ADC3
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Alternative Desert Cities 3
Richards Urban Section

Alternative Desert Cities 3

Section of downtown Phoenix showing relation between a new diagrid city and the existing city by student Brennan RichardsSection of downtown Phoenix showing relation between a new diagrid city and the existing city by student Brennan RichardsSection of downtown Phoenix showing relation between a new diagrid city and the existing city by student Brennan RichardsSection of downtown Phoenix showing relation between a new diagrid city and the existing city by student Brennan Richards
Section of downtown Phoenix showing relation between a new diagrid city and the existing city by student Brennan Richards
Section of downtown Phoenix showing relation between a new diagrid city and the existing city by student Brennan Richards

Sections

Diagrams

City

Urbanism

Housing

Infill

Teaching

RELATED RESEARCH IMAGES

Concept drawing merging the wireframes of a pyramidal city with the contours of a mountain by student Lamarra CarterConcept drawing merging the wireframes of a pyramidal city with the contours of a mountain by student Lamarra CarterConcept drawing merging the wireframes of a pyramidal city with the contours of a mountain by student Lamarra CarterConcept drawing merging the wireframes of a pyramidal city with the contours of a mountain by student Lamarra Carter
Concept diagram by student Michael Felix illustrating the ambition to blend city with desert through fragmentationConcept diagram by student Michael Felix illustrating the ambition to blend city with desert through fragmentationConcept diagram by student Michael Felix illustrating the ambition to blend city with desert through fragmentationConcept diagram by student Michael Felix illustrating the ambition to blend city with desert through fragmentation
Stepping housing section showing the units, gradens and circulation of the funnel-shaped forms by student Brandon ShiehStepping housing section showing the units, gradens and circulation of the funnel-shaped forms by student Brandon ShiehStepping housing section showing the units, gradens and circulation of the funnel-shaped forms by student Brandon ShiehStepping housing section showing the units, gradens and circulation of the funnel-shaped forms by student Brandon Shieh
Concept image illustrating a timeline from known urban form to a merged mountain/housing city by student Salvador BenitezConcept image illustrating a timeline from known urban form to a merged mountain/housing city by student Salvador BenitezConcept image illustrating a timeline from known urban form to a merged mountain/housing city by student Salvador BenitezConcept image illustrating a timeline from known urban form to a merged mountain/housing city by student Salvador Benitez
Section perspective of the terraced housing lifted above the surface of Camelback Mountain by student Miguel Ceniseros NunezSection perspective of the terraced housing lifted above the surface of Camelback Mountain by student Miguel Ceniseros NunezSection perspective of the terraced housing lifted above the surface of Camelback Mountain by student Miguel Ceniseros NunezSection perspective of the terraced housing lifted above the surface of Camelback Mountain by student Miguel Ceniseros Nunez
Conceptual section for simple housing bars topped with gardens set against the Phoenix mountains by student Michael FelixConceptual section for simple housing bars topped with gardens set against the Phoenix mountains by student Michael FelixConceptual section for simple housing bars topped with gardens set against the Phoenix mountains by student Michael FelixConceptual section for simple housing bars topped with gardens set against the Phoenix mountains by student Michael Felix
Collage of a the desert on fireCollage of a the desert on fireCollage of a the desert on fireCollage of a the desert on fire
Exploded diagram pulling apart the various masses and circulation elements for an aquatic city by student Haodong GongExploded diagram pulling apart the various masses and circulation elements for an aquatic city by student Haodong GongExploded diagram pulling apart the various masses and circulation elements for an aquatic city by student Haodong GongExploded diagram pulling apart the various masses and circulation elements for an aquatic city by student Haodong Gong
Concept image proposal a larger regional grid and nodes on top of the existing Phoenix grid by student Salma Osuna LopezConcept image proposal a larger regional grid and nodes on top of the existing Phoenix grid by student Salma Osuna LopezConcept image proposal a larger regional grid and nodes on top of the existing Phoenix grid by student Salma Osuna LopezConcept image proposal a larger regional grid and nodes on top of the existing Phoenix grid by student Salma Osuna Lopez
Exploded axonometric drawing showing the growth of housing frames around downtown Phoenix by student Marcia IbarraExploded axonometric drawing showing the growth of housing frames around downtown Phoenix by student Marcia IbarraExploded axonometric drawing showing the growth of housing frames around downtown Phoenix by student Marcia IbarraExploded axonometric drawing showing the growth of housing frames around downtown Phoenix by student Marcia Ibarra
Series of connected perspectives showing the transformation of golf courses into housing landscapes by student Lauren BennettSeries of connected perspectives showing the transformation of golf courses into housing landscapes by student Lauren BennettSeries of connected perspectives showing the transformation of golf courses into housing landscapes by student Lauren BennettSeries of connected perspectives showing the transformation of golf courses into housing landscapes by student Lauren Bennett
Early concept image anticipating a proposal that would merge an urban mass into a mountain valley by student Salvador BenitezEarly concept image anticipating a proposal that would merge an urban mass into a mountain valley by student Salvador BenitezEarly concept image anticipating a proposal that would merge an urban mass into a mountain valley by student Salvador BenitezEarly concept image anticipating a proposal that would merge an urban mass into a mountain valley by student Salvador Benitez
Early conceptual image studying the potential for forms to integrate within the mountain valleys by student Lamarra CarterEarly conceptual image studying the potential for forms to integrate within the mountain valleys by student Lamarra CarterEarly conceptual image studying the potential for forms to integrate within the mountain valleys by student Lamarra CarterEarly conceptual image studying the potential for forms to integrate within the mountain valleys by student Lamarra Carter
Elevation rendering of a modular system of housing based on an indoor/outdoor 'H' shaped unit by student Weicheng WangElevation rendering of a modular system of housing based on an indoor/outdoor 'H' shaped unit by student Weicheng WangElevation rendering of a modular system of housing based on an indoor/outdoor 'H' shaped unit by student Weicheng WangElevation rendering of a modular system of housing based on an indoor/outdoor 'H' shaped unit by student Weicheng Wang
Urban plan of downtown Phoenix showing the future housing infrastructure cloud above the city by student Brennan RichardsUrban plan of downtown Phoenix showing the future housing infrastructure cloud above the city by student Brennan RichardsUrban plan of downtown Phoenix showing the future housing infrastructure cloud above the city by student Brennan RichardsUrban plan of downtown Phoenix showing the future housing infrastructure cloud above the city by student Brennan Richards
Extended mountain elevation diagram showing the various formal and programatic design decisions by student Salvador BenitezExtended mountain elevation diagram showing the various formal and programatic design decisions by student Salvador BenitezExtended mountain elevation diagram showing the various formal and programatic design decisions by student Salvador BenitezExtended mountain elevation diagram showing the various formal and programatic design decisions by student Salvador Benitez
Trio of collective unit studies impacting the overall massing of terraced housing by student Miguel Ceniseros NunezTrio of collective unit studies impacting the overall massing of terraced housing by student Miguel Ceniseros NunezTrio of collective unit studies impacting the overall massing of terraced housing by student Miguel Ceniseros NunezTrio of collective unit studies impacting the overall massing of terraced housing by student Miguel Ceniseros Nunez
Perspective of an aggregation of modular pyramidal massings set into the Phoenix mountains by student Lamarra CarterPerspective of an aggregation of modular pyramidal massings set into the Phoenix mountains by student Lamarra CarterPerspective of an aggregation of modular pyramidal massings set into the Phoenix mountains by student Lamarra CarterPerspective of an aggregation of modular pyramidal massings set into the Phoenix mountains by student Lamarra Carter
Regional plan for a series of aquatic and interconnected circular cities set within the Saguaro Lake by student Haodong GongRegional plan for a series of aquatic and interconnected circular cities set within the Saguaro Lake by student Haodong GongRegional plan for a series of aquatic and interconnected circular cities set within the Saguaro Lake by student Haodong GongRegional plan for a series of aquatic and interconnected circular cities set within the Saguaro Lake by student Haodong Gong
Pulled apart massing diagram showing the distinct programs and units within a housing proposal by student Weicheng WangPulled apart massing diagram showing the distinct programs and units within a housing proposal by student Weicheng WangPulled apart massing diagram showing the distinct programs and units within a housing proposal by student Weicheng WangPulled apart massing diagram showing the distinct programs and units within a housing proposal by student Weicheng Wang

