ALEX GRIFFIN S M L XL PROJECTS
Hi, I’m Alex. A recent M.arch graduate, nomad, and creative thinker - I hunger for authenticity and inspiration. I am a critic that appreciates honesty and quality in the work of others and myself. I am consistantly moving forward, in a search for clarity. I seek to learn through curiosity, and desire to enhance the quality of life in our built environment by making: ideas, objects, and space.
g rif f ina @ wi t. e du 4 0 1 . 4 7 7 . 0 0 6 5
ALEX GRIFFIN
grif f in a @ w it. e du 4 0 1 . 4 7 7 . 0 0 6 5
EDUCATION
Class of 2015
M.Arch, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Boston, MA
May 2015 graduation, Magna Cum Laude. Fall 2014: Special topics two-week studio dialogue Shanghai, China
Class of 2013
B.S. Arch, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Boston, MA
May 2013 graduation, Cum Laude. Spring 2012: Community Design Studio Semester Montpellier, France
2003 - 2008
C.E., Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, RI
Young artist continuing education programs: painting, photography, sculpture, woodworking
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Fall 2014 - Present + Summer 2011 co-op
Summer 2014 co-op + Fall 2013 co-op
Fall 2012 co-op
Lim Design Studio, Inc.
(1 year, 2 months) Boston, MA
Designer - Responsible for co-facilitating the design of numerous historic residential projects in the Back Bay and Greater Boston area. Extensive experience with custom interior detailing, specification, code research, and 3D modeling. Engaged in daily on-site meeting and communication with clients, developers, and GC’s.
Union Studio: Architecture & Community Design
(9 Months) Providence, RI
Design Intern - Collaborated on multiple private, non-profit, and affortable housing projects in New England. Assisted Architects and PM’s with redlines, ADA and LEED research, and the preperation of CD’s and presentations for submittals. Responsible for the design and completion of the firm’s entire marketing portfolio.
Hacin + Associates, Inc.
(4 Months) Boston, MA
Design Intern - Involved within the design process of 3 landmark institutional and commercial projects in the Greater Boston area. Assisted a design team from a schematic to a design development phase of a mixed-use housing project in Mission Hill, Boston. Involved with in-house marketing projects, documentation, and LEED
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
Summer 2014
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF)
(7 Months) USA
Volunteer with experience working on over 6 Organic Farms across North America. Heavily involved with numerous permaculture and community supported agriculture projects in 5 regions. Educated in varied techniques and conditions of practicing and maintaining life sustainably off the grid.
Fall 2013
ACE Mentor Program
(4 Months) Providence, RI
Volunteer Mentor for 3 students as part of a larger team organization. The mission of ACE is to engage, excite, and enlighten high school students with interest in pursuing careers the fields of architecture, construction, and engineering through after school activities and team building exersizes.
Fall 2012
Architecture for Humanity
(3 Months) Boston, MA
Volunteer designer involved at the start of a design/build project for the non-profit organization - ‘Make Shift’ located on Columbus Avenue in the Back Bay. Work done alongside local volunteers to design an affordable, flexible and functioning space for daily work, meetings and local events.
RELEVANT SKILLS
ALSO, AWARDS + PUBLICATIONS Alpha Rho Chi Medal
2D:
Awarded to a single graduate student who has demonstrated leadership, service, and the promise of professional merit through architecture and the allied arts of design.
AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop / Illustrator / InDesign
3D:
Rhino, Sketch Up, V-Ray, Currently learning Revit + Grasshopper
Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society for Design Excellence Awarded to distinguish a graduate student in the field of architecture and the allied arts of design in celebration of high scholastic achievement and skill.
Wentworth Architecture Review (WAr) Journal, Version 5 A vehicle for student and faculty to establish a discourse and showcase current work pertaining to larger topics in architecture. Two published submissions
OTHER:
Physical Modeling, Laser Cutting, Woodshop, Microsoft Office Suite. Communication,
S M L XL
CONTENTS RESUME
5
GEES BEND QUILT
7
three dimensional / sectional analysis
8
perspectival / axonomentric analysis
9
CORTE INSTALLATION
11
concept + entry
12
construction + install
13
WOODLAND RESIDENCE
15
zone + intervention
16
network
17
floor plans
18
building + landscape section
19
BACK BAY MUSEUM AND LABORATORY
21
analytical drawings
22
envelope
23
tectonic expression
24
three-dimensional interpretation
25
LOON MOUNTAIN SKI HOUSE
27
front elevation + section
28
rear elevation + 3d
29
first floor
30
second floor
31
REIMAGINING QIN CUN
35
site documentation + experimentation
36
research + strategy
37
waste remediation
38
site plan
39
6
01. Gee’s Bend Quilt
7
S M L XL
01. Gee’s Bend Quilt Wentworth Institute of Technology, First Year Studio 01 ARCH 245, Project 1 : Analysis and Interperetation Professor: Lora Kim Location: Boston, Massachusetts Date: Fall 2010
Where a two-dimensional construction is offered, the resulting creation is a three-dimensional expression and understanding. An analytical investigation of quilts crafted by the women of Gee’s Bend County in Alabama. These quilts have a boldness, simplicity, and origionality in their folk art creation. The color, shifting patterns, assemblage, textural quality, and the naivete of their gestures reveals a clarity that is equal to works of many abstract expressionists.
