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Research Open House 2025

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Research Open House 2025

The flagship event for research at Pratt Institute, Research Open House features researchers who are interested in the impact design can have on addressing, exploring, and challenging the boundaries of discovery and innovation.

Attendees include fellow researchers from across all of Pratt’s departments as well as visitors from other academic institutions, funders, elected officials, community groups, alumni, and industry and civic leaders.

The 2025 Research Open House is organized around four research areas: Experiential Health and Technology, Urban Community Design, Innovation in Industry, and Artificial Intelligence in Creative Practice. Participants from industry, community-based organizations, and other academic institutions joined Pratt faculty and students in exhibiting their work this year.

Hooks and Loops – The Hyperstitch

Gisela Baurmann
School of Architecture

A group of students work together to guide thread into the arm of a large robotic machine in a studio classroom. One student leans on the table for support while focusing on the robot's gripper, which is holding a small wooden spindle. The others are helping to thread and align the material, showcasing a collaborative hands-on robotics and textile project.

Altered Estates – Singapore

David Erdman
School of Architecture

A four-panel architectural presentation featuring diagrams and data visualizations of a multi-use building. The top-left panel shows estimated grey water demand and storage capacity, with pie charts and a 3D building model. The top-right highlights circulation paths, emphasizing bike and walking routes with arrows and pathways. The bottom-left illustrates an integrated water management system with labeled capture and conveyance points. The bottom-right presents building program allocation through a color-coded 3D model and a chart showing square footage breakdown for educational, public housing, and green spaces.

Morphoverse: 3D Scanning Archival Project

Isaiah Solis
School of Architecture

A multicolored woven tensile structure stretched into star-shaped forms, contained within a cubic wooden frame. The form consists of red, yellow, and blue yarns tightly woven to create soft, undulating surfaces between the cube’s wooden beams.

d.r.a.Lab – Center for Design Research in Architecture

Robert Brackett
School of Architecture

An image of a pavilion structure made of hexagonal white panels connected in a grid-like formation. The open-air structure curves upward, casting complex honeycomb shadows on the wooden floor. Below, a diagram shows hands lifting a scale model of the structure and an exploded view of its layered construction. Text credits the design to Victoria Delgado and Professors Duks Koschitz + Robert Brackett III.

Root Cause: A Study of Symbiotic Biomaterials for Self-Fertilizing Planters

Saddqa Saeed Bahidrah
School of Architecture

A green-toned infographic illustrating a biomimicry-inspired product development mind map. At the center, the main idea reads: “A product that benefits the user & vice versa.” Radiating from this are interconnected concepts and questions such as

Flood Risks for Existing Buildings: Investigating Basement Flood Risks in Gowanus.

Dhruvin Thakkar, Christopher Hauserman, and Sher Gallo Natto
School of Architecture

A zoning map of a dense urban area, likely in Brooklyn, showing a multicolored layout representing various zoning districts. The right side of the image includes a summary of rezoning details: a proposal for mixed-use development with 8,500 market-rate housing units and 2,000 affordable units, implementation of Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, a 33% Floor Area Ratio (FAR) bonus for existing buildings, and the setting of a precedent for future rezoning efforts. The map visually conveys the complex layering of residential, commercial, industrial, and public space zones.

Bio-based Materials Collaborative Research

Maria Vrdoljak
School of Architecture

Poster showcasing collaborative research on bio-based materials at Pratt Institute. Includes photos of students mixing and testing hempcrete blocks, building honeycomb-shaped molds, and pouring mixtures. Text explains the focus on sustainable materials like hemp, cork, and biochar, and highlights material benefits such as carbon sequestration, thermal resistance, and vapor management. The right column discusses the environmental urgency of transitioning to sustainable building materials.

Diffuse Ground :: Terraforming Collaboration with Generative AI

Robert Brackett
School of Architecture

A gallery wall featuring four AI-generated renderings of futuristic biomorphic pavilions situated over reflective water landscapes. Each pavilion showcases soft, curved, organic forms inspired by nature, with hollow passages and smooth white surfaces. Autumnal and golden hour lighting enhances the surreal and serene atmosphere, while surrounding trees and natural settings emphasize harmony between architecture and environment.

