A L E X L O P E Z
This portfolio is an amalgamation of three and a half years of design projects and knowledge I have gained from Victoria University of Wellington.
CONTACT: alessandrarose.lopez@gmail.com
Instagram: al.archdes
Linkedin: Alex Lopez
ARCI 312 | CAPSTONE PROJECT
PROJECT 2 - TE PAPA MUSEUM RE-DESIGN
This architecture project delves into the narrative of New Zealand Colonialism, thoughtfully employing two distinct shape languages in the design, to emphasize the contrast between the two cultures, and to symbolize past hostilities.
The aim is to harmoniously integrate Pakeha and Maori symbols, encapsulating the duality of voyages as both instigators of hostility and bridges between cultures. To convey the symbolism of colonization, the design juxtaposes British and Maori vessel aesthetics, particularly their sails. This approach not only maximizes the site’s inherent opportunities but also fosters a tangible connection between people, land, and sea. Ultimately, the resulting structure serves as a significant commentary on New Zealand’s historical evolution and contemporary identity, offering a synthesized representation of New Zealand culture, as perceived through the lens of an immigrant.
INITIAL SKETCHES
These sketches illustrate my design thinking and how I was inspired by the idea of a vessel, and using a core movement through the centre.
1 2 3 4
1 2
Inspired directly from the sketches this first initial model aims to emulate the fluidity of the forms that was created. The design idea is also centred on a public central atrium space, to honor one of the main movement paths identified in the site analysis.
Using a constructivist approach, and priori-
Design 2 completely takes a different approach, prioritising rigid forms and the pathway as compared to fluid forms.
This design is inspired by the shape of a waka and cantilevers as if it is about to sail off into the water.
The fourth iteration is a combination of the best attributes of design 1-3fluidity, prioritising the atrium path, and the cantilever.
Short Section
The ground floor of the design holds various venue spaces, as well as the cafe and the entrance to the large auditorium. Two small auditoriums were also placed on the ground floor.
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
The first floor holds more venue spaces which looks out onto the harbour, as well as the office space which looks out onto Cable Street.
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
The second floor holds the main exhibition spaces with seating. The large exhibition space is in the south-west, which has the least amount of light to protect the exhibition pieces.
THIRD FLOOR PLAN
The third floor holds more exhibition spaces as well as some storage spaces.
These elevations show how the design sits on the Wellington landscape. This also shows how the structure is celebrated and acts as an integral part of the success of the design.
This visualisation shows the final floor with the Marae and the open roof structure inspired by sails. This render also celebrates the structure of the roof.
ARCI 312 | CAPSTONE PROJECT
PROJECT 1 - NATIONAL ARCHIVES RE-DESIGN
This project was to re-design the national archives building with the main material of concrete. Speculative illustrations vividly depict facets of colonization, employing symbolism such as the Treaty of Waitangi, a waka (canoe), and sails to symbolize the vessels historically utilized by the Maori people.
In its final iteration, the design concept seeks to convey the inherent instability associated with the colonial experience. This is achieved through a deliberate juxtaposition of rigid architectural forms, representing the colonial presence, with fluid and organic elements that symbolize the enduring connection of the Maori indigenous population to the land.
The incorporation of the grid structures of Wellington serves as a pivotal driver for these design movements, imbuing the project with a sense of coherence and contextual relevance. The Maori approach embraces and adapts to the natural contours of the land they inhabit, compared to the Westerners. Ultimately, the design concept embodies a profound exploration of the complex historical narrative, artfully translated into an architectural manifestation that engages with the dynamics of New Zealand Colonialism.
A speculative drawing inspired by sails and looking at translucency. This drawing uses found photos of the Treaty of Waitangi and Maori sails, and how those forms could merge together. The straight orthogonal lines represent settler colonial shapes whereas the more fluid forms represent the Maori shapes.
Speculative Drawing
EXPLODED VIEW
These elevations show that... The exploded isometric view showcases how the different layers combine to create a cohesive design.The brief outlined that the materiality of the design must be concrete, which is why different ways of using concrete was explored in this design.
