PORTFOLIO a r c h i t e c t u r e + d e s i g n
UNDERGRADUATE WORK OF ALEC YUZHBABENKO
Many times, a strong idea will fall short by diverging from the original concept, or parti. It is necessary to constantly reference the parti throughout the design process ensuring the form does not follow pre-conceived notions of architecture. The form of the final product should be a direct result of the original concept, but not in a linear fashion.
selected works PERSONAL INTEREST......................................................................................1 Mind Eyes and Hand | Sketch Series
Thoughts on hand-drawing....................................................................................3
ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS.................................................................................5 Chicago Studio | Chicago, IL
Towards Timber......................................................................................................6
Chicago Studio | Chicago, IL
Radical Conjecture...............................................................................................10
Third Year Studio | Blacksburg, VA
Vinton Public Library.............................................................................................12
Fourth Year Studio | Blacksburg, VA
Amtrak Station......................................................................................................14
Third Year Studio | Blacksburg, VA
Material Study.......................................................................................................16
Second Year Studio | Blacksburg, VA
Natural Light Study...............................................................................................17
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE.....................................................................19 Clark Nexsen | Virginia Beach, VA
Central Beach Parkway (masterplan)......................................................................20 Exterior Rendering................................................................................................24 Interior Rendering................................................................................................25
Skidmore Owings & Merrill | Chicago, IL
Modeling..............................................................................................................26
HBA Architecture & Interior Design | Virginia Beach, VA
Portsmouth Behavioral Healthcare details............................................................28
DESIGN COMPETITIONS...............................................................................31 Warm Spring Preserve | Two Day Competition..............................................32 2014 VSAIA Prize | Two Day Competition......................................................34 resume................................................................................................................37
personal interest
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MIND EYES AND HAND SKETCH SERIES By: Alec Yuzhbabenko
products: they are part of the thought process of architectural design. Drawings express the interaction of our minds, eyes and hands. This last statement is absolutely crucial to the difference between those who draw to conceptualize architecture and those who use the computer.”
I rarely start any sketch or drawing on a clean white sheet. My preferred canvas is anything ranging from a napkin or newsprint to any off-white scrap of paper. Starting on white intimidates me and doesn’t let my hand flow freely. Anything other than white sets up depth and a background for lines and markings put on that paper.
A well-rounded architect is one who can find a balance within this large palette of tools; hand drawing being one of the most important characteristics. Many aspiring architects fear that they are not “good” at drawing, but that exact imperfection of a sketch is what makes drawing so crucial. The failure to depict exactly what the brain is imagining leads to new discoveries and variations. Mr. Graves writes, “Drawing by hand stimulates the imagination and allows us to speculate about ideas.” These discoveries are what fuel the creative process and challenge the architect.
In today’s ever evolving digital sophistication, it seems that the importance of a hand sketch is diminished. Computers and software are extremely powerful tools for communicating, problem solving and investigating the creative process in Architecture, but they are just another set of tools. Pens, pencils, markers and watercolors are of no lesser value. Michael Graves argues, “Architecture cannot divorce itself from drawing, no matter how impressive the technology gets. Drawings are not just end
article published in Virginia Tech’s Studio Collective magazine
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academic highlights
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former Ickes Homes projects ghosted
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site: Cermak + State St. Chicago, IL
TOWARDS TIMBER
CHICAGO STUDIO, spring 2014 professor: Andrew Balster
With the advancement of technology, innovative methods of timber construction allow structures to reach new heights. Embracing the potential of this new technology, the proposed development acts as an economic and social engine for jobs, education, and community. Planting tree farms revitalizes brownfields of surrounding abandoned industrial sites. The community is built in phases in response to the life cycle of tree harvesting.
In the past 20 years, Ickes Homes housing projects in this area have been demolished and not replaced, causing a need for new buildings. Typical construction of mid and high rise structures relies on materials such as concrete and steel. The production of these materials has a high carbon footprint, so the focus turns to crosslaminated timber as an alternative.
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views sun path summer breeze winter winds
SUMMER / WINTER WINDS VIEWS SUN PATH
forces that regulate building heights
growth and processing of trees on site
perspective of mixed-use complex from Cermak Rd.
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TOWARDS TIMBER
technologies, it gives the locals an opportunity to develop and build their own community. This process gives owners a vested interest in their built community, and encourages a sense of ownership. On an individual level, the residential modules are designed to be manipulated on the interior to fit each resident’s needs. The rooms are transformable to provide maximum flexibility of program throughout daily life. This flexibility provides the user with a mass-customized space within a massproduced and replicable module.
CHICAGO STUDIO, spring 2014 professor: Andrew Balster team collaboration
Project Brief: How can dormant urban land or brownfields be repurposed? Using local sites as locations for trade schools specializing in carpentry and new timber technologies, the hope is to engage the community in developing their own future constructed buildings. By educating residents about these
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site plan: Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL
RADICAL CONJECTURE
Located in the southern part of Chicago, an axis running east to west defines the site for this particular study. A further analysis reveals a mixture of regions, fragmented and defined by many neighborhoods, cultures, zones, programs, infrastructures, and scales.
