Dani Alvarez

DANI ALVAREZ a brief summary of works: academic + professional architecture 2 years professional experience / 5 year accredited bachelor of architecture

CV

DANI ALVAREZ professional

BHATCH DESIGN LLP

singapore / february 2012 - april 2013 / position held - architectural designer responsibilities - Worked on several projects through all aspects of the design process, including concept development and model building, schematic design, design development and construction documents, product selection, meetings with clients, consultants and contractors, bidding and budgetary matters, and project management and construction administration. project involvement - 15 Duxton Road- project manager, 7 Grove Lane- project manager, 61 Joo Chiat Terrace- construction administrator / material selection, 66 Watten Rise- construction administrator / material selection, 60 Race Course Roadconstruction documents / material selection, 0504 Aalto- construction documents, 25 Conway Circle- site observation

ROMEO MEDINA

RIWAQ DESIGN + TEJIDO GROUP

WHPACIFIC

albuquerque, new mexico / august 2011 - january 2012 / position held - architectural designer responsibilities - Worked as an intern responsible for construction documents, construction administration RFIs and submittals, as well as schematic design and design development for small projects on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico and Arizona.

1 61 JOO CHIAT TERRACE

bhatch design, llp

ramallah + birzeit, palestine / july - august 2010 / position held - architectural designer

2 15 DUXTON ROAD

bhatch design, llp

3 66 WATTEN RISE

bhatch design, llp

responsibilities - Worked with a team of ten students and RIWAQ, a Palestinian architectural NGO, on potential design strategies for the revitalization of Birzeit, Palestine, a small village in the West Bank.

albuquerque, new mexico / june 2009 - august 2009 / position held - architectural intern

REGION SPECIFIC BUS SHELTERS

(professional)

4 REGION-SPECIFIC BUS SHELTERS (academic)

5 LEVEL

academic COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

(professional)

(professional)

responsibilities - Worked on design documents, construction documents, and interior design for several different commercial projects in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

contents

(academic)

tucson, arizona / august 2006 - may 2011 / 5 year NAAB accredited Bachelor of Architecture

6 THE PELICAN CHAIR (academic)

tucson, arizona / august 2010 - may 2011 / position held - designer + fabricator / 451 academic studio student + volunteer

7 ILLUSTRATIONS (personal)

responsibilities - Worked with a team of fifteen students on design and fabrication of four bus shelters in the city of Tucson, Arizona. Responsibilties included research, schematic design, design documents, construction documents, shop drawings, and fabrication.

HONORS + AWARDS

2011 - AIA Graduate Student Portfolio Competition Winner / AIA Design Excellence Award ARC 452 / Capstone Award / Ronald R. Gourley Award for Design Excellence / AIA Design Excellence Award ARC 451 2009 - Gordon Heck Architecture Scholarship 2008 - Gordon Heck Architecture Scholarship / College of Architecture Academic Excellence Award 2007 - College of Architecture Academic Excellence Award 2006 - 2010 - U of A Scholarship of Excellence

PUBLICATIONS + SHOWS

2012 - Ground | Water : The Art, Design and Science of a Dry River (featured academic architecture project) / Cataclysm Collaborative (website) 2011 - Persona Art Magazine / Children’s Cancer Foundation Auction / NMX Sports Extreme Art Show 2 / WPA Live!

Printmaking Show / Tanzbodeli for Breast Cancer Awareness Auction

etc

SOFTWARE

Rhino / Autocad (2007-2012) / Adobe CS3 CS4 CS5 / Revit (2010) / VRay / Sketchup / 3ds Max

OTHER SKILLS

pen / graphite drawing, printmaking, painting, model-making, woodshop / metal shop, welding, sewing

LANGUAGES

English (mother-tongue) / Arabic (basic knowledge of conversation + written comprehension) / Spanish (survival knowledge of colloquial)

TRAVEL

Singapore (residence 14 months) / Nepal / The Philippines / Thailand / Indonesia / Taiwan / Vietnam / Korea / Malaysia / Palestinian Territories (2 months) / Israel / UK / Spain / France / Canada / Mexico / Puerto Rico

REFERENCES

Chris Trumble / UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA / 520.247.2150 / ctrumble@u.arizona.edu Joseph Lee / BHATCH DESIGN LLP / +65.6238.2468 / joseph_lee@bhatch.net Mark Frederickson / TEJIDO GROUP / 520.621.3948 / mpf@u.arizona.edu

