DONESH VICTOR FERDOWSI PORTF
LIO
I never stopped making things after that first mark...
September 10, 1988
YEAR
ACTIVITY
CONTENT
1988
birth
intro
1993
elementary
table of contents
1998
middle
resume
2003
high
resume
2007
gap year
resume
DRAWING
CRAFT
ARCHITECTURE
Print Making
Wunderkammer
2008
college
2009
I
The Fire Tablet
Chairs
Grassroom
2010
II
La Casa Guardiola
Thru-Tenon-Table
Trough Pool
2011
III
A Drawing a Day
The Axe Effect
UniverCity
2012
IV
To Grow New Eyes
FunCIO Bunk Bed
Learning Landscape
1993
O B J E C T I V E To gain experience in contributing my formal education in architecture and my informal study in craft to a collaborative design process. E D U C A T I O N Washington University in St. Louis, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Art Bachelor of Science in Architecture with a Minor in Urban Design, 2012 H O N O R S summa cum laude: Awarded for academic excellence. This honor was achieved by only two architecture students in this year’s graduating class, Spring 2012. Excellence in Craft Award: Voted by faculty, Spring 2012. Elizabeth S. Schmerling Scholarship: A merit scholarship of $10,800 awarded by a faculty committee for zeal, rigor, and innovation in pursuing the art and science of architecture. “In the words of the committee, you are a visionary student,” Fall 2011. Fellowship to Haystack Mountain School of Crafts: Full tuition and travel grant awarded to one Sam Fox student per year by faculty nomination, glassblowing workshop, Summer 2011. Henry Luce Scholar Finalist (not recipient): Selected to represent Washington University among 45 finalists nationwide for a cultural fellowship in Asia, Spring 2012. Danforth Scholar: A half-tuition, four-year merit scholarship awarded to honor students “who embrace high ideals, whose life choices are guided by personal integrity, selflessness, a commitment to community, and a dedication to leadership and academic excellence.” Fall 2008-12. National Merit Scholarship: Annual $2,000 scholarship awarded for academic achievement, ‘08-12. Dean’s List: With a 3.81 cumulative GPA, Fall 2008-12.
1998
W O R K E X P E R I E N C E Furniture Fabricator: Collaborated with Architect Pablo Moyano in the design and fabrication of a bunk bed for laulab Architects, Saint Louis, MO, Summer 2012. laulab Architecture Intern: Collaborated with Architect Catalina Freixas in the roof design of “La Cabaña” Ranch House in Argentina including model making and graphic design, Summer 2011. Document Analyst Assistant: managed, archived, and researched correspondence records for the Office of the Secretariat of the Bahá’í World Centre, Haifa, Israel, Summer 2007-08. A C T I V I T I E S Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity Participant: Among the first cohort of students in the United States to attend this international program that builds understanding of the social implications of science, religion, technology, media, and service, Eliot, ME, Summers 2010-12. Baha'i Club President: Led weekly "study circles" for students of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds to discuss spirituality and ethics, Fall 2009-12. Urban Farm Hut Design/Build Treasurer: Collaborated with 10 students to design and fundraise for a student-led Spring Break design/build initiative with a focus on urban agriculture, New Orleans, LA, Spring 2011. “Alberti-Architecture for Young People” Teacher: Led a group of 15 middle and high school students in a studio environment to explore issues of sustainability through design, sculpture, and drawing. Involved lectures, curricular preparation, and desk critiques, Spring 2009-11. Cumberland Furniture Guild Member: A non-profit organization dedicated to the makers, patrons, and sellers of handmade furniture in Middle Tennessee, Spring 2010-Current. Habitat for Humanity Volunteer: spring break trip in response to Hurricane Katrina, Biloxi, 09. Policy Debater: Researched cases, structured arguments, and debated issues of United States Federal Policy, 2003-2007. Coached novice debaters, 2007. International Service Project Volunteer: Travelled to Costa Rica and Uganda to build furniture for schools in rural areas, Summers 2002-2006.
