This project, commissioned by Thom Mayne of Morphosis, required Mendez to create a design that would cover four cone-like structures that pierce the ceiling of the Rec Center. For this design, Mendez took into account that often times, in places like these, plants are what is wanted, to create a more lifelike feel to accompany the abundance of sunlight. Unfortunately, plants die, and to avoid this, Mendez created a design of these massive wraps of different images of grass to cover the walls. She wanted to create something that would give a feeling of translation and life. The way she went about doing this was that she went to many different countries at different seasons, and took pictures of grass, many many blades of grass. Through this, she wanted to show the different forms and patterns that grass could take on in different environments at different times, and also she wanted to create a non-linear idea of time. For the images shown for this project, the flow of the grass helps give the area a flowing, free feeling, which can be calming for an area that might encourage a more clear mind, which would be helpful in a place that encourages mental rest in most colleges and universities. The grass wraps that seem to be used also take on a more green look, leaving out her other colored imagery, which might be a choice on the side of the commissioner. Judged on other works by Thom Mayne, it shows that his buildings often take on this swooping, metallic look, with clean lines and extremely accurate angles. I chose this project for the portfolio based on its size and its content. This is one of the larger projects I saw while scrolling through Mendez’s portfolio of work, and it took into account one of the things that she enjoys a lot in her own work, which is an intermingling of the natural and cold. This piece is very obviously natural, with massive images of grass wrapped around these steel poles. What makes this a mix of both is how the building is outside of her design. Per Thom Mayne’s portfolio, the rest of this building takes on a cold and angular look, but her wraps can soften the edge of that design. Its entire existence embodies that goal of her body of work.