Portfolio 2018 - 2023

P O R T F O O L I

Ana-Maria Vasilache// 2018-2023// Academic and Professional Work

Ana-Maria Vasilache

Freelance Architectural Designer at Dividual Rotterdam| M.Sc. Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences T.U. Delft | B.A. Architecture University of Sheffield

To.

Goldstein Heather Architecture Recruitment Team

Dear Simon Goldstein and Giles Heather,

Date. September 8th 2023

I am writing with the intention of applying for a Part 2 Architectural Assistant position with Goldstein Heather Architecture, hoping to continue my training as an architectural professional and expand my practical experience in the field. I am an experienced architectural designer and researcher with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Sheffield, The United Kingdom (2018), and a Master’s degree Cum Laude in Architecture from The Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands (2022). My practice has been particularly concerned with issues of socio-spatial resilience, and the cultivation of local community culture and historical development. Additionally, as detailed in the C.V. and Portfolio attached, I have covered an extensive array of architectural scales and subjects throughout my professional and educational experience.

As a student in Delft, I have been involved in individual and group projects ranging from masterplan and large-scale architectural newbuilt to redevelopment projects and interior design. At this time, I was also given the opportunity to pursue my research interest further by authoring a History Thesis on the political influence of Communist mass housing on the female body, which was awarded 10/10 and is currently in the process of being academically published. Additionally, my Graduation Project was awarded an additional 9.5/10 and developed an innovative approach for mitigating issues of extensive urban depopulation in New Belgrade, Serbia. For further details regarding the graduation project, please consult the attached portfolio.

Additionally, while pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Sheffield, I was involved with several design-led initiatives in the fields of theatre, photography, poetry and visual arts, assuming the roles of curator, designer, photographer and tutor. At this time, I was additionally invested in research into architectural conservation, renewal and remaking, attending courses presided by Prof. Dr. Arh. Tancredi Carunchio (Sapienza – Università di Roma), and volunteering with the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum (Bucharest, Romania). I later pursued my interest in conservation and heritage as a Part 1 Architectural Assistant at ADAM Architecture (Winchester, U.K.), working predominantly with Grade I and Grade II listed buildings at both the planning and construction stages (stages 0 through 5).

As shown above, I believe my interest and abilities align with the portfolio of Goldstein Heather, showcasing a high degree of curiosity and willingness to explore built environments beyond the traditional confines of architectural production or discourse. To this end, my work has highlighted underlying research by (and through) design trajectories, particularly harnessed during my time as a student in Delft. As such, I believe the experience of working with Goldstein Heather will allow me to take my skills further throughout my professional and academic career.

I appreciate your interest.

Kind regards,

Ana Maria Vasilache

Ana-Maria Vasilache

TOWHOMITMAYCONCERN

Ana-Maria Vasilache - Reference Letter

I have no hesitation in recommending Ana-Maria Vasilache, she has been undertaking a 17-month placementinourofficeasaPartIArchitectural Assistantsince3 rd September2018andhasimpressed herfellowteamwithherdiligenceandcommitmentduringhertimewithus.

Ana-Maria has worked on several projects including proposed alterations to a range of historic buildings. Shehasprepareddrawingsforplanningandlistedbuildingsapplications,aswellastechnical drawingsforjoinerydetails. Alloftheworkundertakenhasbeenofhighquality, witha goodeyefor detail. Thisisallowingtohercompetencyinassessingtheworksrequired andherstrongworkethic. In her portfolio she has demonstrated excellent graphic skills, an eye for pattern and colour, and an interestintherefinementofwellcrafteddetails.

Ana-Maria is someone that can listen and is eager to learn, she is naturally inquisitive and eager to respondtoanyproblemortask.Wehavefoundhertobeaveryresponsibleandcompetentperson,and havenohesitationinrecommendingher.

Yoursfaithfully

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GeorgeSaumarezSmithMA(Hons)Dip.ArchRIBA Director ForADAMArchitecture

D11'1\i\('II MA RIB,\ Practice Manager Mark White ll · 11,1 081· Senior i\s·o ial<'s Gail K 111011 11,111C11 D11'1\KC11 ,\ll'IIIL( 'A�lAII) 1'111,(C.1",111) AIIR RIIIA DatT�II l'l'i ·c RA(II0\) Dll'1\IKII ARI! lllllA Thomas Orr B.

