Architecture Portfolio Alex Hilbert
Alex Hilbert
August 26, 2015
Objective I am seeking a part-time architecture internship with an innovative, sustainability minded design firm in the Shanghai area. You will find my CV with contact information at the end of this portfolio. Feel free to contact me at any time. Assets I believe my well-rounded knowledge of Adobe CS6, Rhinoceros 3D with Vray and Grasshopper, Microsoft Office, and AutoCAD will be an asset to your team. My Mandarin skills may not be useful in a business environment yet, though I plan to continue improving them indefinitely until they are. Past Experience I graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelors of Architecture in 2012. In the summer of 2011 I studied abroad in China, and have been captivated by the raw vitality and monumental transformations of this country ever since. I have been living in Shandong Province for the past two years, teaching parttime, traveling throughout China, and learning Chinese. Future Plan I plan to live in Shanghai for the foreseeable future, perfecting my Chinese and seeking development in the architecture industry. I am in the early stages of developing a float tank business (sensory deprivation therapy) in Shanghai. My business partner and I plan to launch the business in gradual stages over the next year, working part-time jobs while in the startup stage. As the business becomes established over the next few years, I will devote my increasing amount of free time to a career in architecture.
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Pensive Pavilion Micanopy, FL Intervention in the Florida Landscape
Private Residence Intimate Shelter Dwarf Oak Hammock Covert Canopy Pine Flatwoods Ethereal Arcade Open Field Expansive Views Koi Pond Serene Reflection
Located on a private residence at the edge of Payne’s Prarie State Park, the pavilion embraces the natural beauty of the Florida landscape and acts as a symbol of the surounding environment. The diaphonous canopy of pine flatwoods, the dense shelter of a dwarf oak hammock, and the serenity of flowing water are each represented in the paviliion, making it a microcosm of its surroundings.
Conceived as an intimate place for meditation and a public place for celebration, the pavilion satisfies both by making the landscape an integral part of the occupant’s experience. The angular roof frames broad views of the landscape, making the public experience open and lucid. Water collected from the roof fills the walls of the water closet and circulates through a central waterfall, creating an ambiance of tranquility.
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Rattlesnake Island St. Augustine, FL
Greenhouse
Experimental Horticulture Facility
With the multitude of impending threats to the global food supply, (climate change, peak phosphorous, topsoil depletion, water scarcity, fossil-fuel shortage, etc.), food security is a vital issue that must be met with a variety of possible solutions. Using a new method of rotational hydroponics as an impetus, the Rattlesnake Island Greenhouse explores one possible typology for cylindrical gardening, along with a mechanized building to facilitate growing in a highly controlled and automated environment.
Modular framework
Individual plant cartridges
Central lighting for efficient vegetative growth
Opens for external lighting and easy access
Unfolds for harvest & transplanting
Each four-foot cylinder slowly rotates independently while orbiting around the carousel, dipping the root zones in a water trough at the bottom of the cycle. The gravitational stress forces short, thick stems, thereby increasing nutrient uptake and crop yields. With a single 4x4x2 cylinder fitting 45 plants, a carousel with 32 cylinders can grow 1,440 plants, meaning this 30x60 foot building can fit more than 17,000 plants.
Held in place by a tensile cable system, the mechanized photovoltaic roof can pivot to track the sun, as well as shift fully to the north side in order to allow direct sunlight to penetrate the building.
The ability to grow large amounts of crops in a highly-controlled, highlyautomated environment secures food production in an unpredictable external climate, as well as allows for the efficient testing of alternative growing practices. Food can be grown anytime, anywhere, at very high densities, saving up to 90% of water usage and eliminating excess fertilizer runoff.
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Institute of Sculptural Design
Inspiration for the Charleston Institute of Sculptural Design began with the premise of using a void to shape the mass of a building, carving it from the inside-out like a river to a canyon. This subtractive strategy was applied using the site’s annual wind patterns as a formal generator, inviting in ideal winds to passively ventilate the space.
Charleston’s mild humid subtropical climate and modest sea breeze make the outdoors relatively comfortable year round. Encouraging the wind to fill the central public void of the building creates a pleasantly ventilated indoor/outdoor space where the movement of wind is analogous to the movement of people.
Analyze annual wind patterns
Mass blocks winter wind
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Void invites spring, summer, and fall wind
The central atrium is naturally lit and ventilated by a large semi-transparent canopy, with two rows of operable vertical glazing units seperating its three tiers. The glazing units are allowed to rotate freely, manifesting the flow of wind through the building.
Free-form stairs suggest fluid movement through space, as they appear to be pulled by a draft from the void of the atrium into the anonymous masses of the above levels.
