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: Nour Amr Student ID: 900160273
Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), May 2020
Nour Amr Architecture Student
another in the second and third phases, which had a full platter of challenges. However, by taking it step by step and simpifying issues, the projects unfolded more smoothly.
To introduce myself, my name is Nour Amr and I’ve been studying Architecture for the past 4 years. It has been an interesting learning experience that has exposed me to different aspects and approaches to design. One of these approaches would be computational and algorithmic design taught in this course: Arch 473. My journey in this course has definitely not been easy and has been full of challenges which I share throughout this storybook. The course starts off with an introductory project in order to explore Rhino. I received my first shock at that point when I realized the issue is not just using the program but following a computaional design process. After somewhat overcoming that obstacle, I was hit with
Although reaching an end product in all 3 phases wasn’t a smooth sail, the processes still presented their benefits. By following a parametric design process and utilizing digital media like Rhino and Grasshopper, I’ve developed some skills over this semester. The projects exposed me to tools and a certain logic that differ from all the past encounters in the 5 year learning process.Although, computational design os not a field/ concentration I would pursue futher on, I believe it was essential to gain a sufficient background and base for a rapidly-developing field as such.
Table of Contents 01 Mobile Shelter for the Homeless Introduction Site Analysis Octupus Analysis + Abstraction Model Development Final Shelter Design 02 Material Exploration Introduction Fabric Forming Research Experimentation + Results 03 Paramteric Facelift Introduction Double Skin Facades Research Site Analysis Approach + Development Final Facade Design 04 Bibliography
The octopus and its unique mechanisms were used as an inspiration for design.
01 Mobile Shelter for the Homeless
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Introduction The ďŹ rst phase of the course was focused on approaching a design parametrically and outputting a project with the use of Rhino. The main purpose was abstracting the potentials of an organism of choice to inspire the logic and design of a homeless shelter in El Menya. So ďŹ rst the site and organism were analyzed, and then abstracted which determined a set of concepts and logic that were used to design the shelter and its mechanisms.
Location: El Menya The site is located in El Menya that has a rich history, signiďŹ cant impact on the current economy and is a vital part of Egypt along the Nile. It also houses a large percentage of the 12 million homeless Egyptians; therefore, the necessary measures should be taken.
Inspiration: Growth of the Octopus A vital element to designing a mobile homeless shelter is adaptibility. Similarly, the growth process of the octopus within the egg focuses mainly on developing the octopus to become highly adaptable. Hence, this process was referred to for inpiration.
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Octopus Analysis Stage 2-1 During the second stage, the octopus’ eyes start to develop as an extension of the skin not the brain. Pigment cells then grow within this skin which allow the octopus to see polarized light.
Stage 2-2 Later in the second stage, the 2 branchial hearts develop but don’t beat in coordination. The systematic heart and gills then form which coordinate the heartbeats. After hatching, the hearts and gills work in a dependent system.
Stage 3 During the third stage, the skin develops adaptive properties by the formation of papillae cells to change texture & chromataphores to change color. Also in this stage, the arm muscles develop that later allow the octopus to twist, bend/stien, extend/ contract its arms. The suckers form as well, that use pressure for suction.
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Derivatives & Abstraction Form The gills and heart relationship were expanded to draw inspiration from. The gills particularly rely on a dependent relationship between the primary and secondary lamallae, so a system of a primary shell and secondary skin was developed,.
Units Looking at the structure of the gills, one can see that the secondary lamallae encase unit folds, hence, it was determined that the structure of the shelter will be formed of units. Since, many of El Menya’s landmarks and symbols are triangulated, the unit was triangulated as it’s also easy to interlock and repeat.
Mechanism There’s a pressure-based relationship between the hearts and gills as diagrammed, so a mechanism was developed inspired from that process. The skin has the ability to tighten/relax to allow the units to fully interlock or slightly part for adaptative purposes.
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Trials Trial 1 The ďŹ rst attempt at modeling, 3 main collapsible shells were designed resembling the layers of the gills. The tendons control the opening and closing of the shelter similar to the heart muscles of the octopus that contracted/relaxed the heart. However, this attempt was too literal. .
