Portfolio by Sofya Abramchuk

PORTFOLIO by sofya abramchuk

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contents my design philosophy newfarm new york library of arts noise mapping of segovia nest walkway favillion analogous towers and horizontal warehouse suscipio house bartlett summer foundation collage and painting workshop fashion workshop furniture making workshop artwork

site are also important, as they help to define the identity of the new structure, so that its not out of the place, but has a special, even if it is a metaphorical connection with them. I believe in rawness, nature and organic designs, as they are the closest to the human. We all love perfection, but also uniqueness. Nothing that is smooth and silky can be unique. Stone, wood, or even cor-ten is never the

my design philosophy

Layers. Depth. Landscape. Space. These words define my design philosophy. I believe that the ultimate design of a building or space should come from the environment, surrounding and the landscape. My work is always inspired by the way rocks come out of the sea, the way trees are placed on the ground, stone colour or even the weather of the site. Pre-existing structures and features of the

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same. We love to touch them, to feel the warmness or coldness of the material.

This creates untouchable atmosphere of the space where someone will be working or living. We want our spaces to be customizable, we want to give them uniqueness and our own touch, what can only be done with raw and purposefully unfinished spaces. We change nature, add and take from it everyday because

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there is nothing else we can use to express ourselves. This is why I believe we should be constructing and creating with nature, not against her. We should grow with it, take the best ideas from it and give back too.This is why I believe in building efficiency, sustainability and green architecture.This is why I design with nature and Earth in mind.

newfarm new york Its time for a NEWFARM in New York. In the midst of the complexity of the concrete jungle, this urban food hub and vertical farm in Chelsea, Manhattan represents an evolution of both agriculture and architecture. One purpose of NEWFARM is to produce fresh vegetables for its inhabitants and visitors all year long. NEWFARM is also a place where buyers and sellers of food can interact with makers, artists, and growers. The vertical farming components of NEWFARM are composed of water-saving and highly productive hydroponic agriculture

systems. The productivity of the farming systems compliment the artist and “maker” spaces of the building that come with the residences. Above all, NEWFARM is a bridge between nature and architecture.

The High Line weaves through the Westside of New York City beautifully and the native plants, which are distributed along it, create an aesthetic that we call “Agritecture”. However, no part of the High Line yields agricultural products and the NEWFARM does.The aesthetic

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of NEWFARM demonstrates the bridge between agriculture and architecture by embracing the beauty and performance of native plantings in its atrium and along its exposed south façade. Agriculture in a seasonal city like New York can be challenging and NEWFARM overcomes this through the use of indoor vertical farming technologies like hydroponics.

The almost industrial appearance of these systems is not hidden from the public’s eye but is distributed vertically along the West façade. The white and pink glow of the lights used to

grow the plants spills over the Highline and down onto 19th street. As you approach the building heading West along 18th street you see the large, open atrium with the stage at the helm. Just above the atrium on the 4th floor is the harvesting and packing space for all of the vertical farming spaces above, exposing the public to the hustle and bustle of the high-density farming techniques practiced within.

In collaboration with Henry Gordon-Smith, Pepe La Cruz, Francois Cramer, Andrew Carter, Florencia Costa 7

Workshop areas + Offices Farm + Housing Farm + Housing Farm + Housing Farm + Housing Farm + Housing Farm + Housing Farm + Housing Farm + Open restaurant Administration Sport area Grocery market + Prefab shops

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We remember the damage done by hurricane Sandy. The mega storm damaged many of the exposed urban farms in and around New York City and flooded thousands of buildings, making them inoperable.

Most of the hydroponic vertical farm is enclosed within the structure, protecting it from the elements but still using the sun where possible. The ground floor of NEWFARM isn’t your typical commercial level space: it is an exposed atrium 10 meters high with a variable topography of raised public areas and sunken bioswales to withstand floods and looming sea-level rise. The site location is in Flood Zone 1.

As a shaded grove, the atrium provides protection from the sun and rain to passerby, making it a gathering space. As a bioswale, it slows surges of water and promotes percolation and remediation through strategic plantings. The bioswales are manmade wetlands, covered in native plants and swamp trees that perform some phytoremediation. The space echoes the concrete and native plants that span the Highline, only adding water into the dialogue as a response to the long-term effects of Sandy. The wetland atrium is a beautiful space with ponds and large steps for the public to enjoy as they spill down from the High Line. A mangrove-like forest weaves through the space as an example of wild urbanism in action.

