portfolio by Clara Syme

4 . ro w i n g c l u b 8. flow 9. yawn / lawn 10. monument 1 2 . b l e n h e i m ro a d 1 4 . l y ri c s u i t e 1 6 . p e rs o n a l w o rk 1 8 . w o rk i n p ro g re s s 2 0 . c o - o p w o rk 2 2 . re f e re n c e l e t t e rs

EDUCATION

2011 - PRESENT

U n i t e rs i t y o f Wa t e rl o o : B . A rc h H o n o u rs C o - o p

2009 - 2011

McGill: B.A. + Sc.

2010 SUMMER

U n i v e rs i t y o f To ro n t o : v i s i t i n g s t u d e n t

WORK / EXPERIENCE

2013

Po w e rh o u s e C o m p a n y : a rc h i t e c t u re i n t e rn

2013

L e ro y S t re e t S t u d i o : a rc h i t e c t u re i n t e rn

2012 - 2013

F i n a l P ro j e c t R e v i e w : Wa t e rl o o A rc h i t e c t u re p ro g ra m ’ s e x h i b i t i o n o f s e l e c t e d s t u d e n t w o rk

2012

O A A s c h o l a rs h i p : re c i p i e n t

2011 - 2012

U n i v e rs i t y o f Wa t e rl o o : D e a n ’ s h o n o u rs l i s t

2010 SUMMER

C i t y o f To ro n t o Pa rk s + R e c re a t i o n : l i f g u a rd

2011

G ri n d e r: b a ri s t a

2011

Luminato: volunteer

2011

Fo l i o : f e a t u re d a rt i s t i n M c G i l l ’ s s t u d e n t- ru n b i a n n u a l a rt +

SKILLS

design magazine

2010 - 2011

M c G i l l D a i l y : i l l u s t ra t i o n s

2009

R H S A P h o t o g ra p h y E x h i b i t i o n : f e a t u re d a rt i s t

2008 - 2009

R H S A : p h o t o g ra p h y a s s i s t a n t t e a c h e r

2007

3rd U n c l e D e s i g n : g ra p h i c a n d a u d i o c o n s u l t a t i o n

2006

B l o o rv i e w K i d s R e h a b : v o l u n t e e r

a u t o c a d , v e c t o rw o rk s , i l l u s t ra t o r, i n d e s i g n , p h o t o s h o p , s k e t c h u p , rh i n o , v ra y, m i c ro s o f t o f f i c e , re v i t , f i n a l c u t, la ser c u t t i n g , b a s i c w o o d w o rk i n g , v i o l i n , c l i m b i n g , p h o t o g ra ph y

R e f e re n c e s a v a i l a b l e u p o n requ est.

design studio 2b 4

A rowing shell is designed to maximize

form of th e p ier s wo r k s wit h t h e flo w o f

d o u b le s c r ee n fac ad e s y s t em . F l ood

the potential of the intersection

the river at d iffe r e n t wat e r le v els an d

le v el d at a is p r e s e n t ed b y t h e pi e r s

between nature and man-made

guides th e c ir c u lat io n o f u s e r s . Wh ile

m at er ialit y c h an g e s t h at m eas u re t he

technology. The building attempts

the botto m p o r t io n o f t h e b u ild in g is

t an g ib le effe c t s o f n at u r al fo r c e s ov e r

to do the same by working with the

deigned to wit h s t an d flo o d in g , t h e

t im e. I n c o n t r as t , t h e c o n d it io n e d

f looding and flow of the Grand River.

enclosed/ c o n d it io n e d p o r t io n s it s

p o r t io n o f t h e b u ild in g r eg is t e r s t h e

The building is intended to allow for

above the m axim u m 8m flo o d le v el

d aily c y c le o f lig h t t h r o u g h e p h e m e r a l

these natural cycles to occur by sitting

and is fre e t o r es p o n d t o o c c u p an c y

v is u al effe c t s

ligh tly on top of co ncrete piers. The

desires th r o u g h t h e m an ip u lat io n o f a

r o w i n g c l u b 2b d e s i g n s t u d i o

0m section a through enterance pier w/ flood levels

5 elevation

r o w i n g c l u b 2b d e s i g n s t u d i o

garden / eat

enter garden garden washroom

sit / watch garden

dock access

storage dock access storage sit / fish

public building site plan

explded axo

design studio rowing club 7

material studies and detail public

building

plan

09 07

10 08

09 07

10 08

15 11 09

16 12 10

15 17 13 11

16 18 14 12

17 19 13

18 20 14

19 21

20 22

flow 1

w/ Miriam Wierzchoslawska

09 07

15 11 09

15 17 13 11

design studio

17 19 13

The series of flipbooks captures an

transp ar e n t , allo win g fo r t h e q u alit y

fr en z ie d fas t flo w o v er r o c k s v s . t h e

intervention with the flow of a small

of the flo w t o b e o b s e r v ed ; h o w fas t

s lo w le e c h in g t h r o u g h t h e mos s y

stream feeding into the Grand River.

does th e wat er m o v e, wh at p at h d o es it

s t r e am ed g e .

