Citra

Goal:

To design and build a portable greenhouse to extend the growing season of a raised planting bed in an urban garden.

The word “CITRA”, of Latin origin, translates to “without,” which drove the creation of a collaborative hoop house project that emphasizes the importance of accessibility, removing unnecessary structure that could obstruct a user’s reach. CITRA uses a unique cantilever system to leave an entire side completely open at the user’s discretion. This design choice is complemented by a spooled system, which can unroll and clip together per the user’s purposes. The form mimics its contextual situation on the roof of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, PA, meeting the lower slope of the roof line and drawing forth the steep angle of the building. These systems work in tandem to create a hoop house that achieves ideal ventilation and enclosure, provides the most accessibility possible, and interacts positively with the geometric patterns found in its context.

In collaboration with Kornrat Euchukanonchai, Kevin Jiang, David Kim, and Hamza Qureshi.