Kyra Ahier Architecture Portfolio 2019 (Outdated)

Kyra Ahier

Contents i

p.06 — p.07

Curriculum Vitae

ii

Academic Work p.08 — p.19

A Retreat for Chant

iii

p.20 — p.27

Wood Radicality

iv

p.28 — p.33

Emergetic Urbanism

v

p.34 — p.41

Specifically Generic

vi

p.42 — p.47

King Street Massivehaus

vii

Professional Work p.48 — p.51

Andrew Berman Architect

p.52 — p.55

Marchi Architectes

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viii ix

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KYRA AHIER

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Andrew Berman Architect PLLC 77 Chambers St. NY, NY 10007 212 226 5998 andrewbermanarchitect.com

18 October 2019

re: Recommendation for Kyra Ahier To Whom it May Concern, Kyra Ahier interned in our studio from January through August of 2019. Kyra was selected to intern with our studio based upon the strength of her academic portfolio, which evidenced a fine hand and eye.

Due to her skills, composure, and reliability, Kyra quickly came to be considered a dependable member of the team of architects. She worked on a range of projects including several public libraries, and a school of architecture. She was tasked with developing renderings, presentation materials, and generally assisting each project team. Kyra has a broad skill set with a range of programs, and can draw confidently in two and three dimensions. Her graphic strength and spatial understanding are underpinned by her fine free-hand drawing.

Kyra was fully integrated into each project team and worked with me daily. She worked well under pressure and more than carried her weight in the studio. The internship provided her exposure to the daily workings of an architectural practice and the multiplicity of tasks required to develop architecture from idea to building.

While Kyra is reserved, she is a clear communicator, good listener, and able to discuss architectural issues and concepts, evidencing a sound and well rounded architectural education. She is an asset to any architectural studio fortunate enough to have her.

I recommend her without reservation and look forward to seeing her develop as an architect.

Sincerely,

Andrew D Berman FAIA

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KYRA AHIER

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Curriculum Vitae ii

Education 2015 — Present 2010 — 2015

University of Waterloo Candidate for Bachelor of Architectural Studies Cambridge, Canada Lycée Claudel d’Ottawa French Baccalaureate System, Science Stream, Baccalauréat Mention Très Bien (Highest Honours), AP English Ottawa, Canada Experience

2019 (01—08) 2018 (05—08); 2017 (01—04) 2017 (09—12)

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Andrew Berman Architect Architectural Intern, New York, USA Marchi Architectes Architectural Intern, Paris, France HLW International Intern Design Strategist, New York, USA

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4A University of Waterloo School of Architecture Cambridge · Canada

Digital

Skills

Rhinoceros 3D, AutoCad, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Vectorworks, Grasshopper 3D, V-ray, Maxwell

Analog

Hand-drafting (graphite, ink), Model-making

Languages

English (fluent), French (fluent), Spanish (basic) Awards · Achievements

2019 2018 2017 2015 — 2019 2015

A Retreat for Chant featured in Riverside Gallery End of Term Exhibition Cambridge, Canada MasonryWorx Design Competition Second Place Award President's International Experience Award Two time Recipient, University of Waterloo Excellent Academic Standing Academic Standing above 80% University of Waterloo President’s Scholarship with Distinction Entrance average above 95% University of Waterloo

kyra.ahier@gmail.com +1 (613) 869 8316 + 39 333 8653906 KYRA AHIER

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A Retreat for Chant iii

Sectional Axonometric 8

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St. John Ukrainian Orthodox Church Alberta · Canada

Located on a remote site in rural Alberta, St. John is one of many Ukranian Orthodox Churches that have fallen into disrepair in the area.

This intervention aims to revitalize the 1920’s church and consolidate the liturgical activities of the community's surrounding churches. The project consists of a plinth inserted below the existing church, which provides spaces for retreat and teaching for Orthodox chant as well as a support spaces for the parish above.

