Architecture Portfolio - December 2020 by Alexander

Alvi Aliaj Portfolio | Selected Work 2014-2020

Experience 2020 Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects - New Haven, CT - 2 years Hired as full time Designer Participated in large scale multi-billion dollar developments from Shenzhen to Toronto Worked with multi phase projects contributing drawings for CDs, DDs, CAs, etc. Developed project from early competition phases with preliminary designs through final submittal drawings.

Alvi Aliaj

Generated drawings for design, diagraming, technical coordination and research Worked with grasshopper and Rhino for complex form finding

Architecture | Design | Research

Performed complex facade detailing, rationalization and design with the aid of grasshopper coding and Rhino Created coding inside both Grasshopper and Dynamo to generate hightech facade on highrise

Introduction

competition.

I was born in Tirana, Albania but grew up a small suburban town of Wethers-

Used Revit for documentation and design processes for large scale projects

field, CT. My upbringing was one where I was able to try and experiment with

Designed and coordinated structural assembly for highrise buidlings with structural engineer-

many different artistic venues throughout my youth. I unfortunately could never settle on any one thing as history, physics, illustration and other tasks could always draw my attention. I eventually settled on architecture as I found it best accommodated my nature as a dabbler.

ing consultants Created Animations based on presenting massing and conceptual infomration for clients Developed tutorials to aid fellow designers with design and analysis capabilities of grasshopper and dynamo.

Architecture is a unique profession as you can nevver really be good at just one thing. History, art, science, technology and such are not mutually exclusive

2018 Tecton Architects - Hartford, CT - 3 months

concepts under the architectural umbrella. This synthesis was what attracted

Hired as a short term, part time intern during final semester

me to architecture and what I hope to continue to explore through design in

Created renderings and presentation materials for submittal packages

the future.

Took part in drawing and documentation for projects in early development

2016 RZ Design Associates, Inc - Rocky Hill, CT - 2 years

Software Skills

Hired as Intern during the summer months of University Participated in drawings for multiple mid and small scale projects Helped create drawings for mechanical, plumbing, electrical and fire protection coordination with architects. Rhino 65%

Grasshopper 75%

SketchUp 75%

Participated in site research and survey while on visit for project at Springfield University Organized printing and compiling of drawing sets for final submissions on projects. Aided coworkers in technical issues around, primarily, the usage of AutoCAD and Revit

2014 Wethersfield Parks and Recreation - Wethersfield, CT - 2 years Hired as a lifeguard during the summer and fall months of 2014 and 2015 Worked as Swim Instructor as well during the summer and fall months As Tower of Wethersfield employee also worked with Dynamo 50%

Revit 80%

Office Suite 65%

Veteran’s Day Parade and volunteered at Corn Festival

Education 2018 University of Hartford West Hartford, CT 06117 - 2014-2018 BS: Architectural Engineering Technology Grad. Suma Cum Laude - Cumulative GPA: 3.96 Photoshop 75%

Indesign 75%

Illustrator 50%

2014 Wethersfield Highschool Wethersfield, CT 06109 - 2010-2014 National Honors Society Member - 2012-2014

Honors and Awards

Languages English

Albanian

100%

75%

(Native)

French

4 years of study

45%

UHart President’s List 2014-18 UHart Dean’s List 2014-2018 Architectural Student Representative UHart AIAS Member 2014-2018 AIAS Northeast QUAD attendee - 2018 at CCNY

Contact aaliaj@pcparch.com

Bronze Design Medal Award Recipient 2018 Tau Sigma Delta Honor’s Society Member alvialiaj@gmail.com UHart Chapter Alpha Chi Honor’s Society Member Wethersfield Varsity Swimming 2010-14 Wethersfield National Honors Society

Un i on Par k Professional Work (Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects) 2018-

Project Leads

Peter Follet & Greg Jones Design team - Alvi Aliaj, Jesefa Templo, Patrick Fraher, Jeff Pleshek, Elizabeth Pierce, Rob Narracci

Project Type

High Rise Office Headquarters/Residential Multi Use (4 towers)

Location

Toronto, Canada Upon being hired by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, I was quickly brought into the fray for Union Park in downtown Toronto. The massive 4.3 million square foot design features four towers and one podium, hoisting all four structures. These new additions to the Toronto skyline would also be the largest development in the history of the city, and serve as a starting point for my work at Pelli Clarke Pelli architects. The original design competition hosted by Oxford Properties group, completed in the year 2018 and my arrival thrust me into the schematic design phase of the project. At this point, while some general design principles were completed, many finer details were still in need to be dealt with. The towers and their prominent sail features all needed to be rationalized and sculpted to best practical and aesthetic utilization. Through this process, I, along with other designers at PCPA, had to generate the many drawings relating to all matters of the development. Plans, sections, elevations and technical facade information along with complex geometric diagrams all needed to be generated.

