Ali Alsaleh Architecture Portfolio

Self Portrait selected works by Ali A. Alsaleh

Ali A. Alsaleh I aalsaleh@vols.utk.edu I 615-673-5150

To baba, mama, and Rafif,

and to those who daydream at night.

Island of Stability or the open-sky museum of stone sculpture in the centre of the town.

For those who are tired of plastic vanity, for those who feel sick of foam rubber life, for those who believe in heavy things that are difficult to move... _Brodsky and Utkin

Stories. Stories we tell. That’s all they really are. We wade through life expecting the spaces we create to hold some sort of function separate from one another. As if there’s any difference between your childhood pillow fort and a grand cathedral.

Design is nothing but a medium; our souls’ manifestations to speak, to sigh and exhale the way we choose to see this world.

And we have something to say. Like fables and texts, we must pass along our virtues, to make known that the spaces we create are only the memories we choose to share.

Thus, these are not just projects. These are cave drawings.

These are psalms and proverbs. These are the blueprints to your great-grandmother’s lasagna.

In theory, this is how I choose to see this world.

So carry on.

There are stories to be told.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9

Contents On Plato’s allegory of the cave

parable postern: a secret society for the confabulatores noctuni

01

On the ethics of the nocturnal student

pavillion xii: a creature nocturnal

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On the intersection of parallel lines

krutch place: downtown market hall and culinary institute

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On the psychology of children

fond des blancs pre-school

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On the dichotomy of extremes

the [grey]dient house: a dwelling for the 1 and 100

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On the rigidity of water

suttree’s tavern bench: a steam-bent wood installation

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On Mondrian and modular seating

landstrip: a versatile floor mat system

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On Aalto and the Finnish pace

various works

On moving images and scripted words

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Chapter 1

On Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

Parable Postern

a secret society for the confabulatores nocturni UVA, Virginia All that is factually known of the confabulatores nocturni are the 13 visible onyx pyramids lining Edgar Allen Poe’s front lawn. Rumors are woven and the ritual goes that the potential members of the secret society are “tapped” in their sleep, left with nothing more than an onyx pendant and the time of the meeting place.

Reinforcing Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and the Divided Line, the underground structure is a built tool for the enlightenment of the soul and a safe haven for the philosopher.

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Contrary to Plato’s theory of bringing prisoners from the dark into the light, the confabulatores nocturni assumes that the dark, the internal and philosophical dream state to be the higher good, and light to be the false reality, the ignorant facade of illusion that the new found philosopher must overtake.

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Path to Enlightenment 01_Edgar Allen Poe’s Dorm A secret society does not hold true if the public is aware of the entrance. Therefore, within Poe’s room lies the entry, a door hidden under his bed, below the pillow where a dreamer, a poet, a philosopher ponders the day.

02_False Reality Descending the ladder to the underworld, the crusader stands at 13 feet high, a prideful size portraying the initial ignorance of the truth he holds, a reality he assumes to be the luminous facade above.

03_Compression Tunnel Plato believes that in order to lead man to enlightenment, he must first be shown ignorance: “electrification.” A dark tunnel chamfers to 3 feet high, forcing one to crawl, relinquishing any pride, any ignorance, to the space between the ground and the belly.

04_Shadows of Illusion An unseen source of light provides the crawling individual with a play of shadows, an allusion to Plato’s first model of the Divided Line, a threshold to enlightenment.

05_Expansion Tunnel After achieving ignorance, the crusader is ready to be enlightened. Born again, the tunnel expands to 8 feet, offering ample space for learning.

06_Visible Light As the shackles of Plato’s prisoner are freed, he turns his head to find the source of light, the fire responsible for the shadows before, a threshold to belief.

07_Conscious State Entering the gathering room of the society, the member stands again at 13 feet, before six piercing stones, emitting rays of light, forming the constellations, replacing doubt with belief, the last model of the visible world.

