Student Portfolio
ARCH 473/3522 - DIGITAL DESIGN STUDIO AND WORKSHOP Nadine El Dababy 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: Nadine El Dababy Student ID: 900160314
Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), May 2019
Nadine El Dababy Architecture Student
Project one takes on parameters extracted from growth found in nature that would guide the design process and inspire elements in the project. Project two focuses on material exploration and how parameters of a different kind can also guide design. After weeks of experimenting with different materials, a set of guidelines were extracted and a facade facelift was designed using said parameters.
An architecture student at AUC who believes in the importance of the qualities of environments around people in their everyday lives. Choosing to pursue this major, I was filled with passion and excitement. Moreover, after realizing what architecture really is the passion grew, yet started to dwindle due to the means by which we are taught and pressures that are put upon the students. Nerveless, I believe that the role of architects is essential and design has a great impact on the quality of life people endure. Design can have many drivers depending on the strategy taken on by the architect and this course focuses on drivers taken from parametric design and nature.
Overall, this course was truely a unique one that introduce d a new way of thinking and tackling design that was unfamiliar to many students. At the start it was a struggle as is any new manner of thinking, however, as the course progressed and guidance was provided, the idealogy was clarified and easier to implement. I think that I would take on this manner of tackling design but not to the extent that we were taught in this course as other manners are essential too like functionality or contextuality.
A homeless shelter inspired by growth in the octopus. Growth in the octopus studied in different parts and this shelter developed from growth in the octopus arms.
01 Homeless Shelter
Project Brief Required to design a mobile shelter for the homeless. While encouraged to develop 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 design is open-ended in terms of the required functionality, form, and number of residents, to allow you to generate innovative ideas. We were encouraged to extend design ideation process to include search for design drivers and inspirations. In this project,we were required to develop an in-depth inquiry into inspirations from nature as a driver for the design. More specifically, we were required to observe the phenomenon of growth in nature as a source of inspiration.
Project Site Throughout history, El Menya was a prominent city in Egypt that played important roles. Currently, it’s an active city that contributes to the positively economy through cement, chemical, and agricultural industries.
Natural Inspiration Designing a mobile shelter needs to be adaptive to its environment which a trait the octopus exhibits. This inspired us to analyze the growth process of the octopus.
In the final stages, the octopus becomes more complex and develops different muscles in its arms and suckers.
Arm Components Octopus = Soft Tissue + Arm Muscles Motion of the Arms 1.Elongation and Shortening Contraction of transverse muscle causes elongation of longitudinal muscle 2.Bending Contraction of transverse or longitudinal muscles with circular muscle 3.Twisting Contraction of circular muscles 4.Stiffening Resisting change using multiple muscles Muscular Hydrostat Biological System that utilises hydraulic movement without fluids. Constant volumes with different shapes form as water is incompressible. One decrease in dimension would lead to an increase in another.
Growth as Adaptation
6 Abstraction Unit component that connects like a ball and socket joint. Allowing for 3D connections that twist. Structure becomes rigid when complete. Extendable arms that adapt to spacial requirements.
Abstraction into Architecture
Trial 0.0 Trial 1.0 A structure that is composed of the first abstracted A mass that can be adaptable by splitting into two unit that repeat according to need. halves. Rather than one large space occupied by one family it splits and provides the required privacy for two families. Portfolio
Chapter name
7
Trial 2.0 A mass that speaks for the types of movement that an octopus arm allows for . Different spcaes occupy different functions that are suitable for it. For instance bending segment provides an enclosure suitable for the private sleeping areas.
Trial 3.0 A more complex iteration that layers the spaces in a smaller area. The three movements were a bit lost and the form was not architecturally functional.
Trial 4.0 This time the idea was simplified. Using segments that fit into each other like a hydrostat system that changes shape but maintains volume.
Trial 5.0 Combining multiple segments from trial 4.0 that move differently to create the form. Ribbs are added in the direction of the muscle fibers that are used to direct movement.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
8Exterior Shot
Portfolio
Chapter name
9
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
10
Top View
Longitudinal Section
Portfolio
Chapter name
11
Plan
Fabrication
Interior Shot
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
12
Portfolio
Chapter name
13 Exploring the available materials through techniques and methods to extract design parameters for designing in project three.
