ARB/RIBA Part 1 Portfolio - Sheer Gritzerstein by Sheer Gritzerstein

Sheer Gritzerstein

Portfolio ARB/RIBA Part I, Architectural Association Selected Work 2019-2021

Tel Aviv Rooftops, Summer 2017. I am a lover of cities, and of their palimpsest-like composition. I am drawn to layers, to the ever-changing readings they offer, and to their respective crumbling – which allows them to collapse into each other.

v.15/07/2021

Sheer Gritzerstein London, UK | sheer.gritz@gmail.com | +44 (0) 7944 137839 Education

The Architectural Association School of Architecture, London, UK – undergraduate student (ARB/RIBA Part 1). September 2018 – June 2021. – – – – –

Third year studio: Experimental 5. Tutors: Ryan Dillon, David Greene. Nominated for the AA Writing Prize for Second Year. Second year studio: Experimental 10. Tutors: Valentin Bontjes van Beekruns, Winston Hampel. Student representative for the school’s Teaching & Learning Committee for 2020/1. Participated in The Time and Place of your Life 2020 AA Visiting School. Tutor: Ludovico Centis.

Israeli Intelligence Corps Mapping Unit – geo-visual analysis training. November 2013 – March 2014. Aleph High School of Arts, Tel Aviv, Israel – studies for a full matriculation diploma. Graduated in 2012. –

Including 5 units studies in Physics, Mathematics, Applied Arts and English.

Israeli Sea Scouts, Tel Aviv, Israel – youth group member, volunteer and instructor. 2005-2012. Experience

Moshe Tzur Architects & Town Planners Ltd. Tel Aviv, Israel – intern. July – August 2019. – –

3d modelled planned residential and commercial projects, using Rhino, Grasshopper and SketchUp. Conducted a solar glare assessment for a glass façade of a planned tower, using Rhino, Grasshopper and SketchUp.

Israeli Sea Scouts, Tel Aviv, Israel – special needs youth groups instructor. February – June 2018 911 Fashion Inc, Tel Aviv, Israel – retail fashion sales assistant. April 2017 – April 2018. Israeli Intelligence Corps Mapping Unit – research team leader. November 2015 – February 2017. Israeli Intelligence Corps Mapping Unit – researcher. November 2013 – November 2015 – – –

Conducted intelligence research using the web and other complex sources. Analysed Geodatabases using ArcGIS. Wrote intelligence assessments.

Israeli Sea Scouts, Netanya, Israel – educative activity manager. July – November 2013. – –

Skills

Escorted youth groups leaders through developing and delivering of educative and maritime activities. Maintenance of boats and sailing equipment.

Experience with Rhinoceros 3D (modelling and rendering) and Grasshopper, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premier Pro, Lightroom), Procreate and MS Office. Experience in physical model making (in paper, plaster, concrete, wood, metal, foam, digital prototyping: laser cutting, CNC). Experienced with QGIS and ArcGIS. Basic experience with AutoCAD, SketchUp and Blender. High experience in data analysis and research. Knowledge in geomatics, and in the field of communication in a variety of disciplines – cyber, computerisation, etc. High experience in crew management and training. Languages: Hebrew – native. English – very good level. German – basic. Farsi, Arabic – basic level in reading and writing. Boat skipper license.

P LOT & C o n ver ge n c e s Location: Newnham Terrace, Waterloo, London. Use: A death care facility, including a funeral house, ceremonial chambers, the transformation of the deceased body into soil, and a remembrance garden. Clients: Lambeth, Westminster and City Councils. Lifespan: 30 years (before the mound exceeds the plot)

My plot is the convergence of plot lines. It observes and deals with the contact points between different stories and the physical settings that carry them, choreograph them,and divert them towards convergence with each other. When one story interferes with another, the developments can never be fully foreseen, and are sometimes not comprehended. Yet, they are the main generators of unimagined possibilities for our stories. Inversing the centrifugal trajectory of the relationship between London and its dead, I propose to bring death care back into the heart of the city. A section of Waterloo viaduct becomes a space where one could say farewell to the deceased, and compose one’s feelings in relation to the loss. The memory of the dead wears the form of a mound of earth — which spills from above the viaduct into the street, and collides with life in London.

1: collages of the Waterloo death care facility procession: the transitions from the street to the ritual, from the main corridor to the arch allocated for the ceremony, and from the ceremony chamber to the space of committal. Made with Rhino, Photoshop and Procreate. 2: a section of the Waterloo death care facility, including the ceremonial chambers, spaces of committal, the memorial garden and the mound of earth.

