Portfolio 2014
Gabr i el a
A l b รกn H i dal go
Architecture has a responsibility for being perceptive and empathetic. Great design has the potential to transform realities, communicate imperative questions and set stages for the craft of lasting relationships. The beauty in the realization of our inter connectivity- that we become who we are because of who we all are- has the power to heal the scars of apathy and humanize the world with empathy.
With my designs I seek to sculpt synergic relationships among people, contexts and landscapes.I take great joy in synthesizing problems and dreaming about solutions that will make life for all healthier and simply a little happier.
A driven young professional, avid designer committed to responsibility of design in setting the stage for a healthier and slightly happier life. I aspire to design and learn to execute useful, beautiful and smart relationships among people, contexts and landscapes. (425) 445 8949 gabriela.albanhidalgo@gmail.com gabrielaalbanhidalgo.weebly.com
Education
University of Washington-Seattle Honors BA in Architectural Studies 2010-2014 Scientificc Explorations of Art and Architecture Paris, France Summer 2012 Aarhus School of Architecture BA Architecture/ 5th semester exchange Student 2013 Glenn Murcutt, Australia Studio March- April 2014 (1 of 9 graduate students selected)
Professional Experience
Designer/Artist Sawyer Maker Lab (SML) Seattle design build firm January 2015 Worked at the wood shop and focused on the design and craft of a pendant lamp Architectural Intern Lendager Arkitekter (Copenhagen Denmark) August 2014 to December 2014 -Participated in a competition for a sustainable church in Tana Bru, Norway. -Contributed with the strategic development of the vision and concept for the adaptation of a large factory complex in Neastved, Denmark (Resource City) to be transformed into an upcycling center that seeks to benefit from the opportunities of an industrial ecology. - Closely involved in the design and planning of the first offices in this larger project as well as a small neighborhood park that will be built in spring of next year. - In charge of the digital fabrication of a CNC routed model of the site Library Information Assistant Built Environment Library/Seattle September 2011-June 2012 ACE Architecture, Construction Management Engineering Mentorship Program 2008-2009 at LMN Architects 2009-2010 Miller Hull Partnership Tennis Instructor City of Redmond 2008 English Mentor and Tutor Fundaci贸n Quinta Campo Alegre- Tumbaco/ Ecuador Summer 2008-2009
Honors/Awards 2014 2013 2010 2010 2010
BA of Architecture Honors Scan I Design Fellowship ACE Mentor Scholarship Qualifier for VEX Robotics World Championship AP Scholar with Honors
Skills
Software Rhino3D/ Flamingo render Google Sketchup/ V-ray AutoCAD Some Auto-desk/ Revit Experience with Rhino CAM, CNC Routing and interest in Grasshopper Adobe Suite (Illustrator/Photoshop/In Design) Some HTLM Languages English Spanish Intermediate French Basic Danish Others Violoncello Casting in Aluminum and Bronze Welding Wood working craft- Sketching
Leadership
Board member of the Seattle Design Festival Committee 2015-Designer Social Justice Committee at Catholic Newman Center UW Facilitator of FIUTS (foundation of international understanding through students)
References
Peter Cohan -UW Proffesor- pcohan@u.washington.edu Rob Corser- UW Proffesor- corser@uw.edu Jennifer Dee-UW Proffesor-jendee@u.washington.edu Morten Bang- Principal Lendager Arkiterkter- morten@lendagerark.dk
Featu r e d Pr o je c ts Under the Jacarandas
Education Center- New Kempsey/Australia
On the Joy of Making A Maker Lab in the Favela
Dwelling in the Landscape Discovery Park/ Seattle
Practiced problem solving of relationships and synthesis of ecological and urban strategies under the mentorship of Glenn Murcutt (Pritzker Laureate).Developed an understanding for the the poetry in tectonic language. An exercise for design with a public interest inspired by empathy. Developed skills of project management and coaching by maintaining a motivated team. Practiced independent development of critical thought and matured with self critique. Cultivated Multicultural awareness. An exercise of the synthesis of poetic intentions/ program and relationship to the landscape. Developed an interest for "placemaking".Practiced the the materialization of a concept through experimentation with 3D compositions.
Touching the Earth Lightly
Practiced problem solving seeking to balance efficiency and poetic experiences. Matured in an understanding of structure, tectonics and construction.
Water Front Towers
Developed skills of collaborating across disciplines in an environment of integrated design alongside other colleagues and professionals.Managed difficult group situations and as the architect of the team maintained a unified motivated vision during phases of design development.
