Architecture portfolio - Mario Bernad

MARIO BERNAD ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO 2014-2023

ABOUT ME

My name is Mario and I’m a spanish architect based in Stockholm since 2017. In this brief portfolio I’ve selected some of the projects I’ve participated until now. Most of them are real projects in Sweden or Barcelona but I’ve saved some space for my thesis and some early works and competitions.

I’ve been fortunate enough to get the chance to work in very different projects in all scales, from furniture to urban planning and from office space to schools, housing or refurbishments. Even more important, I’ve worked with some incredible colleagues, I´ve learned a lot from them, and I’ve tried to help them as much as possible.

Having worked as an architect for almost nine years in different offices and for different types of clients, I had to adapt and keep learning all the time. But I’ve enjoyed it so far: I’m not the kind of person looking for a monotone and repetitive job.

I moved to Sweden to get new perspectives and it has been a really fulfilling experience. I’ve learned about the design process here, the stages of a project, the requirements and regulations and the working culture. I think I’ve adapted quite well, even if there is always room to keep learning and improving.

I hope you find the content of this portfolio of your interest, and maybe it will lead to meet each other. Thanks for your time and don’t hesitate contact me.

entrance stair of the ethnographic museum in Barcelona - first (small) design becoming real!

OFFICE

I like working with offices. Usually are fast-paced projects with a lot of technical inputs in the program but at the same time the project if often part of the communication strategy of the company and can play a vital role helping recruiting and keeping talent. So you have the opportunity to be creative but always keeping an eye on the program and the budget.

I’ve worked in a lot of office projects, from the research and concept phase to the contruction place, drawing everything from floor planes to details.

KUNGSLEDEN HQ (2021)

The real state company Kungsleden decided to move it’s headquarters to the developing area of Värtahamnen to assert their position and invigorate the area. We worked with a metaphor of a living city, with meeting areas as “buildings”, public areas as “squares” and nice streets and alleys linking all together.

I took responsability for most of the drawings, from floor plans to interior elevations, furniture details and 3d models. Tha project was nominated to “Sveriges snyggaste kontor” in 2021

CARNEGIE INVESTMENT BANK (2019)

The client wanted a smaller office in the same building but at the same time a fresh, renovated and proffesional look. We worked closely to find a balance between “comfortable and familiar” and at the same time comunicate leadership and a proffesional attitude.

I worked with the plans and interior elevations, tenders drawings and material and furniture lists.

EPIC GAMES OFFICE (2018)

Sometimes it’s not you the one who get to do the fun stuff. In this project we worked with Perkins+Will, from London, and we had to addapt the concept to the actual building and local regulations in Stockholm.

We didn’t have much saying about the design but I got much more: I learned a lot about implementation, executions, permits, working with builders and consultants and collaborate with other offices.

HOTEL

There is something special about hotel projects. You can’t help feeling a bit excited, the arousement of planning a holiday and the anticipation.

I’ve worked in a number of those projects both in Sweden and abroad, bigger and smaller. I’ve participated in the early stages of a future hotel in a new tower in Göteborg and helped with the tender drawings of a big building in Frankfurt and a nice Hotel-SPA in the archipelago.

But my favourite has to be the one where we had to develop a whole new concept por a new business line which will grow in the next years and where we had the chance to create new material palettes, furniture, graphic identity and apply it to the first examples.

SCANDIC GO (2020)

The assignement included developing a design manual for a new business line for the budget-friendly segment with more than 100 hotels and implement it in the first few real projects. We looked for a flexible, youg and playful solution to engage with younger travelers. Time presure and expectations were high but when the project was presented everybody was happy about it (the stock wet up +5%) My roll included drawing the plan sketches and 3d models as well as the implementation over 4 buildings in Sweden and Norway

SMÅDALARÖ GÅRD (2021)

An hotel in an old manor house in the Stockholms archipelago was renovated, with new rooms, event areas and a Spa. The assignement included everything from landscape to architecture and interior design. It’s now fully completed.

My job here included working with construction detailing and interior elevations, and parts of the public areas outside.

FÖRKLARINGAR

FÖRESKRIFTER

Alla mått kontrollmäts på plats och eventue la avvikelser rapporteras skyndsamt til ark tekt för vidare hanter ng Entreprenör ansvarar för att stora byggnadsdelar kan transporteras t ll slutgiltigt äge Til verkare skall stämma av konstrukt on med arkitekt Förändringar utförande i förhållande till ritn ngar får ej göras utan medgivande från beställaren A la arbeten skall utföras i en ighet med god hantverkssed branchstandard och t llverkarens anvisningar i ovan nämnd ordning

SPECIFIKATIONER

SCANDIC FRANKFURT (2019)

Implentation of a room concept in a new building in Frankfurt, a big project with ten floors and more than 550 rooms.

