Design Portfolio

Mayra Orellana

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Interconnecting Tendencies
Collaborative Mixed-Use Project Exploring Live/Work/Play
Palm Springs, California

Featured Projects

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LIQUO
Master planning for Compton Creek
Watts, California

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Mayra Orellana
phone: (626) 391-7904
mayra.orellana@woodburyuniversity.edu
linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/orellanamayra

email:

Sky Vault: A Necropolis for Los Angeles

Degree Project
Los Angeles, California

Existing retail

Existing retail

Retail

Housing

Housing

Retail

Housing

Housing

Retail

Retail

Retail

Plaza

Plaza

Parking

The conjoined division of sectional requirements between partners.

Retail

Housing Housing

Retail
Retail
Gallery

Housing Housing

Retail

Retail

Retail

Plaza

Plaza

Parking

Atrium
Circulation "tubes" connect the two sides together. On one side, circulation is through a
corridor. On the other, circulation is through a retail space.

Retail

Interconnecting Tendencies
Instructor: Mark Owen and Phillip Ra
In Collaboration with Kendra Ramirez
Existing retail

Project Description
The sites exists as a parking lot for Downtown Palm
Springs. Adjacent to the 50' x 240' lot are small retail
shops.

Existing retail

Ground plan

Master Plan
Programmatic requirements:

1. Retail (42,000 sq. ft total)

2. Housing (2 units min. w/ light wells)

3. Public plaza

4. Parking (12 spaces min.)

Concept: Challenging the typical corridor as a pathway to create a transitional experience in plan and section.
View of sunken plaza
Summer

Winter

Building envelope is required to use passive lighting strategies and aesthetically respond to the environment.
Plaza

Strategy

Atrium

The project was sectionally split into jagged halves. The

entity that ties one side to the other is circulation. By linking programs across halves, the path of travel is designed
to transition the visitor from a corridor into a programmatic
space. In abstract terms, from narrow to expanded.

Parking

Linkages: (1) Common area to bar (2) Retail to cafe

Sectional perspective through sunken plaza, gallery, bar and mezzanine

Below ground level - parking, sunken plaza, access to atrium and water
storage

Interconnecting Tendencies

1. Programmatic and structural axonometric

2. View from mezzanine over the cafe/bar

The project purposes from the conceptual positive and negative

corridors to have the west (positive) side cantilever over the

B
N

Palm Springs, California

sunken plaza for shading offering a place of lower temperature

during summer highs. During the winter season, the height

and placement of the cantilevers allows for the sun to enter the

underground plaza.

3. 4th level floor plan

4 two-story units, 2nd level includes work space, sleeping and bathroom. In the center of each unit there is a light well brining natural
daylighting into the spaces and carrying through into the outdoor
common area. From the common area you access the paths bringing you through the atrium and into the mezzanine and retail space.

4. Transverse section through units, light wells and retail

K

a. Mezzanine

5. 3rd level floor plan

Entrance to the bottom living and kitchen space of the 4 two-story

units. The common area connects to the atrium and the paths turn

b. Retail
c. Cafe/bar
d. Outdoor seating

I
F

into a gallery with an outdoor space.

3. 4 level floor plan
th

e. Gallery

Unit's double height space, ground level retail, double height bar

f. Water storage

with mezzanine and sunken plaza.

g. Restrooms

7. Proposed ground level common area

h. Path to plaza
i. Retail

4. Transverse section through units, light wells and retail

j. Path to gallery
k. Outdoor area

6. Transverse section

8. Proposed retail on ground level

9. Cross section
Units double height space, light well, 2nd floor common area, retail,

l. Ramp to mezzanine

parking, and visible relationship to existing arcades.

m. Second level housing

n. Ramp to mezzanine
p. Structural truss framework

1. Programmatic and structural axonometric

5. 3rd level floor plan

6. Transverse section through sunken plaza, mezzanine, and units

7.

8.