Reconceiving the Tree House
Developed efficiency and rigor in the design process.Practiced skills of negotiation and leadership in the digital fabrication of the wood elements. Practiced translating the behavior or computer models to real life materials. Expereince with detailing a project.
On Lightness, Tensegrity and the Senses
Enjoyed a rigorous theoretical exploration of weather phenomena and the relationship of our body. Practiced and understood the importance of discovering solutions in the design process. Through 1:1 modeling learned about challenges in the materialization of complex concepts.
Live work spaces in a cabin
Down Town Seatlle/Mixed Use
Seattle Washington
An Activated Pavillion
U n d e r th e J acar a n d a s Marie Short Education Center
Kempsey, Australia- Glenn Murcutt Master Class Spring 2014
This project seeks to develop a sense of harmony in Glenn's farm. The program is arranged along two parallel walkaways that extend from east to west and enable the development of a scheme where the voids anchor the project. The play between prospect and refuge in the two exterior courtyards craft a sense of community and allow the natural landscape to dynamical shape the perception of the spaces. In approaching the project one can perceive how the natural refuge provided by the beautiful jacarandas grounds the building, providing a natural frame and layering of the landscape.
The dormitories delineate the community courtyard from the west and cascade down the topography. They articulate a soft relationship with the landscape. The order of the pods articulate various sensations of interiority. The rooms are arranged with four pods, each with an individual window. The bedrooms face each other and the outside at the same time thus heightening a sense of community and protection. Inside the passageway the play of levels in section and releases of light and views in plan articulate a dynamic relationship with the interior courtyard and the exterior flood plain.
The community spaces which are located in the center of the project consist of one transition room opening out to a larger kitchen and dinning area. These two spaces are are arranged so that students can grab their food and sit down in an orderly procession. The dinning area opens out to the courtyard of the jacarandas and constantly enjoys the dynamic qualities of light that play with canopies of the jacarandas. After the dinning room follows a veranda, the lightest element of the entire
Scale 1:200
The more intellectual aspect of the program is arranged along a smaller courtyard of pin up space. The courtyard is framed by the existing studio on the west the library on the north and the new studio on the east . The new library is the only two leveled building and it provides an opportunity for people to enjoy the site and the project form a unique perspective. It is a release in the vertical direction and a serene space for students to enjoy reading far away from the leaches. The new studio has a different orientation than all the other building because here the most beautiful aspect of the landscape is not directly south but west. Facing west the building is not affected by gains from this harsh light because of the natural foliage of the trees that feather the light inside the
Diagrams, Anchored on the Voids
A M a k e r Lab t o Re v i v e t he F avela promoting a self-sustained culture of making // forging builders that think like problem-solving designers This Maker Lab in Rocinha is a case-study materialization of a concept to ultimately ignite a sense of capacity, inspiration and pride for inhabitants of slums and makeshift cities worldwide. It plants a seed for local development and an ambition to craft a bridge between the formal, classical city and the informal, spontaneous and organic slum between non-
malleable relics of a stagnant past and an unstoppable and dynamic future of urbanization. The center challenges the profession of architecture to become a practical and essential discipline that provides valuable skills to slum residents in the ultimate effort of building thoughtful solutions in rapidly expanding informal developments.
Dencity Competition Project: In collaboration with Logan Hanson and Alex Hartway
materials
needs
culture
M CO NIT
MU
TEX T
educators
Y
CO N
locals
CLIM ATE
discuss
develop
LIVE
ECONOMY
craft
LEARN
incubate
MAKE
ENERGY envision
experiment
healthy living
power & knowledge
aspriations & dignity
problem solvers
safe building techniques
LIVE | GATHER loose framework supporting the organic favela building typology, with living units flanking communal spaces; an external screen serves as a formal datum meant to be reacted with and perforated by informal development
CULTURE
M A K E R
S P A C E
MATERIALS
products & commerce
ICS
LIT
PO
PRACTICE | EXPERIMENT empty structure with utility hookups allows for the construction of new units via newly acquired architectural techniques
TRANSPORT
KNOWLEDGE
B U I L T
L O C A L
PRODUCTS
SOLUTIONS
MAKE | LEARN an active workshop visible from lecture spaces and public courtyard
OPEN STREETFRONT FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING
SET STAGE FOR INFORMAL DEVELOPMENT
PROVIDE DATUM TO UNIFY THE EFFORT
10-20x MORE LABOR per unit of self-built housing vs. unit of development housing
18% 25%
OF HOUSING WORLDWIDE... ca. 25% is “unsafe� by code for habitation ca. 18% is of temporary construction
FOR EACH SKILLED BUILDER there are approx. 4-6 unskilled laborers looking for work in informal settlements
The solution aims to cap formal utilitarian spaces such as workshops and classroom spaces for making and learning beneath site-built living units that locals would use as experiments for practicing and testing safe construction methods. A holistic program approach proposes a partnership between educators around the world, local involvement and salvaged material from the formal city.
