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 Dinah Adel Harvey 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: Dinah Adel Harvey Student ID: 900170138
Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), May 2019
Dinah Adel Harvey Architecture Student
I manage to find the time to go to all my football trainings, attend classes and work on my submissions. This definitely affects my sleeping pattern and is quite the challenge.
About me: To generally introduce myself outside of architecture, I’m a person who is obsessed with sports and animals! I’m a football player who’s been playing football for about 11 years now, and I have two beautiful dogs. I struggle to balance my athletic life with my academic one, but it has to be done.
In architecture, I’m a person who’s quite the perfectionist, I don’t have a lot of patience and hence I get stressed a lot. I’m not sure why I’m studying architecture, and I can’t really decide what it is I want to do after graduating, but I’m hoping to find out soon. In this course, I can say that I have learnt alot of new stuff that has really allowed me to see new angles of architecture and design. I learnt a lot from the programs we used, the lectures we took, and the assignments we were attempting.
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Mobile Homeless Shelter
2A Material Exploration
2B Parametric Facade Facelift
Inspiration picture for the shelter
01 Mobile Homeless Shelter
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Our element of growth of nature; Coral Reefs
Project 1 description: A mobile shelter for the homeless. While developing several alternatives and design ideas as part of your preliminary search for a language of formal expression that responds to basic aesthetic and functional requirements. The notion of a shelter does not only denote concepts of mere protection and residence, but also aspects of social coherence and interaction. The shelter space you are required to provide therefore comprises the following: 1- Residence cluster (including a mix of single and multi family units) 2- Commercial cluster (aiming at delivering basic goods and services for the inhabitants) 3- Social gathering space for the inhabitants of the cluster Our chosen natural phenomena is coral reefs
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There are 4 types of coral reefs: 1- Stony Coral 2- Hydrocoral 3- Octocoral 4- Antipatharians Coral polyps live on the calcium carbonate exoskeletons of their ancestors, and end up adding their own exoskeleton to the existing coral structure, hence growing more colonies with time. They have a variety of dazzling array of shapes and colors. They range from from round, folded brain corals to tall, elegant sea whips and sea fans that look like intricate, vibrantly colored trees or plants. Coral reefs are ecosystems that feed onto each other, providing a habitat for a large variety of marine life. Therefore, we chose the Coral Reef as our inspiration given its powerful correlation to the function of the building; a mobile shelter for the homeless; as it provides shelter for marine life all around. The way coral reef acts as a home to a variety of organisms, helping the surrounding organisms to survive, strengthens and gives inspiration to the aim of the building. In addition, the way the corals flow and move slowly with the water currents serves the visuals of the design, along with a wide variety of other characteristics for inspiration.
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Suez Climate Analysis
Architectural Elements and Manifestation found in Corals
Suez climate analysis shows that temp. is optimal during Spring and Fall while a bit high in the summer and low during the winter. Primary wind from the North NorthEast and the secondary wind from the North NorthWest. The comfort zone could be achieved using good ventillation as climate data shows humidity is the main problem.
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Individua inspiration from Coral Reefs; Branching Plerogyra Coral Portfolio
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My personal chosen type of coral reef, known as the Plerogyra. This coral is one of the branching types that branches with its bubble shaped reef. I was inspired by the way in which a coral reef flows in a branching manner, housing many fish, algae and organisms within, around and beneath its branches. These branches grow close together, creating spaces between them that house life. The Plerogyra coral is the first hard jelly like coral also known as the bubble coral. It makes 2 Shapes of bubbles, a smooth one and a pearly striped one. As old calcium carbonate forms, the bubble coral branches continue growing into large stalks. This coral has tentacles that flow between its bubble structure. These tentacles are known as the sweeper and feeding tentacles. They range in size up to several inches. Their function is to extend outwards to be able to capture and gather food, and it is sometimes armed with stinging tips to keep invaders or predators away.
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Stage I
The First stage was the trickiest, understanding how to translate the concept into a concepctual yet architectural form.