Trial 2 The second attempt was a struggle with Rhino due to the unfamiliarity with the program. Nevertheless, a model was produced based on units that can fold in multiple directions similar to the structure of the gills. The problem with this model was the lack of ideas integrated and weak link to the inspiration
Trial 3 By the third trial, a solid idea started to develop. The units were triangulated (to draw inspiration from El Menya) and shaped to interlock. In theory, a primary and secondary system were to be developed similar to the primary and secondary structure of the gills. The means to how to create that system were explored in the following development stages.
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Model Development areas of the shelter were deďŹ ned and 1 The the curved triangular units were designed
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Primary System: The units were propogated over the area to create the shell of the shelter. The units allow the users to adapt the shelter according to their needs.
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All the layers were compiled and coordinated together
to link to the site.
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Secondary System: A skin was designed that attaches to the ground level nodes and 3 ribs. This allows the skin to stretch to allow for light and wind to enter or relax to create an air gap between it and the shell.
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Fabrication Plan The intent was to 3D Print the model as it would best represent the curves and layers of the model. The scene to be printed is the one where the units are open, so 3D printing was the most convenient method. Hence, a 3D printing ďŹ le was developed using Cura, but due to the COVID 19 circumstances, there was no access to a 3D printer.
Drawings After the design was ďŹ nally setlled on, the drawings were output to show how the shelter could be used or later transformed to the adapt to the need of the users. They also highlight the mechanism of the shelter and the relation ship between the primary and secondary systems. Dierent dimensions were also explored regarding materiality and response to the environment as outlined below.
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11 Final model of the homless shelter in El Menya
Developing a small scale project has never been more of a challenge. Personally, the challenge was a product of a new approach to design and implementation using an unfamiliar program. Both together led me into struggling and pushing the bounds of my thinking capacity to reach an idea. Firstly, the initial stages were about exploring the unfamiliar dimensions of computational design. It was fun experimenting and trying out. However, the following stage became the peak of the struggle. Trying to outline the guidelines to follow from the octopus and how to properly abstract the ideas was mind-wringing. It took several weeks to reach an idea, that I personally feel still requires development or more thought. Nevertheless, a ďŹ nal product was reached, and because it was a tedious project, the result was highly self-appreciated. It was an interesting experience, and deďŹ nitely fruitful, but I was excited to move on to the next stage of the course and dive into the materiality stage.
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The results of Joseph SaraďŹ an & Ron Culver’s experimentation with fabric forming and casting.
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Introduction The second phase of the course was concerned with exploring the extents of fabric forming and casting. So, an initial research was conducted to create a base to launch from. Then using the research, it was decided to experiment with a twisting eect and through this experimentation, rules and parameters were derived to carry on to the next phase.
Preliminary Research History Fabric Forming was introduced in the 18th century, but the concept roots back to early civilizations. In Rome, impressions of reed were found on many structures which highlighted that reeds were used as formowrk. Similarly, Ancient Egyptians used reeds as formwork and reinforcement. In the 18th century, Gustav Lilienthal formally introduced the concept after designing a draped slab using mesh reinforcement. Later, Miguel Fisac developed on the idea and started using it aesthetically rather than just for its eeciency. From there, the industry expanded and research is constantly being conducted.
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Poured-over Formwork The simplest technique to create a structure using fabric formowork is to shape the fabric and pour the material over it. To shape the fabric, it can either be sewn or altered to create the desired shape/pattern or obstacled could be placed under taught material to create the negative of the obstacles (sunken areas are filled with material). Pneumatic Formwork The third technique used in fabric forming is pneumatic formwork. Pneumatic formwork depends on inflatable fabric formwork , which can be deflated after the material sets. Similar to balloons being used to make paper mache art, as they are popped after the paper stiffens to leave the core hollow and the balloon is removed. Poured-into Formwork Another approach is to shape the fabric and pour the concrete into it. This technique is most suitable for dense structures that require large volumes like columns or structural elements.
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Idea Generation Since the bigger picture of this experimentation phase is to inspire the development of a unit to propogate over a facade, it was desired to design an adaptable facade to suit the users regardless of the time context. Hence, the idea arose of creating a twisting effect that could potentially twist to serve functional, environmental, or aesthetic purposes. So, through several experiments, input and output parameters were extracted to serve as guides for the next phase.
Experimentation Process This phase was broken down into two sets of experimentations. The intial experiment was a simple one, as it was the first trial in an experiment of such nature. However, it was fruitful as it guided the bounds of the second set of experimentation. The second part was focused on breaking down the input parameters and altering them to observe the result. Although, the experiment of this part weren’t always successful, still they presented benefits. Since from the experimentations, different rules and relationships were formulated between the input and output parameters. These were then carried on to the next phase, in order to either utilize them or alter their basis to extract different parameters to use.