Date 21-09-2022

Reference AR-22-208

Contact person Jorge Mejia Hernandez

Telephone/fax +31(0)6 818 12 535

E-mail J.A.MejiaHernandez@tudelft.nl

Subject Reference Letter Ana-Maria Vasilache

Faculty of Architecture a nd the Built Environment

Department of Architecture

Vis iting / postal address : Julianalaan 134 2628 BL Delft

The Netherlands

Pos tal address: P.O. Box 5043 2600 GA Delft

The Netherlands

To w hom i t may concern,

I hereby w ish to refer t he MSc A rchitect Ana - Maria Vasilache i n th e f ollowing te rms.

I have k nown h er s ince 2 021, when s he s tarted th e M Sc3/4 G raduation S tudio I coordinated a nd ta ugh t at TU D elft, under th e C hair o f M ethods o f Analysis a nd Imagination. As part o f h er w ork i n o ur S tudio, Ana - Maria e xamined, evaluated, and discovered the potential o f a rchitectural c onfiguration a nd meaning , while c arrying o ut a thorough i nvestigation a t the p erformative l evel o f th e b uilt environ ment.

During the p rocess, carried o ut in B elgrade ( Serbia), Ana - Maria c onfronted s ome of th e mos t pressing p roblems o f th e c ontemporary E uropean city (e.g. depopulation, aging co mmunities, the o bsolescence o f i ndustrial/socialist infrastructure) a nd th eir e ffects o n architecture a nd th e c ity Her p roject contributed valuable k nowledge to o ur understanding of th e p otential reuse of e xisting l arge s cale r esidential c omplexes, touching o n s everal lines o f i nquiry s imultaneously, with remarkable d iscipline, conceptual c larity , and intellectual r igor. In this s ense, her w ork i s tr uly o utstanding.

My e xperience a s her tutor a llows me to a ffirm th a t An a - Maria V asilache h as exceptional pr ofessional q ualities a nd s kills to p erform at the h ighest levels w ithin any progressive architectural p ractice, as well a s i n g overnmental, business, or research o rganizations that strive f or excellence.

The f inal g raduation project by A na - Maria V asilache r eceived a f inal mark o f 9 ,5/10 , and she r eceived h er Master’s d egree w ith a C um L aude d istinction.

Should th ere b e an y q uestions o r th e n eed to f urther e laborate o n th is s tatement, please do n ot hesitate to c ontac t me.

Assistant Professor of Architecture Chair of Methods of Analysis and Imagination Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft

00.2 curriculum vitae

Ana-Maria Vasilache

Freelance Architectural Designer Dividual | M.Sc. Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences T.U. Delft |

B.A. Architecture University of Sheffield

.education

Sept. 2020 - Aug. 2022

M.Sc. Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences; Architecture Track

T.U. Delft, Delft, The Netherlands

Grade: 9.5/ 10 (Cum Laude)

Sept. 2014 - July 2018

BA. (Hons.) Architecture

University of Sheffield, Sheffield, U.K.

Grade: Upper 2.1

Oct. 2017

Restart (Restoration Course)

Sapienza University, Timisoara Romania

Sept. 2010 - July 2014

Baccalaureate Diploma

“Grigore Moisil” College, Bucharest (Romania)

.personal information

Email: amvasilache@ymail.com

Phone: +40722163264

Right to Work:

U.K. Settled Status (No work visa required) Romanian Citizenship (E.U. Citizenship)

.skills

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Vectorworks

ArchiCAD

Sketch-up

Revit

Rhino Autocad

Artlantis

Enscape

.professional experience

July 2023 - Current

Freelance Architectural Designer

Dividual, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Dec. 2022 - July 2023

Stagiaire Architecte

A2RC, Brussels, Belgium.

Sept. 2018 - Apr. 2020

Part 1 Architectural Assistant

ADAM Architecture, Winchester, U.K.

Sept. 2017 - Dec. 2017

Junior Architectural Assistant

The Bucharest Village Museum, Bucharest, Romania

.other interests and experience

May 2017 - Aug. 2017

Publicity Designer

Threshold Theatre, Sheffield, U.K.

Jan. 2016 - June 2017

Production Photographer

Sheffield University Theatre Co., Sheffield, U.K.

June 2016 - Oct. 2016

Assistant Set Designer

Sheffield University Theatre Co., Sheffield, U.K.

Sept. 2016

Public Relations Assistant

Festival of the Mind, Sheffield, U.K.

