Esraa Abd El Aal - AUC - ARCH 473/3522

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Student Portfolio

ARCH 473/3522 - DIGITAL DESIGN STUDIO AND WORKSHOP Esraa Ashraf Abd El-Aal Spring 2020 ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019

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The American University in Cairo (AUC) School of Sciences and Engineering - Department of Architecture ARCH 473/3522 - Digital Design Studio and Workshop (Spring 2020) 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: Esraa Ashraf AbdEl-Aal Student ID: 900143389

Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), May 2019 ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019

Esraa AbdEl Aal

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Esraa Abd El-Aal Architecture Student

I am an undergraduate senior architecture student at the American university in Cairo. who is expected to graduate spring 2021. I live in Alexandria, deciding to join the architectural program was a very easy step for me, however, the actual joining was a huge problem. Starting with the declation then the challanges that this major brings to my life on daily basis which i learened to overcome and deal with, finally. Although architecture is a very diffecult major, it really helped me in dicovering myself as a person and as an architect and it also taught me alot more than architecture.

Forexample, time managment which is still a problem but in a more simplified way and working underpressure which i truely think is very important given what is happening in the world right now (Corona Virus!).

Throught out this whole journey i have been waiting Portfolio

to find my real passion in the field of architecture and till this very moment i still can not say that i found it, however, 473 broadened my mind to see architecture in a different prespective and it is actually a prespective that i find interesting. The idea of desiging a parametric design inspired by natural phenomena like nature, was a thing that i thought i will never be able to do because of the depth of the analysis and abstractions. However, it turned out to be very interesting and informative, and it is all about close observations and deep thinking about the nature of these phenonemna and how they can be linked to architecture. This approach helped me discover new structural systems i did not know they existed. It also introduced me to a new way of thinking and analysing which i think will help a lot not only in 473 but also in my career. Then the course became even more and more interesting and fun as i learned new formwork and casting techniques like fabric formwork. Personally, i did not know about this technique before and i have never seen it in real life, so to be able to learn about it and see its effect in real life was very interesting and fun. In conclusion, im looking forward to see how i progress in this course which i truely find one of the most interesting and informative courses in this program and also i’m still trying to figure out if this is what i have been waiting to discover.

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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T

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Project1:Homless Shelter - SITE ANALYSIS - NATURAL INSPIRATION -CONCEPT - PROJECT ANALYSIS - FINAL MODEL

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Project2:Fabric Formwork phase 1 - TECHNIQUE OVERVIEW - EXPERIMENTATION - DESIGN PARAMETERS

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Project2, PhaseII: Parameteric Facelift - SITE ANALYSIS - CONCEPTUAL APPROACH - DESIGN PROCESS - FINAL OUTCOME

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1 The shelter, expressing its structural system. Showing its composition and members along with the users that will be using this shelter (Elderly people)

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Project1:Homless Shelter ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019

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El Minya Governerate, Egypt

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El minya, is known for its agricture with around 452,000 acers of agricultural lands. All the governarate is almost on the nile allowing the growth of lotus flower.

In this Project we were required to design a shelter for the homeless people, inspired by a natural phenomena in my case it was the lotus flower. The design should show a clear abstraction of the inspiration with a concrete structural system that is mobile.

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Site Location: Site

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Greenery

Nile

This site was chosen because of its close proxmity to the Nile river and greenery, allowing the users to meditate and relax. Also, it is close to a hospital that can come in hand esoecially when our user’s group are old people and may sponsor the shelter.

S I T E A N A L Y S I S

Hospital

El minya also hosts a various collection of ancient egyptian temples and tombs like beni-hassan. Also it has a unique wethear that is sutiable for the growth of various crops, some of which are used in the clothing industry like cotton.

Environmental Analysis:

The chart shows that At 13:00 the sun is 90 degrees, Therefore, vertical shading devices will be used on the east and south-eastern facades of the shelter.

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Why Old People?

- Roughly 2,000 old people are homeless the the minya governorate - The minya government poverty rate is more than 60% therefore, limited job opportunities, less income for the old and retired people making them not able to afford a good living conditions.

Needs

Wants

- A place to sleep in.

- Peace of mind.

- A permanent source of food.

- Activities to maintain thei health.

- A safe place to live in.

- A job so they can offord to live.

