Paulo Cunha - Portfolio

Hi, I’m Paulo.

What I truly like about

architecture is how a building can create a

unique relation between people and

context, be it nature or city.

I am also fascinated with building, the act of joining

raw materials into a meaningful whole.

But I haven’t always known that.

This portfolio shows what I have discovered between 2004 and 2013.

St. Estevao pharmacy

2004

St. Estevao Pharmacy

4

St. Estevao Pharmacy

What was it?

My uncle was opening a pharmacy and he knew 2 things: he wanted lots of shelves, so that he could expose as many free-sale products as possible, and he wanted to make them stand out with some sort of light boxes. He asked me to make him a 3D model so that he could show the carpenter what he wanted.

How did I do it?

I was modelling right next to my uncle and my aunt, the pharmacist. Their ideas were a bit vague, and I started making proposals, and discussing design solutions. My ideas were well accepted, and by the end of it I had designed the whole project.

5

St. Estevao Pharmacy

Things I’ve learned: How people behave in a shop and the practicalities involved in designing a pharmacy.

6

Pavillion in Alfama Eira

2007

Pavilion in Alfama

8

Pavilion in Alfama

What was it?

At the end of my first year in college, we got the first brief which was not an abstract exercise.

We were to design a small building, in the historical neighbourhood of Alfama, Lisbon, making use of curved metalic elements, and exploring the concept of promenade architectural.

How did I do it?

At first I used all the concepts I had learned from the abstract exercises. The result simply lacked a structural idea. Then I thought, “I’m working with curved metal in a medieval neighbourhood.

Harmony is unachievable, so lets work with tension.� And so I did. I denied the view to the outside and revealed it in a single location, to get a more intense experience.

9

Pavilion in Alfama

10

Pavilion in Alfama

Things I’ve learned: Sometimes the best way to show the character of an area is to deny it and reveal it all at once.

One strong, structural idea is worth more than a dozen weaker ones.

11

Eira

12

Eira

What was it?

On the summer after my first year in college, I was craving for working in a project that had a well defined program. I decided to test myself by converting a cereals storage house from my grandmother’s thrashing floor, into a minimal living area.

How did I do it?

I designed it by thinking on the different activities that would undergo in the house, instead of trying to create the typical rooms, which would be impossible in such a small area.

13

Eira

Things I’ve learned: To care more about what people do in buildings, instead of what people expect of buildings.

14

Tagus’ Theatre Barrocal

2008

Tagus’ Theatre

16

Tagus’ Theatre

What was it?

The Tagus’ theatre was the final project of an year when the main goal was to design buildings that had a strong impact in the city. The main difference was that this one was located on a dock, and it was the first time we were working without a strong urban context. Besides, it was a building dedicated to spectacle, and we were asked to reinterpret and be subversive about the concept of theatre.

How did I do it?

I decided to experiment with the concept of a building as a sculpture in the city. I worked on a shape, organized the program separately, and merged them afterwards.

17

Tagus’ Theatre

18

Tagus’ Theatre

Things I’ve learned: A building touches us when it’s thought in a human way, not when it’s spectacular.

To question what is the core value of an institution, before designing for it.

19

Barrocal

20

Barrocal

What was it?

Barrocal is a homestead in the south of Portugal, where a large touristic development is underway. Our assignement was to design one of the luxurious houses on the plains.

How did I do it?

It was the first time I was working with a natural landscape, but the most interesting was perhaps the work method we had to follow. First, we had to solve our projects scale by scale, i.e., we could only work in 1:100 when we were done with 1:200 and so on. I found this very hard and it became clear to me that I needed to jump between scales, and have one scale inform the other. Second, we could only make white PVC models and line drawings with no hatches, and we couldn’t present our projects. I wasn’t so happy with all these restrictions at the time, but now I think they were good, because we couldn’t fake anything. It was about manipulating space and nothing more.