.references

George Saumarez Smith Director, ADAM Architecture, U.K. georgess@adamarchitecture.com

Dr. Jorge Mejia Hernandez

Principal Tutor M.Sc. 3-4, T.U. Delft, The Netherlands

J.A.MejiaHernandez@tudelft.nl

01 re-domesticating mass housing

An Investigation in Re-Domesticating Modernist Housing Estates in New Belgrade

M.Sc. 3-4

(Sept. 2021 - Aug. 2022)

Academic Thesis Project

T.U. Delft

Supervisors

Jorge Mejia Hernandes, Aleksandar Stanicic and Pierre Jennen;

Location

Block 23, Belgrade, Serbia;

//View of 1:20 Scale Model Highlighting an Upper Floor Substraction;

01. Concept Statement

Depopulation comes at a high cost. Depopulation and its by-products, enhanced by the existing architectures of New Belgrade, give way to what Rod Serling labels "the barrier of loneliness". Given demographic projections, depopulation will become pervasive in all Serbian environments. The pressing presence of this phenomenon allows posing a different question to the ones pressing during the Yugoslav housing construction periods: is a functional dwelling enough? The following project develops the above narrative, splitting the redevelopment of a mass-housing building in New Belgrade into three distinct stages that tackle the dwellers' reintegration at all building levels: domestic, transitional and public.

//Site Model at Scale 1:500;

//Axonometric of Typical Dwelling Unit as Existing;

04. Stage I of Development

//View of the Walkways Introduced;

Stage I of the design aims to reinstate dignity to an existing building that is becoming increasingly dilapidated. The repair procedures primarily assume a reunification of the facade. At the same time, while the project pays respect to the original external design aesthetics, it also proposes an extensive redevelopment of the internal courtyards of the building through the instruction of an extensive network of walkways connecting residents from all sides and levels of the structure.

//Existing Residential Plan;

//Proposed Residential Plan at Stage I;

//Proposed Residential Plan at Stage III;

//Site Model at Scale 1:20;

03. Stage II of Development

Stage II proposes the introduction of Ground Floor Level community spaces that are driven by their experiential output. Here, whether we talk of pools of fragrant mint and jasmine mixing with the smell of freshly made Serbian coffee, or surfaces of extreme gloss partially covered by thin translucent curtains, the new spaces evoke a sense of calm and belonging.

//Impression from The Still Room;

//Impression from The Soft Room;

//Sketches of the Ground Floor Redeveloped Spaces;

04. Stage III of Development

//Proposed Ground Floor Plan and Elevation at Stage III;

Finally, the final design stage is expected to develop over an indefinite period. As apartments become disused and pass into governmental custody, these are modified into communal lifted courtyards, improving the living conditions of the remaining residents, encouraging interaction at all building levels and the retention and potential attraction of future tenants or dwellers.

02 salon

Negative Space and Architectural Bricolage

M.Sc. 2 (Apr. 2021 - Jul. 2021)

Academic Individual Project

T.U. Delft

Supervisors

Susanne Pietsch and Leontine de Wit;

Location Diepeveen Building, Rotterdam, The Netherlands;

//Exploded Axonometric of the Diepeveen Building Intervention (Up)+;

01. Concept Statement

The project reacts to the assemblage nature of the building in Diepeveen. The new structure becomes an installation exploring the tension between the idiosyncratic existing and the necessary useful. At the same time, importing from Gordon Matta Clark’s work with found structures and Rachel Whiteread’s work indicative approach to negative space, the installation becomes an artefact that sheds its layers systemically to reveal its contents.

// 1:50 Scale Model Photographs of The Central Internal Space;

(De)Coding

//Sectional Perspective through Existing and Proposed Areas;

In the initial stages, the exiting building was (de) coded as a palimpsestical structure by reinterpreting Whiteread’s work - which in itself becomes a coding of everyday objects. This approach to codification meant that not only is there a clear methodology backing the salon’s design, but also the new structure itself becomes only one of its many possible iterations.

//Construction Axonometric of Internal Skin (Left);

//Construction Axonometric of External Skin (Right);

Inner Skin

//Developed Surface Drawing;

The design marks a clear differentiation between the outside and inside conditions by employing a dual volumetry of visibly different materializations. The tension between the two volumetrics generates a variety of residual spaces that may be appropriated and inhabited accordingly. With their almost contradictory boundaries, the nature of these residual spaces emphasizes the nature of the original warehouse in its found state.

