Transparent Architecture

Transparent Architecture Exposing the beauty of built infrastructure

This final project is presented to the faculty of IAUTNB

by Amirhossein Mohammadi Advised by Dr. Vandad Banaei Keshtan In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor’s of Architecture First Semester of Academic Year 2018-2019 Islamic Azad University Tehran North Branch.

Intro

Table of Contents

A. B. C. D.

Introduction Design Abstract General Research a. b. c. d. e.

E.

Theoretical Foundation a. b.

F. G.

Problem Statement Research Questions Importance and Necessity Research Objectives Site Analysis

Definitions Background Research

Case Studies Design and the Design Process

Introduction There is an inherent need for communities to be organized about a center for its own political and social welfare and expression. To peer into its own mind and life, to discover its own social needs and then to meet them, whether they concern communal decision making, health, recreation, education or industry; such community organization is necessary if a society is to flourish.

This thesis tries to create an architectural design methodology to help answer these needs and to help rebuild the compromised, depleted and dilapidated urban, societal and ecological infrastructures in our cities. A Design Methodology to transpire a transparent relationship between the communities (and their representative community based organizations) and their urban and ecological infrastructures.

Design

Transparency

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Design

Transparency

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Design

Transparency

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Design

Transparency

Glass Facade The use of glass walls, as far as possible, eliminates the border between human handmade architecture and natural beauty and brings this beauty into the structure.

Unobstructed 2.5m Belt An unobstructed 2.5 meter belt across structures is an integral part of the structural design language and is a guarantee of complete transparency in the structure.

Built Footprint Structures have a height of 1.46 meters above ground level, so that the soil on the ground can breathe and not be separated from the ecosystem.

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Design

Transparent Architecture Minimal height of the buildings and relatively high height of the mature trees available in the site makes the buildings invisible to outside view and hides the man made architecture against natural beauty.

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Design

Exposed Architectural and Infrastructure Elements All architectural elements, such as pillars, beams, joists, ventilation ducts, water pipes, fire extinguishing systems, are exposed.

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Design

Universal Spaces Inspired by the Universal Spaces design methodology that architects like Mies Van Der Rohe have embraced, the open space has been presented for users to customize their space and user experience.

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Design

HVAC The central ventilation system is selected because of high efficiency and proper maintenance process, and solar panels are responsible for their energy supply.

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Design

Water Harvestation The rainwater and sewage water, after being directed to the water treatment unit on the site, can be used to enter the water tankers and to irrigate the green space using the active ecosystems in the unit and the chemical catalysts according to need.

The water purification and storage units in the structure have been considered as an important part of the design process from the start of the work, and are exposed to the potential of the users and the concept of the design of the collection.

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Design

Structure

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Design

Composition The composition of the structures on the site is such that in addition to paying attention to the visual beauty and pleasure, attracting the highest amount of natural light, the highest efficiency for solar panels and the most suitable composition and placement to help the phenomenon of heat island effect.

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Abstract

Abstract

Problem Statement

A Growing number of ecological dangers are threatening our communities and cities. A disconnect between our communities and the knowledge of countless immense infrastructures implemented to make modern living possible is making these threats all the more real.

Necessity

With the continuously growing threat of global warming, elimination of natural resources and systematic vulnerability of sustainable food production, localized and decentralized solutions of education, energy production, recycling and industry seem to be increasingly imperative.

Objective

This thesis tries to create a design methodology to answer these needs and to help rebuild the compromised, depleted and dilapidated urban, societal and ecological infrastructures in our cities. A Design Methodology to transpire a transparent relationship between the communities (and their representative community based organizations) and their urban and ecological infrastructures.

Theoretical Foundation

Core underlying concepts such as CBOs, Community Gardens, Food Production Chain Inefficiencies and others have been defined and analyzed.

Research Books, articles, papers and reports have been used to shape Methodology the theoretical foundation for this thesis.

Conclusion

Based on presented information, there is a need for center in neighbourhoods and communities to enable them to gather about a center for them to flourish. The Quality and properties of the building should reflect this concept and enable it’s community to connect and learn.

General Research

General Research

Problem Statement A Growing number of ecological dangers are threatening our communities and cities. A disconnect between our communities and the knowledge of countless immense infrastructures implemented to make modern living possible is making these threats all the more real.

Centralized solutions to our energy needs, plumbing systems and our food supply chain have created central points of failure. And mentioned disconnect between consumers and providers have resulted in uniformed usage of these systems.

Importance and Necessity With the continuously growing threat of global warming, elimination of natural resources and systematic vulnerability of sustainable food production, localized and decentralized solutions of education, energy production, recycling and industry seem to be increasingly imperative.