02 Material Exploration ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
14
Portfolio
Chapter name
15 Horizontal Fabric Forming
Physically explore with different materials and fabrication techniques to devise a unit prototype for a building faรงade.Also, investigate several physical and digital techniques and material explorations that can support the process of experimentation with ideas, including casting and fabric forming.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
16 Fabric Forming Using fabric as the medium where the liquid construction material will be poured into and formed. The shape of the fabric mold determines the form of the dried solid material. Casting Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. Most commonly: Concrete in wooden formwork Pneumatic Structures A pneumatic structure is a system of components that is supported by air in the same manner that a balloon is supported by air. The components of a pneumatic structure consist of a membrane, supporting cables, and anchorage system. Concrete Canvas Concrete canvas is a kind of soft cloth impregnated with cement, which will react with water and harden into a very thin waterproof and fireproof durable concrete layer. The main chemical components of calcium aluminate cement are Al2O3, CaO, SiO2 and Fe2O3 canvas.The canvas has a PVC backing, to make sure the blanket is completely waterproof. v
Portfolio
Chapter name
17
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
18 Spanish architect-Miguel Fisac Late 60s- Early 70s Experimented with flexible formwork Wire frames and plastic sheets To capture fluidity of poured concrete Mark West Explored making structural components to decrease volume of material being used Kenzo Unno Used fabric forming to create cast in place walls to ease how people built their houses after an earthquake in 1995 Ultra thin concrete structure by ETH Zurich Not made with concrete canvas but layers of the same components were laid on top of each other to construct this shelter
Portfolio
Chapter name
19
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
20
Portfolio
Chapter name
21 First Experimentation- Balloon Shell
Paper with glue was formed around the balloon as it was a more stable support. Paper was supposed to flow from the balloon to the strings but that did not work.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
22 Experimentation 02 Experimenting with fabric forming using plastic as the fabric and a white cement mortar as the mix. A nail was inserted in the center, twisted and fixed using glue to shape the mass and the mix was poured and left to dry.
Results Cracked and broke into two but shapes were formed due to the pinning and twisting of the plastic using the nail. Takeaways Using the nail to penetrate the mass caused it to break Shaping showed some areas of success
Portfolio
Chapter name
23 1. Formwork Set up wooden box for support as well as strings where intersections are fixation points. Balloon as formwork for pneumatic form and plastic for fabric forming. First type of plastic used was too weak and so an alternative was put in place. Use of two balloons to test two types of pouring techniques. Exploring relation between pneumatic part and fabric forming part. 2. Pouring For pneumatic part: using tissue paper as fiber reinforcement for the cement mix. Yellow - rougher reinforcement and thicker shell. Purple- More smooth application of tissue paper and a thinner shell is made. 3. Results Yellow balloon shell- More stable and can hold itself up. Connection between both balloons created a stable void in the shell. Purple balloon shell- Crumbles and can not be used at this thickness. Fabric FormingDid not break apart like first attempt but came apart from the pneumatic forms. Indentations from the plastic formed along the surface.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
24
Portfolio
Chapter name
25 Cement Paste
Deduced Parameters 1. Form Makers -Surface properties (upward or downward curving) -Inflation geometry -Fixation points 2. Properties (Mass, thickness, texture) -Method of application (Smoother app ;thinner shell) -Mixture proportions -Reinforcement adds to the mass -Interior of the shell is smoother than rough exterior 3. Fixation Points -Start and end of curves - Aesthetics -Structure 4. Voids -Points where pneumatic supports merge -Radius and span of void
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
26
Portfolio
Chapter name
27 Main facade of Blooms Bank 90 St., New Cairo
03 The Parametric Facelift ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
28 Project Brief 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. 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.
Portfolio
Chapter name
29 Site Analysis Situated on a corner plot on the busiest street of New Cairo, lies the bank. Its main facade faces south west and is completely clad in glasts with the other facades are tiled. Builtding is an office space where natural daylight is key but glare is a huge issue. Materials Used Glass, Aluminium Tiles, Steel
Materials are high in heat absorption and expose the building to a higher thermal heat gain especially when the majority of the facades are exposed. Goals Protect from sun light and heat gain Protect from pollution Protect from noise
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
30
Conceptual Approach From Part I Inflation and the change in proprerties that comes from altering the shape and amount of air in the skin. Concept for Facade Elastic material that when pulled taught, becomes thinner and more transparent. Ribbing and meshing of the panel start to show and voids between them grow. When relaxed, it becomes opaque. Pulled and relaxed from points, derived from parameters, connected to panels with cables. Pollution prevention panels responsive to source of pollution. Exhibition screens at social spaces.
Portfolio
Chapter name
31
Derived Parameters
Spacial Design Modifications
Sun position Direction of pollution source Function of space behind second skin Guiding Rules The more sun exposure, the more opaque and dense the panel Pollution prevention panels move towards wind carrying pollutants. When social space is behind the screen, exhibition screens move with the users.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
32
Panel Design Sample panel with a curve along which a point moves according to the movement of the sun. The closer the sun, the closer the point is to the top edge....More relaxed
3D Spacer Mesh An elastic mesh material that is composed of polyester and is suitable for outdoor use. It protects from the sun as well as from the high levels of pollution from the main street south of the building.
Portfolio
Chapter name
33 Facade Design (Macro Scale) A second skin that spreads from south to west. Protects from the sun and other elements of the environment while providing a cool and comfortable space on the inner side.
