ANDREAS PAPASTERGIOU Born in 1992 in Thessaloniki, Greece, Andreas studied Architecture at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. His interests cover all aspects of design and visualisation with a special focus on concept design and the whole process of creating imaginary worlds and stories. He enjoys working in that space, where science meets fiction and where the technical meets the artistic.
ABOUT THIS SKETCHBOOK
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his project originally started as my final design thesis at School of Architecture. It was an attempt to incorporate a bunch of ideas and interests (machines, future, "mad inventors", science, fiction and their overlapping space) which seemed to rest in my head for a while now, into a single design exercise — or rather, several exercises indeed. Gradually, these exercises started to form a full story. Since, I had already become extremely interested in concept art for films and video games, focusing on architecture's capacity to introduce someone to a fictional world and serve a story, I spent the next 8 months designing and constructing my story — both its mythology and objects. This story is, basically, a post-apocalyptic tale, which focuses on the new needs and conditions under which the few survivors ought to operate, using the scattered elements of the past. The survivors collect these leftovers, study them, try to make sense of them and finally combine them into new structures, objects and tools in an effort to survive in their new, challenging environment. At the beginning, I was working under the broad title, Visions of a Post-Apocalyptic Future, but later added the subtitle, A Cabinet of Architectural Curiosities, trying to focus on the survivors' curious structures and inventions. What you will see here is an abridged version of the sketchbook I filled during this process, edited in a way that makes it a little more sensible to the reader and easier to follow (the original version is, like all sketchbooks, less linear and more chaotic). At the end of the book, I decided to include a part which contains all the physical models I created in an effort to give flesh to these two-dimensional studies. In general, it should be noted that this project is by no means finished. It is rather an introductory, visual study of a story, which resulted in the collection of designs and ideas you are about to see. I feel that I have nothing but scratched the tip of something large, to which I am planning to return.
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AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STORY THE EVENT
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oday, looking back, we refer to "The Event". None of those who are alive today were there, and only stories — or rather, fragments of stories — have reached us, of which we can no longer be sure of what is truth and what fiction. For it is known that we love making stories, and talking about both the past and the future is very dear to us. One thing is certain, however; that very few of us were left. The event left a flattened world and an inhospitable Earth behind it, and only scattered fragments of our past humanity remained — fragments of technology, society and civilisation. There was no time for reflection and the only question that concerned us was the one we had long forgotten: how can we make it to the next dawn? Of course, our mind is built to find this answer, so we started from scratch. Several generations have come and gone since. We live scattered here and there, organised into small groups — societies in their early stages of evolution. Each group found its own ways to survive in a troubled and unstable environment. FRAGMENTS OF A PAST ERA [FROM PLENITUDE TO SCARCITY AND BACK]
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n this world of scarcity, however, there is something abundant that we will probably never miss: The fragments of the pre-event era; splinters of a fallen civilisation, remnants of a lost age. The anthropogenic ruins are the most abundant and useful means we have at our disposal. It's like having an inexhaustible source of materials, tools, structures and machines, scattered around the planet, waiting to be used. Of course, in this way, we have more resources than needs, or better, we are left with tools for no longer existent needs. The stories which have reached us, describe in nostalgia a lost world of wealth and plenitude and juxtapose it with our bleak world of scarcity. I cannot say I find truth in this claim.
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RAW MATERIALS
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ost of the ruins lie in the Old Cities. Others are found scattered in various places: half-buried in the middle of vast deserts, hidden in the heart of dense forests, clung to mountain cliffs and rocks, trapped in deep, narrow canyons or covered by the ocean. We prefer to avoid the Old Cities. Only, every so often, we send small teams there, with the purpose of getting new supplies. These teams, collect anything that could prove useful and carry it back to our settlements. Thus, we have the parts and materials to build our own survival machines. TOMORROW
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verall, things are still difficult, but they seem to be getting better. We are noticing that the system — the planet —, slowly and steadily tends to reach a new equilibrium; and we along with it. — Excerpt from an engineer's Chronicle
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PART I
S K E TCH B O O K
It was a special opportunity to start from the ground up — being able to create new characters, vehicles, and worlds. And since when I started it wasn't clear that the film would be made, I didn't have to limit myself. — Ralph McQuarrie on the visualisation of Star Wars
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PART II
P H Y S I CA L MO D EL S
George [Lucas], had this idea of a used universe. He didn't want anything too slick or too well-painted. It needed to look aged. And also, everything had to look like it had been riveted together, assembled, rather than just a slick mono-shape. And that was one of the guiding principles for our models. — Excerpt from Behind the Scenes of Star Wars: The Original Trilogy
SCRAP METAL INDEX
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his catalogue contains metal parts from old aircraft or similar ruins. During their expeditions, the survivors come across a variety of such ruins, collect them, carry them back to their settlements, sort them out and store them for future usage. These metal elements can be used in a variety of different ways: as building material for big structures and cells, as supporting material for pre-existing structures and natural formations or as principal elements for new machines (e.g. flying apparatus).
