COLLECTION a design portfolio
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This portfolio is a portrait of the culminating influences in my life. To my God, without him, nothing is possible. To my wife, Aly, without her this was not possible. To my family, their support eased my worries and encouraged me. To my friends, their laughter and insight balanced my chaos. To my professors, who challenged me and instilled theories for design.
COLLECTION a program of contents
Undergraduate + subject
2009
sectional considerations
2009
image
foundation
2007 - 2008
landscape
2009
tectonic
2010
Graduate cranbrook
2011 - 2012
at full scale
2013
the mixing chamber
2013
Master’s Thesis in-between
2013 - 2014
Professional available upon request
2011 - present
IMAGE + SUBJECT
Manhattan, New York, The United States of America
+ subject is initiated with the investigation of an urban environment unveiling a variety of characteristics. Satiated with conditions and assemblages, what is Architecture’s role in this urban culture? How has image + subject infiltrated urban culture? In analyzing site conditions and experiencing Manhattan as place, the nature of urban culture is uncovered. A repetitious amount of overbearing structures creeping to the edges of unbound space, subjects [I + others] traversing from one structure to the next, underground and across opaque asphalt, social praxis stripped to cordial chats along the traces of tradition and culture. Is this the way to construct urban culture, where working and residing mesh to shape a hybridized way of dwelling? Is this the cultural ideal [essence], or can novelty be discovered in the image + subject of an urban culture? Can there be innovation in a culture where subjects are prone to responding to the market image? Architecture needs to strive to be the mediator in a network of ideology, designing an image that depicts the subject. image
“It is necessary to establish that the mechanism of repetition and difference that underlies works of this type is exclusively the result of an operation that begins and ends in the subject. This result reproduces for us a metaphorical image of the subject’s own recollection, bathed in the solitude of the anguished situation where all lessons of history have apparently been discarded, and nothing other than individual talent has replaced history to provide guidance for the architect.” Sola-Morales
COLLABORATION CRITIC YEAR COURSE
jason aberman levent kara fall 2009 design seven
above: initial sketch right: site context below: site aerial
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left (top to bottom):
diagonal entry; intrinsic courtyard; interior sunken courtyard; extrinsic courtyard opposite: east faรงade at night
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above: conceptual elevation opposite: aerial site plan below: south elevation
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above (left to right): cross section thru mixed use tower/extrinsic
courtyard; cross section thru performance center/commercial tower; cross section thru performance center/intrinsic courtyard below: south longitudinal section
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above: commercial courtyard
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above: interior sunken courtyard
SECTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS Manhattan, New York, The United States of America
is a one-month inquiry into the vertical conditions of Manhattan, New York. The study begins with the analysis of David Chipperfield’s BBC Scotland, with emphasis placed on the expression toward the vertical situated along the horizontal. The building is then deconstructed and massaged into an innovative structure, infused with primitive concepts and imposed with novel curiosities. The tectonic traces are explored through an assemblage of scenes captured around and within the structure, related to experience and memory. sectional considerations
“Architecture is the ultimate erotic act. Carry it to excess and it will reveal both the traces of reason and the sensual experience of space. Simultaneously.” Bernard Tschumi
CRITIC levent kara YEAR fall 2009 COURSE design seven
southwest
northwest
southeast
northeast
17 BBC SCOTLAND | David Chipperfield: analytical study
90ยบ CLOCKWISE
above: memory assemblage below: considerations
opposite: final consideration in context
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FOUNDATION 2007 - 2008
features a variety of projects from initial inquiries of architecture. These inquiries explore various elements of architecture, however promote four critical issues. analysis: breaking components down into constituent parts. spacemaking: relationships of primary, secondary, and tertiary, as well as the integration of a linear (circulation) component. intervening: placement within a context. programming: the relationships of events or activities. foundation
“For the beginning is assuredly the end - since we know nothing, pure and simple, beyond our own complexities.� William Carlos Williams
CRITIC perez-mendez, macleod, tanzer, hailey YEAR 2007 - 2008 COURSE design one - four
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analysis: relationships explored within Villa Bianca
series: exploring primary, secondary, and tertiary spaces
cube: a dynamic spatial composition of
relationships
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above: analysis of Querini Stampalia
below: analytical model of Querini Stampalia
intervention: placement of a structure in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
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vertical: intervention in Hong Kong
exploring issues of programming
LANDSCAPE
San Martín de las Cañas, Jalisco, Mexico
contains a community center in San Martín de las Cañas, Jalisco, Mexico. The issue of place-making is explored through the energy provided by haciendas, creating a public space, within a town. A didactic landscape is the driving force of information in response to ‘placing.’ This landscape will create a relationship between the ground, public space, people, and architecture. The community center is a place of public accommodation in rural communities and supplements the development of culture, while becoming part of the landscape and reacting to the climate. landscape
“Architecture is an art when one consciously or unconsciously creates aesthetic emotion in the atmosphere and when this environment produces well being.” Luis Barragán
CRITIC alfonso perez-mendez YEAR summer 2009 COURSE design eight
context (left to right): situation at the water’s edge; water as a mediator in the town below: courtyard perspective
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above: a connection is to be established between man and the distant
landscape by dissolving any obtrusive structures. the public space is inserted between two structures as they frame the distant view. opposite: the programme consists of an outdoor public space, indoor public spaces, and private rooms for public utilization.
