ALEJANDRO MIESES CASTELLANOS

 

ADDRESS PO BOX 270011, SAN JUAN, PR, 00927-0011

 

EMAIL AMIESES@POSTDATADESIGN.COM

 

BORN SANTURCE, PR

 

NATIONALITY US CITIZEN

 

 

 

apr 2011 - present      postData.Design   |   PRODUCT & INTERACTION DESIGN STUDIO

COFOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF INTERACTION DESIGN

 

Design Consultancy Studio concerned with the elaboration of product & interaction design projects from conceptual stage to completion. Projects range from set design, to product, graphic, interaction and software design.  Clients include True Story Management, Grasslark, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Microsoft Windows Store and PUCPR School of Architecture.

 

 

apr 2014 - present      DATABASE APP FOR THREE MAIN ART MUSEUMS IN PUERTO RICO

PROJECT LEADER   •   INTERFACE DESIGN   •   INTERACTION DESIGN   •   DATABASE DESIGN & BUILD

 

Team coordinator and User Experience Designer for a Mobile Application serving tourists and museum visitors. The project serves the purpose of expanding each museum’s presence in its local context by searching for complementary activities visitors can attend, exhibition information, as well as gathering data on visitor trends.  Museums are: Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Art of Ponce, and the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico.

 

aug 2013 - oct 2013    BOOM FAIR  PAVILION  FOR PUCPR SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

PROJECT LEADER   •   DESIGNER   •   PROJECT MANAGER   •   CURATOR   •   CONSTRUCTION

 

Design, Fabrication & Curation of a 600 sq. ft. space exhibiting projects from 10 experimental Units within the University, as well as Students’ and Professors’ Products. Materials used include, mainly, Stainless Steel Sheet Metal, Wood and acrylic panels. See project here.

 

mar 2013 - may 2013   DESIGN IN PUERTO RICO EXHIBITION IN WANTED DESIGN, ICFF, NEW YORK

EXHIBITION DESIGNER   •   FABRICATION

 

Part of a team that designed & installed an exhibit containing a collective of 16 design studios from Puerto Rico in Wanted Design, as part of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York. Participation seen here.

 

jul 2012 - aug 2012     "20 AÑOS DE PLAZA DEL CARIBE" ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

PROJECT LEADER   •   DESIGNER   •   FABRICATION   •   PROJECT MANAGEMENT

 

 

Led a group of 24 architecture students to design and construct four habitable pavilions celebrating Plaza del Caribe’s 20th anniversary, within the four main atriums of the Shopping Centre. In sum the structures were 2,700 sq. ft., including the Main Pavilion with dimensions of 50 x 30 ft. All pavilions were constructed and structurally supported by the cardboard discarded by Plaza del Caribe’s stores, in total amassing 10 tons of cardboard, constructed in 1 month, with 0 waste material.  See project here.

 

 

may 2012 - aug 2014   DEVELOPING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL AGENDA AT PUCPR ARCHITECTURE

COORDINATOR OF THE ENTREPRENEURIAL AGENDA IN FABRICATION

 

Developed and assisted in the formation of the first student company, as well as the formation of the PUCPR School of Architecture Entrepreneurship Program. This Agenda has allowed students and professors to present their efforts as participants in the Euronext global competition of student entrepreneurs in the New York Stock Exchange, and as guest speakers at the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization in Chicago 2012.

 

jan  2012 - mar 2012   “DEL GRECO A GOYA” EXHIBITION AT MUSEO DE ARTE DE PONCE

PROJECT LEADER   •   DESIGNER   •   FABRICATION   •   PROJECT MANAGEMENT

 

Led a group of five architecture students to design and construct the furniture that would constitute the reading hall for the first art exchange between El Prado Museum in Spain, and any Museum in the American Continent. The project spanned 64 ft of cardboard, to constitute all seating and reading furniture within the hall. This furniture is still in use today. See project here.

 

jun 2011 - dec 2011    I LOVE VELVET & TRUE STORY MANAGEMENT, ATLANTA, GEORGIA

PRODUCT DESIGN   •   CAD DESIGN

 

Collaboration with Trevor Irving Productions, in the design and development of an iPad adapter for credit card transactions. The project seeks to substitute all cash registers in AT&T and Verizon Wireless stores. Role in the project ranged from design, to CAD design and meetings with industrial & electrical engineers. Project is currently in production phase.

 

jan 2010 - mar 2010    AA HAITI EFFORTS, ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION, LONDON, UK

FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF FUND RAISING EFFORTS

 

This campaign included designing small paraphernalia that were distributed freely, as a pay-what-you-wish effort to raise funds and awareness for the conditions in Haiti within the architecture community. All funds received were donated to three NGOs in Port-au-Prince. See project here.

