Architecture Portfolio

PORTFOLIO

CHRISTINA MARKAKI

MArch ARCHITECTURE GRADUATE

A fresh MArch graduate from Manchester School of Architecture, a passionate and efficient individual, whose thorough and precise approach to projects has yielded exceptional results. A highly ambitious designer with hopes of participating in experimental research, conceptual, spatial design and creative competitions. Interests vary from Deconstruction, fragmentation, user experience, form manipulation, digital cinematic designs as well as virtual buildings in the emerging Metaverse.

Seeking a collaborative opportunity as a full-time Part II Architectural Assistant position where I can showcase and further hone my creative design skills.

CONTACT

Email: crist.markaki@gmail.com Phone/ Whatsapp: +44 7469 601368 Website: cristmarkaki.wixsite.com/ christinamarkaki Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/christi na-markaki-796199157/

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Date of birth: 1st of July 1998 Nationalities: Greek & Cypriot Languages: Greek & English

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Adobe After Effects Animate Character Animator Illustrator InDesign Lightroom Photoshop Premiere Pro Premiere Rush

Autodesk AutoCAD Revit 3Ds Max Maya

Other 3D Softwares Rhino Sketchup Blender Vectorworks

Technical Softwares Sefaira DesignBuilder

Rendering Softwares Lumion Enscape VRay

Model Making Hand models 3D printing CNC Laser Cutting

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Driving License

Willing to travel

Graphic and fashion design Hand and digital drawing

EDUCATION

Manchester School of Architecture (MSA)/ 2020- 2022 Manchester, United Kingdom RIBA Part II MArch Architecture Hons Distinction 75%

Thesis project: A spatial experiment of deconstructed dystopia applied to a failed utopia in the shape of a psychological dream in a virtual environment.

Leicester School of Architecture (LSA)/ 2016- 2019 Leicester, United Kingdom RIBA Part I BA Architecture Hons 2018-19 2:1 66.6% (Thesis Project First Class) 2017-18 Distinction 72.14% 2016-2017 Distinction 70.1%

Thesis project: Multidisciplinary, contextual research and form manipulation with structural engineering design creatively merge to create a residential complex in Berlin.

Architectonica/ 2014- 2016 Athens, Greece

Art and Design Foundation, including modules: History of Architecture, Design Studio, Visual Communication and Computer-aided design. Distinction 77.5%

Network Foundation Program/ 2014-2016 Athens, Greece

English Foundation including modules: Mathematics, Computer Science, English Language and Literature 2:1 66.5%

Rhodion Pedia/ 2013-2016 Rhodes, Greece

Hellenic Geniko Lykeio/ Secondary High School Distinction 19.8 /20

WORK EXPERIENCE

Part I Architectural Assistant & Project Architect (Full and Part-time)/ 2016- 2022 Rhodes, Greece G. Markakis, R. Oikonomidou and Associates

The position entails client relations, presentations, preparation, and submission of building permits. Developed adaptable skills from working on various projects whilst simultaneously creating realist renders, completing technical drawings, and gaining on-site experience.

Design Tutor (Part-time)/ 2013- 2018 Thessaloniki, Greece

Yuppi Camp

Teaching Art and Design to international students from ages 5 to 16 at the camp’s art workshops.

Community Service Architectural Assistant (Part-time)/ 2013- 2016 Rhodes, Greece

Rotary Club of Rhodes

Creating projects that will benefit the community. Designed a lighthouse to assist Syrian migrants arriving on the Greek island of Rhodes. This aided in the development of my technical abilities, as well as my work ethic, teamwork approach, and leadership abilities. It was also advantageous since I was able to witness how an idea progressed from a preliminary drawing to a fully detailed technical design at a young age.

To the HR Department

CONTACT

crist.markaki@gmail.com +44 7469 601368 cristmarkaki.wixsite.com/chris tinamarkaki www.linkedin.com/in/christina-marka ki-796199157/

CHRISTINA MARKAKI

MArch ARCHITECTURE GRADUATE

To Whom it May Concern,

I am writing to express my interest in the position of the Architectural Assistant Part II, as an experienced recent MArch graduate with a demonstrated history of working in the architecture industry both in the UK and in Greece. The vast portfolio of public architectural services you offer is impressive. I was particularly intrigued by your design-led approach and research, notably the emphasis on the unique experiences of its users. I am passionate about these myself as shown in my thesis project on User Experience in Digital Environments. I have a high level of interest in this role because my experience and education align well with your firm’s approach to clients and cases. My previous architecture experience has honed my creativity, design, and teamwork skills, among others, and I am confident I have the skills and knowledge required to take your firm into the next chapter.

With a MArch degree from the Manchester School of Architecture, I have a strong thesis project, a research project on user experience in the field of Virtual Realities, a psychological journey through Inferno, a continuation of my interactive experimenting dissertation on controlled atmospheres of Deconstructive buildings.

