Portfolio - Antonio Fernandez by Antonio Fernández

CONCEPTS Antonio Fernández Vargas

SELECTED PROJECTS 2017-2023

CONTENTS

Conceptualization of my context

1. ACADEMIC PROJECTS A. URBAN MUTATIONS (THE ENCLOSURE) / ALAJUELA / 2020 ........................................................... ..........3 Academic Project

B. NIMBU (THE WINDOW) / GUANACASTE / IC 2019 .............................................................................................. 9 Academic Project

C. RESILIENT CAÑAS (THE ROOF) / GUANACASTE / IIIC 2018 ...........................................................................12 Academic Project

2. PERSONAL PROJECTS A. docexdoce COMPETITION - 56 HOURS / 2020 ........................................................................... ............15 Competition

3. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE A. UNIT 5 - ELEMENTS OF DWELLING / 2020 .................................................................................... ............18 Professional Project

B. A LANDMARK FOR BARRIO ESCALANTE / 2019 .......................................................................... ............15

B. UNIT 8 - REPURPOSING LA GALERA / 2020 ................................................................................. ............18

C. RCR SUMMER WORKSHOP / 2020 ................................................................................................... ............16

C. UNDISCLOSED GENSLER PROJECT #1 / 2021-2022 .................................................................... ............19

Competition

Professional Project

Personal Project

Professional Project

D. MONDO NOSTRUM MAGAZINE / 2020 ............................................................................................ ...........17

D. UNDISCLOSED GENSLER PROJECT #2 / 2022-2023 ............................................................. .....................20

Personal Project

Professional Project

01. A URBAN MUTATIONS GRADUATION PROJECT HONORS THESIS

PROF. CARLOS UMAÑA & WALTER LEONE 2020 | ALAJUELA 48´000m²

BRIEF SCALE: XL More than 25% of shopping malls were to close in the United States by 2022. In Costa Rica, the massive closure of malls began in the 2010s (a delay compared to the United States, where the phenomenon began in the 1990s). There are more than 1’400’000m2 of shopping malls in the Great Metropolitan Area (Costa Rica), so it is urgent to find alternative uses for them before they become empty. Since the mall is defined as an enclosed, private, guarded, exclusive and impermeable space, the questions arise: can a space designed for a particular use become its own antithesis? To carry out the project and answer this question, we studied the International Mall of Alajuela, a building that once housed the most important commercial space in the province and can now described as a postmodern ruin.

Province: Alajuela

District: Alajuela

These ruins have contaminated the context in such a way that it can be categorized as Terrain Vague (de Solá Morales), therefore the damaged fabric must be regenerated. This property activated the lot in the main entrance to the city since 1993, and was completely displaced by the arrival of the City Mall in 2017 -at just 50m away. Being left as a ghost mall, the project seeks to turn it into its antithesis, and make it an urban generator capable of maximizing relationships with its context and making it an urban actor.

To achieve this, I first had to define the mall through its program and the spacial features it had. closed private guarded exclusive impermeable

Consequently it was decided to eliminate some parts of the building that gave it introverted characteristics and deprived it of its surroundings. By operating directly on the building and regenerating parts of the surroundings, it was possible to open it up to the public realm. Then I defined what its anthisesis To make these changes to the site, meant. Rem Koolhaas’ design theories were open studied, such as the free section and public the programmatic strips of the Parc free de la Villette. inclusive permeable

By applying these theories, a programmatic instability is generated that facilitates urban accidents. This allows spontaneous activities to occur without being completely manipulated by the architect, thus allowing the building to respond to urban needs and the times of the city. All this is facilitated through mechanisms that allow it to mutate over time.

The dividing walls: Inspired in Rem Koolhaas’ Exodus, the mall is located in a strip of landcompletely segregating it from its context with a series of introspective spaces.

