Carmen Dicu - Architecture Portfolio

CARMEN DICU ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

RÉSUMÉ EDUCATION:

WORK EXPERIENCE:

2014-2016 University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario • Master of Architecture

2016-Present Upper Grand District School Board, Guelph, Ontario CAD Technician • Designed layouts for school renovation projects and produced presentation material • Interpreted and compiled multiple sources of information, including field data and existing drawings • Performed field surveys to verify drawing accuracy • Managed and interviewed co-op students

2008-2013 University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario • Bachelor of Architectural Science

SUMMARY OF SKILLS: Personal: • Strong communication and teamwork skills developed through academic and professional

experience in Architecture Excellent written skills developed through thesis writing Diligent, fast learner, very organized Efficient worker under tight deadlines

• • • Technical: • Strong research skills acquired from completing academic case studies • Advanced knowledge of AutoCad, Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator; MS Office Suite,

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3Ds Max, SketchUp,VRay, ArcGIS Knowledge of physical model making Experience in hand drafting, mixed media illustration, digital and analog Photography

AWARDS AND HONOURS: 2013 • Received the “Outstanding” rating for a co-op term at ABA Architects • Model of a project featured on the cover of “The Record” newspaper and on CBC

OTHER INTERESTS: • Traditional art, music, travel, photography

2015 University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario Student Marker • Marked students’ assignments for a Professional Development course using marking software • Provided each student with detailed feedback online • Participated in meetings with co-op advisers and other markers 2013, 2014 ABA Architects, Waterloo, Ontario Design Intern • Worked on various types of projects in design development and schematic design stages • Digitally modeled and rendered projects using SketchUp, Podium, and Photoshop • Involved in client meetings and City Hall committees • Performed site visits and participated in Habitat for Humanity events • Executed presentation material and administered company’s website 2012 Scotiabank Real Estate Department,Toronto, Ontario Design Intern • Developed working drawings and furniture details in AutoCad • Designed exterior elevations • Digitally modeled and rendered exterior and interior spaces in SketchUp and Photoshop • Participated in co-ordination meetings 2010, 2011 MMMC Inc. Architects, Kitchener, Ontario Design Intern • Generated working drawings and details in AutoCad • Designed elevations and plan layouts • Trained other co-op students and employees • Administrative duties: answered the phone, shipped drawings, ordered supplies

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Continuing the Narrative of Silo No. 5 - Master’s Thesis 4 Equilibrium Spa 10 College & Spadina 16 Living Room 19 A Chair for Lewis Carroll 20 A Library in Rome 22 Photography 24 Work Term Samples 25 Contact 29

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CONTINUING THE NARRATIVE OF SILO NO. 5 - MASTER’S THESIS 1. Context and Site Analysis

Abstract

Every modern city faces the challenge of how to engage the remains of its industrial past. Post-industrial cities have experienced an identity crisis after the decline of industries. Sites that once played a significant role in shaping their urban character are no longer economically productive. Some say these sites are akin to ancient ruins; however, the question of establishing an authentic connection between the contemporary city and its industrial past remains a cultural and architectural challenge.

The Lachine Canal in Montreal is a significant relic of Canadian industry. In the 19th century, industries were drawn to its edges to access water for both production and transportation of goods; today, these obsolete structures lie dormant. Among them is Silo No. 5, which is located at the mouth of the Lachine Canal flow as it spills into the St. Lawrence River. Monumental in scale, the once productive structure has the magnitude of a great cathedral.

Admired by European modernist architects and historians, grain elevators like Silo No. 5 were identified as iconic structures of 20th Century architecture. This thesis seeks to re-invent and re-integrate Silo No. 5 into the contemporary city by reconciling its multiple identities.

Two questions guide the exploration of the thesis: “is it possible to re-introduce something obsolete back into the city?” and “how can we maintain the sublime power of the iconic industrial structure while at the same time allow it to become animated?”

