RIBA Part II Architectural Assistant RIBA RIBA PartPortfolio II - Portfolio Curriculum CurriculumVitae Vitae
Alexandra Diamanti Diamanti Alexandra
Photograms Light, colour as well as other elements of nature can be explored through the media of Photography. Nevertheless I believe that the “reality” of Photography hides inside the dark-room. This is where everything is being processed and this is where someone can actually understand the meaning of light in Photography. Through the Dark Room I discovered the Photograms. I was thrilled by all means. Movement, total whites and blacks and millions of different compositions which might lead into architectural design ideas. I was inspired by Laszlo Moholy Nagy’s work which took me through the journey of making my own Photograms.
The Architect’s Coat The Architect’s coat is a 1:1 body piece specially designed for the Architect’s needs. It is made out of plastic therefore it is waterproof and warm. It has specially tailored pockets for all the aparatus an Architect needs and uses in an everyday basis, such as sketchbook, tape measures, rulers, pens, pensils, underground tickets, museum tickets, photographs, sketches etc. Everything can be saved in the coat nice and easily. 100% hand tailored.
A Designer’s Table This table was specially designed for a designer. It is a table that can be used for designing, drawing, storing and it can also accommodate either the lunch or dinner for two people. It is made out of ply-wood and it is supported by layers that create different openings and levels so it can be the perfect work-station for a designer due to its levels and storage shelves. I was inspired by books, papers and other stuff that normally Architects, Artists and Designers use on a daily basis, creating stacks of layers and layers. This gave me the idea of creating a table out of layers, with a lot of space which is something very important while working. The top part of the table goes around in order to give greater ease of movement and space to the final user.
A Coffee shop by the Sea A small individual project, based in Greece. Marikes beach is located in the area of Rafina. In this project, I had to design a small coffee shop for the ‘youngsters’ of the beach. The shop is designed in order to focus on the “good side” of the view towards the sea, where the young people usually tend to go during the summer, for swimming and other activities. Although it is a small café, it offers everything. Indoor and outdoor seating, a bar, a deck that reaches the sea as well as showers and WC for the users ease.
The Sorrell Foundation Young Design Project A very interesting project located in London, UK. We were asked to re-design storage spaces for the students, in Bexley College of Design, London. Interviewing the pupils in order to discover their needs and having the Sorrell Foundation to fund our project was very interesting. We also collaborated with Graphic Designers, in order to create a better atmosphere for the design students. As far as I am concerned, having studied Architecture, storage space and space in general is very important for a designer. Therefore we tried to deliver their needs, by working really hard and fast in order to meet the deadline and satisfy our clients. We introduced more spaces for A1 portfolio storing, different sizes of shelves for canvas drawings as well as pigeon holes for other smaller stuff.
Athens - Kotzia Square An individual project concerning one of the largest squares in the centre of Athens, opposite the City Hall. The old square was originally built in 1874 yet, classical antiquities such as small tombs, have been recently uncovered. These archaeological findings were discovered upon its alteration in order to accommodate a public parking space on the lower ground of the existing square. In my proposal, I ignored the existing parking space, on the lower ground. As a result, I created a square with different levels, helping visitors, ascend and descend through the square pleasantly into a new greener environment, by offering them an alternative passage in order to enter the archaelogical findings and observe them, as well as a small Pavilion housing gallery exhibitions and serving coffee.
The Military Theatre project “Everything could be both or neither at once. No hierarchy, just heroes who lose names and faces as they become animals wondering on the streets, existing in the most unexpected places.� In my fantastical project, savage and exotic creatures parade through the streets according to a zookeepers timetable, and, not unlike the UN troops, appropriate the everyday spaces of the city temporarily. Animals conquer the site, wondering around, ignoring all boundaries and borders of Nicosia, Cyprus.