8
This project tested spatial understanding and interpretation of a two-dimensional textile through three-dimensional analysis using graphite pencil alone. Color, pattern, and tectonic character are expressed through depth, transparency, and thickness. Ignoring scale, patterns and colors reveal themselves either in the foreground, or sinking into the background. Here, overlapping and weaving occur, within space. This threedimensional volume is discovered further through perspectival and axonometric expression.
Three -Dimensional / Sectional Analysis
9
Perspectival / Axonometric Analysis
10
02. Corte Installation
11
S M L XL
02. Corte Installation Lim Design Studio, Co-op Internship Daniela Corte Retail Store Principal: Diane Lim Location: 211 Newbury St., Boston, MA. Date: Fall 2011 The team organization, design and build of a thirty-foot long hanging ceiling installation. Inspiration was drawn from the hand-made quality found in the mission of the clients work. The design manifests itself using fish netting, clothes pins, hardware, and gravity. In tension and temporal, it may be transformed from season to season with the simple treatment of paint and/or material change to compliment and highlight the client’s dynamic and constantly developing collection.
Lim Design Studio
12
Using a high strength, tensile fish netting as the transluscent structure, the weight of the clothes pins highlight a depth and density that did not exist previously. Linear movement is created from the front entry to the rear of the narrow space.
Entry + Final Install
13
Analytical Concept Drawings
14
03. Woodland Residence
15
S M L XL
03. Woodland Residence Wentworth Institute of Technology, Second Year, Studio 03 Adaptive Interventions Professor: J P Allen Location: Connecticut River Valley Date: Spring 2012 How can architecture respond to a natural clustering of trees within a rolling landscape? Analyzing the cluster as a network, multiple spatial experiences are created through view and enclosure, solid and void in the program and topography. Working through diagram in two-dimensions, viewing the network as a series of sightlines across the landscape, then moving into collage to organize the program, interior spaces expose and enclose themselves within the surrounding envioronment based on function, use, and time.
Adaptive Interventions
16
Zone + Intervention
17
Network
18
B
A
Private spaces take shelter within the cluster of trees, and sloped topography that offer a natural enclosure, while openings provide view and privacy to points in the landscape. Shared spaces move with the sloping land, exposing inhabitants to their surroundings while reaching out to gather sweeping views and southern exposure.
First + Second Floor Plans
19
A
B
Landscape Section + Collage
20
04. Back Bay Museum and Laboratory
21
S M L XL
04. Back Bay Museum and Laboratory Wentworth Institute of Technology, Third Year Techtonic Studio Comprehensive Design Professor : Troy Peters Location : Back Bay Fens: Boston, MA Date : Fall 2013
This interactive machine defines an intersection of the museum district along Boston’s Back Bay Fens. It is a musem and laboratory dedicated to the wooden structures and processes of early 19th cen. landmaking; a process that was neccisary to create the landmark neighborhood that exists today as the Back Bay in Boston. Through site context and the organization of interior program elements, the building manifests itself as a series of three volumes: A projection, a core, and a rear gallery. Visitors find themselves submerged and lifted in this machine-like atmosphere.
Comprehensive Design
22
5 Roof 60' - 0"
4 Terrace 48' - 0" 5 Roof 60' - 0"
3 Office 36' - 0" 4 Terrace 48' - 0"
2 Laboratory 24' - 0" 3 Office 36' - 0"
1 Lecture 12' - 0" 2 Laboratory 24' - 0"
Ground 0' - 0" 1 Lecture 12' - 0" Gallery 01 Large -6' - 0"
LONGITUDINAL SECTION
02 Reception -12' - 0"
SCALE: 1/4”=1’-0”
Ground 0' - 0" 02-1 Small Gallery -18' - 0" 01 Large Gallery -6' - 0" 02-2 Xyloteque -24' - 0"
LONGITUDINAL SECTION
02 Reception -12' - 0"
SCALE: 1/4”=1’-0”
02-1 Small Gallery -18' - 0" 03 Storage -36' - 0" 02-2 Xyloteque -24' - 0"
03 Storage -36' - 0"
Laboratories, classrooms, and a lecture hall peel away from the ground, revealing an entry, while projecting outward to reflect upon the surrounding Back Bay. Galleries are submerged under ground, while a central freight elevator ties program together at the core
Analytical Drawings
Roof Level
Roof Courtyard
DN
1700 SF
DN
Break Room
