USC Architecture XpoInstructor: Ryan Tyler Martinez
This thesis reimagines the vision of the original Case Study House Program to propose three modern prototype homes. Using Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and incorporating resilient design strategies, these new Case Study Houses will serve as a forward-looking blueprint for housing in Los Angeles. By synthesizing mid-century ideals with contemporary technological and material advances, this project […]
Memento Mori focuses on funerary architecture and aims to conceptualize the representation of life and death through form, materiality, and the lens of still life. Funerary architecture transforms spaces into sacred realms, inviting contemplation and reflection on mortality. Incorporating elements found in still life, such as transparency and reflection, evoke a sense of continuity between […]
The port was once the only way for cities to participate in global trade and develop an international presence. But now, despite many ports still being utilized for export and import of goods in the largest cities around the world, they have become reduced down to industrial sites held back by old processes and systems. […]
Trends create narratives that engage daily consumers. It reimagines the ordinary in a relevant and new way. It makes a timeline between eras, events, culture, and text. Old habits are revealed in new ideas to create a visual display for those after them. A public showcase that formulated context about the present, past, and future: […]
ASTROTECTONICS explores architectural design for extraterrestrial habitats, drawing inspiration from past visions of space exploration during the Space Race. It reflects on how architecture, media, and design once envisioned the future, particularly lunar colonization. The thesis imagines sustainable lunar habitats through three typologies: Lava Tube Habitats, Surface Habitats, and Orbital Habitats, each viewed through different […]
Concussed architecture presents a new theoretical framework by using concussion as inspiration for form, spatial organization + experience. Rooted in principles of neuroscience and architecture, concussed architecture creates cognitively complex environments to engage and stimulate both the mind and body by fostering enriched environments through architectural form. This thesis proposes the design of an early […]
This thesis explores how play can transform overlooked circulation spaces into memorable experiences. It responds to the condition of spatial sameness, where repeated and unremarkable paths—like the selected in-between site used daily by students—fade from awareness. By drawing from the spirit of children’s toys and the intuitive curiosity they provoke, the project introduces subtle architectural […]
This thesis explores the speculative potential of ready-to-buy materials from hardware stores to problematize the ordinary and regular through unconventional applications in architectural design. By reorienting these materials in unusual ways—juxtaposing them, using them in non-structural and structural roles, or applying them unexpectedly—this thesis seeks to challenge conventional construction practices. It aims to transform everyday […]
This thesis examines California wildfires as a lens for exploring architecture, memory, and ecological vulnerability. Using collage and redrawing, it investigates how time, space, and materiality shape the deconstruction of structures and landscapes. Rather than memorializing loss, it constructs a tangential index of environmental and architectural conditions, anchoring shifts to sites of communal and cultural […]
The way we design temporary structures reveals what we value as a profession. Too often, these spaces are treated as afterthoughts—functional but forgettable—because their lifespan is limited. Yet, for the people who use them, these structures often hold profound emotional, cultural, or practical importance. This thesis calls for a shift in perspective: to see temporality […]