VERONIKA DESOVAPORTFOLIO 2 0 1 6

AWARDS

2015 Glasgow Institute of Architects Student AwardsSecond Year Commendation

2015 Finalist in START Competition - Rome Architecture and Cinema - with Marco Zaccaria (a cinematic museum for Rome)

2015 Best student of second year pick of “Merchant City Festival”

LANGUAGES

Bulgarian - NativeEnglish - Working proficiencyFrench - Intermediate Russian - IntermediateGerman - Beginner

REFERENCES

Mr. David MacRitchie - Year 2 Director, tutordavid.macritchie@strath.ac.uk

Dr. Andrew Agapiou - Director of Research in Architec-ture Department, lecturerandrew.agapiou@strath.ac.uk

SOFTWARE

Rhinoceros 5.0+ V-Ray/GrasshopperAutodesk Revit 2014Autodesk AutoCADGraphtsoft ArchiCADSketchUp ProAdobe Photoshop CCAdobe InDesign CCAdobe Illustrator CCAdobe Lightroom Office Suite 2015

EXPERIENCE

2015-2016 | “Architecture at 131”President of Strathclyde Student Architecture Society - responsible for organising architecture lectures, public speech, front student body

02.05.2015 - 20.12.2015 | “IAMVIP”Photographer

2014 - 2015 | “White Section” Co-founder, organiser and resident speaker for a student club for weekly peer-to peer discussions on architec-ture-related themes.

Summer 2014 | Architecture/Archeology Internship “Kastritsi”Together with team of professors and architecture mas-ter students I participated in the reconstruction and reno-vation of late-antiquity medieval fortress “Kastritsi”.

20.03.2014 - 25.07.2014 | Fundraiser at “Anthony No-lan” charityI got a certificate for outstanding results for fundraising for a blood cancer charity.

CONTACTS

veronikadesova.comvdesova1@gmail.com044 (0) 792 36 93 060

EDUCATION

2016 - Study exchange, ParisEcole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris La Villette

2013 - Architecture Studies RIBA Part 1University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

2008 - 2013 - Third Mathematics High School, Bulgaria

Veronika Desova available to work from mid August

Self portrait, crayon on paper, 20x28cm, 2015

Saujon

Paris

In Progress | Collaboration with Salma Berradateaching language: French | exchange project in ENSALV

Paris

Our task is to reorganise and reshape the streets of Saujon in favour of pedestrians and cyclists. The inhabitants of the small town near the Atlantic ocean coast have an already established preferred mode of transport - the car. However, it is no coinci-dence that the vehicles are the dominant way of transporting. The river Seudre splits the town and the lack of connections isolates the South residential area from the city centre. The highway which slashes the town also alienates the recreational zone with the densely populated area of Saujon. These factors together with the unfinished plans for pedestrian and cyclist routes contribute for the inconsistent and incoherent transmit

of activities.

Thus, in order to improve the quality of pedestrian and cyclist circulation throughout Saujon, we decided to link the key points of the town starting from the arrival spot (the Train station), through the city centre, the focal points of the city and finishing with the leisure point in the outskirts - the Wakeboard station. This established route would not only ease the access of pe-destrians and cyclists but also create a desirable, undisturbed green promenade with a subtle balance between all means of transport. Downtown streets can become destinations worth visiting, not just thruways to and from the workplace. Transit stops and stations would make commuting by rail or bus a pleasure. Neighbourhood streets are be places where parents feel safe letting their children play, and commercial strips are designed as grand boulevards, safe for walking and cycling

and allowing for both through and local traffic.

Soft ConnectionsSaujon, FR | Year Three | 16 weeks

The distribution of activites is uneven due to the lack of connections between North and South separated by the river. Through numerous bridges the site becomes homo-geneous and better explored.

The river front is an abandoned area occu-pied by parkings and and neglected pe-destrian pathways. Our project reorganises and explores the potential of the site.

Currently, the town is split into different sections which creates incoherent environ-ment. Our proposal explores these sectors through sensitive treatment of the pathways.

Problems and solutions:

Perspective showing one of the key points of intervention which connects the North part of town where the Wakeboard station is and the resitential South part.

The bridge is not only a link between the two sides of the river but also a viewing platform, a place for gathering and leisure and a focal point in the area.

focal points and public buildings

area of intervention: green spaces

cyclist routes

pedestrian routes

The axonometric drawing shows the differ-ent layers of intervention: the direction of the routes is determined by the focal points, the main gathering points and the public buildings; green spaces are introduced in the roads with shared use and the plazas; the cyclist routes that already exist are completed and improved which would encourage a more frequent use; the semi-pedestrian and pedestrian streets are a greater percentage of the overall identity of the transport net.

Thus, the city is connected which would en-courage circulation both pedestrian and cy-clist.