The plinth, lying low in the landscape, monumentalizes the church, framing its cruciform plan and creating a public “plaza.” The planometric organization of the intervention is based on the circumambulation encouraged by the church’s form in relation to its new plaza. Underneath the church, earth is cut away to reveal its cruciform plan; spaces are carved out of this central mass and serve as support spaces for adjacent program. Similarly, the thickness of the perimeter wall creates usable niches for storage and seating. The refectory acts as the central space, connecting the church above to its new “basement,” and negotiating the transition between public chanting spaces and private guest rooms. The

* Featured in End of Term Exhibition

sloping landscape produces various spatial conditions. The guest rooms on the south side face the open landscape, while the rehearsal spaces, embedded in the ground, translate typical church conditions with windows high above and skylights. In the rehearsal spaces, the concave chamfer of the skylight and the hardness of the concrete increase reverberation time for a richer sound that is key for Byzantine chant.

In contrast, the guest rooms have heavy sound absorbing curtains, for a more comfortable living environment.

The plinth’s monolithic material composition, light density structural concrete, provides thermal mass and limits the number of necessary building components and mechanical systems.

The ordering of the space reveals a series of relationships: the verticality of the church reaching towards the sky vs. the horizontality of the plinth nested in the earth; the white wooden church vs. the dark concrete plinth; public vs. private; loud vs. quiet; outward vs. inward. The project embodies a eucharistic relation of opposites and brings together function, program, materiality, structure, thermodynamics, beauty, craft, etc. into a cohesive dialogue.

3B Design Studio · Marie-Paule Macdonald Academic Work · Fall 2018

KYRA AHIER

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AB-855 T OW N S H I P ROA D 5 6 2

Site Plan 10

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Plaster Model KYRA AHIER

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KYRA AHIER

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4 1

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2

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1 2 3 4 5

Rehearsal Rooms Classroom Archive/Library Common Room Caretaker Room

6 7 8 9 10

Mechanical Room Refectory Kitchen Guest Rooms Laundry

Ground Floor Plan 14

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Second Floor Plan; Section KYRA AHIER

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© Orest Semchishen

Sections 16

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Refectory KYRA AHIER

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Guest Room 18

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Steel Railing Structural Triple Glazed Frosted Glass Concrete Topping with PEX Radiant Tubing Spigot Light Density, Insulating Structural Concrete Cast Limestone Triple Glazed Wood Window

Sound Absorbing Curtain

Clear Stone Gravel

Hard Wood Flooring Sleeper Sound Isolation Concrete Topping with PEX Radiant Tubing 250mm Concrete Slab 250 Rigid Insulation

Weeping Tile

Detailed Section through Guest Room KYRA AHIER

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Wood Radicality iv

Exterior View 20

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42-16 Vernon Boulevard New York City · USA

Formal games are not radical.

Structural feats are not radical.

Passivehaus is not radical. Smart building systems are not radical.

Replacing steel or concrete with wood as merely a skeleton to be insulated and decorated is not radical. Contemporary architecture has reduced wood to a set of building products ready for consumption and heterogeneous assembly. This reduction negates the potential of deploying the intrinsic thermal, ecological, aesthetic and traditional qualities that the material affords. This project counters this trend by proposing a radicality that is not constituted by novel shapes, “sustainable” design standards or complicated building systems. Rather, it is a radicality inculcated by the intrinsic complexity engendered by a single monolithic material.

The site is a vacant lot in Queens, adjacent to the Queensboro Bridge, and houses the single remaining office building of the New-York Architectural Terra-Cotta Works Factory. Our project responds to the demand for a mixed-use complex that includes affordable housing, a large community wellness facility and an early childhood education centre by proposing three

separate buildings, massed and oriented according to solar orientation, noise reduction and contextual heights with a gradient programming from public to private, the education centre closest to the street and the residential building height matching the height of the adjacent bridge. To mitigate the increasing danger of flooding and storm surges, we propose a public park composed of low lying grasses and shrubs that will act as bioswale.

In our project, wood plays the role of structure, cladding, insulation and ornamentation. The use of ornament refers back to the decorative tradition of architectural terractotta and matches the new timber buildings to the existing terracotta building.

The thick low density wood walls used as thermal mass increase the thermal performance and eliminate the need for insulation due to the materials low effusivity and slow heat flux. The thermally modified timber structural elements, darkened by the process, have an increased durability and stability and are exposed on the facade without risk of corrosion. The structural systems vary between each building according to program and spatial requirements.