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- Privacy

U S E R S P R O F I L E

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N A T U R A L I N S P I R A T I O N Portfolio

The Lotus Flower:

We chose the lotus flower as our natural inspiration based on various factors, First, its relation and connection to the chosen site as its is directly facing the nile, the nile is the main place for the lotus to grow naturaly. Second, its symbolic and historical meaning that reflects our culture and origins in various cultures like Ancient Egypt, the lotus flower was a symbol of purity and diversity due to its various colors and textures. Finally, its dynamic and fluid movement which are reflected in its growth stages and motion patterns.

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The Growth Cycle:

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The final stage of growth happens through Spreading out and regeneration. In a serious of tension and comperession the lotus flower drops its petals geting exposed to nature.

It swells and drops its seed in the water to grow again. Then it compress ,shrinks and die.

Then the whole process is repeated again .

1. Petals fall, 2. Inclosure of seeds, 3. Tension occurs, 4. Then the seeds are 5. it shrinks and die as the body hence it swells exposed, tension and exposure contracts compression.

This whole process is infinite and forms a loop that never breaks , creaing a unit that acts independetaly but is dependent on each stage.

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C O N C E P T U A L A P P R O C H

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Abstraction:

Tensigrity, since it is a series of tension struture.

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Repition , uniformaty and similarity, inclosure,Tension occurs causing swelling.

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Tension and compression causing exposure

Similarity in all t

Depends on its In dependan

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Shrinkage and deformation

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n and compression causing a deformation in the

Members are close to eachother creating enclosure and uniformality

the members

s members nt system

Members start to decrease in number and increase in spacing causing exposure

The number of members starts to decrease and become farther apart create total exposure

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THE UNR

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RUFFLED

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Zoning:

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A N A L Y S I S

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Pubic zone

Semi-public zone

Materials:

Private zone

-Transperant tensile material to allow the passage of light -Semi-transparent fabric with patterns to create different experience of light.

-Opaque tensile material mostly used in the private spaces.

-The shelter is composed of three units that are connected with eachother by a common memeber.

- The main structural elements are these three rods which are equal in size supporting the three units, the rest of the members support these three.

- It is structured like that inorder to make a structural grid that can be followed if any expansion happen to the shelter Chapter 1: Mobile Shelter

Layering:

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3. Adding the tensile material in order to make it more durable and adabt to the environment.

2. Adding the threads which connect the members together, linking the structure together and allowing it to stand and be felixable.

1.The rods are the base of the structure.

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Plan

D R A W I N G S

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3D Shot

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Sections

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The sections show the confguration of spaces and the different functions, where the structural memebers increase and decrease accordingly to reflect the private and public spaces. Where they tend to increase in the private spaces creating inclosure and decrease towards the semi private and public spaces creating openiess and exposure. They also show the change in materials and their transparency in order to allow or block the passage of the natural light. This technical phase was challaning because the final outcome was not as detailed as i wanted it t be, and this was due to technical challanges and difficulties.

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18 For the fabrication, i used slicer as it produced the shape that is the closest to the actual feeling of the design. The model is to be 3D printed as it was the most fitting techinque to show all the details of the design that other techniques could not show.

F A B R I C A T I O N

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This step was challanging as the model went through many trials and errors in order to pick the most fitting technique of fabrication. Even though, this technique showed as much details as possible, however, it did not produce the feel and the smootheness of the design and the structural system used.

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Chapter 2: Fabric formwork

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The picture shows a sculpture made by Fabric formwork, showing the texture of the fabric and how smooth curvature is acheived.

In this phase, we moved one step further into understanding different materials and techniques. We got the chance to experience first hand concrete casting into fabric formwork, which was quite challanging, however, it was so fulfilling, interms of learning new techniques and making the fabric moulds ourselves.

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The smocking technique:

After, a lot of research into the history of pre-fabricated concrete and the different techniques used, the smocking tech nique was the most exciting for me. A lot of various patterns and fabrics can be used inorder to make the mould and each type of fabric and pattern leaves its own imprint on the cast, making it more interesting.

F A B R I C C A S T I N G

Hand smocking typically involves marking a regular/ triangular grid onto the sheet of material to tailor, and connecting the end points of pattern lines where excess material needs to be gathered.

The fabric must be: 1- jersey cotton fabric 2- Thick fabric so it does not tear due to the pressure and the heaviness of concrete

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I chose the smocking technique as it is a very detailed and accurate technique that produces smooth patterns on the cast and allow you to feel the fabric while knitting it.

Also for the different patterns the fabric leaves on the cast making it look very interesting.