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Stage II
During the 2nd stage, I started experimenting how differently I could use Rhino to create a more parametric and interesting form for my shelter, but it was not very practical architecturally.
Stage III
Returning to a form following the first stage, I managed to be able to create a visually appealing form that is more functionally practical, but had to figure out how to solve it structurally.
Stage IV
This 4th stage was about refining it to fix structure, functionality, proportionality and form. I thought of new ways to handle structure, and started implementing my concept through facade elements and cladding.
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Final Form
Plan View
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Front View
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First Floor Plan
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Fabrication Process; Slicer Cardboard Stacked Slices
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3D Slices
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Gypsum Fabric Forming
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Project 3 Inspiration
2B Parametric Facade Facelift ARCH 473/3522 - Fall 2020
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Project Description the objective is to explore and parametrically generate a prototype for a building faรงade skin that takes into consideration issues of environmental comfort, spatial relations and human aspects using a passive approach. You are required to develop a parametrically driven building skin for the building shown below (Blom Bank Egypt SAE - Main Branch, South Teseen Rd, New Cairo). The main faรงade of the building is in a South/ Southwest orientation, and so you are required to devise an appropriate envelope that provides adequate shading and sun protection. Your building skin designs should originate from your explorations in Part I: The Blank Faรงade Canvas. Each student should capitalize on ideas captured in the material exploration exercise and develop conceptual approaches based on the derived parameters, rules and relationships so that you can define extensive iterations for a variety of design alternatives. Your approach should devise a parametric logic for the design of the faรงade skin based on environmental, spatial, functional, and/or aesthetic considerations. You are to assume functional and behavioral scenarios and settings during your investigation.
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Chapter name
Site Analysis The building is situated in the south west of street 90, causing problems of overheating as it is oriented to a facade direct
The building is 5-story glass glazed building, meaning that it is strongly subjected to the powerful southern sun, leading to overheated areas within the bank. By adding a double skin facade to protect and effieciently use the sun’s path to guide it where it is needed, overheating of the building may be prevented
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Environmental Analysis The average temperature ranges in Cairo exceed the comfort zone during almost 7 months of the year, meaning the temperature is too hot and needs to be addressed
Shade is needed and essential in the months between March and June due to the warm/hot temperature that exceeds 24 degrees celsius
Winds are strongest in the North and north eastern side, meaning that the south and south west get small amounts of wind and hence no cooling effect to the overheated facade
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Chapter name
Main Facade Problems
4. Smooth Facade No breaks or perforations in facade to break the sun rays and direct them elsewhere
1. Direct Sun
2. No Openings
3. All Glass
Direct sun penetration on the facade leading to overheating
No wind entering the building preventing ventilation and cooling effect
Greenhouse effect caused by the sun penetrating and trapping inside the glass
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Precedents GINZA, TOKYO, JAPAN This double skin facades consists of glass curtain walls and graphically treated aluminum punched metal. The façade becomes a part of the interior decoration and obviates the need for window treatments such as blinds or curtains. The irregular façade design was determined by computing a design to avoid arbitrary forms and to approximate forms in nature.
US EMBASSY, LONDON The Embassy’s crystalline facade is the product of its external shading system and internal glazed curtain wall. The shading system reduces glare while admitting daylight and framing large open-view portals to the outside. The form of the wall allows areas between them to allow the sun in while they are thicker in the middle areas
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Slabs Modification Concept
Breaks in the slabs to alter the sun driection depending on the time of day and allow some walls to shade the others
A slanted inwards design to shade facade from strong morning sun and let in afternoon sun which is more pleasant and less warm
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Parameters and Design Goals
PARAMETERS: - Gravity as an attraction point - Perforations (distance between them) - Thickness depending on gravity loads - Concavity & convexity caused by external forces - Pressure
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Facade Concept and Design The idea of different thicknesses of perforations depending on the sun movement that works respectively with concavity and convexity on the wall.
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ŠAll rights reserved, American University in Cairo (AUC) May 2019