(Abbreviated Portfolio)
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Adem O’Byrne A.A.A., M.Arch, B.F.A.
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...Readiness is all. Design should be flexible to discovery while attending to its realization. I work kinaesthetically, yet embrace computational methodology as a means to an end. Two motifs will recur within this body of work—fabric architecture and the policy of form. 4 6 8 10 12 14 18
Curriculum Vitae Tri*par Casa Insurgentes Union Station Terminal The Sphere Dufferin Grove Community Centre Era–Dynamic
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Self-Portrait View from the Art Department Downtown Calgary
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Adem O’Byrne
605-4740 46th Ave. SW Calgary, AB T3E-6W8 | (403) 919-7768 Ademobyrne.carbonmade.com | Ademobyrne@gmail.com
605-4740 46 Ave. SW Calgary, AB T3E-6W8 | (403) 919-7768 Adem O’Byrne Ademobyrne.carbonmade.com | Ademobyrne@gmail.com To find a work environment which will push the present limits of my abilities th
Objective
and present ample opportunity to gain the respect of my colleagues Education Objective
Masters Architecture , University Toronto: Bachelor of of Fine (Studio Concentration, To find aof work environment which of will push the present limits myArts abilities Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, andrespectGraduated with Distinction) Minor in Architecture, and present ample opportunity to gain the of my colleagues
Education
Masters of Architecture, University of Toronto: Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Kasian Junior Designer Toronto, ON
Relevant Employment Relevant Employment
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Design, 2011–15 (3.9 GPA)
University of Calgary, 2006–11 (3.8 GPA) Bachelor of Fine Arts (Studio Concentration, Graduated with Distinction) Minor in Architecture, Feb. – Nov. 2016 Design, 2011–15 (3.9 GPA) University of Calgary, 2006–11 (3.8 GPA) o Working in teams and individually on various design projects using BIM and CAD software through concept andDesigner schematic design, Kasian Junior Toronto, ONdesign development to contract documents Feb. – Nov. 2016 o Assisting with research, marketing proposals and general business development o Working in teams and individually on various design projects using BIM and CAD software through Boxwood Intern Architect ON May. – Sept. 2014, Jan 2015 concept Architects and schematic design, designToronto, development to contract documents o Assisting with research,within marketing proposals and general business development Various responsibilities a small firm—including rendering; drafting typical orthography from concept design to contract documents; connection details; building code and by-law paperwork Boxwood Architects Intern Architect Toronto, ON May. – Sept. 2014, Jan 2015 o Attending client meetings, preparing presentations, coordinating with developers, interior designers, o Various responsibilities within a small firm—including rendering; drafting typical orthography from mechanical and structural engineers concept design to contract documents; connection details; building code and by-law paperwork Benjamin Dillenburger Teaching Assistant (U of T) Toronto, ON Sept. – Dec. 2014 o Attending client meetings, preparing presentations, coordinating with developers, interior designers, mechanical and structural o Helping master's students engineers advance computational skills—using Grasshopper, Rhinoscript, Python and Processing Benjamin Dillenburger Teaching Assistant (U of T) Toronto, ON Sept. – Dec. 2014 Tom Bessai + Daniel Hambleton Teaching Assistant (U of T) Toronto, ON Sept. – and Dec. 2013 o Helping master's students advance computational skills—using Grasshopper, Rhinoscript, Python o Running weekly lab sessions, troubleshooting, and assisting lectures—teaching advanced techniques in Processing Rhino, Grasshopper, Kangaroo, Blender, and Unity (game engine software) Tom Bessai + Daniel Hambleton Teaching Assistant (U of T) Toronto, ON Sept. – Dec. 2013 o Running weekly lab sessions, troubleshooting, and assisting lectures—teaching advanced techniques in Rhino, Grasshopper, Kangaroo, Blender, and Unity (game engine software)
The Lablonde Partnership Architects Junior Designer Calgary, AB o
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Aziza Chaouni Projects Graphic Designer Toronto, ON o o
Dec. 2012 – Jan. 2013
Creating drawings and diagrams for North Moroccan border solutions Researching the potential for resolve of border conflicts surrounding Spanish exclaves, Ceuta and Melilla
Georges Farhat Graphic Designer (U of T) Toronto, ON o
Skills Profile
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Apr. – July 2013
