Student Portfolio
ARCH 473/3522 - DIGITAL DESIGN STUDIO AND WORKSHOP Hana Sarhan 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: Hana Sarhan Student ID: 900150557
Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), May 2019
Hana Sarhan Architecture Student
I am a 21 year old architecture student studying at the American University in Cairo. This is my fourth year studying architecture and in these four years I have learnt a lot. Designing is not only about the final outcome but rather the whole process. Throughout the process I grew and fell more attached to my designs. The process is an experince where I explore different ideas and styles and find the most convenient one to me, defining me as a designer and architect. I have also learnt how to manage my time and take each aspect into consideration including context, environmental aspects, functionality, structure and aethstetic. As I come closer to graduating and entering the real life of an architect I feel scared and unsure but at the same time excited to be finally able to express my peronality through architecture and what I am capable of but most importantly to be an active member of the society and impact the lives of different people from different social levels.
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Learning from Nature
1 Sailing stones are found in the Death Valley National Park, Calefornia.
01 Learning from Nature ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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Learning from Nature
3 This is a stone stailing through the death vally leaving it’s trail behind.
The Phenomena of Sailing Stones While looking for a natural phenomena to insire our design for the semester we can across the sailing stones. They only appear in one place in the world called the Death Valley in Calefornia. When rain water forms a pond which freezes overnight creating a vast sheet of ice under the rocks. 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 For the stone to move there are four main parameter. These are a flooded surface, a thin layer of clay, wind and ice flows. Warming temperatures cause the ice to breakup allowing the rocks to slide driven by the force of the wind. Sailing rocks can cover a distance up to 250 m with a speed of 2-5m/min and appear every four years.
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Learning from Nature
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6 Designing for Density Relative to Mass Taking a Closer Look As a group we came to a conclusion that there are 4 main parameters which are submergence & uplifting, surface & texture, mass & density and wind & trail. I chose to work with the mass and density parameter. It might not be a direct relation to the the sailing stone experiment but more out of the box which I found the most interesting. Sine architecture students need flexible places to accomodate the high demand and different densities at different times throughout the day my design will be transforming this need. The design is divided into two parts: The first is very rigid defining the borders of the building and creating a grid like structure while the second will be very flexible to expand when needed and to let sunlight in and at the same time providing a shaded space, work-friendly space.
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Learning from Nature
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Capturing Mobility
9 A primary sketch of the initial design idea.
02 Capturing Mobility ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Hana Sarhan
10 Site Analysis The court I chose to use is the last court in SSE located next to Quick and the steps. Since architecture students need flexible places to accomodate the high demand and different densities at different times throughout the day my design will be transforming this need. The design is divided into two parts: The first is very rigid defining the borders of the building and creating a grid like structure while the second will be very flexible to expand when needed and to let light in and out. This court will play a main role in bringing this idea to live. It has only four corners creating a rectange unlike the other two courts in SSE. On one hand this will force the idea of a very rigid and static building on the outside to make the users feel the contrasting difference of the dynamic experience on the inside when they enter. While on the other hand the back of the bridge has big openings with rectangular patterns that will compliment my structure and the idea of creating shade and shadow from these patterns.
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Learning from Nature
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12 Conceptual Approach My approach towards the high architectural workspace demand is to create more space or volume with the increase of users or mass so that the density stays the same inside and the workspace stays comfortable and creates a supporting work environment. This will be achieved through having porous spots that allow for expansion while creating different patterns of soild and void to serve the users. A mix between static and dymamic forms will be used to express and achieve the an expansionable form. The problem I faced with my first trial was that insted of creating this rigid form from the outside while having a dynamic feel from the inside is that I ended up with a grid intersecting with a shell like structure that it not really functional. The main problem was that I was trying to copy the precedents and inspirations I found instead of coming up with my own unique idea.
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Capturing Mobility
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14 Model Improvment In my second trial I decided to have the rigid, structural and grid-like component represented in the huge frames lifting the building while the dynamic shape is also formed by the lower part of the frames by sustracting the shell form I earlier created from it. While this idea represented my concept better and let light in and out instead of having this really dark and caged shell it is more of a pavilion than an actual building since it is only enclosed from two sides. But it created this pattern that would also show as a shadow on the floor and on the walls that compliments other patterns formed by shadow in AUC. So at the end of his stage I had the main form but I was missing all the details to make it a functional space. This is where I had to dig deeper in the following stage.
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Capturing Mobility
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Patterns of Mobility
19 A sketch showing the movement of the roof that will be relative to user density.
03 Patterns of Mobility ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Hana Sarhan
20 How Will The Building Expand To Accomodate Density ? This will happen through parametric modeling using grasshopper as an additional tool to rhino. Instead of having a prametric logic for panels on a facade or certain items mine will be for the whole structure by expanding the curvilinear roof and changing its form based on the density and behavior of users at certain points. This is shape shifting triggered by occupant behavior and functional requirments which will allwo for flexibilty on the inside while still retaining its form from the outside. Here are two examples of shape shifting elements triggered by behavior. On the right is a MIT experiment made with interfaces with a low-resolution display made of white, plastic pins. The pins, each of which represents a pixel, are bundled together into an unassuming-looking grid. Sensors embedded below the pins register how much pressure is applied to each pixel, and actuators within the pins control their response to that pressure. On the left is another example of a bridge sensors movment on the walkway through LED RGB technology and expands responding to it.
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Capturing Mobility
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Sectional elevation showing form Portfolio
Capturing Mobility
Sectional elevation showing form
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Ground Floor Plan
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Capturing Mobility
Setion AA
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Main Elevation ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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Capturing Mobility
Night Shot
Biblography
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I am a 21 year old architect studying at the American University in Cairo. As a child I always sketched around on any piece of paper I could find. As I grew my passion for designing also grew. But I didn’t know yet that I would be studying architecture. I only came to this conclusion when I had to pick which major I want to declare when applying for universities.
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In my free time I like to photograph nature and animals. I also like to travel because a huge part of traveling is seeing new things like buildings, culture and food. This makes me happy and also develops me more as an architect. I used to dance ballet for 14 years which helped me to learn how to express myself through art. Some people may not agree but I see it developing me in the same way architecture does. When designing you also express yourself as a designer and your chosen program. Both fields depend a lot on expression but in two different ways.
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A huge part of who I am today is also because of the school I went to. I believe that it developed my personality a lot and they always encouraged us to do what we love whatever it is and dream big. I learnt to set targets for myself in life and try to reach them and even exceed them. I do the same as an architecture student. At the beginning of each semester and each new project I put a target for myself to reach at the end of the semester. I don’t always reach all my target whether academically or socially. This sometimes pulls me down but these are also the moments I learn from the most and that push me to keep going.
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Lastly I have to give credit to my parents and sister for suffering with my all crazy architecture and submission moments. I could not have reached this stage without them and hopefully helping and supporting me also next year while doing my thesis project.
ŠAll rights reserved, American University in Cairo (AUC) May 2019