Partner: Mark Clubine ACSA Timber in the City 3: Urban Habitats Competiton · Spring 2019 KYRA AHIER

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KYRA AHIER

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1 Lap Pool 2 Family Pool 3 Auditorium 4 School Admin 5 Classroom

6 Cafe 7 Reception 8 Bike Repair 9 Centre Court 10 Rail tie Boardwalk 11 Public Park

EENSBORO ED KOSH QU

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BRIDGE`

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6 1

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3 4 5

4 5

V E R N O N B O U L E VA R D

Site Plan 24

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Thermally Treated Laminated Plywood Panel; Community Wellness Centre

Thermally Treated Laminated Plywood Panel; Residential Building

Thermally Treated Glulam Column; Community Wellness Centre

Thermally Treated Glulam Beam; Residential Building

Thermally Treated Laminated Plywood Panel; Early Childhood Education Centre

Ornament Details KYRA AHIER

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Low Grade Timber Interior Infill Panel

Thermally Treated Glulam Beam Thermally Treated Laminated Plywood Structure Wood Frame Double Glazed Window

Finish Wood Floor Wood Sleeper Raised Access Floor Hydronic Radiant Underfloor System CLT Two-Way Slab

Residential Unit Detailed Section; Typical Residential Plan 26

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Interior View of Residential Unit KYRA AHIER

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Emergetic Urbanism v

Finch Avenue W. & Weston Road Toronto · Canada

Located in Toronto’s mature suburbs, the intersection of Finch & Weston has long been isolated from the rest of the city. Lacking adequate housing, social services, or public space, it lies in the centre of Toronto’s most marginalized neighbourhoods, victim to high rates of poverty and crime. With the development of the Finch West LRT and the Bolton Commuter Rail, the neighbourhood will begin to see signficant changes in the near future.

We proposed the site’s redevelopment from a position of non-isolation. From both a sociopolitical and biophysical aspect, the masterplan seeks to outline and analyze existing energy flows across the site both emergetically and exergetically and posits a new series of processes and exchanges that will re-invent Finch & Weston in a socially equitable and sustainable way.

Our masterplan establishes

a rigid street grid with a defined hierarchy: Finch and Weston being the primary arterial roads, a secondary ring road that connects the four quandrants of the site, and tertiary streets that run parallel to Finch. Two antithetical bands dictate the organizational logic of the site: a recreational strip that incorporates the ravine system and park on the South-West side; and an industrial strip that builds off of the train tracks on the North-East side. These constitute a soft edge to the South and hard edge to the North and inform the program distribution throughout the site. Furthermore, the block typologies in plan evolve from a typical courtyard typology with empty space carved within the city fabric, at the centre of the site, to the association of isolated building blocks, at the extremeties of the site. This is manifested through a fragmentation of the urban fabric.

Partners: Sev Romanskyy · Paul Kim · Hannah Roorda 3A Design Studio · Adrian Blackwell, John McMinn Academic Work · Winter 2018

KYRA AHIER

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Plan (Existing Conditions) 30

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Plan (Proposal) KYRA AHIER

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Array Outdoor Recreational Units Tower Rehabilitation High-Rise Residential

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Podia 1 Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation 2 North Toronto Satellite Office Communal Roof Gardens

2

3 4

02

Circulation, Surface Organization, Landscape Strategy 3 Finch West LRT 4 Lindy Lou Park — Toronto’s Ravine Network

Recreational Processes

N-S Site Section (Proposal) 32

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2

Array Railroad Infrastructure and Support Units

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Enclosures 1 Rail Yard Administrative Centre 2 Large Scale Industrial 3 Small Scale Community Workspaces

1 5 4 6

7 9 8

Surface Organization 4 Freight Loading Area (Large Scale) 5 Freight Loading Area (Small Scale) 6 Freight Storage Yard 7 Truck Loading Area Circulation 8 Canadian Pacific Railway 9 Finch West LRT

Industrial Processes

E-W Site Section (Propoal) KYRA AHIER

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Specifically Generic vi

View from Intersection 34

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Finch Avenue W. & Weston Road Toronto · Canada

Located at the intersection of Finch Ave. and Weston Rd., this project develops in more detail a 1Ha lot from the previous Finch and Weston masterplan.

