Student Portfolio
A R C H 4 7 3 / 3 5 2 2 - D I G I TA L D E S I G N S T U D I O A N D W O R K S H O P Jala Gadallah Spring 2019
The American University in Cairo (AUC) School of Sciences and Engineering - Department of Architecture ARCH 473/3522 - Digital Design Studio and Workshop (Spring 2019) Student portfolio documenting samples of work submitted along the course, including research, experimentation, 3D modeling, digital fabrication, parametric design and modeling, physical model realisation and analysis. Student name: Jala Gadallah Student ID: 900160963
Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), May 2019
Jala Gadallah Architecture Student
I can surely say that being an architecture student changed not only my personality, but also, my perspective for everything. The way my mind works now is much different and more mature than before.
An architecture student that have loved architecture after hating it. I was interested firstly more in Graphic Design believing I would have more space for creativity without any constraints. Never had I thought I would excel in such a major, but after understanding architecture truly, I fell in love with it and understood the beauty of being able to be creative in difficult situations accordingly. Throughout my university years, I have discovered my love for drawing, reading, listening to music, watching different series and travelling. After the busy life of an architecture student, I started appreciating more calmness and relaxation time rather than being an energetic person.
Cactus plant has lots of characteristics that can be abstracted architecturally and be very functional.
01 Research & Experimentation Process
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3 Cactus characteristics that are inspiring architecturally..
Natural Inspiration Selection We were asked as a group to study for a natural inspiration and how we can get inspired from its phenomena in architectural design and its properties that open space for different ideas and inspirations. Chosen Natural Inspiration: Cactus Cactus is a plant that withstands the drought and can be able to stay 11 months without any water only storing what’s left inside and shrinking so that the amount of water evaporating from the cactus decreases. How does this work? The cactus plant has lots of systems that work parallel in order to protect itself from dying from the drought. The root system, stem, stomata opening, orientation of the plan, the spines over the cactus and the pleated surface that’s curved that allow shrinkage and expansion of the plant. Each of these work accordingly together in order to protect the plant and preserve it from death. All of these systems do their mechanism to decrease the water loss percentage inside the plant. Also, they work in storing the water inside the plant and keeping it for the longest time.
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4 Cactus Adoptations to Natural Phenomena: As a group we tried studying all the cacctus characteristics and its adoptations to the desert tough life they live.
Applications for the Cactus Adoptations These were sketches showing how these adoptations can be used for architectural applications and be functional.
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5 Chosen Material for Experimentation: Bimetallic Sheets As a group we thought of a material that can help us while working to use it for experimentation and test on it our ideas. The idea of these metallic sheets is their ability to bend upwards when heated.
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6 Individual Main Focus: Cactus Root System I focused on the cactus roots as my inspiration for our project. The cactus root system works in a fascinating way for the plant. Firstly, the roots are shallow that they are 10 cm deep maximum; however, they spread widely in a net shape around the plant up to 2 m. The roots maximize the water intake and preserve it inside. Roots Phenomena: Hydrated & Dehydrated Roots are either dehydrated or hydrated depending on the season. The roots act accordingly to the season, so in dry seasons, they shrink and an air gap exterior is created preventing water loss. While in wet seasons, the roots start being water conductive and lateral secondary tiny roots start evolving near the surface to absorb water quickly then dies soon after. Accordingly, there are two systems in the root: the primary main permanent system and the lateral system that grows only in wet seasons.
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8 Experimentation with the material: The idea of these metallic sheets is their ability to bend upwards when heated. Accordingly, when applied for architectural purposes, these openings can be very functional. We couldn’t find the material in order to experiment on as it was really very hard to find. However, we used a metalic sheet in order to experiment with it and show the effect that we want from the metallic sheets. I thought of having a main tube in my form covered with these bimetallic sheets that when heated in summer times, it can curl upwards creating openings in the roof that would allow the stack effect to work by expelling hot air from the tube outside the building.