08_Threshold to the Intelligible World Six straight rays of light pierce down onto the mind of the crusader, a passage to open the mind, to abstract the belief, to cross into the intelligent.

09_Sub-conscious State The reading room is the first model of the second tier of the Divided Line. The understanding of math, science, and the arts are augmented by ancient texts. A telescope strikes down, offering the chance to look back at the stars one just believed in.

10_Dream State A trap door lies behind the instilled bookcase. The highest form of the good is philosophy, is intelligence, is dreams. A completely darkened room forces internal thought, an understanding of the self, a deep pursuit of forgotten dreams. Enlightenment is complete.

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From the exterior, all is visible are the onyx pyramids mimicking the pace of the colonnade. The 13th stone skips the rhythm to hint at the entrance to Edgar Allen Poe’s room.

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cry

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cre c are reate

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s ara epara ta te

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Below, 13 men gather to study and to teach; to write and to read; to reflect and to dream. Punctures and mirror tricks in the stones offer stars to be seen during the day.

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Chapter 2

On the ethics of the nocturnal student

Pavilion XII

a creature nocturnal Thomas Jefferson Lawn, UVA, Virginia Residing at the foot of Jefferson’s lawn, enriched by Virginian soil, a creature nocturnal is a safe haven for learning. It’s tilted form refuses to conform to the orthogonal symmetry of the other pavilions, a curious being seen peeking across the lawn and to the Rotunda. In keeping with the literature strongly enforced by Jefferson’s ideals, the pavilion is a library for the inquisitive.

In daylight, the creature is idle, unmoving and stern, resting among the grasses and trees. In the night it hunts, its facade hid among the dark forest, an elevated and gravitating light feeding off of the reclusive knowledge of nocturnal students. Tension then is created at the heart of the creature, the library, only to be released to the lawn and its students the next day by way of the broad view tilted social area. In the end, Pavilion XII is merely a comma in the sentence that is the lawn, in the novel that is the university, meant to reflect back on what one had just experienced, or rather, to foreshadow what one will soon behold.

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Hid among the trees, the library stands on pilotis, a levitating being in the bushes. A glass enclosed vestibule offers the only access from the Lawn. At times, students are caught resting below the belly of the building.

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The archive itself offers a minimal amount of books, a rotating entourage of the sacred texts. One column pierces the floor and anchors the tension of the path. A panoramic view cannons onto the Lawn.

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Like the light that charms the insects, or the magnetic aura of a smile, the nocturnal student gravitates towards the radiating library. Below the moon, the building blossoms.

Chapter 3

On the intersection of parallel lines

Krutch Place

downtown market hall and culinary institute Knoxville, Tennessee In order to establish an icon for the city, where community and commerce may thrive, Krutch Place creates a visual as well as experiential connection between vehicular Gay st. and pedestrian friendly Market Square.

A large concrete box truss spans over the site to carve a grand threshold between the parallel streets. Two cores sit at either wing and while structurally holding the elevated market, create distinct zones for the culinary school and office of commerce.

The landscape is infused through a sunken courtyard that provides for the a community a beautiful promenade with a sculpture garden.

Passive strategies are given ample consideration for natural lighting and ventilation, as well as resourceful water collection, local material use, and visual appeal. in collaboration with: Gustavo Bustamante

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G

a

y

S

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The elevated concrete box truss, the market itself held by the opposing cores, spans over the site and the grand gateway merges the parallel Gay street and Market Square.

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M a r k e t

S q u a r e

The sunken courtyard and sculpture garden adds another communal element to the intersection that funnel pedestrians from Gay street into the bustling plaza and Market Square.