21

Barrocal

22

Barrocal

23

Barrocal

Things I’ve learned:

The presentation reinforces the project, not the other way around.

To work in several scales and let them inform one another.

24

Frades Vicentes Rato’s market

2009

Frades Vicentes

26

Frades Vicentes

What was it?

Frades Vicentes was a 33000 sq.m housing project next to a social housing district. It had to improve the attractivity of an area with serious security problems. However, the plot was a 20 meter deep valley, accentuated by the banking works of the buildings around it, oriented towards North, where there is a nice park, but with a railway cutting access to it.

How did I do it?

Once again we had to start in 1:1000, where I designed a bridge, connecting 3 towers to the park on the other side. However, where I learned the most was in 1:100, where I used a module for the first time. Later I projected and dimensioned all the plumbing and instalations for this building, which made me even more aware of how useful it was.

27

Frades Vicentes

28

Frades Vicentes

Things I’ve learned: How practical it is to have a framework to relate to when organizing a program

How a module helps to keep consistency between scales.

29

Rato’s Market

30

Mestrado Integrad

Instituto Sup

Janeiro 2010

Paulo José Cunha

Estudo Prévio

16 1

Escala 1:200

15 1

Planta C

Esc 14 1

Apart

13 1

Apart

Esc

12 1

Apart

11 1

Apart

Esc

Apart

Apart 9

10

8 1

1

7 1

1

6 1

Ca

Bibl

5 1

Sala d

4 1

Salas

Esc

3 1

Apart

2 1

Des

1 1

Apart

Espaço Piso

Proj Multifu no Mer R

A-A'

Rato’s Market 0m

x 0.16

1.80

1.80

1.80

16

.4

76

35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25

11

4=

23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13

x 0.16

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

4=

11 0m

11 0m

4=

x 0.16

'

16

33

.6

45

B-B

36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25

00

58

12

23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 11

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

64 x 0.1

00

=

=

=

m

1.9

x 0.1

m

1.8

m

1.8

15

1

11

00

64

x 0.1

14

36.457 0

.5

+72

61

.4

42.206

12

11

13.834

C-C '

13

30

25.51

1

29.36

6

7

'

C-C

'

B-B

32.81

19.26

8

4

9

7

5

9

29.893

35.061

10

45.629

8

23.968

27.400

1

3

35.800

0.164

= 1.800

m

11 x

0.173

= 1.900

m

11 x

0.164

= 1.800

m

23.800

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2

21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12

32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23

11 x

D-D'

D-D' 33

32

31

30

29

28

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20

0

19

.0

+67

18

17

2 3 4 5

14

34 x 0.162 = 5.500 m

15

1

16

6

13

11

10

9

8

7

12

i=2

A-A'

%

.46

What was it?

The conversion of Rato’s Market was by far the most programatically ambitious project I worked with. In the inside of a city block’s courtyard, occupied by the market today, we had to design 1400 sq.m of housing, 1400 sq.m of offices, 1400 sq.m of commercial areas, 800 sq.m for a neighbourhood cultural center, connect the area to a higher ground, design a station for the train passing in a tunnel 40 meters deep and connect it to the metro station 100 meters away.

How did I do it?

I placed all the noisy activities on a lower level, and on the upper level I placed the housing and the offices, wrapping courtyards that gave light to the lower level. Around them you had a nice garden area. This also meant that housing, offices and commercial areas were all connected by the courtyards, so the area was inhabited 24 hours a day. I worked in all scales at the same time, and kept editing a 1:200 model.