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Ground Floor
1” = 32’
Charleston, SC
East Section
1” = 32’
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Second Floor
1” = 32’
Charleston, SC
West Section
1” = 32’
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Third Floor
1” = 32’
LOBBY
STUDIOS
LECTURE HALL
LIBRARY PARKING
CAFE
ATRIUM
OFFICES
Studying the seasonal wind rose diagrams revealed that a SW to NE void-axis would allow optimal breeze penetration during the lengthy spring, fall and summer, while blocking most of the winter wind. This porous void-axis creates a central atrium to which all public areas are adjacent, with stairways flowing up into the more private levels above.
The building form is reminiscent of the traditional Charleston house, in which the main building mass is positioned along the north half of the site, and the public circulation and porch are extruded along the southern half to provide passive shading.
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Hell’s Garden Heliotropic Metabolism in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC
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Extrude Lot Size (typical tower)
Bring in Sunlight, Bring in People
Sun Void and Public Void
Fluid Connection Between Sun Void and Public Void
New York’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, suddenly overshadowed by invading luxury condo towers, is confused and skeptical about density. To residents of the neighborhood, it seems to mean a rapidly built grid of inaccessible obelisks that block out the sun and restrict vision to momentary perspectives along streets or avenues. A dormant weed sprouts near a neglected rail line. A vertical taproot anchors deep into the ground, while a stem grows upward fighting the force of gravity. Self-similar components branch out intuitively, as a vascular array forms to convey sustenance throughout the system. As it grows, it turns to face the sun. This proposed model of Heliotropic Growth is a humanitarian design strategy that intends to bring vitality back to the city. For the residents of Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, and any city on the verge of being inundated by misanthropic conurbations, the weed becomes a welcome garden in an urban desert.
Heliotropism The low density surroundings of the site, especially the southern region, presented us with the opportunity to take full advantage of expansive views and abundant sunlight. The conventional orientations of slab-towers were distorted into twisting and parabolic forms and tested for incoming solar radiation and view vectors. Using movement of the sun as a generative device, the resulting form is a twisting, south-orienting arc. Visibility studies were performed by mapping the heights of surrounding buildings and tracing vectors outward in all directions at several heights.
A central void formed by the inside of the tower’s arc continues twisting downward toward the street side. This sun-lit atrium activates public programs and lures people from the street up into the tower.
Solar Insolation Study The solar insolation study was performed by overlaying a series of direct-light renders representing the sun’s effect at every hour of the day. These series are calculated throughout the year to compare seasonal variations in daily insolation.
spring
autumn
The dynamic twist has the unique advantage of creating both a broad, south-facing façade of units for passive solar gain, as well as an inert south-facing wall for active photovoltaic solar gain. The goal was to maximize exposure to all units in the winter and to limit summer exposure to easily controlled surfaces where shading or photovoltaics can be placed.
summer
winter
Hexagonal Modules The living cells of the Hell’s Garden Heliotropic tower are pre-manufactured modules stacked into place on site, just as a plant is constructed of self-similar components arranged according to a pre-defined law. The cells create an interlocking structural mesh throughout the assembly, their walls being structural in themselves. The hexagonal modules naturally create a brise soleil, while also allowing for expansive views of the city.
The hexagonal shape of the modules creates six surfaces of contact between units, allowing for more structural connections between them than a rectangular shape would permit. Hexagonal assembly creates a multitude of opportunities for alternative living conditions and methods of circulation. For example, furniture pieces are able to interact with the angles of walls, creating a more dynamic living environment.
Circulation
This circulation scheme uses a 1.5 stop elevator system. Triple units are placed such that they replace what would be the most problematic single units to reach with stairs, while also directly touching the nodes at every other datum. Circulation to the remaining units is optimized such that no unit requires more than a single staircase to get to the elevator. The twisting of the tower is achieved by a gradual incremental rotation of an array of units at each floor. The center of this rotation is within this array, so that it may become a column facilitating the structural and circulatory systems.
The Hell’s Garden Heliotropic Tower questions the conventional urban dwelling, imposing its own human-centric approach.
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Phase 1- Site Analysis
Phase 1Group Models, Master Plan, & Site Analysis Li He - Li Xiu Ling - Lu Yin - Yan Hong
Functions Residential Education Community Center Historical District Commercial Civic Business Green Space Central Green Space Parking
Density Entrances/ Exits Commercial Areas Expansion Areas Density Intersection
Traffic Major Traffic Minor Roads Skywalk Pedestrian Traffic
Zoning
Green Space Commercial Civic Historic District Business Education Residential Community Center
After analyzing existing areas of density and the variety of traffic connections they create, the site was divided into eight programmatic zones that reflect the established site functions while improving coherence and connectivity.
Large areas are devoted to commercial and historical zones in order to preserve Shiba-Ti’s rich heritage and street life. Density is redistributed by placing towers along the high northern periphery, freeing up the center for a green visual corridor.