The work I did with Toronto introduced me to how the firm and larger architectural firms deal with design problems at this scale and how this coordination between designers, structural and mechanical engineers can occur. I further got to see how these elements then coalesced together when further financial and client considerations were considered. In addition to Toronto however I also worked on other projects in Houston, Texas, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other international cities. A great deal of work has been done in Shenzhen in particular, as in my stint with PCPA we have done two separate competitions, winning one in the ever-growing city of Shenzhen. These projects cannot yet be illustrated in this portfolio, but as with Union Park, they employed my design and technical knowledge in unison. I worked a great deal in organizing facade detail and design, along with work on the podium getting to design spaces for retail, daycare and apartments. All together my work with PCPA has been difficult but rewarding as I get to employ my efforts towards projects that affect urban fabrics across the world.

All Union Park related renders provided by Norm Li

Pelli Clarke Pelli architects specialize in these sorts of large-scale urban design projects. It was this expertise that attracted me to the firm, as my time in University introduced me urban design and how it presents unique challenges for architects. I enjoy the scale of the projects and the huge engineer problems in addition to the large design considerations. They have massive impacts on the places they live as large projects effect the economic, social and political situations as well as the aesthetic ones. This is for me what architecture is in its best form, as a solution to a set of problems. Architecture is meant to function as a sum of the parts of a culture, expression both utilitarian and artistic desires of a community. While my responsibilities with the firm are limited as my role as a designer, I have still come to learn a great deal about not only how these projects are developed, but also how the cities overall are developed. The world is rapidly urbanizing, and it is interesting to be in the position I am in to see it happen in real time.

E G N AT I A Undergraduate Thesis 2017-2018

Project Type

Museum + Transit Hub

Location

Durres, Albania Egnatia was my senior thesis project for the two semesters of my senior year. Beginning with the research phase that consumed the first semester, I was tasked first with the search for and selection of a site that I felt I could develop into a project of interest to me. Three major ideas influenced my thesis choice,. The first was scale, as I wanted to make a project with some major presence in the city it belonged to, the second was history as I wanted to have a project that could be deeply tied to some historical context. The final point, and perhaps the most important was I wanted to work on a project that felt personal, thus my selection of a project in Albania, my own home country. I have always had a fascination with my own cultural background, so a chance to experiment and attempt a design there was of great interest to me. Through the research phase I chose freedom square in the city of Durres, for its historical and practical importance to the country. Through research of the city I found a buildable area on an old piazza, Seshi Liria, that I thought could host a unique circulation and cultural hub. Through analysis of this region of the site, I found a lack of continuity metaphorically and historically. I chose thus to create a design I thought could amend those various issues. Using grand and expressive designs the piazza became an excavation site for the history that existed below the earth. The grand, vaulted, diving wall leads in users down through a canopied circulation space, ending with a newly developed urban garden space. Durres was historically called the flower garden of the adriatic, and I found it lacking in that facet. Thus my introduction of green spaces to accommodate the modern nature centered development of cities and the inclusion of public garden spaces. Finally the site permits underground entry into gallery spaces, with connections to surrounding historical ruins, furthuring the excavation metaphor.

Chauvet As I sought out some sort of classical inspiration for the organization of my project I stumbled instead upon the Chauvet Cave. This would provide the baseline of my project as I felt that the metaphor of an ancient cave, that one delves into to reveal ancient secretes would make sense in the context of this design. While there were several prominent ground level structures, there was also to be underground pathways to respect the architectural characteristics present in area around Freedom square. With that in mind some underground concept was needed as a precedent.

Earth - Europe Simplification Upon further analysis into Chauvet cave it was found that researchers discovered an organization between various sections of the cave. The cave featured various interconnected cavities that then were connected by much smaller pathways. This conceptual design provided me the idea of how the gallery spaces could be connected. Chauvet, while not built by its users, was provided a sort of interior design. The various chambers each had their own unique art style and these canals served as points of transitions between the chambers.