1:1000 study model shows the logical connec-tions of the city.

Currently there is inconsistent distribution of traffic due to the lack of connections. With this model we explored the shared circulation by connecting the key points of the town that need more efficient access. The density and importance of the routes is determined by the quantity of strings overlapping with each other. The hierarchy of pedestrian and cyclist paths is designed by the same principle so in the end the entire promenade is driven by logical connections that ensure efficient traffic flow.

Competition entry for START - Rome Architecture and Cinema Finalist | Collaboration with Marco Zaccaria

We deliberately chose to create a museum of cinema through the use of film only. We believe that cinema is an art, the visu-al manifestation of a pure idea conceived by the director and shaped by the eye of the camera. Objects, locations and even actors are not relevant per se, but only within the context of the movie. Therefore including any physical object (costumes, set designs, models) in the exhibition would only encourage dis-traction from the meaning to the signifier.

If the feeling of chaos and confusion is wanted and necessary (we must get lost to find ourselves), we still have to make sure that the visitor is ready for this experience. The entrance podi-um, with its minimal appearance and simple orthogonal plan, plays a key role. The visitors go through a sequence of identi-cal spaces, arranged on an axis; scenes from key movies on the side walls overlap with texts, projected on the semi-trans-parent fabric partitions that gradually isolate the internal space from the chaos of the city. During this journey, the visitor under-stands the aim and structure of the exhibition.

At the end of this introduction, they reach a vast, almost surreal cloud-like space. A thin grid based on a 50cm module shapes a complex system of voids, platforms, stairs and ramps, in which they are free to wander. Carefully selected scenes are project-ed on countless screens that seem to be floating in the air. The modular grid allows for the creation of all sorts of spaces. In the more enclosed spaces, seating is provided and the visitor is confronted with longer sequences from the same film, theme or director. In the more open spaces the focus is on confrontation, comparison, evolution and reference. Screens face each other, or overlap; synchronisation, sound, orientation, proximity and scale are all used to suggest relationships between different sources, but nothing is explicitly added to the content of the scenes.

A Cinema Museum Rome, Italy | Year Three | 2 weeks

Right page:conceptual plans showing the revolving shapeof the cirulation core and the waves of the skin

Bottom left page:schematic sections through the circula-tion core, ramps and introductory area

internal view of the main exhibitions space. the variety of sensual presentations create almost chaotic atmosphere which leads people through the path of cinematic beau-ty without showing or suggesting anything. People are invited to let their unique imagination flow and discover Rome through cinema and cinema through Rome.

The variety of sensual presentations sprin-kled around the main exhibition area on the projecting screens create almost chaotic at-mosphere which leads people through the path of cinematic beauty without showing or suggesting anything. People are invited to let their unique imagination flow and dis-cover Rome through cinema and cinema through Rome.

Left page:external envelope, the cloud’s grid

Right page:projecting screens, floors, the circulation central vortex

Perspective view looking towards the entry. People are invited to take a journey of changing light and knowledge. This section of the building is dedicated to introduce the viewer with basic and brief facts which would help him perceive the main exhibition space fully. As people go along the continuous semitransparent layers, the space gradually be-comes darker and mysterious which adapts the eye to the next scene

Perspective view looking towards south and the Colosseum.The dynamic and feminine shape recalls the monument in a contemporary and modernistic way.

“The city is like some large house and the house is in turn like some small city.” Leon Battista Alberti

The essential about this project was to learn how to develop an idea that acknowledges the urban forms and rules estab-lished by the patterns from the past and subvert these rules to my own agenda. The housing complex containing around 60 people explores the idea of the small city within a building with its own notion of order and chaos through the use of urban grid and the idea of the desired contemplation in the busy post-in-dustrial city jungle called Glasgow.

After preparing a schematic masterplan, I had to focus on one particular site. The housing development resembles the build-ing blocks from which the city is formed. Cellular components are repeated in an organised manner to become the physical backdrop to the urban realm. As the city is continually renew-ing and developing, one might almost argue that physical form erodes and decays through natural and unnatural processes and the only secure thing I had left to do is abandon my notion of vanity and the so-called idea of “building for the architects” and immerse myself into the basic needs and desires of the Tenants.

The ground floor becomes a boundary between the busy at-mosphere of Merchant city towards North and the private lanes of the neighbourhood towards South. Thus, the building be-haves according to the nature of these features: a market is created to connect the busy life and the office spaces situated in the semi-private area of the neighbourhood.

Voids have been created to stimulate interaction between lev-els. These voids and loggias create an open atmosphere that encourage airflow, open up to light and create a certain so-cial cohesion. The inhabitants of two stories share one outside space. This system strengthens the social atmosphere within the whole. The openings are spaces dedicated for communal gardens. The light and ventilation these also provide are in con-trast to the claustrophobic conditions of other developments in the area.