Camouf lage Buildings - A Theatrical Spectacle In my project, I re-used elements from the buffer zone that had been left to decay over time, re-activating the abandoned furniture of the dead zone, and mobilising a series of animal skin camouflage surfaces as props and stage sets in the political arena. My intentions where to tackle the political division of the city by introducing a political parody to the complex military context of invasions and spectacle, both in contemporary and historical terms by creating a Zoo with an associated animal parade and safari event.
Arcadian Arcadia Arcadia is a place of well being, where all negativity is covered by the beautiful elements of its Architecture and its textured surfaces. Through that notion, I am unveiling the pristine and harmonic wilderness of Arcadia which is a region of the Peloponnese in Greece along with its connection to Greek mythology. Looking through a more general context of mythology, Arcadia was also the home of the Greek God of the wild, Pan, the son of Dionysus, the God of wine, merry-making, theatre and pleasure. Dionysus, was a giver of joy and a dispenser of grief and sorrow that cured diseases, hence his gure represents the idea of my Arcadian Arcadia. A place where people are filled with joy, dance and drink wine into the warm spells of the moonlit night.
The House of Dionysus The House of Dionysus, a public building that awakens our senses by its perpetual texture. A place that takes us out of the ordinary. A place where one forgets about time and travels through the mythical ideals of wellbeing. A place so close yet so far, we get to experience through a moon-light glimpse. The Arcadian house of Dionysus, inviting and cozy, where vines grow and ‘warmth rises’ through the hidden wine barrels. I will take you on a journey towards the house of Dionysus, while experiencing some moments of exploration and a glimpse of nostalgia towards the Arcadian Arcadia, upon her comforting warmth, while slowly and quietly from the windows of spring, enters the Moonlight that shall awaken her!
Unfinished Athens The city of Athens is gradually transforming from a booming cultural metropolis, to ground zero of Greece’s financial and cultural apocalypse. The atmosphere is hostile and strange. It is unfamiliar. It is bleak. It is curious how though Greece’s excruciating austerity measures are a ecting the city’s least privileged and despite the looming backdrop of potential bankruptcy and widespread corruption, a huge number of illegal immigrants are flocking to Greece.
PIRAEUS
K YPSELI
O MONIA
Migrating Social Boundaries in Athens Many of them have escaped war or disease-ridden countries in search of a new home and a better future. Unfortunately, things may not be much better for them here, since hundreds of Greek homes have closed leaving hundreds of people struggling on the streets. In the early 90’s homelessness in Athens was considered to be “imported�, due to the large influx of immigrants and asylum seekers. In the year 2015, the number of homeless people has increased from both the rising influx of immigrants from abroad, but also those from the socio-economically battered Greece. The measures of the state to help those in need remain incomplete. A walk to the city centre is enough to give the beholder a taste of the magnitude of the problem. The discrimination the under privileged go through is multi-dimensional. People hardly noticed, cramped between cartons, hiding in unfinished, abandoned buildings or small squares. They are seeking shelter, seeking for a place to house their hopes, seeking human kindness.
lookout tower
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wooden board 30 mm
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stainless steel
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structural frame scale 1:50
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Seld Contained Constructed Wetland Self Contained Conventional Septic Tank source
clean out
Wetland plants feed on suspended nutrients and water
constructed wetlands
treated water comes out pea gravel surface
wetland liner distribution
gravel to anchor plant root systems and water purifying microbes
network
lawn meadow or planted beds with perenials and grasses.
washed pea gravel sand
liner
washed riverun gravel
Recirculating Sand Filter
recreational quality water released into ground
Subsurface Disposal Field
Chilled Water distribution
Heat Exchange
Heat Pump Water Glycol System
Hot Water distribution
Storage
Sea Water Intake
Filter
Sea Intake
Planting 20cm extensive single-course substratet 25 cm mineral subsoil substratet Filter material
10cm drainage course (gravel) Protective Course
Roof seal
Thermal insulation Vapor seal Concrete
CEFIL-R membrane Stone Fibre geolan Polyester Humidity barrier Corrugated metal Facade frame structure
Double glasing glass Aluminium perlin Facade frame structure
Three overlays industrial flooring