Areeba Saleem
2024
Selected Works
Hi! My name is Areeba and I am currently a third-year architecture student at the University of Waterloo seeking a 4-month Internship Opportunity. My work is driven by a curiosity on how human beings can be connected to both the environment and community around them. Through small scale interventions, my designs focus on combating alienation in small-scale architecture and public spaces, by using architecture as a tool for bridging gaps between distant communities, age groups or combating economic disparities. My iterative design process works in tandem with extensive site research to ultimately design a space of nurture and growth, along with finding ways within spaces to slow down and connect to the essential aspects of life. Aside from architecture, I enjoy reading, journaling, and creating art. I hope this portfolio showcases the ambition and enthusiasm I hold about architecture.
a33salee@uwaterloo.ca
Table of Contents Solarium Atelier Riga Split Stitch-In-The-Ditch Borer’s Bridge Technical Work Samples
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Program Course Location Skills
[1]
SOLARIUM
How can a building serve the community? With the newly popularized trend of living multigenerationally, as well as the shift in demographic due to immigrant settlements, Cambridges’ housing shortage strategies must cater to its population shift as well as address social, ecological, and creative alienation. Solarium attempts to celebrate the diversity of new immigrants and large families through the cohousing model and seeks to provide an entry mechanism for immigrants to assimilate into society, but also assist current citizens who require long term housing solutions. The CLT constructed building celebrates the diversity of its residents, and the community through public programming such as youth drop-in, communal kitchen, dining, ethnic market, and a community garden, to provide occupants with enough agency and intervention to live a sustainable and economic life. Immigrants are given the opportunity to mix with current citizens, increasing their feeling of belonging and acceptance. While at the same time, multigenerational families can learn new cultures through food and the market. The carefully selected public programming not only supports occupants of all ages but also act as methods of learning and teaching of social etiquette, job skills, culture, cooking, and language.
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Affordable Housing 2A Design Studio (December 2022) Cambridge, Ontario Rhino 7, AI, PS, Enscape,V-ray
Cedar Towers
Construction Firm
Private Dwellings
Theatre Neurologist
Private Dwellings
Solarium
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Left; Figure Ground Plan Public Transport Routes Social/ Event Spaces Public Buildings Dense Housing Parks
Immigrants Multi-Generational Families
Basic Volume on Sloped Site
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Parking Placed Under Slope
Establish Private Green space to Continue Landscape
Extrude Public Programming
Left; Site Map classifying the built environment near the site. Situated in Downtown Cambridge, Ontario, within the region of Waterloo— the third fastest-growing community in Canada--an affordable housing scheme was proposed to increase pedestrian traffic in the area as well as cater to two specific user groups: multigenerational families and new immigrants.
South Facing Facade Utilized Through Market + Plaza
Carve Lightwell to Create Social Hallway
Street Condition Project Site
Hamilton Family Theatre
Cedar Towers
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1F 1. Public Plaza 2. Community Garden 3. Market 4. Washroom 5. Bike Parking 6. Admin 7. Youth Drop-in 8. Recycling/ Storage
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1. Communal Kitchen 2. Storage 3. Communal Dining 4. Terrace 5. Herb Garden 6. Outdoor Patio Space 2F
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Typical Floor Plan (3-5)
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1Br Unit | 56m2
2Br Unit | 60m2
4Br Unit | 114m2
Unit Adaptability Diagram
Grandma + Grandpa’s Room Kids’s Room Flex Space #1: Extra Seating Extra Room Used for Working from Home Flex Space #2: Turned into Children’s Playroom Mom, Dad, and Baby’s Room
Screens used to Partition activities between occupants and fluctuating privacy needs
Object Permanence: Flexible Fixed Circulation
Skylight Social Hallway Communal Sun Room
Rooftop Terrace Private Garden Community Dining Community Kitchen Terrace Overlooking Public Plaza
Youth Drop-in Central Atrium Market Community Garden Public Plaza
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Left; Social Hallway space designed to encourage and facilitate spontaneous interactions. Through creating a welcoming and opening hallways space, with a communal sunroom, occupants have the chance to engage in conversations with individuals outside of their familial or professional circles.
Below; section showing how the outdoor public courtyard becomes space for the market to flow out into.
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Program Course Location Skills Partner(s)
[2]
ATELIER RIGA How can a residence inspire creativity?
Situated in the vast unspoiled parkland of Latvia, Atelier Riga takes inspiration from its surroundings and historical context by using timber construction to construct a Viensetas type home intended to be used by two artists and their families for three months at a time. The building acknowledges, respects, and learns from the traditional Latvian farmstead typology and reimagines it in a contemporary context. Through sustainability initiatives such as passive heating, cooling, daylighting and ventilation, the building provides artists with the right climate for creativity while also reducing the environmental impact of the building. From the very beginning, the building has been designed for disassembly, so that if in the future the two families want separate homes, it can be easily achieved. On the other hand, careful consideration was taken of the surrounding ecology of the site, especially the bat population. To accommodate for this, the building includes bat boxes within the timber cladding to mindfully integrate the bat population within the building.
