Ty Quattlebaum! He is a fifth year architecture Major, president of NOMAS, and one of my closest friends! Over the years here at Marywood, he has produced some really cool projects. So, I asked him to pick one from the many and tell us a little about it and himself.

What is NOMAS? And what does the organization do?

The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students has been organized to:

• Foster communications and fellowship among minority architects;
• Fight Discrimination and other selection policies being used by public and private sector clients to unfairly restrict minority architects’ participation in design and construction.

As president of Marywood University’s NOMAS chapter, our mission is to champion diversity within the design professions by promoting the excellence, community engagement, and professional development of its members.

When did you know architecture was the right career for you? Why?

At first, I didn’t think I’d choose Architecture as my profession. Only until I attended my high school did I really realize that I had a passion for it. Charter High for Architecture and Design, in Philadelphia, is where it all started for me. I chose it because it’s a very creative profession, plus the fact that you could have something that you’ve designed realized in real life. We spend most of our lives in buildings; through architecture, you can influence the way people live their lives for the better. I want to be a factor in creating a better living condition for all.

What are your plans for the future?

Well, my future plans are pretty simple…I want to finish up with my Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture, build my portfolio so that I may attend a university in hopes of furthering my knowledge in Historic Preservation, Urban Design, and Sustainable Environmental Systems.

Tell me about this project…

In Fall 2015 we worked as an urban ecology studio, THE CUBA STUDIO, that speculated urban futures for a post-revolutionary Havana. Our job was to strategize ways of preserving Havana’s architectural and urban fabric in the face of an emerging political and economic shift, a shift that is already, albeit gradually, opening Cuba to local and global market forces. And to do so in a way that critically engages, but does not submit to, these market forces.

QAE’s proposal will address the needs of several major organizations related to Cuba (the government, UNESCO, and the City Historian), but also the needs of Havana’s population. This will be accomplished through a series of viral adaptive reuse interventions, which will convert existing good quality structures into housing and hostel conditions. In addition, other systems (such as urban farming, policy implementations, and the increase of alternative energy sources) will be utilized in order to redirect overall governmental funds into improving housing conditions.