D a n P o l l a k D o r o c i c

Education

2009-2010 enrolled at Ontario College of Art & Design 2002-2006 B.Sc Geography - McGill Universty, Montreal, Qc

1998-2002 High School Diploma - De La Salle College Toronto, Ont

Languages

English fluent German fluentCroatian fluentFrench basicSpanish basic

Experience

AutocadAdobe PhotoshopAdobe IllustratorAdobe PremierAdobe IndesignDreamweaverGIS (Desktop)ArcGISGISviewerGISeditorGISanalystSpatial Database Managment SystemsIdrisiSPSS PowerpointFinal Cut Pro

Travel

ChinaJapanIndonesiaAustraliaThailandEgyptIsraelpalestineTurkeySerbiaBosniaCroatiaCzechGermanyDenmarkSwedenNorway

FinlandSpainFrance ItalyUnited King-domSwitzerlandAustriaBulgariaUSAPanamaCosta ricaBarbadosGrenadaSt.KittsBVICuba

DanPollak Dorocic932 King St. WToronto, OntarioM4W 2V9Tel: 647 339 3134dorocic@gmail.com26/04/1984

Application # 200901098599 Dear U of T M.Arch Admissions Committee,

Architecture has long been a presence in my life. My mother, an architect, often took me along to her office, where I spent endless hours exploring the world under her drafting tables. Hole punches were dismantled to release the ‘confetti’ inside, small drawings were photocopied and blown up to many times their size, and paper airplanes and buildings were modeled, constructed, and built– all leaving a very nostalgic impression upon me. I have moved homes frequently, residing in Croa-tia, Germany, and Canada all before the age of twelve. This urban nomadic lifestyle affected my personality, as I easily integrate into new environments, communities, and social circles.

Real estate figured prominently in my parents’ lives. They took it upon themselves to personally redesign and renovate each home in succession. Needless to say, I took great interests in the transformations, noting how fluid the layout of a house can be and the possibilities of designing space. Past experience is a key factor that determines present understanding, how one perceives the world and one’s success as a designer.

I believe the experience of continuous movement weighs heavily upon my worldview.

I see one’s life as very ephemeral and transient on the surface of the earth. Thus I believe that one’s architecture should reflect one’s dynamic lifestyle. Architecture should act as a formula of the landscape. The urban environment should not stray away from the natural environment. Architecture itself should be a system of sustaining man and nature in a harmoni-ous way. It shouldn’t only shelter, buffer, and remove us from the harshness of the environment but it should keep us tied to it even in an urban setting. Only in this way does it function. Architecture is not only shelter, but it is a monument left behind by generations past, exalting their cultural ideals.

Ambition and drive lets one materialize and utilize ideas. I am very grateful to have such driven parents, providing me the opportunity to experience so much in my youth and to prove to me that with a creative perspective and ambition, anything is possible.

I graduated from McGill University in 2007 with a B.Sc. of Geography, but have always been interested in architecture and design. During my undergraduate studies, I took courses in urban planning and architectural his¬tory. I wanted to be more involved in the arts, so I organized ‘art nights’, where I initiated projects making and modifying sculpture, cloth, stencils, canvases and murals with others. I was also very interested in my classes on geology, hydrology, and the environment. In my higher-level classes (300 and 400 level), I scored a GPA of 3.3 (B+). These courses sparked my interest in ideas of social responsibility and environmental consciousness.

Many problems arise when thinking about sustainable construction. In our modern age of comfort and excess, it is hard to look into a simpler way of being and creating. I have always been very interested in both science and art, and felt that a choice had to be made between the two. Yet this does not have to be the case, as architecture offers a space in which bal-ance is sought between the two.

I have always had a passion for creating. At first I wanted complete freedom to created art, but lack of utility and purpose made me feel empty in the end. Although there are many sciences, which I am interested in, none have been as persistent in my life as my reverence for design. I am ultimately inspired by the improvement of everyday objects, appliances, and our urban environment in terms of utility, beauty and nature.

