Architecture & Design Portfolio 2015 Alexander Gontarz

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ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN PORTFOLIO 2015

ALEXANDER GONTARZ CV

INFO

Extraversion

Intuition

Thinking

Judging

Introversion

Sensing

Feeling

Percieving

age: 21

email: gontarz@live.ca

tel: 647-974-4315

address: 18 Kuhl Ave

Toronto ON Canada

portfolio:

issuu.com/alexandergontarz/docs/portfolio

ABOUT

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

1A 1B 2A 2B 3A 3B

University of Waterloo School of ArchitectureMerit ScholarshipCandidate for Honours Bachelor of Arch. Studies, Class of 2017

MG Architects IncArchitectural InternToronto, Canada

MG Architects IncArchitectural InternToronto, Canada

ZAS ArchitectsArchitectural InternToronto, Canada

Benz & Zeigler ArchitectsArchitectural InternMunich, Germany

REMO General ContractingGeneral LabourerToronto, Canada

Martingrove CollegiateInstituteOntario ScholarHonour Roll StudentAP Art Award

ACADIA 2013Installation: The CUBEWith F_RMlab team

Nuit Blanche 2014Installation: Sky CityWith F_RMlab team

Nuit Blanche 2015Installation: RE/COLLECTIONWith Yuchen Zhang

Urban Strategies IncDesign InternToronto, Canada

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SKILLS

Rendering: VrayAnimation: BongoParametric: Grasshopper

Rhinoceros 3D

Revit Architecture

AutoCAD

ArchiCAD

Sketchup

Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

AfterEffects

Hand Modelling

Hand Drafting

English

Polish

French

Learns and applies new skills quickly. Prioritizes multiple tasks. Adapts to new challenges and obstacles. Helps others solve problems eagerly. Analyzes work critically.

Advanced

Advanced

Basic

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

1A 1B 2A 2B 3A 3B

University of Waterloo School of ArchitectureMerit ScholarshipCandidate for Honours Bachelor of Arch. Studies, Class of 2017

MG Architects IncArchitectural InternToronto, Canada

MG Architects IncArchitectural InternToronto, Canada

ZAS ArchitectsArchitectural InternToronto, Canada

Benz & Zeigler ArchitectsArchitectural InternMunich, Germany

REMO General ContractingGeneral LabourerToronto, Canada

Martingrove CollegiateInstituteOntario ScholarHonour Roll StudentAP Art Award

ACADIA 2013Installation: The CUBEWith F_RMlab team

Nuit Blanche 2014Installation: Sky CityWith F_RMlab team

Nuit Blanche 2015Installation: RE/COLLECTIONWith Yuchen Zhang

Urban Strategies IncDesign InternToronto, Canada

CONTENTS

WORK EXPERIENCE

WORK EXPERIENCE

LIBERTY MARKET

RE/COLLECTION

CIVIC FISSURE

FAMILY HOME

OTHER WORK

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ZAS ARCHITECTS + INTERIORSAchitectural InternToronto, Canada

Vaughan Civic Centre Library

The Resource Library is the next phase of the Civic Centre. The building has its own distinct architecture, yet forms strong ties to the surrounding centre. The program rotates around a central courtyard, creating additional views from the interior. I was involved in mainly the interior design aspects of the building, and how it worked together with the architecture, which was mostly resolved.

Gore Meadows Community Centre

A community centre was a necessity in this rapidly expanding district of Brampton The building combines multiple programs seamlessly: fitness, sport and library services. My involvement on this project was focused on the pool wing of the complex.

Billy Bishop Airport Tunnel

Instead of taking a ferry to access Billy Bishop Airport on the Toronto Island, travelers will soon be able to arrive at the airport by foot with the new underwater pedestrian link. This will solve some of the current congestion probles the airport is facing. I worked extensively with the centralized BIM model, which allowed me to experience how the engineers, trades, contractors, etc work together with architects. It was also insightful to see how the structure, architecture and interior are intertwined.

BENZ AND ZIEGLER GBRAchitectural InternMunich, Germany

Aenova Group Lobby Design

The task in this project is to retrofit an existing office building with a lobby area for the pharmaceutical company Aenova. A challenge I faced in this project was to adapt to the budgeting needs of the client. One of my tasks was to design the hanging sculpture as to minimize cost without reducing the visual appeal.

Haus Polling

The design of this family home is inspired by traditional German houses: white stucco-clad ground floor, wooden facade for the second floor. This was done partly to match nearby buildings. Interestingly, there were still complaints submitted by the neighbors that the aesthetic was too modern, and some compromises had to be made.

Haus Fleddermann

Much of my time was was spent on the feature staircase. I created multiple options for this to present to the client. The final design of the stairs made them as much an art piece as a functional element of the house. This allowed me to experience the entirety of the design process from conception to completion for one specific element.

BOLD Hotel Facade

This project is a facade renovation of an existing building. A challenge in this project is effectively adding materials to the facade. It also had to advertise the BOLD company name, and the design had to match the aesthetic of the branding of the existing chain of hotels. My role was to prepare drawings for both the client and the contractor.

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URBAN STRATEGIES INCDesign InternToronto, Canada

Metrolinx SmartTrack

The SmartTrack project aims to use existing GO transit lines to relieve some of the ridership on the Bloor-Danforth subway line. I was involved in the development of strategies for the new system. I created maps for the new stations that showed how the new system will impact the surrounding neighborhoods and environment.

Edmonton North Precinct Planning

To accomodate for the growth of this rapidly expanding city, the downtown will be expanding to the North. Warehouses and parking will be replaced with parks and condos, and the transit will be extended. My responsibilities included 3D modeling, creating and editing maps and renders.

