Alex D'Aversa Undergraduate Portfolio

Architecture Portfolio Undergraduate Alexander D’Aversa

Resume

2

Fermilab Detector Building

4

Racquetball + Spa

18

Industrial Design/Novatec, Inc.

22

Agricultural Research Center

28

Migrant Worker Community Center

32

Initiative reCOVER

36

reCOVER: Limpopo

42

Alexander D’Aversa Architecture Student

Philadelphia, PA 19104 1 (724) 272-2676 daversa@design.upenn.edu http://alexdaversa.com

EDUCATION University of Pennsylvania | School of Design | Philadelphia, PA

2012 - 2014

University of Virginia | School of Architecture | Charlottesville, VA

2008 - 2012

Master of Architecture Candidate| GPA: 3.84

Bachelor of Science in Architecture | GPA: 3.69 Architectural History Minor

WORK EXPERIENCE Research Assistant | Initiative reCOVER | Charlottesville, VA

Develop and refine construction document set for a transitional disaster recovery housing prototype to be built near St. Marc, Haiti

2011

IT Teaching Assistant | UVA Architecture IT Department

2011 - 2012

Designer/Analyst | Novatec, Inc. | Baltimore, MD

2007 - 2012

Student Consultant | University of Virginia IT Department

2008 - 2009

Solve computing issues for students, monitor and maintain network and printing equipment, teach workshops in Maxwell and Adobe workflows

Design, test, and analyze industrial machinery, manage and update inventory and bills of materials, redesign public website

Solve computing issues for students, including virus removal, file recovery, program installation, password recovery, and system maintenance

TECHNICAL SKILLS CAD Tools | AutoCAD Rhino3D Grasshopper Maxwell Render Graphic Design | Photoshop Illustrator InDesign

Solve computing issues for students, including virus removal, file recovery, program installation, password recovery, and system maintenance

TECHNICAL SKILLS CAD Tools | AutoCAD Rhino3D Grasshopper Maxwell Render Graphic Design | Photoshop Illustrator InDesign Web Design | HTML CSS Javascript Engineering Design | Solidworks MasterCAM Inventor Hand Techniques | Sketching Model-Making Drafting IT Administration | Hardware/Software Deployment Networking Digital Fabrication| CNC Router Lasercutter

TEACHING EXPERIENCE Arch 1020| Lessons In Making | Sanda Iliescu

Spring 2012

Introductory course in drawing, collages, sculpture, and architectural models

Arch 3240| Structures | Kirk Martini

Spring 2012

Analysis, design, and behavior of structural systems

AFFILIATIONS + ACTIVITIES AIAS, University of Virginia Chapter Freedom By Design, University of Virginia Chapter

AWARDS + RECOGNITION Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society Dean’s List Fall 2008, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012 Intermediate Honors Top 20% Duncan J. McCrea Memorial Award Academic Achievement and Concern for Spiritual Values

Award for Design Excellence Award for Public Service

COMPETITIONS + GRANTS Tobacco Commission Grant given to Project reCOVER for the development of the Breathe House prototypes NSF Grant Given to Project reCOVER for the development of building sensing technologies to be incorporated into the Breathe House EPA P3 Competition Submitted Project reCOVER’s Breathe House to the 2011 EPA P3 Competition

Detector Facility

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL In collaboration with Patrick Mayfield Arch 4010 | Fall 2011

Our project is for the design of a new detector facility on the site of the proposed Muon Collider at Fermilab. The basis of our work to explores the process of detection as both a scientific and ultimately spatial phenomenon which allows for the generation of knowledge from the careful observation of atomic collisions through processes of visualization. As these processes are not predetermined, rather than studying a collision event directly, information is gleaned indirectly from the resultant deformation or transformation of the surrounding substrate through which the particles move. This is registered both materially and electrically in the substrate’s history by virtue of the particle path. Ultimately, through our extensive exploration of detection at the smallest of scales, two opposing relations of particle and substrate were divined: In relation (A) the particle disturbs substrate. Alternately in relation (B) the substrate disturbs particle. In our proposal for the design of the new detector building, these two relations define and determine the character and limits of the spaces created.