Europe - Mediterranean Chamber Pathway The final simplification of the Chauvet cave become the Chamber-Path-Chamber concept. As the intention of my design was to create three major gallery spaces with paths between them, I wanted the design to reflect some of the conceptual ideas I discovered in Chauvet cave. Gallerys, each unique with their own program, would be connected by interesting but, in terms of massing, smaller spaces framing the transition between galleries. The circulation of Egnatia would thus be the central concept for its design.

Albania - Durres

Exploded Axon 1. Byzantine Market Gallery 2. Walk way around ruins 3. Byantine Gallery 2 4. Below ground cirulation 5. Security Desk 6. Main Lobby 7. Sub-plaza level gallery 8. Garden 9. Cafe 10. Egress

6 8 10

A view overlooking the sunken plaza and the garden

A view overlooking the ruinds in the north and the accompanying gallery

3 6

7 4

8 7 10

Walkway around ampitheatre (2)

Gallery between plaza and ampitheater (7)

View into garden (8)

View in Garden (8)

Byzantine Market Gallery 1. Entrance 2. Circulation 3. Ruins Walkway 4. Gallery 01 5. Gallery 02 6. Main lobby of gallery

Plaza Section 1. Entrance 2. Cafe 3. Main Garden 4. Sculpture placements 5. Canopy walkway 6. Main lobby of gallery 7. Main Gallery 8. Entrance into pathway

1 5

A Quiet Place Design Competition 2017

Project Type

Small Single Tenet Home

Location N/A

A Quiet Place as it has come to be called represents a unqiue project as it was completed in one 15 hour period. This project was developed by Duo Dickinson and done through students from three schools from california, connecticut and Sorrento, Italy. The task was simple, design a home, anywhere in the world, that best suited yourself and your ideas, all within only seventy square meters. The final design was thus presented in a live webcast between all the schools with each project given a moment to be recognized and analyzed. For my design I chose to make most use of this simplicity of the program and I sought a less of an expressive design than I typically go for. Public space for me are meant to be expressive as they often become venues where great social gatherings and performance can occur. As they are meant for all, they are not designed to individual peoples and instead reflect the culmination of larger and grander concepts and ideas. The home is different in its intimacy with the user. All the aspects of their sensory and intellectual makeup serve to influence the function of the design. I adhered to this principal as I went forward with a design for a quiet place in which one can be along in a far more vast world. With all of this modularity became the guiding concept for my design as I felt the program could make use of this idea quite well. I created a base module of a 10 by 10 square meter grid. This box would then be replicated 7 times for the total area requirment. These squares were then arranged to denote space between a bedroom/living quarters and a kitchen and bathroom space with a final space dedicated to ciruclation between the two. The layout was then extruded upward and sculpted on the roof to create additional horizontal expressions to compliment the strong verticals on the facade. Slits were made then to provide natural light and views to the outside without conflicint with the sense of security and privacy on the inside.

3175 mm

A basic grid is created from a square unit representing 10 square meters of space.

10' - 5"

7 of these modules are defined, to be organized into the neccesary 70 square meters in on one level.

The general approach was to create equal space between private and public spaces with a final square dedicated to the circulation between the two.

Level 1 Detail 1 : 25

Entrace Facae

Bedroom Interior

C e d a r C h i l d r e n’s A c a d e m y Design Competition 2016

Project Type

Elementary School (K - 5th grade)

Location

Byram, Connecticut USA An early conceptual design, Cedar Children’s Academy was based upon a recent design project undertaken in the town of Byram, Connecticut. A magnet school was to be developed for grades pre-k through 5th that could be home to students from Byram and surrounding towns. The project came with a chosen program, developed through conversations with the community and faculty regarding what they wished to have at their new school. Generally, issues of community were brought up as the neighborhood wished to see a design that would be able to have a good rapport with towns’ peoples and foster good relationships between students. Through this I found the best solution was focus on infusing local natural and communal history into the design. Thus through my various site analyses and when studying the history of Byram and Greenwich, I found information about previous native tribes known as the Lenape. Their symbols in their art reflected a similar style found in many native people, but one symbol comprised of a line with two sets of branching lines symbolized a spirit of growth and went on to become the main conceptual symbol. The prinicals of trees would be embellished as the very construction of this project would be influenced by that concept. The main symbol, drawn from Lenape arts and a concept of growth, would also go onto influence the frame working of the building. The main structural framing was comprised from wood and crafts a lattice structure that expands throughout the whole design. As it grows down through the hill, it twists and turns towards the sun and is manipulated to provide sunlight into interior spaces. With this, the idea of growth, expansion and unity with nature and the importance of local contexts when dealing with proper education, is interwoven throughout the building in a physical and metaphorical sense

