The Bruder Klaus Field Chapel is a small pilgrimage chapel designed by Peter Zumthor and completed in 2007 in Wachendorf, Germany. Dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Flüe, the chapel sits alone in an agricultural field and was commissioned by local farmers as a place of quiet reflection. Zumthor conceived the building as a raw, elemental object that emphasizes solitude, darkness, and material presence rather than ornament or iconography.

The chapel was constructed using an unconventional method. A teepee like structure of tree trunks was first assembled to form the interior void. Layers of concrete mixed with sand and gravel were then poured around the wood over time. Once the concrete cured, the logs were burned out, leaving a charred, textured interior shaped by fire. A small opening at the top allows light and rain to enter, reinforcing the connection between earth, sky, and ritual.

Our model was built using a similar logic and sequence. We cast the exterior using dyed Rockite to simulate the monolithic concrete mass, then burned out the interior to recreate the rough, fire shaped cavity. The photographs shown above document the physical model itself, emphasizing material texture, light, and shadow in direct reference to Zumthor’s original construction process.

Wrightwood 659 is a small exhibition building in Chicago designed by Tadao Ando and completed in 2018. Commissioned by collector and curator Fred Eychaner, the project transforms a former residential structure into a minimalist gallery space for architecture, art, and design. The building is defined by smooth cast in place concrete walls, controlled natural light, and a deliberate contrast between the existing exterior shell and the new interior volumes.

Ando’s intervention emphasizes precision, material clarity, and quiet spatial sequencing. The concrete structure is paired with carefully detailed wood, glass, and steel elements, creating a restrained dialogue between heaviness and lightness. Openings are tightly framed to guide movement and perception, reinforcing the building’s role as a contemplative container rather than a spectacle.

Our model focuses on a sectional corner cut of the project rather than the full building. It was developed as a study of structural logic, interior and exterior finishes, and material relationships, including concrete thickness, surface quality, and spatial layering. By isolating a single corner condition, the model highlights how structure, enclosure, and atmosphere are tightly integrated within Ando’s architectural language.

The Englewood Village project was a fourth year, year long design studio completed at Illinois Institute of Technology. The studio focused on large scale urban and architectural intervention in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, addressing housing, community infrastructure, and long term neighborhood revitalization through adaptive reuse and new construction.

This model represents a section cut through the entire site, capturing the relationship between residential buildings, commercial and community program, and the Englewood Trail. By cutting through the full depth of the project, the model emphasizes how architecture, landscape, and circulation systems work together to support daily life, connectivity, and neighborhood scale development.