07:00
12:00
18:00
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inspiration (left to right):
trace of water on material; use of water in the museum of anthropology in Mexico City; celebration of water at a hacienda in Mexico
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above: interior public space
perspective left: articulation of the faรงade; opposite: contextual perspective
TECTONIC Placeless Making
is a focus on the act of making. Programme is absent in the construction of a single space. Topics of primary, secondary, and tertiary structure are explored, followed by issues of enclosure and the calligraphy of the envelope. Joints and connections are integral in the assembly of an architectural pavilion and aid in the cohesive container of space. Gottfried Semper discussed four elements of architecture: hearth, enclosure membrane, framework, and earthwork. These elements were later reinterpreted by Kenneth Frampton as: Hearth, envelope, frame, and podium. The hearth of a structure serves as the conceptual entity, the life that is held within [identity], the enclosure membrane [envelope] forms the walls and roof, the framework [frame] is comprised of the columns and beams, and the earthwork [podium] is the plinth or base. These four elements solidify the tectonic assembly of a pavilion. tectonic
“Despite its concern for structure, and emphasis on tectonic form does not necessarily favor either Constructivism or Deconstructivism. In this sense it is astylistic. Moreover it does not seek its legitimacy in science, literature or art.� Kenneth Frampton
CRITIC alfonso perez-mendez YEAR summer 2009, reiteration summer 2010 COURSE design eight
influential methods of
making (left to right):
stacked slate; woven basket; shark skin below: exterior perspective
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left: analysis of materials for construction
[8] concrete structure; [26] steel structure; [21] interior metal panel; [14] exterior metal connection panel; [308] exterior metal panel; [70] metal floor panel; [6] glazing; [2] aluminum frame; [230] steel tubing below: axonometric
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above: south elevation, roof plan, north elevation right: cross section
right: top view
below: exploded cross section
opposite: exploded axonometric
exterior envelope
39 interior envelope
secondary structure
primary structure glazing lateral stabilization
tertiary structure
floor panels secondary floor structure primary floor structure
footings
above: interior perspective below: aerial perspective opposite: structure
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CRANBROOK
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, The United States of America
is a wellness center on the campus of Cranbrook. The site forces are developed through the interpretation of the site near the natatorium. Notions of promenade, zoning, and holstering are relevant to the site response. Promenade incorporates a sense of rhythm, a muddled rhythm imposed by the forest to the north and a more structured rhythm from the campus to the south. Zoning is introduced in a way that separates active and passive zones, as well as transition zones in relation to the promenade. Holstering grounds itself in the way the natatorium creates enclosure for the courtyard formed in response to the existing Cranbrook campus. The body is celebrated through the program, both functionally and relationally. The function of a wellness center creates the relationship of ‘object’ and ‘subject’, and acts as the mediator. The relationship of specific programmatic pieces is described through a filtering process; occupants are filtered, temperatures are filtered, and durations are filtered. The hand is incorporated through the manipulation of threshold and material transition. The threshold is the point where the individual transcends from being ‘unwell’ to well and their experience begins; material transitions aid in the experience of wellness as one filters through the center, creating interactions with varying programmatic elements. In lieu of these elements, the wellness center becomes a response to the Cranbrook campus, the community, and the individual. cranbrook
“Designing is a matter of concentration. You go deep into what you want to do. It’s about intensive research, really. The concentration is warm and intimate and like the fire inside the earth - intense but not distorted. You can go to a place, really feel it in your heart. It’s actually a beautiful feeling.” Peter Zumthor
CRITIC terry boling + bob burnham YEAR fall 2011 + spring 2012 COURSE structure, environment, construction
site
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body
right: program diagrams
below: section perspective
hand
site forces models (above from left to right):