Silicon Tracker

Muon Calorimeter

HCAL

ECAL

Projection

e– γ

μ+

n

p–

Charge Mass/Energy

∝

∝ Direction

1 ________ Curvature

+

Conservation of Momentum

Missing Information

+

0

? = A

B

C

–

Commutativity

C

A

B

Process of DETECTION

–

Substrate → Particle

Particle → Substrate

Initialize Particles + Vectors

Apply Forces Connect Lines of Action

Run Simulation

Cull Lines by Length

Triangulate

ELECTRICITY HEAT

COMPONENTRY, EQUIPMENT, TOOLS RAW MATERIAL

MATTER FLOWS

ENERGY FLOWS

FILTERING

ANALYSIS

HEAT LOSS STORAGE

PARTICLE FLOWS DATA LOSS

VISUALIZATION

DATA FLOWS

FEEDBACK LOOP

DETECTION

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

1

Visitor Plaza Main Entrance Control Room Delivery Bay Truck Loading Bay Storage Lifts Assembly Bay Service Shaft Assembly Shaft Liquid Helium Storage Materials Storage Catwalk Server Room Detector Muon Collider Tunnel

2

3

4

6

5

9 7

8

10

9 7

4

8

4

9 7

8 9 7

8 11

Sublevel 1

12

11

11

12

12

Sublevel 2 15

13

14

15

13

Sublevel 3 15

13

14

14

To realize the process of detection at the scale of the site, we examined the processes which enable and are produced by the operation of the detector. We separated them into four interdependent categories: matter, energy, data, and human flows. For example, the transport and delivery of raw materials, components, equipment, and tools to the site develop along certain trajectories from the site periphery to the detector center. Alternately, the product of detection produces a number of carefully constructed networks of data flows that propagate from the detectors sensors. In characterizing these operations as flows, each operation acts on the site as the particle acts on the substrate, over time generating a history from which predictive models for future behaviors can be understood.

The resultant form of the disturbed site is taken as a bounding condition, similar to the operation of the detector, where each discrete component of the larger assembly signals alternately a relative absence or strength of presence. Architecturally, this translates to an absence or presence of space and occupying program within the set boundaries.

Fermilab Complex

DELIVERY BAY

CIRCULATION CORRIDOR

ASSEMBLY BAY

DELIVERY ENTRANCE

VIEW FROM RING LAKE

ENTRANCE PAVILION

STAIR CORE

MAIN ENTRY

BUILDING MATTERS | DETAIL SECTION

Racquetball + Spa Center

Alex D'Aversa | TA: Mike Levy

Philadelphia, PA

Metal Flashing

Arch 3010 + 3230 + 3260 | Fall 2010

Rubber Roofing Membrane 1/2” OSB Rigid Insulation

Concrete Vapor Barrier 16ga x 1-1/2” Deep Roof Decking

This project explores the combination of both racquetball club and spa for downtown Philadeliphia. This project is also explored through the specific lenses of Arch 3230: Systems, Sites, and Buildings to evaluate the environmental systems at play within and around the building, as well as Arch 3260: Building Matters, exploring the specifics of material and construction intent.

W21x50 Wide Flange Beam

Laminated Glass Louver Rubber Gasket

Aluminum Bracket

2-1 2” x 10” Structural Steel Mullion 1 2” x 4’ x 5’ Glass Panel

7/8” x 16ga Furring Channel Vapor Barrier

High-Density Particle Board with Plastic Laminate Facing

25/32” Maple Flooring 2” x 3” Sleepers

The programmatic arrangement is a result of site analysis; the south-facing racquetball courts look onto Market Street, a major route of circulation. The north-facing facade borders a smaller, tree-lined alleyway. The racquetball courts, therefore, occupy the south facade, where a system of louvers redirect sunlight to minimize solar gain, while still allowing for clear sight lines for a pedestrian across the street. Another court, recessed into the ground on the north facade is bordered by an outdoor viewing amphitheater.

Window Gasketing

1 2” x 4’ x 5’ Laminated Glass Panel

Concrete

Actioncush Vibration Dampeners Vapor Barrier

4-1/2” Concrete over 16ga Metal Decking W21x50 Wide Flange Beam 7/8” x 16ga Furring Channel Vapor Barrier

High-Density Particle Board with Plastic Laminate Facing Rubber Polymer Racquetball

16ga x 1-1/2” Deep Roof Decking

The spa incorporates a number of thermal baths at various water temperatures and depths. The locker rooms operate as a juncture between the two programs, incorporating the “wet” portions of the locker room more closely with the baths, and the “dry” portions more closely with the racquetball courts. In this way, the two programs are linked through sequencing playing, changing and showering, and finally relaxing in a thermal bath.

Concrete

W21x50 Wide Flange Beam

Vapor Barrier

6” x 16ga C-Channel Vapor Barrier

1/2” Cement Board

Joint Compound + Reinforcing Mesh + Skim Coat Metal Mullion

2-1 2” x 10” Structural Steel Mullion 4” Steel Door with Glass Panel

Sill Plate

Concrete Slab 12” Concrete Wall

Waterproofing Membrane

4” Concrete Slab

Detail section of the south facade, showing louver system with racquetball court and associated construction systems. Below the courts, entrance and basement/foundation system is shown.