04. Internal Space

//View of the Main Internal Space (Up);

Internally, the main pavilion provides three rooms, separated by curtain partitions. In this case, the design allows for the expansion or contraction of the salon according to usage. Given the necessity for a visibly tectonic external skin, the latter is constructed in recycled plastic with visual and tactile similarity to marble. Given the nature of the construction elements, most building materials can either be sourced locally or provided by the local community.

//External View of the Diepeveen Building;

//View of the Main Internal Space;

//View of the Pavilion in the Context of the Shed;

03 typology transfer

M.Sc. 2

(Apr. 2021 - Jul. 2021)

Academic Group

Project

T.U. Delft

Supervisors

Harald Mooij; Dr. Vanessa Grossman and Dr. Nelson Mota;

Location

Barra Funda, Sao Paulo, Brazil;

Exploring Affordable Housing in Barra Funda, Sao Paulo

//Axonometric of Proposed Typology Mixtures;

//Axonometric of Type E Typology Mixture;

//Site Axonometric Showing Environmental Considerations;

//(Right) Existing Street Elevation;

04 docile bodies

Romanian Communist Domesticities and Socialist Women in Berceni (1977-1989)

History Thesis; M.Sc. 2 (Feb. 2021April. 2021)

Academic Individual Project

T.U. Delft Supervisor Supervisors: Maria Novas de Ferradas;

Location

Berceni, Bucharest, Romania;

1958-1964

1960-1963 (Sg. Nitu Vasile microraion)

1964-1970 (Berceni South 1)

1970-1975 (Berceni South 2)

//

1970-1975

1970-1975

1978-1986

1978-1986

Masterplan Highlighting the Construction Phases of Berceni;

01. Abstract

//Paper in the Process of Academic Publishing;

The research proposes a dialectical re-reading of the Romanian Communist housing as a gendered control mechanism. Therefore, the paper concentrates on Berceni neighbourhood between 1977 and 1989 as a case study for a larger urban phenomenon under the late Romanian Communist Regime (1965-1989). In this context, the research juxtaposes the Marxist ideologies on women’s emancipation (proliferated throughout the Eastern Block) with female inhabitants’ experiences in Berceni. This contextualization is crucial, given that response to women’s issues was state-enforced and disseminated top-down. In aiding with a broader political and economic agenda, state policy dictated that women should be liberated from home duties (the private sphere) and be transposed into productive members of the society (the public sphere). Given that decision-making was assigned to a predominantly male political elite, the state disregarded the family resources necessary to fulfil tasks historically associated with womanhood. Therefore, Socialist Women became just as tied to domesticity as their predecessors. What changed was that they were now forcefully assigned a dual character: an aseptic asexual public persona of state worker along with the already existing sexualized domestic one. In understanding the link between women and domesticity, the research confronts the implication of state propaganda on the Lived Experience identified in the stories of some of the women inhabitants of 1977-89 Berceni. Among other points, the paper identified women’s isolation, over-working, and distrust to be some of the aftermaths of this clash between ideology and context.

02. Principal Conclusions

//Photographs from Ioana’s flat;

The Romanian Communist state did not succeed in bringing about genuine communal living, nor true gender equality. However, it did achieve its housing goal on one front: bringing together different social categories and housing them in the same districts, streets and housing blocks. The irony is that by the late 1980s this collage of inhabitants would be brought together not in achieving an ideal Socialist Society, but in enduring ever-worsening living situations. Although in themselves, the ideals of the Socialist Society and the Socialist Woman were radical, especially considering the patriarchal pre-socialist Romanian society, implementing these ideals was never achieved. The high levels of domestic violence, the political under-representation and the employment gap of contemporary Romanian women (Boia, 2021) show that traditional ideas about male and female roles had been remarkably resilient throughout the Communist period and overrode the willed new gender relations.

05 counter delirium

Explorations on the Urban Dutch Delirium and Its By-Products

M.Sc. 1

(Sept. 2020 - Jan. 2021)

Academic Group

Project

T.U. Delft

Supervisors

Gosia Golabek and Lex van Deudekom;

Location

Den Haag Central, The Hague, The Netherlands;

//Relation between the Hague and the Randstadt;

Concept Statement

Through its central location in The Hague, the Green Metropolitan Forum reacts critically to the undemocratic nature of the metropolitan delirium. The ensemble achieves a new metropolitan character, defined by democratic discussions and exchanges of ideas. Referencing the Athenian Agora, and its associated constellation of functions, the essence of the building becomes linked to the inbetween unprescribed spaces.