Research Objective Create a design methodology to answer these needs and to help rebuild the compromised, depleted and dilapidated urban, societal and ecological infrastructures in our cities. A Design Methodology to transpire a transparent relationship between the communities (and their representative community based organizations) and their urban and ecological infrastructures.

Research Questions 1.

2.

3.

4.

What ecological dangers are threatening our neighbourhoods and communities?

Why do these dangers exist?

How to repel these dangers?

How can architecture help solve these problems?

Theoretical Foundation

Community Based Organizations (CBOs)

Definition A CBO is an organisation that provides social services at the local level. It is a non-profit organisation whose activities are based primarily on volunteer efforts.

This means that CBOs depend heavily on voluntary contributions for labour, material and financial support. (1)

1. Chechetto-Salles M, Geyer Y, Tyler J. Community-based organisation management. Pretoria: Institute for Democracy in South Africa; 2006.

Theoretical Foundation

Community Based Organizations (CBOs)

Definition Community based organizations (CBO's) are nonprofit groups that work at a local level to improve life for residents. The focus is to build equality across society in all streams - health care, environment, quality of education, access to technology, access to spaces and information for the disabled, to name but a few.

The inference is that the communities represented by the CBO's are typically at a disadvantage. CBO's are typically, and almost necessarily, staffed by local members - community members who experience first hand the needs within their neighborhoods. Besides being connected geographically, the only link between staff members and their interests is often the desire and willingness to help.

Occupational skill sets and experience are greatly diverse.

The tightrope upon which stability balances in this type of organization is being stretched taut, as the role of the CBO is extended to new lengths.

Governments are increasingly delegating responsibility to CBO's and relying on them to gather local concerns, develop, plan, and help deliver solutions. CBO's are storehouses, gatekeepers, of local information obviously valuable for their own purposes, but this data is also useful to other organizations and government agencies. The role of CBO's is becoming knowledge management - to compile, sort, store and retrieve local data. Technology is increasingly becoming more important to this function, to manage daily business operations, but also to develop innovative solutions, given restrictive budgets, limited personnel available, and new demands for services and information. Technology is being used to bring in the voice of the community members, through public participation and input.

Applications include mapping of community landmarks and services by locals, providing environmental baseline and change measurements, and identifying concerns common throughout the community. (2)

2. Burt, E. and Taylor, J.. New technologies, embedded values, and strategic change: Evidence from the U.K. voluntary sector. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. Vol 32: 2003. Pg 115-127.

Theoretical Foundation

Community Based Organizations (CBOs)

Community Based Organizations (CBOs)

Usage

Work conducted by CBO's generally falls into the themes of human services, natural environment conservation or restoration, and urban environment safety and revitalization. Examples include:

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Neighborhood Revitalization Affordable Housing Food Security Accessible Transportation Senior Citizens Associations Environmental Protection/Conservation Community Sustainability Humanitarian/Disaster Response Medical Relief Funds Youth Homes And Centers (3)

3. Thatcher, J., Brower, R., and Mason, R. Organizational fields and the diffusion of information technologies within and across the nonprofit and public sectors: A Preliminary Theory. The American Review of Public Administration, Vol. 36, No: 2006., pg. 437-454.

Theoretical Foundation

Community Centre

Community Centre

The Quality of The Building The quality of the building, according to Mess and King (1947: 76) was a major determinant of the success of the centre (center) and association. a ‘good social life’, they wrote, ‘is dependent upon good buildings’. This included having a large hall suitable for meetings, social events and theatre, and, if possible, a common room,canteen, games facilities and a number of small meeting rooms. (4)

4. Mess, H. A. and King, H. 'Community centres and community associations' in H. A. Mess (ed.)

Voluntary Social Services since 1918, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co. [7] E.C. Lim, J.E. Alum, Construction Productivity: Issues Encountered by Contractors in Singapore, International Journal of Project Management, 13 (1995) 52-58.

Theoretical Foundation

The Urban Heat Island

Definition The urban heat island (UHI) effect might cause extreme weather, which would seriously affect people's health, increase energy consumption and cause other negative impacts. To construct urban green spaces is a feasible strategy to effectively weaken the UHI effect. In this study, the cooling effect of green spaces on the UHI effect was carefully investigated in summer and winter in Harbin city. Specifically, the vegetation index and surface temperature information were extracted by the grid method, and based on this data, the relationship between the urban green space and the UHI effect was analyzed quantitatively. In summer, the cooling effect is more significant.

The average cooling extent reached 1.65 °C, the average maximum temperature change was 7.5 °C, and the cooling range was mainly 120 m.

The cooling effect can be improved by adjusting the green space area, perimeter and shape. Increasing the green area (within 37 ha) or the green circumference (within 5300 m) can most economically improve its cooling effect.

The shape factor would significantly affect the cooling effect within 0.03. The simpler the green space shape, the more obvious the cooling effect.

