PORTFOLIO SOFIA MALMSTEN Architecture and Engineering Chalmers University of Technology
SOFIA MALMSTEN
Architecture and Engineering Student +46 722 52 11 14
sofia.malmsten@me.com
Humlegardsgatan 12 412 74, Gothenburg Sweden
linkedin.com/in/sofiamalmsten
ABOUT ME
LANGUAGES
I am Sofia, a 23 years old architecture and engineering student from Gothenbug, Sweden. This spring I am completing my bachelor degree and aspiree to find an interesting internship over the course of one year.
Swedish
Other than architecture I also enjoy programming, problem solving and design. I would very much like to work with efficency in the construction industry and how architecture can be optimized with the help of virtual tools. I consider myself as a curious and creative person. I like travelling, exploring new cultures and meeting new people.
Native
WORK EXPERIENCES English
French
Good
Basic
Architecture and Engineering
Design Studio @ Bonava Sverige AB
2016-ongoing
Daylight and energy simulations in grasshopper (shape factor, sunlight hours, solar heat load, vertical sky component, daylight factor), modelling in Rhino, visualization and graphic design, programming and databases, framework agreement for consultants and support in the recruitment process of other architects
EDUCATION Architecture and Engineering (180 credits, SE) Chalmers University of Technology
2014-2020
Mechanical Engineering (80 credits, SE) Chalmers University of Technology
2012-2014
Architecture
Design Studio @ NCC Housing AB
2015-2016
Trendwatching, social and environmental sustainability, customer value proposition, brand positioning, researches of housing requirements in municipalities
Metallurgist - with focus on steel structures Global metallurgy and chemistry @ SKF AB
FUTURE In my immediate future I am most interested in exploring architecture made by parametric design, but always with the human beeing in focus. According to me, architecture is not only about beautiful exteriors or good floor plans - it is about the people who experience it.
PROGRAM CONTENT
jan-aug 2014
Analyses of steel hardness in roller bearings, light optical microscopy for analyzing microstructures in steel, result reporting to factories 29 %
Architecture projects
8 %
History of Architecture History of Engineering
17 %
Mathematics
13 %
Mechanics Load bearing systems
13 %
Physics Protective systems
MS Office
4 %
Environmental science
Rhino
4 %
Urban planning
13 % Art communication virtual tools
SOFTWARE TOOLS FileMaker
Grasshopper
AutoCAD Photoshop
ArchiCAD InDesign
Matlab
Calfem
Honeybee Revit
Ladybug
C# Kangaroo
SketchUp
Illustrator
3Ds Max
vRay
Cinema 4d
PORTFOLIO CONTENTS ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS 01 Attefallshus Modelling, visualizaton and communication
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Spark Sculpture Exhibition Hall
07
Space and Geometry
Woody Visitor Centre Building and structure
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Townhouses in Lillhagsparken
Building and Climate
15
Esperanto Gridshell Optimized structures
SIMULATIONS AND VIRTUAL TOOLS 19
Attractor point
Assignment in Virtual tools in a material culture
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Solar Radiation
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Assignment in Virtual tools in a material culture
21 Cortegeprogram
Scripting in C# Assignment in Virtual tools in a material culture
Truss Structure analyses Assignment at the Mechanical Engineering program
Surface analyses Assignment at the Mechanical Engineering program
OTHER
Frontpage to Chalmers Corgegeprgoram 2015
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Bedroom visualisation
Rendered image for hemnet
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Art and sketches
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Reflection
Sketches and other art
PROJECT OVERVIEW
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ATTEFALLSHUS Year 1 - Modelling, Visualization and communication Introduction to Sketchup, Revit, AutoCAD, PhotoShop, InDesign and Illustrator
BACKGROUND
CONCEPT - 25 sqm
Attefallshus is a complement building in Sweden and from 2014 it is possible to build an Attefallshus without planning permission. Attefallshus may have a building area of maximum 25 sqm and a height of maximum 4 meters.
Since it is only allowed with 25 square meters a major focus of my project was put on creating an outdoor room and thus make it possible to extend the living room in the summer.
In the course we were introduced the architectural tools and the task was to design an attefallshus and communicate our ideas in text, images and drawings.
Even the exterior expression was of great importance, with dark colors and a minimalistic expression.
Front Elevation
To create a modern, and at the same time a neutral house, the material was set to wood in a black color. The absence of eaves and feed around the windows created a contemporary impression.
