ALISON MCNEIL
PORTFOLIO 2017
/ index
CV /////// 5 Cabot Square Redux /////// 7 Raised Up ///// 15 Casting Study ///// 21 Bio-Prisms ///// 25 Nuit Blanche ///// 29 Class Production ///// 31 NL Architects ///// 33 McKinley Burkart ///// 37
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Profile My name is Alison, and I am a fourth year architecture student at the University of Waterloo. I am a adaptable and dependable person who believes architecture to be singular in it’s capacity to impact our world. By accumulating diverse work experiences in architecture and related design fields across the globe, I have come to see the potential of architecture from many different angles. Adapting artistic responses for practical solutions, I see the impact architecture creates for the individual, and collective site. I am increasingly interested in the potential of my chosen field and the potential to contribute to it. I believe my interest in developing solutions using interdisciplinary design, contextual analysis and infrastructural techniques will contribute greatly to your firm. Thank you for reviewing my work. Cheers, Alison McNeil Candidate for B.AS University of Waterloo Class of 2018
/ intro EDUCATION
EXPERIENCE
university of waterloo
mckinley burkart
B.AS Candidate class of 2018 WASA vice - president
winter 2016
WASA event coordinator
winter 2015
Archineering Director
2013-14
Huge’ orientation leader
fall 2014
SKILLS languages English
proficient
French
intermediate
digital Adobe Suite
proficient
Rhino
proficient
vRay for Rhino
intermediate
AutoCad
intermediate
Revit
beginner
Sketchup
intermediate
Laser Cutting
intermediate
3-D Printing
proficient
analog Casting Illustration Painting Handsketching
intermediate proficient intermediate
01.2017 - 07.2017 //// Calgary, Canada
Integrated immediately into the firm; my first couple months were spent as the in house renderer and visualization developer. Further into the term I was involved in the development of permit drawings on an assisted living center and residential extension in Calgary and Vancouver respectively. Becoming apparent later was my secondary role in the firm as the primary 3-D printing specialist.
nl ARCHITECTS
05.2016 - 08.2016 /// Amsterdam, Holland
At NL architects I was involved in the design development, presentation drawing creation and rendering on various projects. The mains projects I was a part of was a cultural center competition proposal in Nieuwe Nobelar, NSA Urban Plan competition of 2500 houses in Wilhhelmsburg and a 2x60 residential commission in Overhoeks Amsterdam.
HDR
09.2015 - 12.2015 //// Toronto, Canada
During my time at HDR I was given a large variety of tasks around the office. Working primarily on hospital renovation projects, construction admin tasks and presentation material boards I gained many skills including redlining, exposure to construction site terminology and specifics of material specifications.
L&RUI
01.2015 - 04.2015 //// Singapore, Singapore
At L&Rui interiors and design I was exposed to a side of the design world that has helped my approach my designs from a different angle consistently. While in Singapore I mostly worked on product exhibition development and installation, along side promotional material production. Gaining appreciation for the minute details I grew greatly in my time in interiors.
HFH
06.2014 - 08.2014 //// Ottawa, Canada
Hired as a student administrative assistant I explored my interests in non-profit charity projects in the architecture world. My tasks included fund raising gala preparation, fund-raising event organization and on-site volunteering.
sketchy
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Cabot Square Redux Commuter
Student
Skater
Gen. Public
2017 3rd year design studio led by Peter Sealy Presented with the design challenge of producing, “a sophisticated design response ... in Montréal’s Cabot Square neighbourhood. The proposed project is to replace the AMC Forum with a new building for Concordia University, containing classrooms, offices, and student housing, as well as other miscellaneous programming (student lounge, shops and restaurants, welcome centre, etc.) “ I took a focused lens to the articulation of an interior public space. Guided by the semesters focus on tradition of the Montréal mega-structure and goal to critique its “hermetic nature and deliberate ignorance of the street”
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STUDENT EXPERIENCE
roof
entry
lounge
lounge
residence
GEN. PUBLIC EXPERIENCE
entry
roof
atrium 1
atrium 2
atrium 2
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COMMUTER EXPERIENCE
entry
atrium 1
atrium 1
atrium 3
subway
SKATEBOARDER EXPERIENCE
entry
ramp
ramp
lounge
park
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Floor -2
Floor -1 Atrium
Atrium
Smoking Atrium
Smoking Atrium
Social Nodes
Underground Path
Garden
Social Nodes
Nightclub
Perception vs. Experience The most universally agreed upon difference in the human experience is perception. More specifically the perception of the everyday, our actions, our identity, our quality of life etc. My project focuses on this perception of the everyday for the populations of Montreal, through the manifestation of peoples experience of architecture. In this vein I designed and now articulate my proposal through categorization of; Spaces. Uses. Active observation. Passive Observation. And Contextual Response.
Commercial
Commuter
Student
Gen. Public
Skater
Floor 0
Floor 5 Atrium
Atrium
Smoking Atrium
Smoking Atrium
Garden
Garden
Garden Hardscape
Garden Hardscape
Commercial
Residence
Residence
Student Learning Center
Student Learning Center
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Raised Up 2015 2nd year design studio led by Lola Sheppard Presented with the design challenge of introducing a type of public programming into the Don Valley Watershed that addresses environmental concerns, community involvement, or self identified issue in the area, I developed Raised Up. Raised Up introduces diverse programming that create an engaging environment that is designed to be reflective of many aspects of the iconic ‘summer camp’. It invites Toronto’s city-dwellers out of their normative comfort zone to experience and witness the often unseen and ignored beauty of the Don River and its relationship to the city.
