ERIK FENDÍK, AIA, NCARB

Thank you for your interest!
For my references, please get in touch with me using the CONTACT instructions.
Similarly, do let me know if you would like to receive a detailed PDF of my resume.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Since 2020, NORR architectural designer at public, then justice studio in Toronto, ON, Canada.
2018–2020, Cumulus Architects VA architect (AIA, NCARB), sustainability leader in Toronto, ON, Canada.
2018 IDA (Island Design Assembly) assistant instructor during “bathhouse design-build” externship at Hurricane Island, ME, USA.
2017–2018 Virginia Tech Associate Director’s graduate assistant, architectural designer for housing and dining services, facilities.
2016 Pavilion of Findings interactive visual art installation design consulting, construction at a music festival in Trenčín, Slovakia.
2015–2017 freelance architectural designer for Modern NetZero during contract documents for a Long Island, NY, USA home.
2015–2017 Virginia Tech graduate teaching assistant, woodshop supervisor overseeing the facility, developing prototypes.
2013–2015 Poliform | Sagartstudio architectural and interior designer, site supervisor in Washington, DC with projects up to LA, CA, USA.
2013 Architectural consultant for Davis Brody Bond during "NMAAHC" project in Washington, DC, USA.
2012–2013 McLeod Kredell Architects (MKA) intern, residential and commercial projects team member in Middlebury, VT, USA.
2012 Bear Island Design Assembly (BIDA, now IDA) MKA student coordinator, “Self-Sustaining Island Living” externship participant.
2012 Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) ”Towards the Green Compact City” urban design workshop participant, team leader.
2010–2011 Mozaic Design architectural trainee, junior architect in Goa, India, focus on passive design in tropical jungle settings.
2009–2013 U.S. DOE and Middlebury Solar Decathlon 2011 team co-manager, BIM leader, 2013 team co-founder, BIM consultant.
2009–2013 Wilson Media Lab tutor, instructor, expert in digital media, 3D modeling, employee award recipient, Middlebury, VT, USA.

PROFILE

Design Excellence
⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
Specialized Knowledge in AEC

Project Management
⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
Public, Private, P3, Non-Profit

Collaboration
⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
Multistakeholder Environments

Research & Development
⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪
Affordability, Modern Means of Construction

Inclusive Leadership
⚫⚫⚫⚫⚪
Humane Design, Community Stewardship

Multifaced Sustainability
⚫⚫⚫⚫⚫
Environmental, Economic, Social

Education

M.Arch, MS.Arch
Virginia Tech, VA, USA
08/2015–05/2018 | Blacksburg, VA, USA

BA (Hons): History of Art and Architecture – Architectural Study, Mathematics majors
Middlebury, VT, USA
02/2009–02/2013 | Middlebury, VT, USA

Certificate: Energy Innovation in Solar and Fuel Cells, Batteries
Stanford School of Engineering, CA, USA with Center for Professional Development
09/2012–12/2012 | long-distance, online

IB: Economics, Mathematics, Physics, Literature, Visual Arts
Red Cross Nordic United World College (RCN UWC, now UWC RCN), Norway
07/2006–05/2008 | Flekke, Norway

LANGUAGES, LEGAL

Fluent in English, Slovak, Czech. Basics of French.
15+ years of professional architectural and construction experience globally, mostly in Canada and USA.
Licensed Architect (Virginia), Intern Architect (Ontario).
Fluent in Ontario and international building codes, municipal bylaws, Ministry and sustainability guidelines.
Valid ON Class G driver's license and vehicle access.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

You name it, I have used it! And if I do not know it perfectly yet, I will learn it in a matter of days.
Proficient in: PSOS development (Project Specific Output Specifications), Predesign, SD (Schematic Design), DD (Design Development), CD (Contract Documents), CA (Construction Administration), PDC review (Planning, Design, Conformance), AEC (Architecture Engineering Construction) and building science research, BIM (Building Information Modeling), 3D modeling, graphic design, drafting, sketching, analog printmaking, office suite including macros, photo and video editing.
Intermediate skills in: GIS and statistics software, scientific typesetting, web development, architectural and landscape photography.

MENTORSHIP SKILLS

2018 Design-build assistant instructor, IDA, USA.
2015–2017 Woodshop teaching assistant, VTech, USA.
2014–2015 French language assistant, GLN, USA.
2013 Digital literacy instructor in Ethiopia, C4L.
2012–2013 BIM instructor, SD'13 at Middlebury, USA.
2009–2013 3D modeling instructor, Media Lab in VT, USA.
2010, 2011 Graph theory instructor, MathPath, USA.
2009–2011 Math teacher assistant, Middlebury, USA.
2009 Math AP assistant in a VT high school, USA.
2008–2009 Ski instructor, Fernie, BC, Canada.
2007 Kayak instructor, Leirskule in Flekke, Norway.

