a portfolio from Al-Jalil Gault
Al Jalil Gault Bachelor of Architecture, 2019 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Master of City Planning, 2021 University of Pennsylvania
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Bৄ Rিূিৄহ Dিৈিহ
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 2018, Cambridge, MA
• • •
Identified incidences of resilience in Boston districts related to emergency response management, flood plain overlays, civic services, and electoral representation using GIS. Designed sea-level rise resilience districts for Boston. Presented at the 2018 MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) Poster Session.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Pূষৄৄিৄঽ Iৄৈৄ
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission | Summer 2020, Philadelphia, PA
• Developed policy suggestions for municipalities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in commercial, residential, industrial, and transportation sectors. • Catalogued municipal ordinances that promote widespread electric vehicle use.
Iৄৈৄ Dষষ Aৄষূ
School District of Philadelphia, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Accountability | Spring 2020
• Reviewed data and presentation tools for quality assurance in web applications and tabular formats. • Matched socio-economic data from the census with school catchments and zipcode boundaries using data attribution tools in GIS. • Analyzed geospatial patterns in crime near schools using GIS and Microsoft Excel.
Aৈহািহোৈষূ Iৄৈৄ
SmithGroup | Winter 2016 - Summer 2019, Chicago, IL
• Developed tools for firm-wide, cross-disciplinary use of parametric facade design. • Visioned community development of the 100-acre Roseland Community Medical District of Chicago, IL. • Participated in a team design competition for a 25-acre medical campus in China. • Prepared construction documentation for interior architectural details.
SKILLS e | gaulta@upenn.edu t | +1.312.315.2690 w | www.linkedin.com/in/aljalil
Statistical Analysis - Microsoft Excel, R Studio, Qlik Sense, Tableau Geospatial Analysis - ArcGIS, QGIS, Climate Consultant V6 Programming Languages - R Studio, Python, Javascript Computer-aided Design - Rhinoceros, Autodesk Revit, Google Sketchup, V-Ray Adobe Creative Cloud - Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, Photoshop
Contents Passages of Woodlawn: A Cultural Experience
Beyond Seattle #urban planning #data analysis #land use #environment
4-5
#architecture #transit-oriented #team leader #competition
GOD IS BACK IN THE WORKPLACE
Mixed-Use Housing #architecture #housing #waterfront
6 - 11
#architecture #academic #theoretical #thesis
#architecture #arts center #waterfront #large
#architecture #facade #data analysis #energy eďŹƒciency
Sendero Hiperconectado #architecture #transit-oriented #park #extra large
20 - 23
26 - 29
Building Envelopes and Performance
ARTSPARK 12 - 19
24 - 25
30 - 31
Resilience Districts
#urban planning #research #resilience #sea-level rise
32 - 35
Beyond Seattle
CHARACTERIZING GROWTH FOR ALGORITHMIC MODELING In the north, expanded ferry connections between Camano Island and Whidbey Island will amplify the civic capacity of Oak Harbor. The South Basin, Tacoma, and regions of the Kitsap Peninsula will also become more connected.
By the end of 2021, Puget Sound will substantially expand its ferry network to increase accessibility throughout its islands and peninsulas.
Done in collaboration with classmate Nicholas Zhu
4
The Seattle Combined Statistical Area is growing quickly. Its growing economy will come with an influx of residents and a greater demand for development, which must occur in tandem with natural land preservation. This project provides guidance for how to allocate new demand for development in the coming years. It uses an algorithmic model to identity development demand based on the following factors: land cover • distance to existing development • distance to ferry stations • distance to highways & state routes • population change over the last 10 years
Professors Ken Steif + Michael Fichman, University of Pennsylvania
es
old DEVELOPMENT DEMAND
ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE LAND
ri fer
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DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL The towns of Burlington and Shelton have seen significant population growth over the last 10 years. Much of the land cover in both regions is farmland, but regional demand suggests that this farmland is fit for denser redevelopment.
Growth in Burlington would strengthen the area’s connection to Vancouver. Development along Interstate 5 would increase accessibility to the historic town Chehalis, the state capitol Olympia, and further Portland, OR.
To Vancouver, BC
5 high demand
low demand existing development environmentally sensitive
To Portland, OR
workshops rehearsal rooms
Mixed Use
nursery
Housing Done in collaboration Tanner Whitney, with contributions to all aspects of the project. -05/12/16
6
Public
Student Housing
Family Housing
This proposal unites public and private functions with a central courtyard - eectively at crossroads between public and private as well as the city and the river. In mixing these functions, programs of the building begin to mesh with their surroundings: musical practice rooms and a studio space make their way into residential zones, along with a nursery and a study - all to provide residents, families and the city with more than a housing solution.
