aspiring architect, graphic designer, creative writer
phone: +359 882 700101
email: atanas.g.kondakov@gmail.com
work experience
voluneteering
proficiencies
09/2020 - 07/2023
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Architecture, ARB/RIBA Part I
University of Brighton | Lewes Road, Brighton, United Kingdom
Awarded an upper second class 2:1 (Hons) Degree in Architecture, with significant focus on sustainable design, retrofit, and futureproof architectural practices.
08/2015 - 06/2020
Anglo-American School of Sofia | 1 Siyanie Street, Sofia, Bulgaria
Results: 37* [765] | incl. Mathematics, Physics, Visual Arts, English LAL at higher level. Awarded with honours Top Scholar, valedictorian, full scholarship student.
01/2024 - present
Architect [internship]
IPA Ltd. | 34 Nikolay Haytov Street, Sofia, Bulgaria
– played an active role in the development and finalization of technical and construction drawings and tender
– designed a landscape park and recreation area from concept design to final client presentation and municipality approval stage
– mastered industry-leading softwares, like Autodesk Revit, Enscape, Lumion, Autodesk AutoCAD, Navisworks and many more
07/2022 - 09/2022
Architectural Assistant [internship]
DESET Architects Ltd. 73 Khan Asparuh Street, Sofia, Bulgaria
– created thematic visions for project presentations for our clients
– developed concept diagrams and visual client sketches
– analysed site surroundings and context, including having worked on a redevelopment of crucial urban city plan policy
07/2018 - 08/2018
Graphic Designer [internship]
Virus Creative Studio | 1 Frityof Nansen Street, Sofia, Bulgaria
– collected, curated and created of digital assets
– worked on advertising campaigns with a variety of brands, including Happy Bar & Dinner, Usit Colors, Mondelez, Rompetrol, Sofia Metro
– active work in logo and brand concept design for a graphic identity of an autocosmetic company startup
05/2023 - 06/2023
SATE, University of Brighton | Lewes Road, Brighton, United Kingdom
– created a graphic theme for the exhibition marketing
– prepared material templates for posters, labels and banners
– contributed to overall layout design and construction of the event
07/2022 - 06/2023
University of Brighton | Lewes Road, Brighton, United Kingdom
Leader of one of the most successful student societies at the university, managing a committee aimed at creating and maintaining a safe and friendly environment for our members for critical discussion of current affairs, philosophical axioms and absurdities of life.
10/2021 - 11/2022
Two-time collab with Prof. David Zetland | The Hague, Netherlands
– worked on new and revised versions of “The Little Book of Commons” (concept stage) and “Living with Water Scarcity” (publication stage)
– liase with a client towards the creation of a finished product
– meet and exceeding brief expectations
– interpret and implement constructive feedback from client to finalise the desired outcome
09/2015 - 06/2020
Anglo-American School of Sofia | 1 Siyanie Street, Sofia, Bulgaria
A variety of leadership roles in extracurricual activities and societies:
– chairperson of the Student Activities Leadership Team (SALT) in charge of organising and hosting large international tournaments
– chief organiser and presenter of TED-Ed Clubs and TEDx events, responsible for leading workshops & hosting a conference event
– vice-president of the Student Council, maintaing a positive relationship with the school student body
– chief graphic designer and assistant editor of the Lux Светлина annual literary magazine and the school yearbook
11/2023
Architectural Competition “Arch. Dimitar Bogdanov” Sofia, Bulgaria
Awarded for concept project “A Sanctuary in the Voids”.
07/2023
RIBA 2023 Dissertation Medal Nominee
University of Brighton
Submission to Royal Institute of British Architects
Nominated for journal piece “They Ruined Our Country”.
12/2018
New York Times Editorial Cartoon Contest
Anglo-American School of Sofia
Submission to the New York Times
Recipient of an Honourable Mention for a political cartoon caricature on the topic of Brexit, titled “To Brexit or Not to Brexit”, with subsequent publication on the official website of the New York Times.
10/2015 - 07/2019
Anglo-American School of Sofia
Submission to the Scholastic Foundation
Recipient of several awards for excellence in art and creative writing, including 2 Gold Keys, 1 Silver Key, and 1 Honourable Mention. Multiple other awards and publications for prose and poetry in other competitions and contests as well.