University of Toronto Planning

The planning proved to be a challenge, as U of T wants to expand and develop the campus while preserving the historic buildings - all in the middle of a thriving city. I learned much about campus and city planning, especially when dealing with setbacks, height restrictions, zoning, and additions.

Brock University Planning

This was another university campus planning project - however, the strategies applied were very different. Instead of a dense city, the context is a vast natural landscape including the Niagara escaprment, lakes, rivers, wetlands, and parks.

LIBERTY MARKET

Once an unappealing industrial district, Liberty Village is becoming one of Toronto’s fastest growing neighbourhoods. Old warehouses are being renovated, and new buildings are starting to populate the industrial landscape: retail, residential, and offices alike. The new Market and Creative Offices aims to create more spaces for the startup businesses that the district is attracting, while also creating ample public, market, and retail space for the residents of the village.

CLASS: 3A StudioPROF: Philip Beesly

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OFFICES

The creative office spaces are split into two volumes, reflected in the facade: Firstly, a solid comprising of core,utility, wash-rooms, meeting rooms, etc. Secondly, flexible void space for

open plan offices

TERRACE

The sunken portion of the market below allows for access to the terrace from the ground level. It can be divided into two

spaces to serve the market and offices separately

MARKET FLOORS

The market occupies mostly floors 2 and 3. It descends to floor -1 and spills onto the sunken courtyard. The other end of the

market wraps around the atruim space

GROUND FLOOR + ATRIUM

Most of the program revolves around a large central atrium.

Spaces include lobby, loading, flex spaces, galleries, cafes.

Section N-S looking West

13Section N-S looking East

Section E-W

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Atrium

Lobby

Courtyard

Promenade

Store/Cafe

Loading/Storage

Drop-off Area

Bicycle Parking

Underground Parking

GO Train connection

Market

Rooftop Garden

Office flex space

Offices/meeting rooms

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2

3

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1314

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RE/COLLECTION

The objective of RE/COLLECTION is to create an egaging space where people can reflect on the memories that shape them and the collective through interaction with the artwork. Over the course of the night the installation will gradually develop into a complex cllection of memories generated by the collective of participants.It is a modular prefabricated structure that can be made with stock materials using simple handheld tools. The installation can be assembled by three people in about two hours.

NUIT BLANCHE 2015WITH: Yuchen Zhang

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The site we were given was the west wing of the main hallway at Artscape Youngplace. This site had many challenges that came with it, such as the odd dimensions of the space, the existing bench, displays, pipes, doorways, etc. We also had to take fire safety into consideration, which means leaving access to fire escapes, alarms and a fire hose. The event only lasted one night, and required us to assemble and disassemble the installation in a matter of hours.

We modelled sections of fabric to transform the hallway into a more intimate space. We designed a lightweight, easy to assemble plywood structure that can be assembled using minimal hardware, and can stand freely on any surface.

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FABRICATION

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ASSEMBLY

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2. By 8PM more people are drawn to the glowing installation and lights start to go up faster

1. The first lantern is hung at 7PM as people begin their night

254. By morning, each side of the lantern has a memory, a total of about 800 people contributed

3. The traffic is greatest at around 11PM

CIVIC FISSURE

Located in the civic core of Galt, the Civic Fissure aims to engage the citizens in physical and mental excercise. An outdoor pathway splits the building into two wings, creating opportunities for passive users to be engaged by the activities. The pathway provokes new routes through the city, as well as creating useful indoor and outdoor spaces. The different types of programs are spread throughout the building and around a common circulation, which allows for sectional interactions.

CLASS: 2B StudioPROF: Adrian Blackwell

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Section E-W

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Pool

Changerooms

Admin

Daycare

Backstage

Theatre

Projector room

Ticketing + Cafe

Gym flex space

Changerooms

Phys. activity rooms

Community rooms

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2

3

4

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2

3

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3 3 5

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Ground Floor

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2nd Floor

3rd Floor

FAMILY HOME

The design of the row house focuses on viewing the family as a small community. There are both private spaces of reflection and social living spac-es of interaction. The program revolves around a large mass and atrium which penetrate each floor. The atrium takes advantage of the southern light and allows for passive ventilation. It can be freely opened and closed, becoming an interior or exterior space as required.

CLASS: 1A StudioPROF: Val Rynnimeri

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ICE SHANTY

The ice fishing shack is an interesting building typology - the conditions and environment are very limiting in terms of design. The shack must be placed on the frozen lake and be removed before the ice melts. The Ice Shanty takes the form of the typical ice shack, but remains only a transparent skeleton until it is filled with snow and ice blocks made on site. With found materials the shanty transforms from a rather useless architectural folly to a protective shelter.

CLASS: 3B StudioPROF: Jason Halter & Kevin Weiss

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The walls are made from one interlocking metal piece which can be easily manufactured and efficiently transported. The rest of the structure is also easily installed

All of the parts pack tigtly and fit in a typical cargo van for ease of transportation.

After the structure is built, the walls are infilled with snow and ice blocks fabricated on site

OTHER WORK

The next pages are a selection of other works, both made for my studies and of my own initiative. I try to apply my architectural education to any of my cre-ative interests and hobbies, whether it is sculpture, technology, woodworking, or photography.

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Shigeru Ban’s Naked House case study. 1:50 model, millboard and plexiglass

Entire case study can be found at: nakedhousecasestudy.blogspot.ca

Self Portrait. Three-dimensional wire sculpture.

Touchscreen Table. Wood and plexiglass exterior, projector, IR lights, IR camera.

45Kisho Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower case study. 1:200 wood and 3D print plastic model.

Axe with display case/box. Purpleheart, walnut and maple. Axe head found in antique store.

47Tea box. Padauk, walnut, maple.

Europe photography

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THANK YOU FOR READING

Please contact me at: gontarz@live.ca