Alejandro Cárdenas Portfolio 2022

_Alejandro Cárdenas Architect

_PORTFOLIO _ARCHITECTURE AND DIALOGUES

_2018_2022

_PROFILE RESUME

__ ALEJANDRO CÁRDENAS RAMÍREZ

30_08_2000

I am a proactive person, who over time has understood architecture as a form of communication that transcends time and space, I believe in the honesty of materials, in their detail and nature, in architecture as construction of emptiness, and of the social responsibility of the architect to build a place-city.

My practice seeks the questioning of living and its social consequences, I am interested in materials and the search for architectural solutions that contribute to the collective and human experience.

Portfolio_Alejandro Cárdenas

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@espacio_cardenas b e h a n c e . n e t /a l e j a n d c rd e n a 1 0 +52 5569173565 espacio_cardenas@outlook.com

2018-

_EDUCATION

_DIGITAL SKILLS

Bachelor of Architecture

Microsoft Office

Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher education

Adobe photoshop Adobe Illustrator Adobe Indesign

Qualification program for 3D Modeling

2018

Advanced Documentation and Information Management.

Graphisoft LATAM

_EXPERIENCE 2020

Artistic Residence Magdalena Fernández

2020 2021

Product Success Intern Graphisoft LATAM

2021-

Junior Architect Eprodur S.A de C.V

_AWARDS

Graphisoft Archicad Rhino | Grasshopper Sketchup Autodesk Revit Autodesk AutoCad Autodesk 3DMax Twinmotion Enscape

_SKILLS Teamwork Strategy

_Winning project | ENEA 2021

Responsability

Master Plan & Museum

Lidership

_Representation | Alberto J. Pani Award 2021 Ecumenical Chapel _Winning project | EAAD 2020

_LANGUAGES

Collective house

Spanish

_Winning project | Vertical Atelier ITESM +

English

Tarrant County College

-CAE Certification | Cambridge

Collective house

-Bullats Certification | Cambridge

_Winning project | EAAD 2020

French

Sambou Toura Drame School _Finalist | Mextropoli Pavilion 2019

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_CONTENT

TEXTILE SYNERGIES Mextropoli Pavilion 2022 | INT Architecture competition

_01 DENSITY AND LAYERING Collective housing | INT Architecture competition

_02 URBAN PATIO Finalist Mextropoli Pavilion 2019 | Architecture Competition

_03 SOIL AS A LUDIC SPACE EAAD Winning project | Architecture Competition

_04 MATERIALITY AS A SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE ENEA Winning project | National Architecture Competition

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MEMBRANES AND THRESHOLDS Microhome | Shortlisted INT Architecture competition

_06 PHENOMENOLOGY OF MEDITATION Meditation cabin | INT Architecture competition

_07 POSTPANDEMIC OFFICE Built work | Office Project

_08 AN ECUMENICAL CHAPEL Alberto J. Pani Award 2021 | National Architecture competition

_09 THE EXPERIENCE OF A LOCAL MARKET Master Plan | Urban Equipment

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SKETCHING AS A LANGUAGE Sketchbooks, Illustratons and Processes

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Between thresholds and membranes Published article: Eltorosalvaje digital magazine | Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA) There is an unconscious dialogue between the spaces we inhabit, and it is in their invisibility that a routine is built in which we exist and inhabit without even noticing it. However, it is this that orders our life and those little things that break it are those that sacralize our existence, our inhabiting, our living.

The designer Nendo talks about the importance of small “Wow” moments: through them, it is possible to enrich human experiences. In every house there are transition spaces, be they doors, windows, openings, etc; But, what happens if these thresholds stop being a mere transition to become a reminder, a requirement for the enjoyment of small special moments?

To begin to answer this question, we must think that man is an architectural being that not only builds to make a refuge. Since the beginning of our times, human beings have sought to give meaning to their inhabiting the world. It was through architecture that we have found a means to communicate and generate belonging, creating buildings capable of satisfying our physical and mental needs. Thus, the architectural phenomenon is positioned beyond the built object; it is filled with purpose in how we live, in how we generate a dialogue that is built on the appreciation of the moments that, in the midst of the agitation of a life that goes by in a hurry, usually go unnoticed, silent.