RELATED PROJECT IMAGES

OTHER PROJECTS

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 Urban Test Object (UTO) serves as a large-scale intervention that accelerates our relationship with the future city. Rather than solving issues like density, infrastructure, or access, the UTO heightens awareness of the rapid urban transformations shaping our future.
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.
The challenge of creating a pair of studio apartments that can fill a lifted 16'x16' void necessitates the creation of a quick, mobile, and opportunistic building system that can react to the found conditions of the site. Access to the site is limited and the ground must be free.
QTCT is tasked to blend these two identities onto one site—a give and take relationship between beach ambitions and urban necessities. QTCT is a sampling of two worlds: on one hand it is the embodiment of the language of the beach and on the other it is a detailed and exacting built urban space.
The RACA project must meet two demands: A. REFLECTION (museum) or B. CONTINUATION (practice + addition). The current program and its stagnancy has left the site forgotten—it is a typical static museum on a living site. The site and addition must constantly change through the participation of people.
Seating design is vital in fostering communal interactions in shared spaces. Rooted in the organic growth principles of the Metabolist movement and the transformational geometric language of digital Metaballs, Meta-Bench forms an experiential seating system which individuals can move and adjust.
Utilizing built form as a strategic carrier of culture in opposition of the status quo, the Hellinikon project links the disconnected suburban mountain communities to the east with the sea to the west while splitting the Hellinikon International Airport and Olympic Park into distinct zones.

OTHER RESEARCH