Designing for the Body: Ally Pearl Kwan ’23 B.Arch
Former AIAS President Ally Pearl Kwan on designing for the body, finding support in the CAPLA family, career goals and more.
“I believe that bodies should be at the forefront of architectural design, and I hope I can design to bring a positive impact to communities.”
Ally Pearl Kwan came to the University of Arizona from Cypress, California, choosing the Bachelor of Architecture program because of the studio spaces and world-class Materials Labs. At CAPLA, Ally has become a student leader, joining the American Institute of Architecture Students Arizona chapter, where she was president and awarded the 2021 Chapter Leader Honor Award by the AIAS, the national organization’s top honor for an individual chapter president. At CAPLA, Ally has found her place, and success, thanks to the “CAPLA family” of fellow design students.
Learn more about Ally and her CAPLA experience:
What brought you to the University of Arizona to study architecture?
I decided to come to the University of Arizona after touring CAPLA before my senior year of high school. I was so impressed by the studio spaces and workshop. Hearing how hands-on and collaborative the program was from a student ambassador made me excited to join the program.
LOS[T] Angeles: The capstone inquiry revitalizes the abandoned Lincoln Heights Jail to become a vessel for community needs and mend our relationship between the built and natural environment. The intervention was driven by putting the human experience at the forefront of design. I believe the way we experience space is dynamic through section, hence why major intervention points are through extracting material to bring light down to the ground plane, horizontal and vertical cores to connect and move bodies through space, and introducing a wooden material to soften the current harshness of the concrete and allow for vegetation growth bringing the outside in.
Image by Ally Pearl Kwan.
What most excites you about architectural design?
What excites me most about architectural design is designing for the body that inhabits it in all capacities. My fifth-year capstone thesis had an emphasis on urban design and urban issues. I was drawn to that cluster group because I wanted to build a design framework around complex, multi-scaled, real issues in our communities today and how architecture can catalyze change. I believe that bodies should be at the forefront of architectural design, and I hope I can design to bring a positive impact to communities.
What do you like best about the Bachelor of Architecture program?
Academically, I love how diverse the curriculum is and that when you finish your core classes, you can cater your last three semesters to focus on areas you are interested in. Leading up to my capstone year, I wanted to take classes to help give me perspective when designing a thesis framework. I took classes such as Architecture and Performance, a theory-based class, Health and Wellbeing in the Built Environment, a critical practice/light-based class, New York Design Studio, an urban research-based design proposal studio, and Design-Build Studio, a hands-on design-build studio. These classes varied in cluster groups which I think was important for the foundation of my capstone research. The mixture of urban, critical practice, light and material focus electives and studios prior to capstone has diversified my perspective, ultimately equipping me to be a better designer.
Culturally, I love all the friendships I have made with the people in my year and in other years. We are bonded by this unique educational experience—you become a family. I have never been surrounded by as many hardworking, talented, but also genuine people who push you to be the best version of yourself. It’s truly special and something I am constantly grateful for.
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LOS[T] Angeles, Then and Now: The proposed inquiry drastically changes the energy of the building and the surrounding site. The jail takes on a new life where once it was dense and disengaged from its community, now vibrant and full of life again. The intervention allowed for inhabitation by not only the body but also the natural environment. Through this thesis, I found myself with a new attitude and ethic toward the built environment and its relationship to place thus building a new foundation where the built and the natural become intertwined and not mutually exclusive of each other.
Images by Ally Pearl Kwan.
What has been your biggest challenge at CAPLA, and how have you overcome that challenge?
I think one of my biggest challenges, which I think many people have also struggled with, is burnout. This program is rigorous and demanding, which can take a toll on you. What has gotten me through those times of burnout is the support of my classmates, lifting me up and encouraging me. It’s helpful knowing that this feeling isn’t uncommon and that my classmates are right there with me.
How does the CAPLA family help you through challenges—personal or otherwise?
I cannot stress enough of how much this CAPLA family means to me. One of the most recent and difficult challenges I had to face while in school was losing my grandfather, Papa John, to cancer just two weeks before my capstone final review. I wasn’t sure how I could possibly continue working for the deadline while being consumed by grief. It was my friends who kept me going, supporting me every step of the way. We would work in the studio together, keeping each other company, and helping each other when needed. It’s truly what got me through those two weeks.
Bodies in Space: The research project explores different drawing techniques documenting the dynamic space of the “polis.” The drawings document New York’s public spaces to understand the dynamics of the body in space and the act of drawing captures the relations. The study finds architecture is activated through body experiences, and the relationship between the two creates dynamic space. Additionally, architecture is a score that influences actions. This concludes that bodies are at the forefront of architectural design.
Image by Ally Pearl Kwan.
What internships have you had, and what are your career aspirations?
I had the opportunity to intern at BWS Architects, a local Tucson firm, for two years throughout my education. It was an incredible experience getting to work in an architectural office while in school because I got to see how my education can eventually translate into practice. For my career, I hope to become a licensed architect who designs for communities in whatever shape or scale that may be. I will be starting my professional career this summer at Jones Studio in Tempe, Arizona as an architectural designer. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Outside of school, what keeps you grounded?
I love spending quality time with my people. Whether it is going out for food and drinks or a chill night in, I love these people with all my heart, and spending time with them is one of my favorite things to do.
Design-Build Stadium Rowhouse 4: The goal was to mitigate solar heat gain without sacrificing views into the shared courtyard. The concept proposes a light steel-framed screen wall with vertical c-hat channels as louvers. The louver spacing gradually increases as it approaches the CMU block wall. By adding the screen wall, the west facade’s windows are relieved of intense solar gain. Additionally, the user gains a new patio space where they can park their bike or enjoy the simple pleasures of sitting outside in dappled light.
Photo by Rachael Varin.
What does the CAPLA experience mean for you?
The CAPLA experience is truly unique, rightfully so. To me, it has helped shaped me not only as a designer but also as the person I am today. The magnetic energy CAPLA has pushes you to try your best but also enjoy the journey along the way. Whether its late-night studio shenanigans, asking someone what that one Rhino command that you can’t remember is, getting an extra hand in gluing your model, turning trips to Posner’s into an excuse to get fun bevies and snacks, or watching the sun set and rise from atop CAPLA with your classmates after a long night of working. These moments are as special as they are unique, something you won’t experience anywhere else.
What advice do you have for prospective CAPLA students?
Make the most of your experience. Work in the studio, join that club, attend a lecture, get food with your classmates, study abroad if you can, intern at a firm, take a class outside your comfort zone, enjoy that post-turn-in and review feeling and celebrate with your friends in CAPLA. These are all things I did, which I think has made my CAPLA experience so special and something that I will never forget.
Learn more about the Bachelor of Architecture program or explore how you can support students in their learning and professional development at CAPLA.
