kieran mortimer
architecture portfolio // 2019
kieran mortimer Civilizations have expressed themselves in this world for millennium with so many strikingly unique spatial typologies. Yet there seems to be many archetypal themes in our architecture - as a means of sheltering our mortal bodies while expressing our immortal senses. In any facet of design - we are striving to engage with the physical, mental, social and spiritual facets of being through the use of our senses. These senses are intricately linked to every regulatory system in our body - every time we use these senses, we discover just a bit more about the purpose of our being. We all have the chance of living an outstandingly beautiful and engaging life. If we design to understand more about the nature of the world, we will understand more about ourselves in turn. I hope to help people realize the wonders of existence through the use of their individual bodies and senses in the spaces I imagine.
curriculum vitae. AWARDS laurentian entrance scholarship // 2015 92% average in grade 12 with all sciences / maths taken
EDUCATION laurentian university // 2015-2019 bachelor of architectural studies
varsity swim team // 2016 canadian interuniversity sport academic all-canadian award
ancaster high school // 2010-2014
dean’s honours // 2015 - present maintained an 83%+ average through seven semesters
EXPERIENCE oakville swim academy // 2005-2017 swim instructor / deck supervisor / lifeguard and front desk assistant
study abroad // dinkelsbuhl, germany // 2017 design work done for a backyard addition to a clients home. project expected to be completed in the summer of 2019 rci group student scholarship // 2018 scholarship to attend building envelope conference ACHIEVEMENTS competitive swimming // 2004-2007 ranked #1 in my age group nationwide in 2007 - in 800m freestyle, 200m i.m, 50m butterfly and 4x100m freestyle relay dared to tri - triathlon // 2014 took part in three-man team that won the 100-team group ofsaa swimming // 2014 4th place finish in the 50m freestyle finals ancaster high school swimmer of the year competitive waterpolo // 2013 - 2014 played in various high level tournaments across ontario and quebec with the hamilton waterpolo club
csl landscaping oakville // 2016 landscaper study abroad // 2017 germany / austria / italy huntington university residence // 2017-2018 residence attendant architecture internship // 2018 mccallum sather architects - hamilton digital fabrication teaching assistant // 2018-2019 laser cutting and 3d printing training INTERESTS photography exploring intimate details commonly overlooked in our environment
high school waterpolo // 2010 - 2014 captained the team to three finals and a semifinal
urban design heavily influenced by the works of jan gehl, jane jacobs and william whyte
lasa secretary // 2018-2019 laurentian architecture student's association
human psychology and behaviour interested in understanding what factors influence human action
NOTABLE VOLUNTEERING church cook for fundraisers // 2010 planned dinners and cooked meals for the public as a means of supporting humanitarian initiatives created by the church planning for housing in dominican republic // 2011 helped to plan and research for a trip to the dominican republic for construction of affordable housing- unfortunately was not able to partake on the trip due to illness operation rednose // 2016 assisted in call centre helping alleviate the number of drivers under the influence on the roads during the holiday season
contact
exercise, fitness and nutrition understanding the importance of movement and diet in health, personal stability and growth minimalism keeping only what holds legitimate value - living with less LANGUAGES english - native german - basic reading and speaking dutch - basic reading and speaking (dual citizen)
kieran mortimer kmortimer@laurentian.ca 289 - 456 - 7100 brant, on
contents. ABSTRACT // 1 what can become brief perspective of personal architectural motivation ICE HUT // 2 studio 1 / 2 community project to encourage outdoor activity during the winter months
SHRINE // 3 communications exploring foreign architecture as an inspiration and a means of creating sensual architecture
ART GALLERY of SUDBURY // 4 studio 6 multi-use art gallery aimed to draw in all demographics of sudbury
METROHOUSE // 5 studio 7 apartment housing complex aimed to become self sufficient through human choice
RECLAMATION // 6 studio 8 entropy disrupts - a new order forms out of chaos in the material form of limestone
SPIDER + WEB // 7 structures making the immaterial forces of the natural world material
EXHIBITIONS // 8 nuit blanche exhibition projects for the nuit blanche event held annually at the mcewen school of architecture
every moment - a painting. merano, italy.