Exagerated interior View of Media Center/Library under spire

4 4 4

2 2

7 2 3

5 7

9 1

4 3 10 1

Scale

Checked By

Drawn By

Date

Owner

Description

Date

1/16" = 1'-0"

A101

Project Number Issue Date Author Checker

Unnamed

Project Name

Project Number

No.

Consultant Address Address Address Phone

1. Pre-K and K Classes 2. 1st - 5th grade Classes 3. Special Ed 4. Science + Language Classes 5. Cafeteria 6. Gymnasium 7. Administration 8. Library 9. Computer Rooms 10. Entrance 12/19/2020 3:15:33 PM

26 Consultant Address Address Address Phone

Consultant Address Address Address Phone

www.autodesk.com/revit

Floor Layout

1/16" = 1'-0" 1 Level 1 Copy 1

T h e A r c o f Ta n a f Kengo Kuma Design Competition 2017

Project Type

Mosque + Mixed Spiritual Space

Location

Tanaf, Senegal The arc of Tanaf was a project developed during the spring semester of junior year and was based upon an existing project for in a site of Tanaf. As a result of the mixed religious identities of the neighborhood a solution was proposed that the site be developed in such a manner that all religious peoples can have a shared space. The predominant Islamic influence on Tanaf however necessitated that the space be first a mosque, we other elements adjoining themselves in such a manner to allow those other Christian, animalist or other groups a space they could share. The similar goal for all the religious parties lent itself to some of the perennialist design principals that informed the design of the buildings. Concepts like light and geometry expressing the great deity or deities followed emphasized a need to create a design that reflected the unique space and time that this project would inhabit. It was for this reason the concept of a sun dial was chose to mark the centroid of the form. The sun dial is a pure expression of light and time, unique in its location relative to earth and the position of the cosmos. This element was the center of the courtyard that could be a gathering space for all religious or even secular means. At the very center of this was the spire that defined the hand of the sundial, but also a minaret meant to call attention to the spiritual nature of the structure. Beyond the sun dial, the overall sculpture of the form was created by a rotated pentagon, defining the structural grid and the datum spaces were placed on. Additional design elements were then influence by the architectural language found in other projects found in Senegal and West Africa broadly.

One final important factor was that construction was to be done by the townspeople themselves, as they did not have access to more modern construction methods and materials. The Arc also was developed so that could adequately be interesting, while still being something that could be built by the same people that could use it. In that, The Arc of Tanaf could be a space that could be of, for and by, the people.

Alignment For the five pillars of Islam, a pentagon was selected as the base shape of the design. It was then rotated according to the where point of the pentagon aligns along the axis from Tanaf to Mecca.

Earth - Africa Repetition From the given starting position illustrated above the pentagon was rotated 24 times at 15 degrees to complete the full rotation. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;pointâ&#x20AC;? of the pentagon is adjusted so that I can align with the access towards Mecca Africa - West Africa Sculpt The form was then sculpted to resemble a shape that gestures towards mecca and creates the appropriate sizes for spaces of the program. A central circular courtyard is created - separating the two peripheral prayer and public areas. Senegal - Tanaf

East - West Section A. Meeting Room B. Courtyard C. Prayer Hall D. Mihr E. Circulation

D 60 .00

R4 2' -

R 53' - 6" R 52' - 10"

R 30' -

22 '

-6 "

60. 00°

tail

View looking up Minaret at center of sun dial

View inside prayer room, displaying brick pattern facades facing mecca

Roof Assembly

A - Mangrove Weaved Vines B - 6” Thatched Roof

A C

C - 6” dia Bamboo batten

D - Aluminum Gutter System E - 2x6 Wall Plate

Wall Assembly A - 1/2” Clay Plaster B - Mud Brick C - Bamboo Rebar D - Post and Lintel wall support E - Adobe interior finish

Base Assembly A - Tile Flooring B - Bamboo Flooring Rebar C - 1/2” Clay Plaster D - Sand Bedding E - Packed Dirt/Tire Foundation

