Student Portfolio
ARCH 473/3522 - DIGITAL DESIGN STUDIO AND WORKSHOP Taghrid Saleh Fall 2020
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: Taghrid Saleh Student ID: 900161420
Š The American University in Cairo (AUC), May 2020
Architecture Student
The methods of parametric design I learned in this course through rhino and grasshopper will be a very beneficial in many of my other courses as they teach how to create logics and forms that may seem much harder if attempted on another program or by another way. I tried as much as I can to add my personalization into the course through basing the concepts and forms on my scopes of interest such as nature and environmental design.
An architecture student at her 4th year in the program. Being inspired mainly by history, nature and culture made me a bit skeptical about how I would fit my drivers into a very modernistic approach to architecture. However, while discovering the course I found out that my interests can very much fit into parametric design as I saw lots of parametrically designed structures that are driven by history, nature and culture, and what marvelous creations they are! Computational design, as opposed to what I first thought, does not have to mean a complex logic and a lengthy process. Absolutely, it can be the best and most efficient was to covey a design and concept.
Corn is one of el Minya’s main crops and so it was chosen as our inspiration
01 Mobile Shelter for the Homeless
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Site selection and study El Minya is a province in Egypt best known for its fertile lands and historical sites. It is located in southern egypt on the banks of the river Nile. It is the city that separates between upper and lower Egypt. El Minya’s main crops are wheat, corn, cotton dates sugar cane and onions. Its main visit sites are ancient Egyptian sites such as beni Hassan and Tal el Amarna. It also has the Akhnaton museum that hosts ancient Egyptian artifacts from the New Kingdom. When choosing the site we wanted one that could relate to the natural inspiration and the user group. As our users are children, we decided to select a site that would be close to schools. Also, as some of their activities would be related to crops and plantation we wanted a site that is close to an agricultural land. Finally, the site should also be close to a residential area so that it would have the basic services near by. The site we chose (highlighted with a box) is one that satisfies our initial criteria. It has a school nearby and lies between a residential area. It also has a number of agricultural lands around for the children to get some hands on experience in planting crops.
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Using corn as a natural inpiration
We decided to use corn as a natural inspiration as it is one of El Minya’s main crops. Agriculture being on of the governorate’s main sources of income, we thought that it would be a great idea to use one of it’s crops as our natural inspiration. After research we found out that corn was one of the main crops of the governorate and also had an interesting form of growth. So we chose to inspect the different types of growth of the corn’s different parts. With research I found that the most interesting phase of a corn’s growth is that of the silk. It is the female part of the plant that receives the pollen from the male parts (the tassel). The silk indicates the growth of the fruit while also having its own growth cycle and this makes it’s growth cycle very interesting to investigate.
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Choosing the type of growth
This was a small study sketch I did to dissect each element of the corn ear in terms of natural properties, movement, growth type and parts. This was done to help me in choosing the part I would use as my inspiration. The silk was the one with the most interesting growth and interaction with one another so it was chosen as my inspiration Portfolio
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7 First phase in the growth of the silk (Birth phase)
Final phase in the growth of the silk (Death phase)
The silk has three main growth phases, the birth, the epitome and the death. Each phase has its distinctive features and each has a respective phase of growth of the fruit. This was chosen as the main focus of the design, the idea of the three phases as well as the fruit growth along with it.
Second phase in the growth of the silk (Epitome phase) ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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First iteration
Design
This iteration was a fine start, it has the main idea of transitioning between smooth and then jagged and broken (dead) silk. The modeling here was the main problem as I was still getting introduced to the program and didn’t know the tools to translate my idea. Second iteration
The modeling in this iteration was better and better conveyed the idea. However the corn like main body was mostly the problem as it was literal. Also, the transition between birth and death along the body in both directions was not very visible so I had to accentuate it better. The idea of creating openings in between the patches created by the interaction of the silk was a great one that was to move on to the later stages.
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Third iteration
Here I changed the body a little to try and break its literal form; however, this was unsuccessful as it still had a literal nod to the streamlined body of the corn ear. The movement of the silks was also a bit haphazard and needed more logic. So I had to change my main for to fit the idea more with more abstraction. Fourth iteration
This time I changed the main body to fit the concept better. It starts small representing birth, enlarges to represent ripening and then again decreases in size representing death. Each phase also had its own silk representing the growth phase with its different movement and number as well as
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Final Iteration
For the final form I chose the body that fits the activities and accentuates the concept. The silks here were given more dramatic movements to smoothen and highlight the transitions. An extra outdoor area was added to break the linearity of the form and add more to the space. Opening were added in consideration of the environment and climate. Portfolio
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We explored how materials can be casted and formed by using fabric
02 Material Exploration
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15 I chose concrete as my testing material as it is versatile and has a nice aesthetic to it
In this phase we were required to experiment with a material by casting it or forming it in fabric. Fabric forming is a way of creating structures, formworks, and finis faces by using fabrics. It was historically used as a fromwork for structural elements and was later developed to create more complex and aesthetically pleasing pavilions and facades. Fabric forming and casting was usually used as it is easier and cheaper than normal formwork but was later found to be very useful in creating fluid and complex geometrical shapes that were not possible when using normal rigid formwork.
