ARCHITECTUREPORTFOLIO
ARCHITECTUREPORTFOLIO
DerekThompson DerekThompson LaurentianUniversity LaurentianUniversity
Hello,mynameisDerekThompson andIamatransferstudentapplyingto architectureinCanada. Ihavecompleted2yearsofthe Bachelor'sofArchitecturedegreeat ISTHMUSSchoolofArchitecture located inPanamaCity,Panama.
Hello,mynameisDerekThompson andIamatransferstudentapplyingto architectureinCanada. Ihavecompleted2yearsofthe Bachelor'sofArchitecturedegreeat ISTHMUSSchoolofArchitecture located inPanamaCity,Panama.
DuringmytimeatISTHMUS,Itookon several2-week-longarchitecture workshopsandcoursesinvolvingart, sustainability,decision-making,history, projectmanagementandurbanism.
DuringmytimeatISTHMUS,Itookon several2-week-longarchitecture workshopsandcoursesinvolvingart, sustainability,decision-making,history, projectmanagementandurbanism.
Inadditiontomypassioninarchitecture andurbanism,Ialsoamkeeningraphic design,digitalmediaandvideoediting.
Inadditiontomypassioninarchitecture andurbanism,Ialsoamkeeningraphic design,digitalmediaandvideoediting.
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02 MINECRAFT
BIRDWATCHINGOBSERVATIONPOST UNDERESTIMATEDSCALE PUZZLEDESIGNCOMPOSITION MARTYRS'DAYMEMORIAL&MUSEUM RECYCLINGCOMMUNITYCENTER VIVIDPOTENTIAL PANAMA-STREETSWITHOUTSTREETS NEGLECTEDBEAUTY LOWINCOMEAPARTMENTBUILDING APARTMENTCOMPLEX THETHREECANTONS FORGOTTENRECOGNITION MASKED THEGIGANTICSMALL SKETCHBOOK STATEMENTOFINTEREST REFEREECONTACTINFORMATION 03 04 05 06 07 09 11 12 13 14 16 18 20 21 22 23 24 25
BUILDS
MinecraftBuildsMinecraftBuilds
Dateofcompletion:2020 Dateofcompletion:2020
Thisiswheremyloveforarchitecturestrengthened.Weeksandmonthswithno school,lotsoffreetimeandquietafternoonsduringthepandemicledmetocomplete boredom.Ihadalreadyenjoyedcreatingthingsonthepopularconstructiongameof Minecraft,soIdecidedtospendallthatemptytimeonittofixmyboredom.I discoveredmyfullcreativityandinterestinarchitecturethroughthisgame.Anever endingenjoyment.Apassion.
Minecraftholdsaspecialplaceinmyjourney,andalthoughIcurrentlyhave2yearsof experienceinarealprofessionalarchitecturedegree,Istillfindmyselflookingbackat whereIstarted.Idecidedtoincludethesebuildsinmyportfoliobecausethey'revery personalandspecialtome.
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BirdWatchingObservationPost BirdWatchingObservationPost
Dateofcompletion:05/2021
Dateofcompletion:05/2021
Myfirsteverdesignworkshop.Abird watchingobservationpostlocatedin Gamboa,oneofthebestspotsforbird watchinginCentralAmerica.Arangeof explorationindesignandcompositionwas made,whileretainingitsbasicfeatures.
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GAMBOA,PANAMAGAMBOA,PANAMA
UnderestimatedScaleUnderestimatedScale
Dateofcompletion:06/2021
Dateofcompletion:06/2021
Youdon'trealizethetruescaleofsomethinguntilit'scomparedwiththefamiliar.I've alwaysseenthePanamaCityskylinesinceIwaslittle,I'dseethesegiantbuildings. Turnsoutthey'renotashugeasIthoughttheywouldbe,atleastnotcomparedto otherbuildingsaroundtheworld. ThispiecetriestoshowanapproximaterepresentationofhowtheWTC1(Freedom Tower)wouldlooklikeifplacedinthePanamaCitySkyline.