 

jul 2005 - oct 2011     in.formation.studio   |   ARCHITECTURE STUDIO

COFOUNDER   •   DESIGNER   •   RESEARCHER

 

Projects involved a wide variety of scales, from single residential units to higher density apartment buildings of medium scale, as well as Civic buildings, landscape architecture, product design and low-tech installations for children. As a small 3-4 person firm, it has done various pro-bono work, mostly in the areas of single-unit housing and general urban planning for small communities. Tasks undertaken ranged from conceptual design and generation of ideas, to modeling, schematic design and construction documents, as well as writing and editing written publications. See projects here.

 

jan 2002 - jun 2002     "EL HOSPITAL DEL NIÑO"   (CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL)

NURSING ASSISTANT

 

Provided assistance and care for children with acute mental and physical disabilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

aug 2011 - present      EA-PUCPR, Puerto Rico (Catholic University School of Architecture)

aug 2011 - present      DESIGN, THEORY & REPRESENTATION PROFESSOR|LECTURER

In charge of design studios in 1st, 2nd & 4th year, Urbanism Theory & History in 4th year, and architectural representation studios from 1st to 5th year. Course topics include: design fundamentals, contextual and historic design, urbanism and landscape architecture.

 

aug 2014 - present      COORDINATOR OF ARCHITECTURAL REPRESENTATION UNIT & FIRST YEAR

Coordinator of architectural representation courses across all years. Coordinator of professors and design studios in first year. This includes Over 15 professors, and all students enrolled in design or representation courses during their Bachelor's degree.

 

aug 2014 - present      EDITOR OF ARCHITECTURAL REPRESENTATION MANUAL

Book containing methods, procedures and theories concerning all representation courses taught during Bachelor's degree. This book will serve as a manual and guide for incoming and existing professors to teach their corresponding courses.

 

aug 2014 - present      COORDINATING COLLABORATION WITH PONCE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

This collaboration seeks to exchange possible points of convergence between interactive anatomical modeling, and architecture for the purpose of  developing joint research opportunities between both institutions.

 

sep 2014 - present      RESEARCH INITIATIVE ON APPLIED TECHNOLOGY WITHIN ARCHITECTURE

Generation of 15 abstracts discussing various topics on the application of technological advances within architectural theory, design, and construction. This will serve to progressively develop topics for publication within the faculty.

 

mar 2012 - may 2012   DIGITAL CRAFTING SERIES PROFESSOR

Series of exhibitions and courses given to professors to aid in understanding and use of rapid prototyping technologies. Topics include 3D Printing, CNC Milling Machines, Laser Cutting,  Arduino, Basics of Circuitry & Electronics, and Maya Modeling and Simulations.  Exhibitions include 4x4x4, which included 8 professors' 3D printed structures, modeled using Maya software animation and simulation tools, under my instruction.

 

jan 2012 - present      DEVELOPING ASSORTED SCRIPTS AND SOFTWARE TUTORIALS

Development of scripts to facilitate common procedures related to landscape architecture, simulations of natural phenomena,  and analysis of terrain.  Assorted video tutorials to introduce students to different softwares such as Autodesk Maya, and Photoshop.

 

 

 

dec 2004 - present      UPR | Polytechnic University of PR | Catholic University of PR

INVITED CRITIC

Invited Jury in all architecture schools in Puerto Rico, since second year of Bachelor's education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

aug 2014 - present       PROGRAMMING PARADIGMS: THOUGHT FRAMEWORKS FOR DESIGN

 

Triple peer blind reviewed research on Algorithms and Theory of Computer Science. This written research focuses on procedures developed by computational pioneers such as Alan Turing, Charles Babbage, Stephen Wolfram and John Frazer. The purpose of this research is to develop search and logic algorithms, applied to a database of architecture theory, to generate new links, logic, and connections, to expand the role of technology from form-related endeavors, to generation of theory. For publication in Inter-Disciplinary.net's Visual Literacies and Creative Engagement Conference, in Lisbon March 2015

 

aug 2014 - dec 2014    SHEET METAL STRUCTURES

 

Research into a modular construction system that is both structure and skin simultaneously, generated from self-similar units, and capable of achieving complex double curvatures within a range of adaptability in overall form. See projects here.

 

jan 2010 - jan 2011     VARIATED PROPERTIES OF FIBER-BASED MATERIALS

 

Research into the programmed deposition of fibers for development of structure, elasticity, conductivity, porosity and other composite qualities. These studies were carried through digitally simulated, as well as physical means, as part of the Master's thesis research at the Architectural Association. See project here.