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11 Experimenting on Rhino to get the form for the building.
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Studies & Rhino Experimentation Process ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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13 Studies & Sketches
I was starting to think of the cactus plant, the root system and their functions.
I thought of having like a tube inside the building with water system evolving from pumps underground that go through the building and calm the air down and decreases the temperature inside the building. I also thought of having the roof of the tube covered with the bimetallic sheets so that they curl up when heated to pull up hot air by the stack effect.
I thought of having a glass atrium in the center of the building that can act for providing sunlight inside the building, it also can help in ventilating the building by the stack effect.
Another idea was to have part of the facade as a green wall decreasing the thermal heat inside towards South.
I also thought of having a facade that’s covered totally with the bimetallic sheets and oriented towards north, so that when heated and curled up, it allows ventilation for the space inside and allows daylight entrance inside the building.
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Precedents & Inspirations I have searched for many different precedents in order to get inspired for the idea of my form. I also focused on kinetic architecture and how it works so that it can help me in thinking of the mechanism and how it works.
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Al Bahar Towers, Abu Dhabi These towers use kinetic architecture where there is shading screens that fold & unfold according to the sun movement which reduce solar gain by 50%. These screens allow the entrance of diffused light & visibility. Also, they reduce the need for artificial lighting & mechanical air conditioning. Technologies are used to simulate the movement of the faรงade. At night, they all close allowing the visibility of the view.
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Henning Larsen University Buildings, Denmark The first building to meet the energy targets of Denmark’s 2015 building codes. There are sensors that monitor heat & light levels around the building allowing the façade’s 1600 panels to open accordingly. They have concrete slabs to have thermal heat gain. Ventilation system is integrated into the ceiling planes.
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Bloom Installation, Los Angeles Sun tracking instrument Installation made with 14,000 thermal bimetallic sheets that curls when heated. A side is in the shade that doesn’t require curling or any reactions. The other part is according to the sun direction and allows ventilation for the installation.
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Concept Having a double system that work together environmentally according to a certain stimuli that the systems work parallel together to well ventilate the building and decrease thermal heat.
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Site Analysis SSE Courtyard that’s beside the Mechanical Engineering Lounge. This site was chosen for more than one reason: -The fact that it is very close to the Architecture Department with stairs only connecting to the department. -The location of the site and its orientation that will allow me to apply all the environemntal techniques in order to enable better conditions for the building.
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Rhino Parametric Progress We were asked to start creatung our form on Rhino to start visualizing our building and work on it so that our building can easily be formed within the mechanisms added showing how it works according to different stimuli.
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Rhino Parametric Progress I was inspired from these plans that show the plant with the plan for the roots and how they spread widely surrounding the plant. It is clearly that there are main branches that spread around the plant with the lateral secondary roots evolving from it. I thought of having a main stucture inside and that the branching of the roots would create the outline for my form creating the zones below it.
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Zinnia Kinetic Mechanism I was inspired from these plans that show the plant with the plan for the roots and how they spread widely surrounding the plant. It is clearly that there are main branches that spread around the plant with the lateral secondary roots evolving from it. I thought of having a main stucture inside and that the branching of the roots would create the outline for my form creating the zones below it.
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Scissors Extension Arm Parametric Progress Then I changed my mind about the mechanism and thought of that kinetic element which is called the “Scissors Extension Arm“, where it can open and closes. This element can then have fabric in between that can shade when opened or it can be closed at all and creates an open outdoor space.
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Rhino Parametric Progress In this phase, I tried zoning the building itself and dividing it into spaces so that I can visualize the building with its functions that are needed within the building. Accordingly, after the brainstorming I had for the building, I started visualizing the form and tried creating it as a surface surrounding these spaces. I also thought of the kinetic architecture and thought of an element that expands and shrinks, so I thought of implementing it on the form itself. However, the idea failed or it did not produce the form that’s well integrated as I imagined or wanted.