1 abstract. what can become. our problems are communal - but our solutions must be individual. With an increasingly globalized world comes an increase in globalized challenges. Issues such as mass refugee and migrant movements, ocean and environmental degradation, famines and water scarcity, alongside a widening gap between upper and lower classes in many third and first world countries alike challenge our world on a daily basis - and seemingly demand a large-scale global solution given their mass and complexity. With the world population expected to reach 9.7 billion by the year 2050, it is now a more important time than ever to realize what the underlying cause of most of our globalized issues are - a collective sum of the often unconscious actions of individuals. The path taken by one in life is wholly determined by the individual's reactions to their environment in the form of their personal choices. We are both a product of our environment and the experiences that we have in them, our understanding of the world is malleable to the extent by which we experience and react to it. There is space for concern given that a growing proportion of peoples are settling in urbanized areas, the UN estimates that by 2050 nearly 70% of the population will reside in urban areas. This has the power to disconnect urban dwellers from the surrounding environment - limiting critical understanding of its workings and importance to all facets of human health. A lack of exposure to the greater environment to date has resulted in large scale mismanagement and misuse of vital resources for the sake of commonly sought short-term financial and infrastructural development. If we want people to understand the importance of their environment for the health of themselves and their cities, we have to provide opportunities for people to understand them through individual experiences. In recent times both social and environmental justice have come to the forefront of the discussions that we have about creating a sustainable future. Architecture can play its part in reducing the emissions and increasing the efficiency of the spaces that people occupy - but often times these "sustainable" processes do little to address the faults and inefficiencies surrounding the cultures of those living within the spaces of the building. Is it not our cultures (especially those in developed nations) and the actions of the individuals within them that have caused a great number of the challenges that the globe faces today? Being the ones responsible for many of the deplorable conditions within developing nations, with many of these nations economies entirely dependent on labour and goods trade (often unregulated) with developed countries, we in developed nations are both the primary cause of the challenge and the key to the solution. A culture can be seen as a collective group of people acting out similar habits on a continuous basis. A habit is formulated on the continual choice to partake or ignore any action made by the individual. A choice is heavily formulated based off the individuals preconceptions or previous knowledge about an action. So we could in fact alter the way in which our cultures operate, making them more sustainable for the future, by providing better incentives for the individual to make more sustainable choices, while limiting their exposure to those deemed negative. This can translate into both urban planning and architecture in several facets. In our built environment, we could encourage healthy behaviours - ones such as walking rather than driving, by providing multiple routes with engaging sensory stimuli, shopping locally rather than abroad, by encouraging the growth of local businesses through more pedestrian friendly spaces, or even something as minute as taking the stairs rather than the elevator, by manifesting the staircase into an experience unique to every person who engages it. The key to more sustainable activities within and around our buildings lies in the stimulating rewards available to the human scale. If an activity is not necessary, people will avoid spaces that are not sensually stimulating entirely - human choice will always be tied to the neurochemical reward centers in our brains. A sensually engaging activity or space will release dopamine that will spark a positive feedback loop that will reinforce the choice to act out a behaviour. If we make the factually positive choices more readily available and more sensually meaningful - we can alter the way in which people behave to suit a more sustainable mode of living in a manner that retains the power of individual expression through choice. We cannot be naive enough to believe that a few solutions will be adequate in solving many of the worlds most pressing concerns - as more challenges will inevitably arise, but what if we could eliminate much of the needless and reckless destruction of our environments, cultures and people? Cities can and have to become the most sustainable method for inhabiting our planet if we wish to ease the burden of our growing populations on the planets resources. If we wish to design for a globally sustainable future, we must first set our house, our lifestyles in order, and that can begin in our architectural endeavors.
individual understanding. merano, italy.
2 ice hut. studio 1+2.
spaces for play. Sudbury is a winter city through and through. The city often spends half of its year in below freezing temperatures, meaning winter activities are well suited to the city's inhabitants. While winter weather brings along activities such as skating and hiking - many people opt to stay indoors given the weather and lack of shelter in the public domain. The Ramsey Lake skating path is open to the public - yet it often remains underused given the lack of adequate mixed-use infrastructure alongside its route. The community ice hut, built using only hand tools by our year 1 studio group (16 students) - provides a space of social opportunity, rest and enjoyment for those using the skate path to encourage community exercise and engagement during the colder months, where many people remain relatively dormant in their activity levels.
above: The finished ice hut stands on the edge of the Ramsey Lake skating path. The structure is entirely handcrafted - with special focus being given to the integrity of the mortise and tenon + dovetail joints to ensure structural stability. Japanese woodworking techniques were researched to ensure an elegant yet simple final product.