//Relation between Building and Immediate Context;

02. Culture of Congestion //1:20 Section (Right);

The Forum is opposing the Dutch “culture of congestion”, while working within its context. Ultimately the GMF provides a hybrid character mediating between the extreme urban and the fabricated rural aspects of The Hague.

03. The Green Metropolitan Forum

Through democratic and inclusive design, the building provokes encounters and exchanges of ideas and information, practically taking advantage of the vacancy it creates to generate opportunities for creative and spontaneous uses. The building performs similarly at an urban and architectural scale by creating publicness through the porosity of itself and its boundaries. Therefore, the Green Metropolitan Forum minimizes its environmental impact through low energy consumption levels and the use of sustainable materials and modularity. The flexible spatial organization and the opportunity for the building to grow upon itself allow the forum to adapt to and showcase the changing societal milieu.

//First Floor Plan Highlighting the Constellation of Functions;

//Aerial View of the Eastern Plaza;

06 hoare’s bank// g. II+ listed bank

Interior Conservation Project: Grade II Listed Bank

Dec. 2018 - Oct. 2019

Team-Based Professional Project ADAM Architecture

Supervisors

George Saumarez Smith;

Location

Hoare’s Bank, London, United Kingdom;

//(Up) South Banking Hall Elevation as Proposed; //(Down) Condition Survey of the South Banking Hall Elevation;

South Banking Hall Elevation as Proposed Condition Survey of the South Banking Hall Elevation

South Banking Hall Elevation as Proposed Condition Survey of the South Banking Hall Elevation

Joinery Details of Top: Section through Bottom: Plan through

//West Lobby Elevation as Proposed;

//Condition Survey of the South Banking Hall Elevation;

//Security Desk Elevations as Proposed Showing Design Intent;

07 west hall, longburton// g. I listed

Residential Refurbishment/ Conservation Project: Grade I Listed Manor House

Sept. 2018 - Jan.

2019

Team-Based Professional Project ADAM Architecture

Supervisors

George Saumarez

Smith;

Location

West Hall, Longburton, United Kingdom;

//(Up) South Elevation of the Main House as Proposed;

//Short Section through House as Proposed;

//(Down) Key Plan of Ground Floor;

08 technical packages

Extracts from New-Built and Conservation Projects

Nov. 2019 - Apr.

2020

Team-Based Professional Projects

ADAM Architecture and A2RC;

Supervisors

George Saumarez Smith; Carla de Sabata;

Location

United Kingdom; Belgium;

//GA Elevation (Original Scale 1:50) (Up);

//GA Plan at Ground Floor Level (Original Scale 1:50) (Up); //Planning and Pre-Tender Stage Detail Section (Original Scale 1:10) (Down);

09 the seeing eye

Explorations on the Art Gallery Culture

Year III, Sem. II (Jan.

2018 - June 2018)

Individual Academic Project

University of Sheffield

Supervisors

Russell D. Light;

Location

Bradford, United Kingdom;

//Perspective of the South Facade in Context;

//Perspective of the North Facade in Context;

01. Concept Statement

Responding to research showing that the standard museum viewer spends no more than 15 seconds in front of any given exhibit, the building creates art viewing spaces that offer a unique approach to the traditional gallery experience. Thus, conceptually, the spaces develop vertically from group discussion spaces (of low privacy) to Individual Viewing Rooms (of high privacy).

// Long Section in Context;

//Concept Sketch Exploring Movement Patterns and Activity;

02. Spatial Development

//East Elevation

in Context;

Considering the tight spacing of the existing structures around the site, the building expands the route-through to create a small plaza offering views of the cathedral and the neighbouring Italianate housing units. This is expressed internally as a set-out strategy for privacy levels, transitioning from the highly public areas on Ground Floor to the private spaces in the wings upstairs.

03. Technical Resolution

//Construction Section (Original at 1:20 Scale);

The building is constructed on a concrete frame structure with acoustically insulated internal partitions (allowing for a more private experience of the art). The internal finishes are mainly constituted of tinted fibrous concrete boards with brass detailing.overrode the willed new gender relations.

10 photography

Extracts from Professional and Personal Photography Projects

//Theatre Photography: Jackdaws Final Scene;

//Alba Iulia Cathedral Interior;

//Theatre Photography: Rent;

// Theatre Photography: Arabian Nights;

//Sighet Memorial to Communist Crimes;

Ana-Maria Vasilache// 2018-2023// Academic and Professional Work

Thank you for your interest!