It is said that the human being suffers from “querencia” when he returns to the place where he was raised. The reason for this special nostalgia is found, precisely, in the thresholds and membranes that make up what we call and recognize as “home”.

Nostalgia and taste for special moments run in the blood of Mexicans; hence, Mexican architecture is distinguished by its patios, niches, porticoes, and atriums. We love the threshold and the dialogue we have with it, the image of the grandparents sitting in the shade of a tree shows —as well as finding shelter by the window when reading a good book and feeling the sun a ray of light in the morning— the importance of “Wow” moments, of the brevity of an instant that, although it appears as a shadow, is only possible when there is a dialogue with space, when spatial voids are filled with our own and private mental states; in the spectrum of a ritual, of an almost invisible sacredness.

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These virtues are requirements of good architecture, of that which is delicate and that —therefore— does not need ornaments to immerse us in unique experiences, which focuses on a special value that transcends the walls when it is questioned about the way in which that its users inhabit. Architectural value has recently been confused with ornamentation, with the coating of the harsh spatial realities offered by what are commonly called “modern” buildings, those that offer a luxury that enchants due to the superficiality that characterizes them without worrying about the quality of the spaces, without considering the importance of the human moments that give us a clue of what makes us feel alive. Given the possibility of opting for a good garden with social, flexible and harmonious spaces, it is decided to have an ornate room that exalts the celestial figure of television.

Just as Sartori in Homo Videns speaks of a remote-controlled society, in architecture we have to speak of a fachadist culture that falls into the tendency to design what we will see, like a carcass, leaving the environments we inhabit in the background. And, although it is true that architecture must be communicative, the purity of a few sculptural forms in a house —no matter how beautiful it may be— forgets the importance of human study and the essence of living.

It is then that the importance of thresholds appears, of introspection that forces us to pay attention to the human moments that allow architecture to generate spaces that really fill us, those that go unnoticed and that do not overwhelm —as would a sculptural space whose Existence depends on generating passing impressions. We therefore have to question the spaces we inhabit because, to be honest, the way of living has not changed in the last hundred years: we continue to inhabit the same inflexible spaces of ancient generations where the house is reduced to rooms and rooms, walls that they isolate human activity for itself, ceasing to respond to the coexistence membranes that operate as the engine and foundation of human coexistence that transforms existence into life.

Article link : https://www.eltorosalvaje.com/post/entre-umbrales-y-membranas

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TEXTILE SYNERGIES Mextropoli Pavilion 2021 | INT Architecture Competition VII Semester_ Pavilion Mexico city, Mex The proposal seeks to exalt the work of the ar-

tisan nal

through warmth

the and

loom, shelter

a

symbol of

the

of

the

traditio-

Mexican

people.

Entretejidos invites the user to delve into the crafting process through a sensory experience. Seeking to encourage a modern Mexicanness through the reinterpretation of the elements that make up our identity.

The pavilion is articulated as an inclusive space that not only invites contemplation but also the pedestrian experience, generating an area that allows the development of various typical activities of a day in the Alameda, including urban shows, salsa classes, and artistic exhibitions, among others..

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Modular structure composed of columns and beams, armed with 2” x 2” strips, joined by means of screws.

Tie cotton rope dyed with natural pigments to the wooden structure to generate lattices of different densities.

Self-supporting structure with columns anchored to the wooden platform through steel joints.

Support for seats by means of double reinforced wooden beams.

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DENSITY AND LAYERING Collective housing | INT Architecture Competition V Semester_ Collective housing Melbourne, Australia.

Within the urban polygon of the city of Melbourne, a study was carried out to propose a collective housing scheme that allows addressing the problems of social housing in the city.

In this way, the proposal sought not only to provide decent housing but also to democratize the city with an urban layering scheme, proposing mixed-use buildings to generate commerce and the collectivity on the ground floor and housing in the other layers.

The scheme is proposed with 3 types of housing corresponding to individuals, couples, and families, articulated in a staggered and interspersed way to generate double heights and terraces within the complexes. The study focuses on the most densified areas of the city and with greater accessibility to follow the Melbourne 2026 plan of a 15-min city..

_MELBOURNE

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URBAN PATIO Finalist Mextropoli Pavilion 2019 | Architecture Competition III Semester_ Pavilion Mexico City, Mex.