SITE:
These elevations show that... In its final iteration, the design concept seeks to convey the inherent instability associated with the colonial experience. This is achieved through a deliberate juxtaposition of rigid architectural forms, representing the colonial presence, with fluid and organic elements that symbolize the enduring connection of the Maori indigenous population to the land.
Interior view of auditorium space
North Elevation
East Elevation
The visualisation on the left shows one of the interior walkways on the ground floor, showing an exploration of a perforated screen, and the exploration of the materiality of concrete.
COMPUTATIONAL CLAY SYSTEMS DESIGN
Eindhoven University of Technology - Semester B 2024
This studio focuses on the design using digital fabrication and computational design and exploring additive manufacturing for sustainable design. This project focuses on using clay tiles as the main material in conjunction with other low-carbon materials such as mud and earth-based systems.
The process began with a re-design of the original Baths of Caracalla to suit modern bathing rituals. A clay perforated screen design was developed using grasshopper. These were re-designed in groups of two, however all drawings shown were made by me.
The next part of the process was to choose one space within the redesigned bath to design a parametric tile design.
Exploded View
The following diagram displays an exploded axonometric of the reinvented Bath of Caracalla design. It features a stripped back version, showing only the essential programmes that would be needed for modern day bathing.
Caldarium
Courtyard
Frigidarium
Natatio
Changing room
Foyer
Entrance
ARCI 311 | COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN
PROJECT 3 - CONTEXT AND CODIFCIATION
This project incorporated computational design from tools such as Houdini as a basis to create architectural forms.
The scenario for this project was:
To survive and clean up nuclear radioactive fallout that was the result of a nuclear war. This involves recycling and filtering out the air.
The chosen solution:
Construct a facility that can withstand the radioactive atmosphere, recycle radioactive fallout waste products by speeding up their rate of decay, and filter the radioactive air to provide clean air once again is needed. This standardised design will be able to be implemented world wide to patch up and restore the damage created by radioactive fallout.
PHASE ONE: ADDITIVE
PHASE TWO: SUBTRACTIVE
The additive phase of decay includes bacterial and fungi growth. The subtractive phase of decay is the decomposition of material itself which is determined by the growth of bacteria and fungi.
PHASE THREE: COMBINATION
In reality, phase one and phase two occur concurrently. Thus phase three explores the possibilities when combining these two properties.
USING TRAILS AND POINTS
This type of pattern shows growth from a surface. Series A, B, and C uses wind to dictate direction. For series D and E, a point in the centre is used as an attraction/repulsion point for the growth, which dictates the direction of the growth.
This attribute can be useful when including site conditions to this model.
The advantage of using particle trails is that it is easily manipulated with attributes such as wind and density. Subtracting these forms created from the trails creates a path similar to the paths that decay particles would create.
2
This type of growth stems from a constantly populating stream of points from the volume which is then manipulated with attributes such as gravity and wind. Point trails were also used in these models to accentuate the effect of wind on the individual particles.
The scatter node and shortest path node is used to create paths along the surface of a volume, a randomized path emerging from the “seed” points are generated. The number of points can be increased or decreased, and the “end” points can also be increased or decreased which leaves a lot of room for experimentation.
The paths taken to these points simulate the process of decay as it simulates bacterial growth on a surface.
The conceptual final design consists of a structure suspended on wires. The form generated would be different for each location dependent on the environmental factors such as sun and wind. These would all be accounted for in the script.
Designs generated based on each location:
SARC 321 | STRUCTURES
The task for this class was to design a multi-use residential building, with a focus on structure, services, and the facade. A moving sunshade screen system was designed. The details were drawn in Revit.
SARC 351 | URBAN DESIGN
Urban Master Plan
This project required an extensive analysis of the selected site and to create an urban intervention for the space. The final design consisted of a mixed-use residential space on Cambridge Terrace.
A L E X L O P E Z