12” Concrete Wall

Waterproofing Membrane

Rigid Insulation Vapor Barrier

Rigid Insulation Mud Slab

Concrete Footer

Novadrier Redesign / Novatec, Inc. Summer 2010

The Novadrier is a product of Novatec, Inc., a small manufacturing form for plastics molding machinery outside Baltimore, MD. It is a machine which uses compressed air and heating elements to dry plastic pellets in preparation for extrusion into items such as plastic utensils, straws, molded plastic shells, etc. However, the original design focused almost solely on its own mechanism of operation, not the operator or manufacturer.

The redesign repackages the existing internal components into a unified whole. Four steel bars are welded onto an internal cylindrical hopper, forming the structural frame upon which the other components are mounted. A thicker layer of insulation sits underneath rolled steel body panels. These are then capped by two plates, which also accomodate the bottom cone, filter, alarm light, and lifting lugs.

By utilizing this type of structural system, almost all unsightly welds can be hidden behind other pieces of metal, which also affords for looser manufacturing tolerances. A significant time and cost savings is also realized by using bolts instead of welds to assemble the machine.

The redesigned Novadrier is also more user-centric. It includes a larger door for easier cleanout as well as seperate doors to the electrical and pneumatic components to minimize danger to maintenance workers and to comply with European electrical codes.

Images of prototype during performance tests

Analytic & general view drawings from full construction drawing set

Agricultural Research Center Arch 3020 | Spring 2011

In 2001, John W. Kluge gave to the University of Virginia Morven Farm to be used as a teaching landscape at the University. It is home to the Flowerdew Hundred archaeological collection and presents a unique environment to intervene to study architecture, landscape architecture, environmental science, and others.

My intervention explores firstly the role of topography in the process of farming, specifically concerning erosion. I explored my site through three related lenses: the line along which crops should be planted to control erosion, the line along which crops should be planted to maximize ground cover, and the line along which crops should be plated to minimize the farmer’s time plowing.

Secondly, my intervention explores using erosion as a way of shaping space which intimately interacts with the ground. I operated through two modes simultaneously: first organizing program through relationships between elements, second establishing a system of wall elements to shape the land in controlled ways on a slope.

These two modes intersect on the site of my building.

Building elements are placed in the ground, where, over a period of thirty years, the land around them is eroded in controlled ways. This forms space to be occupied by an agricultural research center.

3

1

5

3

1

Farm 2

Farm 2

Entry/Approach

Barn F Research Storage

Library 2

Research Labs Farm 1

Research Labs

Exhibition Areas

2

Offices

4

Barn F

Farm 1

Farm 3

Exhibition Areas

Meeting Rooms Office Storage

Library Offices

Farm 3

Farm 2

Entry/Approach

Farm 2

Research Storage 3

Farm 2

Entry/Approach Barn 2

Meeting Rooms

Farm 2 Office Storage

Entry/Approach

Barn F

Barn F

5

Research Research Labs Labs

Exhibition Areas Exhibition Areas

Farm 1

Farm 1

Areas FarmExhibition 3

Exhibition Areas

Offices Meeting Rooms

Office Storage

Library

Library

Farm 2

Offices

Farm 3

Entry/Approach

Offices

Farm Research 3 Storage Research Storage

Barn F

Farm 3

Barn 2

Meeting Rooms

Office Storage

Exhibition Areas Entry/Approach

Meeting Rooms

4

Research Storage Office Storage

Barn 2

Farm 1

Farm 1

Barn 2 Offices

BarnBarn F F

3

Research Storage Research Storage Library Research Labs Research Labs

Library

Library

Offices

Meeting RoomsResearch Labs

Office Storage

4

Library

Barn 2

Farm 1 Barn 2

Offices Farm 2

Farm 3

Meeting Rooms

Exhibition Areas Office Storage

Barn F

Farm 2

Research Storage

5

Entry/Approach

Meeting

Exhibition Areas

Entry/Approach Exhibition Areas

Library

Offices

Research Labs

Library Farm 1

Barn F

Research Storage

Library

Offices

Research Labs

Offices

Library Farm 3

Meeting Rooms

Exhibition Areas

Meeting

Farm 1

Research Labs

Office Storage

Entry/Approach

Farm 3

Meeting

Meeting Rooms

Exhibition Areas Office Storage

Research Storage

Entry/Approach

Barn 2 Offices

Entry/Approach Research Labs

Entry/Approach Barn 2

Research Storage

Research Labs

5

4

Migrant Worker Community Center Charlottesville, VA

Arch 2020 | Spring 2010

The design emphasizes the outdoor culture activity field highlights the emphasis of mig large underground theater gives space for c classrooms foster a more intimate gatherin

e of many migrant workers. A large grant workers on outdoor culture. A cultural performances, while multiple ng.