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Initial Experimentation As this was the first encounter with this type of experimentation, a simple prototype of the idea was tested out. A wooden frame was created to define the volume and a piece of fabric was securexd to the centers of the peripheral edges. A central obstacle was placed underneath the fabric and held in place with a ring and twisted. The plaster was then poured and left to dry. Although the model didn’t hold, input parameters were extracted for further expeimentation: Formwork Material/ Control Points/ Openings’ Radii and Twisting Direction.
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Experiment 1 Input Parameters Formwork Material: Plastic Control Points: 4 central Peripheral Points Opening Radii: Central opening with ďŹ xed radius Output Parameters Angle of Twist: Range 0-120 degrees Depth (D) of Folds: 3 Fabric D=1 Plastic D Texture: Smooth, seamless texture
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Process Smaller units were created as the factor being tested didn’t require a large volume. Cotton fabric and Plastic were used to compare the texture resulting of the materials. The plastic resulted in a very smooth texture and curves, while the cotton fabric left more rough impressions and dimmed texture.
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Experiment 2 Input Parameters Formwork Material: Fabric Control Points: 8 peripheral points and radial lines Opening Radii: Central opening with ďŹ xed radius Output Parameters Angle of Twist: Range 0-(360/no. of segments) Z Axis Range: Z=sqrt(2*line length^2) Unit Thickness (t): 3 Central t=1 Peripheral t
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Process Previously, it twisting was induced by a central ring, in this case tendons were experimented with. The tendons gave more way to alter the form in the z direction but due to poor execution it lost its twisting shape.
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Experiment 3 Input Parameters Formwork Material: Fabric Control Points: 4 central peripheral points Opening Radii: 2 openings of radius (r) 3 and 5 cm Output Parameters Angle of Twist: Range 0-(360/no. of openings) Twisting Range: 5 opening r=8 Twisting range Restricted Z Axis Range
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Process Circular obstacles of different diameters and heights were placed to generate twisted openings and alter the form in the z direction. The final model fell apart but some areas showed the effects of the twisting. As a takeaway, the size of the obstacles placed to create twisting need to be coordinated together, so that the shape in 3D doesn’t seem bulging or too irregular.
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Derived Parameters If formwork is plastic Angle of Twist: Range 0-120 degrees Depth (D) of Folds: 3 Fabric D=1 Plastic D Texture: Smooth, seamless texture .
If control points are based on lines Angle of Twist: Range 0-(360/no. of segments) Z Axis Range: Z=sqrt(2*line length^2) Unit Thickness (t): 3 Central t=1 Peripheral t
If multiple openings exist Angle of Twist: Range 0-(360/no. of openings) Twisting Range: 5 opening r=8 Twisting range Restricted Z Axis Range
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One of the facades taken as an inspiration for this phase: Fachada Liverpool’s facade by Iùaki Echeverria
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Introduction The final phase of the course was dedicated to retrofitting the facade of Blom Bank Headquarters with a responsive parametric facade. So, firstly a brief research was conducted on double skin facades. Then the parameters deduced from phase 2 were altered to suit the developed concept. Using these parameters, an appropriate facade was designed.
Preliminary Research Principles+Classifications Double skin facades are based on a multilayer principle. They consist of an external glazing, an intermediate gap, and an inner façade. The main advantage of this technique is that the air gap behaves as a thermal cushion in both summer and winter thus resulting in significant energy savings. There are 2 types of ways to tackle the energy transfer. 1. Extract-Air-Systems: These use the warm exhaust air of the interior space to constantly increase the temperature of the cavity, while the rooms are cooled mechanically. 2. Exchange-AirSystems use natural ventilation within the cavity to guide tempered air into the rooms and extract the used air for a constant exchange process.
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Response to hot climates Double Skin Facades can respond to hot climates in 2 ways. Either employ a shading screen (mashrabiya) as the exterior face with a high performance curtain wall system as the interior layer of the façade, or the exterior layer is glazed and an air corridor is designed to act as a buffer zone lessen the heat effect.