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PuzzleDesignComposition PuzzleDesignComposition
Dateofcompletion:08/2021
Dateofcompletion:08/2021
Adesigncompositionthatexplorespossibilitiesin shaperelation,whilemaintaininganinteresting lookfromanygivenangle,similartoapuzzle.
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Martyrs' DayMemorial&Museum Martyrs' DayMemorial&Museum
PANAMACITY,PANAMA PANAMACITY,PANAMA
Dateofcompletion:11/2021
Dateofcompletion:11/2021
Thisprojectwasmadeincommemorationofan importanteventinPanamanianhistory,when riotsbrokeoutoversovereigntyofthePanama CanalZone.
Tounderstandthehistoricalfeelingandemotions, aseriesofcollagesweremadetoillustratethe events. Usingthesecollages,ideasandconcepts surgedforthedesignofthememorial.Afeelingof risingvictorywastakenfromthecollage,and implementedintotheproject.Thetwenty-two pillarsofstoneatthememorialrepresenteach protesterthatdiedduringthisday,andwere placedinanescalatingmannertoexpressthe victorytheyachieved.
Forthemuseum,achronological architecturaltourwasmade,whereyouwalk throughimportantevents,slowlyreaching theMartyrs'Dayroom(January9th,1964) whereareplicaofaCanalZonepolice cruiserandamuraloftheeventsare presentedtosimulatethisday.Makingyour wayoutofthemuseum,you'llfindamural ofthedaytheTorrijosCartertreatywas signed(1977),andanothermuraloftheday theCanalwashandedtoPanamanians (December31st,1999).
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RecyclingCommunityCenter RecyclingCommunityCenter PANAMACITY,PANAMA PANAMACITY,PANAMA
Dateofcompletion:06/2022
Dateofcompletion:06/2022
Inalowincomecommunity locatedinPanama,garbageisoneofthemainsocialissueswherea solutionisdesperatelyneeded.Thisprojectproposesarecyclingcenterwithanareaforthelocal communitytoexpressthemselves,relaxandhaveaccesstoservicesthatwouldsimplifytheirlives tremendously.
Theprojecttakesinspirationfromwarehousesnearby,anddividesitselfintothreemainareas:a communalarea,anadministrativeareaandarecyclingworkingarea.Thedesignsetsa centralfocusontheadministrativearea,wheretheseparationofthecommunalandworking areasisvisible.
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Current environment
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Art expo & workshop
Daycare
Loading & unloading area for recycling space
Floor Plan
VividPotentialVividPotential
Dateofcompletion:12/2022
Dateofcompletion:12/2022
Oneofthemainproblemsinmycityisthatstreetsareentirelypopulatedbycars,withno
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Panama-StreetsWithoutStreets Panama-StreetsWithoutStreets
Dateofcompletion:06/2022
Dateofcompletion:06/2022
Shortdocumentaryvideoformytechniquesofinvestigationclass.Inthisvideo,I reportontheurbanproblemsandlackofplanningresidentsfaceinPanama.Urban plannersandarchitectswereinterviewed,aswellasregularpeoplewholivedaybyday. Iemphasizedonopinionssupportedbyfacts,complementedbyhistory.Thiswas madeusingSonyVegasPro15,withaseriesofthecarcentricscenesofPanamaCity, whilealsoincludingfree-to-usenon-copyrightedstockfootageandimages.
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NeglectedBeautyNeglectedBeauty
Dateofcompletion:01/2023
Dateofcompletion:01/2023
Panamaisabeautifulcountrywithlotsofidentity,except,itnolongeris.Theeffectsof corruptionandneglectovershadoweverythingitoncewas.Theusageofadarkertoneof colorsonthingsthatwouldnormallylookbrightemphasizesonhowextremecorruption andneglectbypoliticiansareblindingtheidentityofthecountry.Iusedactualtrashto highlightthevisualcontrastofhowthecountryactuallylooks.Trash,beinganeffectof corruption,isprevalentwhenlookingatnature,somethingthatshouldlook beautiful. Anoldrustyshipwasaddedtorepresenttheneglectofoneofthemostpreciousthings inPanama—thePanamaCanal.
