Portfolio | Yoseph Wolde-Mariam

WORKS

Yoseph Wolde-Mariam

about I'm an architect based in Los Angeles with experience primarily in multifamily housing. With every project, I strive to effectively collaborate with others, thoroughly understand programmatic needs, and produce exceptional work. I'm continually broadening my knowledge of the profession and growing my skills as an architect.

With the belief that well-designed places can improve the lives of their users and foster a more equal society, I would like to contribute my skills and experience to a firm that values innovation, sustainability, and positively impacting communities.

YOSEPH WOLDE-MARIAM, AIA

y.a.woldemariam@gmail.com

+1 626 641 2910

license no: C-39902 exp date: 5/31/25 state: CA

experience

education

Freelance Architect Los Angeles, CA | October 2023 - present • Collaborating with landscape architect on single-family residential projects, providing design input, developing 3D models, and producing detailed renders.

• Leading the design of a chapel renovation in the Philippines, involving documentation of site and building conditions and producing visualizations.

Bachelor of Architecture with minor in Regenerative Studies Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design | 2012-2017 • Graduated cum laude (GPA >3.50) • Studied abroad in Florence, Italy during 4th year (Fall 2015 - Spring 2016) • 6 projects selected for Interim Student Exhibit (quarterly exhibit of selected academic work) • Member & publicist of Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society in Architecture

Designer III at AC Martin Los Angeles, CA | October 2022 - May 2023 • Successfully contributed to the design of a foster care village and community center from conceptual design through entitlements. Production work was completed with Revit, Rhino, Enscape, and Photoshop.

• Communicating effectively with and presenting design updates to architectural team and client..

• Produced visualizations in Enscape and coordinated detailed renders with rendering consultant.

• Worked closely with landscape architect and civil engineer on site design.

• Supported project team on 615-unit multifamily project with retail component during SD and DD. • Optimized unit/parking count and plan layout through yield studies on two multifamily projects.

Designer at Abode Communities Los Angeles, CA | April 2021 - July 2022 • Worked on several affordable housing projects from conceptual design through DD. Projects utilized Type V over Type I and Type III over Type I construction.

• Researched & implemented programmatic requirements of mixed-use project containing affordable housing, art gallery, recreation center, art school, fashion studio, and rooftop gathering space.

Developed massing, floor plans, elevations, and renders with Revit and Enscape.

• Contributed to the design of 2 modular permanent supportive housing projects. Coordinated with modular factory and engineers throughout permitting process.

• Became familiar with affordable housing incentives and funding requirements.

• Worked efficiently with project team in a fast-paced environment to meet funding deadlines.

Job Captain at John Kaliski Architects (prev. Designer I, Designer II, Senior Designer) Los Angeles, CA | January 2018 - March 2021 • Contributed to several transit-oriented multifamily residential projects in Los Angeles throughout all design phases. Projects ranged in scale from 24 -128 DUs with Type V over Type I construction.

• Led the permitting process, construction documentation, and consultant coordination on a 6,000 sf core-and-shell commercial project.

• Grew to become source of knowledge on multifamily projects and Revit use.

• Assisted with construction administration on two multifamily projects to completion.

• Assisted project managers with project organization and scheduling.

• Coordinated plans with structural, MEP, and civil engineers.

• Communicated frequently with LADBS, LA County Dept of Public Works, and other local agencies.

involvement National Organization of Minority Architects Member Southern California Chapter August 2022 - present Organization dedicated to promoting the quality and excellence of minority design professionals.

AIA Member Los Angeles Chapter August 2022 - present Organization dedicated to supporting American architectural and building industry professionals.

languages English (fluent) Italian (basic) French (basic)

software Revit

Rhino

Sketchup

AutoCAD

Enscape

Midjourney

Photoshop

Indesign

Bluebeam Microsoft Excel

PICO-UNION ARTS & RECREATION CENTER 2

SOS FOSTER VILLAGE & COMMUNITY CENTER 8

VETERAN COMMONS 16

COLIMA RETAIL CENTER 22

AVALON APARTMENTS 26

CITY OF MACHINES 34

2

PICO-UNION ARTS & RECREATION CENTER

project type: mixed use location: Los Angeles, CA size: 183,344 sf date of involvement: April 2021 - July 2022 status: in conceptual design project team: Gio Aliano (principal architect), Noel Toro (project manager), Rebecca Radojicic (job captain), Yoseph Wolde-Mariam (designer)

Description:

Responsibilities:

The Pico-Union Arts & Recreation Center is a mixed-use project located in the Pico Union neighborhood of Los Angeles. The project will contain 89 affordable units (mix of 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, and artist studios), as well as an art gallery, recreation center, art school, fashion design studio, and the Graff Lab - a rooftop public space dedicated to graffiti art. The project is intended to be a place for the local community to gather, mix, and experience various cultures.