Historic District of Old Montreal Lachine Canal National Historic Site

Elevator B-1

Elevator B

Foundation Place of Montreal

Annex 1

The site at the intersection of the historic district of Old Montreal and the Lachine Canal National historic site

Silo No. 5 elevation

Montreal

The site in its greater context

5 Dominion Lofts

Aberton Lofts

New development Adaptive reuse

A comparison of Silo No. 5 with other architectural icons of Montreal

Saint Joseph’s Oratory

Biosphere

Habitat 67

City Hall

Notre Dame Basilica

Palais des Congrès

Olympic Stadium

Silo No. 5

Photographs of Silo No. 5 (interior, exterior, and surroundings)

Atwater Market

Arsenal Art

Lofts Redpath

Nordelec Condos

Industrial/Manufacturing Abandoned industrial

New City Gas

Allez-Up Rock Climbing

Darling Foundry

Autodesk

Mapping of the new developments, adaptive reuse projects, industrial and decommissioned buildings along the canal’s edges

A comparison of Silo No. 5 with the Mount Royal landscape icon

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Inspiration and Precedents

Urban Agriculture in Montreal

Montreal food festivals

Landschaft Duisburg-Nord by Latz&Partner

Luminato Festival at the Hearn Power Station

Mosaicultures Montreal

Society of Arts & Technology Montreal

Program diagram illustrating the landscape/outdoor activity strategy

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B

A

Proposed plan

Axonometric drawing showing the site in its context

Section A through the silos and amphitheatre area

Cross section B through silos, market space and basins

8 Visuals A. On the North edge, an elevated path is extended over the water to form an uninterrupted belvedere and viewing point to the Old Port and its surrounding context.The ground is carved to form the amphitheater space. Trees are then added in this area to provide shade for the spectators, while removing the need to add extra structures for shading.

A. View of the elevated belvedere and the amphitheatre at the North end of the Point

B. View of the covered outdoor market in the fall

B. A covered outdoor market is added; This seasonal market will contain produce from the gardens, as well as other local goods specific to Montreal. Food festivals can tie into the site both in warm and cold seasons, animating the surroundings and creating a community-based environment. Light-weight structures act as shelters for the market; their dimensions and the spaces that they create are derived from the underside area of the silos. The lightness of the materials used also contrast with the heaviness of the concrete.

C. Seasonal functions such as planting and harvest of the productive landscape can be turned into temporary collective events in which visitors can participate. This will enforce a sense of community within the area, while encouraging the public to take part in an urban agriculture initiative.

C. View of the productive landscape during a harvest event

D. View of the orchard garden during summer and winter

D. Like the ruin, landscape also has the ability of registering time in a unique way and has a constantly changing, seasonal aspect. The orchard trees will be arranged on the same axis as the structures.

Irrigation ponds can be used as reflecting pools in the summer and as skating rinks in the winter. The niche spaces formed in the landscape can be used for temporary performances, outdoor exhibitions, or public dinners in the orchard.

9 Visuals E. An exterior grand stair is added on the same side of Elevator B-1. The purpose of this stair is to emphasize the visual relationship between the site and the rest of the city, as the user will be able to ascend to the top of the elevator tower while viewing the surroundings.

E. View of the stair leading to the top of the grain elevator tower

F. View of the greenhouse restaurant at the top of the tower

F. The top of the elevator’s highest tower represents the beacon of the building. Here, the visitors are rewarded with an all-encompassing view of large portions of their city, including the Old Port, the Islands, Mount Royal, the Historic City Centre, and the rest of the Lachine Canal. Here, the visitor can find a greenhouse restaurant with glazed walls to provide the effect of a lighthouse in the evening.

G. The imposing nature and magnitude of the silos bring about public curiosity.Their verticality, cylindrical form, and cavernous interior devoid of light as well as their acoustic quality, also generate a very distinct environment. Some of the silos could be opened to the public, either for various performances or for exploration.