2003
S K I L L S Digital: Proficient in ADOBE Suite and AutoCad, with experience in Rhino, V-Ray, and Maxwell Rendering. Craft: Proficient in woodworking/turning/carving, Mig/Arc welding, cold steel working, aluminum/ bronze casting, pattern and multi-part mold making, knitting, film photography, English/ Persian calligraphy, intaglio/ monotype/silkscreen/lino-cut print making, drawing, watercolor/ oil painting, with experience in glassblowing. Verbal: Proficient in Spanish with experience in Persian. Social: Proficient in public speaking, presentation preparation and delivery, group organization and leadership, and effective team collaboration. P U B L I C A T I O N S / E X H I B I T I O N S "An Age of (Im)maturity" : Essay and Drawings analyzing the contemporary crisis published in To Grow New Eyes, a book by Gay Lorberbaum, Senior Lecturer of Architecture. Also collaborated in graphics and layout, Fall 2011-12. Through-Tenon Table: Furniture displayed in "Inspirations and Origins" exhibit at the Custom's House Museum, Clarksville, TN, Summer 2012. 2012 Commencement Address: nominated by graduating class to address the School of Architecture at the graduation ceremony, Spring 2012. "Things a C Might Stand For": an illustration done in collaboration with Mia Degner, published in "C-Heads" fashion magazine, Copenhagen, Denmark, Fall 2011. "Under the Staircase": wrote the screenplay for Kimia Kline's documentary film about the 1979 Iranian Revolution and current religious persecution, Fall 2010. Ink on Mylar Drawings: published in "Blighted," an article by Igor Marjanovic and Lindsey Stouffer, Architecture and Field/Work, Spring 2009. C O N T A C T donesh.ferdowsi@gmail.com
615.347.895
Apt 5RW, 26 Vandam New York, NY 113
2007
In 2008, I went to Saint Louis and saw that what we put where affects people for better or for worse. I noticed that I like to draw and decided that architecture school was a good fit.
2008
Monotype Prints, oil on bristol board
PRINTMAKING
WUNDERKAMMER Design Processes 111:
3 units
Lindsey Stouffer/Igor Marjanovich
FL08
This "Cabinet of Curiosities" and contemplation space emerged from a linear process of form-making inspired by Eames' "Powers of Ten." Students were asked to take a microscopic approach to site and extrapolate an architectural form from a found object. My project aimed to bring history and social context back into our academic discussion. In my representation, I used collage to suggest that there is a lot more than brick in the walls along Saint Louis’s Martin Luther King Blvd: the implementaiton of restrictive covenants, the demolition of McRee town, the Kinloch redevelopment plan, the construction of Highway 64, a century of continued population decline, the construction of the Arch, and the demolition of Pruitt Igoe Public Housing Projects. My project aimed to flip an assignment about things into an project about people. An observation space dedicated to “urban dross” into an observation space dedicated to urbanism. I proposed a space implied by a wooden fabric as broken, disjointed, and interwoven as the city of Saint Louis and its people.
from a clover... a) “powers of 10” site analysis b) leaf tangent study c) mylar collage d) basswood construction
a
e) poplar “portable topography”
b
c
d
e
elevation
section
1/4� basswood model
In 2009 I learned that drawings are built, and, like anything else, their construction entails a design process. I learned to be detached from my work and to overcome the fear of losing it. I learned that steel is softer than it looks.
2009
Independent Study. 1 credit. Bob Hansman. FL2009
Illustration: The Fire Tablet
Furniture Design. 3 credits. Lindsey Stouffer. SP2009
BODY CALIPER CHAIR
BAMBOO CHAIR
thonet rocker
+
ply and steel school chair
= chi·me·ra
[ki-meer-uh]
a mythological, fire-breathing monster, commonly represented with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.
make a monster.
CHIMERA CHAIR
GRASSROOM Intro to Design Processes III. 3 credits. Tyler Meyer/Liane Hancock. FL2009
Students were asked to design a pavilion and outdoor classroom for a protected prairie near Saint Louis. I entered this project by researching prairie ecology and history in the Midwest. A sectional look at the site’s biology shaped these spaces: two thirds of a prairie’s bio mass exists under ground. In fact, seasonal wildfires destroy the grassy iceberg tip we think of as a prairie’s substance. This space aims to heighten awareness of the site with its 5ft tall grass and 10ft deep roots. Long cuts in the landscape marked by corten steel shards and concrete retaining walls lead visitors through a covered gate way into an open-air space organized by its furniture. Three massive steel tables provide work surfaces for students and their mess, while three terraces provide space for groomed educational gardens.
ecological sections of site ink and watercolor
1/8� pavillion
steel and burned plywood
a) A steel tunnel brings visitors down a slight incline to evoke feelings of submerging before re-entering day light and the open air classroom. b) Three massive steel tables define two classroom spaces. Teachers organize students around or inside the surfaces. c) Three terraces offer a formal and organized space to cultivate and study prairie plants. d) The almost extinct native of this landscape, buffalo, is reintroduced.
d
outdoor prairie outdoor classroom classroom short section section
c b
a
In 2010, I welcomed my computer as another tool among my saws, planes, and brushes. That’s the year I went to California and met a tree that watched the rise and fall of the Roman Empire and the Sphinx’s construction.
2010
orthographic projection: plan, section, elevation. plastic lead on mylar. LA CASA GUARDIOLA, Cadiz 1988
Archicectural Representation. 3 credits. Catalina Freixas. FL2010.
PETER EISENMAN CASE STUDY
hybrid drawing: what’s the essence of the building at multiple scales?
36”
17”
17”
WOOD shaped by BLADES powered by MUSCLES: cherry/walnut/beeswax
wedding gift. kimia ferdowsi kline. SU2010.
Through-Tenon-Table
TROUGH POOL architectural design I.
6 units.