Learning and living with the ultimate goals of developing built products and local solutions. Between these living units, opportunities for shared space emerge in the form of kitchens and patios, harvesting an enhanced sense of community and empathy. By providing a simple and adaptable loose framework for these units to be built, prepared only with utilities shafts, sanitary services and vertical circulation the favela is able to continue growing in its distinctive organic fashion while the maker lab below fuels activity and innovation. Encouraging a more vertical housing approach has the benefit of opening up new public space, allowing for relief.
D w e ll i n g i n t he L a n d s cape Arch 300 . Autum 2012 Discovery Park, Seattle
This building is a community center for high school students. It explores the poetic relationships between humans; earth, and sky, meadow and bluff. The steel tower and the ramp anchor the structure to the site and sharpen the focus of the audience preparing them to understand the play of relationships that will unfold. These two elements provide support for planes and trays that define public spaces.
Conceptual Massing Model
Inside the tower the experience becomes mystical and personal. Wells of light resulting from the sliding of trays puncture the towers apparent solidity and define mystifying intimacy. The experience of the tower culminates on the viewing platform where visitors are liberated from the structure and can dwell between earth and sky.
View From Tower
Section Looking East
Section Looking South
Conceptual Skethces
Relationship DIagram
T h e Wa t e r Fr ont Tower s Integrated Design Studio Downtown . Seattle
Our project scales down the Seattle skyline in the hope of developing strong human relationships and play an important role in the live of the city. The program includes a hotels, condominiums and retail spaces. The building masses of the project are offset from east to west, changing the rhythm of the urban fabric and developing opportunities for users to encounter intimate patios and pocket parks around the building. This project also takes advantage of the traffic from the elevated pedestrian bridge. From the bridge one can directly access the public passageway of the building which is filled with cozy cafes restaurants, and opportunities for retail spaces.
ept :: Parti - A gesture inspired by connectivity
Towards a personal scale in the waterfront A gesture inspiered by conectivity
This unique passageway in Seattle can be experienced as intimate and cozy due to how it weaves into the building and at the same time its location ensures a density of traffic that would enliven the space due to the fact that this would become a shorter walk to the Columbia transit station planned next to the site.
This is a group project for which I am the design lead; the preliminary conceptual massing model and all the process drawings show here are mine. The team is composed of one other architecture student, two architecture and construction management students and other consultants which include an engineer,construction management,
R e c o n c e ivi n g t h e Tr e e House Digital Facrication Studio / Summer 2013 Seattle This was a project developed in only seven weeks by the collaboration of undergraduate and graduate students sponsored by Arup Engineering, and Olson Kundig Architects. The Robot Tree house explores the possibilities of playfully integrating science, technology and engineering through meaningful design.
The robotic aspect of the tree house is evident on the possibility of this gentle responsive movement to occur as well as in the robotic arm used to fabricate the pieces. It is this gentle movement which fulfills the childlike dream of an autonomous expressive space, free from the ground and up on a tree.
Conceptual Model
During the project I lead the design and fabWWrication of all the wood elements on the tree house . All of the Renderings and Diagrams shown here were produced by me.
Wea v in g L a n d and Wat e r Arch 100 . Summer 2012 Portage Bay, Seattle
The project explores the relationships between land and water with platforms that extend out to Lake Union attracting the community as a public park and serving as a private boat workshop and rental facility. The base of the park on the north side of the project anchors the ramps and allows them to extend out provinding a large space for boats to be stored and rented. The main and largest ramp that goes across the entire width of the park, later becoming the roof for the reception rpoom, provides dramatic views out onto the water. It culminates as the highest point of the structure and captures a picturesque beauty of Seattle Looking south towards lake Union
Site Plan Workshps Restaurant Ball Room
Looking north towards boat street
Ramp A
Ramp B
Ramp C
The massing of the platforms allows water to permeate the project carving out channels where it can play an active each moment in the project.