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Reallife smocking technique on a wall in london

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E X P E R M E N T A T I O N S

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In the following experiements i used gysum as the casting material, fabric of different textures and types, different smocking patterns and techniques and different consistancies of the paste.

In order to see the effect of each varaition on the final model and how it will be affected by these changes intermes of smoothness, curvature, stability and form.

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It broke because the fabric was to rough that it was glued to the gypsum and the knitting was so tight which made it even more difficult to remove the fabric safely, That resulted in breaking the model. The curvature was very smooth and fluid, giving the gypsum the essence and elasticity of the fabric.

In the second trial, I tried to use an alternative material that can give the same effect as the actual smocking, Therefore, I used aluminum foil and shaped to give a smooth effect after adding the fabric.

Getting the gypsum out of the fabric was much easier as there was no knitting, it was all open.

Hence, the model Came Out in one piece. This method also produced curvature, however, not as sharp and precise as the first trial and the whole model had Openings which were not intended but it happened due to the sharpens and the very thin members of the aluminum Foil underneath the fabric.

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Part of the pattern fell off while removing the fabric, because it was stuck between the smocks When I decreased the amount of thread I used, the model did not break that much, hence, the problem was the thread. The fabric did not come off as easy as in the rough one, I had to cut parts of it , in order to remove it. The curvature was not as defined as in the rough fabric, because at some parts it couldn’t tolerate the pressure of the gypsum so it Flattened. The openings here were more readable.

Since the fabric is so thin and soft it produced very thin Patterns that were very fragile, hence, they fell off while removing the formwork. The fabric was very smooth and elastic so it came off Very easy and fast. The curvature was not defined at all as the fabric was so thin And very soft.

It was only defined in the areas where the fabric was Very crunched. The openings were not as interesting as the previous trials.

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The model broke while I was removing the fabric, not because of the Knitting but because of the threads. While pouring the gypsum the thread gets embedded inside The cast, when it dry it holds the cast and the thread together Making it very difficult for the model to not break. Since the fabric was very rough and rigid, it came off easily Leaving its small squared pattern on the cast, which made it Unique. Regardless of it breaking, the curvature of the model was Successful as we can see the smooth curves and transitions. These openings were made decreasing the thickness of the gypsum pored in these areas making it very fragile that it breaks easily creating these openings.

Because the water was more than the gypsum, the paste was watery which made it dry very fast but also very fragile It started to break before even removing the fabric. The curvature was very defined and bold, hence, the smaller the patterns the better the curvature. Because the overall paste was very thin, the opening that were intended broke down completely.

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It came out very easily, however, it broke because of the Consistency of the past which made it very fragile. The smocking effect was successfully achieved, however, it was not as defined as the actual smocking. These openings were made decreasing the thickness of the gypsum pored in these areas making it very fragile hat it breaks easily creating these openings, creating different Experiences and environmental functions.

Conclusion -When the water increase in the mixture, the end result will be very fragile and will probably break.

-The smaller the pattern the more defined the curvature.

-The thicker the fabric, the more defined the patterns will appear on the cast.

-Using an alternative instead od smocking and knitting will decrease the probability of breaking the model, however, may not produce defined curvature as the actual smocking.

-The thinner the mixture, the faster it will dry

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between Parameters Grid vs Patterns The smallest distance between grid should be 2.5 cm in order to get defined curvature and pattern.

Fabric vs patterns, curvatre The rougher the fabric the more easier it gets off and leaves a bold and unique pattern on the cast.

Consistincy vs openings

Gypsum to water ratio should be 4:3 for normal paste consistancy it will give rigid and sold forms.

GYpsum to water ratio should be 3:5 for very thin and fragile cast which will help in making the openings.

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Project2, PhaseII:Parameteric Facelift ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019

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38 In this phase of the parametric design, the main focus was on desiging a facade that is responsive not only to the environmemt but also to the function and the people. At first i tried to come up with a concept that ties this stage with the previous one interms of fabric formwork and how it can be translated into a parametric facade interms of design, material and environmental aspects. First, i started analysing the site, then i i tried to integrate my concept on the facade and the interior spaces using rhino and grasshopper.

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Site Location:

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S I T E A N A L Y S I

A lot of noise since it is facing the 90 road, making it very Noisy for the employers and the clients.

BLOM BANK

Southern faรงade/ main facade

Main issues: -The southern facade is cladded using curtain walls with no shading devices or screens, which is not fitting for this environment.

