Alexandra Diamanti - Portfolio Riba II

RIBA Part II Architectural Assistant RIBA PartPortfolio II - Portfolio RIBA CurriculumVitae Vitae Curriculum

Alexandra Diamanti

Alexandra Diamanti March 10, 1988 4 Avras Street, Athens, 145 78 +30 6945 542504 diamanti.alx@gmail.com

Professional Statement Creative, Communicative, Committed, Passionate, Ambitious and with a good sense of the Aesthetic. I am ambitious about gaining more knowledge and becoming a professional Architect and am determined to fulfill these ambitions through hard and efficient work. Therefore, as a highly motivated RIBA Part II graduate with advanced design, research and representational skills developed and I am eager to take the next step as Architectural Assistant.

After successfully completing both my Bachelors and Masters degrees, I developed a great understanding in determining the design and layout of the built environment, as well as gaining technological, social and other interdisciplinary sensitivities that concern the greater quality of living. In addition, I developed advanced drawing and visualisation skills, physical model making and hand drafting.

Through my practical experience, I have learned to design while respecting and caring for the final user as well as the local and global environment. I have worked for a small architectural practice and a Construction Company, dealing with various scale residential projects around Greece. This has given me the opportunity to become familiar with the design process from commission to completion, as I worked on site and dealt with design development, feasibility studies, as well as communicating with both the contractors and the design team.

Besides excellent media and communication skills, I combine creativity, enthusiasm, passion and critical thinking to my work, as I also pay great attention to detail. While my creative ideas do not only stick to habitual concepts, I am fascinated by complex and innovative designs, that contribute to the needs of modern people living in a modern society and I now feel the need to carry out and participate in projects as such.

As a self disciplined, highly persistent and fast learning person, I am looking forward to new challenges and I am willing to do my best to cope with the demands of the practice so as to attain greater knowledge and enhance my future within the field of architecture and design.

Generic Skills

Specialist Skills

Languages

Creative Thinking Team Player Organisation Imange Manipulation Attention to Details Development Sketching Collaborative Methodical

AutoCAD +++++ Rhino +++ Maya + Adobe Photoshop +++++ Adobe Illustrator +++++ Adobe InDesign +++++ 3DSMax + Ms Office +++++

Greek (Native) English (Fluent) French (Intermediate) Spanish (Basic)

(+++++) Advanced (+++) Intermediate (+) Basic

Interests Drawing, Travelling, Volunteering, Photography, Film, Art, Fashion, Pilates, Yoga

Education Oxford Brookes University - School of Architecture

MArchD Applied Design in Architecture, RIBA Part II with MERIT Thesis Topic: Migrating Social Boundaries in Athens Specialized in Advanced Architectural Design (AAD)

Architectonica Foundation - Architecture Course

Small Individual Design Projects, History of Architecture, Research

Sep 2013/June 2015

Oct 2011/April 2012

University Of Greenwich - School of Architecture and Construction

Sep 2006/June 2010 BA(Hons) Architecture, RIBA Part I with Second Class Honours Upper Division (2:1) Dissertation Topic: Disappearing Architecture; Now you See it and Now you Don’t.

Moraitis School – Athens, Greece

Sep 2003/July 2005

International Baccalaureate Diploma

Professional Experience Casa Fina Ε.Π.Ε – Construction Company

Dec 2015/Till Now Sep 2012/Sep 2013

Site visits in order to survey the existing building Working on drawings and documents needed for planning application Construction drawings info, detailed design Client communication and meetings

Petros Vasileiou – Mechanical Engineer

May 2012/Sep 2012

Site visits in order to survey the existing building Working on site, Drawing assistant

Blue Diamont Co. – Apolon Complex, Residential Housing Project

Sep 2010/Sep 2011 June 2009/Sep 2009

Dimitris Moschos - Architects

June 2008/Sep 2008

Drawing assistant, Sales assistant Material, colour and lighting research

Bathroom Design for a residential housing project in Athens Working on site

Certifications X/A Workshop Kitch Prothesis

July 2012

The Sorrell Foundation – Young Design Programme

May 2009

Alternative solutions for; Storage and Dining

Activities / Volunteering Athens Video Art Festival - AVF Team Assistant, Volunteer Kirostatis - Window Design, Freelance TEDx Athens - TEDx Team Assistant, Volunteer Special Olympics Athens 2011, World Summer Games - VIP Assistant, Volunteer

June 2013 April/May 2012 2010/2011/2012 June/July 2011

S t u fff II EEnj n j ooy y Stuf Experimenting Experimentingthrough throughthe thework workofofsome someofofmy my favorite favoriteArtists Artists and andArchitects, Architects,such suchasasAlvar AlvarAalto, Aalto, Rachel Rachel Whiteread Whitereadand andAlberto AlbertoGiacometti.

