Ashrakat Nadim - AUC - ARCH 473/3522

Portfolio

A R C H 4 7 3 / 3 5 2 2 - D IG I TA L D E SIG N ST U D IO A N D WO R K SHO P Ashrakat Nadim Fall 2020

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: Ashrakat Nadim Student ID: 900170443

Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), September 2020

Ashrakat Nadim Architecture Student This course has also taught me multiple new softwares and advanced techniques using Rhino and Grasshopper which I would definitely be using in in my future designs.

I always had a passion for Architecture as it allows me to fully explore and go beyond my creativity. What I enjoy most about studying architecture is actually seeing the conceptual ideas and sketches turn in to a 3 Dimensional, functional architectural building. Furthermore, it allowed me to see the world in a different perspective and be able to spot things I never did wherever I go.

I particulary liked this course as it taught me a different approach of design. Instead of having a fixed plan as to how the design would look like, we would expirement with the digital tools, and the form would then be created as we go along with our multiple trials. I find this approach intriguing as its flexible and allows for tons of idea generation and potential.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Shelter for the Homeless

Concept Development

Translating Concept in to Form

Final Model 3D Shots

Architectural Plans and Sections Fabrication The Blank Canvas

What is Fabric Forming

Materiality Experimentation Trial 1 & Trial 2

Materiality Experimentation Trial 3 & 4

Materiaity Experimentation Trial 5

Materiality Experimentation Final The Parametric Facelift

Environmental Analysis

Paneling Experimentation Trial 1

Paneling Experimentation Trial 2

Paneling Experimentation Trial 3 Final

LOCATION:

Governerate located in North-Eastern Egypt. Mostly Hot climate. Its rich in marine life and economically beneficial marine services and fishing.

SUEZ HOMELESS SHELTER

01 Suez Homeless Shelter

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CONCEPT CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT

Connecting FORM with FUNCTIONALITY PRIVATE:

-Layers close to each other -Most Protected -Highest Retraction

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SEMI PUBLIC:

-Layers further apart -Less retracted -Less Protected

PUBLIC:

-Layers furthest apart -Minimal Retraction

Suez Homeless Shelter

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

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The Snail Shell driven concept focuses on two aspects: 1- Retraction: The idea of when the snail goes inside its shell for protection could be translated architecturally in terms of structure shown through different layers. In other words Layers that are closest together “is when the snail goes inside its shell�.

2- Layering: The Snail has three main layers; Outermost Periostracum, Calcareous Central: Tracum and the Inner most layer.

The outermost shell is the hardest and strongest thus serves protection for the snail, the Central Layer is of calcium carbonate and the shell is coiled around a central axis.

The inner most layer produces calcium for the snail.

All of which I am to translate architecturally in terms of the language between the forms

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SKETCHES PRIVATE ZONE

SEMI PRIVATE ZONE

TRANSLATING CONCEPT IN TO FORM FORM My main aim was to show the layering and retraction processes in terms of three zones of Private (Residential), Semi private (activities) and Public (commercial).

Due to the fact that I’m not used to rhino, it was initially hard for me to translate my concept architecturally, thus I first aimed at translating it conceptually then gradually transorming it in to a functional architectural shelter.

The first itirations revolved around playing with the different layers and their spacings, to resemble the 3 main layers within a snail’s shell.

PUBLIC ZONE

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Thinking more architecturally with the 4th trial, I aimed at creating a central communal area where the three zones integrate together, resembling the snail’s shell core.

Suez Homeless Shelter

PREVIOUS TRIAL

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FINAL FINAL MODEL MODEL

The three main layers overlap together creating an integrated communinal area, where people could gather and socialize.

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8 FINAL MODEL

AXONOMETRIC

TOP VIEW NAVIGATION

-From the Central communal area users have access to the Semi and Private areas and the Back Garden -The building’s form act as a navigation tool directing users within

PROCESS

Portfolio Drawing the Shape

Control Points- to lift parts of the shape

Patch

Split

Suez Homeless Shelter Extrude surfaces-extract wireframe- pipe- render

EXTERIOR SHOTS

BACK GARDEN

-Increased mullions in more private areas -Smaller spaces between the layers as we approach semi and private areas to give more sense of privacy for the users

PRIVATE ENTRANCE

-Dark Brown color in the Public Zone (outermost) and gets lighter as we go “inside”

INTERIOR SHOT

Mezanine Floor created at the intersection between the Private residential zone and the Semi Private activities zone for more integration and “Retraction” between one another. Those at the top could see those at the bottom and vice vera ©All rights reserved, American University in Cairo (AUC) May 2019

