Table of Contents
Curriculum Vitae
About Me
My name, be it Alexander or Alvi, as with much my own personal family background makes for an interes ng historical analysis. My more recent history involves my being born in Tirana, Albania to two wonderful parents, with lineage to Gjirokastër and Borsh, ancient ci es of Albania. This fact always caused me to have a broader interest and to be fascinated with a great many things beyond just my own history. Ul mately, that fact, plus my general curiosity about life, caused me to forever wish to learn about the en re world and the people that live within it. I am, if nothing else, sen mental and my passion for life, art, my and all the world’s history has brought me to architecture, in the hope I can use it as a medium to explore and unify my great amenity of interests. Being from Wethersfield, I came to the University of Har ord in the hopes of acquiring a NAAB accredited degree, to set in mo on my path to becoming an Architect. My goals were always far greater, I sought an opportunity that was far grander and if I could not just bring the world to me, I wished to instead, go out into the world. My passions lead me to seek a career in architecture on an interna onal scale, hoping to put forth my efforts and goals to people around the world, while never forge ng that which I came from. Design for me comes from all that I previously described; it is a process of finding a unity of logic between history, culture, technology and future goals. History is beau ful, but we must not become some involved in our past that we ignore what comes next. Instead I feel that using the wisdom of the past, mixed with the knowledge of the present is the best way of crea ng ideas. With that, symbols, in all forms are of great importance to me. Whether they are the symbols of primordial man upon caves, the symbols that adorn the urban walls of New York, symbols are a mean of communica on and establishing a concept that can be designed from in any project. In my works that follow, the usage of symbolism, history or culture as design founda ons is ever present. I hope my por olio is as enjoyable of a read for you as its crea on was of great joy to me.
Other Works
2014 - Present
One point that I always like to make in terms of my passion for Architecture is that architecture is not my sole passion. It, I feel, is a place I professionally a empt to infuse all other sorts of passions I have in my life. Movies, history, sculpture, illustra on or art of any kind has been something I have used as some manor of influence. As such, exploraon of all such things remains vital to me as I con nue to explore my ideas as an architect. What I look for simply is how the different ar s c mediums can relate and how certain ideas can be read and understood through a mul tude of pla orms. Then finally, I hope through this explora on I can find what works best in an architectural se ng and how I can use what I learned in other mediums an apply them architecturally. With this I have recently begun my explora on of other art forms, making use of charcoal, graphite, pastel, digital pla orms, and other mediums. The bulk of the works have been focused on architectural projects and those in studio, however, even more recently I have a empted to venture outward again. I do this in the hopes of capturing various atmospheres, feelings or ideas I wish to express and explore, but can’t necessarily do so architecturally at the me. I hope to be able to do so more in the future as I con nue to push the boundaries of my own capabili es.
4 Main Principals of Design
Topography Sunlight The Sea Vegetation
PAVASARIS
Amber Road Trekking Cabin Design Nature Conserva on Agency Republic of Latvia Summer 2017 Made in collabora on with Dan Sadowniczyk
While the studio and school provide a fantas c place for me and others to learn and explore, I have always been one to want to venture out and do a li le more. This summer, along with my teammate Dan Sadowniczyk, took it upon ourselves to create a design for new Cabins along the Latvian coast for the Amber Road trekking path. This we hope will be the first of many compe ons we partake in. For this project, we chose to try a more sculptural design, as the base programma c requirements were fairly small. The main focus of the design was to capture an image of Latvia itself drawing from some aspect of their own cultural background to aid trekkers along their path. We chose to not create a home, or any sort of long term residence, instead we chose to create something for the express purpose of genera ng experience. “Reframing nature” became our conceptual statement as we sought to use simple arrays of framing to create a dis nct vista around and in our cabin. In the early stages of design we researched the history of Latvia, parcularly its architectural and ar s c past. Two major discoveries were found that would go onto influence our design. The first was that of the standard Latvian cabin, as even brief research made it clear that the green pastures of Latvia were home to many standard, wood, gabled-roofed cabins. We wanted to simplify our design, so we adapted only the gabled part of the cabin, bringing down the gable to the ground. Analysis of some ar s c history of Latvia, as well as some of the history of La van and Bal c runes provided ar s c examples of works featuring clear rec linear and geometric forms. Those were adapted, along with our idea of reframing nature, to deconstruct the cabin further.