Rhinoceros 3D
Autodesk Revit
Autodesk AutoCAD
SketchUp
Enscape
Twinmotion
Autodesk 3Ds Max
Vectorworks
Blender
soft skills adaptive creative technologically literate leader and a team player hard-working communicative on an international level open-minded curious
critical thinker
Architecture for me has always been more than just a job I would love to one day practice. It is a craft I deeply respect and appreciate, a goal I have worked hard towards achieving, a calling I have adopted as my own. It is the path I have proudly chosen to follow and a dream will pursue for as long as possibly can.
over the pAst few years, have had the chance to recognize the different paths one can take towards becoming an architect. have learned more about the areas of knowledge need to master in order to practice at the highest level. have designed concepts around living, working, socializing, medicating, relaxing. In general, I have had the opportunity to truly be welcomed into the world of architecture and all of its major aspects.
Now is the time for me to further my learning, grow as a designer and as an architect, develop those specific skills which can elevate me as a professional in this industry. Pursuing a Master’s degree in Architecture is what I believe to be the best next step for me. I seek to master innovative techniques, to learn new ways to approach a given task, and to delve deep into the uncharted waters of what the future holds for our craft.
my uNdyiNg pAssioN for sustainability and adaptability, along with my critical thinking skills, have equipped me well enough to have a head start in this endeavour. What I need now is an academic atmosphere which can stimulate my ambitions and provide me with room for personal and professional growth, where I can exchange knowledge and skills with both my peers and tutors. believe here is where will find just that.
GP surgery & social hub retrofit at bus station & depot, Lewes, UK
My final-year university project was a retrofit revision of the Lewes bus station and garage. The central focus of this task was the creation of a new GP surgery and a social prescribing unit.
The way achieved the task was by fitting a new GP surgery in the garage (concept in blue), incorporating two courtayrds on two different levels to ensure enough natural light was entering the space.
The station (concept in salmon) was transformed into a community centre for the societies of Lewes - one of the core high qualities of the little English town.
Both buildings were connected via an external landscape which would accomodate and promote a more social lifestyle, helping the practices of social prescribing.
The early concept design development included creating a 3D model of the existing site, and then experimenting with new features which would bring more light, and aid for the creation of a more social and comfortable space.
Section BB
Scale 1:200 @ A1
Section CC
Detailed Technical Section
Scale 1:20 @ A1
annotations cut for readability
The structural synthesis of my retrofit design was centred around stylistic innovation that reinvigorated the established presence of the Lewes bus station and depot.
As such, emphasized the garage’s massive volume and structural strength by implementing thick walls with hay bale insulation to thermally enclose the interior of the GP surgery.
In the case of the station, enhanced the light feeling by rendering the design further towards examples of clean modernist pavillions which focus on their social role in the community, inviting activities and new experiences.
Multi-use city development in Southwark, London, UK
this secoNd-yeAr mA N project was set on an actual site in Southwark, London. Our brief was to come up with a design that would envision what the live/work relationship that grew more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic could look like in an architectural sense in the near future. Placed amid a few council housing estates, my goal was to create a design that would fit in its surroundings yet impress with an innovative and futureproof design.
i cAme up with the equivalent of a 3D puzzle using “polycubes”, reminiscent of the popular video game “Tetris”, which would entangle the live and the work into a symbiotic relationship and offer a new way of living in the centre of a metropolis.
polycube shape contains a Tetris heritage but reaches beyond
multi-level creates better contrast between public and private set dimensions ease the modularity of the whole unit
varierty of set shapes aids a variety of uses
multi-storey enhances the journey within each unit
the ideA behiNd using a generic grid steel structure as the skeleton for the prefabricated panels, which would wrap around it and create the design, is simple. Modularity and adaptability are essential to futureproofing the new age architecture. Using prefabricated panels, which are easier to transport than complete modules, would allow for greater versatility in design and easy maintenance utilising the maximum lifespan of the steel structure underneath.
iN view of the tragic events of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, this design would also limit the spread of such fires within the unit itself and allow for easier replacement of damaged panels without disrupting the life at the building.
my dissertAtioN project took me back on a walk down the memory lanes of my home. Bulgaria is a small country, snuggled right in the middle of the Balkan Peninsula. However, during the days of Eastern European Communism, it was one of the leading powers alongside the Soviet Union. It had established itself as an economic and industrial centre, appropriately utilizing its location at the centre of the Balkans to work its way towards becoming a prosperous trade hub. Yet, nowadays, it is only the architecture of that time long gone which reminds us of those times. Or is that concrete legacy a lot more bitter, and a lot more influential onto our modern lives?