Right Elevation
FLOOR PLAN
SECOND FLOOR
K/F
Back Elevation
Left Elevation
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3
SPARK EXHIBITION HALL Year 1 - Space and Geometry Sketchup, Revit, ArchiCad, AutoCad, Illustrator, Photoshop
BACKGROUND
CONCEPT
NEXT TO THE ROCK
On a headland in Sweden a sculpture hall will be built. In addition to the exhibition hall a cafe will be established and space for information about the sculptures and the stonemasonry centers in the area will be allocated. The sculpture hall will be about 250 square meters and all currently applicable legal requirements regarding accessibility will be met.
The concept is based on heavy elements from the marine environment. To bring the mind the sea, the mountain and the power of nature the materials have been chosen to remind us of rust, timber and rubble.
The building is situated close to the rock to highlight it, and at the same time create a defined exterior room between the building and the rock.
GEOMETRY PROCESS
1. Basic volume
2. Adjustments to the site
3. Fractured geometries
4. Offseted geometries
5. More fractured and
6. Hexagonal shape of the hall
offseted geometries
EXTERIOR PROCESS
a stripe of corten around a building of glass
A visually floating roof in contrast to the heavy facad
Sketch of the entrance. The geometry is inspired by a stranded ship
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Elevation west
Elevation south
Elevation east
Elevation north
Floor Plan Section A-A
LIGHT FROM ABOVE Section B-B
Almost all the natural light in the exhibition hall comes from above and the lack of windows on the facade creates a massive expression.
ONE EMPLOYEE, TWO SERVICE DESKS
Second Floor
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It is important to have visual control over the cafĂŠ and the reception at the same time. To solve this two different desks on two different sides of the staff room was established.
A PART OF THE NATURE The wall closest to the rock is entirely made of glass which contributes a feeling of being a guest in the nature. When it is dark outside illumination creates a great work of art on the rocks.
REFLECTION I consider that the project has a strong material concept and I am pleased about the entrance situation, the solution with the cafe / info desk and the placement of features. The chosen position of the building gives visitors a chance to see the fabulous illuminated rock, but the prize of the decision is a slightly dark interior. Overall, I think the project is successful for being made during my first year at the architecture and engineering program. I discovered that hexagonal and circular rooms are not easy but it was a good idea to explore these geometric shapes early in my training.
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WOODY VISITOR CENTRE Year 2 - Building and Structure Sketchup, Revit, AutoCad, Illustrator, Photoshop
PROCESS
FUNCTIONS
BACKGROUND In Gothenburg a proposal for a visitor centre should be developed. The program aims to develop a building that offers rooms for exhibitions of various kinds. There will also be an opportunity to listen to lectures and seminars in a 80 sqm auditorium.
Intimacy A Library is located at the back to create an intimate feeling
Interactions between the design of the building and the supporting structure should be explored and rooms of different sizes was to be created. Offices should be available and positioned in order to establish contact with the arriving visitors.
INSPIRATION FROM TREES The verticality and cracks have been the basis in the drawing process. Also the height from the ground to the tree crowns has been guiding the project.
Tvärsektion
General rooms The architecture will not create obstacles for users of the exhibition hall. Therefore, the hall is designed big and generally. Extension of the park room The space between the volumes works as a natural gathering place
Array of functions Wet areas are at the same place
Section
Tvärsektion
1
Basic volume The basic form is a rectangle
2
Split volume In order not to get a huge impression the volume was divided into two parts.
3
Two rectangular plans To maintain simplicity two rectangular plans were developed
4
Entrance In the wedge-shaped space a room for arrival was created
Section
8
PLAN
INVITING VISITORS The building is located near the street to be visible and to invite visitors. Since the topography is very diverse further into the woods, this is also a justification for the location of the building.
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By placing the building near the street it is possible to avoid the more extreme terrain. All functions are therefore allowed to be in the same level which makes the building accessibility adapted for both visitors and staff.
SKETCH PROCESS
EXPRESSION THROUGH DETAILS, 1:20 To reinforce the minimalist expression and the verticality, the windows are made tall and elegant. The walls are of cedar tree and the panel goes almost all the way down to the ground.
Horisontal section through window
Vertical section through wall
Vertical section
and ground
through window
REFLECTION The strengths in the project is the floor plan and the room organisation. The room for arrival that occurs between the two volumes was a successful and natural gathering place. The entrance is also visible and inviting.
