what connects us to architecture?Dennis Verlo LaPrade

Dear Recruiting Manager,

I am a graduate of Portland State University with a Bachelor of Science degree major-ing in Architecture. I am looking for an environment where I will be able to expand what I learned during college and apply it to real world design through problem solving with respect in furthering my knowledge and understanding in architecture. I feel this position would be a good fit for me, to allow me to expand knowledge in architecture and design as well as getting some true hands on experience.

During my time at Portland State, I was able to be a teacher’s aide to my profes-sor which allowed me to work with and guide first year students with their design challenges and provide them with constructive criticism to help them expand the detail of their work. Sustainability and how it relates to the human experience within architecture is something I am passionate about. Peter Zumthor, an architect I admire, works closely with a client in a way that creates architecture through a series of en-riching conversations.

I would like to set up an interview or conversation with you at your convenience to discuss any opportunities that may be available to me. I can be reached at my cell phone number 503.347.5053 or at my email dennis.verlo.laprade@gmail.com. I look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

Dennis LaPrade

“We comfort ourselves by reliving memories of protection. Something closed must retain our memories, while leaving them their original value as images. Memories of the outside world will never have the same tonality as those of home and, by recalling these memories, we add to our store of dreams” Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space

i was here.

In a sense to feel grounded to a place one lives, I have designed a memorial to the everyday per-son by taking an existing wall in Downtown Portland, OR that sits on a sloped site. This wall’s original design is attempting to be symetrical yet because of the slope creates the opposite of that. My design intervention takes the existing wall and adds to it, from the highest point on the wall I drew a horizontal line and in that void, I filled it in with a wood pattern that reflects the pattern ration of the stone work. The center of the wall, I leveled out the space to create a stable covered area that provides protection while allowing in an abundance of light fragments.

In a way to remove our filters on how we interpret the world, I broke down the space and materials to their root meanings and created something that related to my own personal his-tory and how I experience the world. By using a very personal experience in my childhood I was able to create something that could translate to others in their own personal way.

A narritorium is a fictional place that is a collection of stories and maps that docu-ment a city’s history through the eyes of the individual, allowing the viewer to create their own knowledge of historical information through personal experiences, as well as giving the viewer a chance to record their own stories and experiences of a city’s past.

The site of the building is located roughly in the center of Portland, OR, giving the viewer a unique experience with understanding and seeing the city.

The building is divided into two parts, the horizontal and the vertical. The horizontal houses all the verbal stories that can be told either formally on stage to an audience or informally to small groups of people over food and drinks in the cafe. The veritical houses the store which is where one could purchase maps and collections of stories to take with them while experiencing personal walking tours of the city. Above sits several floors of the library where one could immerse themselves in reading and listening to

stories of the city. Further up sits the recording studio where one could document their own personal stories of the city through audio or written docu-mentation. At the top sits the curator’s office and observation deck where one could reflect upon the city they are in.

Details

Dennis Verlo LaPrade131 West 5th Street,

Apt 2Bayonne, New Jersey

07002dennis.verlo.laprade@

gmail.com

Personal

EducationPortland State UniversitySept 2004-August 2009• GraduatedwithaBachelorsofScience• MajoringinArchitectureattheSchoolofFineandPerformingArts• EmphasizedinUrbanPlanningandPortlandhistoryaswellas history of the urban city

Spokane Falls Community CollegeSept 2002-June 2004• Focus:Painting,FigureDrawingandExperimentalArt

“For a knowledge of intimacy, localization in the spaces of our intimacy is more urgent than determination of dates.” Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space

Photography, focusing with urban context and detailsFigure Drawing and gestural sketching

Embassy Suites Hotel Portland, ORJuly 2009-April 2012• Valet/Bellman• Skilledincustomerservice• Workswellwithmultitaskingandonthespotproblemsolving• Extensiveexperiencesuccessfullyworkingcollaborativelywith a team as well as independently

British American Household Staffing SoHo, NYCJune 2012-Current• Part-timefreelanceIThelp• Assistedwithofficebuildoutandcomputersetup• Helpedwithspatialdesignandofficelayout

Professional

Teacher’s Aide Portland, ORSept 2008-March 2009• TwoQuartersassistingNikolaBoscaninwithhisfirstyearclass• Helpedwithdeskandgroupcritiques• Helpedwithguidanceandadviceforstudents• TaughttechniqueslearnedwhileacquiringArchitecturedegree

SkillsProficient in AutoCAD, Rhino, FormZ, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, PowerPoint,GoogleEarth,Sketchup,Kerkythea