ALEXIS PIERSONs e l e c t e d w o r k s 2 0 1 5

a l e x i s p i e r s o n 9 0 @ g m a i l . c o m

Bachelor of ArchitectureVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University - Blacksburg, VAMember of Alpha Rho Chi Professional Architecture FraternitySecond Year Design Competition Honorable Mention 2010

Center for European Studies and Architecture - Riva San Vitale, SwitzerlandCombined full-time studio project and Italian classes together with educational travel throughout seven countries.

Washington Alexandria Architecture Center - Alexandria, VAInternational consortium hosted by Virginia Tech based on fostering both foreign and local relation-ships while working in an open studio environment.

Architectural DesignerLKH Architects - Alexandria, VASmall-scale firm specializing in residential, government, educational, religious, and commercial design.• Construction Documents - Prepare CDs in CAD, incorporating customer ideas and graphic

standards with red-line critiques.• Site Surveying - Efficiently measure and sketch for an expedited schematic design approach.• Permit Preparation - Arrange construction and legal documents for City of Alexandria before all

deadlines.• Material Selection - Collaborate with customers and vendors on materials, fixtures, finishes,

and pricing.• Document Writing - Draft customer contracts, invitations to bid, and write contractor specs.• Correspondence Organization - Regularly schedule meetings between customers and bidding

contractors for design execution.

Architectural DesignerDWD Construction Services - Alexandria, VAResidential Design/Build General Contractor sharing office space with LKH Architects (above) with partnership on many shared projects.• Involvement in more than 30 addition and renovation projects.• Construction Documents - Extensive knowledge of assembly and standards including founda-

tion, framing, finishing, electrical, mechanical, and lighting systems.• Project Management - Help supervise projects from creative process through completion.• Schematic Design - Plan small and large scale additions and renovations in local areas.• Design Development - Partner closely with manager on every project for the most field expo-

sure possible.• Permit Preparation - Well-versed in both local and international codes e.g. IBC, IRC, ADA, etc.• Material Selection - Familiar with popular vendors and both classic and contemporary trends;

close ties to local subs for expedited completion.• Construction Observation - Regular visits to job sites to learn and photograph.• Customer Relations - Frequent contact to build strong connections with loyal clients.

Graphic DesignerHokies on Fire Committee - Virginia Tech• Marketing - Member of a creative team responsible for unique advertisement strategies in

order to maximize student attendance at both men’s and women’s basketball games.• Graphic Design - Designed paraphernalia, distributional items, and themed-game

t-shirts featured on ESPN Game Day with over 6,000 sold in bookstores.

ALEXIS PIERSON, AIA ASSOC.1411 N Highland St. Arlington, VA 22201 | C: 703.489.1585 | alexispierson90@gmail.com

2008 - 2013

Spring 2012

Fall 2011

EDUCATION

EXPERIENCEJan 2015 - Present

Oct 2013 - Present

Sept 2009 - Mar 2011

Software • AutoCAD Architecture• PowerCADD• Adobe Photoshop• Adobe Illustrator• Adobe InDesign• Rhinoceros• SketchUp Pro• 3D Rendering

Analog• Construction Methodology• Site Surveying & Planning• Technical Detail Drafting• Foundation Design & Framing• Graphic Design• Model Making• Photography• Spanish Proficiency

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

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S E L E C T E D W O R K STA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

A R L I N G T O N A D D I T I O N P R O P O S A L

A S T U D Y O F L I G H T & S H A D O W

A M O N A S T E R Y

2 0 1 4 A R L I N G T O N A D D I T I O N P R O P O S A Ld w d c o n s t r u c t i o n s e r v i c e s

A Japanese couple requested an unconventional addi-tion onto the back of their modest 1930’s bungalow in Arlington, VA.

DWDDW DIVELY CONSTRUCTION

SERVICES2 1 0 7 M O U N T V E R N O N A V E . A L E X A N D R I A , V A 2 2 3 0 1

Phone: 703-299-8929 | Fax: 703-299-8930

RYMAR ADDITION PROPOSALSCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0" REVISED 07.10.14

NEW MASTERBEDROOM

TOILETROOM

WALKIN

CLOSET

REF.