expression of the grand allĂŠe; zoning; physical and conceptual barriers; rhythm and measure below: site plan opposite: exploded axonometric of important moment of the wellness center
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above (top to bottom):
level 2 plan; level 0 plan right (left to right): aerial perspective; perspective at the entry below: contextual perspective
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above: spatial section; detailed section below: process model
AT FULL SCALE
Cincinnati, Ohio, The United States of America
is an exploration of architecture, which, for my contribution, led to a screen and a structuring system for exhibition along a hallway. The following text is an exerpt from the wining submission document: In a period of architectural production giddy with theeuphoria of computer generated form, the messy facts of construction - weight, material, weather, touch, and smell - have been supplanted by clean virtuality. While the rift between draughtsmanship and craftsmanship began during the renaissance, the digital age has made the separation even more pronounced. As digital technologies replace manual ones, the product of an architect’s work is either a virtual representation of the completed project, or a codified set of instructions for building it. In Notations + Diagrams: Mapping the Intangible, by architect Stan Allen, Nelson Goodman’s distinction between the allographic and autographic arts is introduced to explain the unique role of drawing in the making of architecture. Much like producing a musical score or a recipe, an architect’s work is primarily allographic, and meant to be interpreted by someone else, “a set of instructions for realizing a building.” The autographic arts, on the other hand, are characterized by a direct relationship between author and object. This distinction has served to drive a wedge between the abstract representation enabled by the computer and the directness and physicality of the constructed artifact. Gone are the nuances and inflections of the hand and body leaving traces of time, place, technique, or humanity in the work - the resistance of real material cannot be experienced in the realm of the digital. In fact, the prevalence of MDF, polyurethane foam, and plastics as the primary prototyping materials in many digital fabrication labs underscores the desire for “virtual” materials that respond predictably to computer- controlled machining. The goal of at full scale is to eliminate the hard distinctions between the allographic and the autographic through the introduction of full-scale material and assembly prototyping as a generative force in design thinking. at full scale
“...the detail is a positive, albeit autonomous, realm of architecture.” Ed Ford
ACHIEVEMENT COLLABORATION CRITIC YEAR COURSE
2014 acsa design-build award members of terry boling’s elective studio terry boling spring 2013 elective studio
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Steel
Alumin which degre
top: tabbed connection to structure above: screen in situ
right (details from left to right):
elevation of tabbed connection at bottom; section of tabbed connection at bottom; section of tabbed connection at top and plan.
Steel
process images
(from left to right): jig for twisting aluminum connector; twisted connector between studs and tabbed connection below: section and elevation of screen
Steel stud screen Aluminum plate was laser-cut to produce an array of tabs, which were connected back to the studs with a variabledegree twisted steel strap.
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1/
Exhi
Clear cut to and a sheet with s drawi
1/8” BENT STEEL CLIPS
1/4” LASER CUT ACRYLIC LED STRIP LIGHT EXTRUDED ALUMINUM ANGLES
above:
1/8” LASER CUT ACRYLIC
before
1/2” FORMICA SOLID SURFACE
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1/8” BENT STEEL BRACKETS
Exhibition vitrines Clear acrylic and solid-surface material were milled and laser cut to create “dovetail” pressure fit connections. LED lighting and aluminum clip connectors were embedded between sheets of acrylic. Vitrines were attached to new stud structure with steel Z clips. Rare-earth magnets are used to support drawings through the vitrine and back to the studs.
Steel stud wall Standard light-gauge hurricane ties were custom-bent to secure the stud and to clip it to an existing picture rail embedded in the block wall. Magnets can be used on the stud for drawing display.
opposite: vitrines attached to stud substructure; diagram Exhibition vitrines
of manipulation of Simpson Strong Tie to mediate a connection between the existing wall and the stud left (clockwise): manipulated Simpson Strong Ties; final manipulated Simpson Strong Ties; Simpson Strong Tie in situ; exploded axonometric of vitrine connection to stud substructure; clips attached to stud substructure accepting the vitrine, installation of clips to the stud substructure.