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culinary school offices

utilities

market pods

fountain bench

exterior garden

greenhouse pods

B

A_Market Shop plan

B_Sky light 3’ x 3’ polished concrete pavers 2’ x 2’ concrete box truss column

1’9” Solarban Clear Triple glazed window rotates to fixed 30 degree for cross ventilation 3” x 6” wood slats diffuse direct light

C

A

C_ Parapet Metal base flashing EPDM Membrane Vapor Retarder 2” Concrete pavers 3” ballast Thermomass System DW concrete roof with 6” rigid insulation Air gap 2’ concrete box truss header 3” x 6” aluminum mullion Solarban R100 Clear Triple glazed window Glazing slopes for drainage 3” x 6” wood slat

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The sunken courtyard boasts a calming promenade with traveling sculptures of local artists. Slicing through East Park, it creates a pedestrian street to slow the pace of the downtown rush.

The extruding market pods, a light and louvered wooden structure contrast with the weight of the concrete skeleton.

The double story elevated exterior garden anchors the Eastern wing and presents a pleasant overlook of the market plaza. Its vegetative green cubes provide fresh local produce for the farmer’s market as well as a learning tool for the culinary school. The view taken from the resident windows of the Holston Towers behind.

The interior market is a two story atrium bustling with rotating shops and produce. Each bay may be rented weekly for a varied selection. The natural lighting of the clerestory fills the space.

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Chapter 4

On the psychology of children

Fond des Blancs Pre-School Fond des Blancs, Haiti

A semester’s worth in third world disaster rehabilitation, genuine sustainable design, child education and nutrition, and full cultural awareness led to a significant final studio project.

Under the guidance of a dozen of human sources, as well as the philanthropic clients Jean and Joy Thomas, the following pre-school was designed in response to a growing influx of accepted students.

This scheme considers the characteristics of a root system by creating a compound of trunk and branches, where a main spine circulates up the sloping site, providing tributary access to all program elements and then culminating at the cafeteria/ gathering hall. Focusing on scale, placement, and solid/void relationships, the buildings are a part of a whole that form a cohesive and holistic cluster to create spaces that are tailored to the children. in collaboration with: Gustavo Bustamante John Battle

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Working around the limited footprint of the site as well as the existing church, we still aimed to maximize our student count (a requirement of 500) utilizing a compound of smaller simple and familiar structures that portray lightness and unity of interior and exterior, rather than any monolithic design that would overshadow the prominence of the church.

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11 7 7 7 9

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1_3yr. old students 2_Existing Catholic Church 3_2 yr. old students 4_Church court 5_Parking lot 6_4 yr. old students

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7_5 yr. old students 8_Bathrooms 9_Cafeteria/ Gathering Hall 10_Kitchen 11_Waste

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Interior/ exterior transparency

Refuge of solid and void

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structure

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floor extended for exterior deck

structure raised for elevation change

Each classroom values the importance of using the exterior as a learning tool, yet the four and five year old rooms provide an outdoor deck that can be accessed with the adjoining operable walls, adding an extra 3 meters to use as class space.

The butterfly roof, while collecting rainwater, allows for great sustainability in lighting and ventilation. Its light material rebar truss system also gives peace of mind in an earthquake prone zone.

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Movable wood wall panels allow for interactive transparency between classroom and patio to expand the learning ground when necessary.

Rainwater harvested through butterfly roof and down spout to above ground purification cistern. Clean water is pumped to deck pump at every classroom.

Passive strategies achieved by operable wood louvers to capture cool air and butterfly roof to release hot air. Overhang of roof provide necessary shading in summer sun.

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From the main road, the children are welcomed by their national Hibiscus tree, a symbol of flourishing; of planting new roots and a foundation to base their future on.

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Above: 1’:1/4” Classroom Section Basswood

Below: 1:200 Site Basswood/chipboard 40

Chapter 5

On the dichotomy of extremes

The [Gray]dient House

a dwelling for the 1 and 100 Helsinki, Finland “To pass freely through open doors, it is necessary to respect the fact that they have open frames.� _Robert Musil We have come to live among the extremes. Although not opposing, they have split our world into two complimentary forces, interacting to form a whole greater than either separate parts.