• Researching and implementing programmatic requirements for each type of use within the project • Developing several iterations of conceptual floor plans • Analyzing zoning and building code restrictions and allowances to ensure feasibility of the project • Producing conceptual and presentation drawings • Setting up and developing BIM model • Performing massing studies • Designing dwelling units • Presenting design updates and research to project team

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7

RENDERS

SOS FOSTER CARE VILLAGE & COMMUNITY CENTER

8

project type: townhomes and community center location: Palmdale, CA size: 62,368 sf date of involvement: October 2022 - May 2023 status: in entitlement process project team: Tom Hsieh (principal architect), Gilbert Rocca (studio principal), David Gonzalez (design director), Yoseph Wolde-Mariam (designer)

Description:

Responsibilities:

SOS Children’s Villages is an organization that aims to create community-focused foster care facilities that allow foster children to grow in a supportive environment and prepare them for life outside of foster care. The project consists of 14 foster townhomes, a community center, SOS offices, and studio apartments. The layout of the townhomes throughout the site emphasizes connection to the outdoor community areas for the children and foster parents to gather, play, and socialize. The forms and facades of the townhomes and community center were designed to reference the surrounding desert landscape and respond to the arid climate.

• Developing conceptual model in Rhino and producing drawings in Revit • Researching precedents for programmatic requirements and environmental strategies • Developing conceptual diagrams • Presenting design updates at client meetings • Producing entitlement set • Researching and implementing zoning code requirements per Palmdale Municipal Code • Producing quick renders and walkthroughs with Enscape and coordinating presentation renders with rendering consultant

erosion of envelope to form townhome unit

unit type A (north-facing)

unit type C (east/west-facing)

unit type B (south-facing)

unit type C (east/west-facing)

9

bike / pedestrian loop

splashpad

bioswale

play area (2-5 yr. old)

half basketball court

typical townhome unit

trash / recycling community garden storage

play area (5-12 yr. old) 10

‘family circle’

picnic area entry plaza

lighted court / outdoor event area

30th St. E.

offices

community center

studio apartments

mobility townhome unit

picnic area

trash / recycling 11

typ. townhome unit - ground floor plan

typ. townhome unit - second floor plan 12

typ. townhome unit - front elevation

typ. townhome unit - side elevation

typ. townhome unit - rear elevation

typ. townhome unit - side elevation (with mural)

typ. townhome unit - courtyard elevation

material legend

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 

community center - ground floor plan    





 

   





   

 

 

 



 

   



  

  





    



 

 



community center - second floor plan

   





   

 

 

 





14



  

  

   

   

 



   

   

   



   



   

community center - east elevation

community center - west elevation

community center - north elevation

community center - south elevation

community center entry courtyards - north elevation

community center entry courtyards - south elevation

studio apartment breezeways - north elevation

studio apartment breezeways - south elevation

material legend

15

VETERAN COMMONS Description:

Responsibilities:

Veteran Commons will contain 100 affordable units for veterans. The design emphasizes connection to outdoor spaces through its large central courtyard, entry courtyards, terraces, and open-air corridors. Additional recreation spaces are provided on the ground floor and second floor, while supportive spaces are located on the ground floor.

• Attending frequent meetings with the Downey Planning Department to review the building’s adherence to the intent of the specific plan • Researching and implementing specific plan and zoning requirements • Setting up and developing BIM model based on previously developed Rhino model • Developing facade options to adhere to specific plan • Producing set of schematic design drawings • Meeting and coordinating with landscape architect • Frequent coordination with developer to meet urgent funding deadlines • Presenting design updates to project team

The mass responds to the scale of the context, with the 4-story building adjacent to the commercial & industrial Garfield Ave and the 2-story buildings matching the scale of the residences along Gardendale St. The facade responds to the newly developed Rancho Los Amigos South Campus Specific Plan, exemplifying its intent for future projects.

