zero energy system




zero energy system
August 2023
architecture conceptual design




digital drawings (Rhino, Illustrator, Photoshop)
“Zero-Energy System” is a project that I completed during a summer architecture intensive at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Planning, Preservation, and Architecture. This studio intensive prompted us to imagine machinic systems that could be used to mitigate the impacts of pollutants in the face of climate change.
In the first stage of this project, I designed a machine in the form of an everyday object. The “00photoplanter” serves as a self-sufficient light fixture and a planter. It alleviates the impacts of carbon-dioxide in two ways: firstly, by powering itself on self-produced energy, and secondly, by facilitating the growth of photosynthesizing plants.
After conceptualizing a small-scale filtering device for the home, our next step was to translate the logic of our micro-scale device into a macro-level system for a given site, West Harlem in Manhattan, New York (adjacent to Columbia University’s campus). While researching the area, I came across NYCHA’s Manhattanville Houses. This development consists of a series of six identical tower-in-the-park buildings, each housing around 200 units, all governed under one central housing authority. Because of these factors, I thought that the Manhattanville Houses could serve as a good site for a self-contained energy system design.

In my final presentation, I proposed a series of renovations that would transform the Manhattanville Houses into a closed energy system. In this system, all energy used by residents can be produced on-site through mechanical energy, created through Citibike usage, and through earth energy, created through the maintenance of rooftop community gardens.