ETHAN CHAN
        Ferry Terminal and Performing Arts Center, Redhook, Brooklyn, NY
01
The best performances happen in transit: subway platforms, plazas and street corners–dancers, musicians, contortionists. Open to all, these performances are not dampened, but enriched by the noise, grit, and chaos of New York. In the breakwater of Redhook Brooklyn, the terminal concourse floats to remain level with the tide. Working as both terminal and performing arts center, we find a panoramic ribbon framing the horizon, a skyward-facing tent, and a mezzanine opening to the sea.
Sukkah, Houston, TX
02
The Sukkah is a single-room enclosure with a roof of branches built by communities to celebrate the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot. While honoring the basic and tactile space of the traditional Sukkah, the project explores ambiguous zones of interiority to engage a larger public. A system of woven 2x4s provides lateral bracing while remaining porous and allows visitors to rest against its gentle slopes as inclined benches. In plan, a square cabin nested within a diamond of scrim creates a procession of transitional spaces leading to the center. Changing with the mood of the local weather, the theatrical scrim provides varying degrees of privacy throughout the day, appearing opaque under bridge light and transparent in shade.
          Art Center, Singapore                                                    
03
How simply can we build an art school? We need: a string of dormitories and studios along the canal, an exhibition hall with rooms of varying height, length, and light. Between them, a walled garden lined with a deep, shaded awning.

Multigenerational Housing, Chinatown, Boston                                                    
3/5
How can we design high density housing that both preserves and reimagines the material, cultural, and social identity of Boston’s Chinatown? Made for the life and structure of multi-generational families, four urban “cabinets” turn inward to form an urban courtyard between. Embracing Chinatown's material pluralism, the project integrates brick, wood, and steel in a hybrid structural system.
                                                   
Hay Rack, San Joaquin Valley, CA                                                    
4/5
In California's San Joaquin Valley, urban encroachment leaves farmers' fields fallow. At the city's edge, where planning and rural vernacular diverge, the project utilizes the hay rack's tectonics to establish a new territory with a strong regional identity. Five canted planes shelter a fallowed field's central crossroads, dedicated to the culture of drying hay. The thatch transitions from a sharp exterior to a frayed interior, creating a public typology blending park, courtyard, and plaza. Horticultural props lift each plane, casting shadows below for a farmer's and flea market, bringing urban and rural communities together at the valley's edge.

Groundscraper, Llanogrande, Colombia                                                    
5/5
Rather than registering as a static point in the landscape, the groundscraper exists as a line across various site conditions and must mediate a multiplicity of geographic, programmatic, and social pressures. In Llanogrande Colombia, the project combines the hydroponic greenhouse, livestock barn, open-air market, and high-density housing. The project follows the gentle curve of the highway, which defines a threshold between the agricultural industry and sparse weekend homes.


Hay Rack, San Joaquin Valley                                                    
5/5
Tasked with designing an outdoor study and relaxation area on the Rice Campus, the Hangout is a public space that evolves daily in response to the rhythms and dynamics of its visitors. The project aims to maximize the benefits of the oak canopy, including natural shade, shelter, and a sense of enclosure. Situated between a bustling arcade and a library study room, the Hangout offers a moment of leisure and relaxation in a high-intensity area. By varying the distance between the poles, the design allows hammocks to be positioned at different heights or transformed into swings. To accommodate both large groups and individuals seeking rest, the hammocks can pivot to form clusters of various sizes, bunk beds, pairs, or single units. The outcome is a public space that adapts to the temporal rhythms of the student body, with each day unveiling new arrangements and possibilities.



Lightness, Video Investigation
                                                   

2/5

How can architectecture be light on its feet?