P LOT & Co nve r ge nc e s

5-6: site maps of the Newnham Terrace viaduct – at and above the street level. Drawn with Rhino and Illustrator. 7: an imagined London Necropolis Station funeral procession in the 19th century. Drawn with Rhino, Illustrator and Photoshop. 8: an imagined Waterloo death care facility procession in 2020. Drawn with Rhino and Illustrator. 9: a worm’s eye axonometric drawing of the Newnham Terrace viaduct after its transformation into the death care facility. Modelled and drawn with Rhino, Illustrator and Photoshop. 10: an axonometric exploded view of the transformation of one of the viaduct’s arches, carried to accommodate the funeral procession. Modelled and drawn with Rhino and Illustrator.

Fl u id/Fa b r i c s / Fo rc e s /Form s – Fu n c ti ona l Tiles Made as part of the Fluid/Fabrics/Forces/Forms media studies course lead by Thomas Randall–Page in 2020. Experimenting with an invented method of making, throughout the course, I gradually learnt how to refine and control it - utilising fluid, fabric, forces and forms to consolidate an actual technique. I created a set of soft looking plaster tiles and a hanging system which allows the reconfiguration of their position in relation to each other. Some of the tiles include functional applications embedded into them – such as wall hooks and lanterns.

Fluid / Fabr ic s/ Fo rc e s/ Fo rms – Func t io nal Tiles

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1-3, 11: details images of cast tiles before the hanging. 4-10: final images of nine tiles hanged as a set. 12-14: images of the hanging system. 15-17: images of the reusable mould, with the adjustable strings which allowed the adjustment of the centre points for each tile. Cast in plaster, hanging system made of wood, mould made of wood, threads and a plastic bag. 19: a diagram showing the scale of the tiles when installed as a wall cladding.

Hy p e r -Pr i va t i s a ti on Location: London’s privatley owned public spaces. Principal design in Kings Cross. Use: A ‘hyper-private’ network. Clients: London’s councils. Lifespan: 15 years.

A proposal of a new legal realm – a ‘hyper-private‘, which dwell within and along property lines and transgresses other realms. The realm would consist of micro-structures, scattered as a disintegrated network in London. Each hyper-private structure offers a space for a momentary personal occupancy of only one. It grants one an opportunity to realise to the fullest the individual right to the city – inviting personal use of public assets.

1 1, 2: diagrams of hyper-private transplantations along property lines in Kings Cross and Paddington Basin. Drawn with Rhino, Illustrator and Photoshop.

Hyp e r -Pr ivat isat io n 3: our desire for warmth

3, 4: plans, sections and axonometric extracts of the “things that are left in common” in the hyper-private enclave in Kings Cross. Made with Rhino, Illustrator, Photoshop and Procreate.

4: our thirst for water

Hyp e r -Pr ivat isat io n 5

5: an explode elled and draw 6: a maquette of the structu supported wit 7: a collage of model, Photo

ed axonometric of the Kings Cross hyper-private enclave components. Modwn in Rhino, Illustrator and Procreate. e for Kings Cross hyper-private enclave, referenced to an exploded axonometric ure’s components. The model is cast in concrete with a CNC-ed formwork, th metal columns. The envelope is made of two layers of Tyvek. f a hyper-private enclave transplanted in Kings Cross. Made using a Rhino 3d oshop and Procreate.

A Te r ra ced Ho use Toi le t Exte n s i on – a Pa limpsest Location: A typology applicable to London’s terraced houses. Use: Domestic toilets and a building’s archive. Clients: Private house owners. Lifespan: 30 years for the toilets, +100 years for the building’s archive.

A translation of the commonplace palimpsest into a domestic space resulted in the design of an extension for divided terraced houses in London – containing toilets. The design supplies a resident with a hyper-private space, which is disconnected in experience from the rest of one’s flat and flatmates. The toilets become a space for mental self-introspection, where alongside the toilet seat – a folding desk, pens and paper allow one to note down one’s impressions. A pneumatic system allows one to flush down the written impressions into the building’s archive – which is expected to open once in a few decades, exposing a personal documentation of the life inside the building.

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1: plans, sections and axonometric drawings of a hyper-private bathroom tower extension of a divided terrace house. Each toilet units includes a pneumatic confessional – its output is collected into an archival capsule. Drawn with Rhino and Illustrator. 2-4: renders of a procession through a glass corridor to the hyper-private bathroom. Made with Rhino and Photoshop.

