Maria Tschikai Færge · Architecture Portfolio

PORTFOLIO

SELECTED PROJECTS

BY MARIA TSCHIKAI FÆRGE

01 02 03 04

ADAPTIVE TRANSFORMATION OF HEJREDALSKOLLEGIET

an experimental and conceptual project that accommodate social and environmental sustainability by transforming the abandoned student dormitory in Gellerup into a community space.

CONTEMPORARY EXHIBITON SPACE AT REFHALSØEN

a former power transmission converted into a contemporary exhibition space where the history and the development of Refhalsøen is exhibited.

REINTEPRETED TRADITIONAL DANISH HOUSE

A reinterpretation of the concept with inspiration from Japanese architecture, to minimize waste of space and introduce a new relationship to the landscape.

BALANCE BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PRATICE

A complete renovation of a family house from a time pocket from the 1980s to modern family home with a balance between private and practice.

MARIA TSCHIKAI FÆRGE

Birthday 29.12.1993

Nationality Danish

Adress Bramslykkevej 50 · 2500 Valby

Phone + 45 30292793

Email mail@mariafaerge.dk

LinkedIn Maria Tschikai Færge

Website mariafaerge.dk

Instagram mariafaerge

For me, architecture is not simply about design but also about storytelling and aesthetic communication - to see architecture as part of a broader context. Social, cultural, material, and environmental conditions together create architecture. A context representing the present as well as the past. Therefore, I am keenly interested in how materials age and what traces history and time leaves in architecture.

EDUCATION

2019 - 2021

Master · Spatial Design

The Royal Danish Academy, Schools of Architecture

Focus on the architecture with the interior as a point of departure, working with the human scale, with anthropology, history, and tectonics as fundamental guiding principles.

2016 - 2019

Bachelor · Whole and Part

The Royal Danish Academy, Schools of Architecture

Focus on relationship between architecture, design and people.

2014 - 2020

EXPERIENCE

2021-2022

2019

2019 - 2021

2016

2012-2019

COMPETENCES

Interior Designer

School of Interior Design Copenhagen

Focus on interior and materiality in private homes.

Sales manager at Reform Furniture

Internship at Krøyers Interior and Graphic Designer

Sale consultant at Furniture store, Bolia

Shopmanager at Jewellery store, Pilgrim

Sale assistent at Jewellery store, Pilgrim

Illustrator · Indesign · Photoshop · Autocad · Rhinoceros

01 / ADAPTIVE TRANSFORMATION

The danish ghetto law affects our society both socially and environmentally. Gellerup in Aarhus is on the list of the hardest ghetto areas in Denmark and as consequence several of the buildings are being demolished. According to political intentions based on the “ghetto” law, Gellerup is currently being transformed from a socially vulnerable residential area into a more attractive and integrated part of Aarhus. The transformation is an example of a new comprehensive plan of both physical and social.

The demolitions in Gellerup are criticized for being socially destructive and destroying the local community, and the current approach is without consideration of the social and environmental consequences. The research underlines the importance of including the social context. Social communities can increase peoples’ belief and awareness of their own resources and opportunities and strengthen to ability to interact in the society. The investment of the social efforts and the residents’ engagement in the local community is what inspired me to develop this project. In contrast to other “ghetto” areas, Gellerup contains 50 different associations and several of residents participate voluntarily.

It is therefore an experimental and conceptual project that tries to accommodate social and environmental sustainability by transforming the abandoned student dormitory in Gellerup into a community space. The idea is to support and enhance the social qualities the area contains and thereby contribute to a better integration. The environmental sustainability is address by introducing recycling of the existing materials as design strategy and a design there can be developed by local workforce. Therefore, the project contains two sides, the architectural design and the demolition process to address the social and physical context. The architectural design is informed by the resources from the demolition process.

Situation plan of Gellerup · mapping of planned demolitions

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Gellerup is one of the largest prefabricated residential developments in Denmark and carries an important building culture narrative. The building type illustrates the efficiency in the construction process and the prefabrication of building elements. The building’s coherent architectural expression also reflects the welfare vision of the 1960s and enthusiasm for industrialization. The aim is to ensure that the cultural, historical and architectural heritage becomes a supportive asset.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT

The motivation is that architecture must be changeable as our society is constantly changing. Architecture is not only shaped by aesthetic considerations but also, a result of societal and climatic challenges. The challenge we face today is, that the construction account for a large part of the total resource consumption in Denmark. Waste of resources during constructions are common and there need to be more focus on resource efficiency and circular material use. Therefore, resource registration is an important design principle for the project. The dormitory has been vacant since Aarhus Municipality gained ownership in 2014.

