Student Portfolio
ARCH 473/3522 - DIGITAL DESIGN STUDIO AND WORKSHOP Sara Afifi 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: Sara Afifi Student ID: 900150453
Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), May 2019
Sara Afifi Architecture Student
I think this course rekindled my fascination with architecture. The idea that a phenomenon that is sometimes overlooked as a natural outcome of physical reactions can actually be studdied so deeply that it can result in a form of design is what sparked my interest in this field. The journey that we took in order for that to happen gave me a renewed vision of architecture that is different from what we have been studying for a few semesters. It was a not focused on the functionality or the environmental effects or so on. It was about the form generation and the parameters that allow it to grow into a fully functional building. I always thought of myself as an artistic individual and was always hailed as the “creative” one. So when it came time to choose a major, architecture was always among my options. I didn’t want to solely focus on art beacuse of my love for the sciences, but i was no medical student either. Architecture presented itself as a perfect combination of my interests. I stated reading about Frank Gehrey’s works and was slowly introduced to the world of design through him. My mother’s love for architectural magazines and television programs got me more and more interested in the field and how it is not merely abou the way things look but all the though process that goes into making a livable space that functions well whether thats environmentally, psychologically, contextually and so on.
Description of photo in a couple of lines, including explanation and/or references
01 Learning From Nature
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Learning From Nature
The phenomenon of polar stratospheric clouds that have snow flakes that allow for dispersion of light as seen in the photo
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FAILED ATTEMPT Our first trial was related to dispersion of light in a specific phenomenon called Polar stratospheric clouds. We tried to link our findings to something taht would be more physical and later translated to architecture but failed. The whole research phase was going to become a lot more about physics and how light has different wavelegnths and so on rather than about the phenomenon itself. We became quite frustrated with our inability to turn the phenomenon from something so non physical to something we can actualy touch and experiment with. It became clear when all we could think of to do for the experimentation phase was shed some light on a CD or let it reflect through water with soap. It was impossible! time was running out for us and not having anything physical meant not having a project. And so we decided to change our phenomenon altogether. We decided to look at our options that we had chosen Polat Stratospheric clouds from initially.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Sara Afifi
Sand dune
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REDEMPTION From those options, we decided to go with sand dunes, a more physical and touched element that we can deduce design ideas from later on. We then started to look into sand dunes. I initially thought we would only be concentarting on the way they move but was surprised to find out that they had a various number of types that are created based on their location, wind movement, sand types and other variables that play a role in the their form and movement. As we each looked at the different types and parameters, we started to feel a sense of relief that this phenomenon, unlike the one before, would actually lead us to something more touched and physical. I personally strted to picture the ways in which the building to be designed would form and become a manifestation of sand dunes but would not be a literal mimicing or an application of the phenomenon as the light dispersion would have become. Initially, I was going to start looking into one type of dune and study it on its own but then I was more intruiged to look into the microscopic level of movement in the phenomenon.
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Learning From Nature
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Sara Afifi
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Learning From Nature
The movement of sand dunes based on speed, spread and direction of wind
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DISCOVERIES As we started looking into different phenomenon to base our designs on, my group settled on sand dunes and their different types. Looking into sand dunes deeply we were able to find out about their movement and their formation. We each took a different approach. My project revolved around the idea that in order for a sand dune to move, it is a product of movment of the many sand particles that constitue it. A sand particle affeted by the pressure of the wind pushes upon its adjacent counterparts, causing shear pressure among particles that is high enough for one or two to start moving in an upward motion thereby swept away by the wind. During my experimentation, I looked at the ways in which the wind plays a role in the movement and the sand formations that are a result of that. I then applied the shear force discovery into my design to generate a form.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Sara Afifi
8 EXPERIMENTATION I used flour, water and the air from a hair dryer to stimulate different viscosities of the mixture and find out how different speeds would be needed in order to cause movement within the mixture. My parameters were the viscosity of the mixture and the speed of the wind. The first trial was a tablespoon of flour to a cup of water. The movement was quick but was not defined in anyway. The second trial was another tablespoon and a small increase in air speed. The ripples started to have more of a shape. With the third addition of a tablespoon of flour, the mixture needed more speed increase in wind and the shape of the ripples was a lot more substantial in terms of definition and lasting effect. So my findings were that The less viscous the mixture was, the less wind speed was required for the patterns to appear. However, they were less defined than when the viscosity increased. However, I don’t think I knew what I was trying to get to as an end product. I was experimenting with no final goal which made the experimentation just for the sake of getting it done. As I took more time in trying to understand the mechanics of a sand dune, I was then able to come up with an actual project idea.