-Increasing the thermal mass and solar gain on the faรงade making it very hot inside.

-The building does not have an identity of its own.

Environmental analysis:

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-The sun charts shows that new cairo has high humidity levels throughout the year.

-Very hot during the day time in summer.

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In winter during is still hot, however, during the night it gets better but still shading devices are very crucial.

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S I T E

Solar Analysis:

High solar radiation when completely facing south Starts to decrease gradually as it moves towards the south- west .

A N A L Y S I S The density of the patterns will increase in the areas that has high solar radiation to decrease the heat gain on the faรงade hence, optimizing the temperature inside the building and the patterns will decrease as the solar radiation decrease.

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Thinking process:

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The main idea is to give the building an identity and to break through the repetition of the corporate buildings along the Teseen road. Shifting the whole focus to be on the human needs and activities within the building. Hence, creating a faรงade that is responsive to the usersneeds. This is achieved by giving the faรงade a flowy nature Allowing it to be easily shaped and transformed. And also Byusing the voronoi patterns for the variations that can be made within each shape.

FLUDITY NEGATIVE SPACES

C O N C E P T

DENSITIES REPETITION

SOCIAL INTERACTION

TRANSPARENCY VEGETATION

SMOOTHNESS ORGANIC

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Logic of pattern:

P R O C E S S O F D E S I G N

South

South-west

west

- Since the outer skin is made of fixed light-weight concrete in order to achieve the smocking effect (Curvature), there are three variables the width of the voronoi cell (the number of the cells), the curvature of the interior and exterior facade and the lenght of the protrusions.

Accordingly: -The patterns decrease in numbers and protrusions as the facde moves towards the west orientation as it has less solar radiation, hence allowing the clients and the users to enjoy moderate sunlight and tempreture outside

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Functional use of interior spaces:

Indoor garden (Multi-purpose) Seating and relaxing area for the employees

I N T E R I O R

Meeting area/lounge Offices

Client’s waiting area The slabs will decrease backwards inorder to create enough area between the two facades to host different activities and functions.

Cubicles Offices Reception

Environmental Modifications: The corridor between the two facades will serve as a garden: 1- to help in decreasing the solar radiation, hence, optimizing the temperature inside.

2- To act as a noise and pollution buffer.

3- to provide a good scenery and a good place to utilize for the users The curvature that is protruding acts as horizontal shading element for those with more patterns and openings.

The air gap between the two facades create chimney effect

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M O D I F I C A T I

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44 Surface Creation: First, i created the surface and identified the points that will be extruded based on the parameters concluded in phase 1

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Thrid, the interior facade was created according to the different functions of each level. I modified the slabs accordingly.

P R O C E S S

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Second, i added two attractor points that will create the curvature, the smocking effect on the interior facade based on the function of the interior spaces

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45 Finally, i added the protrusion of each cell, that vary in length according to the solar radiation, i used the same as the attractor point.

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Fourth, i created the exterior surface and identified the points , that will be extruded and then i added the attractor points to create curvature based on the sun movement

4 Fifth, i created the base voronoi pattern using a curve as an attractor for the number and the width of each cell based on the orientation and solar radiation.

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Grasshopper script:

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Sections:

F A C A D E A N A L Y S I S

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Protrusions of the cells

The curvature provide horizontal shading for the lower floors.

Southern section

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The open area increases towards the West as the solar radiation is lower than in the south.

This increase is taken from the area of the floor itself.

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L A Y O U T

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The difference in the plan layout depends on the functionality of each floor/space.

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3 D S H O T S

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B I B L I O G R A P H Y

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https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=parametric%20facade%20voronoi&rs=typed&term_meta[]=parametric%7Ctyped&term_meta[]=facade%7Ctyped&term_meta[]=voronoi%7Ctyped https://www.dezeen.com/2016/06/06/six-examples-fabric-cast-concrete-architecture-design/ https://www.concreteconstruction.net/business/technology/fabric-cast-concrete_c https://www.archdaily.com/search/all?q=double%20skin%20facade%20buildigs https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318208318_EXAMINING_THE_USE_OF_VORONOI_DIAGRAMS_IN_ARCHITECTURE_ON_A_STUDENT_PROJECT https://www.ijss-sn.com/uploads/2/0/1/5/20153321/ijss-isi_jul_oa12_-_2017.pdf https://www.anatomytrains.com/fascia/tensegrity/

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