Photographs of current condition · Hejredalskollegiet

AVOID WASTE AND CREATE POSSIBILITY FOR CIRCULARITY

PREFABRICATED CONCRETE ELEMENTS

The idea is recycling the prefabricated concrete elements from the building complex next to Hejredalskollegiet. Instead of crossing the concrete and downcycling the material, it is reused in its original form as a new facade element. Through the original technical drawings, we know exactly where the elements are assembled by bolts which make it possible to disassemble them again and reuse them.

WOOD PANELS

181 000 tons of wood are burned in Denmark every year which is a waste of ressources. Wood has a major potential for upcycling and material reuse. That is the reason why the existing wood panels are reused for the new facade.

WINDOW GLASS

Europa generates 1.5 million tons of glass waste from demolitions and building renovation each year. On a global scale, only 5 % of the glass is recycled. It is either cross or remelted through an energy-demanding process. Therefore, the idea is to reuse the old window but to accommodate the requirement, two existing window glasses are combined with a new frame.

BROKEN GLASS

Due to vandalism, there is a lot of broken glass both tempered glass and window glass. It inspired me to explode the possibility of recycling it instead of seeing it as waste. In the workshop I was experimenting with broken glass and making terrazzo floor samples by replacing stone aggregate with broken glass.

Process of prefabricated concrete

Process of wood panels

Process of window glass

Process of broken glass

Reusing prefabricated conrete elements from site

Recycling wood panels from site

Redesigning windows from site

Recycling broken glass from site

Apartment complex and former student dormority · cross section of current condition · according comprehensive planned to be demolished between 2020 and 2030

Apartment complex and former student dormority · design propsosal · recycling ressource from apartment complex to transform hejredalskollegiet

Current

Current ground floor plan of Hejredalskollegiet

condition of Hejredalskollegiet

Hejredalskollegiet · photograph of current condition

Collage of social corridor

Collage of public cafe seen from outside

Collage of public cafe

EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT WITH NEW MATERIALS AND METHODS

CROSS SECTION OF WALL DETAIL

· 15 mm yakisugi treated wood

· 350 mm hempcrete as insulation

· 5 mm clay surface treatment

· 150 mm existing concrete structure

LOCAL WORKFORCE

In San Francisco, a law determines if an entrepreneur works with development of socially vulnerable residential area, then 25 % of the labor must be local. That is the aspiration for including the local group Sjak & Byg as local workforce in the project. Sjak & Byg is a part of demolition and construction process.

HEMPCRETE AS BUILDING MATERIAL

One of the design focuses of the project was to explore the potentials of Hempcrete which is a breathable, malleable and sustainable material that is able to absorb humidity, leading to much healthier buildings and avoiding decay

YAKISUGI AS WOOD PRESERVATION

It is a traditional Japanese method and a more sustainable option of preserving the exterior wood. By removing all of the moisture and basically creating a charcoal on the outside makes it fire and water retardant and creates a natural repellant for insects. This is the key to the longevity of the wood.

montage at site

Broken glass seen as a ressource instead of waste

Terrazzo samples with broken glass from site

This project is about converting a former power transmission into a contemporary exhibition space where the history and the development of Refhalsøen is exhibited. The building is located at Refhalsøen, one of the Copenhagen’s last remaining areas of former industrial production. It is an artificial island and have in the past been known for its shipyards. In 2009 the area was opened for public use and now hosts several temporary activities and creative profession, but on the long run the government have planed to expand the island and there will accommodate residential and commercial buildings and it will be finished in 2070. The exhibition space is to inform the citizen of the development and make it interesting and understandable.

I used iconography as an analytical method to register the area. Through photography I investigate and represent the story behind the motive and aim to enhance the spatial concepts and the care of detailing and materiality. The photographs illustrate the details, materiality and atmosphere in the area. And demonstrate how the ordinary can contains the extraordinary. - the combinations in materials, colors and functions, everything looks in a way unorganized, which it is not the truth. Everything had a function at one point. You can see the history and the environmental effects in the layers of the building and how the human use have affected the buildings. It tells a story of the place.