31

Rato’s Market

Piso

+78.500 3

+78.500 3

+75.500 2

+75.500 2

+72.500 1

+72.500 1

+67.000 0

Espaço

Descrição

Área

+67.000 0 Rampas do Estacionamento

+62.000 -1

+62.000 -1

+59.000 -2

+59.000 -2

+56.000 -3

+56.000 -3

+53.000 -4

+53.000 -4

+50.000 -5

+50.000 -5

+45.000 -6

+45.000 -6

+40.000 -7

+40.000 -7

+35.000 -8

+35.000 -8

Corte AA' Escala 1:200 Estudo Prévio

A-A Paulo José Cunha Janeiro 2010

nº 58747 Projecto IV

Mestrado Integrado em Arquitectura

Instituto Superior Técnico

Mu no M '

B-B 9 x 0.178 = 1.600 m

11 x 0.164 = 1.800 m

31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11

16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

D-D'

16 x 0.170 = 2.720 m

9 x 0.178 = 1.600 m

C-C

'

i=4.58%

A-A'

6 3 5

A-A'

2

C-C

'

1

Piso

Es

-1 -1 -1 -1

18 x 0.167 = 3.000 m

-1

18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

9 x 0.178 = 1.600 m

D-D'

31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23

11 x 0.164 = 1.800 m

21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11

9 x 0.178 = 1.600 m

-1

4

'

B-B

Pl %

.84

Es

i=6

Es

Paulo J

Janeiro

Mestra

Institu

32

Rato’s Market

33

Rato’s Market

Things I’ve learned: The initial ideas need to be tested quickly. The project grows by developing and rejecting aspects of them.

A strong parti can organize a whole project.

34

Velux workshop Reclaiming the courtyard

2011

Velux Workshop

36

Velux Workshop

What was it?

In this workshop, each group was given a 2m x 2m cube with no ceiling. We had to design and build, in one week, a roof system that would generate different light zones, only with daylight.

For that, we had different kinds of fabric and plastic.

How did I do it?

Our idea was to fold the fabric like a flounced skirt, and control the light by leaving the fabric more open or more closed. In 1:10 and in real scale mock-ups, we tested different materials, and ended up going with plastic because it was the most reflexive.

37

Velux Workshop

38

Velux Workshop

Things I’ve learned: 1:1 mock-ups are great to test if something really feels like we think it feels.

It is very gratifying to be able to build what you’ve designed!

39

Reclaiming the Courtyard

40

Reclaiming the Courtyard

What was it?

This was my thesis project. It deals with the conversion of a private courtyard into a public space, dedicated to sports.

How did I do it?

I though I would be able to bring in a lot of what I had learned in my other courtyard project, but I was surprised: afterall, this was an urban landscape project, something I had never done before. First, I had never dealt with implementation strategies: I divided the project into several parts, defined by the current ownership, so that parts of the project could go forward without the others. Second, I had to grasp a completely different scale: I was used to make use of tridimensionality, but sudendly the focus was on composition. That made me explore how geometry affects our perception, which I did using abstract models and concepts like focal point, filling or marking of. Finally, there was a social aspect of my project which was also a novelty: I thought that the best way to garantee the success of my project, would be to have the inhabitants of that block as its primary users, and as such I should design for them. Particularly relevant was the presence of a school for children with autism. I was able to speak with them and I learned a lot about the special considerations to have when designing for these children.

41

Reclaiming the Courtyard

42

Reclaiming the Courtyard

43

Reclaiming the Courtyard

44

Reclaiming the Courtyard

45

Reclaiming the Courtyard

1 point of of view

detached buildings

2 points of view

buildings defining spaces

3 points of view

buildings that complement a composition

4 points of view

buildings that define the courtyard

46

Reclaiming the Courtyard

47

Reclaiming the Courtyard

Things I’ve learned: You should have a well defined implementation strategy before you start designing.

Over a certain scale you should divide the site in parts to make the project more manageable.

A catalogue of elements can be used to ensure unity in the project.

48

How to design for children with autism related diseases.

How geometry affects our behaviour and perception of a place.

renovation in Bustrupgade Armona

2013

Renovation in Bustrupgade

50

Renovation in Bustrupgade

What was it?

This was the main project I worked on at Byens Tegnestue. It was a common room and terrace for a cooperative housing association.

How did I do it?

