In the 4th year, a special studio is offered that provides the opportunity for students to learn from a practicing architect.I had the amazing  chance to study under Rickenbacker + Leung .  The project aimed to create a digitally grown building using parametric design.  Sited in the vibrant area of Williamsburg, BK the project called for a reinvention for the typology of the grocery store to create a new community node for the area.  My proposal included a fish farm, organic farming based on a South American model, a test kitchen and education center for nutrition, and an interior layout that reflected the needs of the diverse community.  The complex roof system was manipulated using grasshopper and based on a component that was mapped across the surface and then adjusted based on a variation according to need.  This complex site had to accommodate enough units for parking, a loading dock and delivery space, and management support areas.  Based on the ethnic makeup of the neighborhood, the store had to accommodate the Orthodox Jews, as well as the growing immigrant communities from the Caribbean and Latin America as well as the population from new gentrification in the area.  The store provide fresh local product while decreasing the store’s carbon footprint.