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derek pirozzi

derek pirozzi

Sarasota, FL, US

 

About 

Established in 2015, DPDW is an ambitious and aspiring design firm specializing in original and innovative design proposals in both domestic and international markets with our interim office located in the greater Sarasota / Gulf Coast Florida region.

DPDW : PHILOSOPHY

Our environment is the defining character of our self-image and singularity. A designed conceptual response representational of our ingenuity and the discovery of an existential individuality comes only through the intimate connections with our immediate context both tangible and intangible. It is through a lack of relationship between our environment and our inhabited circumstances which brings us to adapt a weak sense of identity and authenticity. Through a homogeneous approach, numerous contemporary archetypes forge a fraudulent imitation, a sterile aesthetic synonymous with the combination of superficial styles, imitated cultural fads and popular idiosyncrasy while drawing of a diluted interpretation of foreign concepts. As a result, various constructed integrations have created a disconnected inhabitant, detached from any valuable concepts of place.

 

Only through the examination of historical precedence to the comprehension of regional tradition can we begin to speculate on an language of design with an independent relevance and virtuous quality. In this light, authenticity is defined by not only the past but by an unrelenting willingness to embrace a constructed vocabulary of our own time and immediate status. Influenced by regional and cultural precedence, our proposals begin to speculate on an design narrative that expresses the local and environmental qualities that define their individual context. A dialogue is created, a conversation between man and the natural elements, as well as elements to each other. The intention is to unify; to create a marriage between the natural and the man made; a true expression and celebration of place. Regional authenticity is our pursuit.

Elsewhere:

Employment 

Derek Pirozzi Design Workshop LLC, Sarasota, FL, US, Owner and Lead Designer

www.dpaworkshop.com

Dec 2014 - current
 

Architecture Consultant - Sarasota, Sarasota FL, Intern Architect

Architectural Intern

Oct 2013 - Dec 2014
 

Oppenheim Architecture, Miami, FL, US, Intern Architect

Aug 2013 - Oct 2013
 

Olson Kundig Architects, Seattle, WA, US, Intern Architect

6 month prestigious internship position.

Jan 2013 - Jul 2013
 

twelfth Street Studio Architectural Workshop, Tampa, FL, US, Junior Architect

Junior Architect Position. Working with Revit and creating 3d visualization.

Jun 2012 - Dec 2012
 

Education 

University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, US, MArch, Architecture

2012 Masters of Architecture and Community Design

Sep 2004 - May 2012
 

Awards 

Evolo International Skyscraper Competition, 1st Place

20123 Evolo International Skyscraper Competition. Polar Umbrella. During the last decades of global warming, the polar ice caps have experienced a severe rise in temperature causing the northern and southern ice shelves to become thin, fractured, and melt into the ocean. Rebuilding the arctic layers is the primary objective of this proposal which cools down the Earth’s surface by reducing heat gain in vulnerable arctic regions.

The Polar Umbrella’s buoyant super-structure becomes a statement for the prevention of future depletion of our protective arctic region. Through its desalinization and power facilities, this arctic skyscraper becomes a floating metropolis equipped with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) research laboratories, renewable power stations, dormitory-style housing units, eco-tourist attractions, and ecological habitats for wildlife. A series of these structures would be strategically located in the most affected areas.

Salt water is used to produce a renewable source of energy through an osmotic (salinity gradient power) power facility housed within the building’s core. In addition, the structure’s immense canopy allows for the reduction of heat gain on the arctic surface while harvesting solar energy. The umbrella’s thermal skin boasts a series of modules that are composed of a polyethylene piping system that pumps brackish water. Finally, the Polar Umbrella also regenerates the ice caps using harvest chambers that freeze the ocean water.

2013
 

Areas of Specialization 

Skills