The project was mostly defined when I joined the office, so I modelled and rendered it, and made the drawings to request building permission. Then I made all the construction drawings, and designed some of the interior spaces, stairs and other elements.

51

Renovation in Bustrupgade

52

Renovation in Bustrupgade

Things I’ve learned:

Small measurement errors in the beginning of a project are big headaches in the end.

In renovation you have to give more tolerence to measurement and construction mistakes.

How you have to adapt your choice of materials to the market you are working on.

53

How the contact with clients and consultants is kept.

Armona

54

Armona

What was it?

This is my most recent project: it is a summer house in the island of Armona, in the south of Portugal. The current house belongs to an uncle of mine, which is planning to either renovate or rebuild it. The house is very poorly built, so I decided to make him a project for the second option. There were 2 main concerns: keeping a low budget and, because there is no motor traffic on the island, keeping all building elements small enough so that they can be transported in the small boats the locals use.

How did I do it?

My design involves a small brick construction that allows me to use the slab of the existing house, and pre-fabricated wood elements, which are screwed to each other, support the house, and contain most of the furniture elements. It also gives a lot of sleeping areas in a very small area, which is great for a summer house, where there are guests often. The house is cooled through cross-ventilation and it was striped of all non-essential building materials, except for insulation.

55

Armona

56

Armona

57

Armona

58

Armona

Things I’ve learned: How to divide a construction in small, selfsupporting elements.

Which materials you can remove without losing functionality.

59

CV Selected courses

About

CV I attended two very different architecture schools, and obtained both a good artistic and technical education. On one side, I know about construction techniques, materials and management. On the other hand, I am aware of the main architectural theories and history and have a broad set of references. I am familiarised with several softwares, know several languages and have international experience. I led the architecture students association in university and was patrol leader in Scouts.

During my free time, I practiced skateboarding, fencing and cycle-toured solo in Denmark and Sweden.

Experience Nov 2012 - Feb 2013

Byens Tegnestue ApS Architect Copenhagen, Denmark

Jul2005

Moviter - Movicortes Apprentice Mechanic Leiria, Portugal

Jun2005

Freelance Architect/3D Modeller Peniche, Portugal

Education

Sep2010 - Jun2012

Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole

Sep2006 - Jun2010

Instituto Superior TĂŠcnico Lisbon, Portugal

Direction of NucleAr

(students association)

Copenhagen, Denmark

Helped reactivate the digital lab taught myself to use a lasercutter

Languges Portuguese

English

Danish

French

It’s my native language!

I use it everyday, more than portuguese.

I spoke danish in my last job. Still, my writing is flawed and I lack words sometimes.

I forgot most of it, but I can still read it and say basic things.

Spanish

It is closely related to portuguese, so I can understand it well.

Computer Skills AutoCAD

ArchiCAD

Sketchup

Rhino 3D

Maxwell Render

8 years of experience, I usually can help others with it.

Used it in several projects.

8 years of experience. My first choice when I need to work fast.

Learned and used it recently, but only for secondary tasks.

6 years of experience. Used it in all my renders.

Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

AutoLISP

It gives life to some of my renders and drawings.

If there’s time, this is where I refine my CAD drawings.

I am using it “as we speak”.

Learned in college. I can create AutoCAD commands with it.

Courses Portuguese Art History in the XXth Century It compensated for my lack of art history classes in high school. Mostly about modernist painting.

HTML, CSS, PHP and jQuery I am learning more of these languages to improve my website.

Licenses Leiria’s City Patrimony

It looked at my hometown’s material and imaterial patrimony, mostly architecture and cinema.

Driving and Safety Course

2 hours learning how the car behaves when everything goes wrong.

Driving License B - Car I have it since I’m 18, although I cycle everywhere.

Selected Courses Design Drawing

Design Programming and Computing Studying of the programming language AutoLISP. We made a practical project, which consisted in the elaboration of an AutoLISP code which generates a parametric model of the Ysios Winery, by Santiago Calatrava.