CHICAGO STUDIO, spring 2014 professor: Andrew Balster
Project Brief: Transplant Chinatown from it’s existing context and create Chinatown Island in Lake Michigan.
The radical propsal is to continue the axis into Lake Michigan, connecting the old Chinatown with a new island. This island acts as a port to further expand on the existing immigration services that sustain Chinatown.
The extent of Chinatown should be determined and selected based upon one’s reading of the area, research and intuition. What is Chinatown without boundary?
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“I’m not interested in living in a fantasy world. All my work is still meant to evoke real architectural spaces. But what interests me is what the world would be like if we were free of conventional limits. Maybe I can show what could happen if we lived by a different set of rules.” -Lebbeus Woods
McCormick Place
Cermak Road
Pilsen row houses
city grid
Chicago river
transit
industrial corridor
manifestation of the Cermak axis as a diagrammatic construct
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hand-drawn section perspective through central atrium
VINTON PUBLIC LIBRARY THIRD YEAR professor: Patrick Doan
A deeper understanding of part to whole relationships come from detailing. An architectural intersection can embody the whole. Any drawn plane has a thickness that needs to have purpose. The connections between materials at any corner define spatial quailites that link the building together. right: physical model of skylights in car park opposite page: hand-drawn axonometric, rendered in photoshop
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architecture as a promonade and transition between various modes of transportation
AMTRAK STATION
FOURTH YEAR, team collaboration professor: Dave Dugas UVA
There is a missing link of public connection between the University of Virginia campus and the Pedestrian Mall in Charlottesville,VA. This centrally located site is a ten minute walk from each location. The proposed train station creates a platform for public interaction while providing a gateway in and out of Charlottesville.
Law
n
Exis ti Amtr ng Stati ak on Ped
estr
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ian
Ma
ll
north-south building section
A dramatic topographic change disconnects the site from Main Street as well as the residents on the other side of the tracks. Surface parking on the existing site is another obstacle. The intention is to merge these with a continuation of the sidewalk which also acts as the building enclosure.
The open plan of the station aims to bring clarity to the traveling passenger. A visual connection from inside and outside allows for a smooth transition.
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cement block cast against metal shavings
cement cast against perforated metal panel
connection of a column and a girder
turning a corner with a steel beam
MATERIAL STUDY THIRD YEAR professor: Patrick Doan
Working hands-on with a material, links the gap between architectural drawings and construction. This helps to extract the material’s limits and capabilities.
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direct
indirect
NATURAL LIGHT STUDY SECOND YEAR professor: Gene Egger
“Light gives, with each moment, new form to being and new interrelationships to things, and architecture condenses light to its most concise being.” – Tadao Ando
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professional experience
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MOCA
IA BEACH EXPY
NORFOLK VIRGIN
VIRGINIA BEACH
EXPY
VIRGINIA BEACH CONVENTION CENTER
19TH STREET
CONFERENCE HOTEL ARENA
T
T
VIRGINIA BEACH BLVD
NOR
FOLK
improved pedestrian streets proposed + planned bicycle trails light rail transit route proposed development existing building 20
AVE
CONFEREN HOTEL
22ND
21ST ATLANTIC AVE
PACIFIC AVE
ARTIC AVE
BALTIC AVE
20TH
NCE
19TH
T
18TH
17TH
16TH ATLANTIC AVE
PACIFIC AVE
CENTRAL BEACH PARKWAY
Significant changes include a new dedicated transit lane and a pedestrian parkway on 18th Street.
CLARK NEXSEN
2014 summer research proposal by: Alec Yuzhbabenko + Yingfei Wang
The plan defines the future of the Central Beach area by creating a sustainable urban beach lifestyle for the community and a cultural destination node for the visitor. The design challenges a street’s multi-functionality, such as the ability to integrate pedestrians, bike trails, mass transit, and open space. The open space strategy is largely developed on principles of environmental sustainability and preserves open space, habitat, and buffers to minimize impacts to the ecosystem.
The master plan for the Central Beach District in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The plan establishes a set of vehicular priority streets and a second set of pedestrian oriented streets. 17th Street and 19th NOR FOL AVE Street Kare reconfigured to improve operations for vehicles. 17th and 19th Streets are also enhanced to give priority to pedestrians. Design changes allow for alternative transportation opportunities and elevate the pedestrian experience.
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Green Streets
18th Light Rail
17th + 19th Streets
Stormwater pond
Bike trails
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A proposal for an interwoven community through a parkway that connects the future arena site to the boardwalk.
