MArch Application Portfolio 2025

Architecture Portfolio 2024/5

cAsA ProfessA

circus eruPtion

4 trAvelogue

5 ProfessionAl rebirth

cAsA ProfessA

The theme of justice was one inherent to the nature of my project, due to my site’s history and its intended use. Along with it came the idea of judgement, fate, and the changing of such fate – revising or negating it.

Justice (Interpreting the Past):

Justice is in its nature absolute, following a predetermined set of rules, it is – in Freudian terms – both propelling and pathological. It requires a deep understanding of context and therefore, is in part an interpretation of the past.

Judgement (Directing Fate):

Judgement throughout history was carried out by both the state and the church. It is propelling in its nature, and it directly affects the development of the fate of both the individual and the city. An act of judgement aims to enact justice.

Fate and the Monument:

Fate stands as a pathological monument of an individual’s and a city’s existence. It is inevitable and unchangeable. Fate much like the past, is fixed. The only way its interpretation can change is through revisionism, an appeal.

Appeal (Reshaping Fate):

A revisionist attitude to judgements allows for appeals to take place, and for these judgements to be repealed or altered. This nature of appeals makes them a propelling monument of the legal system – and fate.

The pursuit of the objective truth to the past is investigated through my work.

In 1565 the Archbishop of Milano commissioned the Architect Pellegrino Tibaldi to begin plans for a new Jesuit Church and Housing in central Milan. By 1568 he had prepared the first design, and by 1569 the Nave started being constructed. The Church and Housing were finally completed in 1597.

The relationship of the house and the church was a close one featuring openings and passages between the two, where the Jesuit residents could observe service from inside the Casa Professa.

The Church had become a propelling monument to the city and one of the protagonists of the surrounding area. The site lost its status with the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1763 and was demonumentalised.

In 1773 the site was converted from a house of worship to the Civic archives of the city of Milan. This was an act of negationism for the site’s history but not for its form, creating an inherent, but pathological relationship of the site with the city.

In 1837 a floor was added to the building, and the archives were joined by a new Police Centre of the city of Milan. This in an act of revisionism recreated a link of the site to judgement, created a new link to the idea of justice, and allowed the site to become propelling in nature again, strengthening its relationship with the city.

In 1943 the Site – with the exception of the Church – was destroyed in the Allied Forces’ bombings.

The site was redeveloped, and a new road was introduced. Its relationship with the city was severed, and it became pathological, losing its link to justice and faith.

In 1959 Figini e Pollini’s Palazzo per Uffici e Libreria in via Hoepli was completed, the first new building on the destroyed site stood opposite the church and housed the offices of the Hoepli Publishing house, as well as, a small bookshop. Rebuilding the site’s relationship with the city, and making the building a protagonist of the site.

In 1964 BBPR Architects’ Palazzo Uffici Chase was introduced to the site, intended to link the edge of the Hoepli with the San Fedele Church, a job that ended up being left for Luigi Caccia Dominioni.

hiStoricAl reviSioniSm

Historical Revisionism becomes part of the architectural form of the building. The three attitudes towards history – revisionism, negationism, and traditionalism – allow interaction with the existing fabric and the creation of a combined work between both the site’s past and present architects.

The three buildings interact between themselves, as well as, with the now-destroyed Casa Professa. The attitudes of their architects are found in the interventions, the codesigning process, therefore, included not just the existing, but also, the architects Figini and Pollini, BBPR, and Pellegrino Tibaldi.

This interaction includes features of revisionism where the past returns and reshapes the present fabric, and allows it to take form both in material and shape.

Traditionalism allows the fabric to retain its current nature in part. The buildings therefore, retain a part of their current design styles, materials, and forms.

Negationism also comes into the interaction, not only creating errors in the revisionist aspects by affecting materiality and form, but also by collaging features of the present site onto itself and creating further interactions within it.

Precedents from each architect’s work were heavily referenced and research on their architectural attitudes was conducted, to more accurately represent them in the proposed scheme.

On the right, the interaction of the three attitudes with the scheme is first seen in the project’s development. Black represents the retained, blue the returned, and red the removed.

cASA ProFeSSA

The three existing buildings would operate as separate entities joined together by a circulation space in the centre. They would be separated not only in design but also in function as the three branches of the appeals process.

San Fedele, would become a Court of Public Affairs, and host trials of private disputes between individuals.

Hoepli, would become a Court of Civil Affairs, and host the trials of disputes between individuals and the State.

Chase Bank, would become the central office building and a Court of Commercial Affairs, and host trials between commercial entities, and individuals or the State.

ground Floor - recePtion

Throughout the project BBPR’s Chase Bank’s Galleria columns of exaggerated proportions reverberate, in an act of historical revisionism, converting areas of the project from pathological to propelling, by creating spaces of monumental proportions and inviting the city inwards, allowing it to pass through the development and evolve.