X-REED HYGROSTRUCTURES: Introducing Triply Green Building Technology

Haresh Lalvani
School of Architecture

Photographs and renderings of a 3D 4-way expandable lattice structure made of reed. One image shows the object reflected on a polished surface, others display the unit in progressive expansion and isolated components. The design emphasizes minimal surface construction using a green, force-activated material method developed with hygroforming.

Laura Salazar-Altobelli
School of Architecture

Side-by-side image showing two architectural models. The left image features a detail of a translucent panel mounted on a wooden base, supported by a black metal framework with cross bracing. The right image shows a sculptural, ladder-like steel structure with angular cross bracing, set against a black background.

Architectural TPMS Structures: A Prototype of Modular Energy-Efficient Data Centers

Lucius Hu and Muzhi Wang
School of Architecture

Two sets of physical mock-ups are shown. On the left, copper-toned 3D printed curved units are mounted on concrete bases, resembling abstract wall sections. On the right, smaller white 3D printed modules depict various TPMS (triply periodic minimal surface) structures including lattice formations and customized assemblies, exploring different spatial configurations.

3D HYPERSURFACE, Contoured Alucobond Sculpture

Haresh Lalvani
School of Architecture

Poster titled “3D HyperSurface: Tectonic Tales Told Through Trials and Tribulations,” documenting the step-by-step physical assembly of a complex architectural sculpture. Left side shows six labeled black-and-white diagrammatic renderings (L01 to L06), each representing a construction layer. Right side features process photos of the structure under construction, with visible clamps, supports, and workshop environments. A person works on the top layer in one image, highlighting the hands-on fabrication process. Each layer is annotated with its unique construction challenges and structural solutions.

Decarbonization Group

Meta Brunzema
School of Architecture

A close-up view of a wall and bench constructed from nail-laminated timber (NLT), featuring vertically aligned, narrow wooden slats with a light, natural finish. The clean, uniform texture emphasizes the modular aesthetic and precision typical of mass timber construction.

Housing Futures Research Lab

Lawrence Blough and Deborah Gans
School of Architecture

Series of four axonometric diagrams analyzing housing blocks labeled “West Block” and “East Block,” showing variations in tenure mix, self-build options, shared amenities like vertical planting and gardens, and apartment types ranging from 1B to 4B.

AI: Aquapelagic Infrastructures – Green, Gray, Blue Adaptive Infrastructure for the Patagonian Archipelago

David Erdman
School of Architecture

Aerial view of a colorful urban waterfront structure bridging a road and built environment with a wetland or estuarine area. The architectural complex has multicolored rooftops in vertical stripes of red, blue, yellow, and white, resembling corrugated material. The complex spans both sides of the street and includes angled forms that stretch toward the water. Surrounding the site are small residential houses, narrow streets, and patches of green space. Several boats are docked or floating in the nearby water.

Collective Mobilities

Alex Strada
School of Art

A photo of a modular, mobile structure composed of colorful wardrobe-like units on wheels, placed outdoors in front of a building with large windows. Each unit is a different color—green, orange, red, blue—and contains clothes on hangers and potted plants, blending utility with artistic design. The setting appears to be a public art installation or a community-oriented event.

AI Filmmaking in Diverse Communities

Justice A. Whitaker
School of Art

The Mindfulness Collaboratory

Samantha Harvey
School of Continuing and Professional Studies

A colorful display of paper flowers with handwritten notes is attached to green pipe cleaners that simulate stems. Each flower contains words or phrases expressing personal sentiments like

From Island to Island | Governors Island Artist-in-Residence Project

Nina Edwards
School of Continuing and Professional Studies

A surreal digital collage featuring a richly adorned traditional Taiwanese puppet theater stage in front of the Brooklyn Bridge. A regal female figure in elaborate robes and makeup stands in the foreground with butterflies fluttering nearby. The scene juxtaposes ornate cultural heritage with a modern urban skyline.

Climate Stories

Swati Piparsania
School of Design

A colorful, stepped educational cart featuring interactive models and activities for environmental learning. The cart is made of perforated green and blue panels with a red handle and is on wheels. Various modules on composting, water cycles, and mechanical systems are arranged across three levels, encouraging hands-on engagement.