PUBLICATIONS AND EXHIBITIONS

Fendik, E. (2018). tapestry: towards a newer 'parchitecture, that which is 'pataphysical (M.Arch, MS.Arch thesis). Retrieved from VTechWorks Database, https://hdl.handle.net/10919/83521.
Fendik, E. (2018). Slovak and Burkinabe windows. In Li, C. (2018). The Window: Perceived. Lulu Press, Inc.
2017 International Art & Design Competition, Italy (individual, jewelry making category).
2016 Pohoda Music Festival, Slovakia (group, interactive visual art installation, Pavillion of Findings).
2016 VTech Graduate Research Symposium, USA (individual, The Other Villa Tugendhat).
2012 Middlebury Center for the Arts Exhibition, USA (group, Camera Work: Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand and Company).
2011 Solar Decathlon Housing Exhibition, USA (group, Self-Reliance Home).
2008 RCNUWC Exhibition, Norway (individual, including >30m wide land art).
1999 11th International Art Youth Exhibition, Finland (individual, linocut print).

ADDITIONAL

AWARDS AND RESEARCH GRANTS (C$740k~US$560k TOTAL ADJUSTED FOR 2024):

2018 Design Futures Council (DFC) Scholar, 1 of 2 VTech graduate students selected for DFC's Graduate Presentation Program.
2017 Accademia Riaci, Florence, Italy International Art & Design Competition 2nd place in jewelry making, wife's engagement ring.
2015–2018 VTech graduate fellow, assistant, C$210k~US$155k fellowship, assistantship recipient for professional graduate studies.
2013 Middlebury Jason Fleishman Award recipient (graduating class, 1 annual award given to 1 student) for: “Academic passion and determination, excellence in leadership and involvement, positive attitude, and care for others.”
2012–2013 Sasaki Associates and Middlebury Franklin Environmental Center LEED innovation credits research award recipient (project-specific for a new field house, awarded to 2 students) to, among other tasks, evaluate embodied energies of typical construction and finish materials, develop a comprehensive environmental and financing analysis for a vertical BIPV system.
2012 Middlebury Academic Outreach Endowment recipient (annual, awarded to 1 student in 2012) to conduct independent, field, summer research on social impacts of urban renewal at redevelopment sites in and around Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka, Japan.
2011 SD contests: 1st in Communications, Market Appeal, Home Entertainment, 4th in Architecture and Overall.
2011 SD other: PBS People’s Choice Winner, Honorable Mention in 2012 VT Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.
2009–2013 Davis UWC Scholar, C$410k~US$310k scholarship recipient at Middlebury, Vermont, USA for undergraduate studies.
2006–2008 RCN UWC Scholar, C$105k~US$75k scholarship recipient via Slovak Ministry of Education, UWC studies in Norway.
1999 Hyvinkää Art Museum medal recipient, 11th International Art Youth Exhibit participant with a linocut print, Hyvinkää, Finland.

COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP:

Since 2023, CAAJ (The Canadian Academy of Architecture for Justice) member, law enforcement committee member.
2020-2021 AIA Canada official delegate during international AIA Business Meetings. Since 2019 AIA Canada voting member.
2018–2021 Toronto Trail Runners and co-organizer, co-hosting year-round day or night ravine trail runs in Toronto, ON, Canada.
2016–2018 LEAF TalentGuide mentor for high school students in Slovakia, focus on creative and interdisciplinary fields.
2016–2018 Virginia Tech graduate fellow for ~7,000 graduate students, RA for ~150 on-campus students in VA, USA.
2014–2015 Global Language Network language assistant, student volunteer, and videographer in Washington, DC, USA.
2011–2013 Computers 4 Literacy non-profit co-founder, director of technology, 2012 pilot project manager in Ethiopia.
2011–2013 U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Student Chapter at Middlebury co-founder and co-leader in VT, USA.
2010–2012 Middlebury Cook Commons community Residential Advisor (RA) for ~100 on-campus students in VT, USA.
2010, 2011 MathPath summer math camp counselor for gifted middle school students in Minnesota (2010) and Colorado (2011), USA.
2008–2009 Canadian Ski Instructor Association licensure and First Aid certification, ski instructor for preschool children, Fernie, BC, Canada.
2007 Leirskule Kayak instructor for Norwegian middle-school students, held at RCN UWC, Flekke, Norway. First Aid certification.

FUN FACTS (I read contracts cover to cover and examine fine prints in detail. This is my personality and energy fine print.):

Prior to being a ski instructor in Fernie, BC, Canada, I worked in Norway in a hotel, restaurant during a polar day (adaptability: now I know how to sleep under any circumstances), herding sheep down mountains (endurance: now I run during triathlons and over 100km ultramarathons), and processing farm fish in a fish factory (learning: now I can gut out a salmon in 3 seconds). Gut it out!

DESIGN SAMPLES

design, more than work
it is a way of living
regardless of scale

My design sample package begins with a couple of personal projects that define me as a socially-conscious, technically-minded, creative individual. The samples then continue with larger urban-related concerns and zoom on more specific design questions explored through a couple of high-profile projects on the National Mall in Washington, DC, USA. These questions are then reevaluated through the learning perspective of Virginia Tech's tactile M.Arch and MS.Arch programs and my published thought project, a graduate thesis. Through this set of diverse projects, I highlight my multidisciplinary profile and creative qualities.

To learn more about my path from Slovakia to Canada via Norway and USA, with project-based placements in India, Japan, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, I encourage you to skim through my interview from 2017 or to reach out to me. I will be glad to tell you more.

ENGAGEMENT RING
COMPUTERS 4 LITERACY (C4L)
TOWARDS A GREEN COMPACT CITY
SELF-RELIANCE HOME
SMITHSONIAN NMAAHC
TAPESTRY

<< PREVIOUS

>> NEXT