Student Portfolio
ARCH 473/3522 - DIGITAL DESIGN STUDIO AND WORKSHOP Mariam Ali Ibrahim Spring 2020
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: Mariam Ali Ibrahim Student ID: 900150567
Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), spring 2020
Mariam Ali Ibrahim Architecture Student
ects always fluctuates in concepts. And as a student, I’ve always tried to jump to conclusions and finding answers to the design output, however in this course I must say, it was a challenge, because I had to go through different layers of analysis and forms, to come up with the designs. Creating and investigating things are what inspired me to apply to this department, though is was mainly practical and full of stressful situations, at the end of the road we create and we design, and in my opinion that’s what matters.
“Our deepest fears isn’t that we are inadequate, our deepest fears is that we are powerful without measures, it’s our light not our darkness that most frighten us” – Marianne Williamson I wanted to start this short personal introduction with my favorite quote, because I believe it has affected me not only as a person, but also as a student. Spring 2020 counts as the start to my fifth year in the architecture department of AUC. I must say it has been full of challenges, but I have leaned a lot of different things along this journey. I would say i’m a creative person at times, and a practical person in other times, thus mainly my proj-
And i would like to end this by a qoute as well by Zaha Hadid “ I don’t think that architecture is only about shelter, is only about a very simple enclosure. It should be able to excite you, to calm you, to make you think.”
A Shelter designed for the homless children of al-minya, being inspired by a single leaf blade of corn and how the concept of decaying can be decomposed, and further analysed to create a standing structure.
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Project I : Shelter for the homeless
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3 The final skin of the model contain pv pannels that are due south to capture the sunlight and to produce electricity. the greenaries between the protrusions are to minamize the direct heat coming from the sun. most of the openings and glass are due north as there is no direct sunlight. the court yard acts as a chilling area and for indirect sunlight to penetrate the building. it’s main purpose is to convey the concept of decay ithat is caused by infection. The pv cells convey the different texture that occurs during decaying
Project discription : In this project, it is required to design a mobile shelter for the homeless. by developing several alternatives and design ideas as part of the preliminary search for a language of formal expression that responds to basic aesthetic and functional requirements. The project should lie within the governorate of Minya. This entails an awareness of the specific context that we are designing within and how it informs and inspires the design and character. The design is open-ended in terms of the required functionality, form, and number of residents; it should however lie within the range of 40-50m2 In this project, it is required to develop an in-depth inquiry into inspirations from nature as a driver for the designs. More specifically, it is required to observe the phenomenon of growth in nature as a source of inspiration. The main idea behind this project is to acomodate user needs in a small challinging zone that reflects on the idea of grown in nature as a concept.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Mariam Ali Ibrahim
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THE USERS This shelter would be dedicated to the childeren of al menya, as studies show that a very high number of childeren located in al-menya are homless. these childeren are working to support themselves, and have very little to no income. Thus this design would aim to accomodate these childeren and give them a space to socialize together. The chosen location is near a school and in a residential area, which will make the childeren more comfortable to start living a slightly normal life.
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ENVIRNMENTAL ANALYSIS The weather in Al Minya is mostly similar to the rest of egypt it has dry periods in January, February and March. and on average, the warmest month is around and during June. the coolest month is January. As for the rest of the year, during the month of February, March, November and December you are most likely to experience good weather with pleasant average temperatures that fall between 20 degrees Celsius (68°F) and 25 degrees Celsius (77°F). Making it a good candidate for agriculture.
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THE CITY AND THE SITE
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Al-Menya Generally, this zone in egypt is a very unique one as it’s the city that separates upper egypt from lower egypt. it’s considered as a trading adminstrative center. The city is rich in it’s historical bachground, as it’s currently a host the museum of akhnaton. One special aspect about this city is it’s agriculural part, where it’s obvious in the map that it has a lot of green feddans. These feddans mainly grow crops like cotton, corn and other corps that feeds into the industrial activities in that city. The site selected host a more comfortable zone for the users, not only because it’s near a scool, but also because it’s within the agricultural land. The inspiration of the natural subject arised, where we chose the corn plant to be our inspiration for this project as it’s an important element in the site. ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Mariam Ali Ibrahim
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NATURAL INSPIRATION
As a group we chose the corn plant to be our natural inspiration, where each group member would choose part of the corn plant and study the concept of growth of this part. My choise was the leafe blade of the corn, and i was more concerned with the idea of decay.
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APPROACH ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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Mariam Ali Ibrahim
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CONCEPT GENERATION AND DESIGN
MODEL PROCESS
REFLECTION ON THE PROCESS My modeling process was not very direct, i had to look at different aspects and finding different approaches to target the concept of growth in nature. though most of the earllier models didn’t look like the final design, they however fed into the concept of producing the final outcome. The first attempt was to get used to the program and try different comands that represent the idea of sheltering. though it might have been too literal by taking one leaf blade as a singular form and decomposing it into different shapes but it concluded to the concept of having an outer skin. the second attemps was focusing on the idea of decresing forms and how playing with solid and voids can be implemented in the model. The third attemps focused on light penetration ond how the design can be dependable on sunlight by having high surface area.from this point the idea of triangles arised because of the site outline.