Theory and Method “Public space is one of those expressions that received multiple meanings and is no longer a concise concept. For some it is the space of the public, as crowd. It relates with the urban environment and spaces of social confrontation, public domains. This definition would exclude inactive spaces, such as Dampfærgesvej, terrains vagues, or infrastructural systems. For some it is space owned by the public, as the state. It relates to property, and a beach or an inaccessible forest would be a public space. For some it is the space accessible by the public and is defined by the extension of the infrastructural systems. Discussing the capabilities of such a diverse concept rises a debate on several other concepts.

One I will focus on, and make an approximation to a definition, is urbanity.”

Contemporary Architecture History “Another concern of Loos was the way the revivalists were trying to rewrite the past and the haste with which modern movements wanted to grow, denying its existence. The modernity of Loos is the recognition of the functional architecture as a product of a time and a specific space, not to mention its importance in shaping the future. Claiming that the present is built on the past as well as the past was built on the days that preceded it, Loos recognizes the importance of respect for tradition in the construction of modern society, the new habits and thus the new architecture. For Loos, the modern is not the break with the past, as well as respect for the past is not the maintenance of architectural forms and experiences.”

64

Urban and Regional Planning Evaluation of the influence of the physical characteristics of the territory in it’s urban occupation.

Evaluation of the urban image and the road network structure.

Analysis of the relation between the urban structure and the respective urban parameters. Knowledge of the objectives, structure and contents of the city’s plan.

Construction Materials and Technology Construction materials dealt with the chemical and physical interactions between diferent materials and the overall characteristics and concerns with them. Construction technologies dealt with the most common construction techniques. It had a practical assignment which involved the monitoring of a construction work, throughout one semester.

Building Systems and Equipments Tracing and dimensioning of the water supply, wastewater, gas, electricity and HVAC systems. Elaboration of the lighting project for one room.

Building Studies Analysis of an approved building, to check the compliance of the edifications, fire safety, acoustics and thermic behavior regulations. Interpretation of the regulations and analysis of unfulfilled norms, and identification of the compensatory measures that allowed the building’s licensing.

Orçamento INTERNO, Custos Unitários Designação

OA

OPERAÇÕES AUXILIARES Fabrico de argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço m³ volumétrico 1:5 Fabrico de argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço m³ volumétrico 1:4 Fabrico de argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço m³ volumétrico 1:3 Camada de betão leve m³

OA-01 OA-02 OA-03

Construction Management

OA-04 I I - 1.1

CD

49,08 53,41

CI (10%CD) ML (3%CD) ENI (8%CD)

4,91

1,47

3,93 4,27

Valor de Venda

59,39 64,63

5,34

1,60

59,76

5,98

1,79

4,78

72,31

135,99

13,60

4,08

10,88

164,55

m²

43,98

4,40

1,32

3,52

3,38

1,01

2,70

40,85

1,56

0,47

1,25

18,84

m²

12,30

1,23

0,37

0,98

14,88

m²

33,76

3,38

1,01

2,70

40,85

II - 1

Fornecimento e execução de isolamento de cobertura em terraço, constituido por aplicação de betão leve tipo Leca, duas telas asfálticas cruzadas, m² protecção geotextil, isolamento térmico com placas tipo Roofmate e camada protectora IMPERSAT.

49,74

4,97

1,49

3,98

60,19

II - 2

Fornecimento e execução de isolamento de cobertura em terraço, constituido por aplicação de betão leve tipo Leca, duas telas asfálticas cruzadas, m² protecção geotextil e camada protectora IMPERSAT.