FLOOR PLAN SCALE 1:50

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SECTION A-A A-A SECTION SCALE 1:50

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SECTION SECTION B-B B-B SCALE 1:50

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Suez Homeless Shelter

LASER LASER CUTTING CUTTING FABRICATION FABRICATION Due to the shelter’s curvilinear form, the most effecient and economical way to fabricate this model is through laser cutting where it wouldnt need as much supporters and extra material as it would in 3D printing The wooden roofs could be soaked to facilitate its bending effect The walls and roof panels of each zone should be assembled independently at first then put together with the other zones

SEMI PRIVATE ZONE WALLS

SEMI PRIVATE ZONE ROOF

PUBLIC ZONE

PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL ZONE

THE BLANK FACADE CANVAS

02 Material Eploration using Gypsum

20 FABRIC FORMWORK

WHAT IS IT?

-Fabric formation can be used with concrete to produce structurally effecient, architecturally compelling components in all shapes and sizes, ranging from building facades, footings, columns, beams, walls and furniture.

-Fabric forms use a flexible tensile membrane to form concrete in place, instead of the rigid forms made from lumber,ply wood, steel etc.

-Wet concrete is poured in to a tensile membrane; producing effecient structural curves and excellent surface finishes

HISTORY According to the International Society of Fabric Forming the 1st practical applications for Fabric Formation were during mid 1960s; Initially for erosion control and to line ponds.

The spanish architect Miguel Fisac was the 1st to use thin plastic sheets as formwork for textured wall panels.

-Late 1980s/early 1990s; 3 Men, each on their own invented variety of techniques for fabric forming above ground structures: Kenzo Unno, Japanese architect Fabric formwork system for in situ cast concrete walls Rich Fearn: Builder/ Business man invented a number of fabric formwork techniques that led him to develop a series of foundation footing and column products Mark West: artist/ architectural educator and builder, invented a series of techniques for constructing fabric formed walls. beams, cikumns, slabs and panels Portfolio

Suez Homeless Shelter

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Formwork Application Tensile Structures ARCH 473/3522 - Fall 2020

Pneumatic Structures

Hydrostatic Structures

Shell structures derived from membrane form finding Ashrakat Nadim

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FABRIC FORMWORK

Japanese Architect Kenzo Unno. Eiji Hoshino Residence

-Developed several Cast in Place Fabric formed wall systems since mid 1990s.

-The Kobe Earthquake (Jan 17th, 1995), was a major motivational factor for Unno to create residential designs intended to provide safe housing units using simple methods of construction with minimal waste He uses his Quilt Point Restrain technique of using standard wall ties and the wall’s reinforcement for support of the fabric membrane. This creates a pattern (seen above) reminiscent of a quilt Portfolio

Suez Homeless Shelter

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Spanish architect Miguel Fisac with his 1970’s design of the Juan Zurita residence in Madrid, Spain

-Miguel Fisac used rope and thin plastic sheets to create the texture of the wall panels.

-The panels impart a sense of warmth and softness to an otherwise cold and hard substance.

-He continued to use this method throughout the 1970s for the cladding of numerous structures ARCH 473/3522 - Fall 2020

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MATERIALITY MATERIALITY EXPERIMENTATION EXPERIMENTATION

PROCESS

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AFTER GYPSUM

AFTER GYPSUM

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MATERIALITY EXPERIMENTATION

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AFTER GYPSUM

AFTER GYPSUM

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MATERIALITY EXPERIMENTATION

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INTRODUCING VOIDS

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MATERIALITY EXPERIMENTATION

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THE THE PARAMETRIC PARAMETRIC FACELIFT FACELIFT

03 Adaptive Skin Facade Prototype for Bloom Bank Egypt

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ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

New Cairo, lies 283m above sea level New Cairo, therefore is considered to have a desert climate.

There is virtually no rainfall during the year in New Cairo. The average annual temperature is 20.8 °C | 69.5 °F in New Cairo. About 28 mm | 1.1 inch of precipitation falls annually.

NEW CAIRO’S AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL

The “mean daily maximum” (solid red line) shows the maximum temperature of an average day for every month for New Cairo. Likewise, “mean daily minimum” (solid blue line) shows the average minimum temperature. Hot days and cold nights (dashed red and blue lines) show the average of the hottest day and coldest night of each month of the last 30 years . The chart shows that the hottest days are in July, and could reach 37 degrees while the coldest days are experienced in January and could go down to 7 degrees Monthly precipitations above 150mm are mostly wet, below 30mm mostly dry.