CONCLUSION From these trials, I’ve concluded that the users are my main target of concern so by adding a courtyard it would allow them to have a better calming space inside of the shelter. As my target users are childeren, i’ve also including a small playing area where they can all gather around the courtyard to socialize and play games. The most challenging part in this project was the total area of the foot print because the designs I’ve been working on required a larger area to be fully developed. The original design was supposed to be a shell like shelter that varied in height, but since the area was too big, I decided to decrease the size and increase the height so it can be more comfortable for the users and abiding by the area guidelines.
FINAL DESIGN
This design strategy focuses mainly on design exploration, through investigating a certain material and how it behaves through casting and fabric forming.
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Part I : The Blank Facade canvas
RESEARCH STAGE Using fabric formwork, it is possible to cast architecturally interesting, optimized structures that use up to 40% less concrete than an equivalent strength prismatic section, thereby offering the potential for significant embodied energy savings in new concrete structures.
The Development of fabric form-work: The critical aspect of fabric formwork for determining shape and therefore aesthetic is the fabric itself. Although almost any woven fabric can be used as formwork for fabric cast concrete, tensile strengths in both warp and weft directions must be sufficient to hold the wet concrete and a low creep modulus is desirable to limit formwork deformations during casting and curing. Fabric formwork is a building technology that involves the use of structural membranes as the main facing material for concrete molds. Unlike traditional formwork, the material is highly flexible and can deflect under the pressure of fresh concrete. The resulting forms exhibit curvature as well as excellent surface finishes that are generally not associated with concrete structures.
Characteristics of fabric formwork : The use of flexible permeable formworks has considerable benefits in comparison with conventional rigid systems for example : • Formwork is lighter and easier to construct. The fabric can carry only axial tensile forces and as concrete is placed the fabric deforms to the optimum geometry in response to the hydrostatic pressure of the wet concrete. • By careful shaping of the fabrics optimized structural forms can be developed that would otherwise be very expensive with conventional systems. • The permeable nature of the fabric allows the excess water needed to place the concrete to bleed, reducing the water cement ratio of the near the surface, thereby increasing the compressive strength of the concrete in the surface layers. A review of the benefits of permeable formwork systems has been prepared by Malone (1999). The most common type of fabric used is woven polypropylene, developed initially for geotextile applications. It is robust, does not tear readily, has a controlled permeability, consistent mechanical properties and is easily stripped from the hardened concrete surface.
Column elements : A variety of columns element have been developed and constructed. In its simplest form a rectangle of fabric folded once and joined along one side if supported at the top will produce a cylindrical column and indeed such formwork is available as a product in Canada, marketed by Fabform. The hydrostatic pressure developed during casting creates uniform circumferential stresses in the formwork. These are different types of column design that were constructed with fabric formwork
Beam elements : Similar to the columns the term ‘beam’ can be used to describe both the structural element and the process of forming. Casting relatively shallow, horizontally orientated elements is comparatively simpler vertically aligned column elements. The apertures through which the concrete is placed are larger and the distance the concrete travels within the concrete is shorter that in elements cast as columns.
Shells design : The curved surfaces and predominantly axial compressive forces suggest similar characteristics to traditional vaulting they differ in one particularly important way; their thinness in relation to span In the development of modern concrete construction shell structures, perhaps more that any other typology, demonstrated the expression of the plastic nature of concrete. When based on geometrically correct structural principles these shells were optimized demonstrated wonderfully in the work of Candela and Isler for example
Complex forms : The previous examples have focused primarily on structural elements. Other studies have looked at complexity of form and complexity of construction. The pattern of branches was drawn directly into the fabric used as a guide for stitching. The shape of voids and their position was determined partly by the need to ensure that the formwork would be filled without the fabric creasing or voids forming and was based on the results of a series of preliminary prototype studies into flow of the concrete in the formwork
Precedents one : One of the first architects to use a flexible formwork in an architectural application was the late Spanish architect Miguel Fisac with his 1970’s design of the Juan Zurita residence in Madrid, Spain. His use of rope and plastic sheeting to create these precast panels imparts a sense of “warmth and softness” to an otherwise cold and hard substance. Fisac used this method throughout the 1970’s to form the cladding of a number of structures.
Precedents two : Another architect whose work has softened up concrete is Japanese architect Kenzo Unno. Working independently of Fisac he has developed several cast-in-place (CIP) fabric-formed wall systems since the mid-1990’s. The Kobe earthquake on January 17, 1995 provided the motivation for Unno to create residential designs that are intended to provide safe housing using simple methods of construction with as little construction waste as possible.
This design strategy focuses mainly on design exploration, through investigating a certain material and how it behaves through casting and fabric forming.
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Part 2 : Material Exploration
EXPERMENTATION PROCESS
FIRST ATTEMPT:
Conclusion:
This was the first experament in the process where the main material was introduced, this material was the base for all the upcoming experiments as it has different properties based on heating and cooling and it can be shaped and transformed into different molds.