 

aug 2007 - may 2009    THE ARCHITECTONICS OF ARCHITECTURAL KNOWLEDGE

 

Written research on the structuring of Compendium Books within architectural theory, as well as selected magazines, focusing on it's effects in structuring architecture curricula. This was part of a two phase, Bachelor's End-of-Career proposal, including theory and building proposal. See projects here.

 

jan 2005 - may 2005    THE ORDER OF PLEASURES

 

Written research on the clustering of themes within Mall structures. This research sought to study the evolution of the mall environment from previous building types - such as monasteries, penitentiaries, and hospitals, and its role in structuring images and pleasures in contemporary society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

mar 2015    GUEST SPEAKER   •  INTERDISCIPLINARY.NET'S VISUAL LITERACIES, LISBON

 

Discussion on the legacy of computational pioneers such as Alan Turing and Charles Babbage, and their relevance in rethinking design methods applied within architecture.

 

sep 2014     GUEST SPEAKER   •  INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON CREATIVE INDUSTRIES, PR

 

Topics centered around the role of academic institutions in developing economic and creative strategies for city growth.  Event link here.

 

oct 2013     GUEST PANELIST   •   BOOM FAIR, PUERTO RICO

 

Part of a four person panel discussing the future of additive manufacturing.

 

may 2013    EXHIBITED   •   WANTED DESIGN, ICFF, NEW YORK, US

 

Part of a collective of 16 design studios from Puerto Rico that exhibitied in Wanted Design, as part of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Participation seen here.

 

 

oct 2012     GUEST SPEAKER   •   CEO CONFERENCE, CHICAGO, US

 

Topics included the endeavors undertaken within the PUCPR School of Architecture in establishing an entrepreneurial program within our architecture curriculum. This agenda focused on creating student-led companies and coordinating student involved efforts in solving real-world economic and community-related issues. This was the first time an architecture school served as speakers in this forum's history.

 

mar 2011    PUBLICATION   •   CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE IN PUERTO RICO 1993-2010

 

Rodríguez, Francisco; Marrero, Darwin. Contemporary Architecture in Puerto Rico : 1993-2010.  University of Puerto Rico School of Architecture, San Juan, P.R, 2011.

Book can be seen here. Project Exhibited is Cone of Vision, as part of in.formation.studio, seen here.

 

mar 2010    EXHIBITED   •   DRL SPONTANEOUS SCHOOLING, NOUS GALLERY, LONDON, UK

 

Exhibited project Automated Deposition, seen here.

 

aug 2009     EXHIBITED   •   DEPARTMENT OF STATE, SAN JUAN, PR

 

Project for Roosevelt Roads military base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The project proposed various landscaping, mobility, and energy-related strategies for re-programming the area within the military base

 

mar 2009    FIRST PLACE   •   "CONE OF VISION" PROJECT, AIA, PR CHAPTER

 

As part of in.formation.studio, won first place for project seen here.

 

mar 2007    HONORABLE MENTION   •   "PHYTODYNAMICS", AIA, PR CHAPTER

 

Urban project that employed diverse landscape strategies for improving soil quality in a historic town containing one of three remaining sugar cane processing plants in Puerto Rico.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sep 2009 - jan 2011     MArch, Architecture & Urbanism

ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION, LONDON, UK.

 

aug 2002 - may 2009    BArch, Architecture

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO, HATO REY, PR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

JAVA | C++ | PYTHON | MEL SCRIPT | PROCESSING

 

THREE-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN

AUTODESK MAYA | AUTOCAD | RHINOCEROS |

GRAPHISOFT ARCHICAD | UNITY 3D | KEYSHOT | SKETCHUP

 

TWO-DIMENSIONAL SOFTWARE

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP | ILLUSTRATOR | INDESIGN | MUSE |

FLASH | AFTER EFFECTS | PREMIERE

 

ANALYSIS SOFTWARE

ARCGIS | ANSYS | ECOTECT

 

FABRICATION

3D PRINT | LASER-CUT | CNC-MILLING

 

ELECTRONICS

DIGITAL & ANALOG CIRCUITRY

 

SPOKEN LANGUAGES

SPANISH, ENGLISH - NATIVE PROFICIENCY

 

OTHERS

A LICENSED SAILBOAT CAPTAIN THAT GETS SEASICK |

REALLY GOOD BASKETBALL PLAYER |

HORRIBLE SURFER THAT HAS A LOT OF STYLE WHILE ON SHORE |

MAKES THE BEST CEVICHE & TIRAMISU YOU'RE EVER LIKELY TO TRY