In contrast, in winter the green spaces had a certain cooling effect when there was no snow cover or little snow cover, although this was still less significant compared with the situation in summer. The average cooling extent reached 0.48 °C, the average maximum temperature change was 4.25 °C, and the cooling range was mainly 90 m. However, there is no correlation between urban green space and the UHI effect in areas mainly covered by ice and snow. This work could provide protocols for urban green space design to effectively control the UHI effect of sub-frigid cities. (9)

9. Huang, Meng & Cui, Peng & He, Xin. (2018). Study of the Cooling Effects of Urban Green Space in Harbin in Terms of Reducing the Heat Island Effect. Sustainability (Switzerland). 10. 10.3390/su10041101.

Theoretical Foundation

Effects of Urban Green Space on Environmental Health, Equity and Resilience.

Introduction Modern urban lifestyle is associated with chronic stress, insufficient physical activity and exposure to anthropogenic environmental hazards.

Urban green space, such as parks, playgrounds, and residential greenery, can promote mental and physical health and reduce morbidity and mortality in urban residents by providing psychological relaxation and stress alleviation, stimulating social cohesion, supporting physical activity, and reducing exposure to air pollutants, noise and excessive heat. (10)

10. Braubach M., Egorov A., Mudu P., Wolf T., Ward Thompson C., Martuzzi M. Effects of Urban Green Space on Environmental Health, Equity and Resilience: 2017.

Theoretical Foundation

Sustainability

Sustainable Architecture and The New AIA COTE Measures

Measure 01

Measure 06

Measure 02

Measure 07

Measure 03

Measure 08

Measure 04

Measure 09

Measure 05

Measure 10

Design for Integration

Design for Community

Design for Ecology

Design for Water

Design for Economy

Design for Energy

Design for Wellness

Design for Resources

Design for Change

Design for Discovery (18)

18. AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE). Top Ten Toolkit, Phase 1: 2018 [Internet] Available from: https://network.aia.org/HigherLogic/System/DownloadDocumentFile.ashx?DocumentFileKey=3b309447-1 472-66d9-f689-283d66865779 ( Accessed from October 12th, 2018 )

Site Analysis

Tehran Climate 1.

Average temperatures and precipitation

2. Cloudy, sunny, and precipitation days

(12) 12. Meteoblue.com. Climate Tehran [Internet]. meteoblue. 2019 [cited 21 June 2019]. Available from: https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/tehran_iran_112931

Site Analysis

Tehran Climate 3.

Maximum temperatures

4.

Precipitation amounts

(13) 13. Meteoblue.com. Climate Tehran [Internet]. meteoblue. 2019 [cited 21 June 2019]. Available from: https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/tehran_iran_112931

Site Analysis

Tehran Climate

5. Wind speed

6. Wind Rose

(14)

14. Meteoblue.com. Climate Tehran [Internet]. meteoblue. 2019 [cited 21 June 2019]. Available from: https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/tehran_iran_112931

Site Selection

District Climate Analysis

District 22

Wind Flow Increasing population has disrupted the order of nature and led to restructuring of the original land. In recent years, in order to prevent the horizontal growth of cities, the idea of constructing high-rise buildings in cities around the world such as Tehran metropolis has been proposed. One of the negative impacts of high-rise building is the change in urban wind flow.

Therefore, this study aims to assess the impact of high-rise buildings on the performance of urban wind flow using an inductive-comparative method. In this study, District 22 in Tehran was selected as the case study due to its increasing trend of high-rise construction. The findings of the study showed that the natural pattern of wind flow changed due to the incorrect and non-normative positioning of tall buildings; thereby, this led to the secondary effects resulted from stagnation or intensification of wind flow causing serious problems for air inlet corridor of Tehran. Therefore, appropriate principles and criteria for both the site location as well as the assessment of high-rise building observed by urban managers seem to provide bases for accurate management actions and reduce the side effects. (15)

15. Esmaeel Salehi, Ahmad Reza Yavari, Farane Vakili, et al. Assessing the Impact of Urban High-rise Building on Wind Flow Performance, Case Study: Tehran, District 22. Biannual Journal of Urban Ecology Researches: 2015.