16

project type: veteran housing location: Downey, CA size: 92,719 sf date of involvement: January 2022 - July 2022 status: in permitting process project team: Gio Aliano (principal architect), Noel Toro (project manager), Yoseph Wolde-Mariam (designer)

ground floor plan

second floor plan

third floor plan

fourth floor plan 17

exterior finish legend

east elevation

south elevation

west ele 18

(Garfield Ave)

(Gardendale St)

evation 19

vicinity map

unit count

floor area calculations

20

parcel map

buildable area diagram

plot plan

floor area - first floor

floor area - second floor

floor area - third floor

floor area - fourth floor

fire access plan 21

COLIMA RETAIL CENTER Description:

Responsibilities:

The Colima Retail Center is a core-and-shell commerical building which will provide space for up to 4 tenants (3 retail and 1 cafe with drive-thru).

• Production of permit drawings, construction drawings, presentation drawings, and renders • Development of BIM model • Attending meetings and coordinating with LA County Public Works and Planning Department • Attending meetings and coordinating with engineers and consultants • Assistance with overseeing construction during early stages • Reviewing bids and construction schedule with principal architect

The cafe space will be occupied by a Starbucks, which required much coordination with their tenant improvement architect to ensure that spatial, electrical, signage, and egress requirements were met. Efforts were also been put into ensuring that the anticipated long drive-thru queues avoid interfering with the heavy traffic along Colima Rd and the active plaza that the building resides in.

22

project type: commercial location: Rowland Heights, CA size: 5,995 sf date of involvement: November 2019 - March 2021 status: under construction project team: John Kaliski (architect), Rebecca Radojicic (project manager), Yoseph Wolde-Mariam (job captain), Christopher Chen (designer)

north elevation

south elevation

west elevation

east elevation

23

COLIMA RD.

CL

CL

180' - 0" 24' - 7"

26' - 10"

PROPERTY LINE, TYPICAL EXISTING STREETLIGHT TO REMAIN

EXISTING PYLON SIGN TO REMAIN

LIGHT POLE, TYP

EXISTING DRIVEWAY TO REMAIN

50' - 0"

128' - 6"

(N) RIGHT TURN ONLY SIGN EXISTING FIRE HYDRANT TO REMAIN

PROPERTY LINE

490'-0"

493'-3"

3' - 0"

EXISTING STREETLIGHT TO REMAIN 5' - 0"

3' - 0"

BOLLARD, TYPICAL

COMPACT

COMPACT

COMPACT

COMPACT

COMPACT

+2'-0" CMU PLANTER

COMPACT

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

9' - 5"

9' - 5"

9' - 5"

9' - 5"

9' - 5"

9' - 5"

9' - 5"

490'-0" TRASH / RECYCLING 199 SF

490'-0"

491'-10"

37' - 0"

491'-3"

D-5

2 A9.03

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

8' - 0"

COMPACT

CLEAN AIR/EV

CLEAN AIR/EV

CLEAN AIR/EV

CLEAN AIR/EV

CLEAN AIR/EV

CLEAN AIR/EV

CLEAN AIR/EV

COMPACT

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

LANDSCAPE BUFFER

D-5

21

8' - 0"

(4) SHORT TERM BICYCLE SPACES

6" CURB, TYPICAL; SEE C2 FOR DETAILS

20 488'-6"

CAR IN EXCESS OF DRIVETHRU CAPACITY, TYPICAL

490'-0" 19

34 PARKING SPACES

24' - 0"

21

22

8' - 0"

8' - 6"

490'-0"

EASEMENT

CURB RAMP, TYPICAL PER ALTA SURVEY

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

COMPACT

12' - 0"

+1'-6" CMU PLANTER

23

18' - 0"

14

(2) ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS

488'-0" 20

HEIGHT CLEARANCE BAR, PER SEPARATE TENANT IMPROVEMENT 491.0 TRUNCATED DOMES, TYPICAL, SEE 12/G0.34

FIRE LANE WIDTH 26'-0" AND TURNING RADIUS 19'-0"

0"

EXIT SIGNAGE, PER SEPARATE TENANT IMPROVEMENT

LOADING SPACE

DRIVE THRU ENTRY DIRECTIONAL ARROW, TYP

R

'15

8' - 6"