Skatepark
Play courts
Dog trails
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EXTERIOR RENDERING CLARK NEXSEN, summer 2014
internship supervisors: Paul Battaglia, AIA, Architectural Department Head David Keith, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Design Director Chesapeake Public Safety Operations building: Site Rendering (Revit, Photoshop, + Illustrator)
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INTERIOR RENDERING CLARK NEXSEN, summer 2014
internship supervisors: Paul Battaglia, AIA, Architectural Department Head David Keith, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Design Director Armada Hoffler’s 4525 Main St. building: Lobby Rendering (Sketchup + Photoshop)
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MODELING
SKIDMORE OWINGS + MERRILL, spring 2014 internship supervisor: Peter Van Vechten, AIA, NCARB current page: site study and model of surrounding context in Chicago, IL built out of hot-wire foam at 1:60ft. opposite page: site study and model of surrounding context in Dubai built out of high-density foam at 1:2000m.
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COMPUTER-AIDED DRAFTING
HBA ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR DESIGN, INC. summer 2012, summer 2013 internship supervisor: Michael J. Winner, AIA, LEED AP BD+C selected details from a set of construction documents drawn in Revit and AutoCAD of a behavioral healthcare services building in Portsmouth, VA
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design competitions
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WARM SPRING PRESERVE
TWO DAY COMPETITION, Spring 2013 First Place (partner project) A multi-use facility located in rural Bath County, Virginia lures visitors and locals to experience nature’s elements in a unique way. A trail that overlooks the valley below transitions you into the woods for a pleasurable hike. An open warm spring pool sits on the edge of a hill which gives you a panoramic view of the Blue Ridge horizon. This Visitor Center gives the community a way to
come together for social events by providing a drainable pool that turns into seating and a stage. This venue can be utilized for many functions because it is open to the public at all times.
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2014 VSAIA PRIZE
TWO DAY COMPETITION, Spring 2014 Best of School - Virginia Tech Project Brief: How can cities adapt aging infrastructure to more symbiotic urban forms?
Jury Comment: “This solution was the most arresting singular image -it shows great restraint. It was iconic; very calm and restful. The idea of introducing water as a glue between two parts was powerful.�
Each student was to propose a new crossing over interstate I664 in Newport News, Virginia, mixing programs to produce a new public space for the city.
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ALEC YUZHBABENKO
yuzhbabenko@gmail.com
3128 polk drive | virginia beach, virginia | 23456 +1.757.214.8200
E D U C AT I O N
V I R G I N I A T E C H | Blacksburg, VA Bachelor of Architecture, Expected May 2015 | GPA: 3.87/4.00 C H I C A G O S T U D I O | Chicago, IL Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill office residency + internship | Spring 2014 KELLAM HIGH SCHOOL | Virginia Beach, VA Fall 2006 - Spring 2010 | GPA: 4.22/4.00
EXPERIENCE
C L A R K N E X S E N | Virginia Beach, VA | Summer 2014
SKILLS
Pioneered a design vision for the Central Beach District by preparing and presenting a master plan to the City and the office of Strategic Growth Areas of Virginia Beach. S K I D M O R E , O W I N G S , & M E R R I L L | Chicago, IL | Spring 2014 Presentations and discussions with Chicago’s leading visionaries in an effort to generate innovations for the City of Chicago through architectural and urban strategies. HBA ARCHITECTURE + INTERIOR DESIGN | Virginia Beach, VA Summer 2013 Prepared construction documents for the Portsmouth Behavioral Healthcare Services building. Surveyed and drafted existing conditions of student residential housing and a dentist’s office for a proposed renovation. Summer 2012 Participated in Owner, Architect, and Contractor meetings dealing with the design and construction of the new Kellam High School. Interviewed clients to establish program needs. Designed and assembled a scheme for the renovation of Rollins Hall at Old Dominion University. DIGITAL
Revit, AutoCAD, Rhino, SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom), LaserCAMM, Microsoft Office Suite MANUAL
drawing, watercolor, rendering, wood working, metal working, model making LINGUISTIC
English + Russian
HONORS
LEADERSHIP + I N N I T I AT I V E S
VIRGINIA SOCIETY AIA PRIZE COMPETITION | Virginia Tech | Fall 2014
Finalist and Best of School Award STUDIO COLLECTIVE | College of Architecture + Urban Studies Publication Fall 2014 | Featured sketches and article on the importance of hand-drawing TALLER AL CUBO | Online Architecture Student Publication | August 2014 Chicago Studio project published ARCHITECTURE DESIGN COMPETITION | Virginia Tech | Spring 2013 First place (tied) DEAN’S LIST | College of Architecture + Urban Studies | 2010-2014 OKEYAN | Clothing Company Co-Founder and creative design artist | September 2012 - Present GUEST CRITIC | University of Minnesota Reviewed 4th year Rio de Janerio Studio’s work | Spring 2014 DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY | Chicago Studio Collaborated on a project with students from TU Delft | Spring 2014 SURF CLUB | Virginia Tech Co-Founder and graphic design artist | Fall 2010 - Present SOL REPUBLIC, Y&R, NOHO DRINK | Campus Representative Product marketing and events organizer | Spring 2013 - Fall 2014
OILOFTROP n g i s e d + e r u t c e t i h c r a
OKNEBABHZUY CELA FO KROW ETAUDARGREDNU