Giacometti.I Ilove love drawing after images that have a quality of light, space, movement as well as fine lines and expressions. draw and andexperiment experimentinindrawing, drawing,the the I also like to draw human body. Different postures as well as different parts of ofit, it, draw drawmy myattention. attention.All Allthe thephysical physicaland and parts non-physical elements of a human figure can be captured from the light that flows on them, beneath themand andin inbetween betweenthem. them.Shadows Shadows unravel, expose, them unravel, expose, cover and create all the elements, even the finest line.

C ol l ages - Oi l Paint ings - Mixe d Me di a My collages are inspired by Antonio Gaudi. I like interpreting, re-locating and re-producing his work by making collages out of canvas pieces, on plexiglas in order to give another perspective to the existing gap in between the tiles. Îœy oil paintings are inspired from the flexibility oil colour gives you in terms of drawing. The abundance it gives you in colours and shades as well as the time it takes to dry transform it, in my opinion, to the finest material there is. Î’auhaus drawings also inspire me, as I also like reproducing them by using mixed media, like the one on the left which is a collage made out of newspaper and a hand drawing, using soft pastels.

Penci l Draw ings - Wire S c u lptures I enjoy still life and life drawings as well as wire sculptures of figures and insects.

My sculptures are created by only using a single wire string, this technique makes them more stable which is very important when making a wire sculpture. As far as figure drawings, I like producing them after already made sculptures (still life) or even life drawings. I can tell that capturing the posture and the light in either people or objects, amazes and fascinates me.

Photog raphy and Photog rams Photography is something I also enjoy very much. Light, colour as well as other elements of nature can be explored through this media. 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 PHOTOGRAMS. I was thrilled by all means. Movement, total whites and blacks and millions of different compositions with a result that in my opinion is harmonic and balanced. Laszlo Moholy Nagy’s work immediately inspired me and took me through the journey of making my own Photograms.

The Archite c t’s C o at 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 D esig ner’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 C of fe e shop by t he S e a 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 S or rel l Found at ion Young D esig n Proj e c t A very interesting project located in London, UK. We were asked to re-design storage spaces for the students, in Bexley College of Design.

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.

At he ns - Kotzi a S qu are 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 Mi lit ar y The at re proj e c t “Everything could be both or neither at once. No hierarchy, just heroes who lose names and faces as they become animals wandering 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, wandering around and paying no attention to boundaries, such as the borders of Nicosia.

C amouf l age Bui ldings - A The at r ic a l Sp e c t acle 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.

Arc adi an Arc adi a 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 figure 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 Hous e 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!

Unf inishe d At hens 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 Greece’s excruciating austerity measures are affecting 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

Mig rat ing S o ci a l B ound ar ies in At hens 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. Although 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 homeless have 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 under privileged go through multi-dimensional discrimination. People hardly noticed, cramped between cartons, hiding in unfinished-abandoned buildings or small squares. Seeking shelter. Seeking a place to house their hopes. Seeking human kindness.

lookout tower

+11.30

+10.08

+8.82

+7.56

+6.30

+5.04

+3.78

+2.52

+1.26

+0.00

front elevation scale 1:50

+2.52

+5.00 +1.26

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

8

+2.52

9

10

11

12

13

14

7

7

15

15 6

6

16

16 5

5

17

17 4

4

3

3

2

2

1

1

18 19 20 21

+0.00 +3.78

plans scale 1:50

+8.82

0.3054

0.0300

+11.34

0.0040

0.0300

0.2494

section Α

+10.08

wooden board 30 mm

+8.82

0.0800

stainless steel

5mm

0.7300

0.0640

+7.56

0.0450

section B

0.0450

+6.30

+5.04

+3.78 1.41

0.7880

A

0.0450

+2.52

+1.26

B

plan

+0.00 0.305

1.43

wooden board 30 mm stainless steel

0.05

5mm

1.388 0.05 0.164

0.05 0.05

section scale 1:50

1.00

details scale 1:10

1.10

+10.08

+2.52

+5.00 8

9

10

11

12

13

14

1.65

+1.26 7

15 16 17 4

8

+2.52

6 5

9

10

11

12

13

+8.82

+10.08

14

7 15 6 16 5 17 4 18

3

3 19

2

2 20

1

1 21

1.10

+0.00

+3.78

structural frame scale 1:50

1.00

+11.30

1.00

1.10

1.65

1.10

1.00

+11.30

Seld Contained Constructed Wetland 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

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

Roof seal

Thermal insulation Vapor seal Concrete

CEFIL-R membrane Stone Fibre geolan Polyester Humidity barrier Corrugated metal

CEFIL-R membrane Stone Fibre geolan

Polyester Humidity barrier

Facade frame structure

Corrugated metal Facade frame structure

Double glasing glass Aluminium perlin

Double glasing glass Aluminium perlin Facade frame structure

Facade frame structure

Three overlays industrial flooring

Three overlays industrial flooring