19 21

take ar o u n d o b s t ac le s , d o es it p o o l in 20 22

20 22

Acting lik e a radioactive ink used in

certain ar eas , d o es it p r o d u c e ed d ie s

T h is id ea t h at d is p ar at e p ar ts c om b i n e

medical diagnostic imaging, the infinite

in other s ? T h e d o c u m en t at io n s h o ws

t o p r o d u c e a u n ified wh o le c a n a l s o

flow of water is made momentarily

that al t h o u g h t h e s t r eam is r e g ar d e d

b e ap p lie d t o lar g e r b o d ie s of w a t e r

visible through the introduction of

as one b o d y o f wat e r c o m p o s ed

s u c h as c u r r en t s in o c ean s a nd w h e n

coloured cream (dyed with all natural

of a hom o g en o u s m at e r ial m o v in g

an aly z in g t h e v ar ie d c h ar ac t e r of t he

in a un ified d ir ec t io n , it is m ad e o f

something that would otherwise be

mome n t s t h at v ar y d r as t ic ally- - t h e

Gr an d R iv e r.

materials). Our intervention dramatizes

flow

beets

cabbage

green tea

sec

140

sec

tumeric

sec

alternative domestic space designed

of the c an o p y. Yawn / lawn is m ad e o f a

s t im u lat es d r eam - lik e im ag er y a n d t h e

to explore communal sleep/rest in

rigorou s g r id wh ic h c an b e o b s e r v ed

t r an s lu c e n t c an o p y c r eat e s a d i f f us e ,

the context of the front lawn. The

from ab o v e wh ile t h e lo wer p o r t io n is

s o ft im ag e o f t h e s c en e b ey o n d .

installation presents the possibilities

hangin g wild g r as s es . To fit b elo w t h e

of sleep that occurs while in the

canopy o n e m u s t s h ift fr o m a v er t ic al

presence of othe rs, between public

to horiz o n t al p o s it io n ; s wit c h in g fr o m

and private domains. The front lawn

the uprig h t r elat io n s o f d aily p u b lic

is rigorously man icured and rarely

life to a p o s it io n o f in t im ac y, is o lat io n ,

occupied, most often acting as a

and vu ln e r ab ilit y. T h e o c c u p an t is

status symbol and transitory space.

encourag e d t o p lay wit h t h e h an g in g

The lawnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s repressed rural and fertile

grasse s wh ile t h e y ar e lu lled b y

qualities is present in the contrast

the nois e o f t h e win d t h r o u g h o u t .

T h e s u r r e al in v e r s io n o f t h e la w n

betwee n t h e u p p e r an d lo wer p o r t io n

design studio

The yawn/ lawn installation creates an

design studio group proj-

fable warns children against playing in

solid while also being ephemeral and

site chosen along the Grand River.

the quarry by referring to smoke from

impalpable. This is realized through

The location’s atmosphere is harsh/

a devil’s hut rising from the walls. The

the exploration of the material quality

dramatic, it’s past use as a quarry is

installation acts as a bonfire shelter

of wood, manipulating it to achieve the

marked by the enclosing shear wall of

to screen the night-time activity. When

installation’s dual nature of dark and

limestone. Contrasting the pale vertical

not in use it functions as a trace or

light, opaque and transparent, solid

element is a surface of flat dark rock

monument of the site’s occupation

and permeable. The character of the

littered with shards of broken glass

and iconography. The construction

installation changes depending on

and the remnants of fires which are the

represent the contrasting nature of

the quality of light and the angle from

traces of the site’s night-time use. A local

smoke as opaque and seemingly

which it is viewed.

m o n u m e n t 2b d e s i g n s t u d i o

Monument 1.3 is a response to a

module construction diagram

design studio 2a 12

-1

floor plan

People sympathize less with social

problem s o f is o lat io n m ay ac u t e ly

t h e o u t d o o r s . T h e ju xt ap o s it ion of

movements and the possibility

p r o g r am s wit h in t h e p u b lic b u i l d i n g

for strong relatio nships within

home. Ho m e - wo r k er s exp er ie n c e

en c o u r ag es in t e r ac t io n b et we e n t he

communities are being broken up

a lack o f s p at ial an d t e m p o r al

v ar io u s d em o g r ap h ic s o c c u p yi ng t h e

by forms of isola ting architecture

distinc t io n b et we e n t h e r ealm s o f wo r k

s p ac e. I n u r b an c o n d it io n s p e op l e

such as the condo and the suburb.

