The Social Blender _ Technical Report

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

PROJECT REPORT TECHNICAL SYSTEMS UEM 16/06/2014

PRESENTED BY: ALIA SABRY SUPERVISD BY: LUIS ALVAREZ ALFARO XAVIER AGUILÓ

CONTENTS PAGE

01

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

01

CLIENT

01

ARCHITECT

02

ARCHITECTURAL IDEA

03

PROJECT LOCATION

04

PROJECT SITE

04

SITE IMAGES

05

SITE SURROUNDINGS

06

SITE ACCESSIBILITY

06

SITE DIMENSIONS

07

PROJECT VISUALIZATION

10

CLIMATE ANALYSIS

13

PROGRAM

14

CIRCULATION

15

MATERIALS

16

TECHINICAL SYSTEMS

17

STRUCTURAL CONCEPT

18

LOADS

19

CALCULATIONS

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

PROJECT OBJECTIVES The Social Blender is a project to be built in Cairo, Egypt. It is a project based on the values of the Egyptian Revolion. It takes these values from Tahrir Square into the public space of the building where there are platofrms for expression and shaded spaces (because this is what is primarily needed to support the voice of the people and allow them to speak up).Then as the users escalate throuhg the building they find more facilities which allow them to turn their voices into actions.

The program of the building consists of a public space with big exposure spaces (auditorium, exhibion hall and lecture halls) on the ground floor, a civic center (study, work, excercise and socialize spaces) on the first floor and finally a student residence on the second floor. The idea is that users will grow through the building from protestors to actors to people who practice what they preach.

The main concept of the building is that it is a place to bring people together and expose their activities, traditions and habit in order for the society to become more tolerant of differences. It’s aim is to heal broken relationships within the egyptian society.

CLIENT The CAIRO CULTURE CENTER is a well established NGO that survives on the funds of the people. It is the most donation-receiving NGO in Egypt which means the people are hungry for culture and thirsty for improvements in this area.

CCC is a very well established organization that collaborates with the Egyptian government to fund projects that they believe will enhance the culture in Egypt and therefore the lives of the community.

ARCHITECT AS Architects is a small office from Cairo Egypt. It focuses in architecture and the society, finding ways to include the people in the architecture that surrounds them while also creating new kinds of spaces which can resolve social issues.

By creating spaces of co-exitence, avoiding hierarchy and divisions, the people will learn to accept, respect and share their space and hopefully one day their cities and country.

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

01

ARCHITECTURAL IDEA The Cairo Culture Center contains public space, semi-public space and private space, all in close density. This resulted in the geometry, volume and materiality of of the building. The ground level is completely open to act as an extension to the city and to provide a shaded public space for the people. In this floor you are on the same plane as Tahrir square and many other important streets however the shade that is provided indicates an informal boundary of the space.

On the first floor the user is taken to a slightly more enclosed space but which still retains the feeling of openness. The first floor is a completely open plan with movable partitions. With a high performance double glazing with low - values, the glass enclosure makes the user feel they are still in the city somehownbecause there is a 360 degree view of the surroundings. It is also visually accessible by those outside which reduced the impact of the presence of the building.

Physical accessibility is more exclusive which is why it is a semipublic space. There is a visual connection from the three main voids allowing a complete vertical scan of the building. On the third floor, the private floor the idea was to forget about the exterior and to focus the building on the interior opposing to the previous floors so the circulation is designed to draw movement to the interior public spaces. It allows all the units to be accessible and gives each unit an outdoor place for resting giving the feeling that they are all on a main street or circulation path. The residential units are enclosed with a rainscreen facade made of white ceramic panels.

There is a a slight controversy between the form of the building and the final experience. The form is a solid block which is expected to have a big presence, however with an open ground floor and a glass-enclosed first floor, the presence of the building is much less felt and it is as if it gradually turns into a building with height. Additionally the three voids allow light to pierce through the building which gives the building a sense of premeability.

Without the manipulation of the materiality and the massiveness of the shape, the presence of a 100m² block would have had a compeltely difference presence in Tahrir square.

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

02

PROJECT LOCATION The site is located in the center of Cairo, a district called “West El Balad” (translated as “city center”). It is considered by Egyptians to be the heart of the city. Not only because it is in the center, but also because it is where many Egyptians come together for different purposes.

This neighborhood contains many important buildings of Cairo, both modern and old. It is a main attraction for tourists as there is much to see like the ancient Egyptian museum and old Cairo, which holds both French and British architecture as well as Islamic architecture.

Around the area many government buildings bring people from all over Egypt to make legal documents.