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LowIncomeApartmentBuilding LowIncomeApartmentBuilding
MEXICOCITY,MEXICO MEXICOCITY,MEXICO
Dateofcompletion:09/2022
Dateofcompletion:09/2022
AneedforaffordablehousingforthelowerclassisneededinMexicoCity.Thisprojectexploresthe importanceofusageofspaceandhowtocreateacomfortableandaestheticallyappealingresidential placewithlowcosts.Spacesforsunlighttoreachwereheavilyconsidered.Inordertodothis,drafts weredrawnongridpaper.Thishelpedlocatingtheapartmentsusingthemostamountofspace possiblewhileallowingsunlightandflowofairtoeachsingleunit.Elementssuchaswatertowers andsolarpanelswereusedtocounterthelocalclimate.
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ApartmentComplex:FortheConventionalityofthe Uncommon ApartmentComplex:FortheConventionalityofthe Uncommon PANAMACITY,PANAMA PANAMACITY,PANAMA
Dateofcompletion:10/2022
Dateofcompletion:10/2022
Tostartonthisproject,theconceptof conventionalactionsandthingsbecoming unconventionalwasestablished.Usingthisidea, collages weremadetovisualizehowthiscouldbe seeninarchitecture.Forexample,whyhavea conventionalstackeduppatternoneveryfloor whenyoucanhavethesamestackedupidea executeddifferently?
Fromthenon,aseriesofactionsandsceneswere donetocaptureunconventionalthingspeople mightdoinplacesaroundthehouse.Doingthis reinforcedtheideaandallowedforclearerideas anddesignchoicestobemade.
Theconceptofmakingsomething conventionalinauniquewaywas incorporated.
Thedesignwasstartedbydecomposinga generalfloorplan (conventionalmaterial) andre-assemblingittocreateabrandnew uniqueshape,whichallowedforan explorativeuseandresultedinanabstract compositiongeneratingventilatedopen spacesandcommonareasallwhileretaining itsconventionalfeatures.Thisprocesswas incorporatedintoeachofthethreetowers.
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Decomposition Resultingshape Substraction Stacking Preresult Finalresult Distribution 17
TheThreeCantons:MountainCo-housing& Permaculture
TheThreeCantons:MountainCo-housing& Permaculture
GENEVA,SWITZERLANDGENEVA,SWITZERLAND
Dateofcompletion:10/2022
Dateofcompletion:10/2022
Takinginspirationfromthesilhouettesoftowns onmountainsinSwitzerland,thisprojectisall aboutsustainabilityandaunitedcommunity.
Countingwithacommunalareawithamenities, italsoputsaprimarycentralfocuson permacultureforresidentstoenjoyandco-exist with eachother.Thedesignoftheresidential modulesemphasizesonsustainabilityusing variouselementsthatcanbeusedthroughoutthe changingstationsoftheyearwithoutthefull dependencyofelectricity.
Decisionmakingforthisdesignwasmajorly takenfrommanyfactorssuchasthelocalyearly sunpath,creatingprotectionagainstitduring thesummer,orlettingithitthroughwindowsas muchaspossibleduringcoldertimesoftheyear.
Thetimeswhensunconditionsareatan uncomfortablelevelwerecarefullyanalyzedand highlightedonasunchart.UsinganExcel programprovidedbytheUniversityofColima, calculationsfortheefficiencyofelementssuchas eavesandsunshadesweremadebyenteringthe latitudeandlongitudeofthelocationofthe project.
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Communal Area First floor Second floor Third floor Firstfloor Secondfloor Protection hours
Residentialmodulefloorplans
ForgottenRecognitionForgottenRecognition
Dateofcompletion:12/2022
Dateofcompletion:12/2022
Abstractpieceassimilatingtheeffectsofdementia.Commonobjectsaroundusmightbe mistakenbyotherentirelydifferentthings,orremaincompletelyunrecognizablewithonly aslightremnantofwhatwasonceacompletememory.Themoreyoutrytoremember,the moreabstractyourealizeyourmemoriesare...completeconfusion.