The total envelope of the Cabin was meant to relate to these topics as it was a gable cross-sec on, arrayed back like a series of picture frames. The interior offset was used to allocate space to living quarters, but also provide a means of passage that did not cut through the living space. Our jus fica on was that, depending on when a trekker might cross paths with our cabin, they have an ability to experience the interior perspec ves. The cabin itself too was curved to represent the path itself, as the curve occurs to pull trekkers from the straight path for a moment, forcing them to leave their des na on for a moment, and focus instead on the nature. As the cabin would be in view of the shore, one main focus would be to provide a view of that coastline of which Amber is provided and the road itself is named. The structure of design was drawn from local precedents in the sense it was en re comprised of wood. The framing itself would be separate from the living quarters, but both would be nailed down to the ground they were in. This was done to both minimize cost and permit easy construc on. The frames themselves were joined at the top through mix of slip joints and wood joists nailing the two pieces together. The living space was ed to the ground through a wall board with double paned insulated polycarbonate glass provided the main structural material. Polycarbonate glass was chosen for its ability to have minimal opacity to provide some privacy through the whole living quarters, however, it was meant to be par ally translucent. Interior bedding spaces were elevated to allow for full living space below, and for maximum privacy. All such spaces were also constructed in wood to remain consistent.
Cedar Children’s Academy Byram, Greenwhich, Connec cut Studio III Design Fall 2016
An early conceptual design, Cedar Children’s Academy was based upon a recent design project undertaken in the town of Byram, Connec cut. A magnet school was to be developed for grades pre-k through 6th that could be home to students from Byram, but also surrounding towns. The project came with a chosen program, developed through conversa ons with the community and faculty regarding what they wished to have at their new school. The library was deemed the most important room and designs were made to have large open spaces for students to explore and learn. 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 rela onships between students. This all influence my design as I found the best solu on was to not necessarily try and break with the local context. Instead, the focus (as it typically is for myself) was infusing local natural and communal history into the design. The canoniza on of trees as symbols of growth is fairly common across all cultures and would be something I would wish to make use of in the design of my project. When studying the history of Byram and Greenwich, informa on about previous na ve tribes known as the Lenape tribes were discovered. Their symbols in their art reflected a similar style found in many na ve people, but one symbol comprised of a line with two sets of branching lines caught my eye. It symbolized a spirit of growth and went on to become the main conceptual symbol for my design. The prinicals of trees would be embellished as the very construc on of this project would be influenced by that concept.
Considering the importance a ributed to the library, as laid out by the community at large, the libaray served as the anchor for the rest of the design. The larges con guous space, the library feature the main entrance and served as the “root” of the “tree”. The library would feature exten ons on its three sides as other programma c elements branched off from this central point. The building matched the site and moved down with the hill it was on and fit itself according to typical sunlight pa erns. In this way, natural sunlight became an important factor of the design along with other ideas of infusing nature to the interior spaces. The library, as this central piece would feature a great spire that would over look the community and provide monumentality to the design. The spire was twisted to match the ways trees grow in spiral fashions and was designed to provide a closed outdoor space for children to have access to all mes of the year. These types of outdoor spaces are found through the building for students at all levels, so that none are without an equal opportunity to experience the surrounding context. 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 cra s a latce 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 educa on, is interwoven throughout the building in a physical and metaphorical sense.