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First experimentation The first trial was quite an unsuccessful one but a rather informative one at the same time. I mixed cement with water (rather proportionally) to make the mixture pour able. I then formed my box to dictate my panel’s size and laid the cloth on top. Then I formed a ball of clay and tied the cloth around to form creases along the cloth. When I started pouring the mix, the cloth could not withstand the weight and collapsed. So I quickly tied it up like a sack and laid it on my inverted mixing plate. Unfortunately as I tried to free the formwork the model started cracking as it needed more drying time. I learned that the mixture needed to have sand in it to make it stronger as well as to leave the model to dry for a longer time.
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18 1/3 cup of water
Proportions
1 cement to 1 sand ratio
2 sand to 1 cement ratio
1 sand to 2 cement ratio
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experimentation
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1/4 cup of water
2 sand to 1 cement ratio
1 sand to 2 cement ratio
Each ratio had its own texture, strength, and hardening time. The more the sand the grittier the texture but the better the strength. The more the water made the putty better in terms of pouring but gave it longer time to dry. So, the favored ratio was that of 2 cement to 1 sand and 1/4 water; this was to give the mixture a lower drying time and a smoother texture ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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Second experimentation The second time was more successful as now the material and way of setting was more familiar. This time I used 2 portions sand to 1 cement and around 1/2 water. The mixture was workable enough and had a putty like structure. The texture was grainy, unlike the very smooth one on the first time, due to the sand. First plastic cups were added between the main form work box. Then the cloth was laid on top and driven down to create the creases. Finally the mixture was poured on top. Unfortunately the panel was a bit thin so it broke under my grip when I tried to free the cloth. Also due to the height of the cups creases formed deeply through the model and so created weak points and thus also broke when the formwork was removed. This meant that I needed an internal structure to withhold the model. The finish was grainy which I thought of adjusting for the next time as it created some unwanted micro cracks on the surface.
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Third experimentation This experiment was done twice with just alterations to the thickness of the concrete layer. This experimentation was to see how increased creases made only by the cloth (no objects used to create creasing) would alter the form. The mixture used was the same as the second trial. The cloth as laid flat on the ground and then I pinched and swirled the cloth in the middle creating intense creases. I then added the mixture and flattened it. Unfortunately, the first time the experiment was held the concrete layer was thin and the model broke as I lifted it and removed the formwork. The second time was more successful as the creasing created very interesting forms in the concrete.
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Fourth experimentation This experiment was done to test a type of fabric forming. I mixed a one to one ratio of cement and water creating a water down cement mixture, it was liquid like in form. I then dowsed the cloth in the concrete so that it was totally saturated with the mixture. I then laid it atop this interesting rounded form I found and started poking the fabric so I would drive it in the holes. This method created a very interesting form as the fabric held its shape well. It was a bit fragile so I concluded that it needed a few dips in the mixture to strengthen it.
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Final experimentation This was the most successful of all of the experiments as by then I have almost mastered the material as well as the technique. I intended to create this panel that has different sizes of openings as well as different intensities of creasing. For the mixture, I used 2 to 1 ratio of cement to sand respectively and water to make it workable enough. I used a bowl, cement cups and a rod to create the different sized openings. I placed the cups at different places to create openings on the edges of the panel which may later be aligned with others to create different shaped openings. One was added at a corner and one at an edge. The bowl and rod were added around the rest of the frame to create contrast. The cloth was then laid and creased heavily on one side and less intensely on the other to again create this gradient of creasing. Finally the formwork was released creating this beautifully creased panel with varying opening sizes. Although the gradient of creasing was not very visible except in one part but it was nevertheless shown by the size of the creases at different parts of the panel. The various opening sizes also created these different crease shapes that accentuated each of them.
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A voronoi pattern creates what look like randomly generated shapes however, they are generated through a logical process and pattern.