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Initial Work The initial design was developed through a series of modeling exercises. Initially resolving on the rectangular boxed proved to be too programed and ‘boxed’ aspect contributed against the idea of the ‘open tower’ typology. Returning to the project resulted in an updated square towers (not modeled) showcased in the portfolio.
above: initial design and work accross: reviewed and updated design
Location Along the Don Valley Watershed lays a power line service road that is accessible from the highway. My proposal optimizes on this pull off site as a means to create an environment that is inviting the local communities closer to the Don River.
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User Profiles
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Atelier Bardil Study 2017 3rd year design studio led by Peter Sealy “The Atelierhouse Bardill replaces an old barn in the protected centre of the village Scharans. The building permission was granted by the local authorities only under the condition that the new building would have exactly the same volume as the old barn...” “...This working space occupies not even a third of the stipulated volume. The rest of it constitutes a courtyard...”
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PROJECT Prompted to inverse the solid-void relationship of the selected study building in a model study, then proceed to compose an image based on the new solid form. I focused on the concept of ‘glitching’ the building. A glitch, as an undesired transition occurring through incorrect data input, my study spliced the garden void into the representative airspace. Then translated to the image, the form becomes a ghost of the original form.
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Bio Prisms 2015 2nd year design studio led by Lola Sheppard Presented with the design challenge of introducing public programming into the Don Valley watershed addressing the river and relative low use of it, Bio-Prisms provide access and filtration to the don valley watershed through modular prefabricated dock habitats. The docks promote interacting with the river of the Don Valley. Featuring canoe launch points, the public adaptable dock-prisms create a space of connection between the river and the public. Bio-Prisms filtration system functions through the use of bio-remediation. By using the natural movement of the river to run through and over the organisms the filter system would compose of natural plants and microbes that digest harmful organic compounds. The pods provide an aerated environment tailored for the species to thrive in. The pods generating the breeding points for the friendly microbes and a socializing space for the public would then work cohesively to heal the Don Valley river and in time celebrate it.
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Cushion TO 2017 student art installation in international art night “The contemporary city is a space of sensory overload. On this night in particular, crowds emerge to roam amongst a cacophony of stimulation. Enter an alleyway turned into a place of contemplation by otherworldly beings. Allow your thoughts to wander among these shifting expressions of light and air.� Coming onto the team at the latter stages, I was incorporated as part of the manufacturing team, installation on-site and troubleshooting electronically and physically on-site.
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The Mirror State 2015 the class of 2018 & Dr. Tracy Winton Every summer the second year architecture class at the university of waterloo produces, directs and writes a original play as part of the cultural history curriculum. Our story features two contrasting narratives surrounding the surrealist playwright Antonin Artaud. One which focuses on his experiences of psychosis as it brings him into the hands of one of the centuries most famous psychoanalysts, Dr. Jacques Lacan. The other surrounds Artaud working with his surrealist companions on an experimental theatre, challenging audience involvement in the arts. In this second narrative, I was a feature character, Gertrude Stein. As part of the early costume team, then onto acting. I was a part of many aspects of the play and was lucky to see many of the struggles and successes working as a team of 74 entails.
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nl ARCHITECTS 2016 Internship, Amsterdam Netherlands Whilemsburge Involvement: production of presentation material A urban planning competition and located in Germany, the preservation of the garden houses were of the utmost importance. The proposition combining a multitude of building types proposes a largely green, community focused design. Nobelar Involvement: Preliminary organization and design Challenged to propose a new Nobelar Cultural Center featuring a program of fine arts, theater, drama, education and a local library. Our design embraced the multiple heights of the different programs ‘draping’ the roof over each becoming a tent-like enclosure.
Whilemsburge Urban Plan Illustrator work, myself Greenery, collaboration
Whilemsburge Urban Plan 3-d printing modeling Foam Cutting,, myself board cutting and assembly, collaboration 33
Top Whilemsburge Urban Plan collaboration Center Whilemsburge Urban Plan Illustrator work, myself Greenery, collaboration Bottom Whilemsburge Urban Plan Illustrator work, myself Greenery, collaboration
Top Left Nobelar Diagrams initial design, collaboration Center Left Early Nobelar Facade Experiment design/render, myself Bottom Left Final Design and Render Completed post-departure Below Development Through Modeling Completed as collaboration
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MCKINLEY BURKART 2016 Internship, Calgary Alberta Stampede Hotel Proposal Involvement: Design development and renderings We were contacted to propose a hotel on the Calgary stampede site in an effort to create more year round use of the area. Considering local code and hotel/ entertainment precedents we designed the bar style hotel consisting many design elements foremost multiple terraces Section 23 Assisted Living Center Involvement: production of development permit drawings Developed as an assisted living center with a focus on artistic and social programming for the elderly I was involved in the production of a series of drawings including, plans, sections, elevations and diagrams. 3D Printing Lead Involvement: modeling, supervisor, troubleshooting Arriving at the firm the 3d-printer was not only underused but also broken. Over the course of one afternoon I not only discovered and fixed the issue but additionally I became the lead on the machine. Over the course of my time at the firm, and along side my other regular work I produced 50+ successful prints.
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Sample of work Right Page Top Stampede Hotel Proposal render, myself model fixes, myself Center Rodeo Drive Proposal render, myself Bottom 4th st ,17 ave proposal render, myself drawing revisions,myself Left Page Top Left Hand Challenge printing, myself assembly, myself Top Right Stampede Hotel Proposal printing, myself model fixes, myself Bottom Left Cormack House printing, myself Bottom Right Brewery Roof Finial printing, myself modeling, myself
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now lets get in touch T /// +1 (226) 929 - 4273 E /// alison.p.mcneil@gmail.com
alison mcneil university of waterloo 2017