CONRAD SPECKERTArchitecture + Design

2015

PORT FOLIOCV

Westmount Library

Galt Housing

Abrigo

Riverside Atelier

Alternative Current

Artwork & Photography

3

4

10

14

16

18

24

Copyright © All rights reserved.

CONRADSPECKERTThis portfolio is a sample of my recent work. I invite you to review these projects and welcome your feedback.

Thank you.

www.helvetianer.com

conrad.speckert@gmail.com905 . 396 . 3556

7 Melville StCambridge, ONN1S 2H4

OBJECTIVEPlacement as architectural intern to contribute in all aspects of design from site study to construction

EDUCATION2014 - presentUNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURECandidate for Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Honours, Co-op

2015.06ROSEWOOD STUDIO, PERTH, ONThe Basics of Fine Woodworking, an intensive two week woodworking course learning to use hand tools and shop machinery

2010 - 2014TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL, PORT HOPE, ONOntario Secondary School Diploma, Academic Distinction

WORK EXPERIENCE2011 - 2013GENERAL LABOURER at Lewis Property Maintenance, Toronto, ON

> Summer employment in landscaping and groundskeeping for over 100 properties including public schools and corporate campuses

> Steadfast, reliable performance during long shifts of physical, outdoor work

2010 - 2014TOUR GUIDE at Trinity College School, Admissions Department

> Provided general office support and campus tours to visitors

> Assisted in organizing alumni events; developed training for new recruits

> Answered questions and concerns of families in a professional manner

AWARDS2015.05Honourable Mention in SSEF CompetitionArchitectural design using recycled steel, awarded by the Steel Structures Education Fund for Environmental Design project

2014.08President’s Entrance Scholarship94% admissions average to the University of Waterloo

2014.06Duke of Edinburgh Gold AwardPresented by Royal Princess Anne for extensive volunteering, skill development and travel

SKILLS

Rhinoceros 5Maxwell RenderAutoCADSketchUpAdobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign

Analog Hand drafting, Sketching, Modelmaking, Woodworking, Lasercut/CNC

Framing, Drywall, Painting

Other Fluent in German, Basic French

CV 3

2014.03 | 1B Design Studio Final

Neighbourhoods along the St. Clair transit line are growing and increasing the demand for schools and parks. A new public library helps to address this demand and strengthen the neighbourhood it serves. The ideal site, an empty parking lot on Westmount Ave, indicates that an above-ground intervention would require a significant setback and obstruct the windows of neighbouring townhouses. Hence the proposal for an underground library was developed. The ground plane thereby remains open to form a public space with circular light wells revealing the library below. The building digs down three stories to accommodate a hackers’ lab, childrens collection and reading circle.

selected for 2015 Annual Exhibition of Exemplary Student Work

WESTMOUNTLIBRARY

section perpendicular to street

Westmount Library 5

site plan

rendered view from reading circle

Building underground presented a number of unique challenges. Bringing sufficient light into the depths of the stair and lightwells involved the careful positioning of surface openings, choosing reflective materials and testing with iterative sketch models. The study of precedents in underground construction informed much of the project.

Westmount Library 7

-1

-2

-3

underground floor plans

Westmount Library 9

commons

children’s libraryoffice

adult libraryreading circle

hacker’s labmedia center

cardboard model

2015.02 | 1B Design Studio

A medium-density residential complex near the Waterloo School of Architecture. Twenty units of just under 60m2 are divided among four buildings on three stories. The study of housing precedents was vital to developing a sustainable, inviting and affordable design. In particular, the Moriyama House by SANAA in Japan encouraged the careful placement of terraces, gardens and large bay windows to form a sense of community in the complex. Cross-ventilation, efficient circulation and sufficient natural light were carefully considered in the positioning of each building, apartment and window.

Project Partners: Jane Hung, Elizabeth Lenny, Diana Si, Martha Trivett

GALTHOUSING

site plan

perspective render from blair road in february

Galt Housing 11

perspective render from balcony

section

east elevation

south elevation

north elevation

Galt Housing 13

N

site plan

2015.05 | Humid Climate Design

The Oasis suggests a place of choice and evokes images of a destination: a grove or orchard, a market or crossroads, an arcade or verandah-- a sanctuary. The Oasis is a small compartment in the large scaleless boundary, where sun becomes shade, harsh light becomes dappled, still air becomes a breeze and monotony gives way to transition and variation. An Oasis is where you go for renewal and experience a ritual in your life like a cool drink after a “long trek...