03 The Parametric Face lift
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Site study
This phase’s site is the Blom bank building in New Cairo. It is located on the South 90 street in the business district and has a big glass corner facade. We were required to develop a shading for the facade as it’s glass facade was subjected to very harsh sun almost all day round and was totally exposed to it. First I held a site analysis to see if any shading from external factors were present, but there were none. No surrounding buildings or any form of plantation was present. The only shaded part was the entrance which was recessed and the building’s cantilever was what protected it. The facade was also totally exposed to the scorching western sun all year round which was a really bad situation counting that the building had only a glazed glass front without any forms of protection.
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35 Crown shyness is a natural phenomena that happens between tree canopies.
I wanted my second skin to be something that does not totally block out the sun, but rather soften it cutting out glare and harsh direct light but allowing illumination to the space. As a starting step I searched for an inspiration for my facade. I wanted something that very simply conveyed my concept. The first thing that popped into my mind was trees, earth’s natural canopy and shading device. Trees naturally create a layer of leaves (canopy) that blocks the light differently depending on its thickness. I started researching tree’s canopies, their natural behavior and growth patterns. i found some interesting results but the most interesting was crown shyness. Crown shyness is a naturally occurring phenomena where the tree canopies leave space between each other. This is caused between trees of the same species but sometimes between different ones. Why it takes place is uncertain but some say it is due to plants sensing their neighbors and avoiding preventing sunlight from reaching them. Thus creating a canopy of cracks that allow sunlight to all while cutting the harsh sunlight from reaching the plants underneath. A benifit to all.
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36 Initial design proposal
My initial design idea was to create two skins atop each other with a distance between them. The upper surface would have a tessellating random pattern with occasional empty spacing and the lower one would have patches that fill up these spaces. However, this was hard to model and had almost nothing taken from my past phase’s experimentation. I was advised to use voronoi as it gives the same feeling of randomness and to try and include some of my past experimentation’s parameters into the design. Portfolio
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37 First modeling experimentation
Here I tried to mix between my past phase’s experiment and my concept by creating a double layer skin consisting of circularly perforated panels in front of a set of voronoi shaped tents. In this experiment I wanted to try different decreasing patterns for the tent layer to best fit the climate. i was advised to instead create perforations in the voronoi cells instead of decreasing them, and to try to create a more variant circular sizing. ARCH 473/3522 - Spring 2019
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Second modelling experimentation
In this trial I transformed my patterns on to my surfaces and created perforations in the voronoi cells. I also created a larger variant of circle sizes along with paneling of the surface. However, I felt like the facade is too plane and needed some more movement. The voronoi openings were also random and had larger openings in places where the sun hits most, so this had to be fixed.
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Third modeling experimentation
In this iteration, I changed the slab-wall configuration to create more movement throughout the facade. With this, I broke up the skins into strips that recede and protrude with the facade movement. I also altered the pattern created by the voronoi according to the sun position. However, the second circularly perforated skin covered up this defying its purpose and blocking the light almost completely. It had to be changed or removed.
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40 Pattern-sun response experimentation
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As I would be having a static second skin, I needed to model it according to the climate so it does not let in or totally block the light, but rather soften it and prevent glare. So, I experimented with the pattern a bit. I first made the patterns change with respect to the sun. Then, I added the arc of the sun’s movement with the angle of a summer sun. Finally, I changed the sun’s position in five different ones starting off at the east and ending at the west to see which created the pattern that best blocks out the western sun. Pattern 3 (midday) was seen as the most efficient as it creates an even gradient through the panels with the smallest openings towards the west.
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Experimentation Step up configuration
41 Step down configuration
One and one configuration
Again the same problem of the terrace size decreasing. However, here if the terraces were to be removed, then the last floor would cantilever over the lower floors causing and shading them. This will again deem the design usefulness as most of the facade is now shaded.
This configuration was not successful as the maximum offset allowed from the existing facade is 3 meters and to reach that with a gradual stepping meant that the terrace size decreased to as small as 1 meter. This means that the teraces would have to be removed. If this happens the lower floors would be exposed to the sun from the top and this would defy the purpose of shading the facade.
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This was the most successful of the configurations as it creates variation in the double skin while allowing for the existence of an outdoor terrace.
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Final
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For the final design I decided to remove the second layer of the double skin as it covers up voronoi, which actually does most of the job. As a method of deriving from my former experimentation I decide to adapt the material (concrete), the panels and the logic of differently sized openings. The patterns on the strips all follow the logic of the sun position. The section that was chosen was the one and one section as it was deemed the most efficient to the design. The structure consists of steel pipes protruding from each slab and the side walls and attached to the panels.
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Bibliography
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