Multi disciplinary Workshop

GREECE, LESVOS (OCTOBER 2016):

Invited by Aris Papadopoulos, Founder of design agency LATRA, I participated in a 5 day humanitarian workshop called CORE RELIEF with 25 other designers, behavior scientists and engineers to bring solutions to Kara Tepe’s refugee camps in Lesvos, Greece.

An innovation lab was set up along with the use of various technologies to design products that will contribute to the livelihood of those who have been displaced due to war. The workshop also involved visits from 15 non-profit organizations such as Better Shelter and NSR Relief to educate on the topic of social issues.

Service-learning : construction

THAILAND, CHIANG MAI (DECEMBER 2015):

In collaboration with service-learning organization ‘Into the Wild’, VCUQatar’s Interior Design department travelled to Chiang Mai to designed and constructed a structure out of bamboo on a playing field of Muen Phem’s elementary school.

The structure was built as a shelter for kids to sit in and enjoy their peers play soccer and other sports. The trip enable the group to learn and engage with the culture of Karen hill’s tribe and the use of local material for construction.

The Migrant Worker Housing Project

QATAR, DOHA (OCT 2014 – DEC 2016)

Intended to improve the living situation of low-income migrant workers in Qatar, the project Making Home was initiated by the Research Center at Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar. Led by  Maja Kinnemark,  Professor of  Interior Architecture, a group of five interior design students (myself included) worked on this project to find practical and functional solutions.

The project entailed a series of design solutions focusing on three different spaces; a sleep space, semi-public space and a communal space. Each space was created and detailed to impact various aspects of these men’s lives.

service-learning : workshops

INDONESIA, YOGYAKARTA (MAY 2013)

The goal of the trip was to conduct a series of skills development workshops that allowed middle school students of Rota Bayat school to learn about various forms of art and design such as jewelry-making, screen printing, and Photoshop.