DANI ALVAREZ 505.710.0045 77 Beadel St. Brooklyn, NY 11222 danimariealvarez@gmail.com www.danimalvarez.com

singapore

singapore

singapore

research + design studio tucson, arizona

senior thesis

birzeit, palestine

material + ergonomic study tucson, arizona

etc

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61 Joo Chiat Terrace

A SHOPHOUSE RESIDENCE- RENOVATION + EXTENSION

The residence at 61 Joo Chiat Terrace was commissioned by a young doctor in Singapore. My involvement with the shophouse project at 61 Joo Chiat Terrace began shortly after the structural works and brick walls had been completed. The goal for the interior detailing of the shophouse was to maintain a simple and cost-efficient interior, drawing what little light there was throughout the narrow layout and maximizing it by keeps the spaces open, as well as creating depth and interest by the offsetting and layout of the various materials. The project was my first experience dealing directly with contractors, suppliers, and clients.

Because of the industrial nature of the project, it became an extremely useful canvas for experimenting with material palettes and methods of detailing. The shophouse was completed in October 2012. project involvement - construction administration / material selection / interior and exterior design details and drawings BHATCH DESIGN LLP SINGAPORE FALL 2012

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61 Joo Chiat Terrace

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61 Joo Chiat Terrace

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front elevation (existing)

back elevation (extension) 1 smooth finish concrete 2 “bamboo� off-form concrete 3 clear glass 4 galvanized steel panel and ledge 5 wire glass louvers 6 expanded metal mesh balustrade 7 ribbed glass

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61 Joo Chiat Terrace

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61 Joo Chiat Terrace

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24 21

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first story plan

1 five-foot way 2 living 3 staircase one 4 kitchen 5 passageway one 6 courtyard 7 wc 8 shower 9 dining 10 guest room 11 staircase two 12 foyer

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C

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B

second story plan

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C

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B

13 walk-in 14 bridge 15 master bed 16 staircase three vv(to loft) 17 passageway two 18 master bath 19 staircase four 20 bed one 21 bath one

roof terrace plan

third story plan

25 landscape 26 outdoor deck 27 outdoor cooking 28 ac ledge

22 bed two 23 landing 24 bath two C

A

B

C

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B

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61 Joo Chiat Terrace

61 Joo Chiat Terrace

section a

section b

living room + kitchen

top of staircase one

section c

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1

61 Joo Chiat Terrace

story two master bed + loft

61 Joo Chiat Terrace

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61 Joo Chiat Terrace

bed one staircase three (opposite) staircase three (opposite) alteration sketches

The low level of skill of the workers in Singapore presented an interesting design problem for the project. Due to the discrepancies between the original drawings and the built result, many of the details were improvised on site. Because of this, the impromptu architectural details throughout the shophouse actually became much more rich and interesting than the premeditated design.

61 Joo Chiat Terrace

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61 Joo Chiat Terrace

story three The texture of the concrete was created using rods of bamboo as a relief on the concrete surface after casting.

61 Joo Chiat Terrace

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61 Joo Chiat Terrace

61 Joo Chiat Terrace

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15 Duxton Road

D.O.C.- A SMALL CAFE IN SINGAPORE

D.O.C. (department of caffeine), located at 15 Duxton Road, is a cafe retrofit in an existing shophouse in Singapore. The Client’s desire for an “Australian cafe model” presented a challenge for us- the recent trend had overloaded Singapore with many of these cafes, so we strived to look for a way in which to create an experience and a space unique to what had already been done.

The layout of the cafe was kept clean and simple, in order to maximize the small space and the little amount of daylight that the typology allows. We focused on maintaining an honest representation of the materials used, observing the life span of different metals, such as steel, copper, and brass. The cafe was to become the embodiment of the idea of a boiler room, with the various metals exposed to reflect the idea of a machine under constant use. Natural and stained plywood was used as an economic choice, as well as a warm relief to the stark and heavy metals.