31

32

ADA

ADA VAN

RESERVED RESERVED FOR FOR SPACE A SPACE A TENANT TENANT

8' - 6"

8' - 6" 490'-6"

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

9' - 0"

8' - 0"

9' - 0"

488'-6"

33

DRIVE THRU EXIT DIRECTIONAL ARROW

34

RESERVED RESERVED FOR FOR SPACE A SPACE A TENANT TENANT

8' - 6"

8' - 6"

ZONE C3-BE 12' - 0" CLR

488'-6"

488'-0"

488'-0"

486'-0"

13 490'-6"

PARALLEL CURB RAMPS

SPACE B 3,500 GSF RETAIL

SPACE A 2,499 GSF COFFEE SHOP

13' - 9" 1

12

DRIVE THRU WINDOW AND CANOPY

4' - 0" 4' - 6"

AREA DRAIN PER CIVIL, TYPICAL DROP INLET PER CIVIL, TYPICAL

BOLLARD

11

R

'15

R

0"

15 '-

2

0"

RETAINING WALL PER CIVIL DS

DS

490'-6"

488'-6"

5' - 4"

DRIVE-THRU LANE CAR QUEUE AT 20'-0" O.C.

DS

BOLLARD, TYPICAL

DS

3

10 9

490'-0"

8

7

6

5

4 488'-0"

487'-2" 484'-8"

486'-6"

LOWEST GRADE 485' - 7"

RETAINING WALL

BOLLARD PRE-ORDER MENU BOARD, PER SEPARATE TENANT IMPROVEMENT

+1'-6" CMU PLANTER ORDER SCREEN, PER SEPARATE TENANT IMPROVEMENT

180' - 0"

site plan

24

MENU BOARD, PER SEPARATE TENANT IMPROVEMENT

STACKED LONG TERM BICYCLE LOCKERS (4), SEE 8/A9.04

PROPERTY LINE, TYPICAL

180' - 0"

15

18

26' - 0"

26' - 0"

DIRECTIONAL SIGNAGE, PER SEPARATE TENANT IMPROVEMENT

17

FIRE LANE

16

5' - 3"

26' - 0"

COMPACT

3

9' - 5"

6" CURB, TYPICAL; SEE C2 FOR DETAILS

180' - 0"

COMPACT

2

9' - 5"

DIRECTIONAL SIGNAGE PER SEPARATE TENANT IMPROVEMENT

126' - 2"

COMPACT

1

EASEMENT

COMPACT

9' - 5"

PER ALTA SURVEY

8' - 0" 5' - 0" 3' - 0"

3' - 0"

8'x10' TRANSFORMER PAD

ZONE C2-BE

487'-10"

489'-7"

10' - 0"

10' - 0"

LANDSCAPE SETBACK

20' - 0"

27' - 10"

BUILDING SETBACK

E

floor plan

roof plan 25

AVALON APARTMENTS Description:

Responsibilities:

4800 Avalon is a 33-unit multifamily housing project located in Los Angeles. The project makes use of Tier-1 Transit Oriented Community incentives to reduce parking and maximize FAR and unit count. The complex contains a mix of 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units on the 2nd-5th floors and shared amenities on the ground floor.

• Production of permit drawings, construction drawings, presentation drawings, and renders • Development of BIM model • Design of several facade options • Attending plan check meetings with LADBS and the Planning Department • Attending meetings and coordinating with engineers, consultants, and general contractor.

• Assistance in construction administration from beginning of construction to near-completion

The building’s rigorously flat facade makes use of various colors of stucco to signify the program and unit layout within. It also provides a sense of articulation while maintaining the building’s mass for ease of construction.

26

project type: multi-family housing location: Los Angeles, CA size: 49,894 sf date of involvement: January 2018 - March 2021 status: completed project team: John Kaliski (architect), Keri Townsend (project manager), Yoseph Wolde-Mariam (job captain, designer)

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

CITY OF MACHINES Vernon, the "exclusively industrial" city, hosts thousands of businesses and is home to the many manufacturing industries essential to our society, transforming plastics, metals, woods, and glass into commonplace goods.

However, despite the familiarity of the city's products, the architecture of Vernon is one of ambiguity and obscurity.

