Alexander Morley | Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts | Washington University in St. Louis | Portfolio
Alexander Morley
adavinmorley@gmail.com
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6124 Pershing Ave. Apt. 3w. St Louis, MO 63112
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413.717.0499
LEED Green Associate
education
2010-Present Washington University in St. Louis
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Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
Master of Architecture candidate, December 2013
Spring 2012 Aalto University
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School of Architecture
Semester Exchange Program, Washington University
Current gpa: 3.85
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Helsinki
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Finland
2004-2009 Lehigh University Presidential Scholar (one year of free tuition after graduation, awarded for scholastic achievement) Bachelor of Arts in Architecture High Honors Minor in History Phi Beta Kappa Certificate in Global Citizenship Phi Beta Delta
2006-2007 DIS Copenhagen Architecture & Design Program in Copenhagen, Denmark (two semesters in duration).
professional Summer 2012 Ferguson & Shamamian Architects, LLP . New York . NY Summer 2011 Intern Architect Summer 2010 50-person firm specializing in high-end, traditional residences across the country. • • • •
I worked with vhighly detailed interior elevations and profile schedules for client meetings. High level of independence and accountability to execute assignments under extremely strict deadlines. I created fly-through animations, stills, and shadow studies for client presentations. Experience with laser cutting, laser engraving, and preparing files for out-of-house CNC routing.
June 2009 - June 2010 Artefact Inc. Architects
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Bethlehem
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PA
Intern Architect Boutique firm with specialties in adaptive reuse, historic preservation. As one of the two employees with drafting responsibilities, I was fully engaged with several projects from start to finish. • My primary duties included surveying, schematic design, design development, construction documentation of entire drawing sets, construction administration, presentation drawings, digital renderings, materials research, LEED for Homes research and cost estimation. • Experience detailing wood, CMU, and SIP building envelopes. • I assumed a high level of responsibility for the office’s code-compliant detailing.
January 2009 Arup
. New York . NY Urban Design Winter Intern I was involved at the inception of a feasibility study for sustainable strategies in Hunts Point, one of the poorest, most polluted neighborhoods in New York City. • I researched the socio-economic trends, traffic patterns, and infrastructure of the region. • I briefed the urban design team on my findings and presented my own schematic designs to promote urban regeneration, sense of place, and reductions of traffic.
awards | publications 2012 2010 2009 2009
Portfolio featured in Harold Linton’s Portfolio Design, Fourth Edition Undergraduate house design featured in Allentown Art Mueseum exhibition: The Lehigh Valley Going Green Williams Prize for Outstanding Writing in Art & Architecture: The Berkshire Cottages: A Mirror to the American Gilded Age Cohousing in Cuenca, published in Spring 2009 Lehigh Review
leadership
2011-2013 2007-2009 June 2006 2001-2006
skills
Teaching Assistant: Environmental Systems I + Architectural History II, Washington University. Teaching Assistant: Architectural Design Studio II + Architectural History II, Lehigh University Spanish Translator for Lehigh University Microfinance Team, Pueblo Nuevo, Honduras Snowboard Instructor, Butternut Basin Ski Area, Great Barrington, MA • • •
Revit, Rhino (competent with V-Ray, Maxwell, Grasshopper, and Diva plug-ins), AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator + InDesign, Google SketchUp, Climate Consultant, Ecotect. Model making, laser cutting, CNC milling, sketching, woodworking, photography, hand drafting. Fluent in Spanish, basic communication skills in Danish, Finnish and Italian.