Nature-Inspired Spatial Membranes: An Alternative Passive Cooling Strategy

Renata Milton
School of Design

Interior design board titled “Nature-Inspired Spatial Membranes: An Alternative Passive Cooling Strategy.” Top left features a circular diagram showing the cycle of urban heat and climate dynamics. Top right maps the Urban Heat Island Effect, linking global warming, land use, and human disconnection from nature. Bottom left explains three biomimicry levels: form, behavior, and ecosystem learning. Bottom right presents nature-inspired mechanisms—such as cactus cones, moss capillary action, and termite tunnels—translated into design principles for water harvesting, cooling, and efficient structure building.

Moein Shashaei
School of Design

A sculptural hand with extended fingers made from bone-colored rods and a translucent, reddish organic skin-like material. The hand stands upright on a white ceramic base surrounded by a pool of red liquid, suggesting a biomaterial experiment or art piece.

Co-Creation Through Play

Irina Schneid
School of Design

Close-up view of a tabletop activity setup called

Textile Dye Garden

Gina Gregorio
School of Design

A collage of four images showing participants in a natural pigment painting workshop. The top-left image shows used paintbrushes and stones in jars. The top-right image shows people painting floral designs on paper with natural pigments. The bottom-left image shows a workshop instructor facing a group of participants. The bottom-right image captures a close-up of the painting process with palettes and natural materials.

Jon Otis
School of Design

An exhibition space featuring a clean, modern seating arrangement with a beige, brown, and pink striped sofa to the left, a small round side table in front, and a booth-style red and white bench with three small bright yellow stools centered beneath bold signage reading

What kind of dialog is paper creating with us? a study of paper and technology.

Nicole Liu
School of Design

A tabletop arrangement of small paper sculptures made of rolled, curled, and folded white paper, creating various geometric forms including tubes, arcs, and sharp points.

AI as Method, User & Critic: An Interior Urbanism Studio

Karin Tehve and Joette Jones
School of Design

A detailed infographic titled

Insulative Felted Lint Textile

Lily Allen
School of Design

A close-up of a translucent textile quilted with red thread into square segments. Underneath the fabric, clusters of grey felted lint are visible, creating a textured, layered effect.

Experimenting with Generative AI Tools and their Implications: Findings from High School Design Educators

Joshua Weinberg
School of Design

ADA-compliant poster describing a research project titled

Peter Sim
School of Design

A highly detailed wooden chair with elaborate curves, carvings, and ornamentation, including blue glass-like elements and a floral medallion at the base. The chair sits on a wooden floor against a light gray wall.

Verde Vivo: New Vision for Parque Verde in Penacova, Portugal

Constantin Boym
School of Design

A hand-drawn conceptual diagram titled

Ease : Cognitively Accessible Walking Aid

Thanat Somwong
School of Design

Three walking canes—yellow, blue, and orange—stand upright near a sunlit window with a view of a red brick building. The canes have looped handles and four-point star-shaped bases. Nearby, a mop and other studio items rest against the wall and wooden floorboards.

Data Crumb Relics: Emotional Archaeology of Digital Remains

Yura Kang
School of Design

A digitally altered image featuring a stack of rectangular objects with a cork-like frame and an embedded screen showing a Google Street View scene of a residential neighborhood with a large tree and a house. The objects are arranged in a staggered, overlapping formation on a white surface, set against a black background.

The Space of Sound | The Sound of Space

Jon Otis
School of Design

A calm, minimalist installation titled

The Curvesse Rocker

Dash Schaeffer
School of Design

A young man seated in a modern plywood rocking chair outdoors at Washington Square Park in New York City. The iconic marble archway is visible behind him, surrounded by pedestrians and blooming trees. A vendor table with books on spiritual knowledge is positioned nearby.

Pratt Entrepreneurship

Peter Ragonetti
School of Design

Design for Grief

Annabel Tillitt
School of Design

A vibrant and detailed illustrated underwater scene from a children’s book. Coral, plants, and abstract sea life fill the image in saturated blues, purples, reds, and oranges. On the left page, white text reads: “Other times, my octopus is sneaky. It disappears into the sand, blends into the coral, And pops up when I least expect it!” The visual evokes themes of surprise, transformation, and emotion through the metaphor of an elusive octopus.