Hy p e r -pr i va t e Por tab le Pu b li c Ve s s e ls Location: Roaming across London. Use: A hyper-private portable enclave, purposed to maximise the freedom of expression for London’s dwellers. Clients: London’s councils. Lifespan: 6 months for a unit, 20 years as a network.

A hyper-private realm which roams within the public realm, a space within a space – is established in London as a public network of vessels, intended for individual occupancy. This project examines how could a hyper-private envelope be designed as a skin that follows personal movements, whilst considering the filtration of the external environment, the compactness of the vessel and the sensorial experience of the occupant. As a form of anonymous live communication of the individual with its London’s urban environment, not only that the morphing of the skin is externally visible, but also the skin leave traces where it passes – to demarcate regions of the pubic which have been commonised.

1: a detail section of an origami-inspired pleated skin for a hyper-private roaming vessel, before and after pressing the tessellation’s trace-making compartments. Modelled and drawn with Blender, Rhino, Illustrator and Procreate. 2: a section of a hyper-private roaming vessel when occupied, with notation of its morphing as it wobbles. Drawn with Rhino, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Procreate. 3: a section of a hyper-private roaming vessel when occupied, placed and occupied in Clerkenwell.

wobbling locomotion materiality

self-folding joints

Ron Resch inspired skin tessellation

expandable pleated skin trace-making bladders

rotated, change of position expanded, change of position expanded, change of position

P R I M A 2 0 2 1 C o mp e ti ti on En tr y – IN VITATIONS Location: Groupe CB Sculpture Park, Carrières du Boulonnais quarry, Leulinghen-Bernes, France. Use: Micro-architectural works for permanent display. Clients: Groupe CB. Lifespan: Permanent display, as well as a one-day performance.

Designed with Takako Hasegawa. Strategically positioned in relation to one another, a constellation of micro-architectures invites us to interact with them. Inspired by a set of words that embody actions, the stone structures come alive when inhabited. Each composition directs and frame our views towards the earth where the raw material originated, while also connecting a network of activities that choreographs this microcity.

1: plans, sections, elevations, axonometric drawings and renders of micro-architectural structures – designed to form a strategic constellation in the landscape of the Carrières du Boulonnais quarry. Modelled and drawn with Rhino, Illustrator, Photoshop and Procreate. 2: a Carrières du Boulonnais quarry site section, with marking (in red) of the quarry’s sculpture park. Made with QGIS, Rhino, Google Earth and Photoshop.

Div ide – A Ma s ki n g Tap e Sab otag e a masking tape transformed in an act of division. Through the stages of the removal, when rolled – the masking tape acquired a new, unexpected and expressive movements when rolling. The masking tape was later introduced to a split keyboard, as it was braced to it in the form of a pendulum. The roll now found that its expression could make an impression – as it illegibly converse with the keyboard.

☞CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FILM (0:24 min)

designed and made with Judi Diab

☞CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FILM (0:10 min) 4 1: Documentation of the roll’s performance in different stages of the transformation. The tape has been transformed with a dremel tool, and launched into a rolling movement with a styrofoam made ramp. 2: a drawing of the removal of pieces from the masking tape roll. Made with Rhino and Illustrator.

3: a drawing of the expression of a 5/8 masking tape 4: an interface in the form of a pendulum, connecti CNCed foam and wood formworks, metal and plyw 5: a drawing of the interface when preforms, with n

e when rolled. Made with After Effects, Rhino and Illustrator. ing between my split masking tape and Judi’s split keyboard. Made of plaster cast in wood. notation of its movement and the typed output.

L ook i n g f o r C o mm on p lac e My third year in the AA began with a commonplace notebook. A commonplace notebook is normally used as an individual’s extension. It allows one to relate to its own being in different points in time and space. I left Moleskine #2 on a bench in the park 3 floors beneath and 20 metres across my kitchen window. Although the notebook was stolen before I got a chance to pick into its pages – I could observe and sense that the object in its new placement acquired a noticeable degree of charm. Although the notebook was stolen before I got a chance to pick into its pages – I could observe and sense that the object in its new placement acquired a noticeable degree of charm. Even the search after the notebook maintained some of it.