Gia Daskalakis.
FL2010
Students were asked to design a public pool for a Saint Louis city park. My proposal strives to bring an urban sense of traffic to the oasis. The park is for peace and quiet. This place is for motion and activity. The series of individual pools, gardens, paths, and ramps descending down a slope act as a knot in the path around the lake. Runners, walkers, bikers, swimmers, and people-watchers alike move through these lanes. The concrete shells that form the groundplane and roof structure are containers for different materials - earth, water, and wood - that lend themselves to various activities.
a) site analysis: mapping tree cover and volumes of shadow. b) concept: foster “race competition; water, earth,
single lap pools against yourself� modules contain and people.
c) architecture: siting, program, structure, and light. a
b
c
section perspective collage
a) terraced slope b) existing lake c) bike path connection d) single-lane lap pools e) wooden paths & ramps f) interior gardens g) gym h) m/w locker rooms i) reception g
j) pool entrance a f e d c b
west elevation
plastic lead on mylar
plan
h
i
j
1/8" sectional model
maple, cedar, steel
in 2011, I went to Copenhagen and learned that cities are for people. I also went to India and learned just how many people that is. I designed with a partner for the first time, and I learned that glass blowing is a lot like playing the violin.
2011
visual diary of 100 days abroad
FL2011
A DRAWING A DAY: COPENHAGEN
original bottle
two-part plaster mold
digital model
lasercut rib cage
cut and scan sections to produce nurb surface
rubber flesh cast around ribs
SungHo Kim. 3 credits. FL2011
DIGITAL REPRESENTATION:
THE AXE EFFECT
UNIVERCITY architectural design II. 6 credits. Zeuler Lima/Iain Fraiser.
SP2011
Students were asked to develop a infill program for an empty corner on Delmar, one of the 10 great streets of America. John David Scott and I proposed a new attitude for the Sam Fox School of Design with an addition to its campus: a study abroad in the city. Reflecting on what had been most meaningful in our education, we concluded that where we learn is as important as what we learn. An art school on a busy street is a much different enterprise than an art school in the monestary of the university.
Washington University IN Saint Louis
a) Short section through studio spaces, courtyard, street-level shops, and living space. b) Second floor plan: dormrooms cluster around study rooms, bathrooms, and kitchens along the hall. The hallway is the dormitory’s main social space.
a
c) Street elevation showing raised housing, shops, and library. d) Long section through courtyard showing front elevation of the studio addition to the existing brick structure. e) Interior courtyard views.
b
c
d
e
a) steel/wood b) rammed earth/stucco c) 1/8� sectional model d) north gallery interior e) courtyard and cafe f) dormitory interior
a
g) library entrance
b
c
d
e
g
f
In 2012, I learned the mechanics of communitybased projects by building a park for a school in a neighborhood. I learned the spirit by building a bunk bed for a family in a home. I realized that it takes a village to raise barns and kids alike.
2012
Published in To Grow New Eyes by Gay Lorberbaum SU2012
Illustration: To Grow New Eyes
donesh
ignaCIO beniCIO
funCIO twin sleeper laulab: Pablo Moyano/Catalina Freixas.
Saint Louis.
SU2012
Design. Build. Read bedtime stories. Feed the cats. Sit down to dinner. Together.
Construction Proposal: Minimize pieces to facillitate disassembly. Eliminate corners and exposed hardware. Attach structure to plywood skin.
the first clime.
toddler's-eye-view
caster-drawer detail
LEARNING LANDSCAPE Architectural Design IV.
6 credits.
Forrest Fulton/Mikey Naucus
SP2012
12 students expanded the 2011 Learning Landscape at the Patrick Henry Elementary school and rendered an asphault parking lot fit for people. In consultation with the teachers of the school, we added a fabric shade structure, sod playing field, garden irrigation system, storage units, birch trees and plantings, cedar and concrete furniture, foam playthings, and oak sculptures to the back of the school. Yurina Kodama, Parker Keyes, and I worked to add human scale and finer detail to the masterplan. We rescued wood logs from the chipper to build over 50 pieces of furniture at a total cost of $777.77
a) raised planters b) oak climbing structure c) vegetable gardens d) mounds and paths e) shade structure f) concrete tables g) asphault demolition
b
a
c
d
f
e
g
5-30lb. 12 benches. 32 stools.
SMALL
400-600 lb. 3 tables. 12 benches.
MEDIUM
1000-3000 lbs. 5 climbing structures.
LARGE
concrete
plaster
clay
stone
pebble
joining
carving
turning
twig
paper
bamboo
fabric
yarn
ink
music
dabble : to play and splash in or as if in water, especially with the hands.
bronze
aluminum
sheet metal
steel
wire
leather
bark
glass
earth
foam
rubber
zinc
plexiglass
urushi lacquer
found objects
MATERIALS
That said, I offer for your consideration an enthusiastic and authentic design process looking to grow teeth.
thank you.