Patio Alameda is a space that takes up the typical element of Mexican architecture; the patio. The project constitutes a reinterpretation of the centralized patio to generate a semi-private space, surrounded by a structure of reed and bamboo, with a mostly vertical arrangement, resulting in the decomposition of galleries and sheds of traditional Mexican patios that are formed by beams, columns, or retching.

The materiality is intended to show that, with the materials of Mexican vernacular architecture such as the reed, it is possible to create structures that, in addition to being sustainable, can be innovative without losing their folkloric essence.

Like the traditional patio, the pavilion is a space for rest and recreation, creating an atmosphere that interacts with the city but seeks to abstract from it. Patio Alameda seeks to cause intrigue and curiosity in the user through the permeability generated by the arrangement of the vertical elements of the project, inviting the user to explore and discover the project from any point. of the road or the Alameda, always creating a new experience.

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_AXONOMETRIC

Reed and bamboo

Hybrid structure of bamboo and concrete

Adobe

Modular blocks

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SOIL AS A LUDIC SPACE EAAD 2020 Winning project | Architecture Competition V Semester_ Elementary school Marsassoum, Senegal.

The project arises from the idea of preserving the existing vocation of the space, understanding the importance of the Moraceae as a space for community coexistence.

Thus, the project is configured as a rectangular pavilion that collects and organizes the different areas of the program, through the main patio, the proposal is out of phase from the horizontal plane to generate steps that are focused with a bleacher that accompanies the natural shade of the tree, all with so that they can function for the recreational and rest activities of the students.

The intention is to create a flexible patio that allows users to play and attend academic activities without the need for furniture. The proposal, in turn, seeks to be a community space, proposing a wide main entrance that can serve as a space for school and community events.

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_SCHOOL | SAMBOU TOURA DRAME

+

=

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LBMS | SHORTLISTED PROJECT

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MATERIALITY AS A SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE ENEA Winning project | Architecture Competition VI Semester_ 02 Weeks Project_Master Plan Aguascalientes, Mex.

The main intention was to create a regression with the city’s past.

Retaking the synergies and synesthesias of the Great Foundry.

Thus, the design of the park was proposed to retake the mineral slag from the ground to form part of the landscaping. While the Museum of Contemporary Art was proposed as a reinterpretation of the mining furnaces, taking their textures and colors as a premise.

The National Meeting of Architecture Students (ENEA) is an event organized by the Association of Institutions for the Teaching of Architecture of the Mexican Republic (ASINEA), an institution that promotes the exchange of learning experiences between students and professors from different universities.

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_MASTER PLAN | GUGGENHEIM PARK 01 03

02

The bridge

04

The street

The river

The amphitheater

01 02

03 04

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_MUSEUM | GREAT FOUNDRY_ARCHITECTURAL SCORE PRELUDE welcoming

SUB CLIMAX welcoming

CLIMAX welcoming

CLIMAX II welcoming

FINALE welcoming

The access is fragmented to generate a square composed of two mesquite trees. The materiality of the pavilion is presented employing rammed earth walls and a metallic structure.

1

The lobby is configured as a free pavilion where service areas are housed. The variation of heights is present to broaden the perception of spaciousness.

The outdoor exhibition galleries are posed as islands, the intention is to generate a direct connection between the different parts of the museum, running as a patio.

3

The main galleries are placed under the ovens, are distributed modularly, and focus on the views of the exterior patios. Here a diffusion of light takes place to avoid direct sunlight.

4

The set intends to generate a tour integral, focusing the views to the west and taking the benefit of the unevenness for the generation of different pedestrian circuits.

INTENSE LIGHT

DIFFUSED LIGHT

INTENSE LIGHT

DIFFUSED LIGHT

INTENSE LIGHT

central / direct

WARM 25° humid 80%

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2

central / direct + indirect

COOL 19° humid 20%

central / direct

WARM 25° humid 80%

central / direct + indirect

COOL 19° humid 20%

5

central / direct

HOT 30° humid 80%

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MEMBRANES AND THRESHOLDS Shortlisted | International Architecture Competition VII Semester_ Microhome

“It seems like we can only have dwelling through a building, yet n o t a l l b u i l d i n g s a r e d w e l l i n g s .“ M a r t í n H e i d e g g e r MEMBRANES AND THRESHOLDS

The experience of inhabiting and its concept can easily become to transit, to occupy and just e x i s t i n g a n d b re a t h i n g t h e v o i d .