This is the dichotomy, the figure and ground; for in order for shadow to exist, there must first be light. And in order for light to take its stage, shadow must first introduce it. This is for hot and cold; silence and noise; solitude and company; earth and sky; and sacred and profane. Yes, because even Heaven itself cannot exist without its complimentary Hell.

Yet, categorizing ourself into extremes leaves us deficient. What we gain strength in one, we lack in the other. Therefore, in order to regain balance, we must find our middle ground, the Golden Mean; to exist not within either black or white, but rather, within the gray, and all of the pixels of its gradient.

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Ramp Terrace seating Cloister garden

Ground Level Student lounge Film room Student chambers Library Interior/exterior balconies

Belowgrade Level

Kitchen/ dining Faculty Chambers Bench Caretaker’s Cottage Sauna Changing rooms/ indoor pool 43

Roof Level

The [Gray]dient House, located on a site between water and land, attempts to become a physical manifestation of the bridge between two extremes, to allow for a spectrum of hues before reaching either end.

The ramp is the main form of circulation, escalating the wanderer from grade to a rooftop terrace, where many can gather to overlook the lake.

The layout of the House emphasizes communication through circulation. Every program element is connected to the ramp. Private spaces, gathering spaces, and utilities converge for a dynamic tango of seclusion and association.

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Rooftop terrace June 21st, 19:08 Midsummer

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Rooftop terrace June 21st, 19:08 Midsummer

Winter night exercise February 6th, 01:38

Winter night routine February 6th, 01:26

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Chapter 6

On the rigidity of water

Suttree’s Tavern Bench

a steam-bent wood installation Knoxville, Tennessee Beginning as a fabrication study for a seminar class to enhance spacial quality while providing additional seating for Suttree’s High Gravity Tavern, my group and I were commissioned to design and build the 50’ installation.

Using themes taken from Cormac McArthy’s acclaimed book, Suttree, the team designed the bench to respond to the problems while still maintaining a language in keeping with the bar.

Through precedent studies of fabrication techniques related to steam bent wood, this hypothetical project came to realization after numerous experiments and trials and now sits as a welcoming icon of the bar.

In collaboration with: Jake Heaton Kyle Jenkins Nick Burger Jared Wilkins Professor Greg Spaw _EUReCA All College Design First Place I 2013 _AIA East Tennessee Submission I 2013

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Existing conditions relied on placement of tables and chairs that pushed seating to the edges of the bar with a central circulation from entry to rear of the space. On busy nights this caused congestion between tables and a bottleneck at the bar. An additional concern was excessive noise exacerbated by extensive use of highly reflective surfaces throughout the business.

As a response to the problems presented by the client, the bench installation follows the existing perimeter of the wall to allow for maximum open circulation space while also maximizing seating along the wall. This in turn resolves congestion because the form creates movement within the space to improve circulation among the patrons. The added depth of the form and its porous construction counter the high noise levels by reflecting and trapping the sound.

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Interior elevation of installation with updated seating configuration

Plan with updated seating configuration

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The breakdown of components include a repetitive series of structural ribs contrasted with a free flowing skin. The porosity of the form visually conveys the system of parts to a whole. The overall geometry was derived from analysis of the ergonomics of sitting as related to low and high-top seating.

The cross-sections of milled plywood ribs created a contoured form that gradually transitions from one end to the other.

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3”

”

.125

.5”

.75”

1”

8.5”

C

13”

A

.25”

2.25”

B

.75”

B

18.5”

4..5”

2”

3.5” 2.25”

Section 4 of installation showing connection details A_ White oak strips fastened to top of plywood ribs with finishing nails at varied spacing.

B_ Custom fabricated aluminum gusset plates connect the L-ribs and custom profile ribs.