The streets are lined with blank, opaque facades that conceal the activities and contents within the warehouses and factories. The programs of the buildings are typically understood only through signage and the relationship of rooftop mechanical components to the organization of the interior.

The interiors of these industrial buildings are defined by the layout of the machines that allow for products to be manufactured and industries to flourish. The machines of Vernon represent its many industries, but all eventually become unused. Their lives are cut short when the businesses that use them close, when they are replaced by superior technologies, or simply when they break. They are often retired to junkyards or dismantled, but many can still be repaired and reused.

34

project type: machinery resale warehouse location: Vernon, CA size: 55,584 sf date: Winter & Spring 2017 (Cal Poly Pomona)

Machinery resellers give new life to these machines by salvaging, repairing, storing, and auctioning them off to other industries. This proposal expands upon this program, but reverses the relationship of the typical Vernon facade with its perceiver. Rather than being a box of unknown contents, the facade of the warehouse informs the viewer of its interior. This is achieved by implementing the building's mechanical components onto the facade, rather than the roof. Furthermore, functions are revealed through the transparent areas of the facade and through the "junk" facade, comprised of various thrown out industrial materials (plastic, metal, wood, and glass) that are repurposed to suggest the building's contents (machinery that uses those materials and the products they create).

Layering, piling, repeating, and disorienting objects in this irregular context skews their perception and meaning. The layering of spaces and objects allows for simultaneous viewing of multiple elements, producing misreadings of their intended understanding. Through the abstraction and recontextualizing of the objects in the presence of the machines that produced them, the warehouse provides a series of environments for rethinking the use of machinery and suggesting new purposes for them.

35

8' - 6"

S Santa Fe Ave

25' - 6"

19' - 0"

Fruitland Ave

5' - 0" 9' - 0"

24' - 0"

14' - 0"

46' - 10"

24' - 0"

75' - 0"

site plan N^

13 12

5 4

6 5 4 4

4

2

3

1

11 10 8 9

7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

reception conference room offices restroom storage closet break room loading repairs mechanical space machine storage product storage auction hall auctioneer’s office

1 2 3

catwalk cafe auction hall

9

ground floor plan

3

2

1

second floor plan 36

The building makes use of two structural grids. Like the objects held within, the structural grid of the building currently existing on the site is reused. A square grid is introduced, rotated to align with the single instance of non-orthogonality present in the existing structure. This newly introduced structure is used to support the facade and roof and to expand the building upward to host additional programs (cafe and catwalk). The misalignments and intersections of the two grids result in a series of tapered spaces that provide variety in the spatial qualities of the storage areas and encourage visitors to meander and stumble upon the building's contents. The misalignments also allow for certain parts of the existing structure to protrude beyond the junk facade, revealing the functions of the warehouse to passersby. For this reason, non-storage programs (offices, repair area, auction hall, cafe) are placed around the building's perimeter.

Most of the building's square footage is occupied by the storage area, which provides businesses and individuals with various spaces to display their machinery within. They are also provided with space on the gabion walls between each storage space to display piles of excess products and parts manufactured with the displayed machinery. Once a storage space is no longer occupied, the excess products are transferred to the roof, where they are piled amongst more "junk". The junkroof is accessible by the public and the objects are available for them to take, allowing new life to be given to the discarded.

junkroof

electrical system

HVAC system

junk

gabion walls

metal cap flashing HSS18X20X1 double pane insulated glass W21X101

machines

HSS6X6X0.5 double pane insulated glass

W21X101

circulation

W21X101 HSS18X18X1 steel gabion wire mesh junk

steel support plate

1" lightweight concrete flooring base plate anchor bolts welded wire mesh 8" slab on grade foundation vapor barrier gravel

new structure

existing structure

wall section 37

By repurposing and recontextualizing objects to communicate its interior through its exterior and reference the city's industries, the warehouse acts as a single place of clarity in this city of obscurity and represents both the past and future of Vernon.

wood

mechanical space

metal

loading

main entrance

E

38

offices

glass

Fruitland Ave entrance

auctioneer office

N

auction hall

plastic

cafe

W

wood

mechanical 52nd St entrance space

repairs

mechanical space

loading

S

39

Thank you for your time!

Yoseph Wolde-Mariam y.a.woldemariam@gmail.com