ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN PORTFOLIO 2016
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ALEXANDER GONTARZ CV MG Architects Inc
REMO General Contracting
Martingrove Collegiate Institute Ontario Scholar Honour Roll Student AP Art Award
Architectural Intern Toronto, Canada
University of Waterloo School of Architecture
ACADIA 2013 Installation: The CUBE With F_RMlab team
Merit Scholarship Candidate for Honours Bachelor of Arch. Studies, Class of 2017
1A
2011
MG Architects Inc
Architectural Intern Toronto, Canada
General Labourer Toronto, Canada
2012
INFO
1B
2A
2013
SKILLS
age: 22
Rhinoceros 3D
email: gontarz@live.ca
Rendering: Vray Animation: Bongo Parametric: Grasshopper
address: 18 Kuhl Ave Toronto ON Canada website: agontarz.com portfolio: issuu.com/alexandergontarz/ docs/portfolio
Revit Architecture AutoCAD ArchiCAD Sketchup
ZAS Architects
Benz & Zeigler Architects
Urban Strategies Inc
NBBJ
Architectural Intern Toronto, Canada
Architectural Intern Munich, Germany
Design Intern Toronto, Canada
Architectural Intern New York, USA
Nuit Blanche 2014
Nuit Blanche 2015
Installation: Sky City With F_RMlab team
Installation: RE/COLLECTION With Yuchen Zhang
2B
3A
2014
4A
3B
2015
2016
INTERESTS Photoshop
English
Advanced
Illustrator
Polish
Advanced
InDesign
French
Basic
AfterEffects Hand Modelling Hand Drafting
Learns and applies new skills quickly. Prioritizes multiple tasks. Adapts to new challenges and obstacles. Helps others solve problems eagerly. Analyzes work critically. 3
ZAS ARCHITECTS + INTERIORS Achitectural Intern Toronto, Canada
Vaughan Civic Centre Library The Resource Library is the next phase of the Civic Centre. The building has its own distinct architecture, yet forms strong ties to the surrounding centre. The program rotates around a central courtyard, creating additional views from the interior. I was involved in mainly the interior design aspects of the building, and how it worked together with the architecture, which was mostly resolved.
Gore Meadows Community Centre A community centre was a necessity in this rapidly expanding district of Brampton The building combines multiple programs seamlessly: fitness, sport and library services. My involvement on this project was focused on the pool wing of the complex.
Billy Bishop Airport Tunnel Instead of taking a ferry to access Billy Bishop Airport on the Toronto Island, travelers will soon be able to arrive at the airport by foot with the new underwater pedestrian link. This will solve some of the current congestion probles the airport is facing. I worked extensively with the centralized BIM model, which allowed me to experience how the engineers, trades, contractors, etc work together with architects. It was also insightful to see how the structure, architecture and interior are intertwined.
BENZ AND ZIEGLER GBR Achitectural Intern Munich, Germany
Aenova Group Lobby Design The task in this project is to retrofit an existing office building with a lobby area for the pharmaceutical company Aenova. A challenge I faced in this project was to adapt to the budgeting needs of the client. One of my tasks was to design the hanging sculpture as to minimize cost without reducing the visual appeal.
Haus Polling The design of this family home is inspired by traditional German houses: white stucco-clad ground floor, wooden facade for the second floor. This was done partly to match nearby buildings. Interestingly, there were still complaints submitted by the neighbors that the aesthetic was too modern, and some compromises had to be made.
Haus Fleddermann Much of my time was was spent on the feature staircase. I created multiple options for this to present to the client. The final design of the stairs made them as much an art piece as a functional element of the house. This allowed me to experience the entirety of the design process from conception to completion for one specific element.
BOLD Hotel Facade This project is a facade renovation of an existing building. A challenge in this project is effectively adding materials to the facade. It also had to advertise the BOLD company name, and the design had to match the aesthetic of the branding of the existing chain of hotels. My role was to prepare drawings for both the client and the contractor. 5
URBAN STRATEGIES INC Design Intern Toronto, Canada
Metrolinx SmartTrack The SmartTrack project aims to use existing GO transit lines to relieve some of the ridership on the Bloor-Danforth subway line. I was involved in the development of strategies for the new system. I created maps for the new stations that showed how the new system will impact the surrounding neighborhoods and environment.