H. The architect should take on the role of the observer in order to understand the site’s rich past, the urban explorer in order to appreciate its intrinsic qualities, and the speculator to propose a meaningful future based on these characteristics. This creates a collage and synergy of different identities for the site, which need to be reconciled in the end.

G. Interventions on the interior of a concrete silo

H. Aerial view of the proposed design

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EQUILIBRIUM SPA

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Site Plan

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Section A-A

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1. Reception 2. Cafe 3. Lounge 4. Movement studio 5. Workshop 6. Storage 7. Receiving 8. Electrical 9. Mechanical 10. Change Rm. 11. Change Rm.

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Section B-B

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12. Laundry Rm. 13. Recycling 14. Office 15.Storage 16. Wet Sauna 17. Dry Sauna 18. Treatment Rm. 19. Treatment Rm. 20. Treatment Rm. 21. Treatment Rm. 22. Treatment Rm.

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The spa is a place of transformation, of temporarily removing oneself from the ordinary everyday world in order to heal and activate the body and mind. The intention of this project was to emphasize the sequential process of this transformation that takes place. The sequence is comprised of three different parts: the arrival, represented by cafe and reception; the filter/transition, represented by the changerooms and intermediate corridor; and the transformation; represented by the movement studio/workshop and the treatment rooms/ saunas.

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Ground Floor Plan

A duality between the acts of “cleansing the body” and “activating the body” is recognized in the program, further categorized by “wet” and “dry”. This duality is balanced by the shared courtyards and by the in-between spaces which are part of the sequence.

11 Winter Sun Angle - 24 deg.

GREEN ROOF vegetation 100mm planting medium filter paper 50mm drainage board root barrier 100mm polyIsocyanurate insulation vapour barrier 25mm plywood decking 300mm structural wood joists 13mm gypsum board ceiling

Summer Sun Angle - 70 deg.

Canopy shades interior & exterior porch from summer heat and also lets in light & heat in the winter

Solarium

Cafe TYP. EXTERIOR STONE WALL

Vegetation at courtyard provides fresh air into interior space

Courtyard fountain provides evaporative cooling

90mm stone veneer 25mm air space 100mm rigid insulation vapour barrier 200mm poured concrete wall 25mm interior stone veneer

Winter Sun warms concrete floor

Passive Sustainability Strategies

Air supply SLAB ON GRADE FLOOR 19mm hardwood floor sealed w/ Bostik adhesive to prevent warping 125mm concrete slab on grade w/ integrated radiant loops 100mm rigid insulation vapour barrier 200mm gravel infill

Air exhaust

Ventilation Diagram

Program Diagram

Detail of wall at berm

FOUNDATION WALL 25mm interior stone veneer 250mm concrete foundation wall dampproofing 50mm rigid insulation dimpled drainage board

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300mm concrete foundation wall w/ 600mm concrete footing (typ.)

300mm concrete column footing (typ.)

250x250mm timber columns infill walls 5000m high spanning 7500mm 200x200mm timber columns 4000m high spanning 2200mm o.c.

50x360mm wood joists at 1200mm o.c.

38x184mm wood joists at 600mm o.c.

38x184mm wood joists at 600mm o.c.

Structure Diagrams

140x38mm wood stud @ 400 o.c., 4000mm high

13 Natural ventilation desired for a program with high physical activity; operable windows on West face of the Movement program are provided Higher mass of the Residence program protects the green roof and the courtyard of the Northwesterly wind

Operable windows on both West and East faces to provide natural ventilation to the Resicences program Water feature provides evaporative cooling

Solar Gain and Thermal Mass Diagram

R30 walls, R40 roof and green roof, triple glazed argon filled, wood frame glazing provide good thermal enclosure expecially for the humid and hot environment of the program (the saunas)

Summer Use Diagram Green roof contributes to keeping the “wet” program cool in the summer

Green roof at “wet” program is open to the South for good sun exposure, it collects water and provides extra insulation and it accentuates the heavy weight of the most private program in the building