The ANCHOR
. America Center in Helsinki Aalto University School of Architecture . Spring 2012 American Cultural Institute in Helsinki’s central Ullanlinna neighborhood. Program provides residences for American Fulbright Scholars, the official Fulbright office in Helsinki, conference rooms, classrooms, a gallery space, and a library. The ethos of architectural design in Finland and the Nordic countries can be understood by its attention to issues of cultural identity, environmental responsiveness, material substance, and democratic intentions. This studio sought to transfer this sensibility through a series of researched visual investigations, scaled material constructions, and tectonic architectural designs to foster an appreciation for the “art of building,” with equal focus on materials and the experience of place. An anchor is a device that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent it from drifting due to wind or current, and the America Center does just that. Comprised of two different volumes, one juts itself up and out into one of the most exposed open spaces in Helsinki’s downtown and screams “look at me.” The other, in a series of unexpected moves, bows to the surrounding neighbors, and gives back new park space to the public at large. The organization as a whole creates a prominent new visual landmark without detracting from the historic presence of important existing neighbors.
USA: Loud + Proud; always exuberant
Views + Context: located between three detached historic Finnish buildings. To honor the solidarity and retain the powerful views of each building from the primary approach, the massing divides into two volumes: one that extends out to form a fourth detached volume, and one that bows down in reverence.
Finland: Modest + understated, no matter how sophisticated
Winter Wind: Winds in Helsinki come predominantly from the south west, exposing the adjacent park to the icy arctic winds. The massing strategy also helps to at once block the freezing winds and extend the park into the cultural center, and vice-versa.
The United States is a country driven by an endless desire to be on top. Be it within politics, business, or social norms, it is an exuberant race to stand on the rooftop and shout unabashedly “I am special.� Finland on the other hand, is regulated by a cultural expectation not to boast, and being loud and proud is generally viewed negatively. No matter how talented, one must exercise a modest understatement. ANCHOR, the new America Center in Helsinki, strives to achieve both sensibilities.
BRICK LATTICE SKIN
Most selective views are punched out for open windows.
Sauna + Sky Terrace
Sauna and open roof terrace on top floor
Circulation, mechanical, and plumbing runs along a vertical spike that ties the two volumes together.
FLOATING VOLUME
Steps and benches give access to revive defunct parking service entry
Residence Units INTERMEDIATE SPACE
Serves as outdoor classroom and wind protected public green space
SUNKEN VOLUME
Fulbright Offices HILLSIDE PARK ROOF
Conference + Classrooms
Ground Reception + Gallery
Sunken Library
The America Center is an anchor in every sense: physically, culturally, functionally, formally, and tectonically. The two opposite forces are moored together to create a cohesive harmony. Cross-cultural interaction is seamlessly integrated into an enjoyable and poetic experience, as both the American and Finnish sensibilities are at once present in full force.
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Alexander Morley Washington University in St. Louis Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts Helsinki Semester Abroad Spring 2012
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All details are drawn at 1:10 scale Legend drawn at 1:200
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Scale: 1:10 Scale: 1:200
Horizontal Brick Screen @ 10cm O.C. Bricks Bolted to Steel T-Bolts
D
I-Beam spacers Glass handrail attached to steel channel Exterior grade sheathing capped metal plate Wooden decking Spacers Gravel fill
Runners ripped to match grade below Waterproofing
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Exterior grade sheathing Plywood boards ripped at 2 degree angle for drainage Rigid insulation
F
Metal flashing Waterproofing Top plate stud Horizontal Brick Screen @ 10cm O.C. Bricks Bolted to Steel T-Bolts
I-Beam spacers Exterior grade sheathing capped metal plate Steel angle bolted to concrete Rigid insulation Glass channel bolted to steel tube Insulated Low-E glass, attached to I-beam
Reinforced Concrete Hangers For Dropped Ceiling
Glass corner channels attached to steel tube
Sheathing
A
I-Beam support for glass
Wooden panels for interior ceiling
I-Beams bolted and fastened into concrete with anchor bolts and gussets
Steel for handrail, bolted into concrete Insulated glass channel
Sheathing
Insulated Glass
Scale: 1:10
Reinforced concrete
F
Horizontal Brick Screen @ 10cm O.C. Bricks Bolted to Steel T-Bolts
B
