S A M I R A A H M E D
PORTFOLIO
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June 14th, 2022
To Whom it May Concern, I had the pleasure of working with Samira Ahmed during her Winter 2022 Co-Op term at Weston Consulting. I would strongly recommend her for upcoming architectural co-op positions. As the Design Director at Weston Consulting, I recruited her and directly oversaw her active projects and daily tasks. Throughout the four months, Samira showed a strong aptitude for design excellence. Samira was always ready to contribute to projects of various sizes, using her comprehensive technical expertise to help us develop and showcase the projects. She learned new software quickly and was integrating into active projects relatively quickly. Her sense of aesthetic judgement and relevant Adobe skills made her quite involved in several projects and client meetings. Many times, her work was instrumental in conveying complex design strategies to clients, developing work from base sketches and turning it into completed graphics. Key presentations were built around graphics and drawings she produced. She contributed to many aspects to our collective department meetings and was always willing to ask pertinent questions to achieve the task at hand. Her personable attitude helps her be very successful in teams. She was always eager to help in whatever way she could. I encourage you to take the opportunity to work with her. I would be more than happy to discuss this recommendation.
SHANE MORGAN Design Director Vaughan 905.738.8080 x238 Toronto 416.640.9917 x238 smorgan@westonconsulting.com
VAUGHAN OFFICE | 201 Millway Avenue, Suite 19, Vaughan, Ontario, L4K 5K8 | T. 905.738.8080 TORONTO OFFICE | 268 Berkeley Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 2X5 | T. 416.640.9917
westonconsulting.com 1.800.363.3558 F. 905.738.9937
My name is Samira Ahmed. I’m in my second year as an Architecture student at the University of Waterloo. I aspire to create atmospheric architecture that manifests through plays on material, dynamic spaces, and lighting. I want to design an all-encompassing experience as a person enters a space, with moments of drama, connection, and inspiration. I begin my process with the site context, and it is through this that I make connections between it and the function of the building. After a lenghty process of iteration, I allow the project to “decide” the aesthetic. This is represented through drawings and renders, which I craft to convey the large ideas and architectural moves. Email:
Linkedin:
s377ahme@uwaterloo.ca
Samira Ahmed
Phone#:
Website:
(647) 514 7545
samiraahmed.ca
Location: Toronto, ON
TABLE OF CONTENTS
00
Curriculum Vitae
01
Between the Perimeter
02
Crystalline Library
03
The Warren Apartments
04
The Sacred Fire
axo
plan front elevation
0 0 CURRICULUM V I T A E Objective
Skills
i am seeking a 4 month architectural internship starting in September 2022.
Rhinoceros 7 Revit Adobe Illustrator Adobe Photoshop Adobe Indesign Enscape Microsoft Office Model Making Microstation Sketchup
Education University
of
Waterloo
Bacherlor of architectural studies (BAS) co-op program
2020 to present
CNC Milling Grasshopper Laser Cutting Woodworking (Power tools)
Work Experience Acheivements Presidents
Scholarship
Weston Student 2020
•
University of Waterloo, 90 94.9% academic average McPhie Architecture
Family scholarship
2020
University of Waterloo, 80%+ academic average
Linkedin: Samira Ahmed Website: samiraahmed.ca
• 2020 to present •
Consulting, Designer
2022
Constantly collaborated with senior designers to design drawings and presentations for clients. Attended client meetings and participated.
Mcdonalds,
University of Waterloo, outstanding student Excellent Academic Standing
•
Urban
Front-End
Taking, preparing, and presenting customer orders with a smile and a positive attitude. Maintaining constant communication with team members to provide fast and exceptional guest experience.
2021
Extracurricular West49, Sales •
•
•
2020 to 2021
Working and communicating with supervisor and co workers to gather, pack, and ship online orders quickly and efficiently. Assessing and verifying order paperwork for accuracy and storing it according to set procedures.
COS, •
E-commerce Associate
Customer
Care
Greeting and actively assisting customers with product and style questions. Conducting stock checks in-store on schedule and creating a list for product stock up.
F_RMlab, Member •
•
Member of the fabric design subteam for the designto 2022 installation “murmur” Attended biweekly meetings and digital software tutorials to improve proficiency.
Zero Experience, Member • 2020
•
joined the zero experience, an innovation program focused on quick problem solving. it involves the problem, solution, and innovation cycles. Lead a cross-disciplinary team to research future cities and sub problems that can be solved to work towards it.
Sustainability Collective, Member •
•
Joined the club to gain knowledge on climate issues and actions in canada. Participated in tote design workshop made from old clothing to reduce plastic bags when grocery shopping.