THE MIXING CHAMBER Cincinnati, Ohio, The United States of America
Derived through the concepts of the pavilion and the cyclical process of design - the mixing chamber celebrates the flow from research to production to presentation, then back into research, restarting the cycle. The exhibition pavilion acts as an independent volume on the site, dedicated to the presentation of relevant artifacts. The research pavilion is another independent volume housing fabrication equipment, information resources, and mundane programmatic elements. Connecting the two pavilions is a work/studio space, elevated to reveal the relationship between the two pavilions, with respect to the idiosyncratic spatial presence of the pavilion. The work/studio space is portrayed as a show, describing design process visually, moving across research, studio, presentation, and back through the cycle. Therefore, the façade of the studio becomes translucent to allow for the interaction of those passing-by. This façade stretches further to mediate the physical history of Ohio, reminiscent of the aggregated working population, alluding to the classic brick construction by means of a modern panelized system, reacting more specifically to the environmental conditions of Ohio. Both the research and exhibition pavilions exist on the site as dense volumes explicitly celebrating the internal reflection needed at that stage in the cycle of design. “Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
ACHIEVEMENT COLLABORATION CRITIC YEAR COURSE
1st place (DAAP), 1st runner-up (Ohio) J. Christopher Popa aia ohio spring 2013 n/a (2-day competition)
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locate: pavilion
research + exhibition
connect: elevated
studio connects research + exhibition
bend: hierarchy
encourage programmatic separation
clifton avenue
probasco street
puncture: light
rigid tubes move thru allowing light to space below
cycle:
process celebrated design cycle
opposite (top): transformational diagrams opposite (middle): night perspective opposite (bottom): site plan
resources
lecture
public space
resources
exhibition
workspace
(below)
exhibition
exhibition (below)
lounge
above: diagrammatic plans
below: longitudinal section bottom: submitted board
lecture
resources
workspace
(below)
resources
the mixing chamber
an inter-institutional collaboration between Ohio schools of architecture | proposed by the AIA OHIO | the Architectural Congress of Ohio Pavilion
locate: pavilion research + exhibition
connect: elevated studio connects research + exhibition
bend: hierarchy encourage programmatic separation
puncture: light rigid tubes move through studio space to allow light to public space below
Derived through the concepts of the pavilion and the cyclical process of design - The Mixing Chamber celebrates the flow from research to production to presentation, then back into research, restarting the cycle. The exhibition pavilion acts as an independent volume on the site, dedicated to the presentation of relevant artifacts. The research pavilion is another independent volume housing fabrication equipment, information resources, and mundane programmatic elements. Connecting the two pavilions is a work/studio space, elevated to reveal the relationship between the two pavilions, with respect to the idiosyncratic spatial presence of the pavilion.
lecture
(below)
workspace
exhibition
exhibition
exhibition (below)
lounge
second floor diagrammatic plan
The work/studio space is portrayed as a show, describing design process visually, moving across research, studio, presentation, and back through the cycle. Therefore, the faรงade of the studio becomes translucent to allow for the interaction of those passing-by. This faรงade stretches further to mediate the physical history of Ohio, reminiscent of the aggregated working population, alluding to the classic brick construction by means of a modern panelized system, reacting more specifically to the environmental conditions of Ohio. Both the research and exhibition pavilions exist on the site as dense volumes explicitly celebrating the internal reflection needed at that stage in the cycle of design.
cycle: process celebrated design cycle
resources
public space
exhibition
resources
public space
exhibition
first floor diagrammatic plan
lecture
resources (below)
workspace
exhibition
exhibition (below)
lounge
clifton avenue
interior perspective
probasco street
north
public space perspective
evening perspective
longitudinal section
composite perspective
13025
exhibition (below)
lounge
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IN-BETWEEN
Cincinnati, Ohio, The United States of America
The in-between is the de-materialized remnant between states, producing gaps of intermediacy and transition, which act as thresholds for interaction. However, inhabitants seldom acclaim these spaces for use by propositioning their function for pragmatic necessities, expelling people from engaging with the space. These spaces need to be resurrected to promote their use for people, hence by inverting the process of space following building and shifting toward the notion of building following space, an element for interaction within the in-between can be revived. By means of defining the ‘in-between’ and revealing how each is manifest, the specificity toward threshold and process can be further explored. This exploration will be further grounded in the relation between two poles and striving beyond a discontinuity to incorporate how a wrinkle can reflect the process and enhance the character of the in-between, notably how “the route is more important than any one place along it.”1 By augmenting the in-between, a space will be created for the growth of a community through events and interactions. 1 Tschumi, Bernard. Architecture + Disjunction. Cambridge: MIT Press,1996, 163.