Structure supported from the roof
Side protrusions It is supported from the roof as well as allow wind flow through its connections to the slabs. It lower protrusion shades the ground floor and side protrusions allows for wind to flow from either side. Lower side protrusion shades the ground floor Conceptual Approach Supports the concept of elasticity as motion is flexible and elastic in the sense where it can return to its original form. Motion from south to west emphasises this. Red and orange lines show the portions of the facade that respond according to the sun’s position. They are grouped based on orientation (south, southwest, west) but also height that is affected by exposure.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
34
Portfolio
Chapter name
35 Facade in the AM (Eastern Sun)
Morning Facade Pannels on the western side are more streched and open allowing more light and air in. While those more towards the south are relaxed and more opaque. Some strech in and some strech out based on a random choice.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
36
Portfolio
Chapter name
37 Grasshopper Definition
Script that sequentially builds up and guids the complete form. ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
38 Facade Studies and Analysis -Sunlight -Ventilation -Structure -Functions behind facade 1. Daylight Analysis During the day, the western panels are streched to allow daylight in while the panels more to the east ie. more to the south, are more relaxed to block out the glare. In the PM the opposite happens, while at noon the center section is the one which is relaxed with the rest streched and more transparent.
east sun
Portfolio
west sun
Chapter name
39 2. Ventilation and Structure Prevailing winds from the north are draged between the two facades by the protruded space in the north, and are provided with an outlet to the east. The operable windows in the curtain wall can then allow the flow of air into the interior spaces. A space truss system supports the second skin and is connected to the building slabs, while also being supported from the top roof. The truss is also the element that moves the panels in the responsive sense (relaxing or streching). 3. Functions Behind Facade Most functions are office based and very fucnctional. However, the subtracted spaces are turned into terraces that allow for social activities in the cavity in between the two facades. The terraces only show in the first, second, and third floors because the last two floors have terraces that are not cut through. The terraces are lined with vegetation to cool the air during the hotter months.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
40
Portfolio
Chapter name
41 Main Elevation Shot
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2020
Nadine El Dababy
Biblography
• •
• •
• •
•
•
Hitatur mo vent, ipsam am, que core, susaes ereri blabor milibusci officiti iliquis num qui dus eaque volorib usaerfe ribero veliqui destet eum il ilictur ma cusae sapist ex est reniscit fuga. Les dictem iniet untur andi dus exceperum ape preribus etur autem rat. Tatem eatur? Ur ad que sed quide pa eum quiasperfero etur sintur? Atur raecerepta quatus dolupta temporum aut volesed mosamus ressequi officium nonsecum et et eum ex ex expliqui repeliq uaecaboria conem fugit quunt, tem quam quate praepudandic tet et aspic tes que a netur aruptat ectusametur as adi occabo. Exerit eos apicide renditata net ipsa nestestem sa dolore omnihil mincium quis aut ut ut veligniment. Lest autest, et exerum eum ipsandanda in everspella nem re, voluptatis dunt adissime volorum idusaperum volorit, que natusdae odit et unti to omnimax imperit iatur, unt. Ureperiorest aliqui quis necto descilitatur assinvel ium aspelicia volorernam laceperio od quam quam aliquunt que es sectatur, aritam harchil ignita voleniminis quis autem et quo berum ipist ra dolorep edistis pratum exerferum venis sit reictur, quas aut aut pe voles pero imin rectatusam eture dellorectur atem doloria ntiorpo ruptio beatint fugitaque sunt, qui imin ne quid quae nobis alibus necta conet perate etur sint aut autem volo tem volum quis a sercid etur atem consectiis moluptateni rem que prorrovitas sedi beatur, is velentia de porio Sed quatem id magnam, utatur? Os que consequos quide perum rempel et et et, corias ad quia doluptatem. Me pos anduntiat am la netur? Adis dolorum accus qui odi officium num in repudi voluptam nossit explatur? Harciet faccus, comnist aborepe cum qui bernate por aut aut prae. Emqui di illoris doluptis aut et modit, saeraerum nonem. Nequis erspiciis electumqui bera ad quo te volorese velis doluptam nias etum fugia nostium facersp editae dolore sunt quia vitatetur? Moluptatem volo eosam, sequibea aceperrum quam fuga. Ut quaspernatat hicatium ium nihicatiam, qui aliquid enet quistor ectendi tatius illanda nimusa pro quis digniste ne nitaspit es alitatios nullorp orempost vendae Ed quo excea dissit, ne sitiuntios accupta spercium de voluptiae ium volore explign imagnam harum ipsum quiandae sent reped quiscia et lam eostota quibusam aut veriasp elesequi occus eossit alicia veraerum, et plauta volendae. Parume velest alicienis endamus, culparcia vollate estruntibus esci cuptaec uptate vidis si quuntiorro eos ant endae derum qui dolorera nihil maios Lis as doluptae volescia volupta consed ullit harchil ipsaper ferias remporu ptatecta con consed moloratia et volupti atiasit aut evel maion eossimus ium sequi occusci psantur sus illorum ium inventis mos res voleste voluptat estem quia por aut as volupti bustemo leseque et, idel il intiame nitatur? Qui totatec uptinte mporeptibus, quos consendem venda eos et eum ea es ma voluta ad que alicae vendam iligento doluptas es di sequam voloritatis sedit verspiendis illesed
ŠAll rights reserved, American University in Cairo (AUC) May 2019