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LIVING IN AN OLD GLORIOUS SPACECRAFT
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ne of the first ruins the survivors found when they arrived in the area, was that of an abandoned spacecraft. It was half-buried under the sand. They immediately settled in and turned it into their base and starting point of their explorations. Besides the utility of the shell itself, they found a plethora of valuable parts, equipment and machinery on the inside. Since then, they found more similar carcasses — of ruined and abandoned submarines, aircraft or missiles.
Rear View
Front View
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FLYING APPARATUS I
Safety Valve
Chief Helium Pipe
Deck
Pressurised Helium Tank Fuel Tank Tail Rotor
Exhaust Pipe Engine
Rudder
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Stabiliser
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he chief element of this flying apparatus is a balloon filled with helium (He) or some other, more efficient gas mixture. The gas inside the balloon is less dense than the surrounding (ambient) air. Hence, the whole device is lifted. The amount of lift depends on the helium-air ratio within the balloon. The maximum possible altitude is unspecified, but can definitely reach many kilometres, depending on the size of the balloon and the gas mixture. This apparatus focuses on horizontal (over vertical) movement and provides great autonomy, being capable of performing extremely long flights. It is mainly used to explore and examine new territories and to carry water and food to the settlements during the dry season.
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FLYING APPARATUS II Main Rotor
Chief Axis
Flight Controls
Headlight
Pilot Seat Engine Secondary Gears Tail Rotor Chief Gear
Rudder
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Fuel Tank
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his apparatus operates using a complex system of gears and propellers. A central electric motor or heat engine rotates the chief, vertical axis with the main rotor — responsible for vertical movement — and the chief, horizontally arranged gear. The latter, then, transmits the rotational motion to all secondary gears, which in turn, rotate the secondary propellers, responsible for the horizontal movement. This apparatus focuses on vertical movement and agility, allowing it to approach inaccessible areas and terrains (canyons, debris, dense forests etc.) to extract the desired objects. The maximum possible altitude and autonomy are low.
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DRILLING APPARATUS
Water Injection (Cooling)
Upper Arm Elbow Motor
Lower Arm
Shoulder
Power Supply
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Drill Bit Control Station Base
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multi-tool for digging operations. It basically is a mechanical, modular arm, at the end of which, various tools can be adjusted, suitable for the different types of rocks and operations (digging, drilling, excavating, earthmoving etc.). It is used to create underground cavities or other formations and to drill into the ground in search of water, energy or other resources.
Alternative Drill Bits
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UNDERGROUND LIVING Rope Pulling Winch
Entrance Hatch
Ventilation Tunnel Supporting Structure (Scrap)
Corridor
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rom early on, in many cases, the survivors were forced to hide underground. Their first shelters were natural caves, where they carried any useful objects and equipment they found during their expeditions. Over time, the available space ceased to be sufficient, so they began forming new cavities and digging deeper and deeper to meet their new needs. This, over the years, resulted in complex, underground formations with chambers, corridors, storerooms, laboratories, libraries, water wells etc. The caves are shaped, strengthened and equipped using building materials, objects and instruments they find up on the surface. Underground living ensures protection against various environmental or human dangers and provides favourable conditions for the maintenance of food and other sources.
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GEOTHERMAL ENERGY WELL
Cold Water (Moving Down)
Supporting Structure (Scrap)
28 m 4 km
Hot Water or Steam (Moving Up) Underground Water Reservoir
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hile digging in the north, beyond the mountains, quite far from their settlement, the survivors discovered that large amounts of heat are emitted from various spots in the ground. In an effort to harness and use this heat, they started building a well. This structure can be also used to mine for minerals and rocks.