and leis u r e. To c o n fr o n t t h is c o n d it io n ,

o ft en s e e k r efu g e fr o m t h e o v e r-

I propose a solution to this growing

each per s o n is g iv en a wo r k s p ac e

s t im u lat io n o f m et r o p o lit an liv i n g . Th e

disengagement by producing

in a co m m u n al p u b lic b u ild in g . T h e

r u r al s it e p r o v id es o p p o r t u n it y f or t h e

architecture that creates moments of

residen t ial u n it is c o m p o s e d o f t h e

in v er s e , e m p h as iz in g t h e effe c t i v e ne s s

confrontation and negotiation. The

minimum es s e n t ials fo r liv in g an d

o f t h e b u ilt fo r m s an d ar c h it e c t u r e â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s

architecture facilitates participation

encourag e s a c o n n ec t io n wit h n at u r e,

ab ilit y t o c at aly z e in t e r ac t io n .

and interaction th rough juxtaposition,

Domes t ic lab o r is als o r em o v e d

views, and adaptability, A growing

from the r es id e n c e in t o m u lt ip le

modern demographic in which these

commu n al k it c h e n s wh ic h ext en d in t o

section a

1-2

person unit

3-4

person unit

shared kitchen

2-3

person unit

3-5

person unit

dining

design studio blenheim rd

unit massing

design studio 1a 14

m o d e l i n t e r i o r o f g a l l e r y s pa c e

Lyric Suite is a h ouse and gallery

on Jap an e s e r ic e p ap er. Fo c u s in g

p ap e r an d t h e b r u s h s t r o k es sp i l l f r om

designed for a si te on the Grand River

of the s u p p r e s s io n o f t h e ar t is t s

o n e p ag e o n t o t h e n e xt . T h e e x t e r i or

in Cambridge, On tario. The residence

conscio u s , t h e fo r m o f t h e pai n t i n g is a

fo r m o f t h e g alle r y is a g e o m e t r i c w a v e

is to display and store a collection

result o f t h e m ed iu m , t h e en v ir o n m e n t

d e s ig n ed t o p o r t r ay t h e Ly r ic S u i t e â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s

of Motherwell paintings by the same

and the u n c o n s c io u s . Flu id r h y t h m s

d ic h o t o m y o f c o n t r o l/ m o d u lar i t y w hi l e

name.

are visu al r e fle c t io n s o f t h e ar t is t â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

at t r ac t in g p r osp e c t i v e v i si t or s w i th

body lan g u ag e an d t h e o r g an ic

it s d r am at ic fo r m an d p r o t e c t i n g t h e

medium as t h e in k b le e d s in t o t h e

p ain t in g s fr o m d ir e c t lig h t . M o t h e r w e l l

Lyric Suite is a series of ink paintings

design studio lyric suite

v i g n e t t e pa r k s e at i n g

residence below

ly r i c s u i t e a p r i l

o n o r i e n ta l pa p e r ,

may

1965

9 1/8

brush

11 1/8”

ink m o d e l p u b l i c pa r k

e x t e r i o r o f g a l l e r y s pa c e

was k nown as the intellectual of the

relating t o t h e s u b c o n s c io u s an d

g r o u n d p lan e c r eat e s s eat in g i n t he

abstract expressionist painters. This

that wh ic h is b u r ied .T h e r elat io n s h ip

p ar k wh ile allo win g lig h t in t o t h e

characteristic of Motherwell as an

betwee n t h e p u b lic p ar k an d t h e

h o m e. I n ad d it io n , M o t h er we ll s t op p e d

academic informe d the building’s

private r e s id e n c e b elo w is u s ed t o

t h e p r o d u c t io n o f t h e Ly r ic Su i t e s h or t

program as being a destination for

explore o p p o r t u n it ies t o b et t e r o c c u p y

b ec au s e o f D av id Sm it h ’s s u dd e n

inclusive discussion. Lyric Suite as a

sub-grad e c o n d it io n s wh ile p r o d u c in g

d eat h . Ho u s in g o n e o f h is s c u l p t ur e s

theoretical work addresses the anti-

an effe c t iv e p u b lic s p ac e fo r in fo r m al

in t h e s u n k en c o u r t y ar d , t h e bui l d i n g

self- conscious, invoking concepts

gatheri n g s . T h e p u s h an d p u ll o f t h e

h as a m e m o r ial q u alit y.

personal work

pencil on cardboard

23x23 cm)

an experiment in abstraction

2. suspension (clay, copper

lifedrawing

(graphite

o n pa p e r

45x60 cm)

drafting

computer

(mixed

n e x t pa g e

hand inking

80x40 cm)

t u b i n g , g a lva n i z e d s t e e l w i r e

35x50x35 cm) a sculptural response to i ta lo c a lv i n o â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s i n v i s i b l e c i t i e s , s p e c i f i c a l ly t h e c i t y o f a r m i l l a .