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Rhino Parametric Progress I then kept working on my model and improving it in order to show my idea in a better way. I thought of how the cactus branch out of the plant and expand or shrink according to the amount of water inside the plant. I thought of expanding my model in the orientation that’s towards North while the other side in the South would self shade the area beneath it and would create an outdoor pleasant experience. I thought of implementing the branching concept in my mechanism where the kinetic elements by each other would branch out to shade the roof or give an outdoor space when it’s closed.
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Rhino Parametric Progress Then we were asked to continue progressing on our models. So I thought of having that roof from both sides instead from only one part. Also, I thought to decrease the amount of roof that can be folded and be used as an outdoor area to be more realistic that the structure will be permanent with the protective ceiling with only a smaller part that can be adopted to be an outdoor space allowing the entrance to natural light. The photos show the maximum opening that can be done using the new editted roof.
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Rhino Parametric Progress These are the states that the roof can have. The roof will have fabric in between the elements that would be folded when open or spread when it’s closed to protect from direct sunlight. The photos show how the roof can be adjusted according to the users’ preference to control the amount of opening and light entering. The opening also help in ventilating the building.
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Grasshopper Model Final Definition That was the final definition that I derived from grasshopper to use it to apply on my model and that definition actually gave me the ability to have the movable roof structure that have a central part that opens up allowing natural light entrance and ventilation for the whole space.
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Physical Shape Shifting Model This is a physical model that I created in order to understand the shape shifting more and how it works to explain and understand more my concept. It helped me to understand how the element works and that they are all connected and affect each other while moving and there must be some points stable as they will be on my model.
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Rhino Parametric Progress These are the states that the roof can have. The roof will have fabric in between the elements that would be folded when open or spread when it’s closed to protect from direct sunlight. The photos show how the roof can be adjusted according to the users’ preference to control the amount of opening and light entering. The opening also help in ventilating the building.
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Ladybug Analysis Studies We have learnt how to use ladybug on Rhino. Accordingly, I have tested the environmental aspects on my model to understand how much of my building would be directed to sunlight in respect to the North direction.
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Shape Shifting Final Definition Grasshopper These are the states that the roof can have. The roof will have fabric in between the elements that would be folded when open or spread when it’s closed to protect from direct sunlight. The photos show how the roof can be adjusted according to the users’ preference to control the amount of opening and light entering. The opening also help in ventilating the building.
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Progress in the Physical Model Shape Shifting I have worked on my shape shifting model and worked on improving it to understand more how it works. Then, I created a larger span of elements to study the effect of each element on the other while selecting the exterior points to be stable and non-movable.
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Progress Models Rendered Then, I have worked on the materials that I will use on my model and I have decided to used aluminium metal for the roof structure that I have and a concrete structure for the model itself.
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Final Submission Work I have worked on all the requirements needed for my submission and I worked on them to improve them as much as possible.
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A 3D Section shot showing how the building would work with people using the building in its different functions that are found in the different zones and spaces found either it is an exhibition space, classroom area or a lounge space for the students.
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Site Layout Submission This is the final site layout showing the surrounding area of the site and how connected it is to the department through only stairs. It also shows the location of Bus Gate where people come from.
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Plan Study Submission This is the plan that I first developped for my building where I created the ground level to mainly have the exhibition area and another services area. The court in the center allows entrance of light from the shape shifting structure found on the roof. However, after lots of feedback I found I needed to add frame steel structure all over the building as concrete ones would not work. I also found a more ccreative and interesting way for the plan. Still, this could not be accomplished for
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Section Model Study
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Study Physical Models This is my form after printing it in 3D; however, there were some problems in printing the roof structure that includes the shape shifting element. The study model shows the geometry of the form and if there is any weird spaces created due to the form which was actually found. If I had enough time to improve, I would have taken into considerations the problems of the form with its architectural functions and then would improve it.
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Jala Gadallah
ŠAll rights reserved, American University in Cairo (AUC) May 2019