Lack of windows probably makes the exhibition hall dark and it will be difficult to get enough daylight. With more windows facing the street this problem would have been resolved in a simple way.
With the simple but well-designed floor plan, the project could have been made more complex regarding the walls or supporting structure.
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11
LILLHAGSPARKEN Row houses in Gothenburg Year 2 - Building and Climate Group work
BACKGROUND
ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT
In an area 20 minuets away from Gothenburg city a housing area will be built. The connection between the building design, indoor climate and energy consumption should be explored as well as spatial design and spatial context.
To make the houses fit in the surrounding environment has been considered. The exterior materials are in earthy colours and the dominant material is wood to emphasize the nature. This is complemented with black details.
In the course Building Physics, which was running in parallel, the building shell of an end house was investigated. U-value and moisture resistance were calculated and an overall study of the building’s energy and power demand was made.
The building shell is designed to provide good insulation properties. The exterior walls are thick and the massiveness together with simple shapes was a main concept. Absence of feed around the windows, sharp meetings at the corners and a minimalist eaves contributes to an aesthetic whole.
VARIATION IN THE AREA There is an opportunity to create a natural variation in the area since the ground is sloping approximately 10 degrees. The houses work as natural barriers between streets and garden areas.
House 80 m2 (7 units) House 119 m (16 units) House 145 m2 (26 units) Playground Recycling center / store
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Floor Plan
Second floor
THE MEDIUM VILLA - 119 m2
CIRCULAR MOVEMENTS
The medium-sized villa fit various family constellations and all parts in life.
The plans are based on circular movements and sight lines.
On the ground floor there is a large living room that can be divided into two rooms if needed. There is also a lovely parallel kitchen where a staircase is coming down. On the second floor there are three bedrooms and a multi purpose room. It is possible to build a wall and thus obtain additional bedrooms upstairs.
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BEDROOM WITH TERRACE A large terrace is accessible from the master bedroom.
REFLECTION
Elevation east
Elevation north
This is the project I learned most from. It was a group project, and to cooperate with another student was very instructive. The result is not as it would be if I was doing the project myself, and that is exactly what has been good - to work out a good solution even though it does not follow your personal preferences. In this project, I am pleased about the plans. It was interesting to place the stairs in the kitchen. I am also pleased about the variation caused by streets and garden areas. However, I would have liked to work with more variety of facades to avoid creating a repetitive and monotonous expression.
Elevation west
Elevation south
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ESPERANTO GRIDSHELL Gridshell Year 3, Optimized structures Physical Models
BACKGROUND A proposal of a drone terminal in Gothenburg should be developed to better utilise the waterways in the city. Drone is a common name for driverless vehicles and those could be used in the water for more efficient supplies of various kinds. To use the waterways in the best way the terminal for the drones would be required in the most optimal place in the city. The terminal should work as a protective roof in the form of a grid shell. It should be made of wood and the form should be optimal for the site and have a good shape in order to handle the loads optimally.
WATERWAYS, 1:10 000 In Gothenburg there is a large river that divides the city into two parts. This great river then flows and is divided into smaller rivers. Around the city centre there is a moat. A driverless delivery and waterbased system should be developed allowing deliveries from places far away using the waterways into the area inside the moat.
Sigt lines are the basis for the entrance and the shape of the grid. Maps in 1:1500
CONCEPT To add value to the site the central Esperantoplats has been selected. It is an open space surrounded by bars and restaurants. Even a cafe where different cultures and nationalities meet to conversate in different languages is located on this site. The terminal becomes an icon for the city. Under the great gridshell and at the span between the two buildings there is developed a cosy harbour and inside the adjacent cafĂŠ a food market and a meeting point is established.
EXISTING BUILDINGS To find an appealing and functional form different relationships between the surface of the gridshell and the existing building was studied. Examination of the connection between the grid shell and the building led to the final alternative (to the right)
Catanary curves can be used as well as a a common dewatering system. Moreover, there will be a moderate height and a nice room occurs.
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CATENARY CURVE MODEL Chain models have been used to create an optimal shape of the gridshell. When the chains were mounted at a number of fixed points on a wooden model, and the model then was turned up-side-down with the chains hanging down the chains assumed their optimal form. The result is an optimal shape of a shell structure.