I-Beam spacers Insulated Glass Insulated glass channel Finished flooring and sheathing Steel angle
Scale: 1:10
Service floor spacer system Exterior grade sheathing capped metal plate
Reinforced concrete Hangers for dropped ceiling Exterior grade sheathing Wooden deck cladding Rigid insulation
A
Alexander Morley E Washington University in St. Louis Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts Alexander MorleyAbroad Helsinki Semester Washington Spring 2012 University in St. Louis Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts AllHelsinki details are Semester drawn at 1:10Abroad scale Legend drawn at 1:200 Spring 2012
B
F
Soil fill for sod roof
Scale: 1:10
Vertical garden soil retension system
Rigid insulation
A
Vertical garden system screwed to concrete with anchor bolts
Reinforced concrete
F
Sheathing
Wooden ceiling panels
Wooden clad concrete columns attached to concrete with reinforcement steel beam
Hangers for dropped ceiling
C
Scale: 1:10
B E
All details are drawn at 1:10 scale Legend drawn at 1:200
A
D B
Scale: 1:10
Scale: 1:10
C
Wooden clad concrete column Insulated glass Wooden clad concrete column
Reinforced concrete wall Vertical steel runners
Finished flooring Sheathing Service floor spacer system Service floor spacer system
A
Perforated wooden acoustic paneling
Scale: 1:10
Finished flooring Sheathing
Insulated glass channel Stainless steel angle
Service floor spacer system
Scale: 1:200
Horizontal Brick Screen @ 10cm O.C. Bricks Bolted to Steel T-Bolts
C
I-Beam spacers Glass handrail attached to steel channel Exterior grade sheathing capped metal plate Wooden decking
Scale: 1:200
Horizontal Brick Screen @ 10cm O.C. Spacers
Stone pavers Sand Earth fill
Bricksripped Boltedtotomatch Steel T-Bolts Runners grade below Waterproofing I-Beam spacers Exterior sheathing Glassgrade handrail attached to steel channel
A
Plywood boards ripped at 2 degree drainage Exterior grade sheathing cappedangle metalfor plate Rigid insulation Wooden decking
F
Spacers Runners ripped to match grade below Waterproofing
A
Exterior grade sheathing Plywood boards ripped at 2 degree angle for drainage Rigid insulation
C Waterproofing Rigid insulation Loose gravel and french drain Rigid insulation
D Crushed gravel Rigid insulation
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Waterproofing Earth fill
Crushed gravel
Reinforced concrete
Bedrock
Loose gravel and french drain Bedrock
A
Reinforced Concrete Hangers For Dropped Ceiling Sheathing Wooden panels for interior ceiling Steel for handrail, bolted into concrete Insulated glass channel Insulated Glass Reinforced Concrete Hangers For Dropped Ceiling Sheathing Wooden panels for interior ceiling
Steel for handrail, bolted into concrete Horizontal Brick Screen @ 10cm O.C. Insulated glass channel Bricks Bolted to Steel T-Bolts Insulated Glass
B
I-Beam spacers Insulated Glass Insulated glass channel Finished flooring and sheathing Steel angle Horizontal Brick system Screen @ 10cm O.C. Service floor spacer
Scale: 1:10
Bricks Bolted to Steel T-Bolts Exterior grade sheathing capped metal plate I-Beam spacers
B
Insulated Glass Insulated glass channel Finished flooring and sheathing Steel angle
Scale: 1:10
Service floor spacer system Exterior grade sheathing capped metal plate
Reinforced concrete Hangers for dropped ceiling Exterior grade sheathing Wooden deck cladding Rigid insulation
B
Rigid insulation
Scale: 1:10
E Soil fill for sod roof
Reinforced concrete Hangers for dropped ceiling Exterior grade sheathing Wooden deck cladding
Scale: 1:10
Vertical garden soil retension system Rigid insulation Vertical garden system screwed to concrete with anchor bolts
B
E
Reinforced concrete Sheathing
WoodenSoil ceiling panels fill for sod roof Wooden clad concrete columns attached to concrete with reinforcement steel beam Vertical garden soil retension system Rigid insulation Hangers for dropped ceiling Vertical garden system screwed to concrete with anchor bolts Reinforced concrete Sheathing Wooden ceiling panels Wooden clad concrete columns attached to concrete with reinforcement steel beam Hangers for dropped ceiling
C
Scale: 1:10
F
Urban Theater
. Downtown St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis . Fall 2010 Urban Theater is an apparatus on the landscape recording and tracking various urban events on the site. The theater illuminates the criticle role of conceptual thinking in the evolutionary process of making architecture in the city. An intensive research into programmatic urban conditions must be invented to explore the imaginary and visionary power of architecture through making. Urban theater questions the relationship of interior and exterior space. This architecture emerges from the circumstances and situations with which it is surrounded. The architecture no longer strictly distinguishes the difference of outside and inside. It exists at multiple scales as architecture/environment and spectacle/spectator that defines the relationship of two elemental shifts to accommodate changing seasons and use patterns.