We also drawed the public areas, restaurants, bars and reception.

The organic shapes of the building madealmost every room slighty different and working with german contractors and their different systems was a real challenge but the project in now in full construction stage.

I worked with the tender drawings and coordinating the art and decoration placement of every room, as well as drawing technical details and interior elevations.

Smådalarö Gård

NEW AND REFURBISHED EDUCATIVE BUILDINGS

Barcelona and Hospitalet

I have some experience working with schools projects.

An important organization relied on us to reform their old schools and build new facilities, looking for a modern and flexible model, open classrooms and interaction with children. A new system adapted to current times.

This work got numerous recognitions and several awards in the last years. My work focused mainly on interior design, furniture and finishes in the seven schools in which I collaborated to a certain extent.

The most interesting one for me is shown in the pictures, one in a century-old building in upper Barcelona, with strong constraints from heritage office but a funny challenge at the same time.

BIG SCALE

KINEUM, GÖTEBORG (2017-2022)

During my time in Reflex Arkitekter I worked in the project of a highrise in a growing area of Göteborg, a big project with 27 floors, ca 30.000 square meters and more than 1000 million cronor.

The building concept is the movement and the fisherman’s net, and working closely with NCC, Arup and the client we came with an interesting project that it’s going to finished soon.

I worked with the hotel and the restaurant floorplan design and also with the landscaping of the surroundings, both during the systemhandling and the projekthandling phases and I learned about the complexities of such a huge project and I developed good habits working in BIM software, something that it’s really important if you want to deliver something that big on time.

CULTURE & MUSEUM

CLIMATE MUSEUM, LLEIDA (2016-17)

One of my favourite projects is the work we did for the Climate Museum in Lleida.

It was an ambicious one at first, an oportunity to explain the relation with the nature and the future challengesto the new generations. As an example of real sustainable design, the project rejected the dependance on air conditioning and worked with patios, shadows and water.

But the economical crisis brought a huge cut in the budget. Almost cancelled in the middel of the construction, we worked to turn the site in a park for the city and a smaller exhibition space.

Working with the cheapest of the materials and the opportunities we could find in the place we finally managed to give to the city a new public space. Such an effort was recogniced and Alejandro Aravena invited our team to the Venice Biennale in 2016.

URBAN PLANNING

BARKARBY HANDELSPLATS (2017-)

The client, a german investment company, bought the plots and buildings in the well-known area “Stockholm Quality Outlet” and wanted us to carry on with a plan to improve the business and develop the area as par of the growing city in Barkarby. With plenty of things happening there, from the new subway stations to massive housing developements, we had to be reallly careful and thoughtful.

We came with a proposal for a new small neighbourhood, with office space and housing, new street connecting with the existing city, public squares and green areas.

I worked in the earlier stage, researching and sketching, and the with the plans and the regulations, making sure we followed all the requisits, distances and areas. It was a really enriching experience where I got to learn about the swedish city planning system, which was useful in later projects too.

DETALJPLAN OCH KONTORHUS - TEGELUDDSVÄGEN (2021-)

We worked with one of the main banks in Sweden in the detaljplan of a big area in the outskirts of Stockholm, one of the main expansion areas of the city when the former industrial Värtahamnen port moved to the south.

We developed a preliminary studio and coordinated the work with three other real estate companies to develope the area with new offices, housing and commercial space. In our part of the area we are drawing more than 20.000 square meters of new office space, including a building on top of a existing one, with all the complex issues about construction, adaptation and respect for the cultural heritage that it implies.

We had to work very close with the city planners, history consultants, traffic and landscape specialists. The project is still ongoing (2023)

HOUSING

I’ve worked in several housing projects in Barcelona, not so many in Sweden since I moved here, but when I get the chance I always take it with enthusiasm. There is something special in designing the space where people actually is going to live, and you get the opportunity to sew a piece of the bigger fabric of the city.

kv. YXAN - STOCKHOLM BORGERSKAPET (2020-21)

It’s one of those really interesting projects that doesn’t appear really often. We got the assignement of designing a whole block in Södermalm, including flats, apartments for the elderly and refurbishing the old facilities of the care institutio in the historical building. The experience of working with the inputs of the client, the council, the neighbours, the historical consultans and so on was sometimes painful but deeply rewarding.

