2019 - Architecture
Portfolio | Joel Tremblay
Ice Fishing, Little McDougal Lake
ABOUT | Introduction Hello, my name is Joel Tremblay. I have recently obtained an Honours Bachelor of Architecture Studies (BAS) with Distinction, from The University of Waterloo. I like to make things, take them apart and put them back together, modify them or even transplant things from one to another. I see all of my projects as an opportunity to enhance our built environment while advancing my own personal work flow in the process. When designing, I begin with a pen and paper. I believe that sketching is an essential tool for a designer to use in order to get ideas from the mind out into the world. Over the course of my undergraduate studies I have had the opportunity to travel to New York, Chicago and even complete an elective in Minneapolis. Additionally, I was able to spend 3 months in Rome, Italy to study during my final term. I have been able to work with several distinguished firms across Ontario and be a part of some pretty amazing teams. Gaining first hand experience in the architecture field has not only allowed me to gain knowledge of the industry but has also made me a better designer. In regards to my personal life, I was born and raised in northern Ontario. I enjoy fishing, mountain biking and exploring the great outdoors with my fiancĂŠe (Jessica) and dog (Echo). I encourage you to take a look through my portfolio which I believe showcases a variety of my work and experiences. If you would like to see more of my work, please visit my website at joeltremblay.ca Thank you.
4-13
Wabi-Sabi Lodge
14-19
Large Urban Bicycle Building
20-25
Dredgefest Great Lakes
26-27
Building a Smoker
28-35
Sketches from Rome
WABI-SABI LODGE |
4b Design Studio, 2018 - Instructor: Andrew Levitt
The Lodge is not just a weekend getaway, but a place to help you find who you are. The design stems from the importance of orientation from both, a sustainability approach and a holistic one . These orientation “devices” allow the occupant to engage with the surrounding context and appreciate where they currently are. The lodge is inspired by the idea of a cottage and how it is understood as a place to be free and have fun. Ultimately, the goal is to create a place which does not demand the occupant to “put on a face” to have the full experience. Instead, the design seeks to create a place that they do not necessarily have to behave or act as per convention. They can climb, lounge, run, lay, be curious and wander. The program bonded together with the architecture becomes unconventional, in flux and directly engaging with the user.
0.5 ballpoint on trace blue highlighter
The Lodge is located near the Oyunuma River, a thermally fed river that serves as a popular communal foot bath on the island of Hokkaido just south of Japan. Also nearby is unique geology of Hell’s Valley with numerous hiking trails nearby. The intention of the project is to create the opportunity for the occupant to have something to say about their space. To do this, the design includes devices that requires the occupant to physically engage with, whether it be a large swinging door, operable skylight or sliding wall. It is an attempt to get the occupants aware of where they are by getting them to appreciate what they are doing. It is to be an environment which will enhance their well-being and joy for the act of doing.
Concept Site
“Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. It is a beauty of things modest and humble. It is a beauty of things unconventional. ... The closest English word to wabi-sabi is probably “rustic”. ... Things wabi-sabi are unstudied and inevitable looking. .. unpretentious. .. Their craftsmanship may be impossible to discern.“
- Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers”, Leonard Koren lumion & photoshop Aerial View
Concept Section Window Sill Sketch
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‘B1’
‘B1’
‘B2’
‘B2’ 22.
9. 20.
‘A2’
‘A2’
‘B1’
‘B1’ 10. 11.
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‘A1’
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‘A2’ 1.Vestibule 2.Reception 3.Waiting / Mesh 4.Office / Admin 5.Staff WR 6.Elevator 7.Rooms 8.Manager’s Lodge 9.Living Wall
‘B2’
‘A1’
Ground Floor Plan
10.Lounge 11.Dinning 12.Kitchen ‘A2’ 13.Change Rooms 14.Sauna 15.Mechanical 16.Wahsroom / Shower 17.Living Machine 18.Storage / Archive 19.Thermal Bath 20.Foot Bath 21.Overflow / Wetland 22.Artist Residence
‘A1’
‘B2’
rhino, illustrator & photoshop Lower Floor Plan & Artist Residence
lumion & photoshop
“The Look Out”
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‘A1a’
‘A1b’
‘A1c’
‘A1d’
Site Elevation ‘A1’
‘A2a’
‘A2b’
‘A2c’
‘A2d’
hybrid drawing, 0.5 ballpoint & photoshop, 48”x11” section @ 1:100
Site Section ‘A2’
‘A1a’
‘A1b’
‘A1c’
‘A1d’
‘A2a’
‘A2b’
‘A2c’
‘A2d’
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‘B1a’
‘B1b’
‘B1c’ ‘B1d’
Site Elevation ‘B1’
‘B2a’
‘B2b’
‘B2c’
‘B2d’
hybrid drawing, 0.5 ballpoint & photoshop, 48”x11” section @ 1:100
Site Section ‘B2’
‘B1a’
‘B1b’
‘B1c’
‘B1d’
‘B2a’
‘B2b’
‘B2c’
‘B2d’
10 | 11
Note: A full technical report was produced for this project which included: envelope details, structural drawings, environmental diagrams, sustanability narratives, HVAC drawings, water waste management systems and more. The booklet can be found on my website at joeltremblay.ca/#/wabi-sabi/
lumion & photoshop
Wall Section Detail
The Approach
Looking Back
Lounge
Lodge
Sill
12 | 13
foam, laser cut millboard, plexi glass
LARGE URBAN BICYCLE BUILDING |
3a Design Studio, 2016 - Instructor: Mona El Khafif
The site is located on Lower Sherbourne and Front Street, south of the Esplanade parks. Toronto, unlike many other cities, does not have a green “belt”, “necklace” or central park but rather a “confetti” like pattern with parks scattered all around the city. The project seeks to utilize the extensive bicycle network of Toronto as an agent to connect the city to these parks. Maximizing open space on the ground floor and accepting the bicycle network would connect the site to the rest of the city. The form of the tower is derived from the specific functional program. Having a mix of large and small floor plates provides a harmonic relationship between residential, office, industry, and commercial spaces. The surrounding sites will be built up in the future with high density residential and office buildings. The study of future developments allows the project to undertake a multi-time line approach by dealing with existing and future developments.
