Public Restroom 

Site: Pilsen neighborhood , culturally rich, active, and socially dense

Studio Prompt: Design an ADA-compliant public restroom using inspiration from a previous studio project

Conceptual Origin: The Mask of Smell , explored scent mapping, privacy, and identity in public space

Design Shift: Moved away from framing architecture as a literal body.Reframed the mask as a metaphor for

privacy, performance, and social negotiation

Core Idea: Public restrooms as spaces that mediate exposure and retreat . Architecture as a filter for

movement, visibility, and interaction

Design Approach:Iterative and process-driven .Focus on thresholds, layering, materiality, and circulation

Key Function: Supporting privacy while allowing social awareness in a public setting

Final Outcome: A restroom that contrasts the surrounding activity . A playful yet controlled environment that prioritizes bodily flow and social comfort over formal metaphor

My architectural practice explores how materiality, culture, and sensory experience shape human connection to space. I design environments that respond to their site absorbing local rhythms, cultural memory, and behavioral patterns. Rather than treating architecture as a literal body, I use metaphor and atmosphere to create spaces that mediate identity, privacy, and interaction. My work blends playfulness with futurism, using form and material to reimagine public spaces as intuitive, emotionally resonant experiences. Through iterative, narrative-driven design, I aim to create architecture that honors context while opening space for new ways of belonging

CONCEPT STATEMENT

This project repositions the public bathroom as a cultural and social interface rather than a neutral,utilitarian space. Uses the mask as a metaphor for performance, privacy, and shifting identities within public settings.Draws from the cultural context of the site to inform form, behavior, and social patterns. Employs playful geometry, layered materiality, and atmospheric cues to shape comfort and influence interactions. Frames the bathroom as a stage where people negotiate visibility, vulnerability, and belonging. Argues that public architecture can function as a narrative experience, merging cultural memory with contemporary expression.Positions the project as a step toward futuristic, emotionally aware public spaces that respond to people not just function.

This project transforms a familiar utility into a performative landscape, where material, culture, and atmosphere reshape how the public negotiates identity and comfort.

Walls: Act as a protective skin, enclosing the space while filtering light, sound, and visibility to establish clear thresholds between public and private.

Plumbing: Functions as a nervous system, regulating the flow of water and connecting human use to larger environmental systems, sustaining both the building and surrounding landscape.

Interior Space:Conceived as a moment of vulnerability within the public realm, reflecting the intimacy and exposure inherent in shared civic infrastructure.

Vertical Wooden Structures:Refer to hair as a symbol of sensitivity and interaction, mediating movement, light, and visibility while softening the building’s presence within the site.

Roof / Canopy:Draws from The Mask project as a filtering layer rather than a solid enclosure, shaping atmosphere, controlling exposure, and framing the experience of being both seen and protected