I'M ALEX XIE
An Architectural Engineering student at the University of Waterloo, exploring architecture, the engineering that makes it work, and the abilities of technology to improve our workflows.
If you're looking for the Waterloo CS Graduate Alex Xie, check out his site at alexxie.com!
Engineering & Architecture
I'm trying to specialize in the synthesis of structural integrity, architectural beauty, and computational automation. My work revolves around quality of life scripts in Revit & Dynamo, structural systems, and building energy modelling.
Whether calculating material properties, load demands or developing algorithms to speed up work, I focus on breaking things down to easier manageable tasks.
Life, Projects & Relaxing
Outside of studio work, you'll find me outside playing frisbee, upgrading my tech, playing games, catching up on shows and movies, and tinkering with DIY projects.
I enjoy indie games, meeting up with my friends, and the quiet peace of nighttime. I'll probably be up late working on something random or exploring something new.
Architecture & BIM
Engineering & Analysis
Code & Computation
Vanilla Tech Stack, Zero Bloat
Built from the ground up using pure HTML5, semantic CSS3, and vanilla JavaScript. No heavy frontend frameworks or runtime overhead — prioritizing sub-second load speeds, clean architectural drafting aesthetics, and complete control over every pixel and animation.
Spatial Viewports & Real-Time Meshes
Interactive 3D graphics powered by Three.js across the site:
- Home: Floating 3D LEGO blocks with metallic finishes and subtle mouse-tracking parallax.
- Portfolio: A fully modeled 3D mechanical keyboard hero backdrop responding to spatial depth.
- Explore: The floating 3D Rubik's Cube stage built with 27 individual cubies.
Mathematical Doodle & Gestures
A custom world-locked drawing canvas allowing desktop visitors to freely sketch on the background. Powered by the $N Multistroke Recognizer (Anthony & Wobbrock, 2010) combined with angular winding integration to classify real-time hand-drawn geometry and unlock interactive visual Easter eggs hidden across the canvas.
Playful & Interactive Web Design
Heavily inspired by interactive web creators and procedural 3D animators like neal.fun, ciechanow.ski/archives (Bartosz Ciechanowski), and Polyfjord (procedural audio-reactive 3D animation), who demonstrate how computational interfaces can be tactile, delightfully playful, and deeply engaging rather than static walls of text.