This neighborhood brings different people together, and it is a place that forces Co-existence.

Here is the heart of Cairo, and the heart of Egypt.

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

03

PROJECT SITE

The site is at the intersection of Meret Basha St. and El Tahrir St.

SITE IMAGES

This site has a great importance which puts great pressure on this project. Due to it’s location the project has to respect several things, firstly, the historical events that have occured in Tahrir Sqaure.

Secondly, the diversity of people who pass through this neighbourhood daily, including locals of all social classes and backgrounds, tourists , news agents, politicians etc. The project has to allow the coexistence of these people and has to serve all these people. Finally, the surroundings, because there are historical buildings from the time of French and the British Invasions, as well as Islamic mosques which have a great importance in field of Islamic Architecture. Due to this the building has to be highly sensitive and neutral in order not to provoke chaos at a time where the country is already in instability.

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

04

SITE SURROUNDINGS

2

Around the plot are many important sites. These include:

1

6

3 9

7

4

8

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THE SOCIAL BLENDER

(1) the Ancient Egyptian Museum of Egypt (2) burned National Democratic Party Building (symbolic of the revolution) (3) the Nile Hilton Hotel (4) the Arab League Headquarters (5) government building administrative complex (6) high density residential buildings (7) available plot most likely to be turned into a public space (8) Tahrir Square (9) the Nile River

05

SITE ACCESSIBILITY

Many of the biggest bridges and roads pass through the point making it also accessible from all directions. Neighbourhoods of different classes surround it making it a meeting point for the social extremities.

SITE DIMENSIONS

120m

140m

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

The plot is approximately 120 meters by 140 meters however the project will utilize a square of 100m by 100m of the site. The remaining area will be an extension of the public space that exists on the ground floor and a transition zone for the users from the street into the project.

06

PROJECT VISUALIZATION

NORTH-WEST PERCEPTION What can be seen in this image is one of the main entrances which will bring people from the WASIM HASSAN St., the 6 OCTOBER BRIDGE and the ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MUSEUM.

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

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PROJECT VISUALIZATION Hello my name is Alia.

SOUTH-EAST PERCEPTION This is what is see at the intersection betweem MERET BASHA st. and EL-TAHRIR st. coming from TAHRIR SQUARE. This entrance to the project is the most open and welcoming since this is the corner of the project which is the most sensitive and which the people will experience the most.

This is the closest point of the project to where protests are held and where people spend their time (in Tahrir Sqaure) therefore this entrance is the most accessible. It allows a full visual experience of the project.

The ground level is completely open providing the people with a shaded public space. The first level is enclosed with high performace, low transmission double glazing, allowing people to see what occurs inside the building while allowing the users of the building to constantly keep an eye of occuring events in Tahrir Square.

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

08

PROJECT VISUALIZATION

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

09

CLIMATE ANALYSIS TEMPERATURE RANGE:

MONTHLY DIURINAL AVERAGES:

RADIATION RANGE:

ILLUMINATION RANGE:

SKY COVERAGE RANGE:

MONTHLY GROUND TEMPERATURE:

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

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CLIMATE ANALYSIS WIND VELOCITY RANGE:

WIND WHEEL:

Hello my name is Alia.

DRY BULB VS RELATIVE HUMIDITY

DRY BULB VS DEW POINT

SUN SHADING CHART (DEC - JUN)

SUN SHADING CHART (JUN - DEC)

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

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CLIMATE ANALYSIS SUN CHART (DEC - JUN):

SUN CHART (JUN - DEC):

DRY BULB TIMETABLE:

PSYCHROMETRIC CHART:

CONCLUSION Egypt has a very hot and dry climate so a lot of insulation is needed in order to keep the heat out. There is no extreme cold and therefore the only main concern is the heat in summer. Egypt rarely has rain and almost never does it have snow so these are key problems

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

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WHAT

PROGRAM

PUBLIC SPACE

PLATFORM FOR CHANGE

GENERAL PUBLIC

ACTIVE CITIZENS

SIT

PROTEST

URBAN FURNITURE

FLEXIBLE/CONTINUOUS SPACE

EXPOSE

CREATE INITIATIVES

ADMIN

STUDENT RESIDENCE SAMPLE OF THE SOCIETY

STUDENT YOUTH

FOLLOW INITIATIVES

AUDITORIUM

LECTURE HALLS

THIS PUBLIC SPACE IS AN EXTENSION TO TAHRIR SQUARE AND SLOWLY TRANSITION THE PEOPLE FROM PROTESTING TO ACTING AND UNITING. THIS SPACE SHOULD BE OPEN TO EVERYONE AND FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO HOST DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACITIVITIES. THE MAIN USER WILL BE THE GENERAL PUBLIC WHO HAVE TO FEEL IT BELONGS TO THEM. BRINGING PEOPLE INTO THIS SPACE WILL BE THE FIRST STEP TO MAKING THEM CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE THE BUILDING.