☞CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FILM (1:16 min)

1: an analysis drawing of a Moleskine commonplace Drawn in Rhino, Illustrator, Photoshop and Procrea 2-5: extracts from the film Commonplace, demonst the transformed commonplace notebook. 6: Commonplace – a film, showing the transformat Filmed by me, edited in Premiere Pro. 7: a section showing the filming of Commonplace. D

e notebook as a technological tool. ate. trating the engagement of passersby with

tion of a commonplace notebook.

Drawn with Rhino and Illustrator.

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Pro du cti ve Dr a w i n g As part of the media studies course Productive Drawing (lead by Juliet Haysom in 2021), I experimented with the translation of a drawn design into a piece fabricated by another person. The final piece was made in Purbeck stone in St Aldhelm’s Quarry by the W J Haysom & Son team, under Juliet’s supervision.

each 7.5

section option 1

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topography aids for section (does not have to be accurate, please use only if it’s helpful)

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two options for dents, please feel free to choose the quicker one!

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elevation 60

section option 2 200

top view

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rough natural face

isometric 150

1:2.5 @A4 all measurements in mm

1-4: photos of the final piece, taken by Juliet. Dimensions: 60x20x20 mm. 5: a construction drawing, modelled and drawn in Rhino and Illustrator. Includes two variations of instruction sets for the creation of the dent – intended for the craftsman to pick from according to the feasibility of making.

Th e Ca n yo n – a n Exte n s i on for th e AA Designed and made with Logan Paine. As part of a proposed reorganisation of the Architectural Association current use-layout, which meant to compensate for the school’s loss of 16% of its premises – a new inhabitable canopy was designed to cover Chings Yard. The courtyard refurbishment seeks to not compromise the existing value of the schools ‘canyon’, but to enhance it. The canyon is the void between the Georgian houses of Bedford Square and the industrial buildings of Morwell St. The canyon spans the length of the school and allows for visual connectivity and sense of intimacy, and exposes its layers of evolution over time.

1: a sketch collage of the addition to Chings Yard. Made with paper and tracing paper. 2-3: a model of the proposal for the yard’s expansion. Made of plaster casting, metal and acrylic sheets. 4-6: a massing model of the existing landscape of the AA – the canyon, with painted masses represented the proposed additions to the canyon. Made of plaster casting.

Un de r t h e V i a d uc t – Work s on Pap e r As part of the media studies course Works on Paper (lead by Miraj Ahmed in 2020), I experimented with using architectural drawing principals to create a piece which frees itself from the architectural object it represents. Following a series of exercises, I made a paper “relief“ of Newnham Terrace in Waterloo Viaduct – as an isometric worm’s eye view. It was made to be used as a tool to render different shadow conditions into the 2-dimensional drawing, but also became an object in itself which offers different spatial and light conditions with every different angle it is viewed from.

1-4: the paper model from a top view, when it represents the worm’s eye view of the viaduct, in different light conditions. Made in paper. 5-6: two views of the paper model which observe it as an object of its own, rather than a representation of a site.

We l beck St reet Carp ark – Tran s formation int o a n Urba n Idling Sa nct ua r y Location: Welbeck Street, London. Use: Bicycle parking, public plaza, theatre, urban indoor grove, public bathhouse. Clients: Westminster Council. Lifespan: +50 years.

Designed and made with Denise Cao, Deri Russel and Hiroaki Yamane – as part of a First Year competition for the refurbishment and salvaging of Welbeck Street Carpark in London.

a 1:50 model made of laser and hand cut plywood, mdf and acrylic, paper, vacuum-formed plastic, metal, clay, acetate sheets, found tree branches, sand, foam and moss.

M ATE RI A L S VO LU M E SMOVE M E NT This First Year project explored material qualities through the creation of massing models, and later translating the masses into spatial models, and eventually drawings. The question leading the design process was how to connect together heavy and dense materials to create a generous spacious sensation.

3 1: a massing model made out of found fallen tree branches embedded into concrete and cast in a plastic bag. 2: a translation of the first massing model into another. Made of found fallen tree branches embedded into a plaster cast. Layers of foam and strings were embedded into the plaster as well. Mould made out of wood. 3: a 1:75 scale model of an interpretation of the previous massing model into an inhabitable space. Made of a foam base coated with plaster and plaster polymer, plastic rod, copper pipes and acetated pieces of foam. 4: an elevation drawing of the second massing model translated into a building. Made with Rhino, Photoshop and Illustrator.

Thank you.

Sheer Gritzerstein | sheer.gritz@gmail.com | +44 (0) 7944 137839 | London, UK