We were informed in the design phase of the project that a mobile cafe would be installed near the location of our installation, prompting us to design a space that could address both the movement of the skaters, the need for benches to sit and rest, as well as the need for a place to eat for those being served by the cafe. The ice hut fulfills all three of these functions by providing benches and tables integrated into the lateral structure - while offering a skate through path for those wishing to move through the structure. Crafted by hand with chisels and pullsaws, the ice hut makes use of mortise and tenon joints alongside wooden pegs to ensure structural integrity amongst the primary 3x3 frame. Dovetail joints were then used to slot connecting benches and tables. The entire structure was anchored into the ice by excess timber left along the vertical 3x3 members, placed in holes augered into the ice, and infilled with water. Once frozen, these members remained in place and allowed the hut to remain standing in the face of extremely strong winds from the lake. above: Wood was the sole material used in the construction of the ice hut - featuring both structural and decorative elements.
below: The structure consists of three 'gates' anchored into the ice and connected by horizontal members to resist lateral loading
3 shrine.
communications.
experience through material exploits. Shrine was a project done to further my understanding of Japanese historical culture. The project was originally influenced by Japanese Shinto shrines, many of which have been enveloped by the landscape that surrounds them over the course of their lifetime - a purity received through degradation and transformation. All materials and spaces will degrade over the course of their existence. It is the ideals, the spirit and experience of a space that remains throughout the tenure of its existence, so it remains just as important to consider the sensual spirit of a space rather than the physical manifestation of it alone. Rather than convoluting the space with a numerous set of materials that compete for the focus of the occupant - few materials exposed to several architectural and environmental exposures allow viewers to experience a material for all of its sensual potentials. What is often limited to vision alone has been expanded to all of the senses available.
section
interior
interior axonometric
exterior axonometric
4 art gallery of sudbury. studio 6.
section model
a destination for stay. In recent years Sudbury has become a mixing pot for an expanding public art scene in the core of the city. The simultaneous growth of the UpHere festival and a public mural scene has spawned the realization that the downtown holds great potential in becoming an attractive destination for people. Many have realized that the downtown lacks essential staying activities needed for attracting consistent users. The Art Gallery of Sudbury project had a simple goal in mind in its formulation: display local efforts in art and culture in a space that serves as more than just an art gallery. This is done in hopes that all strata of people could be attracted to the building as there is no sole "program", rather a collection of private art displayed to the public alongside several publicly available programs throughout the building (art lessons, park, cafe, relaxation spaces, lecture spaces - among others). The inner core, designed to protect the valuable arts, creates a circulation space that can be left open to the public even after the gallery has closed, creating a space for staying, and a destination in the core.
above: Core functions in the gallery (art and exhibition related) have been drawn into the central core of the structure for elemental protection. The outer area becomes a circulation path for the building where activities can occur outside of the scope of the art gallery. These wide circulation paths have the ability to host a range of activities - such as painting classes, gardens, seating areas, pop-up shops or even lectures. This will bring a vitality to the building that will draw many types of people in to engage in dialogue through activity.
interior render The layout of the gallery spaces in accordance with other needed spaces such as storage, administration, studios and shops create an inner core of functions protected from elemental exposure that project themselves to occupants in several cantilever moments (highlighted in yellow). These moments engage the circulation paths with visual exposure between spaces.
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1st floor lobby spaces administration shipping
2nd floor exhibition gallery art studio presentation spaces
2nd floor permanent gallery protected storehouse enclosed garden
top: The mcmichael collection to be held in the gallery relies heavily on environmental themes of northern ontario to convey emotion. The art gallery has been situated in a space that will later be developed into a public park - so framing views to what will become a vernacular landscape alongside the circulation paths will help to reinforce the power seen within the art and inspire the occupants of the building in its beauty.
east elevation
north elevation
north-south section
Vernacular materials were chosen in the form of a facade composed of timber slats and locally produced copper plating. Staying activities are encouraged through various seating and activity spaces located on the circulation path along the edges - connecting those in the building to those outside while framing the surrounding environment. Circulation spaces inside the building are framed through expansion - via rising ceilings and framing windows (shown in bottom image). Spaces start off as a single head space but open up into double head spaces where staying activities are to occur. This also exposes the functions of the next floor to those on the floor below - encouraging users to explore the building while giving consistent visual and sensory stimulus. People go where people are.
