConcept collage projecting the Phoenix suburbs in 2070 as inhospitable for human habitation by student Brandon PowellConcept collage projecting the Phoenix suburbs in 2070 as inhospitable for human habitation by student Brandon PowellConcept collage projecting the Phoenix suburbs in 2070 as inhospitable for human habitation by student Brandon Powell
Perspective within a new modular urban infrastructure of transport and housing that grows over Phoenix by student Amy DickerPerspective within a new modular urban infrastructure of transport and housing that grows over Phoenix by student Amy DickerPerspective within a new modular urban infrastructure of transport and housing that grows over Phoenix by student Amy DickerPerspective within a new modular urban infrastructure of transport and housing that grows over Phoenix by student Amy Dicker
Exploded program diagram of the various programs and modules set within the mountain landscape by student Brandon PowellExploded program diagram of the various programs and modules set within the mountain landscape by student Brandon PowellExploded program diagram of the various programs and modules set within the mountain landscape by student Brandon PowellExploded program diagram of the various programs and modules set within the mountain landscape by student Brandon Powell
In progress study section for a new lifted urban infrastructure that hovers lightly above Phoenix by student Amy DickerIn progress study section for a new lifted urban infrastructure that hovers lightly above Phoenix by student Amy DickerIn progress study section for a new lifted urban infrastructure that hovers lightly above Phoenix by student Amy DickerIn progress study section for a new lifted urban infrastructure that hovers lightly above Phoenix by student Amy Dicker
Aerial perspective of two paired undulating housing bars tucked into Camelback Mountain by student Donglei CaoAerial perspective of two paired undulating housing bars tucked into Camelback Mountain by student Donglei CaoAerial perspective of two paired undulating housing bars tucked into Camelback Mountain by student Donglei CaoAerial perspective of two paired undulating housing bars tucked into Camelback Mountain by student Donglei Cao
Building plan showing the communal ground floor of an independent circular housing block in Phoenix by student Huyen PhamBuilding plan showing the communal ground floor of an independent circular housing block in Phoenix by student Huyen PhamBuilding plan showing the communal ground floor of an independent circular housing block in Phoenix by student Huyen PhamBuilding plan showing the communal ground floor of an independent circular housing block in Phoenix by student Huyen Pham
Concept collage of the gradual densification of the suburbs as a strategy for the future by student Christopher FernandezConcept collage of the gradual densification of the suburbs as a strategy for the future by student Christopher FernandezConcept collage of the gradual densification of the suburbs as a strategy for the future by student Christopher FernandezConcept collage of the gradual densification of the suburbs as a strategy for the future by student Christopher Fernandez
Plan view of a model showing a new density of housing extending and terracing into a mountain by student Camille MedeirosPlan view of a model showing a new density of housing extending and terracing into a mountain by student Camille MedeirosPlan view of a model showing a new density of housing extending and terracing into a mountain by student Camille MedeirosPlan view of a model showing a new density of housing extending and terracing into a mountain by student Camille Medeiros
Introduction image of the Alternative Desert Cities studio showing a colorized map of the Phoenix sprawlIntroduction image of the Alternative Desert Cities studio showing a colorized map of the Phoenix sprawlIntroduction image of the Alternative Desert Cities studio showing a colorized map of the Phoenix sprawlIntroduction image of the Alternative Desert Cities studio showing a colorized map of the Phoenix sprawl
Collage perspective studying the possibility of a hybrid housing and farming typology around Phoenix by student Zihao LiCollage perspective studying the possibility of a hybrid housing and farming typology around Phoenix by student Zihao LiCollage perspective studying the possibility of a hybrid housing and farming typology around Phoenix by student Zihao LiCollage perspective studying the possibility of a hybrid housing and farming typology around Phoenix by student Zihao Li
Perspective collage studying a mass that mimics the adjacent desert landscape by student Amberley JohnsonPerspective collage studying a mass that mimics the adjacent desert landscape by student Amberley JohnsonPerspective collage studying a mass that mimics the adjacent desert landscape by student Amberley JohnsonPerspective collage studying a mass that mimics the adjacent desert landscape by student Amberley Johnson
Interior perspective of a double height housing unit tucked into the landscape by student Amberley JohnsonInterior perspective of a double height housing unit tucked into the landscape by student Amberley JohnsonInterior perspective of a double height housing unit tucked into the landscape by student Amberley JohnsonInterior perspective of a double height housing unit tucked into the landscape by student Amberley Johnson
Aerial perspective showing the layouts of stacked housing units along Camelback Mountain by student Donglei CaoAerial perspective showing the layouts of stacked housing units along Camelback Mountain by student Donglei CaoAerial perspective showing the layouts of stacked housing units along Camelback Mountain by student Donglei CaoAerial perspective showing the layouts of stacked housing units along Camelback Mountain by student Donglei Cao
Collage landscape perspective of a future Phoenix of independent cities scattered in the desert by student Kyron HardyCollage landscape perspective of a future Phoenix of independent cities scattered in the desert by student Kyron HardyCollage landscape perspective of a future Phoenix of independent cities scattered in the desert by student Kyron HardyCollage landscape perspective of a future Phoenix of independent cities scattered in the desert by student Kyron Hardy
Concept diagram for cutting and peeling up the desert landscape for housing by student Amberley JohnsonConcept diagram for cutting and peeling up the desert landscape for housing by student Amberley JohnsonConcept diagram for cutting and peeling up the desert landscape for housing by student Amberley JohnsonConcept diagram for cutting and peeling up the desert landscape for housing by student Amberley Johnson
Exploded diagram of the components creating a community on the new lands of the Salt River by student Cecile KimExploded diagram of the components creating a community on the new lands of the Salt River by student Cecile KimExploded diagram of the components creating a community on the new lands of the Salt River by student Cecile KimExploded diagram of the components creating a community on the new lands of the Salt River by student Cecile Kim