Project reCOVER

Collaboration with Evan Burch, Patrick Mayfield, Sara Harper, Sally Lee, Lauren Thompson, Andrea Brennan, and Nathan Parker Project Leader: Prof. Anselmo Canfora

Phase 1 | EPA Competition | Spring 2011 Phase 2 | Construction Document Set | Summer + Fall 2011

Phase 1 | EPA Competition | Spring 2011

Collaboration with Evan Burch, Patrick Mayfield, Sara Harper, Sally Lee, Lauren Thompson, Andrea Brennan, and Nathan Parker Project Leader: Anselmo Canfora During this semester, the team worked collaboratively to refine the design of the Breathe House, a transitional disaster relief housing structure for deployment in Saint-Marc, Haiti. The Breathe House is a modular structure, and during the spring semester of 2011, I worked primarily on the organization and documentation of the modular panels and their construction sequencing. During the course of the semester, the team also explored environmental systems and passive strategies to operate within the post-earthquake Haitian environment.

As the EPA P3 competition date drew closer, the team transitioned into developing materials for display on the National Mall in Washington DC. I was part of the model-building team, in charge of cutting and assembling the base and portions of the main building. The other team was in charge of making a poster and small paper handouts.

Over the summer of 2011, I worked primarily on the section drawings of the construction document set. These drawings changed significantly as we transitioned from an engineered-lumber frame into the use of SIPS panels. With the set almost complete in the Fall 2011 semester, the project also incorporated 3 different cladding options (stucco, ceramic composite spray, and wood board).

Phase 2 | Construction Document Set | Summer + Fall 2011

Studio reCOVER: Water + Health in Limpopo

Collaboration with Burgess Rice, Taylor Scott, Megan Suau, and Jessica Vanecek Project Leader: Anselmo Canfora The Mukondeni pottery site, part of the larger effort and collaboration between the University of Virginia’s engineering, architecture, and medical schools to provide clean water to the Limpopo province in South Africa, incorporates an existing pottery cooperative with a new water filter factory, a community center for outreach and education, and renovation to an existing factory pavilion.

LEARNING HOW TO USE YOUR NEW CERAMIC WATER FILTER

DETAIL_WOOD PANEL

EDUCATION CENTER

SITE SECTION_TRANSVERSE

DETAIL_CONCRETE COUNTER

DAYCARE CENTER

ASSEMBLY_EXISTING FACTORY

SOAK TESTING

ASSEMBLY_EDUCATION CENTER

LABORATORY TRELLIS

CERAMIC WATER FILTER PRODUCTION PROCESS PROGRAM QUESTIONS

PROGRAMS

for each stage of the filter-making process, do the space require...

6_PREPARATION

PROTOTYPICAL APPLICATION COOPERATIVE uphill

SILVER +PACKING

I LOADING DOCK

SECURE/INDOOR/STORAGE high wall security ventilation storage

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS?

STORAGE/ACCESS low wall access to the road future growth

N

VENTILATION?

loading

silver application + packaging

high

high

5_TESTING LABORATORY

I

SECURE/INDOOR high wall security

low

SOAK TESTS

soak testing

laboratory testing

kiln

kiln

STORAGE/OUTDOOR high wall access to water highest

EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT?

4_FIRING KILN

I

KILN

VENTILATED/OUTDOOR highest walls future maintenance/access ventilation wood storage

SECURITY + PRIVACY?

OPEN DRYING

I

low

covered drying

COVERED DRYING OUTDOOR/STORAGE high wall security storage

MIXER/PRESS

I

1_RAW CLAY HAMMERMILL

high

hand mixing

HAND MIXING

OUTDOOR high wall maintenance/growth

open drying

high

2_FORM MAKING SECURE/INDOOR high wall ventilation security

FUTURE MAINTENANCE + GROWTH?

high

3_DRYING UNCOVERED/STORAGE low wall sunlight exposure storage

ACCESS TO WATER?

highest

mixer + press high

low

hammermill

clay drying I

OUTDOOR/VENTILATED high wall ventilation security hazardous materials

DRYING

OUTDOOR/UNCOVERED low wall sunlight exposure access to clay

low

CLAY MINING downhill

KILN

CISTERN

EXISTING FACTORY

SITE SECTION_LONGITUDINAL

LABORATORY

ASSEMBLY_WALL TO ROOF DETAIL

MIX & PRESS

ASSEMBLY_MASONRY WINDOW DETAIL

ASSEMBLY_FILTER FACTORY ADDITION

CLAY DRYING & CRUSHING HAMMERMILL CLAY

cistern baseline

CLAY PROCESSING

COMMUNITY KITCHEN & DAYCARE CENTER

WATER COLLECTION

Thank You