The gallery itself emulates the environment that surrounds it in unique moments of exposure. As one moves up the building, the elements and surrounding landscape become more and more apparent through the opportunities available to sensually engage the outdoor environment.
5 metrohouse. studio 7 (ongoing).
entrance render
what if we could create... a place to...
eat.
sleep.
socialize.
work.
exercise. be in nature. be human.
sustainable culture = sustainable architecture... not the other way around. We intend to create a building that encourages its occupants to make better short term choices that translate into more sustainable long term habits. A building will never be sustainable if those living in it do not act, think, understand, accept and live a sustainable lifestyle. Therefore, we hope that our building can foster the growth of an informed lifestyle, one where people recognize the impacts of their choices, as the impacts are not hidden away from sight and mind. A building where the occupants are a part of a greater social and societal success.
a human scaled sudbury.
Downtown Sudbury holds great potential in becoming an area more adapted to the human scale of living. Metrohouse - a tall wood mixed-use apartment complex in the downtown core of Sudbury - aims to provide a space that provides the opportunity for all people to lead more sustainable aware lifestyles. Currently - the downtown core of Sudbury has limited activities for people to partake in, making it a fairly dull and unappealing experience for the pedestrian. There is a severe lack of activity diversity in the core that could be accredited to the fact that the developed land in the city of Sudbury rarely serves the human scale, rather prioritizing the movement and efficiency of vehicle transportation.
meaning and purpose through sensual engagement
top: the downtown core has been designed for the car rather than the human. The parking lots alone (highlighted in yellow) account for a great amount of land area of the downtown without even including roadways. These lots offer little value to pedestrians and are often left empty after 5pm every single workday. They erode the street culture of the core by separating core businesses and activities from one another, making the walk between spaces a generally unappealing experience to the pedestrian.
The core is car-centric. More cars means less people on the streets, less people on the streets causes stores to close earlier, the streets become more unsafe and uninviting causing there to be fewer social and recreational activities available, which can increase the rates of social isolation. In order to address these challenges, we are creating an apartment complex where the occupant and the pedestrian can express themselves through human scaled amenities. In many North American apartment buildings, public and private life are separated by a front door impermeable to pedestrians, minimizing activity between these two poles. We designed an apartment complex that provides an array of activities that will allow for the public to interact with the building while respecting the privacy of those living within - in order to create connection points between peoples of differing states (breaking down pre-existing barriers).
entrance
typical apartment building.
private.
public.
metrohouse.
private.
public.
bicycle garage. bus stop. cafe. music bar. market. compost recycling.
1.
outdoor staircase. park.
greenhouse. lobby (social space). interior staircase. hallway decoration.
2.
apartments. interior staircase. social space. hallway decoration.
3-9. 10.
apartments. greenhouse view.
greenhouse.
site plan
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2nd floor
ground floor
To make the street an engaging scene for people, services such as a fresh food market (using crops grown within the greenhouses on site), cafe, compost and recycling education plant, an exposed greenhouse, and a music bar that inhabits the parking garage after hours have been developed. Alongside these features, a heavy effort has been set on regreening the area to introduce local vegetation back to those downtown - who rarely have a chance to see such. The change between public to private is marked by the easing transition made by the lobby space of the apartment building between the park and the apartments. The presence of small stores and greenhouses on site will provide several new job opportunities for those seeking to work and live downtown while providing some community responsibility in the form of gathering, cooking and composting space.
park render
top: the elevated park on the building serves to be functional year-round with greenspace, greenhouse, a central water feature that becomes an ice rink, and several seating, gathering and dining spaces. Enclosing walls make the space semi-public and limit noise pollution from the streets below.
bottom: an early conceptual elevation demonstrating the transition of greenery from the roof of the building, exposed to the car-centric elm st. transitioning down into the more pedestrian suited cedar st. Materials transition from mass stone to sky much like the natural landscape of Northern Ontario.