Installation Techniques There are 2 main types of installing a double skin facade: Stick construction and Unitised Construction. Unitised facades are ones that are attached to the existing slabs. They dominate the curtain wall market especially for high-rise buildings because of the time saving on site, advantages for installation access, cost-savings by a semiautomated production for many equal units, and the quality improvements through pre-assembled products in a factory. On the other hand, Stick systems depend on guide rails or attaching a frame which carries the units of the designed facade. Stick systems are typically used for low-rise buildings, entrance areas, or smaller developments.
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Design Approaches of Layers A double skin facade 1 Projection 2 can be in the form of a projected exterior layer whether through solar shades, awnings, light shelves, or retractable blinds.
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Multiplication of Layers Another approach is to multiply the external layers to create multiple interstitial spaces. However, it received criticism that the extra material costs supersede the energy gain.
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Functional Volumes Another layer that could be added to the facade is an architectural program that stimulates human interaction.
Responsive Electronics Adding electronics to a double facade cavity allows the building to acquire, systematically and over time, levels of artiďŹ cial intelligence needed for self-learning and auto-correction
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Advantages - The cavity creates a better environmental quality inside and outside the building -When existing inefficient buildin.gs get a double facade renovation, they become economically sustainable due to the reduction in operating energy. -The setback protect the shading devices from the weather elements - The double facade allow clear views and natural light without glare.
Limitations -Double skin facades require a high initial construction cost due to more material used -They are difficult to maintain -Software limitations could become an issue in implementing the design -The facade consumes a lot space. -It may fail to function properly if the context changes significantly (shading by other buildings, for example)
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Site Analysis The building to be retrofitted with a facade is the Blom Bank Main Office located in El Teseen Street. A brief site analysis was conducted to define the issues or portentials that need to be tackled by the design. Strengths -Exposure to Northern wind due to the hind empty plot occupied by a parking lot. -Large facade area could be used for different purposes. -Surrounding streets and plots create a buffer. Weaknesses - Northern winds could be blocked by a future buildings. -The building is exposed to a lot of noise & air pollution from Teseen. -The facade is South- Western which faces the strongest sun. Environmental Tools
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Transition from Phase 2 In phase 2, a twisting effect was created to provide flexibility for user & environmental flexibility; however transitioning to phase 3, a simpler approach was taken to create a pulling effect rather than twisting. From phase 2, the peripheral control points were maintained, but the twisting ring was changed to a flexible point, and the attractor point connectors were changed into straight segments rather than curves
Conceptual Approach The larger vision is to create vertical panels that respond environmental and user needs. The aim is to achieve this by creating panels that propagate according to sun movement. Also, by reconfiguring the slabs, a self-shading design could be resultant. The extension/recession of the slabs will create spaces for architectural benefit of the users. Slab Reconfiguration/ Architectural Benefit The slabs of the lower floor are extended to create experiential areas for bank clients/employees. While for the upper office floors, the slabs are extended to create balconies. The final floor is an enclosed lounge. This slab configuration allows for self-shading from the southern sun.
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Environmental BeneďŹ t To serve seasonal needs, the top of the facade can be open to draw cool Northern wind into the atrium in the summer, or it could be closed to fend o the cold. To serve seasonal needs, the top of the facade can be open to draw cool Northern wind into the atrium in the summer, or it could be closed to fend o the cold. As for the daily environmental needs, they were tackled using the shape of the units. The most convenient design for the panel that combines all the conceptual ideas is an angled longitudinal panel. The angles help conserve space and protect the building from Southern Sun exposure. The panel can change shape as well before based on the environmental factors. To reduce the noice pollution and heat, the louvres themselves have an air gap. The louvres are made from titanium oxide to reduce the air pollution as well.
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Initial Parameters Curves 1 Edge 2 The top and bottom edges of the facade were shaped like a sine curve to create grooves for seating on the lower floors and to break the staticness of the facade
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Human Responsive Attractor Points Points were set on the first floor that are controlled by attractors points representing humans, to push the facade outwards to create seatings.
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Environmentally Responsive Attractor Points The vertices of the panels were joined by polylines that are controlled by the sun (Attractor point) so the panel closes when the sun is near.
Panel Thickness Since the lower floors are more suseptible to noise and air pollution, the gap between the unit layers is increased towards them to create stronger insulation.