This experiment was mainly to see how well the wax will behave when changed from its liquid state to its solid state. It was not primarily a failed experiment in my opinion because I got to see how wax behaves when poured on a metal sheet of aluminum. The wax took the form of the cracks on the aluminum, however, for this experimentation process it needed to be something that is solid with different parameters, a box with 15x15x30 dimensions, and this experiment was more about getting to know the essence of the material of a 2D scale.
EXPERMENTATION PROCESS GETTING TO KNOW THE MATERIAL
WAX AND PLASTIC
WAX AND ALUMINUM
WAX, WATER AND OIL
WAX AND VINEGAR
WAX AND ICE
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT: Water and wax have different properties, when it comes to temperature change, the natural state of wax is solid and the natural state of water is liquid, thus, by freezing water, it takes the shape of the container and when cooled down to room temperature, it changes to liquid. Wax on the other hand, when heated up is liquid and when cooled down to room temperature it’s solid. And since both don’t get mixed up together, using ice as a variable in design to change the final form of the wax mold.
WAX & ICE
The wax will fill the negative space between the ice cubes without interfering with the shape of the cube, because wax doesn’t mix with water
Solidification And Melting
THE PROCESS
FINAL OUTCOME
LIGHT PENETRATION
CONCLUSION
exploring 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
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Part 3 : The Parametric Facelift
SITE LOCATION : The chosen building is located in the south teseen road, new cairo, Egypt. The main faรงade is made out of glass and is located in the south and south/west direction. The aim of this project 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
Envirnmental analysis Rhino charts showing the Direct and Difused radiation that is hitting the facde of the building.
Envirnmental Analysis
Weather in Cairo : In Cairo, the summers are long, hot, humid, arid, and clear and the winters are cool, dry, and mostly clear. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 50°F to 96°F and is rarely below 46°F or above 102°F The hot season lasts for 4.6 months, from May 13 to October 1, with an average daily high temperature above 90°F. The hottest day of the year is August 1, with an average high of 96°F and low of 76°F. The cool season lasts for 3.0 months, from December 2 to March 2, with an average daily high temperature below 72°F. The coldest day of the year is January 20, with an average low of 50°F and high of 67°F
Current facade Analysis
Facade analysis :
The bank is a five-story building with four columns that are visible from the ground floor as the main supporting system. The main focus of the new double skin design is the glass facade, as it trapes the most heat inside the building, due to its orientation . The aim is to create a double skin for this building without interfering with the aesthetics or having a drastic change to the general form of the building, thus keeping a modern and functional façade is an important target. In mid summer, the direct sun light is very critical, and using an all glazed façade directed to south is a very unsuccessful choice, because it will increase the heat inside of the building and the glare causing discomfort to the users, however it’s understandable because it’s the main façade.
Proposed modifications for the interior spatial configuration
SLabs adaptation :
Changing the third floor slab to create a more interisting zone, where there is cisual connection between the third and the second floor by having a mezanine like experience. protruding the last and the first slabs to hold the double skin structure and to have a space for the air cavity.
Buffer façade technique :
This façade design technique use two layers of single glazing spaced 250 to 900 mm apart, sealed and allowing fresh air into the building through additional controlled means – either a separate HVAC system or box type windows which cut through the overall double skin. The designed shading device can be implemented between both curtain walls.
THE VORONOI CONCEPT
Voronoi diagram is a partition of a plane into regions close to each of a given set of objects. In the simplest case, these objects are just finitely many points in the plane. For each seed there is a corresponding region consisting of all points of the plane closer to that seed than to any other.
The concept behind voronoi :
The Voronoi diagram is a system that divides the space into sub-spaces in an organic way. The diagram uses points to create cells that surround these points. Points can be placed as spontaneously or can be determined in the direction of a certain data and tessellation can be provided accordingly. The Voronoi diagram is used especially to obtain an organic structure and natural pattern in facade designs. The point is to create multiple cells to accommodate the interior and to protect it from the sun radiation based on the importance of each zone,where some zones would need more sun protection than ohers based on the radiation analysis of the current facade.
Alternatives Concept :
Having protrusions that are random. Each cell opens and closes according to the sun direction and change its height based on the sun intensity
Conclusion: The protrusions created more material to be exposed to the sun which might potentially increase the heat inside the building as these surfaces will heat the air that is going through these protruded cells.
Final Design CONCEPTS AND PARAMETERS Main protective facade
secondary protective facade
The first facade will act as a barier for the direct radiation then following an air cavity with a opening in the top to let the hot air escape, then the secondary facade will act as sun shading for the glare that would be produced. Then the interior of each cell will be protruded to the inside to create an interisting zones inside for the facade to be part on the interior.
Final Design SECTION
Final Design Bolw up shot
INTERIOR
Final Design Solar analysis upgrade
Final Design Elevation
Final Design Elevation
G.H CODE
THE END
ŠAll rights reserved, American University in Cairo (AUC) May 2019