Being imprisoned within four walls that shape our bodies and design our ways of life.

Hence the importance of questioning the possibility of k n o w i n g (o r b e i n g a b l e ) t o i n h a b i t , and understanding the home as an indefinite, spontaneous and fleeting space, as life itself.

B a s e d o n t h i s p h i l o s o p h y, our conception of dwelling i s d e f i n e d f ro m m u l t i p u r p o s e s p a c e s t h a t s e e k d a y - t o - d a y c o e x i s t e n c e w i t h a n i n t ro s p e c t i v e c h a r a c t e r.

Making use of t h re s h o l d s a s e l e m e n t s t o a l l o w privacy intervals, as well as to allow the blurring of the limits of each space.

Exterior Threshold Portfolio_Alejandro Cárdenas

The structure runs through lightened wooden beams, with a rail to connect with the dividing panels. The columns are articulated as fasciculated elements employing a system of plates that allow their lightening, resting on isolated foundations placed in situ.

The panels are displaced as a 1.20m x 2.4m modular scheme with metal flanges that articulate on the semiperforated beams as a rail.

This allows the flexibilit y of the modules depending on the need of the user.

The modules are then formed by polygons of 3.60 m x 3.60 m, distributed in panels and windows of 1.20 m, supported by modular floors and ceiling panels of 1.20 m x 1.20 m.

THE SRTUCTURE _51

Solar energy panels 475 W.

Rainwater collection through the patio.

Rainwater Tank

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PHENOMENOLOGY OF MEDITATION International Architecture Competition VI Semester_ Meditation Cabin Mangatarata, New Zealand.

“I think that the ideal space must contain elements of magic, serenity, sorcery and mystery.”

L u i s B a r ra g a n

Fohat object,

is

being

the the

link

between

universal

matter,

propelling

subject, vital

and force.

The meditation cabin is located in a bush clearing, siting 300 meters away from the main residence of The Earth Energies Sanctuary.

The geometry of the cabin, designed to bring about the balance of body, mind, and soul, is inspired by Fohat´s ancient symbol, resulting in a spiral path created by four staggered platforms and a central altar under a skylight where the energy concentrates. Its purpose is to allow guests to use the space in different and adaptable ways, providing a more personal and comfortable experience.

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0 5.5

m

0m

1

3

5

Floor plan

0m

Ceiling plan

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1

3

5

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Steel Joints

Radiata Pine with tanalising treatment

Recycled polyester fabric

Fohat has a simple structure with traditional materials that help the design to connect with the surroundings, being kind to the users and to nature Bing wood and fabric the essence of the project. The steel is mostly used for the joints and the bioethanol bonfire case, glass is used on the Altar skylight and concrete only for the footings.

1. Radiata Pinewood ceiling with glass domes.

2. Fabric covering for the structure.

3. Structural framing with concrete pilings.

4. Structural Axonometric.

5. Ceiling-Beam connection detail.

6. Structural framing detail.

7. Column’s step detailing.

8. Structural Beams connection detailing.

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1.

7.

2.

5.

6.

3.

4.

8.

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POSTPANDEMIC OFFICE Built work | Office project VI Semester_Freelance work Metepec, Mex.

The project responds to the specific needs of the client and to a rethinking of the conventional office. The project is located in a reduced space, the proposal seeks to take advantage of the spatial use through the design of furniture, as well as the expansion of space through frames.

The design proposes to frame the exterior garden while it forms part of it, bringing part of the exterior vegetation to the interior of the office. In turn, a scheme of skylights was proposed to bathe the walls with diffuse light and to heighten the modular coating, while the design of the entrance was proposed as an envelope with highly delineated profiles to generate a gallery-like office.