43,11

4,31

1,29

3,45

52,16

I - 2.3

II

Mão-de-obra

OA

OPERAÇÕES AUXILIARES Fabrico de argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço volumétrico 1:5 Servente 1,30 2 0,65 Condutor0,65 0,65 1 0,65 manobrador de

OA-01

OA-03 33,76

Data: Maio/09

Duração Inverso do N.º de Inverso do p/unidade Rendimento Homens Rendimento (h) p/ Homem

Art.º

53,22

15,57

I - 2.2

Orçamento: Duração dos trabalhos e equipas

OA-02

m²

I - 2.1

65

ALVENARIAS Alvenaria dupla de tijolo cerâmico com panos de tijolo furado 30x20x15 assentes com argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço 1:5, separados entre si por uma caixa de ar 0,06m, preenchida com placas de poliestireno extrudido com 0,04m.

Alvenaria dupla de tijolo cerâmico com panos de tijolo furado 30x20x11 e 30x20x25 assentes com argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço 1:5, justapostos com 0,40m de espessura no limpo Alvenaria simples de tijolo cerâmico com panos de tijolo furado 30x20x22 assentes com argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço 1:5, com 0,25m de espessura no limpo.

Alvenaria simples de tijolo cerâmico com panos de tijolo furado 30x20x15 assentes com argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço 1:5, com 0,25m de espessura no limpo.

Alvenaria dupla de tijolo cerâmico com panos de tijolo furado 30x20x11 e 30x20x25 assentes com argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço 1:5, justapostos com 0,40m de espessura no limpo

Un

m²

I - 1.2

Learning how a develpment is financed and what are the main cash flows; how to do measurement sheets, unitary costs and budgets; managing tasks and teams.

Data: Maio/09

Art.º

OA-04

I I - 1.1

I - 1.2

IMPERMEABILIZAÇÕES / COBERTURAS

I - 2.1

I - 2.2

I - 2.3

máquinas Fabrico de argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço volumétrico 1:4 Servente 1,30 2 0,65 Condutor0,65 0,65 1 0,65 manobrador de máquinas Fabrico de argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço volumétrico 1:3 Servente 1,30 2 0,65 Condutor0,65 0,65 1 0,65 manobrador de máquinas Camada de betão leve Pedreiro Servente Condutormanobrador de máquinas

4,50 3,45

5 4

0,90 0,86

0,80

1

0,80

0,90

Un

Quantidades N.º de totais equipas

Duração Duração Total Total (Horas) (Dias)

m³

m³

m³

m³

ALVENARIAS Alvenaria dupla de tijolo cerâmico com panos de tijolo furado 30x20x15 assentes com argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço 1:5, separados entre si por uma caixa de ar 0,06m, preenchida com placas de poliestireno extrudido com 0,04m.

Pedreiro 2,00 4 0,50 125,7 0,50 m² 251,46 1 15,7 Servente 1,50 3 0,50

Alvenaria dupla de tijolo cerâmico com panos de tijolo furado 30x20x11 e 30x20x25 assentes com argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço 1:5, justapostos com 0,40m de espessura no limpo

Pedreiro 1,20 1 1,20 46,3 5,8 1,20 m² 38,61 1 Servente 1,00 1 1,00 Alvenaria simples de tijolo cerâmico com panos de tijolo furado 30x20x22 assentes com argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço 1:5, com 0,25m de espessura no limpo.

Pedreiro 0,35 1 0,35 0,35 m² 172,01 2 3,8 30,1 Servente 0,35 1 0,35 Alvenaria simples de tijolo cerâmico com panos de tijolo furado 30x20x15 assentes com argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço 1:5, com 0,25m de espessura no limpo.

Pedreiro 0,28 1 0,28 13,3 0,28 m² 47,52 1 1,7 Servente 0,28 1 0,28

Alvenaria dupla de tijolo cerâmico com panos de tijolo furado 30x20x11 e 30x20x25 assentes com argamassa de cimento e areia ao traço 1:5, justapostos com 0,40m de espessura no limpo Pedreiro 1,20 1 1,20 1,20 m² 12,42 1 14,9 1,9 Servente 1,00 1 1,00

Here is My card:

Thank you!