Edmonton North Precinct Planning To accomodate for the growth of this rapidly expanding city, the downtown will be expanding to the North. Warehouses and parking will be replaced with parks and condos, and the transit will be extended. My responsibilities included 3D modeling, creating and editing maps and renders.
University of Toronto Planning The planning proved to be a challenge, as U of T wants to expand and develop the campus while preserving the historic buildings - all in the middle of a thriving city. I learned much about campus and city planning, especially when dealing with setbacks, height restrictions, zoning, and additions.
Brock University Planning This was another university campus planning project - however, the strategies applied were very different. Instead of a dense city, the context is a vast natural landscape including the Niagara escaprment, lakes, rivers, wetlands, and parks.
NBBJ Achitectural Intern New York, USA
Progenics Pharmaceutical Progenics now occupies half of the 47th floor of the One World Trade building. I played a role in developing the construction documentation drawings. This project gave me an incredible insight and skills relting the the construction drawing and administration phases of a project.
Tishman Speyer Office The Tishman Speyer office is located in Washington DC. I had a wide range of responsibilities including construction drawings, preparing renders for the client, and designing many elements such as custom millwork items which I then coordinated with the shop drawings.
85 Broad St. Renovation The historical 85 Broad Street required many small-scale renovations. The most significant is the new bike shop which aims to activate the ground floor and promote biking commutes. Other tasks included new lighting for the arcade, and neww door hardware.
KIFO Office This project was challenging because of the relatively small floor area. I was also involved in producing construction documentation drawings and renderings.
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LIBERTY MARKET CLASS: 3A Studio PROF: Philip Beesly Once an unappealing industrial district, Liberty Village is becoming one of Toronto’s fastest growing neighbourhoods. Old warehouses are being renovated, and new buildings are starting to populate the industrial landscape: retail, residential, and offices alike. The new Market and Creative Offices aims to create more spaces for the startup businesses that the district is attracting, while also creating ample public, market, and retail space for the residents of the village.
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OFFICES The creative office spaces are split into two volumes, reflected in the facade: Firstly, a solid comprising of core,utility, washrooms, meeting rooms, etc. Secondly, flexible void space for open plan offices
TERRACE The sunken portion of the market below allows for access to the terrace from the ground level. It can be divided into two spaces to serve the market and offices separately
MARKET FLOORS The market occupies mostly floors 2 and 3. It descends to floor -1 and spills onto the sunken courtyard. The other end of the market wraps around the atruim space
GROUND FLOOR + ATRIUM Most of the program revolves around a large central atrium. Spaces include lobby, loading, flex spaces, galleries, cafes.
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Section N-S looking West
Section N-S looking East
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Section E-W
13
14
1
Atrium
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Bicycle Parking
2
Lobby
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Underground Parking
3
Courtyard
10
GO Train connection
4
Promenade
11
Market
5
Store/Cafe
12
Rooftop Garden
6
Loading/Storage
13
Office flex space
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Drop-off Area
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Offices/meeting rooms
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1
12
5
6 9
5
5
5
6
2
1
3
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5
8
7
10 4
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RE/COLLECTION NUIT BLANCHE 2015 WITH: Yuchen Zhang The objective of RE/COLLECTION is to create an engaging space where people can reflect on the memories that shape them and the collective through interaction with the artwork. Over the course of the night the installation will gradually develop into a complex collection of memories generated by the collective of participants. It is a modular prefabricated structure that can be made with stock materials using simple handheld tools. The installation can be assembled by three people in about two hours.