- Terri Boake, professorfrom project outline

ABRIGO

maximumventilation

normal

closed

wind speeds above 12 m/s blow the louvers shut; once the wind dies down, they return to normal position

window louvers

- narrow floorplan to maximize cross ventilation

- tall trees positioned to East and West for shade

- no west-facing glazing to reduce afternoon heat gain

- ventilated pitched roof with high ceilings and operable french windows

- raised above ground to minimize dampness and maximize ventilation below

- building oriented along North-South axis to minimize East-West sun exposure

- screened verandahs with overhangs to prevent insect problems and shelter from rain

- lightweight construction with radiant barrier, shiny foil, to reduce heat gain through roof

Abrigo 15Abrigo 15

hand draftedfloor plan

2014.12 | 1A Design Studio Final

So-called makers spaces offer a creative environment to share and learn skills in woodworking, bookbinding and even 3D printing. The City of Cambridge has proposed sites along the Grand River to be developed into a live/work space for individual artists and craftsmen to use for one-year residencies. The site is a drab parking lot obstructed by a three meter concrete floodwall. The workshop, requiring public and vehicular access, acts as an extrusion of the floodwall while the living space is perched above to enjoy unobstructed views of the river and privacy from the street. The interior is characterized by the double-height work space and benefits from large south-facing windows. On the outside, the vertical timber cladding distinguishes the living space from the concrete of the workshop.

RIVERSIDEATELIER

north elevation

hand drafted interior perspective

Riverside Atelier 17

section perpendicular to street

2015.04 | SSEF Competition

Transmission towers are tall under-utilized steel lattice structures with a tentative future. A more localized economy would question the need for these bulky eyesores and demand they be used more efficiently. Alternative Current proposes the disassembly of transmission towers to return them to a more human and approachable scale. By seperating the steel lattice, a set of canopied structures is envisioned to accomodate a range of program. For instance, By using some of the steel as frames for stalls, the spaces would form an ideal outdoor marketplace. The steel is used to suspend lightweight fabric canopies to provide shading and rain cover. These canopies come in the shape of a hypar, a tensioned anticlastic shape and a humble acknowledgement of the work of 2015 Pritzker Prize winning architect, Frei Otto.

Project Partners:Genna Kalvaitis and Michelle Sprackman

ALTERNATIVECURRENT

axonometric of canopy with stall

N

proposed site plan as farmer’s market in Cambridge

Alternative Current 19

membrane plate detail exploded

membrane platedetail together

part A

part B

part C 1 2

3

4

5

6

two 8m x 8m canopies consistof parts C 3+ and C 2

one 10m x 10m canopy consistsof parts C 1 and C 1+

one 12m x 12m canopy consistsof parts C 5 and C 5+

one 14m x 14m and one 16m x 16mcanopies consist of parts C 4 and C 6

flip

flip

flip

flip

flip

C 1+

C 3+

C 5+

By splitting the steel lattice structure at its joints, equally sized corners are created, each retaining its original strength and support girders. To properly accommodate the double curvature of the hypar shaped canopy, each module consists of two tall and two short corners positioned at a diagonal.

Due to the angle of the original tower, the canopies come in a range of square dimensions and heights.

Alternative Current 21

perspective render of farmer’s market

Alternative Current 23

ARTWORK &PHOTOGRAPHY

Villa Savoye2012.02

foamcore scale model

“Designing is a matter of concentration. You go deep into what you want to do. It’s about intensive research, really. The concentration is warm and intimate and like the fire inside the earth - intense but not distorted. You can go to a place, really feel it in your heart. It’s actually a beautiful feeling.”

Peter ZumthorHaldenstein, 2011

Pilgrimage2015.07

photographing the phenomenological architecture of

Peter Zumthor in the Swiss Alps

Artwork & Photography 25

Joan Miro’s William Tell2013.01

William Tell was a strong, respected farmer and expert with the crossbow. He lived in the village of Altdorf, dominated by the emperors of Austria. The newly appointed Austrian lord demanded that all the villagers bow to a hat placed in the central square. When Tell visited the town with his young son and they refused to bow to the hat, they were arrested. The lord, intrigued by Tell’s marksmanship but resentful of his defiance, devised a cruel punishment. In order to spare their lives, Tell would have to shoot an apple off his son’s head in a single attempt. Tell aimed and succesfully split the apple with his shot.

However the lord noticed he had removed not one, but two arrows from his quiver. When asked why, Tell replied that if he had missed, he would have used the second arrow to kill the lord. Angered, the lord imprisoned him. However, Tell managed to escape and eventually killed the lord.

Industry Road2013.10

Artwork & Photography 27

Thank you for your time and interest.

Sincerely,

www.helvetianer.com

conrad.speckert@gmail.com905 . 396 . 3556

7 Melville StCambridge, ON

N1S 2H4