Downtown St. Louis struggles from lack of street life. Situated at a prominent end-condition in the heart of the city center, my intent was to use the theater as a vehicle to bring spectacle to the streets. Using case studies to explore various treatments of continuous space, I developed a planning strategy of three volumes (sunken, grounded, and floating) that perform around a central core. Through a study of available public transportation and parking, I simultaneously mapped the dominant paths of approach to the site. The result is a multi-functional, open/closed, theater/event/social space that aspires to pump life into the sidewalk by promoting chance visual, audible, and social encounters in addition to the cultural benefits of a conventional theater.
Sukkah City STL Built Work
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Winning Competition Entry: Exodus Fall 2011 . Alexander Morley + Jennifer Wong
Biblical in origin, the sukkah is an ephemeral, elemental shelter, erected for one week each fall, in which it is customary to share meals, entertain, sleep, and rejoice. Drawing from the success of the 2010 competition in New York, Sukkah City STL is an international design competition to re-imagine this ancient phenomenon, develop new methods of material practice, and propose radical possibilities for traditional design constraints in a contemporary world and a budget of $500. Our design was one of the ten entries chosen for construction. Jury members included Mitchell Joachim and Christopher Hawthorne.
8’-0”
32”
#1
16”
#2
Dispersion
4’-0”
#4
#3
Perseverance
#5
#6
#7
Unison
Using a kit of parts evenly divisible from a standard sheet of plywood, seven units of CNC milled pieces create a gradient of porosity
The seven units configure into seven interlocking vertical modules, allowing for varying degrees of enclosure and density for the Sukkah The number 7 is sacred to God in Judaism
Dispersion
Perseverance
Unison
In plan, the Sukkah again celebrates the journey from slavery to freedom Marching 10 abreast, the exodus would form a line over 150 miles long, enough to span the Sinai Peninsula This continuous thread of movement is represented in the marching, vertical nature of the Sukkah
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2 million
=
150 miles of people, 10 abreast
Canaan (modern-day Isreal)
(modern-day Egypt)
150 miles
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10
The orthagonal arrangement evokes both the desert stars and traditional open S’chach roof coverings
Average angle of late October sun
Units assemble and entire structure interlocks and holds itself without a single adhesive or screw.
Exodus is assembled in just 4 hours.
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C
La Barrera Abierta
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School + Sports in the Villa 31 Slum Washington University in Buenos Aires . Fall 2012 Buenos Aires, the ninth largest city in the world, is a sprawling megalopolis that rises from the Río de la Plata and stretches more than 75 sq miles to the surrounding pampas. Buenos Aires is also a city of sharp social and economic contrast. In very broad terms, the gridiron pattern of blocks and streets holds the “formal” residential and commercial uses. This pattern is interrupted by vacant land in the margins of infrastructure; the result of long-term incomplete use change or obsolescence. These marginal pieces of land, most often undefined in terms of property or administrative status, have been subject to “spontaneous” settlements. These settlements, usually called “villas de emergencia” are at least three decades old and have grown in size and density as they progressively become a fixed feature in the urban and social structure of the city. The population of these Villas within Buenos Aires represents more than 5% of the downtown population. They account for a 50% of the total population growth in the last 10 years. There is a documented association between poverty and educational attainment in Latin America. Educational opportunities are the key to provide Argentinean citizens access to knowledge, to the opportunity to participate in the creation of wealth and to the opportunity to prosper. The role of schools in disadvantaged populations extends well beyond the specific educational one. Access to better nutrition, basic health control, and services are. As the economy becomes more global and knowledgebased, those with the greatest access to knowledge will benefit the most from the opportunities resulting from the integration into the world economy.
