Dimitrie Stefanescu.
Portfolio
http://www.improved.ro didi@improved.ro
www.improved.ro
ZA11 Pavilion Team: Dimitrie Stefanescu, Patrick Bedarf, Bogdan Hambasan. Location: Cluj-Napoca, Romania Date: May 2011
Personal responsibilities: Design, project planning, execution. Words: The project started out as an ambitious endeavor to design and fabricate at a 1:1 scale the flagship pavilion for the ZA11 Speaking Architecture event in Cluj, Romania. While at the same time integrating into its historically-charged context, the design (which was elaborated to a concept stage during a week-long workshop) boasts a strong representational power which was much needed in order to fulfill its main goal: attracting passers-by to the event.
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Web: http://improved.ro/blog/?p=1099 1
A student band playing inside the pavilion.
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Design evolution diagrams.
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View towards the square.
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Final assembled pavilion.
ZA11 Pavilion Team: Dimitrie Stefanescu, Patrick Bedarf, Bogdan Hambasan.
Words: The first of its kind in Romania, the ZA11 Pavilion can be definitively called a successful architectural experiment. Designed and assembled only by students (with little preliminary outside help), it successfully met all expectations and proved to be an invaluable experience in blending avant-garde design techniques on a relatively large scale with a low budget and a skeptical professional context. The final design consists of 746 unique pieces, which, once assembled, create a free-form ring which is subdivided into deep hexagons. This particular geometrical configuration allowed for the sheltering of the different planned events while at the same time inciting curiosity through its unusual, spectacular form.
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Personal responsibilities: Design, project planning, execution. 5
Inside view.
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Structure corner detail.
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Construction detail.
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Final assembly night.
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CNC cutting files.
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Ams/Bridge Team: Dimitrie Stefanescu, Mariana Popescu, Mihaela Radescu, Ovidiu Stanciu Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Date: February-March 2012
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Words: The competition’s assignment was calling for an iconic bridge over the Amstel river in front of the Hermitage Museum in Amsterdam. Out of a contextual analysis, we derived our priorities as being the expansion of the public space in front of the museum by speculating the most prominent local assets present of the river, namely the house boats.
Personal responsibilities: Concept elaboration, parametric modelling, rendering and diagrams. Web: http://improved.ro/blog/?p=1228 1
Render overlooking the Amstel.
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Side view.
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Different functional manifestations.
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Ams/Bridge Team: Dimitrie Stefanescu, Mariana Popescu, Mihaela Radescu, Ovidiu Stanciu
The iconic nature of the project is seen as an emergent feature resulting from both the geometry of the bridge as well as the socially enabled functional potential. Our approach focuses on social sustainability, by which we refer to an intensification of the interactions between locals and tourists. The bridge acts as a vibrant cultural environment from which both public and private actors can benefit.
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Date: February-March 2012
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Personal responsibilities: Concept elaboration, parametric modelling, rendering and diagrams. Web: http://improved.ro/blog/?p=1228 1
Night-time render.
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Public space view.
Fold/RF Team: Dimitrie Stefanescu, Manuel Torres Location: Istanbul, Turkey Date: February-June 2011
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Words: This project embodies a virtual study of the process of folding with its conjectural actions (re-folding, unfolding). The shift from a deterministic view of the world to one dominated by chaos and complexity has had (and still has) huge implications in both philosophy and science – two main tools of architecture. Before, we thought the sphere as being the perfect shape – now we consider it a mere theoretical possibility. Space folds, bends and warps around itself and into itself into a topological revelry. We now no longer differentiate space with fixed, impossible boundaries: we have renounced the mathematical constructs of lines and planes as being limitations which we now no longer need to perceive the world.
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Personal responsibilities: Concept elaboration, parametric modelling, rendering and diagrams. Web: http://improved.ro/blog/?p=1137 1
Dystopian render. West view.
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Model pictures.