6 5

4 3

1. Mall Internacional 2. City Mall 3. San Rafael Hospital 4. Outlet Store 5. Milling Plant 6. National Technical University (UTN) 7. Supermarket 8. Outlet Store

Urban fabric generation scheme

Cross Section

4 5

13 2 7 8

7 6

Ground Floor Plan 1. Drop Off 2. Roofed Plaza 3. Multi-use Space 1 4. Multi-use Space 2 5. Interstice 6. Park (with subterranean access) 7. Water plaza 8. Plaza 9. Skatepark 10. Stage 11. Auditorium 12. Access Plaza 13. Ramp Access 14. Bridge 15. Access Park

Planta estructural de columnas existentes

01.

Current mall: ravine in poor condition to the north surrounded by abandoned lots and houses in poor condition.

02.

Built section is eliminated and opened up to the neighborhood, using the existing level difference to create public space.

03.

10m

30m

The modules are offset to create shadows with the eaves. The flows of the city towards the public spaces are traced.

50m

04.

100m

The central space is lifted and roofs are modified, creating skylights to illuminate interior spaces. The ramps and the bridge are built.

05.

Passive techniques are used to allow natural lighting and ventilation. The auditorium receives the flows coming from Alajuela with green areas.

06.

Vegetation is included in the green spaces- as well as the skatepark, water mirrors, and benches. The project now part of the urban fabric.

4 2 9

1 3

1. Depressed Park Access 2. Ramp 3. Stairs 4. Footbridge 5. Canopy 6. Internal Patio 7. Dry Patio 8. Office Space 9. Multi-Use Space 10. Terrace Spaces 11. Low-Level Acess

Cross Section

The parks (see #13 in plan view) have a unique quality that allows the exterior spaces to flow into the lower level. To create this, Koolhaas’ free section was studied, as it created smoother circulations.

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1. Depressed Park Access 2. Ramp 3. Stairs 4. Footbridge 5. Canopy 6. Internal Patio 7. Dry Patio 8. Office Space 9. Multi-Use Space

Not only did it provide innovative dynamics to the project, but it also improved multilevel communication among the users of the project, promoting new interactions and more connected spaces.

Mechanic openings can also be seen in this section. These were an important factor to create a more interactive space, conceptually allowing for the space to mutate according to the users and the functionality needs.

Cross Section Zoom In

D01

D02 Metalum galvanized iron roofing sheet with rectangular profile calibre .26 Wooden parasol with 6”x24”x2” slats Tempered glass (6mm width) Vilax Deep Red Black structural iron nailers 2 x 3 " OSB wooden board with acoustic insulation

Concrete slab 210kg/cm3 with polished finishing 25x12cm gutter, stainless aluminum

Steel joists 4”x3” @ 60cm Angular 12 "x12" Steel 4mm calibre

Handrail details

IPN 180 beam with boreholes in the neutral axis for cable feed-throughs Movable panel with steel cable anchor for 1" pulley Klein frameless commercial sliding door

D01: Gutter detail

Seating detail

Ramp arrival and connection with walkway

Access and roofed plaza

D02: Pulley detail

Isometric: Operation of pulleys and details

Topography unevenness, and free section along service bands and urban space.

01. C HOTEL NIMBU UNIT X

PROF. JOSÉ VARGAS & DANA VÍQUEZ 2019 | GUANACASTE 3´400m²

BRIEF SCALE: M The project consists of a hotel located in Playas del Coco, where there is a mangrove that few locals know about. The mangrove was kept as a very important axis throughout the project because it is a very difficult ecosystem to regenerate and is unique in its kind for its various biological functions. The concept of the project was the window, so the axes in the distribution were extremely important. The main space is the lobby, which consists of a triple height that serves to frame the views of the mangrove swamp and the beach, which is located in front of the hotel. To enhance the feeling of “being in the mangrove”, corridors were designed at water level leading to the rooms.