Second floor First floor (Floodable Atrium)

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Third floor

Fourth floor

NEWFARM is a wooden tower. Locally harvested wood from a sustainably managed forest is used as the main support structure. This decision was made both because of the technological advancements that have been made with wooden skyscrapers that greatly improve their performance. By using wood, the NEWFARM achieves an aesthetic that communicates growth whilst minimizing the environmental impact of the building as a whole. The hydroponic systems are also procured sustainable: primarily from the second-hand market or built by residents.

350 tons of produce is grown annually at NEWFARM and it is all grown using at least 70% less water than if the same crops were growing using open field agriculture. Water is collected

by NEWFARM from the roof, terraces, the High Line and the atrium. This water is constantly being recycled throughout the building, first to the atrium to be cleaned using ozone, oxygen, and plants before irrigating all of growing systems. NEWFARM is energy intensive and would require a geothermal power source to run sustainable. An on-site bio digester makes the building a more integrated food hub because this technology allows for residents and visitors alike to drop off food waste for composting. Food waste is converted into organic hydroponic nutrients guaranteeing eco-friendly vegetables are grown.

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Fifth floor

Maximum volume

Optimal South faรงade

Optimal East faรงade

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Twisted to maximize views

Final design

the art of music As a start to the second semester of my university studies, our task was to create a Library of arts. The project was to be carried out in pairs and we chose music and literature as our themes. We had to create cubes of a 42 cm x 42 cm size, which is the volume where a person can fit in entirely. Representation had to be metaphorical and abstract, but also suggestive and explicit in a certain way.

For music we used words wave, peak and path to start off.The development led us to a creation of structure that would resemble a sound waves, but would be a different concept when looked at it from a different angle. We started with the noise and sound of the sea, especially the sea waves; then we thought of mountains, and how you reach the peak of the mountain (in the same way there is always a compositional sound peak in any melody); afterwards our structure could become a cave with stalagmites and stalactites underneath the earth where there is no sound, but only the sound of the silence; and finally we thought of the city, and the music that the city creates in any possible way. To represent that we used expanded insulation foam cut in very thin pieces that then was stuck to a sheet of plastic, where the pattern was created. A painting on four pieces of 42 x 42 sheets of card represented the idea, which was created over a drawing of a sound wave based on the song of Beethoven.

The second art we were working with was literature and our inspiration came from the city of Segovia and history. We wanted to show how much literature changed over time. For this we used the patterns of the buildings of Segovia to represent old literature, something very permanent and ancient as a city, carved in wood to make it solid and everlasting. The cube would be standing on one of its peaks, in this way freeing one of the sides, and creating a connection with old literature being the roots and the foundations of everything that we have today. On the other side of the cube, we created an electronic book screen, which would only project letters when the light is turned on. We wanted to create a connection between modern literature, and how not stable and easy going it is, dependable only on light and electricity. The letters, placed in a chaotic and random pattern can still be seen without light, but very lightly and translucently. Over them, there are swirls of a wooden frame, reminding of the roots of old literature and history.

In collaboration with Pepe La Cruz 12

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noise mapping of segovia In order to understand Segovia and the wall that surrounds the city, I studied the noise patterns around it.Wherever there was excessive sound, such as birds singing, cars passing, fountains, waterways, river, I identified it as having red or warm colours. Wherever there was little to no noise it was cold and blue tones. It was a very interesting exercise to carry out as it helped to understand where a music folly can be placed. It needed to be a place were there was little noise in the surrounding but many people passing by as well as a lot of birds singing to attract even more birds. Also, it needed to be a place where a whole corridor can be place. Such a place was found next to Alcazar, in a valley.

I indicated it as a net grid on the map, showing the relief and the topography of the site.

The connection between the Garden of poets and the site is shown with red string.

Monuments and interesting to the project buildings are drawn and placed around the map as to illustrate them. The interesting thing about Segovia is that places where it is quite during the day, in the night can become where there’s the most noise. And in the morning, especially in spring, birds singing is so intense that it feels as if they are right next to you at any point in the city.

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nest walkway favilion In order to announce the music festival of Segovia that would happen in July, any available tools, such as nature and landscape would be used to create the folly. After having investigated the noise pattern of Segovia and found the best location for an interactive pathway, a corridor will be created that will help people get closer to nature and feel the power of music created by nature. It would give a natural and organic environment to the people that are coming from urban background and want to refresh from the daily routine.

The start of the folly is going to be right next to the Alcazar, through stairs descending down to the already existing path that follows the perimeter of the Segovian wall. The path is surrounded

by a forest of trees that are planted on a descending valley. A corridor would be created along the wall by using materials that would allow creation of organic, elegant and nest-like structure.

