VOLHEIM
ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
The Backyard Estates - Senior Thesis Project
Cal Poly Pomona, Spring 2026
The Backyard Estates reimagines the American Dream within dense urban housing by giving families two-story townhome-style units with private backyard terraces. Each yard follows a 40/60 home-to-yard ratio of a single family home, creating space for
trees, gardening, play, and outdoor living. With a daycare, neighborhood market, and café on the ground
floor, the project supports family life while reducing environmental impact and preventing urban sprawl.
Alternative Floating Community
Cal Poly Pomona, Fall 2025
Bargesia: Island Community responds to rising sea levels by proposing a floating, self-sustaining residential community for coastal places like Hawaii. The project uses modular precast concrete barges to create flexible housing, shared civic spaces, markets, gardens, orchards, fish farming, and solar infrastructure. Designed as a scalable alternative to land-based growth, the proposal explores how communities can live on the water while supporting resilience,
sustainability, and
everyday life.
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Ripples in Performance
Cal Poly Pomona, Spring 2025
Waves of human interaction ripple across the site, shaping the building’s form and spatial layout. Anchored by the convention center at the main intersection, the ripples extend outward, influencing the design of the adjacent theater and parking structure. These rippling forms are expressed not only in the building’s massing but also in its façade, wall shapes, and glass articulation. Nature plays an integral role in the project, with tree-filled landscapes that invite visitors to wander and water features designed to calm the soul. As one approaches the building, they move through these immersive, tranquil spaces, with lighting embedded in water and
beneath steps adding a
refined, monumental touch.
"Backyard Serenity" reimagines urban living with 30 one and two-story units, integrating suburban elements like play areas, grass terraces, and a pool in a communal setting. It includes family-focused amenities such as a daycare and commercial spaces, offering the feel of single-family homes with backyards in an affordable, compact form.
Cal Poly Pomona, Spring 2024
Housing Project:
Backyard Serenity