Plans, sections and elevations in design development and schematic design, using hand-drafting, physical models and later CAD software Elevation-renders; site context diagrams; window, door and hardware schedules
Oct. 2011 – Mar. 2012
Researching and diagramming standard models for manorial plots of land Highly proficient in AutoCAD 2015, Rhinoceros 5.0 SR8 and Grasshopper (parametric software plugin); Adobe Creative Suite—Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Flash, etcetera Skilled with Autodesk Revit, 3DS Max and Maya, V-ray, Cinema 4-D, Processing Skilled with Rhinoscript, Python, Unity, Blender, Sketch-up Model-making, pen and ink, watercolour, oil and acrylic paint, graphite, plastics, steel welding Languages: English and Portuguese (fluent), Spanish
Awards + Scholarships
Re-Thinking the Future International Architecture Thesis Award — Product Design (2015) University of Toronto Fellowship- ARCLA ($1580/2014) UTAPS Grant ($5200, $2800/2014) Awarded Mention—Superstudio 2A Competition (2012) Fine Arts Supporting Success Scholarship ($700/2010) Dean’s List—Faculty of Fine Arts (2009-10)
Wilfred Archibald Walter Bursary ($2500/2009) Smiley Raborn, Jr. Scholarship ($2000/2009) Jason Lang Scholarship ($1000/2008) Louise McKinney Scholarship ($2500/2007) University of Calgary Undergraduate Merit Award ($1300/2007) Dean’s List—Faculty of Communication and Culture (2007) University of Calgary Admission Scholarship ($1500/2006)
Activities
MALI Design Competition Entrant (2016)
Electronic Music Composer, Reason + Ableton (2004-15) President, Visual Studies Undergraduate Society (2010) Capoeira, Brazilian Martial Arts (2010-11)
IATA Competition Entrant, Re-Thinking the Future (2015) eVolo Competition Entrant, Skyscraper Competition (2013) Code Kitchen, Coding/programming workshops (2014)
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Tri*par December, 2014 | M.Arch Thesis | Site-adaptive Architecture is both an act of invention and mimesis. It becomes illustrious when the will to realize a vision coordinates with market capital and opportunity. Creating a reflexive relationship between form and value, architecture can also become a proprietary invention—open to an evolving development and massproduction. Set in a backdrop of boxy urbanity; fabric structures can offer style, curvilinear dynamic, translucency, visual lightness, and clear open spans. The thesis is a mainly a feasibility study of a new product, tri*par—a readily deployable and demountable stage cover designed for central staging. Bolted in modularity, curved triangular trusses form pointed arches canted at 45°. Along the perimeter of these trussed arches, a membrane cover spans between the uppermost edges of the aluminum trusses. Locked in anticlastic curvature, the beautifully efficient membrane is activated by tension to resist downward pressures and wind uplift.
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Tri*par is an opportunity for lead users to differentiate and build a brand as they transform their event with this fabric marvel. To illustrate the significance of the pre-engineered structure, the approaches of aesthetics, program, feasibility, economy, and installation are investigated. Representation The project itself was created with standard CAD and finite element analysis software which accurately calculates and tests the fabric membrane against such factors as self-weight, snow and wind. The design process requires many sketch models to approximate and test the structure and its installation. These models are later reiterated at 1:25 and 1:50 at a higher resolution. The primary representation of the project is a narrated 17 minute sequence with full animations. Since doubly-curved surfaces have a complex geometry that cannot be properly represented by
typical orthographic projection, digital animations help to visualize the form. The sequence takes a promotional and educational approach, which intends to unfold the story of the project itself. tri*par is first introduced through a rendered animation showing the product in context, unveiling the brand, and demonstrating potential programmatic uses. The history of tents is presented with animated monochromatic drawings, which animate the deployment of each structure. Following history is a section that illustrates the science behind the structures, before explaining the form derivation and connection details. A separate supplementary set of drawings and calculations support the viability of the project. Included are plans, elevations, axonometric views, product variations, a financial report, wind, snow and prestress calculations. Note: Due to the potential proprietary value of the stage cover, I have deliberately filtered the extent of the form revealed.