+

INITIATIVE CENTER

EXTENSION TO TAHRIR

WHO ACTION ELEMENT

+

COMMUNICATE WITH TAHRIR

EXHIBITION SPACE

SLEEP

EAT

APARTMENT

WORK SPACE

MEETING ROOMS

THIS SEMI PRIVATE SPACE TAKES THE USERS FROM PROTESTING TO STARTING INTITATIVES AND MOVEMENTS. IT SHOULD MAXIMISE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE AS WELL AS EXPOSURE. THIS WILL BE DONE WITH VISUAL AND PHYSICAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT ZONES AND THROUGH OPEN AND AMBIGUOUS SPACES. THIS IS WHERE THE PUBLIC STARTS TO TAKE THEIR WORDS AND THOUGHTS AND TURN THEM INTO ACTIONS AND MOVEMENTS.

STUDY

TERRACE

SOCIALIZE

AMBIGUOUS SPACES

FITNESS FACILITIES

IN THIS PRIVATE LEVEL ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST ACTIVE AND INFLUENTIAL IN THE SOCIETY, THEY ARE THE STUDENTS. THEY WILL BE OFFERED TEMPORARY LIVING IN THIS RESIDENCE WHERE THEY CAN WORK ON SHORT TERM PROJECTS AND BE ACTIVE DAILY IN THE EVENTS AND THE PUBLIC PROGRESS. LIVING HERE IS ALSO A GROWTH PHASE FOR THE STUDENTS AS THEY WILL HAVE TO CO-EXIST WITH DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THE APARTMENT AND IN THE RESIDENCE AS A WHOLE.

The program is composed of the “elements” that are in the above diagram.

Although here they are clearly defined, in the building, some of these “elements” share spaces or have no clear boundaries. These functions are the minimum functions that the building offers.

Element

Surface Area (m²) Public Space 8700 Auditorium 400 Lecture Halls (2) 100 Exhibition Space 300 Open workspace 7876 Bathroom/Locker 100 Workshops (2) 250 Study Bubbles (4) 6.25 Discussion caves (4) 25 Fitness classes 100 Cafe 400 Gameroom 225 Apartments 5045 Circulation 100

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

Total Surface Area (m²) 8700 400 200 300 7875 100 500 25 100 200 400 225 5045 400

Floor Ground Floor Ground/First Floor Ground Floor Ground Floor First Floor First Floor First Floor First Floor First Floor First Floor First Floor First Floor Second Floor Ground/First/Second Floor

13

CIRCULATION GROUND FLOOR CIRCULATION

STREET STREET

STREET STREET

The building has no envelope on the ground floor except for the circulation shafts, therefore people can access the public space from all around the building. There are streets surrounding the plot therefore the building will welcome passerbys from 360 degree radius. Those who want to go beyond the public space and facilities will have access to the upper floors through the circulation shafts. Those exiting the building will have 4 exits each leading to a different street.

FIRST FLOOR CIRCULATION

STREET

The first floor is an open plan which allows natural circulation between circulation shafts as well as between facilities. There is aan almost direct cross-circulation and a direct perimeter circulation path to take users from one circulation to the next. The only circulation obstacles are the voids which still allow circulation around themselves.

SECOND FLOOR CIRCULATION The second floor allows cross circulation as well as perimeter circulation.

Circulation on this floor is less free than on the first due to the presence of residential units. However the circulation is still easy. There are atleast two ways to get from each circulation shaft to the other.

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

14

MATERIALS Materials are selected based on the nature of the program as well as the weather. On the ground floor there is only a grid of concrete columns without an enclosure to provde a shaded public space fo the people. The four circulation shafts reach the ground are made of concrete on two sides and enclosed with glass on the other two sides. This is because there are 2 needs for the encounter of the circulation shaft with the ground floor and the rest of the building. The idea was that there would be visual connection with the activity occuring inside the building as well as the events occuring outside. The glass is for the users not to forget about the world outside the building and to always keep a big picture in mind. The concrete is for the durability in the public space and to give the building a strong dominance to the ground and the location.