DW

CLOSETFUTURE W/D

30X60TUB

JAPANESESHOWER

ROOM

UPNEW STAIRLOCATION

DOWNBSMT EGRESS

NEW LOCATION

DN TO BSMT

NICHE

1624 S. OAKLAND STARLINGTON, VA 22204

30X72 TABLE

ISLANDW/ RAISED BAR

NEW KITCHEN

EXISTING HOUSE(NO WORK)

4X16 OPEN DECK

60 DOOR

DINING AREA

MASTERBATH

FOYER

COVEREDLANDING

TOILETROOM

SHOWER CURTAIN

PREFINISHED WOODFLOORING

CERAMICTILE

KITCHENPANTRY

CLO

SE

T

60 DOOR

SKYLIGHT

OPEN UP DOORWAY

EXISTING HOUSE(NO WORK)

PRE-FINISHED WOOD FLOORING

QUEEN SIZE BED

CERAMIC TILE W/FLOOR HEAT

66" VA

NITY

A L E X I S P I E R S O N 7

Reflecting their heritage, an open plan was the most important aspect to the couple. The airy, bright kitch-en space blends into the master bedroom over a partition wall. The Tatami-modular bedroom is com-pleted with a bath reminiscent of a Japanese style bathhouse. Both overlook a small reflection garden.

DWDDW DIVELY CONSTRUCTION

SERVICES2 1 0 7 M O U N T V E R N O N A V E . A L E X A N D R I A , V A 2 2 3 0 1

Phone: 703-299-8929 | Fax: 703-299-8930

RYMAR ADDITION LEFT ELEVATIONSCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0" REVISED 07.08.14

GUTTER (TYP.)

DOWNSPOUT (TYP.)

FINISH FLOOR LINENEW DOUBLE HUNGVINYL WINDOWS

NEW 14' X 8' DECK

NEW ENTRY-STAIR LOCATION

BASEMENT EGRESS NEW LOCATION

EXISTING HOUSE

LINE OF CEILING BEYONDEX. BEDROOM WINDOW

1624 S. OAKLAND STARLINGTON, VA 22204

PITCH TO MATCH EXISTING HOUSE

7'-314"

1'-6"

COVERED LANDING

RIDGE LOWER THANUPSTAIRS WINDOW

2 0 1 4 A R L I N G T O N A D D I T I O N P R O P O S A L

A clerestory of picture windows naturally lights the in-terior while the dormered roof respects the height of the existing house. All exterior styles were matched with the original to make the visual transition more seamless.

A L E X I S P I E R S O N 9

KITCHEN VIEW FROM HALL

KITCHEN VIEW FROM BACK DECK

“The sun does not realize how wonderful it is until after a room is made.” - Louis Kahn

A L E X I S P I E R S O N 11

A S T U D Y O F L I G H T & S H A D O Wv i r g i n i a t e c h t h e s i s r e s e a r c hThis study chases the compelling relationship between light and space.

A wall, conceived as a screen, becomes an ethe-real shroud of grandeur and opportunity.

The room, enclosed by a screen, gains a remark-able presence - a dynamic show of light and shadow coming together.

The inhabitant of the room, silenced by a breath-taking experience, acquires a sublime and myste-rious awareness.

The fluctuating room demands respect, silence, and reflection from those who enter... but never isolation.

P R E C E D E N T - S K I N S A S F I LT E R S Building skins act as filters for many elements. The most important element is light, the second is circu-lation, and the third is sound.

While they may be intentionally permeable to some or all of these elements, screens can also act as a complete physical and sensory barrier.

The integration of these members into the hierarchy of a program allows for certain beautiful moments to happen. A thoughtful composition of mass and screen-intervention creates a dynamic space that was otherwise impossible. The greatest of these in-terventions is that which involves the sun.

The master of the sun is the screen. The master of the screen is the architect.

2 0 1 2 A S T U D Y O F L I G H T & S H A D O W

A L E X I S P I E R S O N 13

CENTER AND BOTTOM:FILTER AS CIRCULATIONSan Cataldo Cemetery, Aldo Rossi

TOP RIGHT:FILTER AS SKINSignal Boxes, Herzog and deMeuron

OTHERS:Unidentified

5˚

10˚ 15˚ 25˚ 30˚

A building skin can be a dynamic component relative to light. The studies here engage and challenge light relative to its angle of entry into a space. I assem-bled a series of sun screens out of quarter-inch cardboard strips cut at various angles in increments of five. I turned the strips on their sides so the corrugation was facing up and glued them together in the order that they were cut. The in-terplay between the physical properties of cardboard and light revealed spatial potential.