C_ L-ribs with steel brackets hook onto wall spine that is mechanically fastened

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Chapter 7

On Mondrian and modular seating

Landstrip

a versatile floor mat system Knoxville, Tennessee “Land Strip expands on the potential of floor seating with the use of retractable and compactable panels to create rigid surfaces for sitting, sleeping, lounging, and use of table surface.

Using three different furniture pieces: chair, lounge, and table, and four varied modules, the possibilities can endlessly be rotated, matched, and collapsed, to create a constantly changing floor pattern based on the mood and need of the user.

The ease of use of the Land Strip is attributed to a simple act of peeling or pulling the desired color coded panel, and then locking in place the dowel at the notch. This provides a quick and thoughtless approach for the passerby. When finished, simply de-notch and push back down the panel to create the flat mat.�

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Pull notch to slide dowel in and move panel along track

A

Swivel dowel along joints rotate accordingly

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B C A

C

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Fixed dowel swivels panel joint

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1 2 3 4 63

Table Chair Table

Chair Chair Table

Lounge Lounge

Chair Table Table Table

Chair I

18”

105°

3”

3’9”

12”

Chair II 145° 10”

5’

18”

Table

18”

Lounge 126° 12”

2’8”

2’1” 64

Chapter 8

On Aalto and the Finnish pace A summer in Finland allowed me to experience the Finnish persona of harvesting the need for culture in present times; how the Fins have harmonious intertwined their past and their future, balancing together the digital and the analog.

Eight days camping offgrid in Southern Finland and studying the many works of Alvar Aalto himself, I came to realize the beauty in controlled pace; how time, in gradual seconds and eras, begets a critical understanding of process, one rarely found in today’s rushed atmosphere.

I returned to the States with relaxed limbs and created homages.

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As a group effort, six of my peers and I took field measurements and generated original drawings and a 1:200 site model of the retreat for the Finnish Association of Architects. Here, we slept, grilled makara, enjoyed the sauna and inhaled the Finnish culture through its summer breeze. Using traditional and manual field techniques we were able to construct 7 graphite renderings of our temporary home.

The model now sits at the Finnish Architecutre Museum.

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After studying Aalto’s patented plywood bending technique, I decided to create my own versions of some of his iconic pieces.

Reinterpreting the infamous Stool 60, I infused my Arab heritage to imprint Islamic geometries at the seat and summon two stools that carry the weight of two cultures.

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The Aalto Lounge, of which a 1/5 scale model is shown above, was reinterpreted to take one of the legs and make an interesting shelf and wine rack.

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Temperatures of Kiljava Intaglio prints

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Chapter 9

On moving images and scripted words The marriage of text and image summons a reciprocal relationship that, for me, underlines the tools by which I carry out my design process. I am the writer and the director. Moving images and scripted words are my instruments and I aim to create narrative through my works.

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Bench Kiljava, Finland

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The Daydreamer’s Bench, or A Seat for those Too Loud to Speak Words were never meant to explain silence. Whether audible or written, they create noise; so much noise.

Once summoned, they intrude.

Photographs? Cheap plastic portable imitations we carry that lack the confidence to portray what words attempt, limiting a scope of the mind to a 3x5 frame.

No, I wish you were here; physically.

I carry you in mind always, but I wish you were here with me, on this bench. We wouldn’t have to speak. In fact, I’d prefer it if we didn’t. The air is too fragile for words.

Just hold my hand and look forward, towards the clear horizon; where hope follows the unknown, where hope runs limitless, and where hope runs strong.

I wish you were here.

I wish you could run your hands across the wood of this bench, cautious of the splinters. I wish you could feel the cold wind as it dives through your skirt and between your knees. I wish you could kneel down and touch the water, innocently breaking its calming stillness.

Yes, I wish you were here.

And in writing my words seem flat and dull, depicting a silence too plastic and misplaced.

So hold my hand.

Hold my hand and shut me up, and follow me into the quiet.