Museum of the Charter Oak Har ord, Connec cut Studio IV Design Spring 2017
A first a empt at Urban Design, Fall Semester Junior year’s main studio design was a joined master plan and building design. The master plan was developed around the historical sec on of the city of Har ord, known as the Charter Oak, around the Colt Armory. This site was determined to require expansion, to accommodate future plans for the revitaliza on of Har ord, through the infusion of commerce, culture and most important of all, people. The site was redeveloped to feature new apartment housing for small families and individual persons. Small stores were opened and mul use buildings went up to accommodate further expansion in the community. Finally, the site would go on to feature a 100,000 square foot museum of Connec cut innova on. The masterplan was developed to work with vehicular and foot traffic already in the area. Businesses already present were not obstructed and emphasis was built on create a lively new part of Har ord. Street “walls” were developed and organic features were incorporated to the design. Building was designed too in accordance with common architectural trends of the site, but with an addi onal modernist twist. The main design project was meant for the Museum of Connec cut innova on and the accompanying farmers market across the street. This design was meant to comply with concepts laid out for the master plan. The design was meant to draw from historical contexts, which was easy considering the subject ma er of the museum. This context too was used to influence the usage of earthen materials, stone, brick and concrete served as the main construc on materials, forming the aesthe c base as well. The building was pushed up to the street corner, serving as a point of convergence for the museum and the foot traffic, the peo-
ple and the program at hand. The design was built off the street corner, ac ng like water drop ripples as the design expands outward into the site it was on. A combina on of rec linear forms and curvilinear forms were used to reflect, old and classical design principals and new modernist styles of construc on. The ramp, connec ng the first and second floors served as an anchor unifying the building at the street corner. It also served as a physical manifesta on of the design concept as a whole. The farmers market was developed in a similar manor. Its forms, construc on and materials were based upon the same principals used for the museum. The major difference was scale, as the famers market was made smaller and more spread out, so as to not compete with the museum which was itself meant to be a major vista at the end of the street. The farmers market also was designed to dissolve into the background, making way for the stadium behind it and the large park behind that. This area was also meant to provide urban green space to disrupt some of the sterility that can be found in cityscapes with no green space. The large domes of the design were meant to act as call backs to Colt Armory, but also to serve as markers for street corners. This idea was compounded again and again throughout the design of the buildings and master plan, so as to create physical rela onships between points of circula on like streets and sidewalks, and the buildings on the site themselves. Structurally, the domes were created with large, lightweight frames, held on top of a lightweight framed roof. This was connected to standard concrete siding and CMU wall assemblies forming the main base of construc on.
Arc of Tanaf
Tanaf, Senegal Studio V Design Spring 2016 Made in collabora on with Eric Mendez
Located in Tanaf, Sengal, a poor region in West Africa, we were tasked with the design of a new spiritual center, a mosque hybrid that could be possibly used as a mee ng space for the people in this community. Community would be the unifying idea for this design, drawing from the historical, technological and natural context to cra a design best for the people of this city. Another major principal of this design was its construc on, and the fact that the expecta on was that it would be built by the very people who lived there. Materials and construcon tools were also very limited and forced us to determine affec ve and efficient means of construc on. Our design process began with a concept in the hopes of crea ng a founda onal idea that would point us in a consistent direc on. We came to the conclusion that we wanted to find a way to create a structure that could be an indigenous sacred place of for and by the people of Tanaf and Senegal. This base idea would influence all the proceeding ac on we took in the design. A er our establishing of a design concept, a par was drawn up to define the physical bounds of our design. Taking principals of indigenous design, two concepts were found to be very important (among other things), one was the important of propor ons and numerical rela onships in forms, and the usage of organic or curvilinear forms. As the primary use of this design would be a -mosque, the five pillars of Islam were used to define the parameters of a pentagon of which was rotated around a central point on the site. The array angles were done in accordance as well with the angle of our site to Mecca. This circular par would serve as a visual representa on of
our early concept statement. This however would be carved and manipulated to ul mately fit the programma c needs of the design. A central courtyard was generated through and offset of our preliminary par . Mee ng areas and prayer halls were generated through matching the form of the rotated pentagon, cut according to their respec ve programma c needs. The minaret was sculpted through the adap on of ar s c styles common to the region featuring elongated oblong geometries. This would douple as a sun dial as the 12 sculptures flanking the minaret would serve as markers deno ng hours in the day. This feature was one meant to not only be prac cal in a sense, but more so to compound the idea that this design was one meant for exactly this place and this community, as sun dials and their func on relate to aligning them to specific rela ons of their sites. The construc on was developed in a similar manner. Materials were drawn from other commonly found building methods and materials. Tires were used along with packed earth and bamboo s cks to create a pseudo-facsimile of reinforced concrete. Adobe mud brick would serve as the main structural element as it was something community members were accustom to building with as well as its easy availability. The roof was thatched and ed to simple bamboo frameworks to provide shade and protec on from rain. This too was done for the sake of the availability of the materials and the communi es experience with them. Finally, mul ple eleva ons with tall, vaulted roves were used with air gaps to encourage airflow, as well as the entry of cool air and the emission of hot air at higher levels.