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HYDROELECTRIC GENERATOR
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laced near streams or rivers, this machine takes advantage of water flow to generate electric power. It, basically, works as a large dynamo. The flow of water provides the necessary energy to turn the turbine which then turns the large magnet positioned inside a fixed electromagnetic coil (copper wire). This relative motion between the magnetic field and the conductor (wire), creates an electrical current. This electrical energy can then be used directly for various operations through use of wires or be stored in batteries for future usage.
Battery
Electrical Output
Rotating Magnet
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Scrap Metal Cover
Electromagnetic Coil (Copper Wire)
Shaft
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he energy required for their diverse activities, is one of the main issues the survivors are concerned with. After much trial and error they gained enough knowledge to be able to use the engines and generators of the pre-event era. Still, they cannot fully understand the logic behind them and their principles of operation.
Brush Turbine
Handle
Magnet
Electron Flow
Copper Disc Lamp
Water Flow
Faraday Disc Generator
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HOVERING HOUSE
Scrap Metal
Supporting Legs
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hese hovering structures which lightly rest on legs, are made to be easily moved from one location to another, using flying or terrestrial means. They can be placed on water, rock, sand or snow, providing a full oversight of the surroundings and a safe distance from the perils of the surface.
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TELESCOPIC APPARATUS Aperture
Telescope Tube
Finderscope
Rotating Base
Eyepiece Observation Platform
Power Supply
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machine for studying and observing the Cosmos. With this great telescope as a central core, a whole base is formed, equipped with observation instruments and devices, a library, storerooms and laboratories. This is where the survivors collect, classify and study the material that can satisfy their longing for cosmic quests.
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CU R R I CU LU M V I TA E
EDUCATION 2010 - 2018 | DIPLOMA IN ARCHITECTURE (300 ECTS - M.Arch. equivalent) Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece GPA: 9.19 / 10.0 (graduating on February 2018).
2007 - 2010 | ST. PAUL, PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL, Thessaloniki, Greece
COMPETITIONS & AWARDS Nov. 2017 | Nominated for the Piranesi Student Honourable Mention 2017, Piran, Slovenia Aug. 2017 | Featured among The 80 Best Architecture Drawings of 2017, Archdaily May 2017 | Special Prize (by Tchoban Foundation Museum for Architectural Drawing), ArchiGraphicArts international competition of architectural drawings in the category of architectural fantasy, Moscow Nov. 2016 | Third Prize Architectural competition for the reuse of the old stables in the port of Thessaloniki, TTDZ Architects & Partners May 2016 | Runner Ups International competition of architectural ideas for the Suncheon Art Platform, TTDZ Architects & Partners
WORK EXPERIENCE 2013 - present | Freelance Work Architectural Visualisation, Illustration, Graphic Design, Photography 2016 | TTDZ ARCHITECTS, Thessaloniki, Greece External partner on two architectural competitions (May and November). Sept. 2014 - Jan. 2015 | TOUMPA EXCAVATION, Department of Archaeology, AUTh, Greece Archaeological illustrator (part time). 2011 | karosimaia.gr & GO magazine (automobile news and stories), Thessaloniki, Greece Writer & sketcher on topics of car design. 95
SKILLS DIGITAL OS | Mac, Windows 2D drafting | Autocad
TRADITIONAL (level)
3D modelling | Rhinoceros Grasshopper TSplines Cinema 4D Sketchup rendering | Vray Keyshot
Technical Drawing Hand Sketching Hand Rendering Model Making Calligraphy Photography Linocut
sculpting | ZBrush photo editing | Photoshop Lightroom graphics | InDesign Illustrator
LANGUAGES Greek: native English: fluent
video | Final Cut Pro Premiere After Effects fabrication | Laser Cutting 3D Printing
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Sports | Football (11 years in local club & 3 years in Architecture Team, AUTh) Tennis (2 years in local club) Music | Local children’s choir (4 years) Byzantine (2 years) 96
T H A NK YO U. If you are interested to see more work, please don't hesitate to contact me. +30 6948639097 andreas.apa@gmail.com andreaspapastergiou.blogspot.gr instagram.com/andreas.papastergiou