The yearlong thesis studio challenged us to extrapolate “magical” architectural strategies deployed in response to the coronavirus pandemic and adapt them to the context of New England, culminating the first semester in a 1:1 built infrastructure addressing specific issues in Boston’s public spaces. Subsequently, these principles were applied to a broader academic urban speculation worldwide. Analyzing experiments from 2020 to 2022, three qualities reminiscent of “Magical Realism” in literature—namely, the embellishment of the ordinary, metamorphosis and ephemerality, and a political critique of societal inequities—are identified as frameworks for the future design development of this thesis, prompting speculation on their applicability to global challenges. The second part of this thesis is featured as the last project of this portfolio which culminated in May 2024, however efforts are being made to transform it into a real project.