Along with pursuing my Bachelor’s degree, I dedicated three years working part-time as a Part I architecture assistant for the architect and civil engineer George Markaki. After receiving my degree, due to COVID-19, I returned to Greece to work as a full-time Part I while also freelancing as a designer. While completing my Master’s degree, I undertook the role of a part-time Architectural Assistant, as well as, a project architect for a luxury residential complex in the southern region of Rhodes, Greece. This project is dear to me as I was a part of it from its inception right up to its construction while working alongside the clients, engineers, and construction team. It was an invaluable experience that allowed me to create important connections and gain a solid understanding of the culture as well as the dynamics of the work.

My practical expertise in this industry, understanding of the working environment of an architect, and familiarity with client communication set me apart from the many other applicants for this position. I am highly skilled in developing complex project designs, powerful narrative-based concepts, hand drawings, high-quality models, and executing on-site inspections. Furthermore, I am adept at working under pressure and can function well independently or in team environments. In addition, I am able to use and have experience with various industry software programs and I am enthusiastic and willing to learn more if necessary.

Since graduation, I’ve engaged in continual learning and development, not only because it would advance my career, but also because I believe architects should take a position on the Virtual World as it is the investable future of architecture. In this regard, I’m currently preparing to participate in the 22nd International Conference on Construction Applications of Virtual Reality (CONVR 2022) as well as the ASCAAD 2022 conference that focuses on Hybrid Spaces of the Metaverse, with the aim of unravelling the opportunities and potentials of architecture in the age of the Metaverse. I’m eager to combine my artistic talents with my technical skills to create concepts and designs for a new portfolio of clients.

I am keen to discuss how I can add value to your firm and address questions you may have about me and my portfolio.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely, Christina Markaki

THESIS PROJECT MArch 2022

THESIS MArch THESIS

MArch

Dreams; Dystopia deconstructed applied to a failed Utopia Digital Virtual Context

While Utopia and Dystopia are creations of capitalism, they rejoice in its destruction. A topography that entertains the unconscious. This is an e-motional field in which component part topographic relationships are not stable and fixed, but can be misplaced, displaced, or even replaced. An attempt to construct a “dream” where the narrative is drowned from my unconscious memories. I am the architect of the dream; a psycho-logical journey by which one comes to experience being. An unconscious topography in which emotions can ‘move’ us, for they organise as a route. An embodied motion at different speeds activates the senses in an aggregated sequence of emotional responses Evoking emotion in the shape of motion as one travels through it. The dream is an experience of my utopic memories (the reflection of how I perceive the world) blended to create my unconscious dystopia. Inspired by Dante’s Inferno, his psychological journey through the 9 stages of hell as a critic of 14thcentury society.

This spatial experiment seeks to alter the experiential conditions of the user and the way by which they look at shaping that experiential engagement. Our current living spaces are rarely suitable with virtual reality’s rapid advancement, we require mediating spaces that would connect spaces to the virtual world. This umbrella project explores new ways of spatial construction, bringing up matters of the physical atmosphere such as gravity, enclosure, and scale. These mediating-spaces have the potential to connect our physical world to the image-based universes that surround us that have helped create a new genealogy of spaces which is conscious of the current contemporary design landscape.

1st Level of Inferno: Limbo/ Grief Dante’s Setting: Distorted Earth

2nd Level of Inferno: Heresy Dante’s Setting: Entrance to the

5th Level of Inferno: Gluttony Dante’s Setting: Frozen/ Burnt, a contradictive space

6th Level of Inferno: Lust Dante’s Setting: Storm

7th Level of Inferno: Treachery Dante’s Setting: Frozen State

The collages below are the initial abstract representation of the 9 stages of Inferno, translated from Dante’s poem to a visual, spatial configurations before they become experiencial spaces.

3rd Level of Inferno: Fraud Dante’s Setting: Earthquake

4th Level of Inferno: Anger Dante’s Setting: River

8th

9th Level of Inferno: Violence Dante’s Setting: Explosion

City of Dis, flying tombs

Level of Inferno: Greed Dante’s Setting: Mountain

1st

2nd

5th

Level of Inferno: Limbo/ Grief Dante’s Setting: Distorted Earth

Level of Inferno: Heresy Dante’s Setting: Entrance to the City of Dis, flying tombs

4th Level of Inferno: Anger Dante’s Setting: River

Level of Inferno: Gluttony Dante’s Setting: Frozen/ Burnt, a contradictive space

7th Level of Inferno: Treachery Dante’s Setting: Frozen State

8th Level of Inferno: Greed Dante’s Setting: Mountain

3rd Level of Inferno: Fraud

Dante’s Setting: Earthquake

Below the key frames of the clip in each stage.

