Projects
2017
LIFE JACKET
Wearable Connectivity
Lesvos, Greece
Cornell Undergraduate Thesis
Advisors: Caroline O’Donnell + Sasa Zivkovic
Cornell Undergraduate Thesis
Advisors: Caroline O’Donnell + Sasa Zivkovic
The European Refugee Crisis was a first of its kind in the digital age. For many refugees, access to technology has become a lifeline. Refugees are using their mobile phones to communicate, navigate, document, and more. The biggest issues regarding mobile phone access in refugee camps and while in transit are Wi-Fi and electricity access.
The island of Lesvos in Greece is a prime tourist destination, home to 85,000 permanent residents, and now a microcosm of the refugee crisis. Over one million refugees have endured and survived deadly sea crossings to reach this gateway into Europe. Using recycled material from discarded life jackets, the Live Jacket responds to basic needs for refugees while providing them with a digital platform.
- ***
It transforms from a life jacket, to a regular jacket, to a blanket, and aggregates into varying architectural forms. Technology is embedded into the fabric, transforming the jacket into an autonomous Wi-Fi shelter, electricity hub, and habitation node. The aggregated spaces serve as social pop-up spaces for refugees and locals, shifting the ways public spaces are formed in Greece.
- Awarded Charles Goodwin Sands Memorial Medal thesis prize by Cornell AAP + Honorable Mention by Architecture MasterPrize
- Featured in Cornell University AAP Fall 2017 Newsletter, and Cornell University AAP Student Work.
- Exhibited at Thessaloniki Design Week
fig.1 Caption
fig.2 Caption
fig.3 Caption
fig.4 Caption
fig.5 Caption
fig.6 Caption
fig.7 Unit Plan
fig.8 Caption
fig.9 Caption