“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” Aldous Huxley
ACHIEVEMENT CRITIC YEAR COURSE
award for destinguished design in urban design udo greinacher spring 2014 master’s thesis
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SITE
influential site features
TRUE
above:
BROADWAY SQUARE
alleys minor streets streetcar new/recent development
T PROJEC
bikeshare
opposite:
site area
right: transformational diagram
6. Movement fluctuates and shifts throughout the site, expanding and contracting. Enclosure produces a moment of pause, as well as forming a threshold within the site. The enclosure is materialized by the insertion of another built element.
5. Having separated the elements, continuity is created by reorienting the discontinuous.
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4. However, by splitting and separating the conditioned element, the betweenness from within is revealed and displayed across the site, while still being in relation.
3. Introducing a conditioned element in-between the formulated in-between space creates a dis-continuity within the space. Inhabiting this element could propose an interesting aspect of betweenness.
2. Constructing the in-between begins with establishing an edge condition (new) juxtaposed to the current urban fabric (old).
1. The site is situated in Pendleton, in-between the casino and upcoming hotel (old SCPA), along parking lots.
cross sections (left to right):
thru grocery, water feature, and grass area; thru restaurant, public space, plaza; thru pavilion and public space
elliot
y wa
reading
k ar lp
tra
cen
broadway
T PROJEC above:
below:
TRUE
site plan longitudinal section
13th
12th
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TRUE
D
E
G B D
A
G
G
F
D
I
H
PROJECT
C
SITE
INSERT
PRY
MOVE
ACTIVATE
ASSEMBLE
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opposite (top):
A B C D E F G
gallery ground level plan
Women’s Restroom Men’s Restroom Lobby Exhibition Mechanical/Storage Plaza In-Between
opposite (bottom):
H I
gallery upper level plan
Black Box White Box
top:
building transformational diagram above: gallery plaza
PROJECT
TRUE
D
B
C
A
SITE
INSERT
LIFT
STRUCTURE
ENGAGE
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opposite: ground level plan
A B C D
Bikeshare Warm/Cool Area Vending Mechanical
above:
building transformational diagram
below: section perspective thru gallery
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PROFESSIONAL 2011 - present
is an array of work completed at a variety of firms. This work is available upon request professional
dever.alex@gmail.com 513.223.3783 www.alexdever.com
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statement
To continually expand my knowledge and understanding in design and construction through education and experience, while learning how the two fields respond to one another, in order to innovate the world in which we live.
awards
Distinguished Design Award for Urban Design In-Between: Remnant of a Wrinkle, April ‘14 2014 ACSA Design-Build Award At Full Scale: The Devil is in the Details, April ‘14 AIA Ohio Competition DAAP, First Place, March 02 ‘13 Ohio, First Runner-Up, March 15 ‘13 University Graduate Scholarship September ‘11 thru April ‘14 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program January ‘06 thru May ‘10 Dean’s List Four semesters Magna Cum Laude Bachelor of Design in Architecture, May ‘10 OSHA 30-hour in Construction Safety & Health, December ‘11
experience
Architecture Intern CR Architecture + Design Architecture Intern Al. Neyer Architects Architecture Intern Perkins+Will Marketing Intern Charles Perry Partners
May ‘13 thru August ‘13 Cincinnati, OH June ‘12 thru December ‘12 Cincinnati, OH January ‘12 thru March ‘12 Washington, DC February ‘11 thru August ‘11 Gainesville, FL
Teaching Assistant The University of Florida
May ‘08 thru July ‘08 Gainesville, FL
education
Master of Architecture The University of Cincinnati
April ‘14 Cincinnati, OH
Master of Building Construction The University of Florida
August ‘11 Gainesville, FL
Bachelor of Design The University of Florida
May ‘10 Gainesville, FL
activities
AIA Ohio Competition Architectural Congress of Ohio Pavilion
February ‘13 Cincinnati, OH
Resource Recovery Park Alachua County
April ‘10 Gainesville, FL
Preservation Institute: Caribbean The University of Florida
May ‘09 thru August ‘09 Guadalajara, MX
Poverty Reduction Advisory Board Alachua County
skills
AutoCAD - Revit - SketchUp - Illustrator - InDesign - Photoshop - Office - Macintosh & Windows OS
April ‘09 Gainesville, FL