A B E

East - West Section 1. Meeting Room 2. Courtyard 3. Prayer Hall 4. Mihr 5. Spire 6. Hour Markers

Pavasaris Bee Breeder’s Design Competition Date 2017

Project Type

Temporary Hiking Lodge

Location Latvia

As the first out of school design competition, Pavasaris afforded me an opportunity to explore design without the consistent guidance of a professor. Done in conjunction with another student, Dan Sadowniczyk, Pavasaris, was a project submitted through the Bee Breeders competition organization. They, with the aid of various groups, put out international design competitions made available to students and professionals alike. This project speicifally was thought up by Lativan nature preservation organizations and took place in along Latvia’s amber road trekking path. This path is open to hikers across Europe as it travels through several nations on the baltic coast. Named for the amber that washes up along this shoreline, this competition had us design a series of cabins that would be place for hikers to stay in overnight. These cabins all were the same and featured no electricity or mechanical systems, instead needing to provide spaces for people to sleep and store items, as well as convene together. Our design took visual cues from both Latvian architecture and symbols to develop a form that would be arrayed back as a series of frames. These frames would serve to create an unique space that would provide views to this area – “reframing” the nature around them.

This framing system allowed the whole structure to fit into the surrounding space more gently and never disrupted the connections hikers could feel with the outdoors. The interior spaces for sleeping were covered with a highly insulated glass curtain wall that fulfilled the same goal while also providing additional thermal protection. The offset of this private space gave a pathway where hikers could cross through, while still experiencing the visual framing the design provides. In the end the silhouette was meant to invoke a sense of wonder as hikers, found their way to a strong expression of in the horizon that would provide them with the rest they desire.

Wood Frame Top Conneciton

A - Wood Frame B - Wood Dowels

C - Wood Joint Connection

Wood Frame Base Connection

A - Wood Frame

B - Nail Joist

C - Ground Connection

Polycarbonate Curtain Wall Assembly

A - Dessicant Crystals B - Polycarbonate Glass Panel C - Nail D - Primary Sealant E - Base Joint

The interior is comfortable and secure even while keeping the visual connection with the enviornment

The structure, for its minimal maintanence, can be used year round.

A u x i l l a r y Wo r k s Various Date 2014-2020

Project Type

Sketch Work + Digital Media + Photgraphy

Location Various

In addition to my architectural work, I have made efforts, since entering into my undergraduate degree, to pursue other kinds of artistic venues. Architecture, while a diverse medium, does have its limits and I have found this to be especially the case in the professional realm. While that work is fascinating in its own way, it is not difficult to get lost in the sea of voices, losing some of your own ability to express your own ideas. These limitations, and my own general curiosity, have led me to experiment with other mediums of art. There have been two kinds of artforms that have interested me in particular, both of which are documented in this portfolio. Both also deal with exploring two-dimensional art forms in contrast to the three-dimensional nature of architecture. Beginning with illustration, I am showing some examples of how I used it in the architecture realm to depict real projects that have fascinated me. By doing these black and white graphite drawings, I have analyzed through how lights and shadows affect the perception of spaces and forms. Seeing how my own eye is drawn to project gives me some perspective on how another person might see my own work and how these imaginary lines and bifurcated light and dark faces all work together to create these powerful images. Drawing, with that in mind, is a very important skill for me, as all my designs tend to begin as a sketch and a two-dimensional image that slowly grows and recursively expresses itself in other directions. Beyond architecture I have also tried my hand at illustrating some real-world imagery, capturing similar strong and clear expressions that I find to be interesting. A solemn face, charging bull, graphite or charcoal; these mediums and many others all serve as interesting ways for me to explore and experiment with the medium of drawing.

In addition to hand crafted work, digital art become introduced to me more so with the advancement of my undergraduate degree. Being tasked with finding ways to communicate my projects I have used photoshop and other mediums to try and create realist or abstractionist ways of evoking what emotion I feel best could communicate what the point of my project was. This extended itself to my own interest in photography, first as a way of keeping track of memories, but soon after as a way to try and use color, light, shadows and so on the same way I would my drawing. Not dissimilar to illustration, photography and mixed medium both have been outlets for my creativity that I want to continue to explore through my future degrees and professions. The following examples are just a selection of what I feel are just the beginning stages of this process.