Storage/Printing
Administration
Level 2
Storage
DN
Concervation Laboratory
720 SF
Concervation Laboratory
640 SF
1670 SF
Research Laboratory
Level 1
DN
Office Admin. 330 SF
1200 SF
Classroom
Open to Large Gallery Below
DN
DN
Lecture Hall 1500 SF
DN
CL
Ground Level
DN
DN
Restaurant 1200 SF
UP
DN
5000 SF
Large Gallery
Upper Entry
DN
---
DN
Level -1
DN
700 SF
Kitchen
Storage
Storage
1500 SF
Reception and Museum Store
Open to Small Gallery Below
UP
DN
Lower Entry
Level -2
UP
700 SF
Storage
DN
2500 SF
Small Gallery
3000 SF
Xylotheque
DN
UP
Level -3
SUBMERGE
UP
3800 SF
Gallery Storage
CIRCULATE
PROJECT
Level 3
Waiting Room
Kitchen
Meeting
1670 SF
UP UP
DN
Director’s Suite
UP
23 DN
DN
---
DN
UP
SCALE: 1/8”=1’-0”
FLOOR PLANS
Envelope
24
ANGLED STRUCTURAL SLEEPER ROOF MEMBRANE SHEET
DRAIN SYSTEM TO PIPE ON EACH END THERMAL INSULATION (4.5 IN.) WOOD CEILING JOISTS @ 24 IN. O.C. (2X9) W/HANGERS
VERTICAL WOOD LOUVERS @ 3 1/2” O.C. (2X9) DOUBLE INSULATED GLAZING SECONDARY VERTICAL WOOD LOUVERS @ 3 1/2” O.C. (2X9) MULLION AND LOUVER TIE-BACK SYSTEM
Strong focus is placed on the tectonic expression in the main gallery space. There is relief where the ground meets the wall, vertical wood louvres hang on track as part of a double skin facade. Arched beams span the main space and die below grade in the lower gallery.
WALL ELEVATION DETAIL 1/2”=1’-0”
ROOF MEMBRANE EXIT DRAIN OPENING (.5 IN.)
CORE-TEN STEEL CASING (.25 IN.) STEEL TUBING (2X4 IN.) RIGID INSULATION
WALL SECTION DETAILS 1”=1’-0”
WALL SECTION 1/2”=1’-0”
Tectonic Expression
25
FIBER CEMENT BOARD (.25 IN.)
THERMAL INSULATION (4.75 IN.)
PLASTER BOARD (.5 IN.)
VERTICAL STEEL MEMBERS (3.5 IN.)
DETACHABLE PANEL (.71 IN.) WITH 3 IN. THERMAL INSULATION
MOTOR ASSEMBLY FIXED HINGE POINT
HINGE POINT AND PULL BAND
Elevation Detail
WALL ELEVATION DETAIL 1/2”=1’-0”
WALL SECTION 1/2”=1’-0”
Wall Section
Three-Dimensional Interpretation
WALL SECTION DETAIL 1”=1’-0”
Detailed Section
26
05. Loon Mountain
27
S M L XL
05. Loon Mountain Ski House, Phase 1. Lim Design Studio, Architectural Designer Single-Family renovation (in progress) Location: Lincoln, New Hampshire Date: Summer 2015
The first phase of a two part renovation/addition to a 1980’s contemporary home in the White Mountain National Forest. This structural-intesive project demanded careful attention to specific requests, aesthetic needs and requirements of the client, while balancining the limits that come with a expedited 5-month design/build timeline. Working through a fast track schedule, decisions from window arrangement to finish specification were made as early as demo began, working intimitely with the client, GC, and consultants has been a daily exersize and test of communication and understanding to achieve a concrete vision.
28
Front Elevation + Section
29
Rear Elevation + 3D
30
MUDROOM
FOYER
First Floor
31
YOGA ROOM
NEW BATH
Second Floor
32
Living Room Section
33
Framing Progress
34
06. Reimagining Qin Cun
35
S M L XL
06. Reimagining Qin Cun: Watertown Wentworth Institute of Technology, M.Arch Shanghai Studio Dialogue Project description Advisor : Jennifer Lee Location : Qin Cun, Shanghai, China. Date : Fall 2014 One hour south from the rapidly urbanizing mega-city of Shanghai, lives Qin Cun - a migrant watertown village at the crossroads of forgotten destruction, or innovative revitalization. A careful exploration of spatial porosity and layering, analyzing issues and transparencies of local waste removal and processing, reveals a solution on an urban scale Sampling and introducing elements of porosity within the urban fabric reconnects the town to the canal once again - integrating waste collection zones and compost; constructed wetlands filter waste and bring awareness and new use to the canal.
M.arch Shanghai Studio
36
0:13
0:25
0:31
0:09
POROSITY + PASSAGE
(of a rock or other material) Having minute spaces or holes through which liquid or air may pass. The act or process of moving through, over, under or past something on the way from one place to another
Site Documentation + Experimentation
0:56
1:03
37
Careful observation of the many qualities of porosity that exist along the canal allowed this proposal to introduce new layers of porosity. Sampling moments of opening and enclosure that exist in the old village allowed the scale of intervention to grow organically from its surroundings.
Research + Strategy
38
DENSITY
CIRCULATION PATHS
WASTE COLLECTION ZONES
BIOSWALE
RETENTION
Waste Remediation
39
Site Plan
40
THANK YOU.