Architectural portfolio

1. Ariel SJ Mieling
Portfolio

2. Kensington Branch Library: Autumn 2008
2nd year vertical studio
The cumulation of a joint architec-
ture, urban design studio, this five
week independently defined project,
a library for the Hastings corridor in
Burnaby, layers of public space rang-
ing from a quiet reading nook to a
public plaza. The project investigates
how the ubiquitous strip mall could
find new life through infill as we move
towards a sustainable society and how
the library, an activated public space,
could provide privacy in public and a
forum for engagement.

3. Stacks
Seats
computer
stations
Flex gathering
space
Staff
space
Kids
reading
area
bathroom
elevator
circulation
Periodical

4. Sketching Italy: Summer 2008
Landscape/architecture study abroad
This summer course focused on
analytical and descriptive drawing
while exposing us to the gardens and
architecture of Northern Italy. While
we spent hours at Palladio’s villas
and amidst the hedges of Baroque
gardens, I was particularly taken
by the geometry and logic of Carlo
Scarpa’s works, depicted here. The trip
was followed by a book collecting the
drawings and a series of essays about
the sights and the practice of drawing.

5. Platform Piece: Spring 2008
1st year core 2 studio
Taking a simple repetition of forms
can nonetheless lead to a variety of
architectural expressions. This systems
of platforms allowed groups or indi-
viduals to find a place for watching
the game, having a picnic or reading
a book in a public park. Thought the
arrangement of the pieces was limited
by their joints they still express a play-
fulness appropriate to a park.

6. 1st year core 2 studio
Synthetic Structure Models: Spring 2008
During this five week project I inves-
tigated, primarily through models,
the capacity of a grid shell and then a
hyperbolic curve, to provide structure,
light, walls and roofs. Also important
to the investigation was the system’s
capacity to create different types of
spaces, ranging in size and quality.

7. 1st year core 2 studio
The Odd Couple: Autumn 2007
In order to accommodate two very
different but compatible personalities
in a small space, I sought to create
pockets of private space within a large
open plan. On each level these small
spaces punch through the open plan
creating consistency along with vari-
ety. Central the concept of this project
was the way in which changing levels
would divide and define spaces.

8. MADD West Vancouver: Spring 2009
Current work in progress
MADD- West Vancouver’s Museum
for Art Architecture and Design seeks
to be both a museum and a space
of convergence and community
building. The first floor connects to 3
major but diverse modes of moving
through the community while the
second floor utilizes its position for
maximum natural light. The lobby and
orientation gallery cutting through
the center of the building connects
the community’s public space to the
gallery and exhibits.