Alexander Htet Aung Kyaw
Cornell University
Department of Architecture
"House for Two," sectional perspective collage showing how light to enters into the living-room and bathhouse in a zenithal manner through the skylights. The columns supporting the house double as a rainwater collection cistern. The duality between function and form, living and collection, is a story within the house for two. © Alexander Htet Aung Kyaw.
Jury
Danei Cesario
Chris Cornelius
Joyce Hwang
María Villalobos Hernandez
Robert L. Wesley (Chair)
My name is Alex Htet Aung Kyaw, and I am a fourth-year undergraduate student at Cornell University. At Cornell, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Architecture with a concentration in architectural science and technology. Alongside my academic endeavors, I am a research associate at the Cornell Robotic Construction Lab and a research team lead at the Sabin Lab. Before coming to the United States, I lived in Myanmar (Burma), a Southeast Asian country operating under a dictatorship. When I first came to the US, people would ask me where I came from before moving here. My usual answer would be that I grew up in Myanmar, and they would respond back by saying that I am the first person they have met from Myanmar or that they have never heard of the country. On Feb 1, 2021, the Burmese military declared a coup d'etat. The coup and the pandemic have negatively impacted the Burmese people physically, mentally, and financially. Currently, I am living in the United States under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) issued by the department of homeland security due to the political and civil unrest in Myanmar. With the support from the Robert L. Wesley Award, I aim to become the first student from Myanmar to graduate from Cornell's architecture program.
"House for Two," model photograph. Located near Beebe Lake, the House for Two is surrounded by the natural forest near the Cayuga trails. The roofline of the house breaks through the dense forest canopy to bring in the light and rain. © Alexander Htet Aung Kyaw.
SOM Foundation's commitment to diversity and inclusion in the architecture community has continuously inspired me. My very source of motivation comes from knowing that I can make a difference in the community and help others.
Alexander Htet Aung Kyaw
"The Makerspace," render. The Makerspace is an open-sourced community facility that promotes making in a “microfactory” like setting. The net-zero building features a performative solar canopy that doubles as a shading device. © Alexander Htet Aung Kyaw.
"The Makerspace," drawing and diagrams. The canopy’s undulation and the solar panels’ tilt angle are optimized for energy generation, daylight autonomy, and glare control while accounting for the program underneath. © Alexander Htet Aung Kyaw.
In the last three years, Alex has carefully crafted an academic structure and research trajectory at the intersection of architecture, digital fabrication, engineering, computer science, and robotics that was not formally in place at the start of his undergraduate education. I am consistently impressed with Alex’s maturity, creativity, and initiative. He is a rigorous and creative researcher and designer.
Jenny E. Sabin, Professor and Associate Dean for Design, Department of Architecture, Cornell University; Director, Sabin Lab
"Undulating Space Frame," model photograph. The project is a structural model of an undulating space frame inspired by the Louver Islamic Art Wing by Mario Bellini and Rudy Ricciotti. The structural model uses 3D printed elements to represent the nodal connections present in the space frame system. © Alexander Htet Aung Kyaw.
Alex is an excellent designer and a rigorous young academic. I am highly confident that he will be an outstanding SOM Foundation fellow and an excellent representative of the BIPOC community. At Cornell, Alex is an engaged student member of NOMAS and AAPOC (Architects, Artists, and Planners of Color) and often points out that he is motivated to become an expert in new technologies in order to share knowledge with underrepresented communities, around the world and in his home country Myanmar.
Sasa Zivkovic Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Cornell University; Director, Robotic Construction Laboratory
Alexander Htet Aung Kyaw
Cornell University
Department of Architecture
Alexander Htet Aung Kyaw
is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Cornell University and is pursuing a Bachelor of Architecture with a concentration in architectural science and technology. Htet Aung Kyaw is a research associate at the Cornell Robotic Construction Lab and a research team lead at the Sabin Lab. He aims to become the first student from Myanmar to graduate from Cornell's architecture program.