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Casa Insurgentes April, 2014 | Experimental Housing Studio | La Ciudad de MĂŠxico, Mexico Casa Insurgentes is a thousandresident complex placed around a circular central transportation hub, Plaza Glorieta in Mexico City, Mexico, which intermediates Avenida de los Insurgentes, the second longest avenue in the world. The studio required an intervention which could reinvigorate the possibility for experimental collective living. The concept for this project emphasizes mixed income living and market ethics.
incentives for respect, cooperation, and coexistence. It follows that the architectural vocabulary speaks through different scales and manifests itself in the detailing that reflects a consistent syntax. Tectonics aim to discretize a continuous surface, suggesting a consistent formal unity.
To lower costs, a trade-off is made using inexpensive standard materials in Tenants of differing wealth classes a clever assembly. The railing spindles converge into spontaneous negotiation. are merely cold rolled steel angles; only However, the project is not about the rail itself addresses an ergonomic class confrontation but rather social materialism. The idea is that architects mobility—a grass-roots led development. can generate more agency in real estate A voluntarily-paid higher price is symbolic in the sense that it can subsidize with the right alignments of labour and capital. Casa Insurgentes is a means a number of units along the same to localize cultural values without horizontal datum. This local subsidy is regulated by such 'patron units'—sparking bureaucratic imposition. Such a finance
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model can mitigate the risk of power consolidation by political alignment with special interests. Representation The studio initially focused on parametricizing space with particular mindfulness to algorithmic spatial programming as opposed to the generation of geometry without architectural input. Units are designed individually with hand-drafting whereas the form itself is a result of a flexible algorithm. The central focus is a comprehensive set of plans and a section. A 1:250 site model and 1:50 single unit model show the form and experience of the space. Detail models supplement hand-drawn concept vignettes to showcase the energy and feel of Casa Insurgentes.
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Union Station Terminal December, 2013 | Parametric Studio | Union Station, Toronto, Ontario In the parametric option studio, the current Union Station train terminal built by Zeidler Partnership is re-imagined. Interests in fabric architecture led to the consideration of its practical advantage as a train shelter. The membrane structure system is comprised of a modular kit of parts— spanning Photocatalytic PTFE fabric over prefabricated steel arched trusses. A large glazed space frame houses a cafÊ and pedestrian walkway creating a cross-grain line of travel. The original site is relieved of an unbecoming heritage building. The now purified ground plane
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is less obstructive with a light-frame bus terminal shelter. The project was conceptualized by a traditional method using hand-drawing and nylon models, and realized using the parametric software, Grasshopper, optimized for shading using Ecotect. 160' span arches alternate with asymmetrically divided catenary spans. Fabric is guided above or below truss chords depending on the length of the bay; shorter bays tension from below. In the latest iteration, diagonal masts were removed due to structural redundancy and interference with the original train tracks.
Representation The Union Station intervention is first introduced by a set of evolving animations which showcase varying iterations and arrival of form. There are typical plans, sections, and appropriate conceptual and performance diagrams. There are also a series of finely crafted connection detail models, including a 1:25 of the mast, and a 1:50 section model. A 4D Schedule details the construction process from start to finish. Unity, a game engine software—is used to allow the viewer a controllable walkthrough of the space.