WATCH VIDEO
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The site we were given was the west wing of the main hallway at Artscape Youngplace. This site had many challenges that came with it, such as the odd dimensions of the space, the existing bench, displays, pipes, doorways, etc. We also had to take fire safety into consideration, which means leaving access to fire escapes, alarms and a fire hose. The event only lasted one night, and required us to assemble and disassemble the installation in a matter of hours. We modelled sections of fabric to transform the hallway into a more intimate space. We designed a lightweight, easy to assemble plywood structure that can be assembled using minimal hardware, and can stand freely on any surface.
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FABRICATION
MATERIALS
HARDWARE
x 24
x 12
TOOLS
x 12
x 10
x4
x6
x8
x 70
ASSEMBLY 1
2
3
5
4
6
7
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1.
The first lantern is hung at 7PM as people begin their night
2.
By 8PM more people are drawn to the glowing installation and lights start to go up faster
3. The traffic is greatest at around 11PM
4.
By morning, each side of the lantern has a memory, a total of about 800 people contributed
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CIVIC FISSURE CLASS: 2B Studio PROF: Adrian Blackwell Located in the civic core of Galt, the Civic Fissure aims to engage the citizens in physical and mental excercise. An outdoor pathway splits the building into two wings, creating opportunities for passive users to be engaged by the activities. The pathway provokes new routes through the city, as well as creating useful indoor and outdoor spaces. The different types of programs are spread throughout the building and around a common circulation, which allows for sectional interactions.
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CAMBRIDGE ST.
St Patrick’s Rectory
THORNE ST
YS
T.
Wesley United Church
BE
VE
RL
Cambridge City Hall
City Hall Archives Farmers Market
Cambridge Arts Centre
Section E-W
WELLINGTON ST.
AINSLIE ST.
DICKSON ST.
Physical Activity
Community Rooms
Theatre / Auditorium
Pool
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4
3
2
1
Ground Floor
3
2
3
5
1
Pool
2
Changerooms
3
Admin
4
Daycare
5
Backstage
6
Theatre
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Projector room
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Ticketing + Cafe
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Gym flex space
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Changerooms
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Phys. activity rooms
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Community rooms
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8
2nd Floor
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9
10
10
11
11
12
3rd Floor
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A CHAIR FOR TARREGA CLASS: Structures PROF: Elizabeth English Francisco Tarrega was a 19th century composer and classical guitarist. He is considered the person that set the foundations of modern use of the instrument. This chair has both a practical and spiritual purpose. The ergonomics and comfort are an essential part of the creative process, directly impacting the quality of the sound. The chair also relfects the relationship between musician and instrument. This is a chair for both, because they are dependent on one another, and useless alone.
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ICE SHANTY CLASS: 3B Studio PROF: Jason Halter & Kevin Weiss Waterloo Energy + Design Award 2015 The ice fishing shack is an interesting building typology - the conditions and environment are very limiting in terms of design. The shack must be placed on the frozen lake and be removed before the ice melts. The Ice Shanty takes the form of the typical ice shack, but remains only a transparent skeleton until it is filled with snow and ice blocks made on site. With found materials the shanty transforms from a rather useless architectural folly to a protective shelter.
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x4
1
2
The walls are made from one interlocking metal piece which can be easily manufactured and efficiently transported. The rest of the structure is also easily installed
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4
1:1
All of the parts pack tigtly and fit in a typical cargo van for ease of transportation.
After the structure is built, the walls are infilled with snow and ice blocks fabricated on site
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OTHER WORK The next pages are a selection of other works, both made for my studies and of my own initiative. I try to apply my architectural education to any of my creative interests and hobbies, whether it is sculpture, technology, woodworking, or photography.
Shigeru Ban’s Naked House case study. 1:50 model, millboard and plexiglass Entire case study can be found at:
nakedhousecasestudy.blogspot.ca
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Touchscreen Table. Wood and plexiglass exterior, projector, IR lights, IR camera.
Self Portrait. Three-dimensional wire sculpture.
Kisho Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower case study. 1:200 wood and 3D print plastic model.
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Axe with display case/box. Purpleheart, walnut and maple. Axe head found in antique store.
Tea box. Padauk, walnut, maple.
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Europe photography
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THANK YOU FOR READING See more work: agontarz.com Please contact me at: gontarz@live.ca