Critic David Bell, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
SECTIONAL MODEL
STREET-LEVEL PERSPECTIVE
8
9
10
11
ARTSPARK Done in collaboration with Majid Javed, with contributions to all aspects of the project. -05/12/18
12
In the context of a former public park, ARTSPARK brings the hybrid of a sculpture garden and arts center to the waterfront of Bushwick Inlet Park. The main gallery is lifted to free itself from the ground plane and provide continuity for an existing park. A theater, gallery spaces, and workshops within the project are covered with a green roof. The project creates a new attraction and innovative urban experience.
Critic Lonn Combs, Gabrielle Brainard, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Free ground plane for existing park
Cull holes for sculpture garden experience
SECTIONAL MODEL
SCULPTURE PARK PERSPECTIVE
CONSTRUCTIBLE SECTION DETAIL
CONTEXT MODEL
15
FACADE DETAIL MODEL
16
17
LEVEL 2 (ELEVATED FLOOR )
18
19
MEZZANINE LEVEL
Sendero Hiper conectado Done in collaboration with Araceli Gonzalez & Enrico Kreiman in Argentina with contributions to the entire project. -11/8/16
20
Sendero Hiperconectado positions itself as part of an urban solution which enhances mobility in a growing metropolis. While connecting two significant public parks, the project connects inhabitants with several transportation systems, from the metropolitan train system, to the national train system of Argentina. This project also serves a new infrastructure for interchanging commercial markets, according to circumstantial demand.
connection with interstate highway system
Semester Abroad Critics Gustavo Crembil + Cristian Nanzer,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute + Universidad Nacional de Cรณrdoba
connection with elevated metropolitan train
FCC line
connection with metropolitan subway system
21
connection with national train
Sarmiento park entrance line C LONGITUDINAL SITE SECTION
22
PROJECT PERSPECTIVE
Passages of
Woodlawn
Done as Team Lead for RPI’s Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) for the 47th Annual NOMA Competition -10/13/18
24
Passages of Woodlawn: A Cultural Experience brings people of all ages together in the spirit of the African Diaspora, at a hub that is as much of a destination as it is a departure point. Enhancing the relationship between the Woodlawn Community, Chicago commuters and World travellers, Passages of Woodlawn celebrates the African diaspora in Chicago with local heritage, world cuisine and gardens, innovative student apprenticeship programs, and sustainable technologies.
The African Heirloom Passage
Arts Experience at Woodlawn + Community Housing
The Diaspora Cuisine Center
AFRICAN HEIRLOOM PASSAGE PERSPECTIVE
25
The Diaspora Cuisine Center as a model for sustainable community entrepreneurship
The Arts Experience at Woodlawn as an inclusive cultural incubator
Youth Culinary Apprenticeships
Local Aspiring Chefs
On-site Urban Farm
Artists Studio Space
Local Aspiring Artists
Cultural Exhibitions
LONGITUDINAL SITE SECTION
God is
Back in the Workplace
ORNAMENTATION - MODEL S
Done as a Bachelor of Architecture Thesis Project at RPI - 05/01/19
26
Pressures of capitalism, production, and globalization create logistics architectures, simulation-driven planning, and performance-based design – often producing highly-robust environments devoid of humane existence. This project advocates for hidden integration of an interfaith meditation sanctuary in the same highly-resilient, technologically versatile, powerful systems that exist in the stead-fast, politically powerful late capitalism.
Critics Stefano Passeri, Rhett Russo Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
ORNAMENTATION - MODEL C
PROCESSION - MODEL C
MEDITATION WITH NATURE - MODEL C
MEDITATION WITH NATURE - MODEL S
MODEL S
EXTERIOR VIEW
MODEL C
EXTERIOR VIEW
Interjected into the “Free Space” of a typical FedEx distribution center floor plan, places of worship subvert industrial contexts, allowing new spiritual experiences into these mundane environments.
PERSPECTIVE SECTION - MODEL C
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC - MODEL C
3D PRINTED SANDSTONE - MODEL C
3D PRINTED SANDSTONE - MODEL C
PERSPECTIVE PLAN - MODEL S
EXPLODED ISOMETRIC - MODEL S
Building
envelopes and performance
ROTATED TERRA COTTA FACADE STUDY DESIGNING CONSCIOUS OF MAINTENANCE As terra cotta panels experience wear overtime, the construction method of this wall is designed to allow for terra cotta panels to be unhooked and replaced, with gaps between panels for account for space needed for hooking and unhooking. TERRA COTTA FACADE PLAN A
Done as collaborative research and coursework with Mengzhe Zhang, Natalie Goklevent, and Majid Javed, with contributions to all deliverables. - 05/10/18
30
The rotated terra cotta facade study is conceived of as an experiential illusion to a moving facade. Thermal facade performance research also included in this section investigates how material changes impact heat transfer. One analysis is of a metal window frame, and the other is the same facade design except while using a wooden window frame.