Fold/RF Team: Dimitrie Stefanescu, Manuel Torres Location: Istanbul, Turkey Date: February-June 2011
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Words: The demarcation mechanism is now based on differences of intensities, on gradient fields merging one into each other. Modulating itself around an impersonal contextual approach, the distinctive geometry is the manifestation of a subjective parametric unfolding of different city mappings. Ultimately, this projects defines itself as a philosophical exploration into the limits of architectural geometry and meaning.
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Personal responsibilities: Concept elaboration, parametric modelling, rendering and diagrams. Web: http://improved.ro/blog/?p=1137 3
South view render.
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Section.
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City mappings.
C:Strip Team: Patrick Bedarf, Dimitrie Stefanescu Location: Delft, The Netherlands Date: September - December 2011.
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Words: C:Strip is best described by an attempt to translate the environmental qualities of the proposed site into a meaningful architectural geometry that can accomodate and maximize the performance of an adaptive and fluctuating programme which focuses on producing and distributing information through the use of informal societal behaviour.
Personal responsibilities: Concept elaboration, parametric modelling, rendering and diagrams. Web: http://improved.ro/blog/?p=945
The developement and subsequent use of different computational techniques allowed for the collage of the several dimensions of environmental and programmatic datascape into a finite three dimensional architectural object.
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Main view of the strip formations.
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Overlay diagram.
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VOLUMES WINTER SCENARIO SUMMER SCENARIO
CIRCULATION SECONDARY CIRCULATION MAIN CIRCULATION
LAYER01
GRID ADAPTION DEFORMED BASE GRID MAIN CIRCULATION
LAYER02
SURFACE CRACKING
LAYER03
STRUCTURAL SYSTEM ADAPTIVE SYSTEM STATIC SYSTEM
LAYER04 LAYER03
LAYER05 LAYER03
SECTION 5
SECTION 4
SECTION 3 SECTION 2
SECTION 1
C:Strip Team: Patrick Bedarf, Dimitrie Stefanescu Location: Delft, The Netherlands Date: September - December 2011.
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Words: The detailed programme description underwent a series of evolutionary changes which were based on the interpretation of the given assignement in relation with existing conditions and as well as a macro-analysis at an urban level and subsequent scale detailing of the aforementioned process. To conclude, we shifted from an information distribution centric set of functions to a leisure-oriented setup which would favour not only the spread of data, but would actually become an place for the creation of new information through informal social mechanics.
INFORMATION
OUTDOOR LEISURE
INDOOR LEISURE
10%
70%
FOCUS ON INFOHUB FUNCTION INTEGRATION OF CITY RELATED PROGRAM
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Eye-level perspective view.
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Winter render.
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Functional proportion evolution.
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10% 10%
Web: http://improved.ro/blog/?p=945
INFRASTRUCTURE
35%
10%
Personal responsibilities: Concept elaboration, parametric modelling, rendering and diagrams.
10%
20%
35%
FOCUS ON CITY RELATED PROGRAM LEISURE FUNCTIONS AS STIMULUS
50%
INFOHUBS
20% 20%
FOCUS ON OUTDOOR LEISURE FOR USING LARGE SPATIAL QUALITY
AUDITORIUM EXHIBITION
} }
OUTDOOR ACTIVE LEISURE OUTDOOR PASSIVE LEISURE INDOOR ACTIVE LEISURE INDOOR PASSIVE LEISURE
BKC
Words: fragmentation, cracking, violence, earthquake, identity crisis, culture. Bucharest never had a coherent image in any point in history. Its only true comon denominator would be the highly despised disorder generated by the struggle between western rigor and local chaotic impulses. It is one city where conflict is strikingly out in the open, little existing in maters of interface between old and new, poor and rich, highrise and low-rise. This project taps into these conflicting energies, drawing strength and geometry from them while at the same time exposing them and becoming an icon of their formative power.
Team: Dimitrie Stefanescu Location: Bucharest, Romania Date: February-March 2011.
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Personal responsibilities: Concept elaboration, parametric modelling, rendering and diagrams. Web: http://improved.ro/blog/?p=696 1
Side view.
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Perspective views.
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Parametric model diagrams.