I worked with the design and making place for all the program in the lower floors, the coordination of the BIM system and contributed with my grain of sand in the facades. I also worked with the 3d models and the 3d-printed model.v

XAN 4, HUS B - FASAD mot VARVSGATAN

XAN 4, HUS B - FASAD mot HELENEBORGSGATAN

C YXAN 4, HUS B - GAVELFASAD m

XAN 4, HUS B - FASAD mot SÖDER INNERGÅRD

VOB

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TYPPLAN

GATUPLAN

HOUSING IN BARCELONA & SURROUNDINGS (2017)

During my stay at F2M architects I worked on several public housing projects, from the idea to the construction management. I personally worked in all the design stages, from the first sketches and concepts to the building plans and permits. This one was a particularly difficult one given the inclination of the plot in the hills of Vallcarca (Barcelona), the small budget (public housing) and having a historical building next to ours. We solved the problem with a stepped system which included comercial space in the ground floor, avoiding big excavations.

REFURBISHMENT

INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN (2016-2017)

Due to the success of Barcelona as a tourist city many renovations of old apartments are being carried out.

While in F2M architects I worked in high standing renovations, with fine materials and custom furniture both for private owners and developers.

We had our own carpentry specialist with whom we worked closely. I helped with the initial concepts and prepared the presentations for the clients.

Later on I prepared the technical drawings and permits and I was in contact with the consultants and the specialists.

Planta baño 1/20

Tabiques:

TA1_Tabique de cartón yeso múltiple con doble capa y aislamiento de lana de roca TA2_Tabique técnico con doble estructura y aislamiento de lana de roca, con paso de instalaciones

Pavimentos:

PA 1_Pavimento de baldosa cerámica de 20x9 cm de color pizarra, adherido con mortero cola e=10mm

PA 2_Pavimento de baldosa hidráulica de 20x20cm, de color blanco y acabado antideslizante, adherido con mortero cola, e=10mm

Revestimientos:

RV 1_Puerta abatible de madera de haya, 210x70x4cm

RV 2_Revestimiento de baldosa vítrea tipo gresite 30x30 adherida a las placas de yeso mediante cemento cola

COURT IN VIGO

MASTER THESIS: PRECAST CONCRETE BUILDING

Vigo, Spain

I keep some special memories from my master thesis. I worked with a project longly delayed in my home town: a new court building. Following the requirements of a real competition interrupted by the 2008 crisis, I researched about a very particular program, learned about the precasted concrete and tried to develop a rigurous project.

It was a challenge to produce a building according to all the regulations and considerations as if it could be builded and at the same time being expresive and interesting.

The projects faces the existing neighborhood with a strong geometry and opens itself to the park and the mountain. It contains different programs with special rules,police spaces and some public areas with a café open to everybody.

It’s still a “student project” but what makes it interesting is that I really worked in all the areas: program, floorplans, detailing, structure, VVS, calculations... an wholesome approach you don’t get often in real life projects.

3,6

4,7

12,8 12,8 6,4 6,6 6,6 6,6 6,6 6,6

- use the constraints as an advantage.

- follow tight regulations without the self-indulgence of the student years

- intention of turning an official and sometimes scary equipment into a nice building that fits in the area.

EARLY WORKS

SMALLER PROJECTS & DESIGN

My first tasks were related to minor projects like furniture design, small public spaces and element details.

I remember the feeling of not having any clue of what I was doing and at the same time being really proud of every small progress.

Beside the things I learned with the stairs of the Ethnologycal museum or the furniture for the Sarria school, that were really important, I try allways to remember the enthusiasm when I start working on something.

No matter the scale or the budget, the appropiate approach can allways turn into great design.

COMPETITIONS

Both working in office and by my own or with friends I´ve participated in a number of competitions. We won some of them, we lost the most, but with each new one I feel more confident.

I bring here the Europan 14 in swedish city of Trelleborg, working together with three friends; and the official competition for the Distance Univerity Library of Ceuta. We won this one while working in Toni Girones architects and later on I worked in the development of the program and the building drawings.

It was great to work with all the scales of architecture and lear how to “sell” your idea to a jury you won’t meet in person. Later on adapting the sketchy proposal to a real project was a lot of fun too.