2 2

1. toy gun, b+w (acrylic and

work in progress 19

powerhouse company

2B co-op

W hile work ing as an intern at

the com p e t it io n en t r y. Ot h e r t h an t h e

Powehouse Company in Rotterdam

compe t it io n I wo r k e d o n v ar io u s o t h e r

I had the opportunity to work with a

projects as s is t in g wit h 3d m o d elin g ,

young and energetic team of Dutch

diagrams , b as ic d e s ig n / lay o u t ,

and international architects. During my

drawing p r o d u c t io n , an d p h y s ic al

internship I work e d on the Amsteltoren

modeli n g . I wo r k ed in a v ar iet y o f

competition for th e design of a mix-

program s , an d was in t r o d u c ed t o

use tower in Amsterdam. I assisted

ArchiCad an d g r eat ly d e v elo p e d m y

in the schematic design process,

skills in s k et c h - u p .

participating in the production of

a m s t e lt o r e n p r o j e c t t e a m

drawings, images and diagrams for

model by external source

leroy street studio

2A co-op

My role as an architecture intern at

with on e o f t h e fir m â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s p ar t n e r s an d

Leroy Street Studio involved tasks

attendi n g s it e v is it s wee k ly. I als o

ranging from archiving/organization,

develop ed r elat io n s h ip s wit h c lie n t s ,

participating in conceptual and

contrac t o r s , o t h e r ar c h it e c t s wit h in t h e

schematic design, research,

office.

rendering/ mark eting, and detailing. Although my time was spent on a wide variety of task s th roughout the office I work ed more intensivly on several specific projects working closely

fabrication drawings for restaurant intrior photo

of realized design from

architectural digest

e l e v at i o n d r a w i n g f o r a m s t e lt o r e n c o m p e t i t i o n o f p r o p o s e d t o w e r i n c o n t e x t

Kabelgoot voor E & data CV/GKW

Installaties (klimaat & verlichting) in plafond

barrier

filter

destinations

sources

people

(1 matrijs)

VA R I A B E L = indeling frame

above facade system perspective detail I N T E R FA C E

l e f t p s y c h o a n a ly s i s d i a g r a m f o r a m s t e lt o r e n c o m p e t i t i o n

co-op work

Ve r l a a g d p l a f o n d mogelijk

VA S T = frame

21 rendering of a renovation for marketing and client purposes

To Whom it May Concern,

I was sorry to see Clara go and I couldn’t recommend her more highly.

June 25, 2013

Clara’s aptitude far exceeded that of a student with her level of office experience. She worked independently on overlapping projects: a master plan for a new waterfront park and the design and construction administration for a new restaurant. We discovered, once we got to know her, that both of her parents were architects and one gets the sense that she had absorbed quite a bit of the culture of designing and making things. In addition to strong graphic skills she knew instinctively how things should go together. As she worked on interior details for the restaurant, for example, she showed a refined sensibility for how to design to allow for construction tolerances and sequencing. This allowed us to give her higher level work that really challenged her.

Clara Syme worked in our office from February 11th until April 30th 2013 as part of a University of Waterloo internship program. She was our first student from this university and for such a young architect we were very impressed with her attitude, skillset, and performance.

I was sorry to see Clara go and I couldn’t recommend her more highly.

Shawn Watts, AIA

Principal

Shawn Watts, AIA

To Whom it May Concern,

Clara’s aptitude far exceeded that of a student with her level of office experience. She worked independently on overlapping projects: a master plan for a new waterfront parkAIA and the design and construction administration for a new restaurant. Shawn Watts, We discovered, once we got to know her, that both of her parents were architects and one gets the sense that she had absorbed quite a bit of the culture of designing and making things. In addition to strong graphic skills she knew instinctively how Principal things should go together. As she worked on interior details for the restaurant, for example, she showed a refined sensibility for how to design to allow for construction tolerances and sequencing. This allowed us to give her higher level work that really challenged her.

June 25, 2013

Clara’s June 25,aptitude 2013 far exceeded that of a student with her level of office experience. She worked independently on overlapping projects: a master plan for a new waterfront park and the design and construction administration for a new restaurant. We discovered, once we got to know her, that both of her parents were architects and one gets the sense that she had absorbed quite a bit of the culture of designing and making things. In addition to strong graphic skills she knew instinctively how To Whom it May things should go Concern, together. As she worked on interior details for the restaurant, for example, she showed a refined sensibility for how thto design to allow for construction Clara Syme worked in our office from February 11 until April 30th 2013 as part of a tolerances and sequencing. This allowed us to give her higher level work that really University of Waterloo internship program. She was our first student from this challenged her. university and for such a young architect we were very impressed with her attitude, skillset, andtoperformance. I was sorry see Clara go and I couldn’t recommend her more highly.

Principal

6 4 7 .4 6 4 .0 7 84 cl arasy m e@gma il.com