9. Cross section through one unit, common area, and retail spaces
2. View from mezzanine over cafe and bar

PARKING

AL
ION

a connection rather

ar

CAFE

L
IA

pocket parks

RE

bioswales

Central Ave and Lanzit. This edge and path is the Compton Creek

KE

BI

IA

RC

E
MM

BIKE CO
CAFE
TS
AN RECREATIONAL
UR
TA

or

st

NT

DE

SI

RE

T
EA

CR

RE

boundaries. A harsh boundary exists within our site located along

CAT

EDU

KIN

than a separation.

AT
DUCIONALCAFE

LE
ONA

RECREATIONAL

MUSEUM

pocket parks

Compton Creek to be

EDUCATIONAL

bioswales

PAR

ture and until this day it has not been able to overcome many of its

Challenging the

Bioswales collect and direct

water into the Compton Creek.

pocket parks

neighborhood has been divided by its demographics and infrastruc-

musical playground

Pods as programs along the creek

library

and historical events of fighting for African American rights. This

bioswales

EDUCATIONAL
co
mp
to
k
ee
cr

Present-day Watts suffers from its formation as an industrial city

Concept:

pocket parks

Project Description

pocket parks

EDUCATIONAL

LIQUO (Infiltrate)
Instructor: Michael Pinto
In Collaboration with Elizabeth Fernandez
and Samvel Simonyan

The Compton Creek as an urban

amenity

Bleeding the existing program in

RECREATIONAL

Existing

which the city faces away from and utilizes it as a dumping place.
pocket parks

bioswales

It splits our site into two zones and the creek is currently a dead
space within.

Proposed

Solution

Compton Creek re-envision

The Compton Creek is seen and identified as a major obstacle

within our site. However, we propose to re-purpose it as the conpaths for pedestrian access. We intend to captivate storm water by
renovating the concrete-paved channel into a wetland and introducing programmatic pods. The cultivation begins in section through
roof gardens and continues throughout the site and out into the city

Creek

y
ilwa

Ra

Central Ave.

nector and spine of our project; bridging and stitching the creek with

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streets by directing water into bioswales. The bioswales then direct

water into cisterns for irrigation and agricultural purposes. The city
scape goes "green" and meets native Californian plants, trees and
shrubs and the city learns about urban agricultural practices/methods hoping to overcome its current state as food desert.

Major site boundaries

Compton Creek boundary

Creek as a urban amenity

Creek's new profile

Weaving to overcome boundary

Watts, California

LIQUO
8. Components

8. Components
A

Marsh Pods//

Proposed vs. Existing Buildings//

Circulation//

Given Site //

Surrounding City//

a. Marsh Pods
Pods allow for wildlife within the creek to enrich, also

serving as a purification system to cleanse water before

Pods allow for wildlife within the creek to enrich, also

serving as a purification system to cleanse water
before returning back to ocean.

Buildings in existing site will remain to keep history

and get renovated to fit a new program. Proposed buildings
will serve as an extension to the educational campus as well
as residential and commercial to allow revenue.

returning back to ocean.

B

b. Proposed vs. Existing Buildings

Buildings in existing site will remain to keep history and

get renovated to fit a new program. Proposed buildings

will serve as an extension to the educational campus as

well as residential and commercial to allow revenue.

c. Circulation

All circulation paths within the site will be permeable

surfaces, varying in patterns to distinguish different program.
Circulation will bleed off away from site into its context to allow
a filtration of programs.

Given site is a ~12 acres lot that includes previous

programs;car auction, day care, recycle center, and community center and is surrounded with residential program and the
Compton Creek. The rich context allows for different programs
to arise and enriches the site.

All circulation paths within the site will be permeable surfaces, varying in patterns to distinguish different program.
Circulation will bleed off away from site into its context to
allow a filtration of programs.

d. Given Site

Given site is a ~12 acres lot that includes previous programs; car auction, day care, recycle center, and community center and is surrounded with residential program and
the Compton Creek. The rich context allows for different
programs to arise and enriches the site.

e. Surrounding City
The surrounding context of the given site is the rich city of
Watts; affected by riots and empowered through art they
create a diverse and culturally rich city.