PHYSICAL GRID MODEL
REFLECTION
A DWG map of the location was imported to Rhino and the building landscape was modelled. The surfaces of the buildings were printed in a laser cutter and assembled by hand.
This was a different and exciting project. I like the way the gridshell adds value to the site and that the area becomes an iconez place in the city. I am satisfied with the different spatial features that arise due to the varying shape of the gridshell.
After the buildings were modelled the gridshell was created with the help of thin stripes of plywood.
If there was more time I would like to work more with optimizing the shape in Grasshopper. In the model, the ribs are thick and has incorrect dimensions. It was a conceptual based project where we were only allowed to see opportunities. It was instructive to work with free forms and to create physical models.
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VIRTUAL TOOLS Parametric design with Grasshopper 3d Exampels from Year 3, Virtual Tools in a material culture Exampels from year 1, Solid Mechanics at Mechanical Engineering
BACKGROUND
ATTRACTOR POINT
SOLAR RADIATION
The course Virtual tools in a material culture aims to teach parametric design for architectural applications. We learn design driven by solar and structural analyses, optimization with genetic algorithms and writing custom Grasshopper components with C#.
The task was to create a pattern for a facade element with apertures that react to an attractor point. My project was based on rectangular forms similar to extruded frames. The closer a rectangle is to the attractor point the smaller is the frame opening, and the shorter is the extrusion.
This assignment deals with the geometrical relationship between apertures and global form for an undulating facade based on solar radiation calculations.
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The openings on the facade adjust to the exposed levels of solar radiation. To
minimize the solar radiation the openings are smaller when the angle between the solar vector and the normal vector of each plane is small. if the angle is zero the sun is pointing directly on the facade element. The total area of the openings and the
solar energy passing through each panel were calculated. The solar energy passing through is visualized by different colours in the images
SCRIPTING IN C#
TRUSS STRUCTURE ANALYSES
A circle was drawn in the xy-plane and a surface was created. The circle was projected once on the surface and in this task I wrote a grasshopper component in C# which offset these circle until the hole surface was covered.
During my two years at the mechanical engineering program I did analyses of structures and materials. At the architecture and engineering program I continued with these analyses. Here is a plot from a MATLAB script created during my second year at mechanical engineering.
The program calculates the rod forces and stresses in the lattice at different anchor points with load 50 kN. The program also calculates the displacements and visualize this as hashed lines.
SURFACE ANALYSES I MATLAB different surfaces have been analyzed for different purposes. Here is an example from a code calculating how horizontal each element on the surface is.
The thicker a rod is the larger is the absolute amount of the stress/tension.
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FRONTPAGE CORTEGE PROGRAM The Chalmers Cortege is an annual carnival parade held by students at Chalmers. The procession makes its way through the city centre, where it is seen by around 250,000 people each year. 2015 I designed the front page to the program which was printed in 20.000 copies.
ADVERTISING VISUALIZATIONS Hement.se is the website where a large majority of houses and apartments for sale in Sweden are advertised. When an old apartment was for sale I visualized opportunities for different rooms and my pictures were published on hemnet.se
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CROQUIS, PORTRAITS AND SKETCHES Here are some sketches of the human body in motion and in rest, as well as some portraits I have made.
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Staircase, Gothenburg
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Aquatic Centre, London - Zaha Hadid
Brittish Museum, London - Foster and Partners
THREE YEARS - REFLECTIONS Three years at the Architecture and Technology program has flown by quickly and enriched me with experiences and knowledge. I have learned a lot about technology, learned to master new tools and developed my creative and esthetical side through the materials elaborations, model building, and sketches. I have developed my architecture style and can see common things through the projects. I consider that the major focus in my architecture is on the material experience in natural colours in combination with a minimalist appearance. During my three years at Architecture and Engineering, I have also found new capacities in myself - curiosity and investigation. This discovery has permeated my projects where I pushed the limits of architecture. It also permeated the engineering courses and I always have an ambition to constantly learn more. It’s been three years of hard work and tight deadlines, difficult exercises and exams, but all time and efforts has been worthwhile. I have learned incredible much. The training has given me great knowledge both in architecture and engineering, but above all it has given me selfconfidence and the knowledge that I can manage future challenges. Curiosity will continue to characterize my work. I am both an architect and an engineer filled with a desire to develop better and more efficient solutions through architecture and engineering in symbiosis. Thank you for your consideration
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