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Atop the Duomo Florence, Italy

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The Ecstasy Irving Stone once told me that one should not become an artist because he can, but because he must.

It is only for those who would be miserable without it.

Over hot black tea, he goes on to explain the meaning of frustration. This soon leads to an exchange of words on the power and need of obedience and discipline.

Hours later, after the tea had long since been cold, I thank him for his time and insist on picking up the bill, a common courtesy I assumed anywhere, even in an obscure village in Southern Indonesia.

Before I could grab my bag, Stone takes a swift hold of my wrist.

“You said you were a storyteller, correct?”

Shocked at his spontaneous forwardness, I stammered, “Only for the stories that need to be told.”

He smirks.

“Sit down,” he orders, “I have a story that I must tell you than, a story about a man who was at the hands of God.” I fell in love in Florence.

It was selfish really, to fall in love with a city. I could not have been the only one to sway under her spell, and to think that she loved only me alone is foolish. And so I take my place among her suitors, alongside Stone and Buonorrati and thousands of other artists hoping to catch her tired gaze.

Yet, I find her welcoming still, arms open, whispering, “Come, take me, sculpt my twisting body, paint my quivering lips, and play the music that makes me dance.”

It is within her that I find reassurance, a feeling I so seldom find nowadays, hidden in aging couples and short checkout lines.

Stone had not betrayed me.

I step into her with the expectations of my imagination to guide me. At the time of our conversation years before, she was invisible to me, but as real as any of Calvino’s. I had to create and recreate the Duomo, constantly polish the Statue of David, and countlessly cross the Ponte Vecchio.

Over hot black tea, she was merely looming images shaped and reshaped, to keep consistency between Stone’s short breaths.

Now, years later, I find myself in Florence, 473 steps high, and staring at clay pitched roofs.

All I could think about was my mother.

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CUT TO: INT. PRISON CELL – DAY

(DAY LATER)

Cramped dark room. Greasy, stone walls. Wood door with small opening. Ray of light through opening in top corner of room.

Karim, topless, covered in sweat, head down, arms above, dangles from chains. HEAVY BREATHS. Majid enters with sneer and whip.

MAJID

You know, soldier, treason is

frowned upon in our beloved nation,

especially in these testing times.

KARIM But IMajid CRACKS whip across his bare back.

Karim YELLS. MAJID

You don’t speak, soldier.

He paces.

MAJID (CONT’D)

You fight, you bleed, you die.

But you don’t speak.

CRACK. CRACK. Karim YELLS and GROANS. KARIM Laila.

MAJID

And you surely don’t love.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. Karim SCREAMS, WEEPS. Body jolts and quivers.

Blood trickles down back and DRIPS from feet.

Majid PANTS. Sweats. Wipes forehead with towel.

He picks up small box from corner. Opens tab.

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MAJID (CONT’D)

And now some salt for sweet Karim.

He pours box over Karim’s back.

Karim SCREAMS. Body spasms. Chains RATTLE. Majid steps inches from Karim.

Karim GROANS, sweat and dirt cover face.

MAJID (CONT’D)

Hope your whore of a wife is

thinking of you now.

Karim spits blood and dirt into Majid’s face.

Majid wipes face. CACKLES. He PUNCHES Karim in gut. Walks out.

Karim MOANS. Chains RATTLE.

Excerpt scene from Where the Rivers Run Dry an original screenplay based on the marriage of my mother and father set in the fall of Saddam Hussein

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With thanks,

About the author Born in the midst of war, Ali Alsaleh vowed to find peace and beauty in the everyday. Son to a journalist, playwright, and joketeller father, Ali was emmersed in stories and the manipulation of fiction. His time was spent drawing circles and filling them with his understandings of the world.

Born once again 8 years later, now in America, he vowed to search for truth in design, to theorize the strain of life to its most humane outputs.

Ali now resides in Nashville, TN with his father, mother, and sister. He can be found rewatching films and filling up his circles.