The title, "Specifically Generic", a term coined by Kiel Moe in his book "Convergence: An Architectural Agenda for Energy", reflects the aim of building sustainably (energetically, environmentally, economically, and socially) through an integrated approach to building materials, programming, typology, structure etc. In order to avoid the inevitable obsolescence of overly deterministic and constrained buildings, the design understands the apartment complex as an evolving entity, taking into account different life cycles of building components and identifying which systems should be "durable and fixed" versus "transient and temporary.” To do so, the design embraces an architectural specificity that allows for flexibility, thus increasing the building's permanence.

My project proposes a courtyard building with two towers seated on top. The structure follows a 6m x 6m structural grid, composed of hollow core slabs, concrete cores and

columns. The enclosure is separate from the structure, and consists of non-load bearing precast concrete sandwich panels. This strategy is a high performance and low-tech assembly that limits the number of building components and proclivity to failure. The interior party walls between units can be easily reconfigured within the column grid without compromising the structural integrity of the building.

The hybrid typology that mixes courtyard building and tower benefits from the shared exterior space while providing livable high density that maintains a pedestrian friendly street facade, and maximizes access to light and ventilation. The base consists of a four-storey podium that concentrates services, commercial uses, as well as institutional and residential programs.

The finer grain of the base contrasts with the homogeneity of the Finch Ave. residential tower and the side street office tower.

Thus, the specifically generic design anticipates "next-uses" and facilitates maintenance, while proving a durable, un-complicated building capable of adapting to the residents' evolving needs and desires.

3A Design Studio · Adrian Blackwell, John McMinn Academic Work · Winter 2018

KYRA AHIER

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ON RO AD WEST

F I N C H AV E N U E W.

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1

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5 6 11

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8 Typical Upper Floor

Second Floor

Typical Tower Floor

Third/Fourth Floor 1

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2

3

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5 6

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3 7 9 Parking

1 2 3 4

Retail Farmer's Market Bike Storage Grocer

5 6 7 8

Recreational Centre Light Industry Coworking Spaces Health Clinic

8 Ground Floor

9 10 11 12

Elementary School Amenities Cafeteria/Event Space Loading Space

Residential Commercial/Retail Employment Public Institutional Support

Plans KYRA AHIER

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W

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Sectional Axonometric through Residential Units 38

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Structure (Slabs, Columns, Cores)

Enclosure (Precast Concrete Insulated Sandwich Panels)

Non-Load Bearing Ultra Light Density Masonry Wall (Infill)

Fixed

Integrated Radiant Heating and Cooling System

Ventilated Hollow Core Slab (Forced Air System)

Raised Floor for Mechanical Flexibility

Mutable

Line of Sealant at Panel Joints

Hollow Core Slab with Integrated Mechanical Systems

Radiant Ceiling Panel with Copper Tubing

Non-Load Bearing Precast Concrete Sandwich Panel with High Solar Reflectance

Structural Column

Raised Veneer Floor

KYRA AHIER

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Office Tower Plan

Residential Tower Plan

Section 40

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Non-Load Bearing Precast Concrete Sandwich Panel with High Solar Reflectance Hollow Core Slab with Integrated Mechanical Systems Drop Ceiling Interior Blind in Fabric

Structural Column

Radiant Floor with PEX Tubing in Topping Pour

Concrete Beam

Drop Ceiling

Operable North Facing Window

Non-load Bearing Ultra Light Density Brick Infill Wall

Concrete Topping (60mm)

Hollow Core Plank (250mm)

KYRA AHIER

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King Street Massivehaus vii

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227 King Street West Kitchener · Canada

Contemporary architectural practices have embraced passive design standards in order to build for a more sustainable future. However, they are misguided due to an unsophisticated conception of energy flow. Standardized R-values used for product specification do not account for the thermodynamic potential of simpler, massive materials. Our project proposes a praxis rooted in a fuller thermodynamic understanding of architecture and the affordances of monolithic masonry construction.