The photographs illustrates details, materiality and atmosphere in the area. Extraordinary qualities in the practical ordinarity

SPATIAL ELEMENT · TILE PODIUM FOR ARCHITECTURAL MODELS · HISTORICAL CHANGES

SPATIAL ELEMENT · METAL BOARDS WITH SCREENS · PROCES AND DEVELOPMENT OF REFHALSØEN

SPATIAL ELEMENT · STEEL GALLERY WALL · HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS

SPATIAL ELEMENT · METAL CURTAIN AS GALLERY WALL · PHOTOGRAPHS OF CURRENT CONDITIONS

SPATIAL ELEMENT · TILE PODIUM FOR ARCHITECTURAL MODELS · DEVELOPMENT OF REFHALSØEN

SPATIAL ELEMENT · STEEL GALLERY WALL FOR DRAWINGS AND RENDERINGS · DEVELOPMENT OF REFHALSØEN

SOUTH PERSPECTIVE

The spatial elements are designed from the grid principle and adapted to the different spaces’ qualities. The colors underlines the difference in what is the existing and what are the intervention.

A residential area that is located along the edge of Esbønderup forest and Esrum river is a perfect location overlooking Esrum Lake. In this project the focus is both on the architectural connection between building and city, as well as the link between building and landscape. The project was based with a desire to further develop the traditional single family house and the classic danish neigborhood. A new interpretation of the concept with inspiration from Japanese architecture, which emphasizes a new aesthetic and sustainable look, a new floor plan with minimal waste of space and integrated solutions and a new relationship with the landscape.

The single-family house and the classic Danish neighborhood are the most preferred types of housing in Denmark. In fact, there are more than 1 million single-family houses in Denmark. This project has therefore been centered around reinterpreting the Danish single-family house based on traditional Japanese housing, where there is no waste of space due to sliding doors and no walking areas. The special variability that these two elements create, I wanted to pass on to the Danish single-family house. The single-family house contains many qualities and fits all target groups, which in my opinion is the beauty of the classic housing type.

The houses are built in wooden materials, which is based on a sustainable and aesthetic aspect. The wooden skeletons and kerto frames are not only stabilizing the building, but also creating a distinctive aesthetic appearance inside. The exterior of the building, in the form of the facade and roof, is lined with untreated cedar wood. The folding doors gives a smooth transition between the indoor of the house and the landscape. During the summer period it is possible to open up the house completely, and therefore the terrace becomes part of the house.

THE FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH THE SITE

”I can hear the faint traffic noise in the background, but my focus is still on the enchanting view. The river and forest surrounds, leading me toward the lake. The landscape stands beautifully in the diffuse light that the cloudy sky creates. Surprisingly, due to the wide variation in the landscape I get a desire to settle down in the middle of it all and consider the surrounding landscape. Throughout the sketches all my impressions of the place are expressed unconsciously. The observations of the road’s underlying noise, how the bare trees create volumes, the contrast between the dense forest and the open field landscape. The biting cold makes you want to hike in the forest to seek shelter. In spite of my frozen feet, I move towards the lake, the road down there is muddy and swampy. The small waterholes are frozen and form small fine patterns. The place and the qualities of the place are experienced through our body, our unconscious bodily connection to the landscape, which occurred to me as I began writing this letter.”

Photographs of site

Proces · development of most optimal and functional floor plan

Sketch of type 1 · outside

Sketch of type 1 · inside

Rendering of type 2 · inside

Rendering of type 2 · outside

04 / RENOVATION

This is my exam project at School of Interior Design Copenhagen, but only a smaller selected part of the project. The project contains a complete renovation of a family house in Denmark. The house appeared as a time pocket from the 1980s with plastered facades, red brick roof and brown painted windows. The family who bought the house consists of two adults and their two teenager daughters. The family wanted a completely new room distribution because the existing conditions did not match the family’s wishes and needs. The family wished to change the style into a more bright and modern with good quality materials and timeless designs mixed with a few color spots and green plants.

The mother is a trained physiotherapist and wanted a clinic at home. To accommodate the family’s needs, the house is divided into two, a private residence and practice in the other end with separate entrances.

The client requested that the practice consisted of a treatment room furnished with an adjustable and movable massage table, an changing area with curtain and a chair, and an office with room for a desk and storage, an entrance functioning as waiting room and an guest toilet.

The office and the treatment room are separated by sliding doors, to provide more privacy and the opportunity to hide any clutter. With focus on relaxation, the practice will be decorated in calm and down-to-earth tones. The waiting room is furnished with two oak chairs with cognac colored leather seats that complement the hanger in oak with leather straps. The natural materials create a warm and welcoming atmosphere in the room. A magazine holder is hung on the wall, which clients can use while they wait.