A R o o m f o r a Wr i t e r Conceptual Project Winter 2013
En el vientre de la afonía Donde la inmensidad de la luz de mediodía se endulza Conmovida con el murmullo de pétalos de luz El chillido de la piedra se desvanece en el agua Y a si mismo se anula.
In the voiceless womb of whispers Where the immensity of noon light is sweetened Where petals of light confide The shriek of the stone is washed by the water And space annuls itself.
To u c h i n g t he E a r t h LI g h t l y A C a b in and Wo r k S p a c e Puerto Rico - Ecuador
A sustainable lifestyle is the inspiration for the the design. The building envelope is receptive to the elements and the interior experience of the spaces is heightened by instances where nature penetrates the skin and interacts with the audience. In the cabins researchers can enjoy a lofted room to study, gaze-out and dream. Below; the pods for sleeping are lightly suspended above the ground because the wilderness inspires a different way of coexisting- a gentle way. At night, these pods will populate the landscape with poetic lanterns that are softly swayed by the wind.
The poetry of the form is the result of a structural logic seeking to touch the earth lightly. The loads are distributed and transferred to the ground on the concentrated points.
O n L ig h tn e s s Tenser g i t y a n d the Senses
Fall 2013 / 5th Semester Exchange Honors Independent research project Aarhus Architecture School
Module
Model Photos and the possibilities of diferential loading
The promising development for prefabrication as a method of construction in the built environment awakens and interest for lightness. Light structures, perhaps to a greater extent than heavy structures, are able to communicate a haptic experience of the world's gravity through interactions capable of generating a series of sensorial effects. With a limited amount of material light structures are acutely responsive to the forces of nature, they express delicacy and are designed for responsiveness. On his famous lecture the poet Italo Calvino expresses his fascination for lightness and his interest on a knowledge of the world that tends to dissolve the solidity of the world.
Developing an ordered Synergetic System
The proposal for this exploration is based on the study of kinetic tensegrity structures which respond to the gentle fluctuations of energy in the processes of fog and precipitation. The possibilities of a tensegrity structure to become activated are based on how these are able to respond to differential loading. In order to develop the system of the membrane I empirically investigated how changes of interactions between tension and compression members act as natural damping elements and can change the rhythm of the energy fluctuations in the system.The system of tensional integrity described by an equilibrium of opposing forces of compression and tension allow for the delicate thermodynamic changes in the processes of fog and frost to change the proximity and arrangement of the three dimensional membrane, and thus the perception of space
This is a detail that allow for differential loading in the membrane to take place.They fill up with water until they loose balance.
This chanenel fills up with water until it looses balance and in doing so releases the accumilated pressure of the membrane.
Axonometric of detail
Sket c h in g Series of Sketches- Freeway Park Seattle
H ar m o n y D e c o nst r uct e d Sculpture
The harmony of a violin is elegantly sliced and paralyzed in time. The vibrations of the strings resound within the hallow steel supports. Their sound can be tuned by rotating the pegs on the side.
An Od e t o th e Tact i l e Casted alluminum with acrylic insertion
This piece is expresses a materialization of the sense of touch by the contrasting materiality and expression contained in the piece. With this piece I intend to raise question about process of materiality and rhythm. Here I mark the start of my fascination with process and making. With this project I allowed the material and the process of casting to inform the design. I took a step back as the designer and began discovering the opportunities that the material had to offer.
Infla t a b l e Stru c t u r es Wo r kshop Fall 2013 Aarhus Architecture School . Aarhus Denmark
Our proposal focuses on the design of
the cube we seek to mute the senses of sound
comfortable and safe space one can peacefully
experiential thresholds that culminate in
and vision and change the focus to become
dwell and find peace away from the inflatable
a refuge for spiritual serenity. Our project
the haptic qualities of this space.
city.
expresses the dichotomy between culture
As one turns away from the city and walks
and nature; the two elements are juxtaposed
into the dome the forces of nature are evident
This was a project was part of a theoretical
through a contrast of form and interaction. The due to how the wind manipulates the low-
design and built at a workshop in Aarhus,
free flowing, un-tamable nature is expressed
pressure structure and makes it dance. This
Denmark with the participation of two
through the perfection and clarity of a semi
is a turbulent and sometimes uncomfortable
architecture students from Norway and one
spherical dome, the culture is reflected through experience. However, one is able to find the clear rational form of a cube. When inside
student from Chile.
peace in the seclusion of the cube. In this
Process
425 .445. 8949 gabi_alban@hotmail.com http://gabrielaalbanhidalgo.weebly.com
G a b r iela Albรกn Hidalgo