Urban Housing

Right page:

Technical axonometric section show-ing the communal gardens, the rotat-ed South-West facing terraces and the three bedroom duplex.

Glasgow, UK | Year Three | 12 weeksFeatured in End of the Year Exhibition 2016

fish market

market and bazaarmeat market

Candleriggsmarket

sugar market

market and bazaar

cheese market

Current retail spaces and marked historic markets

Visual acces to focal points

Circulation

Vehicle circulation

Pedestrian circulation

1. View to the court and Ingram

2. View to Merchant Square

4. View to the Theatre tower

3. View to the Toolbooth Tower

Exploring the main fea-tures of the City centre of Glasgow led to the creation of a masterplan which responds to the vibrant atmosphere of the city with its old markets (later incorporated in the ground floor of the com-plex) and picturesque historical views

Site analysis

20Ground floor 1:500

1m2m

5m10m

First floor plan 1:100

Situated next to the remains of one of the oldest churches in Scotland and the third oldest university in the world, the li-brary responds to the distinctive ecclesiastical and academic atmosphere by combining both into a homogenous and dy-namic piece of architecture.

The space revolves around a dramatic, almost sacred sky-light in the canter of the library which has been highlighted by a 50mm thick steel ropes that support the central staircase bathed in a carefully studied light. Both a symbolic and struc-tural element, the spiral stair plays a vital role since its main function is not only to facilitate human movement, but also provide a platform where people can gather.

The library’s identity embodied in the fluid volumes of the stair extends further in the reading and study platforms. They are fixed on four concrete cores with the shape of an open book. The platforms revolve around the light and movement while providing a view of the interior and the exterior. Also, the na-ture of the spaces changes hierarchically – the higher people go, the quieter it becomes. The busy ground floor dedicated to the social activities transforms into a quiet series of study carrels. The contrasting character is reinforced by the use of materials: timber for the social spaces, steel and concrete for the study areas.

A LibrarySt. Andrews | Year Two | 13 weeks

GIA Award 2015 Commedation

Bottom left page: site plan Top right page: South elevation with the remains of the churchBottom right page: East and West elevation

1:20 section showing the key spaces of the library: the focal point which is the staircase, study and social areas and the rooftop garden with the South view of the quiet back yard.

Roof and ceiling:steel deckingconcete slabOSBwaterproofing rigit insulation 120mmdrainage layer 65mmrounded shingle layer (20-40mm) Wall:metal fixing of mechanical louvresgutterplywood cavity closer

Wallsteel fixing mechanical louvrestimber claddingservice area/battensDPMOSB 18mmwood fibre insulation 80Roof:PV panel steel fixingzinc claddingDPM

OSB 18mmService gaprigit insulationtimber finishglulam beamkerbsteel fixingFloor/ceiling:steel beamtimber finish steel decking steel cantilever beam

Floor/roof:extensive substrate 140mmdrainage layer 65mmOSB 18mmconcrete slab 120mmsteel deckingcantilevered hollowed beam

rigid waterproof insulation120 mm and DPMWall:steel fixings to concrete coreouter concrete layer 100mminner concrete layer/core 220rigid waterproof insulation 80steel fixing

concrete slabDPMrigit insulationscreed 65mmtimber finish

Roof/ceiling:steel fixing to louvresguttertimber cladding 18mmwood fibre insulationtimber window fixingglulam beamplasterboard finish

OSBrigit insul.caviti gap/battens DPMzinc clad-ding

timber finish 18mmwood fibre insulationOSB 18mmService gap/battens

timber claddingcavity/service layerDPM and OSB 18mmwood fibre insulation

The shape of the plan follows the axis of the remains of the cathedral which is the dominant direction of the site. In order to create a more friendly appearance to the South, the social space unit is rotated according to the slope. This change of direction indicates the change of activ-ities.

Top left page:Perspective looking towards the entry from the main social area.

Bottom left and right page:schematic longitudinal section with the surround-ings

Right page:1:100 plans (scaled to fit)

I was asked to choose a religion, investigate into the litur-gical practices and design a medium scaled place of wor-ship dedicated to communal activity. My aim was to create a place with architectural aspirations that fulfil not only the functional but also the atmospheric expectations.

The synagogue is positioned on the shore of Loch Fyne in Inveraray, a small Scottish town with a rich history. Pointing towards East according to the Jewish dogmas, the build-ing’s shape is dictated by the street lines and corners. The sharp forms and outlines seen from the loch, recall the pri-mary industry in the town – fishing and the Noah’s ark. The plan is an interpretation of the star of David and revolves according the hierarchy of the activities since a synagogue must be a house of prayer, study and assembly.