conceptual west elevation
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lower apartment level
cross ventilation carries cool air through the building. direct sunlight encourages plant growth and minimizes artificial lighting needs. stack effect circulates warmer air up to the greenhouse. evapotranspiration carries cool air throughout the building. load-bearing clt
plumb walls
upper apartment level
Each two stories of the apartment building share a single, double-head spaced social area. This social area faces the park and becomes the "public" portion of the apartment complex. As one moves further back into the floor, the spaces available to the residents become more and more privatized as a means of creating area for study or quiet activity. The staircase in the social space becomes a centrepiece for activity, where a continuous shelf runs up along the core of the space - holding various potential activities by housing decorative objects, books, games and plantings for user interaction. This staircase has been decorated as such in order to create a mixed-use space that encourages users to use the staircase to both exercise and formulate new experiences. The staircase seems less a chore if it becomes more than a staircase.
3 bedroom apartment
2 bedroom apartment micro apartment
Given that we wanted the building to be made available to all types of people from differing backgrounds, we have provided 3 apartment typologies that serve small families, elderly citizens, students and low-income workers. Apartments (notably the micro apartment) have been designed in such a way as to limit floor area to what is needed, limiting renting / buying costs to make the complex more economically viable. Smaller areas have been provided with adaptable furniture and good window exposure to make the spaces feel larger. These spaces limit needless resource waste given that many occupants will not be present for large portions of the day. Social spaces soak up the southern oriented sun path, making them comfortably lit throughout the day. Micro-apartments provided on the north face of the building provide less expensive renting options for those looking to rehabilitate from social or economic distress, providing a small space with built in adaptable furniture that one can call their own. Plenty of opportunity for social cohesion is present in the form of personal hallway decoration spaces for occupants alongside several breakout areas.
3 bedroom apartment intended for small families
micro-apartments intended for low-income occupants
2 bedroom apartments intended for students, adaptable to couples
laundry room shared by two floors limiting equipment needs
social spaces
acknowledgments kody ferron
6 reclamation. studio 8.
a state of entropy. Entropy is a lack of order or predictability; the gradual decline into disorder. A simple fact of life - the world is constantly sliding further into a state of entropy. Humans cope with this reality every day, and the reclamation project manifests this interaction. Limestone was cast and subsequently eroded by the movement of water over the block itself. From here, humans reclaimed the space through carving and space making, creating physical use for the flux of elemental changes that the environment creates.
process: Custom framework was created to mold the limestone block. Layers of colours were scooped into the form and then flattened where they were then left to dry for 24 hours before being removed. The block retains water for more than a few days - giving opportunity to carving with ease.
details: The flumes carved from the block from water exposure and intervention interact with light, shadow, colour and atmosphere in the space. In creating the carvings, intervention was a product of the reactions that the material itself made. Cracks and breaks were repurposed, natural deformities were expressed, and the block had the final say in the forms it could manifest.
acknowledgments: james walker // linton pinto
7 spider + web. structures.
wood and steel. The use of steel cables as a primary source for force distribution throughout the structure helped to ensure that the wooden members of the system are not entirely overshadowed. There is a duality between wood and steel (wood beams and steel connections) that mimic Sudbury, given the fact that this landscape was originally coveted for its rich deposits in lumber and metal ores. The steel cables act as unobtrusive elements that supplement the connection pieces between wood and steel. In the current version the wires and connections are exposed for viewing, but in a practical situation a tensile material could be applied onto the spaces between the wooden members in order to create an enclosed space where benches or tables could be situated.
acknowledgments kody ferron // mike letros // linton pinto
steel joint detail
full structure
tensile web. A series of tensile movements overlap to materialize the invisible forces of nature.
8 exhibitions. nuit blanche.
thread. Colours blend and absorb into one another, highlighting the fluidity of the visible spectrum of light. 24 km of thread was used to hang the exhibit at 8m in height.
acknowledgments andrew watt, brooke fecteau, kristina hakala, max vos coupal, vennice de guzman
orb. Exploring the abilities of materials to take on new forms - bent strips of white oak, scarfed and tied into rings, alongside crumpled paper, diffusing a blue toned LED lighting module, creates an airy atmosphere of light and natural force.
acknowledgments alexander scali, daniel everett, derrick pilon, michael letros
kieran mortimer kmortimer@laurentian.ca tel // 289-456-7100 302 Johnson Road Brantford, ON N3T 5M1
thank you.