Massing Charr
Lower Sherbourne is a main spine of the bicycle path network of the city. The bicycle industry is a fast growing market as cities strive to become more cycle friendly. The project focuses on establishing a headquarters for the bicycle community of Toronto. The program of the tower would include a swatch of design office studios, manufacturing and prototyping floors, test tracks, assembly lines, large storage areas, retail shops, community center driven spaces, educational spaces, various amenity floors, and residential units. The design intention is to let people ride their bicycle directly into the building. The design achieves this by having a bicycle friendly ground floor and a large ramp that provides access to the essential program elements of the building.
0.5 ballpoint
Concept Sketch 1:500 Physical Model
Parti Sketches OLOGIES
14 | 15 BLAY
rette 1:1000 Physical Model
rhino & illustrator
‘C’
‘C’
grasshopper & rhino
‘B’
‘B’
Parametric Facade Panel Script rhino & illustrator, 36”x96” section @ 1:100 ‘A’
‘A’
16 | 17
assembly
sha
ve
‘D’ public workstations / repair benches
hot ‘C’
rhino & illustrator, 36”x96” exploded axonometric @ 1:100
import/export offices velodrome service / elevator core
outdoor pub
bicycle ramp
Second Floor
skatepark showroom
auditori
service / elevator core public rentals
bicycle shop ‘B’
‘A’
non profit repair shop
bike storage / locker bicycle ramp
Exploded Axonometric
outdoor pub
Ground Floor
‘E’
‘F’
‘C’
‘D’
‘A’
‘B’
main pool
allow pool
estibule ‘F’ tub
blic
Pool Amenity Floor
auditorium
lounge
ium
‘E’
lobby
blic
Community Amenity Floor
18 | 19
Green Bay Harbour
GRID : LOCK - DREDGEFEST 2015 GREAT LAKES |
Elective / Workshop, 2015 - Instructor: Mattew Spermulli & Fionn Byrne
DredgeFest Great Lakes was a symposium, field expedition, and speculative design workshop about the human manipulation of sediments. It was an encounter between government agencies, designers, theorists, academics, corporate practitioners, industry experts, students, and the public. It was held in two Minnesota cities, Minneapolis and Duluth, from August 14-21, 2015. DredgeFest Great Lakes was organized by the Dredge Research Collaborative and hosted by the University of Minnesota’s School of Architecture and Department of Landscape Architecture. Team members: Stefan Berry, Fionn Byrne, Sandra Cook, Tom Kwok, Kunaal Mohan, Anika Sibat Rahman, Matthew Spermulli, Joel Tremblay.
The Cat Island Chain Beneficial Project is an ongoing revitalization project located north of the Green Bay harbor and is the current location of sediment deposition from the shipping channel dredging process. The original island was destroyed by wave erosion in 1975 and completely submerged by 2012. The revitalization is to restore the island and provide mainland protection from future wave erosion. The overall goal of the workshop is to explore different systems that can establish a more successful and habitable ecology for the future of the island. The study focuses on the central cell of the chain with the idea that it can be implemented in the other two. The concept of the proposal is to introduce a pattern of gabion baskets in a series of groups that either “direct” or “trap” sediment. The idea is that these obstacles will interact with the sediment flow creating berms and pools. This effect would create a diverse landscape typography and allow for a variety of fauna and flora to flourish. The baskets will be filled with recycled rocks from the culverts that have been built in place to temporarily connect the three islands. The baskets will act as “kick-starter packs” for vegetation to grow, as they will have seed bags implemented within. rhino & illustrator Great Lakes Aerial
Cat Island Chain on Green Bay
Sectional Diagrams
20 | 21
plywood, clay & sand
Physical Model Flow Experimentation
photographs by Matthew Spermulli Site Expedition
Sediment Flow Testing Labratory
Dredging Machinery Warehouse
drawing by Fionn Byrne Site Aerial Map
22 |23
rhino & illustrator
Timeline Diagram
Dredge Machinery Warehouse
Sediment Flow Testing Labratory
Physical Model Experimentations
photoshop
Conceptual Rendering
24 |25
BUILDING A SMOKER |
Personal project, 2018 - Collaboration with Sinan Husic
During my final term of undergrad, a classmate (Sinan Husic) and I decided to build a smoker. Our goal was to spend as little as possible and take something that we found in a scrapyard and give it a new life. The end game was to put on a final, post deadline barbecue for the class. We had an overall sketched design but the real fun of the project was solving problems and designing on the spot. The smoker took approximately 2 months to build, given that we had class and deadlines which only allowed us to work on it a few hours a week. As a final event for our graduating class we smoked two briskets. I do not know what was more rewarding; eating the deliciously smoked brisket, seeing this thing actually work after so many hours put into it or seeing the joy it brought to our friends and classmates.