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CLOUDY, SUNNY AND PRECIPITATION DAYS

35 The graph shows the monthly number of sunny, partly cloudy, overcast and precipitation days. Days with less than 20% cloud cover are considered as sunny, with 20-80% cloud cover as partly cloudy and with more than 80% as overcast. May to September is mostly sunny then clouds increase gradually from september to january and experience overcasting. Then they start decreasing again, becoming more sunny from march to june.

MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES The maximum temperature diagram for New Cairo displays how many days per month reach certain temperatures, showing that June, July and August are the hottest months, and December, January and February are the coldest

WIND ROSE

WIND SPEED

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Wind Speed diagram show that the wind speed is moderatly within the comfort range throughout the year. The wind rose shows how many hours per year the wind blows from the indicated direction, which show that the S and SW directions barely get any wind Ashrakat Nadim

CONCEPT CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT

SKETCHES

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DIFFERENT SIZED PANELS

DIFFERENT ROTATIONS/ RESPONSIVE TO DIFFERENT SUN ANGLES

FLEXIBLE/ ADAPTIVE

GENERAL CONCEPT Creating an adaptive responsive skin facade using tensile fabric that adapts to the climate, with different sized panels that open, close and rotate controling sunlight intensities according to user desire and experience within the building Portfolio

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FLEXIBLE TENSILE STRUCTURES

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OPENS AND CLOSES ACCORDING TO USER DESIRE

ADAPTIVE TO SUN MOVEMENT

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PARAMETRIC DESIGN STRATEGY DERIVED PARAMETERS

PATTERNED

RESPONSIVE Irregular open and closed spaces created from the fabric Repetitive Mesh Patterns Rotation of irregular patterns and generating different sizes according to desired sunlight

Adaptive, responsive, varried patterned panels that open and close according to user needs

Generates the existance of private, semi private and public areas within the building, skylight potential

PHASE 1 TAKEAWAY CROSS SECTIONS Fabric Formwork and Generation

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Additional fabric added to panels that helps reduce heat in summer and store heat in winter

-Different rotations according to function and sunlight movement; generated from irregular open/closed spaces created by the fabric -Protrusions in a flowy manner that go in and out according to function; public/private Suez Homeless Shelter

PANELING EXPERIMENTATION

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SECOND GRASSHOPPER PANELING ITERATION -Horizontal protrusions towards the South as means of shading -Vertical green panel towards the west; Creates a buffer zone decreasing sun intensities and hot air/ west verticality protects interior spaces from the hot sun -Vertical green panel towards the west; Creates a buffer zone decreasing sun intensities and hot air/ west verticality protects interior spaces from the hot sun

SCENARIO 1

Skylight allows diffused natural light to penetrate through the building at all times; increases concentration levels between the users and enhances their work ethics

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-Panels open/close according to Sun Distance -Panels Rotate According to Function (private/semi private and public)

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INTERIOR SHOTS

CROSS SECTION

Vertical Green Paneling: -Heart of the Building -Cuts the directionality by offering strong social integration areas, recognized on both exterior and interior -Visual connectiviy of users through a communal shaft ARCH 473/3522 - Fall 2020

Green planted panels offer visually pleasing and relaxing environment for the social integration areas

PUBLIC PRIVATE

SEMI PUBLIC

Different rotational openings define private,semi private and public spaces such as meetings, offices and social communal areas Ashrakat Nadim

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SECOND GRASSHOPPER PANELING ITERATION

-Skylight; natural diffused light within -Communal shaft accross the floors; social integration/visual connectivity

-Panels open/close according to sun’s distance/ Panels Rotate according to function -Varied panel distances create negative spaces used for public/private functions -Vertical green shading devices in large spaces between panels; reduces heat temp and light intensity especially in the western facade/ social spaces easily recognized on the exterior and interior -Protrusions recessions create dynamcy/ shaded areas in lower levels

Sun towards the left: panels closed to the left, open to the Portfolio right

Sun towards the right; right panels closed

Space between panels varies according to function; large= public, small= private

Public spaces towards the Suez Homeless center, private Shelter (offices) on the edges

CROSS SECTION SECTION CROSS INTERIOR SHOTS

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PLAN PLAN

Communal shaft penetrating light through all floors

Varied Panel Distances

Varied Panel Sizes

Surface protrusions and recessions shading lower floors

Social Integration through communal shaft ARCH 473/3522 - Fall 2020

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GRASSHOPPER DEFINITION

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FINAL SUBMISSION SUBMISSION FINAL

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INTERIOR SHOT

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GRASSHOPPER DEFINITION

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