Plan of design proposal

Plan of current conditions

Plan of design proposal

Techincal drawings of new bathroom

INTERIOR FOR PRATICE AND OFFICE SPACE

A · Tøjstativ · Rackbuddy · Leatherish · B 80 cm · Lys brun PU læder / egetræ · 760 kr. B · Gulvplante Gummitræ · Greenify · H 130 - 150 cm · Terracotta krukke m. underskål · 1965 kr.

C · 2 stk. Pendler · Menu · TR Bulb · Børstet messing/mat hvid opal glas · Ø 20 x H 22 cm · 1355 kr. pr. stk. D · Tøjbøjler· 5 stk · Rackbuddy · messing · 139 kr. E · 2 x stole · TAKT · Cross · Matlakeret egetræ / Dunes cognac læder · 2 495 kr. pr. stk F · Magasinholder · Mathilde Eilersen · H 111 x B 29 x D 11,5 cm · Egetræ · 2 095 kr. G · Gulvfliser · Moasikhjørnet · Norma Rosa ·

7,5 x 30 cm · 648 kr. pr. m2 H · Væglampe · Nuura · Liila Large · Ø 24,5 x H 23 cm · Mundblæst opal glas/ guld metal · 2999 kr. I · Stol · TAKT Chp · Cross Tube · Sort stel/matlakeret eg · 1791

kr. J · Krukke · Muubs · Luna · H 18 x Ø 25 cm · Sort terracotta · 420 kr K · Vase · Muubs · Stain · H 26 x Ø 14,50 cm. · Grå/brun terracotta · 329 kr. L · Lågkrukke · MUUBS · Stain · Ø 15 x H

13 cm · Gråbrun terracotta · 299 kr. M · Gardiner · &DRAPE · 250 x240 cm · Rustic · Warm sand · 5390 kr. N · Messing knager · Sture · massiv børstet messing · Ø 2,8 x D 2,3 cm · 65 kr. O ·

Plakat · Desenio · MINIMALISM · 30 x 40 cm · m. træ ramme · 258 kr. P · Plakat · Desenio · INK BRUSH STROKE NO2 · 21 x 30 cm · m. sort træ ramme. · 178 kr. Q · Væghængt skab · IKEA ·

Ivar · H 83 x B 80 x D 30 cm · udbehandlet massiv fyr · 450 kr. Træmaling til IKEA skabene · Becker & Jørgensen · Metal/træ vandbaseret maling · S2005 Y40R · 3 L · 449 kr. R · Pendel · Bolia

· Piper 3 arms · H 83,5 x B 29 x D 21 cm · Mat antik messing · 2729 kr. S · Massagebriks · Earthlite · Harmony DX Reiki · 76 x 215 cm · cremehvid · 3150 kr. T · Gulvplante Strelitzia Reginae · Greenify · H 100 cm · Terracotta krukke m. underskål · 1165 kr. U · Bordplade · forbo linoleum · 60 x 198 cm · Tykkelse 3 mm · 4176 Mushroom · Birkekrydsfiner/linoleum · 2376 kr. V · 2 stk Bordbæring · Bauhaus · PN · 30 x 55 cm · Bæreevne 250 kg. · Galverniseret · Sort · 220 kr. W · Bordlampe · Game · House Doctor · H 50 cm · sort · 1240 kr. X · Vase · House Doctor · Less · 21 x 21 cm · Lysegrå · 219 kr. Y · Skrivebordsstol · IKEA · Odger · H 90 x B 68 cm · Træplastkomposit/ Aluminium/ Syntetisk gummi · Antracit · 695 kr.

PHOTOGRAPHY

I seek inspiration everywhere. I see perfection in imperfection. For me it does not matter what it is. It can be a new building, an abandoned building, a construction, textures, materials, colours or a combination of these elements.

With every photograph being an extract of a wider context, my pictures aim to involve my view on the world.  My interests in architecture and travel mainly stemmed from the enjoyment of experiencing different cultures and exploring new environments around the world.

In connection with assignments I use iconography as an analytical method. Iconography is an art historical discipline that deals with the motifs of images, their tradition and symbolism. Through photography I investigate and represent the story behind the motive. My photographs aim to enhance the spatial concepts and elaborate the care of detailing and emphasize the perception of materiality and atmosphere.