UDP/B Team: Dragos Mila, Dimitrie Stefanescu Location: Bucharest, Romania Date: September - December 2009
Words: The project explores parametrically different future configurations for the study area (450ha large, at the intersection of two main planned road-infrastructure extensions). The solutions tries to maximize performance (density, height, shading, access to natural elements and connectivity) of the whole region while leaving ample potential that allows for unplanned emergent evolution. The goal was to envision an urban tissue that could flexibly respond to all local input factors as well as accommodate desired (planned) goals. An universal 130m by 130m grid was proposed and then deformed to differentiate and create a unique lattice that allows for surprise and yet is easily mapped due to its inner space-partitioning algorithm.
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Personal responsibilities: Concept elaboration, parametric modelling, rendering and diagrams. Web: http://improved.ro/blog/?p=531 1
Overall perspective view.
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Height analysis.
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Polarization strategy.
Coari:Rise Team: Patrick Bedarf, Dimitrie Stefanescu, Tomas Kozelsky Location: Coari, Brasil Date: January - February 2011
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Words: Confronted with the acute challenge of solving the phenomena of deforestation we proposed a high-rise building as prototype for the usage of wood in a sustainable and innovative manner and the raise of global awareness of the problem at hand. In combining the two realms of research and tourism, the projects aim is to act as stimulating keystone for establishing a vital loop of raising global awareness and supportive funds as well as educating visiting interested parties and local natives. The introduction of the novel technology of laminated wood construction acting as load-bearing and space partitioning thick lattice, displays the vast possibilities of the natural resource of wood while underlining a sustainable application of long-lasting flexibility. Specific programmatic and technical requirements are provided by a
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Personal responsibilities: Concept elaboration, parametric modelling, rendering and diagrams. Web: http://improved.ro/blog/?p=989 1
Close-up render.
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Night-impression.
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Existing scenario.
Etc.
Various projects that didn’t make it in the main portfolio, yet still deserve some love.
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Lipscani Multicultural Center: Center for Rroma studies. February 2010. http://improved.ro/blog/?p=457
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W* Facade. Experimental study for a structural shading solution for TU Delft, BK. Delft. http://improved.ro/blog/?p=1047
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CET Grozavesti Masterplan. A proposal for the development of a former power plant. Bucharest. http://improved.ro/blog/?p=790
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Making You More Curios. “Changing The Face” People’s Palace Competition Winner. Bucharest. http://improved.ro/blog/?p=511
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BBDG Pension. Babadag Archeological site, Constanta, Romania. http://improved.ro/blog/?p=326
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BBDG Archeological Center. Babadag Archeological site, Constanta, Romania. http://improved.ro/blog/?p=264
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Perfume Museum, Mogosoaia, Ilfov. http://improved.ro/blog/?p=77
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Single Family Home, Bucharest, Romania. http://improved.ro/blog/?p=148
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Petrom City Interactive Instalation Proposal. Bucharest, Romania.
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more on the web.
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I can talk to Computers.
Code is poetry. I like to escape the bounds and clichÊs of parametric software by writing my own tools either in Processing, C# (for Rhino/Grasshopper), RhinoScript (Rhino), etc. to explore the new nature we’re creating through architecture. Code is saving time. I generally try to reduce complexity through computational tools, rather than increase it. I wrote my own tools to save time on tedious tasks such as unfolding, fabrication preparation, stiff joint generation at unstructured intersections, etc.
http://improved.ro/blog/?cat=28
Visuals.
Almost all the renders and diagrams in this portfolio are made by me. I have a love relationship with Illustrator and Photoshop. I can make pretty pictures.
http://improved.ro/blog/
Workshops.
I also like sharing my knowledge. As such, I’ve tutored and organised several workshops on computational design techniques. I can teach the team.
http://improved.ro/blog/?cat=172
Words.
I also like to write on the nature of architectural computation. I’ve published in magazines around the world and lectured around Europe. I can think with theory.
http://improved.ro/blog/?cat=179
Dimitrie Stefanescu.
Contact:
Back cover.
http://www.improved.ro didi@improved.ro +31 644 555 241 www.improved.ro