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Modeling Attempts Using the initial parameters, attempts at modeling were initiated. The first model on the left was simple start where rectangular panels were generated that were altered by the sun’s movement. However, it wasn’t providing any Southern/horizontal shading. So the next trial, the intention was to change the panel outline and shape to create a segmented rectangle that is angled on the top to shade from the Southern sun and segmented to create a homogenous cavity. That coupled with self-shading slabs would protect the building. However, the grasshopper definition needed adjustment, as it output unintended forms.
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Final Parameters Control Points 1 Panel 2 To design a panel that shades from the Southern sun and creates usable space, the points of the panel were increased on one side to create a segmented side.
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Bezier Curve Movement To tackle the issue of noise and pollution, the panels on the Southern side facing El Teseen open from the top, while the Western side open from middle/bottom.
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Environmentally Responsive Attractor Points The vertices of the panels were joined by polylines that are controlled by the sun (Attractor point) so the panel closes when the sun is near.
Panel Thickness Since the lower oors are more suseptible to noise and air pollution, the gap between the unit layers is increased towards them to create stronger insulation.
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Model Development Process Curve Division To create a homogeneous 1 cavity, 2 the curves of the slabs were oset and divided into the 10 segments and points that will later form the panels.
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Surface Creation The curves were then lofted to create the preliminary panel surfaces.
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Curve Interpolation The points created were then interpolated to create vertical curves that form the edge of the sgemented panel.
Panel Outline In order for the panels to repond to the sun movement, one side had to be straight. So using cull points, the uneccessary points were extracted.
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Extraction of Vertices The points ( vertices + Opposite edge points) required for the sun movement were then extracted.
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The sun as a pull point Next a pull point along a curve was created that represents the sun, and it pulls on the vertices extracted previously.
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Extrude to point In order for the the whole panels to move according to the sun, the panels wereextruded to the pulled on vertice.
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Panel Generation The result from step 7 was ďŹ nalized and rendered to output the ďŹ nal model.
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41 Final model of the Blom Bank Facade
At the beginning of the course, I thought modeling with Rhino would be the most difficult or overwhelming task. However, when phase 3 was initiated, I unforunately dicovered that the difficulty was yet to begin. Although, the task seemed simpler than phase 1, as a small 5 m3 unit could be designed and propogated instead of designing a 150 m3 shelter; however, it was actually much more challenging. What the unit will look like, how will it function, how will it dynamically propagate, and above all why, were all questions that took a months figure out. Coupling the confusion with quarantine and difficult accessibilty to the campus and faculty, made it even more confusing and overwhelming, but eventually an end product was reached.
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Biblography
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https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/octopuses-keep-surprising-us-here-are-eight-examples-how. html https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/octopus-chronicles/polarized-display-sheds-light-on-octopus-and-cuttlefish-vision-and-camouflage/ https://www.microscopyu.com/techniques/polarized-light/introduction-to-polarized-light https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/octopus-chronicles/octopus-suckers-have-groovy-secret-forstrength/ https://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/octopus1.htm http://www.octopus.huji.ac.il/site/articles/Hochner-2004.pdf https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/why-does-an-octopus-have-more-than-one-heart/ https://cerebrovortex.com/2013/10/22/octopus-concussions/ https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a837/7846314c1a5472efb4b03bc4d51c31593bbb.pdf?_ ga=2.182536166.1769715002.1581174282-1347880660.1581174282 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61532/explaining-octopus-amazing-camouflage-skills https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/21/science/for-an-octopus-seeing-the-light-doesnt-requireeyes.html https://jeb.biologists.org/content/jexbio/209/19/3697.full.pdf http://tolweb.org/articles/?article_id=4200 https://www-jstor-org.libproxy.aucegypt.edu/stable/2416726?pq-origsite=summon&seq=27#metadata_info_tab_contents (pg.18-19) http://www.tboake.com/bio/facadetectonics2014boake-rev.pdf https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/double-skin-facade https://books.google.com.eg/books?id=Axo0RwWs1TEC&pg=PP100&lpg=PP100&dq=principles+of+double+skin+facade+in+hot+amid+climate&source=bl&ots=PWt5T_16mZ&sig=ACfU3U25SXqgfcnjs5B_Q-YCNfQaxUWdtQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiltcW2q-foAhUM3qQKHVCwBkQQ6AEwAHoECAwQKQ#v=onepage&q=double%20skin&f=false https://www.glassonweb.com/article/double-skin-facades-characteristics-and-challenges-advanced-building-skin
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