6th Level of Inferno: Lust

Dante’s Setting: Storm

9th Level of Inferno: Violence

Dante’s Setting: Explosion

The final outcome is a video where the stages of the contemporary Inferno can further be effective as an interactive experience. To see the full video scan the QR code.

THESIS BA THESIS BA

Holfplatz Housing Berlin, Germany

The chosen site is at the back of the Jewish Museum by Daniel Libeskind. The triangle-shaped site is backed onto a hospital and a school on one side and is currently accessible via the two residential roads that form a small junction. In the initial site analysis, I have extracted the historical changes to the site’s urban forms. I discovered through this investigation the desire of the neighbourhood to have more public spaces and less rigorous/ traditional placemaking strategies becoming acceptable.

I have decided to make the provision of public space the centre of my project. To do so, I have named my project Holfplatz, which means ‘’a plaza that is shaped by a courtyard.’’ By setting back the buildings on the northern side from the hospital/ school walls, I have allowed access through the site to the public from all directions. In the abstract model, I have ‘pealed up’ the corners of the site. The idea is to create three large spine canopies over the building masses which are light and airy, shade the public courtyard on one end, and form a roof canopy over the upper terraces on the other.

Below the two larger canopies are two residential blocks that can accommodate up to 340 people in 95 compacted apartments ranging from studio flats to six-bedroom family units. Every apartment has a unique shape making the residence’s experience unique. The ground floor includes public spaces to maintain the feeling of the square. The small third canopy onto the southern junction is a multi-fictional pavilion that is designed to be a semi-open-air entrance. It is visible from both two access roads

accessibility junction accessibility

center focus

plaza creation

accessibility + plaza

pathways + views + courtyards

‘pealed up’ design strategy from the centre

airy canopies by partially volume removal

volumes on the bottom for building formation canopy support by leaf inspired construction

Main structure The Spine

Third structure `The support

Secondary structure The beams

Forth structure The cladding

COMPETITION COMPETITION

Sala Concerti ‘Chiesa Diruta’ Matera, Italy

Chiesa Diruta is a representation of holiness and an opportunity for the present. With the new design, the team aims to bring the building back in the heart of the community. The church embraces a sense of eternity that dictated our subtle, ephemeral architectural proposal. The parish of elements of the building did not stand in the way of fulfilling its holly purpose for centuries and so the team wanted to celebrate the ruin rather than polish it. Anything but a soft, temporary intervention seemed to be crude, almost malicious to the church. In the concept development three design aims were delivered as a dictation of the design; 1.the restructuration of spatial hierarchy as in piazza, 2.the replication of public, private and transitional spaces in the city within the building, and 3. the metaphorical representation of the society, bringing the community in the building.

During the site analysis, the team focused on understanding public spaces and their misuse. Piazzas around Italy and ultimately in the historical centre of Matera maintain in indicating the spatial features of a piazza from social to active and commercial purposes. The aim of the new architecture was to fulfil the social needs of the community through replicating the core principles of a piazza in the internal space of the church soon to be a community gathering space. By elevating the concert hall, the building benefits from a transitional space that could also work independently for holding cultural venues or community-related activities.

The new main entrance of the building is an homage to the ruin, a metamorphosis of the history with the future that welcomes the visitor in a space of transition. The circulation of the space has been thoroughly developed so that the visitor would manage to experience the entire space by the end of the performance. From the cloakroom, the visitor advances in the exhibition space, the end of the exhibition is outlined with an area destined for socializing, a space for preparation to follow the next step of the journey, the elevation to the higher floor, in the auditorium. At the end of the performance, the audience can experience the authentic taste of the region at the wine tasting stand and proceed further down to the final destination, the gift shop and the former bell tower, contemplation journey to the panoramic view over the city.

The main feature of the new architecture was the roof and the way it embraces the tallness of the building while fulfilling the technical sound and light requirements of a concert hall. We perceive the roof as an abstract representation of the community, where it is the individuals that shape the spaces rather the build environment itself. The more concentrated the space, the less light penetrates, and the fewer opportunities arise, whereas the spaces that bring large, open areas, give chance for self-expressing just as sunlight plays inside the concert hall.

SUMMER HOME SUMMER HOME

Luxury Vacation Residence Rhodes, Greece

Illustrated below is the first project I worked on as an Architectural Assistant. The building is a luxury high-end residence where it would be used for the purpose of summer vacation. The site plan is approximately 4000m2 including each floor (110m2) and the swimming pool (100m2). The design was altered over the course of 9 months. For the client to better understand, a 3D digital model was produced. After many months, the design evolved and the 2D drawings and 3D digital models had to be approved by the city planning service. The building is currently under construction and is expected to finish in 2023.

The swimming pool served as the inspiration for the design. One of the clients was a young boy with special difficulties who enjoys the water. In consideration of the building codes, the