The cafe opened early May 2013, serving coffee, salads, and sweets. project involvement - project manager BHATCH DESIGN LLP SINGAPORE SPRING 2013

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15 Duxton Road

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15 Duxton Road

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e1: interior elevation- plywood+mild steel feature wall e

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4 e2: interior elevation- front counter+kitchen

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e1

e2 e4

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key plan 1 five-foot way 2 dining 3 storage one 4 servery 5 kitchen 6 storage two 7 toilet materials a bar counter: ply / brass b service island: ply / black laminate c front counter: ply / brass d back counter: ply / black laminate e steel plate laid in concrete floor f communal table: ply / brass

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e3: interior elevation- front counter

e4: interior elevation- kitchen+back counter+menu

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15 Duxton Road

15 Duxton Road

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15 Duxton Road

15 Duxton Road

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15 Duxton Road

15 Duxton Road

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15 Duxton Road

servery counter: plan

servery counter: front elevation

servery counter: back elevation

servery counter: back internal elevation

15 Duxton Road

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15 Duxton Road

(above) feature wall to ceiling (left) LED rope lighting was concealed behind the plywood feature wall, creating a golden glow on the steel below (right) the bathroom and storage doors were constructed using steel frames with frosted glass and steel mesh infill

15 Duxton Road

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15 Duxton Road

In order to maintain a cost effective project, the tables were designed simply with steel legs and a plywood and black laminate top. The chairs were purchased from vintage and designer shops both overseas and in Singapore.

15 Duxton Road

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66 Watten Rise

A SEMI-DETACHED RESIDENCE IN BUKIT TIMAH, SINGAPORE

The design for the residence at 66 Watten Rise stemmed from the Client’s desire for multiple outdoor gardens. Since the typology of the semi-detached house limits the design to a solid, shared party wall at one side, we aimed to shape a more interesting space by pulling the enclosure of the house away from this wall. By doing so, we were able to create a light and lush outdoor space; the party wall became a low maintenance green wall, and the vegetation in the corridor became a wonderful natural solution for privacy in the powder room. The first floor living, dining, and kitchen spaces, second floor bedrooms and third floor family room were made fully operable, allowing air to flow through the spaces and also seamlessly integrating outdoor and indoor activity.

Besides creating multiple gardens and patios, we also focused on using the cladding for the exterior façade as an experiment of layout and the juxtaposition of textures- combining teak, aluminum panels, and various finishes of granite. In the end, the house became a cool and open gathering space, as well as a quiet garden respite from its bustling surroundings. project involvement - construction administration / exterior and interior design detailing and drawings / material selection BHATCH DESIGN LLP SINGAPORE FALL 2012

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66 Watten Rise

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66 Watten Rise

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25 17 3 18 19 20 26

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first story plan 1 front entry pond 2 carporch 3 living/dining 4 courtyard 5 powder room 6 dry kitchen 7 pond/deck area 8 wet kitchen 9 maid’s room 10 guest room 11 yard

second story plan 12 lounge 13 master bed 14 master bath 15 bed one 16 bath one 17 bed two 18 outdoor balcony 19 bed three 20 bath two

attic story plan 21 guest bed 22 ac ledge 23 guest bath 24 family room 25 patio 26 planter box

roof plan

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66 Watten Rise

66 Watten Rise

front elevation

front elevation

view from street

side elevation

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66 Watten Rise

main gate in stainless steel and granite

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66 Watten Rise

powder room sliding glass door with stainless steel privacy screen

bush-hammered granite exterior cladding laid to pattern

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66 Watten Rise

(above) the teak timber louvers at the second story serve as an operable screen for the outdoor corridor and the bedrooms. When opened, the louvers allow the wind to penetrate the space.

The louvers are operable in numbers of six, using a metal rod pull control between them. (opposite) the enclosure of the house is pulled back from the party wall, creating a green space easily accessible from the living room. the green wall was created using brc mesh and steel rods with creeper vines, in an effort to create a lush space with little maintenance.

66 Watten Rise

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66 Watten Rise

the first story carporch roof was constructed with steel plate supports welded to the main frame, and teak bolted to both sides for a warmer aesthetic.

66 Watten Rise

the roof extension above the patio was designed so that light could enter the enclosure at the third story, while still providing shade for the the patio users outside

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Region-Specific Bus Shelters

4 PROTOTYPES DESIGNED + BUILT FOR THE TUCSON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

The shelter protoypes were designed as a modular structure with the ability to adapt to any given site within the city of Tucson, Arizona.

Each shelter is modified and shifted, according to orientation and location, for complete shade during the summer months and to provision for direct visual contact between the bus driver and a bus rider. The shelter is based on a 2-foot grid steel hollow section structure, able to accept nearly any cladding material, is completely ADA accessible, and can be built in less than a week by a small group of students.

The project was completed in collaboration with the Drachman Institute, the Drachman Design Build Coalition, the Pima County Health Department, and the Tucson Department of Transportation.

Responsibilities included precedent studies, programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents, shop drawings, and fabrication.

