alexis kirkwood
PORTFOLIO 2019
ALEXIS KIRKWOOD
16 Rein Terrace K2M 2A9 Kanata, Ontario (613) 793-9112 alexisdkirkwood@gmail.com alexisdkirkwood.com
EDUCATION September 2015 - Present
Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Design Carleton University, Ottawa, ON
4th Year Undergarduate CGPA 10.7/12, A Expected Graduation, April 2019
Bachelor of Arts, History and Theory of Architecture
September 2014 - April 2015
Carleton University, Ottawa, ON
Recipient of $12,000 renewable admissions scholarship CGPA 11.6/12, A+
ACCOMPLISHMENTS + COMPETITIONS
RELEVANT SKILLS
2018
Recipient of Golden Key International Award
2018
Nominated for three Faculty Awards
2018
Interviewed by Adrian Harewood on CBC News Ottawa regarding the successful reception of completed murals
2017
Naomi Watts Memorial Award for Excellence in Visual Arts
V-ray
Revit
Photoshop
Illustrator
InDesign
Premier
Laser Machine
3D Printing
Wood Shop Tools
CNC Router
Word
PowerPoint
Excel
2015, 2017
2014
MICROSOFT OFFICE
Subject of two interviews for the Kanata Courrier regarding the successful reception of completed murals
Rhinoceros
PRODUCTION
Participant in Marvin Windows and Doors Architecture Student Design Challenge
AutoCAD
EDITING
2018
DRAFTING
Participant in Volume Zero Marsception Competition
RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE Heritage Co-ordinator for the Township of North Glengarry
May 2018 - August 2018
Alexandria, ON
Surveyed and analyzed the conditions of buildings throughout the Township of North Glengarry ranging from the 18th to 20th century, and determining from their construction, style, condition and history whether they should be listed on the Township’s Heritage Registrar.
Independent Graphic Designer
April 2016 - Present
Created logos, posters and personalized artwork for various clients.
Independent Mural Artist Kanata, ON Brightened parks throughout Kanata by painting walls and storage bunker doors with colourful depictions of nature, as per the specifactions of variuos clients.
June 2015 - Present
6-11 1 ARCHIVES
12-17 2 ADDITION
18-23 3 POOL
24-29 4 HOTEL
30-39 5 COMMUNITY
40-41 6 MURALS
1 ARCHIVES Nominated for a Faculty Choice Award
LOCATION: Rotterdam, Netherlands WINTER 2018 ORGANIZATION: Carleton University PROFESSOR: Honorata Pienkowska
The Silent Film Archives in Rotterdam boldly dives into the Nieuwe River. This simple gesture implies that the most meaningful and immersive spaces of the building lie beneath the surface, waiting to be explored. The design, reminesent of a folding camera lens from the Golden Age of the Silent Film era, implies what awaits within. The rst impression of the archives comes when rounding the bend of the city streets to a large open courtyard by Erasmusburg Bridge. Thin undulating concrete arches wrap around the building, creating a variety of paths that lead to the front entrance. They have plain edges and are covered in grass, bringing park space to the river. They provide seating to enjoy the lms projected onto the screen, part of the north façade and the building’s main entrance. Screens span beneath the concrete arches, distorting clear views from the site and turning people into silhouettes as they pass by them. The building itself is a monolithic concrete structure, with a facade consisting of large dark metal panels. The lighter wings that run parallel to the main building are cafes with separate entrances into the main exhibition space, and accessable roofs that lead to the natural seating the archives provide. The key theme to the building is perspective, teased by the landscape’s playful design, but emphasized when entering the main exhibition space. The rectangular plan is divided in three lengthways, with a dark middle third to screen movies, and galleries ooded with light on either side. In order to enter the light spaces from the dark, angled screens positioned to the extremes of the human eld of vision must be navigated. Passing these reveal new exhibits and encourage a personalized experience when exploring the building. Heightening this experience, the path through the maze of screens is lit by glass panels embedded in the oor that allow views into the archives below, the procession nally leading to a theatre submerged in the water, and fulllling the expectation the exterior of the building provided. SOFTWARE Rhinoceros, V-Ray, Autocad Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
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The design of the exhibition space was inspired by the above animation. It illustrates a technique to create an optical illusion based on the fact that the audience remains in one place. This forced perspective inspired the design of the exhibition hall, with its angled screens obscuring new gallery entrances and exhibits. To the left is a view of the exhibition space approached from the theatre, with all of the exhibits and screens exposed. The bottom render shows the theatre reached at the end of the exhibition hall. The space is double height and completely submerged in the river.
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main
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been aquired by the same developer.
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6 MURALS My passion for architecture began with a passion for visual arts. I have always loved sketching, crafting and painting, and so when my one of my high school teachers recommended me to the Glen Cairn Tennis Club to design and paint a mural for them, I leapt at the opportunity. Kanata is sorely lacking in public art compared to other locations around Ottawa, and so I was honoured to try and infuse my own artistic vision into the neighbourhood I grew up in. The first fifty foot long commission caught the eye of City Councillor Allan Hubley, who then commissioned yearly murals on storage bunkers in local parks to brighten the community. Mural painting has been my job since the summer of 2015, and through this unique experience I have been able to develop my design communication skills, my ability to conduct client interviews, my research skills to find a medium and method suitable for each project, and my ability to express myself creatively. Below are some of my most notable works.
Meadowbreeze Park August 2017
Young’s Pond Park August 2016
Glen Cairn Tennis Club July 2015
thank you 16 Rein Terrace K2M 2A9 Kanata, Ontario (613) 793-9112 alexisdkirkwood@gmail.com alexisdkirkwood.com