Mechanical Library

Steve Turbek
School of Design

A close-up view of a mechanical display titled

Fractal Jungles

Leo Santangelo and Adam Arredouani
School of Design

Two artists work on a large, vibrant wall mural titled “Fractal Jungle.” The design features abstract, organic shapes in bright orange, sky blue, white, and teal. One artist stands on the floor painting, while another is on an orange ladder reaching the upper section. Paint cans and supplies are scattered on the ground. A nearby sign identifies the mural’s creators: Leo Santangelo and Adam Arredouani, and includes their social handles and a preview of the artwork.

Pratt Public Earth Sphere [Peace]

Rafael De Balanzo Joue
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

A class gathers inside a transparent geodesic dome where an instructor stands and addresses seated students. The dome interior features wood framing, string installations, a red tool cart, and scattered chairs—suggesting a creative studio or workshop session.

Arts and Recreation as Environmental Activism: Reimagining Brooklyn’s Newtown Creek and Gowanus Canal in the 21st Century

Carl Zimring
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

A close-up image of a sign that reads,

Designed to Exclude: Architecture, Urbanism, and Spatial Inequality

Tim Cunningham
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

A wide dual carriageway with tall concrete walls on either side, running through an urban area. A silver car is driving in the right-hand lane, and a church spire is visible in the distant skyline beneath a cloudy sky.

Visualizing Care: Mudbrick at MohenjoDaro

Uzma Z. Rizvi
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

A man works in a messy studio space with scattered clay residue and tools on a large central table. He is holding a caulking gun, and various containers and equipment are visible in the background, suggesting an active material or fabrication lab.

Climate Studio Initiative

Mark Rosin and Jennifer Whitburn
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

A colorful outdoor drawing workshop featuring a life drawing session. Participants sit on pink beanbags in front of a model under a white inflatable dome, surrounded by art materials and framed illustrations, fostering community creativity.

“Like so many hands tearing open a net”: Shaping change in Salt Lake City

Caitlin Cahill
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Cindie Kehlet
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Indoor lab or research space featuring two transparent mesh greenhouses labeled

Affordability and sustainability of NYC’s small homes

Rebekah Morris
Pratt Center for Community Development

A laptop rests on a stone pedestal, displaying a webpage for the EnergyFit program. The screen shows a green and white illustrated cityscape with brownstones and a leafy vine, along with income eligibility information for energy retrofits in low-income housing.

Taylor Novick-Finder
Pratt Center for Community Development

A man wearing a navy blue shirt and face mask operates a handheld electric saw on a wooden plank in a woodworking shop. The environment includes unfinished wood furniture, power tools, and a cluttered workspace illuminated by overhead lights.

Working Small: Architecture for Public Health and Opportunity

Hannibal Newsom, Syracuse University
University Partners

Digital rendering of a brick vault pavilion structure in an outdoor grassy area. The open-air space is filled with people of diverse ages and abilities, including individuals in wheelchairs, under a series of intersecting arched brick forms, with trees and blue sky in the background.

Hands On: Collective Space-Making and Building

Lauren Scott, Syracuse University
University Partners

Photo of an exhibition wall displaying four vertically oriented architecture project posters mounted on a wooden surface. Each poster features a different student or group design under the theme “Hands On: Collective Space-Making and Building.” The posters include project titles such as

Pursuing Healing and Justice through Design Practice

Christina Chi Zhang, Lehigh University
University Partners

Exhibition display featuring two vertical posters and a digital media station. The left poster, titled “Healing and Justice through Community Mapping,” includes photos of hands placing stickers and drawings on maps. The center poster, titled “Healing and Memory-Making through Space,” features a series of rendered sunset scenes and poetic captions. Both are projects from Lehigh University’s Small Cities Lab, led by Christina Chi Zhang. To the right, a TV monitor shows a digital visualization of floating rocks arranged in a spiral pattern, connected to a laptop on a stand. Below the screen, a table displays printed visuals related to the digital project.

Postcards from the Modern City

Joseph Heathcott, The New School
University Partners

Grid layout of colorful vintage postage stamps from Burma and Myanmar, each with distinct imagery and design. The stamps include portraits, birds, Olympic rings, historical monuments, and traditional scripts in Burmese. Many stamps are marked with postmarks, suggesting use and circulation.