Thin, but strong plywood strips of valsain pine from the mountains near Segovia would be used for this purpose. A sequence of randomly bent and intertwined strips of wood of 15 cm width, will create the structure of the favilion. Their main function would be framing of the views and providing shade to people during the day and holding audio and light devices for the art installations during the night.

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Birds would be attracted through aromatic herbs that would grow in between of the cracks of the deck pavement along the path. The herbs would attract bees, insects and worms, providing food for birds, as well as give nice and natural smell to people walking through the path, enhancing their experience. Ponds placed along the path would also serve as an attractor to the main musical instrument of the folly- singing birds. In the pond areas, open miradors are going to be wooden strips lifted up in order to allow a better framing of the view of the Alcazar.

The ending of the folly would be a dome attached to the museum with a door leading inside if someone wishes to finish their walk inside. This area at the end would have seating and will be where the main art installation will be happening. Artistic experience of nature will be createhaving a real dimension of singing birds during the day and a light and music installation during the night, that would involve recording of the day birds and LED lights inserted into the wooden planks in the dome.

The folly mainly will be a nest like structure that would create a unique and refined ambience, bringing people closer to nature, and emphasising and framing the views of Segovia.

In collaboration with Pepe La Cruz 19

Coracias Garrulus European Roller

Quercus Suber Cork Oak

Betula Birch

Picus Viridis European Woodpecker

Consolida Ajacis Rocket Larkspur

Quercus Oak

Merops Apiaster European Bee-eater

Eschscholzia Californica California Poppy

Populus Tremula Poplar

Luscinia Megarhynchos Common Nightingale

Spiraea Salicifolia Willowleaf

Pinus Sylvestris Scots Pine

Erithacus Rubecula European Robin

Rubus Idaeus Raspberry

Athene Noctua Little Owl

Monticola Solitarius Blue Rock Thrush

Galega Officinalis Goat´s-Rue

Bubo Bubo Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Turdus Philomelos Song Thrush

Medicago Sativa Alfalfa

Bubo Scandiacus Snowy Owl

Remiz Pendulinus Eurasian Penduline Tit

Oenothera Glazioviana Evening Primrose

Fringilla Coelebs Common Chaffinch

Passeridae Sparrow

Rhus Coriaria Sicilian Sumac

Impatiens Balfourii Kashmir Balsam

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and horizontal warehouse

analogous towers

Analogous towers inly two towers: the existing one (Torre de Santiago), and a new one that necessarily should establish a close connection with the other. Neither a pair nor an individuality, analogous towers should maintain their personality (character) but at the same time should be perceived as configuring an entity of a superior order. In that sense, one of the two towers will be a transformed version of the existing tower of Santiago (expanded, excavated, duplicated, deformed, tittled, leaned, un-layered, unveiled, deconstructed); the

other tower will be brand new. The required program will be freely distributed between the two ones, although, as said, both two will need to be linked by a conceptual relationship (between them, and with the wall, that is to say with Segovia and the row of four festivals: dance, literature, music, theater). The existing tower has around a total of 150 m2 of useful surface (interior).The required new program (without counting serving spaces, i.e. bathrooms and circulation) will ascend up to 1200m2.

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As a part of this project, I wanted my tower to grow from the ground and blend with the landscape. This is why the material that would be used is concrete and cor-ten with a glass envelope. There would be a grid created from the shape of the ground, that was taken from the excavated landscape. I took inspiration from the staircase around my chosen site, which I mimicked inside the tower. The new tower would be connected with the old one through a corridor. The old tower is a completely solid concrete structure, with a layout

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inside that mimics the new tower but in a inverted manner. The only opening would be on the sides and on the roof, in order to create very specific atmosphere with lights and shadows. Metaphorical and literal connection between the two towers creates a connection with the landscape and layered composition of Segovia (staircases and up and down hills).

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suscipio house Straight from Rio de La Plata, the acute shape of the house penetrates a valley in the deep mountains of Segovia. A sequenced path upon arrival indicates to the visitor the depth and profoundness of the voids inside the house and its relationship with the height of the mountains. In a way that the brisolei’s vertical divisions cut through the study room

of doctor Curutchet, the ribs that follow horizontally the mountains connect one side of the house with the other one. Inside those ribs specifically designed programmatic elements unfold. Entrance, shared space, individual spaces, hygiene and cooking are placed cross sectional inside the ribs.