CREEK (Medium)

BIOSWALE (Small)

Site plan

POD (Large)

Bioswales

Water features
Marsh lands throughout the
Compton Creek for water
filtration

CENTRAL AVE.

Bioswales through the site and

out into the streets for storm
water collection
STORM WATER TREATEMENT - BIOSWALES

SECTION DETIAL - TOPOGRAPHY

Pods for urban amenities

a

Willow

Salvia Leucophylla

The creek will get renovated by removing majority of its concrete walls,
planting plants native to California, and giving it a new identity. The
removal of concrete and planting of trees, bushes, etc will allow for an
increase in fauna and flora. An increase in flora and fauna will slowly
create a rich environment of wildlife and grant the city of Watts its own
identity through this intricate biosphere of life.

Aster chilensis

Ribes Viburnifolium

Aside from redoing the river we are also proposing to redo all sidewalks
on all major streets around the site and city of watts into bioswales. The
process in which streets will get renovated will be through attendance of
workshops. The community will get offered the redoing of their sidewalks
and if 80% of the street signs the agreement sheet, they will have to
attented a workshop that will be held within LUQUOs Educational center
and in the Microbiology pod. With their attendance and completion of
training they will be equip to sustain their own bioswale and then construction will commence. While at the workshop they will get taught that
the bioswale is their responsibly and in order for the renovation to happen
they will sign an agreement form stating the care of the bioswale.

Bulrush

Cotton Wood

The Compton Creek will have a series of pods, those pods will be the
main space of gathering in the Compton Creek. The pods will allow for
visitors and locals to come and enjoy the creek and its flora. Each pod will
house a different program than the other; exterior amphitheater to help
the performing art center of Watts as well as to link with surrounding
schools to create an after school program, park for both adult and kids
that will specialize in water conscious information, center for microbiology
which will have a link to the surrounding high school and colleges around
the area.

Native landscaping
b

Spike Rush

Cattail

Erysimum Capitatum Mound

Aster chilensis

Baltic Rush

Willow

Topographic manipulation for storm water collection

The surrounding context of the given site is the rich

city of Watts; affected by riots and empowered through art
they create a diverse and culturally rich city.

Sky Vault
A Necropolis for Los Angeles
Instructor: Mark Stankard and Mark Stanley
Project Description
Traditional cemeteries were set apart from the city in order to separate the living from the dead. However due to sprawl, the horizontal
figure ground experiences tension between the metropolis and the
necropolis; a solid versus void; whole versus particle; dirt versus
marble. The typology of a tower allows this horizontal program to
take new direction and become infinite by the ground s footprint.
As part of the urban density, columbaria niches replace burial plots
like downtown micro-apartments replace suburbia. The efficiency
dematerializes and maximizes space for an experience of post-mortem equality and overall simplicity. The hybrid program re-identifies
the space of grief, sorrow, and remembrance into a heavenly atmosphere. Exterior gardens and irreligious sanctuaries hover above
the city grid with privileged views. The architectural characteristics
provide elements of contrast in mass versus void; illuminating yet
dark; weightless yet heavy; claimed and unclaimed.

Concept: formed versus unformed

Sky Vault: A Necropolis for Los Angeles

707 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

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4
5

The design of each facade is uniquely framing views and daylight. The boolean of these
opening create interior mourning areas for the family and contrast the columbaria locations.

Level 55 - 1: Main lobby 2: Funerary room 3: Lobby 4: Funerary room 5: Crematorium 6: Administrative 7: Kitchen 8: Women's room 9: Men's room 10: Lobby

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12

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3

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Level 56 - Columbaria

Level 57 - Light wells and main columbaria

Longitudinal section through funerary hall, main lobby, and light well. Thickness varies
throughout the design creating niches for resting.