Province: Guanacaste

District: Carrillo

Roofing

L2 - Spa, rooms

Beach - restaurant public space connector

L1 - Restaurant, admin, rooms

GF - Lobby, reception, pool, bar, rooms

Facade concept - The big roof covering the room volumes

Isometric - Hotel Components by Block

View from 2nd floor corridors facing rooms and mangrove

View from beach towards main facade

View from mangrove towards beach

Cross section

To Beach 01

2 1

3 04

Reception

Lockers

Spa

Admin. S

06 Laundry 6

Restaurant

Bar

Toilets S

Kitchen

08 Toilets 8

09 To Mangrove

Pool Daybeds

Ground Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

01. C RESILIENT CAÑAS UNIT IX

PROF. WALTER LEONE & ALEJANDRO VALLEJO 2018 | GUANACASTE 50m²

BRIEF SCALE: S Resilient Cañas seeks to rediscover the identity of Río Cañas, a community which has been threatened by the emigration of inhabitants due to the floodings caused by the river. Multiple workshops were carried out with the community for them to become part of the design process. The project sought to design a glocal architecture (global and local), thus responding to the context without invading it: rescuing traditions such as the palo encebado, roof thatching and facilitating program shifts. The use of local materials was indispensable since the idea was for the community to build and take responsibility of the project. In terms of flexibility, sunshades were generated with the legs and tabletops that could then be assembled in a simple manner. The panels can be rotated and allow the outside to mix with the inside to strengthen this relationship at different levels.

Province: Guanacaste

“Listen or your tongue will make you deaf”

Canton: Santa Cruz

Ideation process with the youth of the community

Ideation process and brainstorming with the whole community

Section Cut - Scenario 2 (Classroom inside)

Exploded isometric with material count Table assembly

Section Cut - Scenario 1 (Free interior space)

Table leg assembly in enclosure: Step 1

Table leg assembly in enclosure: Step 2 -ZoomIn

Table leg assembly in enclosure: Step 3

Process sketches (from left to right): 1) study of Latin American references for a communal space, 2) study of local building archetypes and constructive techniques in Río Cañas, 3) study of materiality, enclosures and modulation.

Model of the constructive concept that was presented to the community during the final presentation

02 PERSONAL PROJECTS A. 56 HOURS - DOCEXDOCE COMPETITION

Special edition for “Amigos Solidarios-Honduras” - 2020 The goal for this 56-hour competition was to think of new ways to reuse the fuselage of abandoned aircrafts. The competition’s requirements were an image and a text explaining each teams searches. In our case, we explored how these objects could maintain their purpose as a structure capable of transporting migrants through international borders. Proposal by Jorge Barzuna and myself-I was in charge of most parts of the image and part of the text.

B. A LANDMARK FOR BARRIO ESCALANTE Edilex Facade Competition - 2019

The aircraft no longer flies. How do we preserve its capacity to transport if it remains static? The democratization of its parts is proposed in order to maintain its character as a mediator between nations separated by imaginary limits. These spaces question the border, promoting migratory flows through walls conceived to be inaccessible. Collage of existing conditions for “Concurso Edilex” (First place) 2019 - Universidad Veritas Competition

Facade diagram and illustration for “Concurso Edilex” (First place with team members Alejandra Fernández and Daniela Rumoroso) 2019 - Universidad Veritas Competition

Illustration and text for “56 hours” (First place with team member Jorge Barzuna) 2020 - docexdoce Competition

This competition consisted in the design of a facade for a Communications and Marketing Office in San Jose, Costa Rica. It’s located in a neighborhood known for its modern brick houses: thus the selection of this noble material for a contemporary application. The team (formed by Alejandra Fernández, Daniela Rumoroso and myself) also decided to use a sliding corten steel panel for the access as it matches the color palette as well as the intentions of using pure, wellaging materials. For this competition, I was part of the design process, rendering views, and drawing construction plans.

C. RCR SUMMER WORKSHOP Personal Project - 2020

Interpretation of the macro site - “The topography of the fog” (Olot)

The Site - Plan view

The forces of The Site (represented in section)

The entrance to the built space

This workshop ‘s objective was to create the “Space of Comprehension” where Catalan chef Ferrán Adriá’s book “Sapiens” would be displayed. After a series of interpretations of the site and multi technique experimentations, inspired by various artists, the group I was part of (with Gianfranco Morales from Peru and Soledad Larraín from Chile) decided to merge architecture with landscape, thus creating a sequence of introspective spaces where the user would be prepared to access the final space of revelation where the book would be kept. I participated mostly creating illustrations and part of the narrative. A very valuable aspect of this workshop was to learn and put to practice the design methodology of RCR, which requires a very thoughtful process and sensible critical thinking in order to create an architecture that can be easily read as belonging to the site.