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Masked Masked
Dateofcompletion:01/2023
Dateofcompletion:01/2023
Inrecentyears,wehavebeenrequiredtousemasksinpublic.Thispieceseeksto representhowwhilemasked,weseemtonotreallybethere.Thethingthatmakes usstandoutashumans,ourfaces,aremaskedandwegounnoticedinpublic.
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TheGiganticSmall TheGiganticSmall
Dateofcompletion:01/2023
Dateofcompletion:01/2023
Somethingsominutecanaffecteverythinglikesomethinghuge. Weincrediblyunderestimatephones,smalldevicesthateveryonecarries.Assmallas theymaybe,theyaffectoursociety,economy,personalitiesandlivesinahugeway. Thispieceshowsthefeelingphonesgiveme.Theyfeelabsolutelygiantincomparison tous,howeverthey'reverysmall.
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SKETCHBOOK
AcompilationofsketchesanddrawingsI've madeduringmytimeatarchitectureschool.
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DerekThompson
StatementofInterest
February13th,2023
VillediFirenze,Calle2,Casa19 LaurentianStudentNumber:0435429
PanamaCity
PANAMA,00000
EversinceIwaslittle,Ihavealwaysnoticedsmalldetailsinspecificallyurbanenvironments.Ihave alwayscriticizedmycityforlackingmeaningfulenvironmentsandbuildings,aswellasextremelypoor urbanplanningandthenon-existenceoforganizedspaces.Ibelievethatbuildingsandarchitecturein generalshouldconsidertheidentityoftheplacethey'rein,aswellaspeopleandhowtheirenvironment isaffected.Yousimplycannotbuildanofficeblocknexttoasuburbanareaandcallitaday. Architectureandurbanisminvolvepreventingthingslikethatfromhappening.I'mverykeenin creatingenvironmentsandexperiencesthatfeeluniqueandadequatefortheplace,whetherit'sa climatologicalorsocialcontext.I'vealwaysbeeninterestedinexperimentingwithdesigningandvisuals, butI'vealsobeeninterestedinmathandphysics.Ichosearchitecturebecauseunlikeengineering, architecturemixesbothcreatingdesignsandcalculations. AfterIgraduatedfromhighschool,Iimmediatelyenrolledintoanaccreditedbachelor'sdegreein architectureatalocalarchitectureschool.Myexperiencetherewasfantastic,finishing2completeyears. HoweverduetoalotofreasonsinvolvingqualityoflifeinthecountryIlivein,aswellaslackof opportunitiesforemployment,IdecidedthattransferringtoaCanadianuniversitysuchasLaurentian wasabetterdecisionforme.Ibelievetherearealotofarchitecture-relatedopportunitiesinCanadaasa whole.IhavefeltthatLaurentian'sarchitectureprogramteachestherightthingsforarchitecture,such assustainability,designanddecisionmaking.I'malsokeenintherelationofindigenouscultureinlocal architecturepresentedintheprogram. IchosethisprogrambecauseI'mpassionateaboutarchitectureandthere'snoothercareerclosetoit thatinterestsme.It’sacareerthatinvolvessolvingproblemsincreativeways,aswellaswaysthatstand outandsetsyourownidentityintheprofessionalworld.I’mlookingforwardtotransferto Laurentian'sArchitecturalStudiesprogram,asIbelieveit’llbroadenmyknowledgeinarchitectureand leadmetoachievethedreamI’vehadsinceIwaslittle.
Thankyou, Derek
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25 RefereeContactInformation RefereeContactInformation ErikaSchnitter-AcademicDirector eschnitter@isthmus.edu.pa es_isthmus@cwpanama.net MauricioMartinezLopez-AcademicInstructorandDoctorofArchitecture mau_1216@hotmail.com +52(55)9195-5624