RELATED PROJECT IMAGES

OTHER PROJECTS

In Tempe there are two pedestrian axes: Mill Avenue and Palm Walk. Mill Avenue is successful and Palm Walk is not. Is there a way to make the palm trees useful to the students? The PEP structure is powered by buried hydraulic pressure systems giving vertical movement to the layer/palm interface.
Scaffolding is often seen as a temporary urban necessity—functional, but rarely celebrated. This project reimagines scaffolding as an architectural intervention and public art piece throughout Española Way, transforming it into a vibrant, interactive element in Miami Beach’s urban fabric.
The Butterfly Theater is a living pavilion—part sculpture, part habitat, part playground. It takes inspiration from the elegance of flamingos and the presence of butterflies in Miami Beach, transforming the park’s open center into a place of movement, color, and quiet spectacle.
Infrastructure as urban performance. Serving as both a backdrop to elegant theatrical dances and a framework for holding a wandering public, the Dance Machine enacts performance through both its program and its existence as a merged urban extension of the Queensboro Bridge.
The YELE music studio competition, underway before the earthquake, must respond now, but plan for the future of the community. Music is relief in a time of tragedy. The goal is to meet the most basic survival needs now while leaving spaces for future growth through self sustaining phases.
The CART live/work housing prototype adds a vertical profile to downtown while converting an underutilized public path into an urban gesture by introducing of a specialized food cart zone in New Haven. The CART residents would rent and appropriate the moving space as a means of expanding their zone.
The Craft School is a participatory design and construction initiative that places students at the center of creating their own learning environment. It recognizes that education is not only about what happens inside the classroom, but also how the classroom comes to be.
Planes, frames, and volumes are fundamentals to all assembly logics. With the proliferation of additive production methods, the possibility of volumetric prefabricated components has the potential to radically alter the way that we conceive of construction and the permanence of building parts.

OTHER RESEARCH