Student Portfolio
ARCH 473/3522 - DIGITAL DESIGN STUDIO AND WORKSHOP Sandy Ramlawi Fall 2018
The American University in Cairo (AUC) School of Sciences and Engineering - Department of Architecture ARCH 473/3522 - Digital Design Studio and Workshop (Fall 2018) Student portfolio documenting samples of work submitted along the course, including research, experimentation, 3D modeling, digital fabrication, parametric design and modeling, physical model realization and analysis. Student name: Name Student ID: ID
Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), December 2018
Sandy Ramlawi Architecture Student
I am currently a fourth year architecture student with the aspiring hope of exploring new design and building technologies. As architects it is essential that we build for the future and not only the present and this is where this course comes in. Here lies the storybook for the Digital Design Studio and Workshop exhibiting the progress and achievements done in my design. The following portrays the journey taken as well as my progress throughout the semester until accomplishing my final design. The course encompasses three main stages that influence design: Learning From Materiality, Capturing Mobility, and Patterns of Mobility.
Description of photo in a couple of lines, including explanation and/or references
01 Learning From Materiality
2 As part of the Materiality exploration we were split in groups to look at the properties of various materials and their reactions to various stimuli. The idea is to work on physically experimenting with different materials and material behavior, different fabrication techniques with the objective of searching for and identifying sources of inspiration for specific dimensions of mobility in space. As a group the four materials we looked at was wax, plastic sheets, Fiberglass and candy. Wax was melted and examined the forms created when cold water was poured in it. The stimuli examined here were the temperature of the water and its pressure focusing on how the forms can be manipulated using them. The second material was Fiberglass medical cast which comes as a flexible stretchy material that hardens taking the shape of its mold. This material was tested for its reaction to heat and exposure to water. These affected the hardening time and hence the form of the fiber glass. Plastic sheets were cut into samples and tested for its reaction to different types of heat (direct and indirect) as well as its reaction to various temperatures. The last material; candy was the one I chose to explore in more detail as inspiration for dimensions of mobility of space.
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Learning From Materiality
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Learning From Materiality
5 Heated candy samples shaped and formed at same temperatures at various times. The longer it was exposed to heat the darker and more trans-
As Part of my in depth materiality study I looked at candy specifically the outcome of caramelizing white sugar. The first stimulus explored was the time of heat exposure and its effect on the materials malleability, form and appearance. The results showed that the longer the time exposed the more brittle it got when dried, the browner it gets. Another change due to the time of heat exposure is the materials ability ti stretch. It was found there is an optimum time in which candy can be easily stretched without breaking which is around 7 -10 minutes. Before this the material is too liquid and after that the material gets more brittle. The second stimulus was stretching and its effect was: the more the material is stretched the more opaque it becomes.
ARCH 473/3522 - Fall 2018
Sandy Ramlawi
This Chapter looks at exploring inspirations and proposing designs for an installation on Campus.
02 Capturing Mobility
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Capturing Mobility
9 I chose to look at a place that is familiar and relatable to me as a student in order to place my installations. I chose the buffer space infront of the architecture department. This area is labeled by the green couch which acts as a landmark indoors. The one thing that catches the wye about this place is the amount of people who walk to and from it as well as those passing by. For this reason I chose to create structure that accommodates the trafficking needs and satisfies the needs of the buffer zone. In order to fulfill these needs I had to research the site and its traffic at various times of the day and understand the patterns that take place. By conducting this research i was able to come up with a set of requirements for my model. My moder must act as a traffic Moderator at various times. It must be open to reflect the transparency and allow movement, as well as be subjected to flexibility. The initial idea was that I would have a rigid core form is the least malleable (hardest), and the structure will have softer more malleable candy to guide.
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Capturing Mobility
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I then looked at various inspirations for materials and forms that can satisfy my requirements and needs. I chose to use wires and membranes that are thin in order to allow for balance and movement . This also allows for flexibility as well as flow visually and physically. I also chose membranes because it provides the space to play with light as a guide for movement.
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The initial trial for my model was a display of ideas that I couldn’t fully implement due to my lack of skills at the time. I started off with a plain surface and then played around with its control points taking into account that in reality there will be movement in the x-y planes in plan as well as movement over and under my model. After constructing my surface i then used Grasshopper to create membranes. This was done by dividing the edges of my surface into equal points and connecting these points to create straight members.
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Capturing Mobility
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After collecting feedback on my initial design I decided to explore in more depth the form of my installation by adding the number of curves within the surface to create a smoother and more dynamic form.
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Capturing Mobility
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The final Rhino Design was composed of three main stages. The first was constructing the surface by lofting two curves. Keeping in mind that my curves are derived from a perfect circle. As response to my previous feedback I chose to focus more on the human experience within and surrounding my model. I did this by playing around with height giving the users the opportunity to go over or under or be seated on my model. After constructing the surface I extracted the curves from the wireframe and used grasshopper once again to create the membranes of my model. This ends the Rhino stage and allows us to move forward to fabrication process.
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Capturing Mobility
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Capturing Mobility
19 Rendered Shot of Rhino Model with reference to context.
.The final Rhino Design was composed of three main
stages. The first was constructing the surface by lofting two curves. Keeping in mind that my curves are derived from a perfect circle. As response to my previous feedback I chose to focus more on the human experience within and surrounding my model. I did this by playing around with height giving the users the opportunity to go over or under or be seated on my model. After constructing the surface I extracted the curves from the wireframe and used grasshopper once again to create the membranes of my model. This ends the Rhino stage and allows us to move forward to fabrication process.
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Capturing Mobility
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The fabrication process was one of the most interesting experiences throughout the course. We took out final revit models and used fusion fabricating software to implement out design physically at a small scale. The idea of the software is that it took my model and with a set of options I was able to receive a ready numbered laser cut file along with a help video showing how to construct it. I enjoyed this part so much because it was like picking up the peices and putting the puzzle together.
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Sandy Ramlawi
The final Stage looks at the parameters and how it can affect the design of our installation.
03 Capturing Mobility
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Patterns of Mobility
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My final model built from parameters is metallic structure that is designed purely accordinf to the flow of people. It is set so that it moves and is shaped by attractors which represent the people who come and go. I also used the distances between the membranes to play with line in the stretched areas and envoke the fealing of movement. It also serves a functional purpose as people can sit in spaces wher e the membrance are place near eachother. Overalll, I enjoyed the design process of this project as it sheds light on a whole other side of architecture and form generation that I was no exposed to before.
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Patterns of Mobility
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ŠAll rights reserved, American University in Cairo (AUC) December 2018