RESEARCH + DESIGN STUDIO TUCSON, ARIZONA FALL 2010/SPRING 2011

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traffic

region-specific bus shelters NORTH

region-specific bus shelters

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

PRECEDENT existing shelters: solar, visibility accessibility rain studies

H-14435 plan (north facing)

PROGRAM bus patron surveys and video interviews ergonomic study visibility study accessibility study H-13357 plan (south facing)

SOUTH

SITE ANALYSIS high risk for obesity high ridership lack of existing shelter four cardinal directions

traffic

DESIGN 15 proposals 2 semi-finalists 1 final design DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 1 design altered for maximum efficiency dependant on 4 different locations and cardinal directions

H-11305 plan (east facing)

EAST

traffic

WEST

SHOP DRAWINGS FABRICATION In-shop prefabrication of steel frame and accessories, installation of panels and accessories on site

traffic

CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS four shelters, four sets

H-12897 plan (west facing)

SCREEN DERIVATION (H-12897)

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region-specific bus shelters

region-specific bus shelters

H-14435- north facing shelter

IRVINGTON ROAD + CAMPBELL AVENUE

the corrugated steel panels discourage graffiti artists and taggers, which allows for easier maintenance.

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region-specific bus shelters

region-specific bus shelters

H-13357- south facing shelter 22ND STREET + COLUMBUS AVENUE

the panels for the south facing shelter were donated by a German company called FunderMax. The high pressure laminate is resilient to the elements, and most importantly, harsh sun conditions.

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region-specific bus shelters

region-specific bus shelters

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H-11305- east facing shelter

PARK AVENUE + DRACHMAN STREET

H-12897

the seat for the east facing shelter was constructed using leftover material from a previous construction project completed at the school. the design was a result of using as much of the resin composite as possible by utilizing the existing sizes and shapes of the leftover pieces.

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region-specific bus shelters

region-specific bus shelters

H-12897- west facing shelter ROGER ROAD + FIRST AVENUE

the steel-clad shelter became an interesting experiment with color and temperature. Although hot to the touch during the summer months, the shelter still provides the maximum amount of shade possible, and has proven to be the most resilient of the four shelters to the elements- even withstanding the stress of a fallen tree during the monsoon season.

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region-specific bus shelters

region-specific bus shelters

corrugated steel back elevation and bent steel plate bike rack of shelter H-14435

shelter H- 12897: for added color and texture, the surface of the interior panels were pre-rusted by placing wet rags on the surface the night before installation the seat is made from a donated plastic composite material called “trex,� commonly used for playground equipment due to its heat-resistant properties

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Level

AN URBAN DESIGN SOLUTION FOR AN ENDANGERED CITY

Birzeit, located just north of Jerusalem, is a small city know for its “flagship of Palestinian institutions,” Birzeit University (BZU). Many of the surrounding villages depend on Birzeit’s growing economystudents commute to Birzeit from several different cities to attend the University, and the city’s economic gain is tied to the student population.

After substantial growth, the University Campus moved about a mile and a half away from its original site. The campus move from the city has rendered the city motionless. The current location of the University allows student traffic to bypass the Old Campus site and the Historic Center completely.

Without intervention, the Historic Center and surrounding urban fabric will continue to decay as a result of inactivity; however, by injecting the Old Campus site with activity, the Historic Center and surrounding urban fabric can be resuscitated.

This project sought to accomplish this injection of activity in two ways.

The first strategy was the implementation of a new pedestrian and bike path from the BZU Main Campus through the Old Campus Site to the Historic Center. The path will stimulate activity as well as encourage the use of bicycles and walking as modes of transportation rather than motor vehicles. The second was the re-location and addition of architecture, arts, and theater programs from the BZU Main Campus back into the currently unused Old Campus Site, in order to stimulate activity in and surrounding the site.

The project began as a group investigation of potential strategies for village revitilization with the NGO architectural group, RIWAQ, in Palestine during the summer of 2010. The project was then taken on as a personal thesis study, however with the continuous input and support of RIWAQ. SENIOR THESIS BIRZEIT, PALESTINE FALL 2010 / SPRING 2011

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level (senior thesis)

level (senior thesis)

project site: BIRZEIT, PALESTINE

An in-depth study of the Historic Center and surrounding urban fabric and landscape was completed while on site in the summer of 2010. In addition to architectural and geographic studies, I was able to experience first-hand the culture and the people of the place- an experience that became an essential and irreplaceable element of the design and plan for the project.

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level (senior thesis)

level (senior thesis)

problem: ENDANGERED CITY The University campus move from the city center has rendered the city motionless. The current location of the University allows student traffic to bypass the Old Campus site and the Historic Center.