Since the 20th century, increasingly complicated assemblies of foam, plastic and paper have been designed to perform in an “energy efficient” manner based on resistance. This additive complication is inconsistent with a contemporary understanding of thermodynamics. Instead of aiming for “net-zero” energy goals by reducing the energy present in the system, materials should be chosen in order to store a maximal amount of energy and dissipate it over time.

Massive materials such as masonry have the capacity to store and dissipate this energy slowly, through

* Second Place Award

radiation rather than convection, maintaining more constant interior temperatures. Massive materials radiate heat to warm bodies rather than convect heat to empty space, more effectively transferring the heat, and eliminating the need for large air handling systems.

In addition, as a material installed by a skilled trade rather a product with instructions, masonry provides the architect with more control and higher construction quality. Architects can therefore use masonry to build higher quality, lower maintenance buildings and combat the disposable nature of contemporary architectural practices.

King Street Massivehaus deploys these strategies to provide a high-quality mixed-use building in downtown Kitchener. The building’s structure and enclosure are fully integrated and composed of massive masonry elements. The ground floor consists of commercial programming and the upper floors are residential. Courtyards pierce through the center of the mass providing fresh air and daylight to every part of the building.

Partner: Mark Clubine MasonryWorx Design Competition · Spring 2018

KYRA AHIER

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Wall Construction (Exterior to Interior) 1 2 3

Double Wythe Brick Autoclaved Aerated Lightweight Structural Concrete Masonry Interior Brick Finish

Window Construction (Exterior to Interior) 1 2 3

Wood Frame Cut Stone Structural Element Double Glazed Operable Glazing

Core Construction (Exterior to Interior) 1 2

Single Wythe Brick Concrete Masonry

Diurnal Cooling

Summer Storage

Diurnal Heating

Winter Dissipation

Amplitude

Energy Flux in Masonry

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KYRA AHIER

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1

3

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Ground Floor Plan

Typical Floor Plan

1 Lobby 2 Café 3 Office Space

4 Storage/Loading 5 Gym

Plans 46

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Elevation KYRA AHIER

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Andrew Berman Architect viii

Skokie Public Library 48

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Andrew Berman Architect New York City · USA

During my eight-month internship at Andrew Berman Architect, a New York City-based practice, I worked on medium and large scale institutional projects for clients that include the New York Public Library. I provided assistance in Schematic Design and Design Development for various projects such as Skokie Public Library, a renovation project of the library's 120 000 sft., the Inwood Public Library redevelopment and the University at Buffalo

Architecture School renovation.

My assigned tasks included creating and managing 3D digital models using both Rhino and SketchUp involving coordination with consultants, renderings for client marketing purposes and perspectival images for design iterations, orthographic drawings for millwork. I also completed tasks required for the firm's promotional material such as graphic work, portfolio work, photo-editing, website maintenance etc.

Professional Work · Winter — Spring 2019 KYRA AHIER

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Skokie Public Library 50

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Crosby Hall, Buffalo KYRA AHIER

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Marchi Architectes ix

© Filippo Bolognese

Domaine Beaucastel Competition 52

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Marchi Architectes Paris ¡ France

I had the opportunity to work at Marchi Architectes, a Paris-based firm, on two separate occasions. I worked on various projects of different scales, from residential to public buildings.

My responsibilities included physical model making, 3D digital modelling (for renders and file preparation for physical models), creating perspectival images, design proposals concerning massing, spatial organization, materiality and detail, as well as orthographic drawings and layouts, and presentation material for clients.

Significant projects I worked on include the Renault Symbioz

House33, a disassembling house designed to showcase Renault's Symbioz demo car, and highlight the interconnectivity of house and car, and the integration of the latter within the home, as well as a competition consisting in the renovation and extension of the Beaucastel château and winery located in the South of France. I also worked on various residential projects, as well as cultural projects such as La Poste, a renovation and extension of the old post office in Versailles, a 9000m2 project offering a performance hall, restaurants, coworking spaces and innovative activities.

Professional Work ¡ Spring 2018; Winter 2017 KYRA AHIER

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© Filippo Bolognese

La Poste, Versailles 54

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© Fernando Guerra Renault Symbioz House33 KYRA AHIER

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kyra.ahier@gmail.com +1 (613) 869 8316 + 39 333 8653906