NomiNAted As the University of Brighton’s entry into the 2023 RIBA President’s Medal Dissertation Prize, the work is the culmination of months of extensive research into a topic close to my heart, and something that has driven me to revolutionize architecture. If you would like to read the full text, please scan the QR code or visit the link provided.
Architecture is Not solely the art of building and creating habitats from abstract forms. In its very essence, architecture is the art of human experience in the real world. The shapes and forms we choose to imbue with life and energy can be called architecture only when humans experience them, only when they leave you with something to think about. In this first-year project, aimed to create that sense of grand architectural experience yet limited to the safety and confinement of my lockdown dorm.
Scan the QR code or click the link to see the filmed experience.
Conceptual experiential device for abstract site analysis
AbstrActiNg ANd frAgmeNtiNg the reality around us is what can open our eyes to the invisible worlds in the spaces between and within the moments of time. In my second year, I was tasked with creating a device that would help me capture some elements of those hidden realms, which in turn could help me brainstorm concepts for my design briefs by examining my site in a new and unique way. My apparatus was a sort of camera-focused kaleidoscope, or as I call it – the Mirrorverse Device. Mashing reality with itself, fragmenting and abstracting what you take as granted and pre-existing, it helps one visualize a world where up is down, earth is sky, and you are the only one holding yourself back.
iN my fiNAl year at the University of Brighton, was trusted by both staff and students to helm the graphic design elements of the End-of-Year graduation exhibition. My mission was to bring professionalism back into the show, present our school, and the university as a whole, as an institution which cares for its students, and teaches them the skills and discipline necessary to succeed in the real world – to showcase that with minimal curation and guidance towards cohesion, your own ideas and concepts are given a better chance to shine and impress.
After successfully completiNg my Bachelor’s degree in Architecture at the University of Brighton, decided to pursue professional development by entering the industry as a junior architectural designer. My path led me to IPA – the largest architectural firm in Bulgaria, with projects in all areas of expertise.
i hAd the opportunity to work on industrial and logistics bases, residential developments, business towers, luxury hotels and even parks and recreation designs. The amount of personal and professional growth experienced in my time at IPA has pushed me further than many of my peers on my road to becoming a holistic, well-rounded and critical-thinking architect. The technical insight gained into the profession through communicating with contractors and clients, engaging in conversation with suppliers and independent consultants, and visiting the sites of many of the projects I had worked on has given me a new perspective when approaching any design brief.
iN the followiNg pages, am sharing some of the work I have done at IPA, at different stages of the development of the individual projects. There are examples from concept design phases, through technical stages, all the way to finalised execution drawings for construction. All of these have been shared with the permission of IPA only for the purposes of this portfolio of work.
i wAs quickly taught the company standards and was promptly introduced to the various technical drawings each project required to be properly submitted to various institutions for the purposes of planning and building permissions. Some of the presentations prepared included specifications for ventilated facades, interior elevations for tile and decoration finishes, coordination of specialty installations, floor finish plans and diagrams, and many more. All exports have been created on Revit, using the model’s environment. Each document has been partially censored for confidentiality’s sake on ongoing projects.
made with
i hAd the chance to work on multiple other detail drawings for a variety of projects, but another one which stood out as a highlight of my time at IPA was this plan view detail of a ventilated facade of a new development business tower in the centre of the capital. Its unique shape and unorthodox angular positioning meant that needed to think outside of the box of the given examples and play around with both software and research to find the best solution. I created custom Revit families, utilised product examples from multiple suppliers, both old and new, and initiated many conversations with more senior architects to better understand how best to approach this challenge.
Note: The graphics are in their original approved state, including the annotations in Bulgarian, for authenticity.
by
fAr the highlight of my internship was when was entrusted to design a small park from a blank canvas next to one of our ongoing projects. I was able to interact more openly and directly with our client’s wishes and feedback during this process, creating a landscape which set some order in the chaos of the existing overgrown urban jungle and reflected stylistic elements of the project building into itself, connecting the two in a subtle and effective way.