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The Sphere December, 2013 | Structures II (w/Yie Ping Sie, Reza Karimi, Michael Lee) | Blue Mountain, Ontario A pre-engineered, inflatable, mobile bubble structure acts as a rescue post on Blue Mountain in Ontario. This proposal uses ETFE technology to create a minimal impact shelter with a marginal installation cost. A wooden platform along with the essential cuffs, connector joints, railings, and fabric as modular parts can readily consolidate on the trailer of a snowmobile. Flexibility allows the rescue station to dismount and redeploy wherever necessary. LEDs light the object during night skiing and can be illuminated as a signal in the case of an emergency. The Sphere then becomes a beacon of hope in an otherwise dark situation.
Structure and Installation
Self-similar air beams inflate to create vertical support in a polar
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arrangement, designed to handle areas which risk snow ponding. The deck and platform are first built around an adjustable cuff which secure the structure without damaging the tree to which it is mounted. The fabric component wraps around the tree and fastens by polyester lacing at the entrance. The air-supported structure reaches its intended shape by a simple low-speed air pump or a standard bicycle pump. A beam flap with mechanical fasteners seals the front, continuing the spherical surface.
fabric for this application.
ETFE copolymer fabric is chosen primarily for its translucency, allowing for approximately 85% light transmission, while reducing infrared radiation (nearly half that of glass). It will not degrade under UV light or air pollution and is completely recyclable, lasting around 50-100 years, making ETFE the ideal
Not pictured is a 1:10 physical detail model demonstrating the relationship of the intervention to the tree, and provides a clearer resolution for the various details which hold the project together. The original concept is represented by handdrawn sketches, coloured with illustration markers.
Representation Plans, sections, elevations, and exploded anoxometric views showcase the form, scale, and function. In-depth structural calculations are aided by illustration and documentations of finite element analysis testing the strength of the air beams. Pictured right is a 1:25 scale model with a segment cut from the spherical element to showcase the interior space.
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Dufferin Grove Community Centre April, 2013 | Comprehensive Studio (w/Indrit Alushani) | Dufferin Grove, Toronto, Ontario In the second year of the Masters of Architecture Program, the comprehensive studio engages the practical side of building and designing. Introducing the urban scale, calculated structure, connection details, building envelope systems, HVAC, Acoustics, and other parts—all account for what amounts to a comprehensive study. Comprehensive studio is the most aligned studio with contemporary architectural practice, requiring detail drawings, site specificity, building code compliance, etcetera. Emphasis in this study is placed on the urban condition, and follows a continuum of language through to the ergonomic scale of the proposed community centre. The design concept extends the program of the nearby parkside high school—creating an axial procession linking to a compartmentalized program. A swimming pool and gymnasium flank a rectangular sunken ice rink, matching the eye level with swimmers in the nearby pool. Alongside the leisure rink is a customized modular fabric structure
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which houses an NHL regulation indoor hockey arena. The Northwest parking lot begins at a lower grade—taking advantage of the ascending topography to choreograph the desired experience for approaching the main entrance. Ramps carve into the platform that demarcates the entryway. An heroically cantilevered auditorium/multipurpose space toplights the passage below from an aluminum soffit above. The canted reflective glass signals Dufferin Mall goers into the building and visually connects the link between the mall program and the community centre. From a distance, the parking lot reflection reads the word Dufferin. A café and lobby invite passersby through the double width corridor. A developmental centre acts as an extension of an existing program from the nearby high school. On the south side, a farmer’s market expands and animates the space between its exterior and the kitchen.
Overall, volumetric spaces are developed to simplify corners and conceal structure. The approach is applied throughout the interior and exterior. Along the interior walls, a band of frosted glass creates a soft indirect light reflected from of the ceiling. The double skin facade acts like a solar chimney and has a low level damper on the south side and a high level damper at the top of the parapet on the north side. These dampers are operable based on a central automation system, and can adjust given wind conditions. There are also systems to regulate chlorination and dehumidification. Representation The project was represented by a series of three renderings, plans, sections, isometric projection drawings, connection detail drawings and concept diagrams explaining the environmental systems, structure, parti, lighting, and so forth. Physical models of key details and an elaborate resin model help to visualize the project.