The light flows down all around the building from skylight openings that contribute to an interior of delicacy, intimacy and calm. In the main gathering space the light is diffused through a mesh curtain creating a golden glow that tran-scends the solidity of the surrounding stone and the dic-tates of history.

A Place of WorshipInveraray, Scotland | Year Two | 8 weeks

Right page:

Perspective from the entrance of the main sanctuary place

concrete foundation DPM

sole plate

slate

concrete filling

kerb zinc

double glazedglass

DPM

plywood

water deflectorplate

6mm MSsteel plate

double glazedglass

bolt

DPM

zinc

steel plate

plywood

spring plate

The building is made of three key parts which are essential for ev-ery synagogue: house of prayer, house of study and house of as-sembly. These spaces function simultaneously in order to create homogenous public space.

The three interlocking parts are shaped according to their hier-archy. The most important - the main sanctuary is the highest and stands against the others in order to announce its primary function.

Shaped according to the sur-rounding urban realm and the star of David, the synagogue also re-sembles a ship pointing towards East as fishing is the main industry in town.

Loch Fyneleft page:technical section and 1:20 details(scaled to fit)

Right page: schematic ground floor plan showing the posi-tioning of the building

Perspective from Loch Fyne looking towards the town and the synagogue during winter time. The synagogue resem-bles a ship which recalls the main industry in town - fishing. The distinctive shape is seen from far and becomes a focal point in the city.

In this project I was asked to create a space for twelve philoso-phers. I investigated what it means “to gather”, understood as a basic human need while engaging with the challenge to offer equality of views and light.

Considering that my project was located next to an old grave yard I decided to respond and connect to that given feature of the site through the use of a symbolic geometric shape. The square - a symbol of the mortality of man, rotated according to the sun path, provides each person with a tranquil South panorama. The philosophers live separately in small modest studios where the most exquisite decoration is their fine view of the Scottish landscape. The heart of the building which splits the twelve studios in half, is a small library made from glass panels. The shape of this well lit space is extruded in length and width out of the rest of the concrete structure and serves as a gathering point that gives an 180 degrees view.

Enclosed between the philosopher’s shelter and the steep North slope leading to the town, the inhabitants are provided with a small garden - a place for contemplation and relaxation. In the middle of this garden is positioned a greenhouse which visually connects to the library’s shape and material. The green-house not only replaces the exterior garden during winter time and frequent rainy days but also acts as an entry to an under-ground debating chamber. This undisturbed by noise, people and everyday reality problems place for debate and creation of new philosophy theories is only hinted in the external space through the extruded cubic shapes of the skylights positioned in the middle of the garden. They serve a function of minimalist sculptures and determine the focal point of the garden.

Philosopher’s RetreatKilmartin, Scotland | Year Two | 4 weeks

Left page:Plan (fit to scale) showing the rooms of the philosophers and the back yard garden

Right page:Perspective looking towards South.

In this project, for the first time, I was engaged with a real client - the Glaswegian artist Alex Frost.

My aim was to create a building that would entirely respond to the artist’s dynamic work and also match the unique ex-pressive style of each contemporary piece of art though the use of light, space and different levels of interaction.

The project was not only concerned with the artist’s needs but also - the society’s needs. The location of the gallery - Gallowgate (the East End of Glasgow) is known for its vari-ous minorities and ethnic cultures that spread their unique character and identity through different commercial activi-ties, events and gatherings. Still, there is an increasing de-mand for a cultural platform, a gallery with a distinctive face and value which would bring together all the different cul-tures not only with its social aspect but also architecturally.

The project was exhibited in The Barras Art Gallery, Strathclyde End of Year Exhibition and featured in A-Space yearbook.

A City Art GalleryGlasgow, UK | Year One | 9 weeks

Section showing the busy street and the back yard of the gallery

Axonometric drawing showing the exter-nal and internal massing of the gallery. The shapes of the front and back fa-cades are respectively extruded and pulled in to reflect the character of the of the urban realm - extrovert and busy towards the street and introvert and peaceful when facing the back yard.

1, ground floor/lobby, cafeteria/

2. first floor/space for large art pieces/

3. second floor/workshop, viewpoint, tem-porary exhsibitions/

4. third floor/naturally lit exhibition space/

The level of natural light is adapted according to the kind of the art pieces that were going to be exhibited at each floor.

Since the gallery is also a local gathering space, a workshop and a focal point in the East End neighbourhood where every ethnic minority among the many in this area could find a place to express their unique character, the facade

expresses that feature through its shapes. I de-cided to bring together the numerous little Polish kiosks, Turkish kebaps, Chinese shops, etc through the form of the window openings that replicate their shapes.

Now this seemingly detached neighbourhood seems complete. Architecture and society are one.

Veronika DesovaPortfolio 2016

veronikadesova.comvdesova1@gmail.com

0044 (0) 792 36 93 060