Critic Gabrielle Brainard,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
TERRA COTTA FACADE MODEL (3D PRINTED PANELS ) TERRA COTTA FACADE DETAIL
TERRA COTTA FACADE SECTION A
WINDOW - FRAME THERMAL ANALYSIS
U-VALUE CALCULATIONS (METAL FRAME )
U-VALUE CALCULATIONS (WOODEN FRAME )
PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENTS VIA MATERIAL CHANGE In calculating U-Values for the center of glass, the edge of the window glass, and the window frame, we find that the glass is the most efficient, and the edge of the window is the least thermally conservative. Using a wooden window frame in this design proved to perform better that a metal window frame.
31
Resilience
Districts Done as a Research Assistant at the Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU), Massachusetts Institute of Technology -08/10/18
32
This investigation is concerned with resilience in coastal cities, given the increased likelihoods of storm surges and sea level rise. It hypothesizes districting strategies as a viable mechanism to enhancing urban resilience. We analyze existing districting strategies, including utilities distribution & management, transit deserts & planning, postal zoning and more. We develop a framework for conceptualizing how and why districts are manifested in their forms. Using the existing Resilience Districting framework, developed by LCAU at MIT, we develop a resilience districting scheme for the metropolitan region of Boston, MA.
WHAT IS URBAN RESILIENCE? ”The ability to adapt, persist, or return to a state of equilibrium after a disturbance.” The resilience of a community – its capacity to build back better after a disaster – is dependent upon the risks it faces, its vulnerability, as well as the resources it has to recover and rebuild 1,2.
SEA LEVEL RISE IS IMMINENT
New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy flood, 2012
Boston Nor'easter flood, 2018
New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy flood, 2012
New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina, 2005
DAMAGES FROM STORM-SURGE FLOODING
Coastal cities remain under-prepared for sea-level rise. Storm-surge flooding in the U.S. consistently causes billions of dollars in damages, and delays significant urban operations 7.
SEA-LEVEL RISE IN COASTAL CITIES PRODUCES DAMAGING RIPPLE EFFECTS By 2050, significant assets in the Boston Metropolitan region will become flooded. By 2100, more resources and people at low elevations will become endangered with an 11ft flood risk. Roads connecting to significant assets in the Boston Metro region will become compromised. The City’s Back Bay neighborhood, with a combined annual buying income exceeding $1.7 billion, will become threatened 8.
HOW MIGHT DISTRICTING FACILITATE URBAN RESILIENCE? LEARNING FROM TODAY’S DISTRICTS
THE RESILIENCE DISTRICT
Overlapped Service District ex. Fire Districts
Centralized Resource District ex. Utilities Distribution Production
Resilience strategies at the district-scale divide the challenge of creating resilient cities into a more manageable process.
Local Utility Regulator
City Gate Station
Fire District
Fire Station 1-mile radius
The Resilience District concept was created at the Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU) as:
“A performance-based set of planning and design strategies that capture agglomeration benefits, mitigate systematic risks, and address socioeconomic concerns of long-term climate adaptation in coastal cities” 9 .
Local Utility Regulator
33
Clustered Resource District ex. School Districts + School Selection
Nested Representation District ex. Electoral Districts
(Alan M. Berger, Michael Wilson, Fadi Masoud, Richard J. Zeckhauser, 2018)
Conceiving of resilience at the district-scale (as opposed to the city-scale) allows cities to more precisely evaluate priorities and match sociopolitical engagement & economic tools at an appropriate spatial scale.
Highly-dense, smaller district Special Education Option (in district) Additional High-Quality Option Schools within 1-mile radius
City-wide option
District conserving a minority-majority
DESIGNING RESILIENCE DISTRICTS IN BOSTON
Evacuation Routes
Thick lines of Defense
Up-Zone High Grounds Down-Zone Low Grounds
Sub-districts
Time & Access
Performance & Oversight
34
Distance & Distribution Flexibility & Delegation
Distance & Distribution Flexibility & Delegation
Increased Density and Enhanced Building Performance Standards
Green Infrastructure Opportunity
Multiple Thick Lines of Defense
District Boundaries
Thick Lines of Defense
Low-density Land Use
1 mi BOSTON RESILIENCE DISTRICT MAP
thank You.