2021 to present
2021 to 2022
2021 to 2022
0
1
B E T W E E N T H E PERIMETER Course Design Studio, Second Year Location Kitchener, ON
The aim with the re-designing of the existing police building, was to create a juxtaposition of the old and new. By maintaining most of the façade, its history is preserved while creating a new experience for the occupants. With the parti model, I was able to vacuum seal the existing form with a tight fabric. This molding to the form was executed with a ceramic façade that creates both moments of privacy and openness. To emphasize the juxtaposition, circulation is forced between the perimeter. Overall, the ‘S’ form pulls the site more inwards.
Transverse Section
PARTI Wooden cubes form the existing building at the site. The 3D form is then wrapped in a pantyhose that “vacuum seals” the building. The curvature created by the fabric then forms the basis of the façade system.
Longitudinal Section
Ground Fl. Plan
Exisiting Brick Exisiting Limestone
Basement Fl. Plan
Upper Fl. Plan
Exploded Axonometric
Unfolded Elevation
0
2
CRYSTALLINE L I B R A R Y Course Design Studio, First Year Location Toronto, ON
The Crystalline library aims to unify the intersection by infusing one architectural element of each of the 3 buildings at the intersection- prominence, columns, and openness. It engages with the site by existing as a permeable building to draw people in, and by integrating architectural elements of the other prominent buildings at the intersection- the crystalline library thus remains in harmony with its site. Ultimately, its a library that doesn’t want to hide, exclude, or limit, but rather exist as a space that amplifies its surroundings and the experience of its users.
PARTI
Bring in surroundings
Give back to intersection
Massing and concept diagram
Site Plan
Front Elevation
1st Floor
2nd Floor
Featured Program: upper floor maker lab interior
Quieter
Privacy Diagram [in correspondence with roof height]
Loud
Longitudinal Section
Transversal Section
Roof
Exterior Facade
Structure
Maker Lab Floor
Program
Library Floor
Library
Site
Exploded Axonometric
Exterior Render
0
3
W A R R E N A P A R T M E N T S Course Design Studio, Second Year Location Waterloo, ON
The design of the Warren Apartments revolves around challenging the idea that affordable small student housing is visually unappealing. Thus, the apartment focuses on a variety of footprints for shared and independent living. The spaces are then organized by a set of four different wall curves that are strategically placed. These walls act functionally as partitions and storage, and aesthetically, by providing each apartment with unique spatial configurations. The walls play on lighting and curvature to draw users inwards. The walls as whole then create a maze within the ordinary façade that guide users through the building. The apartment is complete with a game room on the upper floor, in front of the elevator for connection and transparency.
EXLPODED AXO A set of 4 wall curves make up the spatial organization of the apartment. Each wall is strategically placed to create dynamic spaces, and a unique maze-like experience.
down
UPPER FL. PLAN
up
LOWER FL. PLAN
SECTION
0 4
T H E S A C R E D F I R E Course Design Build, Second Year [In Progress] Location Waterloo, ON
Team Daisy Zhang, Alexey Vasiliev
This project involves designing/ re-purposing an existing courtyard that belongs to the School of Architecture, into a Sacred Fire that would facilitate Indigenous cultural ceremonies. In collaboration with William Woodworth, Rawe:nokwas, as the Elder in Residence at the School of Architecture. The process involves designing the site and circulation, a fire pit cover, and signage that would mark the site more meaningfully.
SITE PHOTOS
You are on Six Nations Land.
Laser-engraved text
We acknowledge that the University of Waterloo School of Architecture is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. We are on the traditional territory of the Neutral, the Anishinaabeg, and the Haudenosaunee peoples.
200mm
The waters – the blood in her viens
The Earth Our Mother
200mm
Reclaimed wood
“words before all else”
1300mm 1900mm
Thanksgiving
Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen
Our “duty’ as the ones “who walk about on two legs”, the people.
Routed/burned designs
300mm
Steel bolts T-blade post anchor
front
front
Anchor bolts Concrete footer
section
SIGNAGE DESIGN
axo
ax
plan
front elevation
20.00
318.98 62.74
6.00
11.79
137.76
464.22
56.00
65.71
59.06
64.13
119.63
SITE PLAN 0m
1m
2m
3m
4m
5m
SECTION
Filled and Graded
SIGNAGE PROGRESS After designing the set of signage columns, we built sketch models to determine a sense of space. We decided on spacing and amount, before making use of reclaimed wood beams. Before we can CNC them with designs pertaining to the indigenous community, we first have to prepare the wood.
ITERATING THE DESIGN IN REAL LIFE TO DETERMINE SCALE AND AMOUNT OF COLUMNS NECESSARY, AS WELL AS SPACING.
Prep
Signage Sketch Model
Column Iteration
PREPARING THE RECLAIMED TIMBER FOR CNC [ONGOING].
Remove Nails
Pry Excess Wood Off
Hammering Down Nails
Cutting Down the Wood
Smooth Imperfections
Sand
S A M I R A A H M E D