The contrast between these two materials relates to the contrast of the program of the building. The idea of starting somewhere harsh and difficult to change, which is the current social and political situation in Egypt, and aiming to refine it, and also having to go from the high level of scenncorship that we have in the media and in our lives to the idea of more transparency and more exposure, openness and truth.

On the third level materials and geometries change because of the dfifferent needs of the space and its function. A white ventilated terracotta ceramic rainscreen facade is used to give people privacy, while laso preventing the heat from entering by allowing the facade to be constanlt ventilated and finally the white is to prevent the attraction of heat as well as giving the building lightness and purity.

WHITE CERAMIC

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

CONCRETE & GLASS

15

TECHINICAL SYSTEMS RAINSCREEN FACADE The rainscreen facade system has multiple advantages, firstly it provides structural stability because the main skin is supported on the structure. secondly, it protects from rain water and there is low water permeability because there are multiple layers before the interior is reached, thirdly it provides accoustin insulation because of the layer.

The traditional materias used in Egypt are all massive elements to delay the entrance of heat. Inspired by Louis Kahn’s projects in Africa which instead of using massive elements such as brick, he used rainscreen facades to solve the problem of the heat.

RAINSCREEN FACADE - UEM E-BUILDING

RAINSCREEN FACADE

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

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STRUCTURAL CONCEPT The structural concept is defined by the program of each floor. On the first two floors an open and flexible space is needed which can be divided when needed but also united when needed. For these two floors a structual grid of concrete columns, distributed 10m apart on a 100m² grid is placed in order to provide a free plan. These two floors have high activity and a lot of public access so the strucutal concept is approopriate for its use.

On the third floor the use changes to a residential place which requires a lot more density and therefore has a lot more divisions. These divisions also needed to be flexible because the prohgram is constanlty developing with the people who reside in it. Perhaps they will start to live in groups of two or three and eventually want to live in groups of 6 or 8 so the structure of thes residential units has to accomodate for these changes. What is proposed is a light weight pre-fab residential unit, made of steeel frames which are placed by cranes ontop of the roof. Each from is 2.5meters apart and can therefore the residential units can be modularly sized up or down.

To cover the big span between the columns a post stressed slab is used in order to resist the loads.

POST-STRESSED CONCRETE SLAB

STEEL FRAME

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

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LOADS PERMANENT LOADS x 1.35 Post tensioned concrete slab (CTE C.1): Volume: 1m x 1m x 0.3m = 0.3m³ Weight per m²: 0.3m³ x 25 kN/m³ = 7.5 kN Glass Facade (CTE C.1): Volume: 4m x 1m x 0.024m = 0.096m³ Weight per m²: 0.096 x 25kN/m³ = 2.4 kN Saftey Factor: 2.4 kN x 1.35 = 3.24 kN *20kN will be used for facade weight to avoid future problems LIVE LOADS x 1.5 Use load (CTE 3.1): A1 C1 C4 C5 D2

Residential 2 kN/m² Workspace 3 kN/m² Gymnasium 5kN/m² Concert Halls 5 kN/m² Public Space 5 kN/m²

*5kN will be the use load for entire floor Load Type 1: Slab +Pavement+ Movable Partitions + Use 0.3*25 +1.5+1+5 = 15kN 15kN*1.5 =22.5 kN Linear Load 1: Perimeter wall = 20kN 20kN*1.5 = 30kN

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

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CALCULATIONS

TYPE 1

TYPE 2

TYPE 3

TYPE 4

TYPE 5

P01,P09, P90P98 P10,P12,P P13, P18, P19, P20, P27, P28, P29, P36, P37, P39, P40, P49, P55, P60, P61, P63, P64, P70, P71, P79, P80, P81, P87, P89, P91, P92, P93, P94, P95, P96, P97 P11, P14, P38, P52, P56, P67, P73, P75, P86 P15, P16, P17, P22, P23, P24, P25, P26, P31, P32, P33, P34, P35, P44, P45, P46, P47, P50, P51, P57, P58, P59, P65, P66, P72, P76, P77, P82, P83, P84, P85 P42, P48, P53, P68, P74, P78

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

SURFACE LOADS kN/m2 LT1 Tributary Area 22.5 25 25

LINEAR LOADS m kn/ml Height Façade 30 4 10

TOTAL kN

1762.5

50

50

4

10

2325

87.5

87.5

4

10

3168.75

100

100

4

0

2250

80

80

4

10

3000

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TECHNICAL DRAWINGS ALIA SABRY

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

ARCHITECTURE DRAWINGS

THE SOCIAL BLENDER

STRUCTURAL DRAWINGS

THE SOCIAL BLENDER