Student Portfolio
ARCH 473/3522 - DIGITAL DESIGN STUDIO AND WORKSHOP Carl Mansour 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: Carla Mansour Student ID: 900150618
Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), May 2019
Carla Mansour Architecture Student spired us was the sliding stone. Then each one moved individually by choosing s aspecific criteria to this phenomena. Mine was the characteristics and role of trails and wind. Then we began to explain this phenomena and translate into an architectural space. Using new softwares like Rhino and Grasshopper was a challenge at first, however, we dicovered that these softwares were a huge tool that we should have learnt in our first semester as it could have helped us alot rethinking our designs.
In my last semester in the fourth year in Architectural Engineering at AUC, I was registered in the Digital Design studio which was a turning point in my archtectural program. This coursed raised some questions in my head like, Is it possible to use the intelligence embedded in computers to produce creative solutions for architects, instead of using them simplistically as drawing machines, what are the new digital fabrication techniques, and how can they be used to realize freeform designs and more other questions. This portfolio expresses my journey through ou the course which I will briefiely describe it in these few lines. We began the course with a series of presentations about a natural phenomena. This research was done my a group of four including me. The natural phenomena that in-
In a group of 4 we were asked in this stage to identify a phenomenon in nature that addresses the notion of mobility and transformation for the primary objective of developing a shape shifting mechanism for responsive and adaptive building faรงades
01 Learning From Nature
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Siling Rock Experiment
Siling Rocks are formed after rain water forms a pond which freezes overnight. the, the creation of a vast sheet of ice under the rocks happens. The ice is reduced by midday to only a few millimeters thick Driven by the wind the ice sheet breaks up pushing the stone forward A balance of very specific conditions is thought to be needed for stones to move like a flooded surface, a thin layer of clay, Wind, ice flows, warming temperatures causing ice breakup Up to 250 can be covered by sailing rocks with a speed of 2-5m/min.
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The Concept of Prolongamentica
After explaining in details the phenomena of the sailing rocks ,the first thing that grabed my attention was the trail that the rock traces while movement. The trace is the resultant of the movement. I then began to study these different traces using different wind dirrections to understand more the different shapes the trails could maken under different wind conditions. These trials where divided into 4 trials: the first one of a rock who stopped suddenly as the wind stopped suddenly. The second was the rock not moving bu the soil surrounding it created a different kind of trail. The third trial was the one where the rock sank into a smooth soil and created this texture and the dourth and last trail is a constantly moving rock at a contant speed.
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The Concept of Prolongamentica
After explaining in details the phenomena of the sailing rocks ,the first thing that grabed my attention was the trail that the rock traces while movement. The trace is the resultant of the movement. I then began to study these different traces using different wind dirrections to understand more the different shapes the trails could maken under different wind conditions. These trials where divided into 4 trials: the first one of a rock who stopped suddenly as the wind stopped suddenly. The second was the rock not moving bu the soil surrounding it created a different kind of trail. The third trial was the one where the rock sank into a smooth soil and created this texture and the dourth and last trail is a constantly moving rock at a contant speed.
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A Conceptual Sketch
The conceptual sketch translated the trails concept by the moving planes. The negative space are inclosed by glasses and open space. However, this was shallow sketch for the concept: the trails should be subtracted from the form and no the structure of the main form. Just like it did to the soil. This is what we will be exploring more in the next stage... ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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Site Analysis
The site analysis and selection was based on tracing of the different circulation possibilities. The circuit of circulation was based on the oppenings available on site, therefore, the court that was chosen was court number #3. This court had 5 different oppening a creted an intristing flow and circulation that can help us generate a design based on these “Trails�. However, tracing these point on a plan was not enough, therefore, a set point (view oriented) had to be defined in 3D... ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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We were required to reflect individually on ur group experimentation with natural phenomena and materiality to model and fabricate scaled models of your project for the Department of Architecture building in the specific area of your choice, as per the project outline.
02 Capturing Mobility
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Translation of the circulation into facade design
As mentionned before, the court was chosen based the path of the circulation. The further step I took is to move thes 2d points and translate them into a 3d shape. In Rhino, I drew these lines and transformed them into pipes, then, I ade a shape n the middle of the court and subtracted the pipes from the shape, as a resultant, this facade shape was the resultant.
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Literal 3D Translation ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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Translation of a conceptual mass into a Building
The Previous model was the massing that I got out of the conceptual sketches above. The problem with it was that the facede was extruded and the trails were exactly the same when seen from both sides of the court. The challenge was to recreate this massing in a 3D steps and not a 2D Step. Thus, I started by retracing the trails of the circulation of th site in 3D. Then, subtracting these trails from a recutangular shape that has the same measurements of the site. The model was done with t-splines as the the surfaces had to be smooth for the model to be expressive in its trails, solids and voids. ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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3D Final Model Shots ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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22 Model Fabrication -Slicer Fusion Techniques
RADIAL WAFFLING The radial waffling was not applicable to the model as the model needed to be more massive so that the trails appear in the form.
FOLDED PLATES Folded plates was not an option... The concept will be completely defyed if this method was used or even considered.
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INTERLOCKED The interlocked looked good in the slicer program, however the least error were 4 which collappsed the whole model in reality.
STACKED The stacked techniques was least prefable when it comes to printing parametric models. However, this technique suited the concept and the form more than all the other techniques
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Literal 3D Translation Final Physical Model ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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In a group of 4 we were asked in this stage to identify a phenomenon in nature that addresses the notion of mobility and transformation for the primary objective of developing a shape shifting mechanism for responsive and adaptive building faรงades
03 Patterns of Mobility
Pattern 1
Mechanism Twisting Louvers Patterns and Shadows
Pattern 3
Pattern 3
After explaining in details the phenomena of the sailing rocks ,the first thing that grabed my attention was the trail that the rock traces while movement. The trace is the resultant of the movement. I then began to study these different traces using different wind dirrections to understand more the different shapes the trails could maken under different wind conditions. These trials where divided into 4 trials: the first one of a rock who stopped suddenly as the wind stopped suddenly. The second was the rock not moving bu the soil surrounding it created a different kind of trail. The third trial was the one where the rock sank into a smooth soil and created this texture and the dourth and last trail is a constantly moving rock at a contant speed.
Twisting Louvers Grasshopper Code
This Stage is all about transforming a conceptual form into a buildable and dunctional spaces that has different qualities and vvv
04 Visualization and Process Documentation
Lounge Entrance
Stairs
Ground Floor Plan
Studio Worksspace
First Floor Plan
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Literal 3D Translation Section ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Literal 3D Translation Section ElvationStudent Name
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Literal 3D Translation ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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