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Era–Dynamic December, 2012 | Superstudio | Dufferin Mall, Toronto, Ontario Superstudio approaches the urban scale and explore urban design logic. In this case, the notion of a master plan is challenged and replaced with a more adaptive idea, a test site with a base set of “spines” from which to build. The project is built to appeal to a shifting demographic and growing population— in other words, an Era–Dynamic. This housing project aims to be both selfsustaining and commercially profitable. The test site chosen for this project is Dufferin Mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The site is deregulated: zoning is privatized and based on brief contractual agreements; and energy would be generated through an integrated infrastructure. The site approach commences through axioms aware of augmented urban density. A number of towers, or “spines,” are placed on the site zoned in accordance to private ordinance, whereby contractual agreements between stakeholders are established. The anatomic rhetoric of the spine is populated by modular plugs which provide an infrastructural connection between localized centres and their respective residential units.
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The residence intends to house a
variety of occupants from diverse stages of wealth and to also address a temporal factor whereby families can grow and shrink, and as such, units can expand and collapse—couples can separate, connect, even welcome a newborn into the world. The process of developing the project became experimental yet highly quantitative, calculating estimates to determine how to meet user needs. The way that units are articulated in terms of their energy consumption becomes an operative of their arranged configuration. The self-sustaining feature of the site attempts to involve a number of alternative energy and conservation methods. Above a diverging funnel top which catches rainwater, solar panels exploit the sun path. Wind tunnels diffuse air at the greatest speed at their highest altitude; hence windmills are placed under and around the catchment basin. Water collected is distributed to algal energy units to assist the photosynthetic generation of electricity. Geothermal vertical cores would be placed underground, encircling the foundation. The ecological capital used to promote innovative carbon neutral sites could attract a rising trend in investment.
The towers are crafted with a consistent, streamlined language. At the time frame which the project is represented, the site accommodates 615 residents. This was calculated based on the input of economic projections from Ontario provincial figures. Despite a longer return on investment, Era– Dynamic could reach energy autonomy. After the tower is developed, a larger move is made to bridge a path to the easterly Dufferin Grove Park. A long arching span responds to gestured paths connecting the park to the site. The bridge establishes circulatory pathways which cross over to the public space at the foot of the towers, bringing permeability to a busy street. “Solar fan” polygons regulate the maximum heights of the five towers, which are placed in response to dominant wind axes. Typologies of the residential units are parametrically generated with a host of configurable parameters; including family size and economy options. There are many choices for individual households—flexible interior partitions, indoor or outdoor pools, balconies, saunas, courtyards, greenhouses, and solariums.
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Self-Portrait April, 2010 | Fine Arts Thesis | Nickle Art Gallery, Calgary, Alberta 22’x8’x14’ Steel rods and hardware, voilet The project means to blur the line between sculpture and architecture. Welded together and connected by bolted flange plates, the metal frame is very light and easy to move. The fabric is generally tensioned in anticlastic curvature, which adds to the structural integrity without artistic compromise.
At 14 feet high, this work commands space, yet invites viewers to enter the frame through a hinged doorway at the torso. Inside, light filters through the semi-translucent fabric combining with other colours, transforming the space into something spiritual.
View from the Art Department (p 98) October, 2007 | Drawing Studio I | University of Calgary, Alberta 12”x18” India Ink on Illustration Board
Downtown Calgary (p 99) August, 2010 | Independent Study | Downtown Calgary, Alberta 9’x4’ Oil on curved panel
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Interference-coloured fabric and complex curvature can persuade the viewer to experience the sculpture from 360 degrees. The project is the culminating apex of an artistic series which explored both practical and conceptual fabric structures during my degree in fine arts.
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