The columns also introduce a Rieglian sense of newness value into the site. Through this introduction of newness, the project’s existing buildings thus develop their comparative sense of historical and use values.

The introduction of these gigantic columns (1000x800mm) on the inside of the San Fedele Church is especially effective, as not only does it allow for the development of historical and use values, but it also increases the art value of the surrounding churches’ ornamentation and art, through the comparative presence of these undecorated columns.

The column grid surrounds the full court and allows for the re-monumentalisation of the Church, becoming a monument of the city once again as an individual of both the site and the city.

technicAl Section oF court

The waffle slab sky-light of the highest courtroom in the scheme creates a feeling of divinity within the room, and implies that the position of the Judge – backlit by the rays – is one which can shift fate itself.

The window grids surrounding the rest of the room create a level of transparency to the outside world.

Inspired in design by the concealed grilles through which Jesuits could view religious processions, so too does the city view the ceremony of the Judicial process.

The detail focuses on the cladding system of the top segment, as well as on the structure of the waffle-slab skylights.

interSection oF hiStorieS

The intersection of all three attitudes: Revisionism, Negationism, and Traditionalism.

The Hoepli (Bottom Left) represents revisionism, the old and the new intertwine to create a new reality.

The Extension (Top Left) represents negationism, a new form uninterested in the scope of history but inevitably shaped by it.

Chase Bank (Bottom Right) represents traditionalism, retaining its original form unaltered by the scheme.

DeAth birth rebirth

In researching and exploring the concept of inscribed memory and the process of creating it, in my research period for Casa Professa, I developed many pieces.

These pieces come together to form a narrative. To tell it I created a short film that uncovers the history of Milan, explores its monuments and their monumentality, introduces my site, and ends with my proposal.

The audio features sounds I captured in Milan paired with music and poetry. The two poems in the film are ‘Ithaca’ by C.P. Cavafis and ‘Dello Stresso’ from Giacomo Leopardi’s Canti. While ‘Ithaca’ discusses the idea of memory and the importance of the present, ‘Dello Stresso’ focuses on the shortness of human lives.

The audio in its repetition becomes part of the analysis itself through the signaling to the viewer of the beginning of a new cycle. The poems link thematically to the topic of memory. The rolling background signifies the passage of time.

The visual and auditory patterns are meant to engrave themselves into the mind of the observer and become the sole remanent memory of the piece.

the deAth oF the monument link: https://youtu.be/9OZ8aWWHQfE

ircus eruPtion

The client organisation, Circus Eruption, is the first integrated circus in the UK and is a registered charity that has been providing a free, safe, and supportive space for young people to learn circus skills since 1991.

The organisation relies on a large number of energetic volunteers to provide high ratios of support for their members who take part in weekly workshops. Members’ ages typically range from 5 to 18 years.

The charity defines itself as ‘young-person-centred with diversity inclusion, equality, and fun at its heart’, as around a third of any group will have declared challenges.

Fundamentally, it is important that any perceived challenges are not stigmatised or considered restrictive.

“Seeing confidence, resilience, empowerment and sense of belonging grow is amazing.” Karen Chalk.

A group project undertaken in the first semester of my MArch course, I acted as lead designer and construction consultant, producing a majority of the visuals, all work showcased here is my own.

Our proposal was to provide a space that allows Circus Eruption to evolve and to enhance the opportunity for their ethos to extend to the wider community.

Expanding Circus Eruption’s existing programme to groups in the community that share similar missions to the organisation, we created a safe and supporting environment that will allow for flexible and adaptable spaces with inclusive design at the forefront.

Our design incorporated a strategy based on following traditional circus designs, primarily inspired by the use of fabric tents. We were prompted to create fabric partitions both hanging from the existing fabric and mounted on wood, to allow for multifunctional use.

By using local materials, resources, labour and artists this project would create cohesion in Swansea’s community. Enabling a sense of togetherness and belonging not only for the users but for all involved.

The core space of our proposed development would be the central circulation space which would act both as a transitional space between the different segments of the scheme, and as a reception and entrance hall.

It was the space which required the highest degree of resolution, as it was one of the non refurbished segments of the scheme, along with the revised roof of the Mission Hall.

We strived to create a natural level of guidance through the space, allowing the users to navigate intuitively. This would be achieved through the use of guiding lines both directly and indirectly implemented throughout the space. Both through the use of materiality, and through the use of lighting.

the lighting

Lighting was an integral part of how this space would guide users through the space intuitively during both day and night.

A skylight whose shape acted as a reminder of the removed fabric was created and the light projected through it would reflect of the floor to both lighten the space and create a visual guiding line through the space.