Scribbles and thoughts
The smoking “station” is an old 48.9 gallon natural gas tank that we found in a bin at a metal scrap yard for five dollars. The process started with cleaning out the tank and filling it with water. We drew a template on the tank where the grilling station and charcoal shelf would be. 1/4” cold rolled steel rod and hollow steel pipe was used to make hinges and latches. We chopped up what used to be a signage frame and welded it together to build a cart. The actual smoker portion of the build needed to be removable from the cart for transport due to sheer weight. The “fire box” is an old 100 pound propane tank that we chopped, welded, and added a hinge and latch to make a door that doubles as a damper. The chimney is a massive 6” by 1/4” thick steel pipe that we had to cut up with a grinder. Having access to a wood lathe, we took the opportunity to turn our own handles out of white oak. It’s not pretty, and that’s the point!
The first test
Filling the tank with Soap & Water
Cutting out the door after welding on the hinges
“This will be easy!”
Hinges and Latches
The Handle
26 |27
0.5 ball point, 1.0 marker, 10 minute site section study
Sectional study of Piaz
THOUGHTS & SKETCHES |
4a Rome Studio, 2017 - Instructor: Rick Haldenby & Piper Bernbaum
Being in the Architecture program at the University of Waterloo, I was granted the amazing opportunity to spend the first term of my fourth year studying Rome, Italy. The school is located in the Trastevere district and it is where I lived in a apartment off of the Piazza di San Cosimato. Every morning a market was setup selling fresh produce, meat and cheese. Daily routines consisted of : enjoying a cappuccino before class, wandering the mazes of Rome, stumbling upon hidden architectural masterpieces, sketching (a lot!), finding small restaurants for delicious Italian cuisine, interacting with the locals and most importantly, enjoying some fine Italian wine. There were two main field trips during the term. The South Trip, we traveled to: Cuma, Baia, Paestum, Capri, Pompeii and Sperlonga. A small group of us enjoyed Sperlonga so much that we returned a second time, which turned into a race back to the train station because we had not known that the local buses stopped service after 4pm. Thankfully the locals are nice and one of them offered us a ride. The North Trip, we traveled to: Pienza, Siena, Gubbio, Urbino, Parma, Mantova, Verona, Vicenza and Venice. I proposed to my now fiancÊe in Verona on Juliet’s Balcony. On our personal time we traveled to Cesena, Florence, Paris and London. There were several other day trips which included visiting Villa Farnese at Caprarola and Villa Lante at Bagnaia.
I am truly grateful to have been able to experience traveling and living in Europe. Seeing the different lifestyle brought a whole new perspective to my life. I truly believe studying the fabric of so many beautiful cities has only broadened my design horizon. Over the course of the three months in Italy my classmate Shabaan Khokhar captured moments with his camera and drone. I assisted him with the production of a short video to commemorate our time in Italy. Watch it here at : joeltremblay.ca/#/romaxxxix This was the 39th class to study Architecture at the University of Waterloo in Rome.
.05 felt, 1 hour
In loving memory of Jon Bennett
.05 felt, 15 min
zza Del Campo, Siena
Temple of Apollo Sosianus, Roma
Cat in Vicenza
28 |29
0.5 ball point,threshold study. 1 hour
0.5 ball point, 1.0 marker plan/elevation study 1.5 hour
Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli
0.5 ball point, layer study. 2 hours
Spanish Steps, Roma
0.5 ball point, fountain study. 20 minutes
30 | 31
0.5 ball point, classical detail study, 20 minutes “World Collapsing All Around You”
Corinthian Columns, Roman Forum
0.5 ball point, tree framed view. 45 minutes
0.5 ball point, elevation / symmetry study. 20 minutes
Rick’s lecture at the Forum
Unfolded Elevation Sketch - Palazzo del Te, Mantova
0.05 felt. perspective & detail study. Completely freehand without pencil. 4 hours
Duomo di Siena
32 |33
0.5 ball point, a break from buildings. 25 minutes
0.5 ball point, lighting & form study. 45 minutes Mid 90s Mini Cooper
0.5 ball point, horizon study. 45 minutes
Baths of Caracalla, Roma
Venice
0.5 ball point, point of view sketch study. 30 minutes
Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza
34 |35
Thank You joeltremblay.ca