Site Analysis

Sun Path Analysis

Sun Path Analysis on Summer Solstice Time: 21.June.2018, 13:06 UTC+4.5 Solar data for the Location Geo data for the Location Dawn: 05:19:10 Sunrise: 05:48:58 Latitude: N 35°45'14.03'' 35.75390° Sun peak level: 13:06:50 Longitude: E 51°13'44.04'' 51.22890° Sunset: 20:24:43 Timezone: Asia/Tehran +0430 Dusk: 20:54:31 Duration: 14h35m45s Altitude: 71.82° Azimut: 128.42° Shadow length: 0.33 at an object level at 1m height www.suncalc.org [PrintVersion] ©Torsten Hoffmann

Sun Path Analysis on September Equinox Time: 23.Sep.2018, 11:57 UTC+3.5 Solar data for the Location Geo data for the Location Dawn: 05:28:01 Sunrise: 05:53:13 Latitude: N 35°45'14.03'' 35.75390° Sun peak level: 11:57:31 Longitude: E 51°13'44.04'' 51.22890° Sunset: 18:01:14 Timezone: Asia/Tehran +0330 Dusk: 18:26:24 Duration: 12h8m1s Altitude: 54.11° Azimut: 183.19° Shadow length: 0.72 at an object level at 1m height www.suncalc.org [PrintVersion] ©Torsten Hoffmann

Site Analysis

Sun Path Analysis

Sun Path Analysis on Winter Solstice Time: 21.Dec.2018, 12:03 UTC+3.5 Solar data for the Location Geo data for the Location Dawn: 06:42:29 Sunrise: 07:10:39 Latitude: N 35°45'14.03'' 35.75390° Sun peak level: 12:03:04 Longitude: E 51°13'44.04'' 51.22890° Sunset: 16:55:27 Timezone: Asia/Tehran +0330 Dusk: 17:23:37 Duration: 9h44m48s Altitude: 30.84° Azimut: 180.52° Shadow length: 1.68 at an object level at 1m height www.suncalc.org [PrintVersion] ©Torsten Hoffmann

Sun Path Analysis on March Equinox Time: 20.Mar.2018, 12:12 UTC+3.5 Solar data for the Location Geo data for the Location Dawn: 05:43:45 Sunrise: 06:08:55 Latitude: N 35°45'14.03'' 35.75390° Sun peak level: 12:12:36 Longitude: E 51°13'44.04'' 51.22890° Sunset: 18:16:52 Timezone: Asia/Tehran +0330 Dusk: 18:42:05 Duration: 12h7m57s Altitude: 54.13° Azimut: 179.74° Shadow length: 0.72 at an object level at 1 m height www.suncalc.org [PrintVersion] ©Torsten Hoffmann

Site Analysis

Climate Sector Analysis

Wind

Noise

Winter Sun Path

Summer Sun Path

North

Site Analysis

Access Analysis

158.00 m

6.00 m

6.00 m

10.00 m

60.00 m

2.50 m

10.00 m 2.50 m

6.00 m

Site Analysis Access Analysis

BRT 930 m distance to site.

5 Minutes Walk.

Metro Station 4.32 km distance to site.

5 Minutes taxi ride.

Site Analysis

Access Analysis

●

01 km2 Radius ( Walking Distance ) ○ ○ ○

●

03 Urban Parks 01 Grand Shopping Mall 01 BRT Line

05 km2 Radius ( Biking Distance ) ○ ○ ○ ○

10 Schools 13 Urban Parks 02 Forest Parks 01 Metro Station

Design Process

Conceptual Analysis

Urban Design Rectangular surrounding geometry in entire neighbourhood.

Urban Design Sidewalk availability only on one side.

Geology Degraded and dumped soil with minimal slope.

Urban Design Vehicular access routes isolating the site.

Design Process

Space Diagram Reception

Lounge MEP Open Floor Storage Foyer (Communal)

Restrooms Nursing Office

Study

Bookkeeping

Foyer (Library)

Site Entrance

Restrooms Teacher Lounge Executive Director Office MEP

Storage

Communal Garden

Supervision

Design Process

Space Programming for Communal Building

Code

Space or Element

No.

Tentative Dimensions

Total Area m2

C01

Entry Foyer

1

20

2.5

50

C02

Reception / Admission

1

-

-

-

C03

Lounge

1

15

7.5

112.5

C04

Restrooms

2

5

3.75

2(18.75)

C05

Storage

2

3.5

7.5

2(26.25)

C08

Open Floor

1

20

15

300

C07

MEP

1

2.5

7.5

18.75

Subtotal Net Assignable

571.25

Design Process

Space Programming for Library Building

Code

Space or Element

No.

L01

Executive Director Office

1

7.5

3.5

26.25

L02

Teacher Lounge

1

7.5

3.5

26.25

L03

Bookkeeping

1

-

-

-

L04

Restrooms

2

5

3.75

2(18.75)

L05

MEP

1

2.5

7.5

18.75

L06

Library

1

10

15

150

L07

Study

1

15

7.5

112.5

L08

Entry Foyer

1

2.5

20

50

Subtotal Net Assignable

Tentative Dimensions

Total Area m2

421.25

Details

Floor Plan

Details

Section

Details

Wall-Section

Details

Overview

Interactive 3D Presentation - accretence.com/projects/bachelors_thesis

Thank you.