Longitudinal Section of the Space of Comprehension.

01.

The space of comunion

02.

The space of water

03.

The space of revelation

D. MONDO NOSTRUM MAGAZINE Personal Project - 2020

MANIFESTO MONDO NOSTRUM is a document focused on the analysis and communication of poeticphilosophical -theoretical and critical thinking, and relevant and pertinent ideas and designs in architecture, urbanism, ruralism (and other areas of design) throughout the planet. MONDO NOSTRUM acts as an agent of change to “promote sustainability, social justice and beauty in the built environment - architecture, cities and human settlements - throughout the Planet, by publishing ideas and advanced solutions for environmental design and construction. MONDO NOSTRUM is made up of experts, activists, intellectuals and professionals from different disciplines from all over the planet. *(Nomad School for Planetary Design)

Director: Álvaro Rojas Editorial staff: Mauricio Quirós, Fredy Masad and Luis Alberto Monge Coordinator: Sharon Salas Edition and translation: Antonio Fernández, Alejandra Fernández, Martina Massad and Marta Fúster. Design and production: Rocío L. Berenguer and Nicolás M. Rueda Translation and edition of Peter Stutchbury’s article by Antonio Fernández. Translation and edition of Jiat-Hwee Chang’s interview by Antonio Fernández. Articles published

03 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE B. UNIT 8

A. UNIT 5

Repurposing La Galera - 2021

Elements of Dwelling - 2020

For this Unit, students were asked to read Martin Heidegger’s passage “Building Dwelling Thinking” and conceptualize their findings into a threedimensional plaster model. For this, space was firstly thought of as a solid, and throughout the process of site interpretation, it acquired spatial features. Another important reference for this Unit were Spanish sculptors, Jorge de Oteiza and Eduardo Chillida-due to the capability of their sculptures to engage with the inmediate context while creating open, habitable spaces.

This Unit consisted in the design of an elevated passway for pedestrians over a very travelled road in the east of San José. For this, the third-year students had to interpret the site and come up with a concept that would guide their design, along with a series of guidelines proposed by the local municipality of Curridabat, which encourages architects and urbanists to use a series of plants and good practices. Students were then asked to create a series of spaces for the multiple user profiles from the communityengaging with them with a series of experiences that would offer safe, aesthetic and functional conditions.

Exploded isometric by David Zúñiga.

Photoshop Workshop directed by me to help students with their presentation skills.

Jaylean Henry Concept Board

Concept model by Alberto Medina

Concept model by Erika Porras

Luisa Salgado Presentation

C. UNDISCLOSED GENSLER PROJECT #1 2021-2022

This project was located next to one of the most important parks in the city. The mixed use project consisted in a theatre, a cinema 4 towers (of which 2 were residential and 2 were for corporate) and a hotel. One of the main intentions was to substitute a street by creating an open public space, along with other key features that improved the lifestyle of the citizens through enriching experiences of high quality design. My responsibilities were mainly 3D modelling, including facades of high rise corporate towers, a cinema, a parking building and storefront design. I also collaborated with the presentations for the clients as well as process renderings.

Here I learned about the importance of caring for the clients’ interests, making the most of the available resourceswhich are also limited in projects of these scales.

D. UNDISCLOSED GENSLER PROJECT #2 2022-2023

The project consisted in the expansion of an existing luxurious mall, where the client wanted to have a key feature that created an anchor point for the visitors to walk around and create more dynamic flows along the interiors. The program of the expansion included a food court, a food hall and a bowling alley -among commercial stores. The team, along with the client, decided to use a set of local materials in order to create a local architecture. My main responsibilities were creating presentations for the clients and the 3D modelling of the new construction, which included the design process of the main feature, a food hall and a food court. Project #2: Non-disclosed location. Mall interior. Property of Gensler©

In this project I learned about team managing and client relationship, which has been very valuable for my career.