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I am Daniel Gonzalez Sandoval
I was born in Maracay, VVenezuela on May 5th, 1985. I was raised by a Pediatrician and a Veterinarian right where the city ends and the Henri Pittier
National Park begins. At the age of 17 I ended up in Eau
Claire-Michigan, a town of 500 people in the north of the United people in the north of the United States where I lived for 1 year. When I returned I was ready to face chaos in the city of Cara-cas where I went to study archi-tecture. The school of architec-ture of the UCV in Caracas
opened up a wide spectrum of stimulus and motivation in the vast realm of art in which my innate creative side would
enrich and grow much stronger. In 2010 I enrolled in a double degree exchange programme with the Politecnico di Milano with the Politecnico di Milano
where I would later complete my studies in architecture.
All along this journey I have been materializing a wide range of creative ideas, some of which are shown in this brief selection of works. Projects divide in academic and personal.
m
Designing and building a bench from a single element: the brick. ApAprenhension of the material’s nature and assembling logic: stacking, joints, arch and cen-trings. Acknowledgement of the unique correlation between the
parts and the whole.
University campus of the UCV Unesco world heritageCaracas-Venezuela
bricks
The program required an office tower and a lower commercial
building of three levels in the core of Caracas. The main issues in this project were to provide the right ilumination and ventilation of all spaces. Public space was also a concern. The building also a concern. The building presents itself as a crack or pause in a very dense zoning while the tower stands at the
back of the lot.
University campus of the UCV Unesco world heritageCaracas-Venezuela
Confi-ned lot
The location was the Guri Dam, the biggest dam in the country. The focus of the in-tervention were a group of
concrete piles and their foun-dations left aside the dam, originally built to support a
railway used to bring in all the concrete needed for the dam. While all the metal was taken apart and away, demolishing the concrete structure made no sense in any way, therefore there it remained. The project featufeatures a tower at the highest
point of the hill were the remaining columns stand
overviewing the dam and it’s surroundings. A long set of steps lead visitors from the bottom of the hill to the top where the tower stands.
University campus of the UCV Unesco world heritageCaracas-Venezuela
Guri’sdam
Forming an urban border around Alfredo Sadel’s
square. Rethinking the apart-ment building and its ways of grouping. Mixture of programs [commercial ground level +
residential block].
University campus of the UCV Unesco world heritageCaracas-Venezuela
Housing
Project for a house in an 18 x 18 meter lot in Caracas. The project was part of the ap-proach to residential building in a Laboratory with architect
Walter James Alcock.
University campus of the UCV Unesco world heritageCaracas-Venezuela
Home
Dwelling in an urban orchard
Design and construction of a Design and construction of a small dwelling in an urban or-chard in the south-east pe-riphery of the city of Milan. All the material involved comes from recycling and the build-ing techniches are those learned during a 3 month collaboration with a local in
his orchard.
University campus of the UCV Unesco world heritageCaracas-Venezuela
Thesis
Dwelling in an urban orchard
Top: perspective drawing of the project.
Bottom: sectioned isometric view of the construction
assemblage.assemblage.
University campus of the UCV Unesco world heritageCaracas-Venezuela
Thesis
Dwelling in an urban orchard
Different stages of theconstructrion process.
University campus of the UCV Unesco world heritageCaracas-Venezuela
Thesis
Un techo para mi pais is the name of the organization
curcurrently operating in south, central and north america
that builds low-cost prefabri-cated wooden houses for
families in extreme poor con-ditions with the help of volun-teers. Back in 2010, after two days of hard work, me and a gruop of other seven volunteers assemble all the parts of a house for a family in the comunity of Limon de Soapire, just outside of Cara-
cas, Venezuela.
techo
Portrait by Alan Milliken
Un
A set of wood planks from an old bed are re-assem-bled to build a small piece of furniture for keeping
books.
shelf
Portrait by Alan Milliken
Book
240 triangles of cardboard glued together, in a certain way. Unidad Docente 9 Art Competition, Caracas.
First prize.
ture
Portrait by Alan Milliken
Sculp
Table lamp project born out of an architectural
scale model. Balsa wood left overs gave birth to these double veil light cases that are entirely
hand crafted.The nThe next page displays a pentagonal model that is currently on display at the Gogol Ostello in Milan.
lamps
Portrait by Alan Milliken
Wood
Acrylic on canvas. 35 x 27 cm. Marriage present for two dear friends. Private
collection.
paint
Portrait by Alan Milliken
Acrylic
Internal view of the bed-room of Renato Casati, a painter and a good friend.
Graphite on paper. 33 x 24 cm.
ing
Portrait by Alan Milliken
Draw
12 canvases hung in milli-metrical allignment to an hexagonal nylon structure in a courtyard in Maracay, Venezuela. All canvases measured 55 x 55 cm.
Private collection
allation
Portrait by Alan Milliken
Art inst
After taking part in the building of emergency houses in the slums of Limón de Soapire, just outside of Caracas in 2011, I had the chance to speak to all the volunteers regarding this experience. Every time that voluntary
work is carried out to communities in poor conditions, it is likely to sense a common spirit of altruism among the volunteers involved. We want to help and give some-thing to those in need —we think. The tendency is to thing to those in need —we think. The tendency is to
think of oneself as benefactors. Instead I was sure to be there solely to receive, to learn something. I felt as a
poor being seeking enrichment, and that is what I tried to pass onto my fellow volunteers when I addressed
them. I was sure the people from the community had a lot to give, as it turned out to be.
I think a similar misunderstanding of roles is taught in ar-chitecture nowadays. I was educated to believe that ar-chitecture beautifies, heals and overwhelms wherever it lands. I didn’t believe it all that much, for I think architec-
ture has a much modest role. Even if done with the heart, i feel that architecture nourishes in time and feeds
on organic matter. I like to think of architecture as a frame: anonymous, modest and silent.
A good friend and painter that i got to know in Milan has the habit of painting over some of his old painted can-vases. It’s unknown to everyone whether he does it out of a lack of new canvases or just out of distaste against his own work. The fact is that when no one interferes, he continues endlessly to recreate his own private micro-cosmo onto the same canvas. I believe architecture to
be responsible for keeping this canvas tight and stretched, nothing else.
festo
Portrait by Alan Milliken
Mani