Since graduating in 2007, I have traveled to Germany, Scandinavia, Croatia and much of the Balkans, Israel and the West Bank, Costa Rica and Panama, attended some design and furniture fairs in Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Along the way I was inspired to sometimes quickly take pictures, sketch my surroundings, some¬times make artwork, and definitely write and collected many ideas for future works and projects. These places inspired me in many differ¬ent ways and made me more world-conscious.

I appreciate your time and consideration.

Sincerely, Dan Pollak Dorocic

At U of T, I hope to obtain a M. Arch and further my proficiency in the language of design. I believe that there is a lot of room to improve upon design today to make the world a more sustainable place. Ultimately, I believe in architecture as a system of ideals that encompasses nature, integrates the urban into a natural environment and exalts sustainable design and architecture.

bare brick

splatter

Crumbling concrete

peeling paint

weathered walls

colourful Lines

stains

broken tiles

Space

peeling paint

weathered walls

Space

Space

Space

Space

Space

Space

What is Sustainable Design ?

These images explore the association of natural objects and man-made structures.

enormous yet frail ice floats in the polar regions of the world while these modern structures are embedded in the city.One image evokes the other.

Jean Nouvel’s Monolith is the large rust-covered cube floating in Lake Murten in Switzerland.

It could almost be a Iceberg of steel.

destabilization of the Ross ICe shelf is caus-ing rifts and fragmentation in the structure and will ultimately break off of the Antarctic continent. I find familiarity in the structure in the crystal of the ROM.

Liebeskind states that he is inspired by many different things he sees/hears all around him.

L I F E D R A W I N G

18x24Charcoal

18x24Ink

18x24Ink

18x24Charcoal

18x24 Mixed Media

Personal Works

Zagreb18x30”Pen

Sarajevo Sketch5x7 “Pen

Stilllife with Vase18x24”Charcoal

Hut18x24”Charcoal

In the heart of Winter30x30”mixed media,Paint on Glass

Croatia6x18”3 Layer ScreenPrint

Give and Take18x24” each Paper

10 Minute Chair Study 18x24”Ink

30 Second Chair Study 18 x 24”Ink

See no evilSpraypaintprint18x24”

Animal Rust40x16”Mixed media

Hanger Lamp20x30”Mixed media

Clay Head12x5”(1997)

Fred14x24Print on Wood(2005)

Carlo14x24Print on Wood(2005)

Clay Creature12x5”(1997)

Pocket Travel Sketches Berlin 2009

Conflict Resolution Architecture

Imagine if we could build an edi-fice in people’s heads.How would we use structures to tear down the walls that are built in man’s consciousness?

I entertain the idea of destroy-ing the created differences that manifest themselves in the form of religions.

Alas, it is only an idea,crushed by reality.

A model of the structure in the physical plane.

Sign symbol

Sign

symbol

Sign

Sign

symbol

Tents

Gravity on Mars is 1/3 of that on Earth. Therefore architecture could look much dif-ferent on it.

earth Architecture (Greek Columns)

Martian Architecture (what columns would look like on Mars)

Atmospheric pressure on Mars is less than one hundreth of Earth’s, so if the tents held an earth-like atmosphere, the spatial problems would be much different than what we face on Earth.

What if these tents could be adapted to Mars?

Sketch30x20 “

Models

For this project I envi-sioned a huge dome covering a hill on a tropical Is-land.

I made this Project back In high school.

layout

Map

This section of the resort was situated on the UNCOVERED part of the island.

Floor Plan

This is a simple design for a structure that has three parts. A hotel, a Reception and a clock tower.

The project was inspired by designer philippe starck:

these items are examples of the work of Starck

The structure would lie on a slope, as it is part of a ski-village.

cityscape

cityscape

cityscape

cityscapecityscape

Escape

Screen Print 36x24”