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CAPA DE IMPERMEABLIZANTE TAPAPORO + ASFÁLTICO ACABADO EN ALUCOBOND NEGRO ÁNGULO DE ALUMINIO | CHAROLA PARA TABLONES

ARMADO DE CUBIERTA CON TABLONES PERALTE 2" SOBRE LADO CORTO

D-3

0.000 0.100

0.100 0.293

0.100 0.341

0.100 0.341

DOMO CRISTAL TEMPLADO DOBLE CAPA CN PELÍCULA SATINADA *REVISAR DETALLE D-1

0.100

PTR 4" NEGRO MATE ANCLAJE ATORNILLADO

0.341

3%

D-1

BAP 11/2 MURO PERIMETRAL DE 15CM

VIGAS DE MADERA DE 2DA 4"X8" X 4M

LUMINARIA TIPO SPOT LUZ CALIDA *REVISAR TIPO *REVISAR DETALLE DE INSTALACIÓN D-2 D-2 CUBIERTA CONSENTINO GRANITO SAN GABRIEL 10MM MUEBLE ESCRITORIO CHAPA VEROLEGNO NOGAL AMERICANO RAYADO

PISO DE INGENIERÍA 8MM NOGAL AMERICANO FIRME DE CONCRETO 10CM

GSEducationalVersion

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AN ECUMENICAL CHAPEL Alberto J. Pani Award 2021 | National Architecture Competition VII Semester_01 Week project_ Chapel Cuernavaca, Mex.

“Architecture is the art of reconciliation between ourselves and the world, and this mediation takes place through the senses” Juhani Pallasmaa Since the beginning of our time, man has built in response to our understanding of inhabiting the world. It was from the first deliberate structures such as Stonehenge that man questioned its existence and shaped it in a line that would define the way in which man lives spirituality: circular.

The centralized formal intention can be appreciated in every human matter: when making cities, gathering together in community, and making prayers. Hence the project is proposed with the intention of linking the sacred space through the use of halos that divide the space and that branch and distribute the program of the chapel.

The proposal then seeks to generate a system of flexible panels that run along the same axis to adapt to the ceremonial needs of the chapel. In its outer circle, visual finishes are proposed in the manner of sculptural patios, which are visually opened and closed by the interior partitions; here can be found vegetation and ephemeral landmarks for each religion that occupies it.

_ECUMENICAL CHAPEL

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CATHOLICS

MUSLIMS

JEWS

HINDUISM Portfolio_Alejandro Cárdenas

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THE EXPERIENCE OF A LOCAL MARKET EAAD Winning project 2021 VII Semester_Local Market Metepec, Mex.

Marketing is the main source of human coexistence, its roots go back to the very beginnings of humanity, and therefore it is a fundamental part of our day-to-day. In Mexico, the perception of the local market has been converted into a stereotype that alludes to unhealthy and lack of planning, characterized by hardly accessible and democratized spaces.

The difference between “gourmet” and a local market has gentrified the accessibility of markets and has made them an exclusive coexistence point for certain sectors of society. From this understanding, the conceptual project sought to make a study of the local market as a meeting point; a space that is permeable and accessible, connected to the city, and characterized by dignified and appropriate spaces for marketing activities.

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THE CONCEPT.

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_URBAN INTERVENTION Main roads and terrain

Urbanization and Horizontal housing

Urbanization and Horizontal housing

Mobility proposal

Mercantile preexistence

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_PROPOSAL Main pole

Turnbuckles Suspended ceiling structure

Luminaires LED strip Frame

Partition panels

Structure

Flexible space Detachable tubular structure

Bar

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Symbology Services Waste

Accessibility

Market

Distribution lines

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Product download

Urban involvement

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_SPACE ARTICULATION Section 01 Metepec, Mex. Accessibility range

Urban buffer Main corridor

Access threshold Guillotine facade

Pedestrian access Vehicle bay

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Semi-wet products sector Square connection Dry products sector

Square Terrace Central axis

WC Square

Wet products sector Area of sinks

Wet products sector Unloading bay Stock Maneuver Area Ice room Services Machine room

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SKETCHING AS A LANGUAGE Sketchbooks, Illustrations and Processes

.

“As a consequence of the mental transfer from the actually of the drawing or the model to the material reality of the project, the images with which the designer advances are not mere visual renderings; they constitute a fully haptic and multi-sensory reality of imagination.”

The thinking hand Juhani Pallasmaa

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