In combination with artificial lighting whose temperature transitioned from a cooler temperature on the side of the lighter naturally lit Mission Hall, to a warmer temperature on the side of the darker Main Hall, the lighting of the space enhanced the intuitiveness of navigating the space.

technicAl exPlorAtion

This technical exploration focuses on the intersection between the existing and added fabric and the boundary of the Mission Hall and ‘The Sanctum’, the added extension cladded in Cor-Ten Steel and supported by a structure of steel beams.

The detail focuses not only on the segment of the intersection but also on the supporting structure, roof garden, and skylight aspects of the design, attempting not to definitively resolve them, but to attain a better general understanding of the requirements.

1. 200mm Thermawall TW50 Insulation Cavity Board

2. 1mm Zink Coping Drainage Gutter

3. 100mm Wooden Support Pillar

4. 50mm Thermawall TW50 Insulation Cavity Board

5. 10mm Suspended Plaster Board

6. 75x300mm Steel Support Grid

7. 15mm Plaster Board and Render

8. 200x400mm Structural I-Beam

APArtMents in PAgrAti

In the historic neighbourhood of Pagrati in Athens, a name taken from the discovery of a historical temple, lies an abandoned piece of historical Greek modernism.

The work of Nikolaos Sofianos, an Architect, writer, and filmmaker, is defined by its expressive curves and poured concrete mural. Built in the 1970s, and abandoned since 1998, the building has fallen into ruin, its character deformed and its use lost.

The client – a multinational corporation – wants to breathe new life into the building and create flats to be rented out to individual owners, with a wide range of amenities offered in the building, and different levels of luxury offered.

The intended building use and the project itself were of a challenging nature. In the changing Athenian landscape, the constant loss of historical and national identity is inevitable. As architects, it falls onto us to retain this lost identity. To what end does the pursuit of profit justify ignorant design choices.

The characteristic curves made for the inspiration of an architectural proposal which was later suited to the client’s preferences. The initial proposal was designed to be a retelling of the history of the building, and its life in the 1970’s.

Seen on the rightmost column are the inspirations for the design, the extension and reverberation of the existing curvature on the top right, and a collage of life in Athens in the 70s, underneath.

Several proposals were developed, the first of which is this.

I am co-leading this project with another Junior Architect, as part of my year in practice in Athens, Greece. Bottom Left grouped images are not my own. All other work is my own.

The building is laid out over multiple floors.

The use case varies throughout these floors with a predominantly built-to-rent portion, and several Airbnb units.

The basement and ground floor house amenities for the residents or visitors to the building, a gym, spa, and sauna. While the top most interconnected floors house a luxury apartment with multiple private amenities. The typical floor is a threebedroom flat with conversion potential into a 2 bed with an external rentable single bedroom which was requested for Airbnb use, as seen on the rightmost graphic.

In total, there are: Two mixed-use floors – basement and ground floor – providing amenities and accommodation. On the ground floor, there is a 1b2p flat that splits onto the mezzanine level. The mezzanine, where there is an additional 1b2p flat. The four floors above, with one 2b3p flat each, convertible to 3b4p through an internal access point, required for Airbnb use. The topmost flat is a 1b2p luxury apartment that extends to the floor above it, with both internal and external access.

interior renderS

The flats’ interior design was inspired by mid-century modern interiors that were popular at the time of the building’s original use.

Using wooden finishes for both a lot of the furniture and walls I was able to create a seamless transition between the entrance hall and the kitchen area, as well as to hide an access point to the semi-detached single bedroom adjacent to the typical flat.

Curves whose radii were taken from the existing curves of the building and their reverberation throughout the project formed the primary characteristic for the style of the internal furnishing and design.

The client’s rigidity with the specifics of the design limited the project’s range, and the possible design solutions and interpretations that we could come up with.

trAvelogue

VALUES OF ARCHITECTURE

My architectural photography acted as a means to explore values which would go on to shape my work. These photos are mainly focused on the relationship of light with the built environment.

In creating my photographic collections I went through a process of selection. This was a selection of my most visually prominent memories of the city of Milan.

Going through my photos I had to choose what to remember and what to forget in order to create a curated version of the city through my eyes. I thus focused on a few architectural qualities.

Inspired by the works of Milanese photographer Gabriele Basilico my photography was unpopulated, the user implied by the architecture, the importance of texture, light, form, and the old and the new maximised.

Two of these series are seen on the right.

The top four images are from the 22A series, exploring the role of light in our perception of spatial interactions. How it creates thresholds, how it invites the observer to become a participant, how it interacts with the space around it.

The bottom four are from the Dark and Light Tour series, exploring the relationship of connected buildings, the old and the new, and the intricacy of texture and materiality in the built environment.