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Learning From Nature
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Sara Afifi
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Learning From Nature
11 MICROSCOPIC In order to come up with a more complex concept for my design, I started to look at sand particles and how they act in order for dunes to be created and later move and create their different types. I found that the particles themselves are subject to pressure due to shear forces that then force them to move each other. The pressure causes particles to move upwards therefore meeting winds and are swept away. I started to think of ways in which a material can be made to move upwards to create some effect in the building. What I came up with was the idea of a shading mechanism that would use a metal that reacts to sunllight in a way that when it is heated up it moves therefore moving other louvers that open and close with the presence of heat.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Sara Afifi
02 Capturing Mobility
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Capturing Mobility
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WHERE-ABOUTS When we were first told that our chosen site was a courtyard within AUC grounds, I was a bit apprehensive. How were we to create a building of such prominent features that usually come with parametric design, within such a context. Not to mention the fact that it was a courtyard meaning that it would obstruct the purpose of a courtyard in terms of circulation and environmental purposes. Getting into the design proved my apprehensions fit. Circulation had to be taken into consideration, and the focus of the design became based on countering environmental obstructions. In any court, the ground is not protected from solar heat at its highest point. All four sides of the courtyard would be shaded and portrusions create more shade on ground. But a roof top is not protected if it is a) High enough b) Not in the range of the sade in the afternoon. So i decided to choose the biggest court. Its grounds are mostly exposed during the day therefore leaving room for solar gain and its proportions would allow for a high enough building. ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Sara Afifi
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FROM PARTICLE TO PART When movement and the effects of shear forces were combined, the idea of panels that moved with the increase of pressure. Said pressure would be a result of shape shifting as a result of heating from solar rays. As wind was not going to be a large player in the context of a courtyard, I decided to use sunlight as a parameter. The form generated was an attempt to make the idea of operable louvers more dynamic in form. The louvers would react to the heat from the sun and start to expand therefore moving the parts attached to it, so that the roof top opens up alowing in wind. Surprisingly this form was the first one I created but was left to the side when i did not know what to do with it.
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Capturing Mobility
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The original form was too simple and so looking at ways in which it can become a more complex building form was vital. I started to introduce the moveable louvers to different planes that have different configurations. I started with a twisted plane that took on the size of the courtyard that it will be placed in. The twisting allowed for the model to have a more interesting form as well exposure to direct sunlight on different facades with the same mechanism. However, it was still too simple and needed to become more of a wholeseome building. In order to do that, I started by connecting the cantilievered parts of the building to the ground to create more walls.
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Sara Afifi
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Capturing Mobility
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PART TO WHOLE I then started to create more segments around the building that both imitated a sand dune and made for a more interesting form for the building. I started to merge between the form and the functional louvers to complete the building.
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Sara Afifi
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As the building started to take on more of a form, I beganto see how its proportions needed to change to fit the context better as well as for its shape to becomemore sleek and less bulky. I think I’ve enjoyed this part best as I do tend to look atform as an important integral of a building and so getting to create it and recieve positive feedback most of the time made me realise that I have an eye for it. It also opened my thought process to include functionality of a form as well. I think that adding materials and a proportion of solid to void in the facade would start to give the building more of a life and it would become more than just a shell. I’m hoping that it is not a literal translation of a sand dune but instead for it to be my interpretation of it through what I have been studying about it.
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Capturing Mobility
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ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Sara Afifi
03 Patterns Of Mobility
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Capturing Mobility
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SHAPE-SHIFTING Now it was by far the most challenging part of the design process. In order for the parts of the building to move, a Grasshopper definition had to be created. Grasshopper is not my strong suit and so assitance from the TAs was vital. In the end we managed to create a definition that would allow the louvres on the rooftop of my building to move up and down according to the solar to allow air movement within the building. The louvers also close up entirely so that prevention of outside forces can be allowed.
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Capturing Mobility
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SHAPE-SHIFTING Now it was by far the most challenging part of the design process. In order for the parts of the building to move, a Grasshopper definition had to be created. Grasshopper is not my strong suit and so assitance from the TAs was vital. In the end we managed to create a definition that would allow the louvres on the rooftop of my building to move up and down according to the solar to allow air movement within the building. The louvers also close up entirely so that prevention of outside forces can be allowed.
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Sara Afifi
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ON GROUND Having the final product on site and seeing how it interacts with its surrounding shows the contrast the building presnets within the context of AUC. Its placement would not be causing any obstructions in terms of circulation as it is centered in the court, however, its form stands out among AUC’s subtle background.
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Capturing Mobility
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A STEP INSIDE In order for the louvers to make the best impact, they had to be experienced from all parts of the building therefore creating double height rooms as well as mezzanine areas was vital to be able to allow all users to experience them equally.
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Sara Afifi
04 Visualisation
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Plans Scale 1:200 Portfolio
Capturing Mobility
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Sara Afifi
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Elevation Scale 1:200
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Capturing Mobility
37 IN DETAIL Bimetalic louvre Metal Clip
Revolving steel tube
The main struture of the roof is held by 3 steel pipes that hold the revoving steel tubes. Each steel tube is attched to a bimetallic louvre that, when heated, Expands. as it would have no space to expand sideways, the louvre is forced to move upwrads, thereby revolving the steel tube inwards. It clicks in when it reaches the required legnth to stop it from freely revolving. As the louvre cools down, it moves downwards again thus allowing the tube to be able to revolve back outwards into its initial position.
Detail Section
Revolving steel tube
Bimetalic louvre
Detail Plan
ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
Sara Afifi
ŠAll rights reserved, American University in Cairo (AUC) May 2019