Alicia Fernandez
These five years at NJIT, full of grueling but rewarding studio projects, fulfilling meaningful relationships with professors, and developing my own sense of self-perseverance, have paved the way for my emerging career in architecture. NJIT has given me the opportunities needed to facilitate my growth as a student; through scholarships, the Super Jury’s and Design Showcases, I have been challenged and pushed to succeed. I studied abroad my fourth year in Innsbruck, Austria, exploring foods and cultures while learning European concepts of architecture, that allowed me to grasp new perspectives of theory and execution to incorporate into my own work. My studio mates were there for the ups and downs of my five year journey, so I would like to thank them as well as my professors and the administration for providing me with the support I needed in becoming the architectural designer I am today.
Chihuly’s Museums and Hotshop
With the Dale Chihuly Foundation returning glassmaking to the island of Venice, there is a new need for Glass work studios that are made up of artist’s studios, glass factories, and glass museums; this is to be located along the northern fundamenta of the city. The complex design and function allow for the structures to span across the site, directing visitors to inhabit the museum spaces, which encompass the core of the Hotshops. Each museum contains different pieces of Chihuly’s glass sculptures, allowing for a beautiful array of color illuminated by the natural light shown through the apertures of the roof skylights and the large floor-to-ceiling windows. The Hotshop spaces are completely encapsulated by apertures but to allow for the glassworkers to work throughout the design of the plan; circulation is along the exterior of the building while the main triple height studio is in the center of the structure.