For the individual design phase, an eight-hectare central portion of the district was further developed. The problem of integrating greenspace into a high-density area is solved by incorporating the organic appearance and ecological services of traditional terrace farming into a tapestry of green roofs that undulate along a network of pedestrian paths. Like terrace farming, the tapestry provides superior water management and allows for efficient land usage in a dense environment.
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8 Hectares
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Plan Key 12345-
‘City Balcony’ Terraced Housing Units Community Center Complex Commercial Strip The People’s Park
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Residential Towers Office Towers Hospital Mosque Court House / Civic Area
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Commerce / Business Area Historic District Education District Residential Apartments Central Business District
The detailed area of development chosen for phase two is located on a steep slope, dropping almost 50m from north to south. Known colloquially as the ‘city balcony’, the view from the northern shelf is a popular destination at the threshold of Chongqing’s CBD.
The steep market-lined stairways and streets of Shiba-Ti, are a cultural icon of Chong-qing, as they have historically provided a critical connection between the upper CBD and lower waterfront development.
View from the City Balcony
Housing + Commercial Strip Section 123456-
The ‘City Balcony’ Terraced Housing Units Vernacular Market Street Retention Pond Park Main Commercial Strip Skywalk
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Passive Design Strategy
Excess rainwater gathered from each green roof is stored in an underground cistern, where it is used for toilets, irrigation, and as a heat-exchange medium circulated between the earth and the floors of each unit. The ability to store and use rainwater, especially on steep terrain, is an effective flood mitigation technique for areas along the highly-prone Yangtze River.
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Community Center Section 123456789101112-
Terraced Housing Units Vernacular Market Street Restaurant / Cafe Area Service Areas Parking Mechanical Open/ Gathering Library Offices Gymnasium Studio Apartments The People’s Park
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To allow coherent movement through the site, priority is given to pedestrian walkability, with the goal of attracting people from the CBD and diffusing them through the district. Underground parking at central nodes is used to help make vehicular traffic pervasive yet clearly distinct from the pedestrian realm.
Pedestrian appeal and environmental quality are enhanced by a network of paths, green roofs and parks that flow through a variety of commercial areas, linking the downtown ‘city balcony’ with the waterfront in a way that is both ecologically & economically responsive.
The Green Tapestry at night
Redistributing density by juxtaposing the high with the low creates interesting spatial connections and allows for the integration of open greenspaces and public areas. By creating networks of pedestrian corridors that radiate from the community center towers through a variety of residential, commercial, and mixed-use public spaces, the district’s sociocultural interaction is enhanced while preserving the phenomenological memory of the historic 18-steps.
Retention Pond Park & Commercial Strip
Alex Hilbert
CV
Phone
China- (+86) 131-8132-7278 U.S.A- (407) 461-4998
Email Skype
ahilb33@outlook.com alex-hilbert
Education
Work Experience
Software Experience
Bachelors of Design (Architecture) University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Graduated Spring 2012
English Teacher America Town English, Jining, Shandong, China - Taught kids and adults of all ages and class sizes oral English, 20 teaching hours/week September 2013 - September 2015
Advanced Knowledge: - Adobe CS6: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign - Rhino 4.0 with V-Ray and Grasshopper - Microsoft Office: Word, PowerPoint, Excel
Freelance Designer - Edit product photos for online sale - Create banner ads and company logos - Designed 3D-printed prototypes for a series of new smart phone accessories August 2012 - Present
Basic Knowledge: - AutoCAD 2012 - Google SketchUp 8 - Revit Architecture 2012
- Minor: Sustainability Studies - Overall GPA: 3.73; Magna Cum Laude - Study Abroad: UF in East Asia Program -Summer joint design studio at Chongqing University Summer 2011 Highschool Graduate Lake Howell Hight School, Casselberry, FL Graduated Spring 2008
Technology Consultant University of Florida, Gainesville, FL - Assisted students use software programs and printers at campus computer labs May 2010 - August 2012
Entrepreneurship
Hobbies & Pursuits
Flotation Center Business Venture - Developed a business plan to operate a float center (sensory deprivation) - Now in the process of raising funds and executing the plan in Shanghai - Proponent of flotation therapy, for relaxation, meditation, pain relief, enhanced creativity, among many other benefits March 2015 - Present
Learning Mandarin Chinese - Currently studying HSK 5 (out of 6) vocabulary (HSK 3-4 grammar) - Have been self-studying since 2013
Urban Tree Business Proposal - Entered a business proposal competition in the University of Florida, won 3rd prize - Proposes a design solution to food deserts, through automated produce distribution hubs March 2012
Health and Fitness - Mixed Martial Arts - Bike Riding - Hiking & Camping
Vertical Farming - Interested in integrating food production with the built environment in sustainable ways - Built a small aquaponics system in apartment, successfully operated it for the year of 2014