B
B
A
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Industrial: El Contenedor Barreras de la Villa 31 for residents of the slum as containers are used to The Indentidad shipping container is an undeniable identity of the Retiro Neighborhood. It is a harsh reminder wall in large portions of the Villa 31 to stop growth. The project premise looks to embrace this readily available material to turn it from a negative symbol into a positive one, thus the name of the school “The Open Barrier.�
Taking advantage of the fact that all buildings underneath the highway will be demolished, I proposed placing the school under the highway in a central location. Doing this prevents excessive demolition of homes, gives the opportunity for a canopy above the school courtyards, and places the school in a prominent location of the slum to maximize exposure +ease of access to residents and nonresidents.
Elementary School
Kindergarden
High School
The kindergarten, elementary, and high school are all organized with their own private playgrounds, cafeterias, class space, and playing field, but the three complexes merge at the center like a zipper to form a singular, dynamic, formal entryway for all schools.
This studio focused on, Villa 31, in the Retiro neighborhood. Placed in the margins of the central district of the city, its population is favored by better and cheaper access to transport, public spaces and public services. It became a preferred destination for marginalized population seeking work by providing service and informal craft labor in the big market that the city offers, especially in the city centre. By the same token, it is clearly the most contrasting phenomenon of its kind in Buenos Aires, because of its visibility and proximity to very wealthy areas of the city. It is a presence that denounces sharp social contrasts and puts many of their consequences in the front row for media coverage and political attention.
Level 3 Special Classrooms + Laboratories + Conference Rooms + Study Spaces
Level 2 Classrooms + Lounges + Offices + Study Spaces + Reading Rooms
Ground Level Administrative + Cafeteria + Assembly + Reception + Playground + Lockers + Fields
x 183 40’ Contenedor
x 27 20’ Contenedor
B
A
C
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C
B
Level 2 Plan
Sports provide a unifying activity for people. The Villa 31 suffers from a lack of suitable open playing space. For this, the school prioritizes the availability of many large playing fields, and adequate locker facilities. It is a way to generate constant activity from and towards the school, and a way to keep students excited about coming to school.
Topographic Armatures
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Washington University in St. Louis
Community Housing on the Mississippi . Fall 2011
Urban housing in St. Louis. Housing can play a significant role in defining the future physical and social spaces of the city. Located in the southern St. Louis Neighborhood of Carondelet, my site exists on one of the rare residential land parcels adjacent to the majestic Mississippi River. Culturally rich in history and one of the most racially diverse neighborhoods in St. Louis, Carondelet is registered as a low income neighborhood according to the latest Census Tract, with average incomes between $15,000 and $20,000. Once an area occupied by the merchant wealthy, the construction of Interstate 55 in the mid 20th Century severed the neighborhood from the rest of the city. This studio seeks to understand and engage the unique urban complexity and spatial conditions of St. Louis within the larger project of housing in the city. Responding architecturally to cultural, social and urban contexts, I studied existing housing typologies and precedents; changing trends in living, working and family structures; and the unique urban conditions of St Louis. Working back and forth between the scale of the city to the scale of the dwelling, I examined how architecture responds to different scales of space and experience.
A-A
B-B
A A
B B
C C
C-C
0
32’
64’
128’
192’
320’
Working from the scale of St. Louis into the neighborhood. How to responsibly build urban density without turning a back from the site?