Without intervention, the Historic Center and surrounding urban fabric will continue to decay as a result of inactivity.

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solution: FLUX By injecting the Old Campus site with activity, the Historic Center and surrounding urban fabric can be resuscitated.

project proposal: 1

The re-location and addition of architecture, arts, and theater programs from the BZU Main Campus back into the currently unused Old Campus Site.

The new programs will stimulate activity as well as bring life back into Birzeit’s Historic Center.

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Implementation of a new pedestrian and bike path from the BZU Main Campus through the Old Campus Site to the Historic Center. The path will create activity as well as encourage the use of bicycles and walking as modes of transportation rather than motor vehicles.

BZU circa 1970

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level (senior thesis)

level (senior thesis)

X existing

existing site plan

- demo + infill

+ new new programs include architecture, art, and theater facilities as well as a bicycle and pedestrian path through the city.

new site plan: infill + level

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level (senior thesis) THE LEVEL The pedestrian path acts as the overarching element and common theme to tie the academic programs together, as well as the transport and connection between the old and the new.

sections illustrate changes in human relation to the buildings and level of topography

level (senior thesis)

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level (senior thesis)

level (senior thesis)

8’ h shade structure

frames are sized at varying heights according to changing ergonomic needs

6’ h leaning surface guardrail frames (42” typical) act as a platform for the variation of activities along the walkway boxes can fulfill various program needs such as vegetation / shade structure / seating / lighting

18” h seat

punctured metal frames for drainage sloped insulation and substrate allows for water run-off concrete decking and slab gutter with run-off chain steel fascia

south entry to architecture studio / shop / level

entry from street

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level (senior thesis) THE ARCHITECTURE ADDITION Attention to climate and structural detailing of the architecture school became an important aspect of design as a way of teaching. Operable doors and windows are used throughout the building in order to maximize air flow, lessening the need for air conditioning during the summer.

The use of the old building as a skin is an important tool for showing Palestinian students a new way of integrating old and new building technologies without destroying culture and history.

level (senior thesis) the existing facade is used as an outer building skin the infill steel structure is pulled in from the existing facade to allow for circulation and moments of rest new openings are created in the facade to allow for maximum air flow, daylighting, and visual contact to the pedestrian path.

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The Pelican Chair

AN ERGONOMIC & MATERIAL STUDY AND PROTOTYPE FABRICATION

A study of the dramatic changes in form that occur in a pelican’s bill became the basis for this design to create a simple, flexible chair. The chair, when unoccupied, appears as a plane, inclined and set against a wall or screen. Experience and realization of the full flex of the chair is only apparent when the act of sitting occurs.

The “pelican chair” consists of a simple bent steel tube frame and a flexible elastic backing, with lines of compressive support to allow for the perfect stretch. The chair, mounted to the steel screen on the south balcony of the College of Architecture, served as a functioning piece of furniture for fellow students’ everyday use.

Project responsibilities included ergonomic, material, and object studies to feed into concept design, design development, construction drawings and fabrication MATERIAL + ERGONOMIC STUDY TUCSON, ARIZONA FALL 2009

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the pelican chair

the pelican chair

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

FINAL PROTOTYPE

concept development: studies of the transition from empty to full

E 2” fold: slip connection to steel frame E

pattern derivation: the section of critical points at “full” stage was translated to plan

D relief slits cut in elastic

D

MATERIAL STUDY

C

C 1/2” compression straps

B

prototype 1: unstable frame and lack of sufficient tensile support for the elastic A

B 1/4” tension straps

an extensive material study of elastic was undertaken, making note of the subtleties of stretching

prototype 2: tension straps and relief slits in elastic are added, and frame altered for maximum support with less material

A 1-1/2” elastic strips

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the pelican chair

the pelican chair

detail of tension lines and slip fold fellow student user

final prototype

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etc

ILLUSTRATIONS

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‘the elements’ an encyclopedia of weapons for combating your worst fears. (personal endeavor: 1 of 6 in series) graphite on bristol

‘trekker’ graphite on bristol

DANI ALVAREZ 505.710.0045 77 Beadel St. Brooklyn, NY 11222 danimariealvarez@gmail.com www.danimalvarez.com

*all photos and drawings for 61 Joo Chiat Terrace, 15 Duxton Road, and 66 Watten Rise property of Bhatch Design LLP Singapore; photos for 61 Joo Chiat Terrace courtesy of Jeremy San