Highly glazed to allow for good natural lighting in the movement studio

South and East sides highly glazed for passive solar gain and light; concrete floor behind glazing acts as thermal mass, storing heat

Overhangs over South facing glass at Solarium/cafe; natural light is needed and provided to the most public program of the building

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North Elevation

Outdoor Pool Area

Exterior Spa Courtyard

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East Elevation

Cafe Area

Movement Studio

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COLLEGE & SPADINA

Site Plan

Ground Floor

Section Diagram

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Second Floor

Upper Floor - Offices and Residential

The mixed-use tower on Spadina & College in Toronto includes a variety of programs such as a performance hall, art gallery, restaurant, and retail shops on the first two levels; on the upper levels it includes offices and small apartments. These public and private programs are connected through a network of gardens which acts as the unifying piece for the tower.

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Exterior Renderings

Elevation With Context

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This living room is based on the idea of the skylight as the main light source of the space and it also focuses on the aspect of interior design.

The project was done outside of school, in order to learn how to model and render in 3DStudio Max. Using tutorials, I modeled and rendered this space while learning how to use the program.

A CHAIR FOR LEWIS CARROLL

The chair project was a major part of an undergraduate Structures course.The intent was to create a chair based on the concept of the house of cards present in “Alice in Wonderland”. The house of cards concept was used as inspiration for the design.

In order to achieve the playfulness and puzzle-like character of Lewis Carroll’s works, the chair was made in such way that it could be arranged into a variety of configurations, The chair took the shape of six rectangular panels of the same size with rounded corners, connected together.

Parachute string was used to connect the wooden pieces together, and a Pimento wood veneer was applied to each surface.

Plan view of panel

Study models

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Detail of Chair

Detail of Chair

Connection detail

Pimento veneer

Connecting S-hooks

Chair panels when laid out flat

Inspiration: tower of cards

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A LIBRARY IN ROME

This library project was completed as part of the Design Studio course in Rome, in 4th year. It was a response to the lack of contemporary art education centres and exhibitions in the city, as well as a lack of public space at the waterfront to the Tiber River. An art and pedestrian infrastructure was created along the street, at the urban level.

Lecture and Library Upper Floors

Site Plan

Ground Floor Restaurant and Main Library

Concept Diagram

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Section C

Section through Main Entrance and Stair

Exterior and Interior Renders

PHOTOGRAPHY

24 Vivid colours and atmospheric lighting play a very important role in achieving different moods in my photography. I have an interest in architectural and landscape photography and enjoy experimenting with image editing techniques in Photoshop, which I also apply to my architectural visuals.

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WORK TERM SAMPLES

Belmont apartments site

Final image

Built project

ABA Architects These are two of the projects that I worked on during my time at ABA Architects.

The images above represent an apartment building complex located in Kitchener. I contributed to the design of the building exterior, generating the digital site model, and developing the final 3D model. The building is now undergoing completion.

The image on the right is a casino and convention centre, also in Kitchener. I worked on this project along with my supervisor, from schematic design to design development, I was responsible for completing the 3D model for this project and the final image was featured on the cover page of “The Record� local newspaper, as well as on CBC Canada.

Casino & Convention Centre

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Upper Grand District School Board These are a few examples of presentation material that I’ve completed at the Upper Grand District Board. Greening initiatives were implemented in some of the schools, and I gained knowledge of playground design and landscaping.

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MMMC Architects A project I worked on at MMMC Architects was an extension for a women’s shelter located in Cambridge. This was a not-for-profit project and I was responsible for developing floor plans, building elevations, as well as the site plan. I worked on this project in its preliminary stages and participated in meetings with the client.

28 Another one of the design projects I worked on during my co-op term at MMMC Architects was a First Nations school located on the Bruce Peninsula. I contributed to developing the interior elevations, millwork details, window and screen elevations, as well as plan details.

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Contact: Carmen Dicu 211-155 Commonwealth Street Kitchener, Ontario carmenvoda@yahoo.com (226) 792-1011