How to address benefit of housing and community on a Mississippi bluff without turning a back to the neighborhood? Through many iterations and typology studies, a pedestrian street bifurcates the site, connecting the street and the river by a common thread.
Each end is anchored with shared functions. Mixed use retail for street side, common house facilities for the more private river side.
Working from the scale of the unit and going back into the scale of the city. Alexander Morley
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1’
2’
4’
6’
10’
A - 03 Section B-B 1/4” = 1’ - 0”
What defines a unit for dwelling when measured in relation to the external amenities of the community? How do issues of solitude, meditation, skylights, intentionally deprived of views juxtaposed with selective views work back into the community at large?
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Vertical Volumes
ENTRY PLAZA
SOCIAL COURTYARD
SOCIAL COURTYARD
INTIMATE ENTRIES
INTIMATE ENTRIES
PRIVATE GARDENS
PRIVATE GARDENS
RIVER TERRACE
RIVER TERRACE PRIVATE TERRACE
eet
eet TRIES
PRIVATE GARDENS
RIVER TERRACE
NEIGHBORS
SOUTH BROADWAY
SITE SECTION A-A: SCALE: 1/8” = 1’-0”
eet
ENTRY PLAZA
NEIGHBORS SOCIAL COURTYARD PRIVATE TERRACE
SOUTH BROADWAY INTIMATE ENTRIES
ENTRYGARDENS PLAZA PRIVATE
es 2
10
11
PRIVATE TERRACE
AMENITIES
7
Studio
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1 Bedroom
2 Bedroom
Common Kitchen
3 Bedroom
Social Area
Private Courtyard
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Garden
Shared Courtyard
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Garden
Gym
Kiosk
Laundry
GIVENS
Common Kitchen
3 Bedroom
Social Area
Private Courtyard
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Garden
Shared Courtyard
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Garden
Gym
Kiosk
Laundry
QUANTIFICATION Existing Lot Area:
104,000 Square Feet Private Courtyard
Social Area
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Garden
Shared Courtyard
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Garden
Gym
Kiosk
20,800 Square Feet
Proposed Footprint: Laundry Total Residential Units:
30 Residences 2 Shared Courtyard
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Garden
10 11 7
Gym
Kiosk
Laundry
20,500 Square Feet Community Engagement 30 Residences
BIXBY
2
2 Bedroom
10
1 Bedroom
11
Studio Apartments
Community Engagement
BIXBY
STEINBERG
20,800 Square Feet
GIVENS3 Bedroom: STEINBERG
20,500 Square Feet
STEINBERG
Community Engagement
GIVENS
104,000 Square Feet
Maximum Footprint:
Commun
BIXBY
AMENITIES
7
Studio
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1 Bedroom
2 Bedroom
3 Bedroom
AMENITIES Studio
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1 Bedroom
2 Bedroom
3 Bedroom
Common Kitchen
Social Area
Private Courtyard
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Garden
Shared Courtyard
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Garden
Gym
RIVER TERRACE
PRIVATE TERRACE
GIVENS
Kiosk
Laundry
Community Engagement
STEINBERG
BIXBY
On-Site Observation World Travels
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. Sketching Analyses 2006-Present
Sketching serves as an invaluable tool when I travel and visit new places. Over the years, I have learned various techniques and methods of sketching as a way to record a space, a section, a sequence of spaces, the construction of an assembly, the organizational and spatial logic of an urban condition, or simply the attitude of a building. When I sketch, I engage in an intimate dialogue with the subject, and it allows me to observe, see, and remember in a ways not otherwise possible.
Sectional Analysis, Brasilia, 2012
Early Spanish Gothic, Le贸n, 2012
Spanish Baroque, Santiago de Compostela, 2012
Sequential Experience Analysis, Prague, 2006
Plaza Life Analysis, Copenhagen 2007
I appreciate the time you have taken to review my portfolio.