2 0 1 2 A S T U D Y O F L I G H T & S H A D O W

A L E X I S P I E R S O N 15

35˚ 40˚ 45˚

When assembled in order, the undulations of the corrugation line up perfectly, allowing the assembly to become an isolation screen at eye level. When looked at from the angle by which it was cut, the assembly becomes completely trans-parent and almost disappears.

Corrugated roofing metal or PVC could be a full-scale translation of cardboard. When cut and assembled in the same fashion, it possesses almost identical influences on privacy, transparency, and light qualities in an interior space. A screen’s moment of transparency can be deliberately manipulated and utilized to allow full daylight penetration at a predetermined time of day or season.

20˚

Studio Gang’s South Pond Pavilion in Chicago, is a verification that this kind of solution exists and is possible. Gang’s screen is built out of prefab wood-en slabs at a larger scale. My study suggests that the same methodology may be applied to a vertical surface such as a facade. The outdoor environment may be brought inside to a building’s inhabitants.

2 0 1 2 A S T U D Y O F L I G H T & S H A D O W

A L E X I S P I E R S O N 17

I sawed corrugated roofing PVC at a 20 degree angle on a band-saw. I arrived at that specific an-gle because the combination of both it’s transpar-ency and opacity at eye level made for the best screen. The strips are lined up so that all of the undulating curves become tangent to one anoth-er. The assembly is then suspended using alumi-num dowels and hung from protruding C-shape beams welded along the glazing system.

TOPThe park and existing buildings

TOP INSETSign on E21st street

BOTTOM LEFTView looking west on E21st street

BOTTOM RIGHTEntrance to the park on E21st street

Park

Ave

S

3rd

Ave

E 19th St

Lexin

gton

Ave

Irvin

g Pl

E 21st St

Bro

adw

ay

2 0 1 2 A S T U D Y O F L I G H T & S H A D O W

A L E X I S P I E R S O N 19

A N I C H E I N T H E C I T YG R A M E R C Y PA R K , N E W Y O R K

While the urban density and kinetic energy of a city can be exciting to most who live and work there everyday, it may also grow overwhelming and ex-hausting. How can someone get away without leaving Manhattan? Where can one seek refuge? This study aims to provide a place or places where one can retreat into separation and introspection without the fear of isolation.

Gramercy Park is one of two private-access parks on the entire island. The adjacent buildings are mostly residential and only their tenants may gain access to the gated garden. The area is relatively quiet and is generally only visited by those who live nearby. The site is an existing lot presently occupied by a hotel. Uninterrupted daylight reaches the site for the vast majority of the day, which is something hard to come by in New York.

A P P L I C AT I O N O F T H E O R YA Vertical Boundary

Gramercy Park is on the cusp of a radical shift in building heights. The buildings on the northeast-ern side are high-rise commercial. The ones to the southwest are low-rise residential. The site itself is on the boundary of two very different paces of life-style.

The park is subject to the harsh extremes of the seasons. Outdoor relaxation is confined to comfort-able temperatures.

Thus, the building becomes a park itself. By posi-tioning the mass adjacent to the greenspace, the new Urban Park stands out against the concrete backdrop of New York.

It is a place to retreat indoors and reflect from within.

2 0 1 2 A S T U D Y O F L I G H T & S H A D O W

A L E X I S P I E R S O N 21

STUDY SITE MODELS

T H E P R E S E N C E

Punching through the facade, a fenestration of rooms may peer out over the City.

The tartan grid on which the modules are orga-nized can be clearly seen from below, looking up towards the sky. The homogeneous mass as a whole demonstrates the balance between alternat-ing voids and masses in order to conduct a rhythm.

The rooms act as a secondary screen penetrating the building.

EARLY ITERATION RENDERING

2 0 1 2 A S T U D Y O F L I G H T & S H A D O W

A L E X I S P I E R S O N 23

CHIPBOARD & BASSWOOD

2 0 1 2 M O N A S T E R Yv i r g i n i a t e c h e u r o p e s t u d i o

A Monastery for the twelve monks of the historical Santa Croce chapel in the Ticino Valley of Switzerland.

Just as peace may be achieved by focus-ing inward on one’s soul, the retreat of these cells happens within Mother Earth. A beam of daylight cuts through the stairs upward towards the meditative room facing Monte San Giorgio above.

Group space happens below with increas-ing solitude as the monks travel up.

A L E X I S P I E R S O N 25

12 MONK CELLS SECTION N/S

1m2m

5m

SECOND FLOOR1m

2m3m

FIRST FLOOR