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The house does not hang inside the valley, but it sustains the mountains around it. It is and down, in and out.The light defines the placement of objects, that cannot be removed excavated inside it, so that the heights inside the house are determined by the mountain or repositioned, but define the life of the inhabitants and show them how to live inside it. shape.There’re no different floors, but different curves of the mountain that define them.

The house hides and shows inside the mountain, the same as its inhabitants will use it, up

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To start off this project, we looked at the Curutchet house by Le Corbusier and studied its connection with the landscape This was a starting point for a one room house that was placed in a landscape created from two photographs of mysterious places in Segovia.

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On the page to the left, preparation and research of spaces was done for the one room house. The study was done after taking a still life fragment of the Curutchet house, studying thoroughly its special features. For me it was the way the space was created with light through solids. I inverted the space, outlining the solid of the walls and the objects with the light pointing on it, and everything that is a void was blocked out with 37

card or plastic. In order to develop the design of the house, I used ribs system that wold be inside the mountain, holding the building. As a further development, 12 conceptual models were created to study different features of it and distribute spaces efficient and in relation to the landscape and the surroundings.

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bartlett summer foundation

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collage and painting workshop

During this week we used 10 pages from magazines and our imagination and painting skills in order to create collages. I started by experimenting with different images and combining them to create a new and creative piece of art. As the task was very open, it was very difficult to get the right thing the first time. I experimented with different surfaces and textures, created by me as well as 2D printed pictures. I tried to express different emotions and concepts using accents, for example the repetitive use of fire elements, contrasting with cold elements,in my 3D model, capturing the viewers attention and creating a contrast between chaotic placement of other pictures and these little accents.

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My aim was to be able to transmit and convey the hidden message of my work- the contrasts of beautiful and ugly, lusciousness and simplicity, madness and logic. Also, I succeeded in combining colours and pictures in a way that helped me to achieve harmony and unity in my work. I explored themes such as nature and the urban scape, electricity and fire, fashion and classical art.

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Collage and painting workshop

This workshop was focused around creating a piece of clothing that would make the surrounding environment better in any way and be multi-functional. As a group (Josh Crane, Tommas Vischer, Isabela Crema and Sofya Abramchuk), we came up with an idea of creating a kind of jacket that would allow a person to stay cool in hot weather and be warm when it is cold. As a result we achieved a piece that can be completely personalized, that can light up in the night time and still have the initial functions. Using crocheting techniques, we were able to achieve a structural piece that when tightened or loosened could be completely transformed. It was very difficult and expensive to get real fiber optics (which we intended to use as threads so the jacket could also light

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up in the night) so we used different pieces of fabric cut into strips and then inserted Christmas lights and some portable lights to illustrate the jacket’s lighting properties.

The outcome was very futuristic and quite fashionable, making it suitable for younger people, as well as anyone who wants a practical and stylish piece of clothing. Although the piece needed some further develop- meant, it responded to our initial aim and embodied the functions we wanted it to have. In order to implement the design, we created a fashionable hood, that would shelter the user from the rain and added some individuality to the jacket. It was made out of fabric and card triangles and white glue.

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Furniture making workshop

This piece of furniture was intended to explore the theme of socializing in public spaces and was created by a group of students (Alex Clarry, Cati Balinisteanu, Tom Visscher and Sofya Abramchuk) as a part of a furniture making workshop. The materials we were given at the start of the week were a metal mesh, wooden twigs, sunflower oil and black paint. In order to use the materials and make an organic piece we decided to create a chair that when combined with other identical chairs create a big nest.This would create a private space that would allow people to socialise in a closed nest-like structure. The center of the piece when assembled with others, would create a space that could be used as a table or to hold a portable fireplace that will would further develop the idea of socializing.

We started off by creating a leaf-like shape from paper as a mock up, measuring the dimensions and figuring out the best size for the chair. Then we recreated the 44

same shape from the metal mesh, and using a plastic chair as a base started weaving the twigs into the mesh. It was very labour intensive work, which required a lot of attention and understanding of the properties of the twigs and the metal mesh. When released from the plastic chair, the structure held itself but in order for a person to sit on the chair, it needed additional support. For this, we created a wooden structure that when fixed allowed the chair to rest on it and be attached to the legs of the chair. Also, the shape allowed a person to swing on the chair when it was on the floor, and also allowed one to rest on it in a lying position. In order to allow the chair to be flexible and be transported, we created wooden wheels, painted black.

Time was our only issue, and because of this we were not able to create more than one chair to illustrate our idea, which would help people to visualize the concept of socializing in such a natural, organic and pleasant environment.

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artwork

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projectabr

http://www.projectabr.com