ALEC MICHAEL BLISS-PRYOR. architecture portfolio
SELECTED WORKS. URBAN CUT VENETIAN SYNAGOGUE VETERAN’S CENTER BRIDGE DE LOS NIETOS TRAVEL SKETCHES
URBAN CUT. BARCELONA, SPAIN SUMMER STUDIO 2015 Urban Cut is an extension of ideas Richard Meier implemented with a museum in the heart of Barcelona’s dense Gothic Quarter. The project seeks to enliven a connective route between four public spaces. The ground floor consists of a collanade that supports an open pathway through the existing context. The program offers surplus exhibition spaces, a bathing complex, an auditorium and hotel.
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1 Museum 2 Exhibition Space 3 Collonade
A key element of the project was working with the existing parti of Richard Meier’s museum as well as the dense fabric of the Gothic Quarter. The project required introducing a vertical element that starkly contrasts with its context.
1 Museum 2 Baths 3 Auditorium 4 Hotel
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VENETIAN SYNAGOGUE. VENICE, ITALY FLORENCE STUDIO 2015 The Venetian Synagogue project seeks to cater to both the social and academic aspects of Judaism. These spaces become both separate and continuous on a single plane with operable partitions. A challenge was situating an East-facing prayer space within a narrow site along the Grand Canal.
Early sketch models reveal a theme of a continuous plane connecting the sacred prayer space to the social gathering area. Initially a visual connection, later iterations created a physical corridor that can cater to both individual or collective space.
1 Prayer Space 2 Bimah 3 Torah 4 Public Space
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5 Rabbi Entrance 6 Social Space 7 Library 8 Private Study
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PROSTHETIST CONSULTATION PROSTHETIC FABRICATION PROSTHETIC TRAINING LECTURES PHYSICAL TRAINING
ROTC
ASP
CAREER CONFERENCES
FAMILY CARE
CAREER TRAINING
AMPUTEE
PHYSICAL
EDUCATION VETERAN
CHILD CARE
MENTAL
ACTIVE DUTY
SOCIAL MEDIA
COMMUNICATION
VETERAN’S CENTER. PUBLIC AFFAIRS
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK COMPREHENSIVE STUDIO 2016 HUMAN DYNAMICS
ARTS AND SCIENCES
EDUCATION
RESEARCH IVMF
The Veteran’s complex reintroduces a large scale military facility to the Syracuse campus. The project integrates many of the different schools and resources of Syracuse University with an emphasis on collaborative research.
Drawings and models were produced with Angel Lopez.
It was important to experiment with the bar typology early on in the project. The volumes of space were seen as a continuation of the campus grid, running parallel to existing buildings and acknowledging established paths of circulation.
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1 Lobby 2 Collaborative Space 3 Exhibition Space 4 Cafeteria 5 Auditorium 6 Public Plaza 7 Stepped Garden Terrace
The section to the right reveals the variation in program from floor to floor. An early concept involved veterans progressing from one level to the next as they assimilate back into society. The section below demonstrates how the below-grade auditorium creates a series of terraced gardens above.
GROUND LEVEL -3’-0”
BASEMENT LEVEL -15’-0”
PUENTE DE LOS NIETOS. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA LEHRER ARCHITECTS LA This was a two week long project involving the design and construction of a steel-framed platform. The project is situated over the entrance stair to Lehrer’s private residence. The Puente de los Nietos is named for Lehrer’s grandchildren, who use the platform as their playspace.
TRAVEL SKETCHING. During the year 2015, I was fortunate to be able to visit more than 50 European cities with a sketchbook in hand. I grew a great appreciation for the act of sketching as a tool to learn and understand urban conditions, architecture and painting.