Victor Guan ’21, Architecture

Victor Guan ’21

Major

Architecture

Project Title

Manual of Physical Distancing: Strategies for Reconfiguring the City

Presentation Link

View Victor 's Presentation

Certificate(s): Visual Arts

My project focused on expanding the “Manual of Physical Distancing” publication project through a series of isometric drawings that better explain regulations and innovations developed as a result of COVID-19. Working alongside other undergraduate and graduate students, I first looked at responses to historical pandemics similar to the coronavirus, such as tuberculosis, and created drawings to inform readers of how past diseases were suppressed and treated. I then switched to a present case study of urban transformations in the New York City neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens. My partners and I drew a block from 82nd Street to illustrate variations of what the road could be, changing it from a space solely for cars to a public domain for pedestrians. Through isometric drawings, we showed the transition of the street lanes from being filled with parked automobiles to featuring outdoor seating and markets. This internship strengthened my technical drawing skills and opened my mind to reinterpreting urban systems that we take for granted, such as the configuration of the very streetscapes we walk on.