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House + Workshop Competition (August 2022) Riga, Latvia Rhino 7, AI, PS, Enscape Angenie Nguyen + Cindy He
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Form
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Modularity
Infill vs. Loadbearing
BB
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AA
AA
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1. Private Bedrooms 2. Interior Balcony BB
2F BB
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3 1. Shared Living Room 2. Private Kitchen & Dining 3. Pantry 4. Utility Room 5. Shared Artist Studio 6. Semi-Private Workspace 7. Shed
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BB
1F
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House Section (AA)
Left; View of the artists studio that was designed in consideration with the grand landscape of Latvia. Large windows act as frames to see the lake through, and capture the picturesque.
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Timber Roofing 28x45mm Roof Lathing 100mm Wood Fibreboard Insulation 200mm Cellulose Insulation 22mm Plywood Rain Gutter Mounted Roof Overhang
38x286mm Wood Stud 390mm Cellulose Insulation 10mm MDF Board
18mm Rough Sawn Thermowood Cladding 21x45mm Timber Support Battens Building Paper 100mm Wood Fibreboard Sheathing 45x195mm Timber Studs 150mm Cellulose Insulation Vapour Permeable Breathable Membrane Birch Plywood Casing Operable Window Drainage Hole Flashing
Backfill Filter Cloth 200mm Pea Gravel 100mm Diameter Weeping Tile
13mm Timber Flooring 22mm Plywood Subflooring 200mm Floor Joists 390mm Cellulose Insulation 10mm MDF Board
Anchor
Stud
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Vertically Laid Collector Pipes Geothermal Heat Pump
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Cross Section (BB)
Heat Source, Control Box Radiant Floor Heating System Tubing Network
Photovoltaic Panels Control Panels, Inverter
Battery Panels Meter
Rain Gutters First Flush Filter Rainwater Storage Tank Filteration System Pump, Backflow
Controls Low Flor Fixtures Greywater Storage, Biofilter Irrigation Pipes
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10 1A. Corner Connection
Beams are connected to the stud using nuts & a threaded rod
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3A. Side Connection
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Beams are connected to the stud using a plate bracket & screws
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Artificial roosts are installed before the external cladding is put in place
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1. Timber Stud Foundation 2. Timber Plank Flooring & Stairs 3. Timber Structural Farming 4. Birch Plywood 5. Insulation 6. Battens 7. Vertical Thermowood Cladding 8. Timber Truss 9. Roof Lathing 10. Vertical Thermowood Roof Sliding
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1 1A
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Program Course Location Skills
[3]
SPLIT
How can a building connect occupants to the landscape? Nestled amidst the grand and rugged expanse of the Canadian Shield, surrounded by lush vegetation and rolling terrain, Split serves as a research lab, visitor center, and lodging for those wanting to learn and connect more to the water. Drawing inspiration from the natural process of rock splitting, the building offers an immersive experience while affording panoramic views of the water. The main lodge features a distinctive split in its design, seamlessly connecting to the dock—an integral aspect of the visitor experience. In the lab, a natural rocky staircase emerges from the architectural cleft in the massing leading straight into the water. Additionally, the individual lodgings showcase a split in the floor plan, strategically allowing for the placement of windows that frame captivating views. Constructed from timber, the buildings expose their structure, adding a layer of intricacy to the project while harmoniously integrating it into the surrounding landscape.
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Lodge 2B Design Studio (July 2023) Noelville, Ontario Rhino 7, AI, PS, Enscape,V-ray
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Rock Splitting
Axial Splitting
Shear Failure
Freeze-thaw Action
Shear Failure
Shear Fracture
Tensile Failure
Water Collection
Water Freezing
Ice Thawing
Rock Splits
Built Environment Buildings Roads Pathways Docks Fluid Water Level Analysis
Flora SilverGreen Bryum Moss Eastern White Pine Northern Red Oak Balsam Poplar Sugar Maple Western Brackenfern
Landform Granite Soil Moss
1:1000 French River Location Plan
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Site Plan
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1F
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Left; Main Lodge Section showing interioir-exterioir connection to the water and landscape. The building was kept one storey and constructed with natural, local materials in order to integrate the structure visually with the environment. Sunken seating further creates a deeper connection with the Canadian shield rocks and bring people closer to the water.
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Left; Lab + learning center section. The learning center features a staircase that leads into the water carved out of natural existing rock found on site. Tactile, visual, and auditory connections are all important to experiencing the landscape. Below; Model Photos constructed from cork, basswood, and dowels.
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Program Course Location Skills
Library + Community Hub 1B Design Studio (April 2022) Toronto, Ontario Rhino 7, AI, PS, Enscape
[4]
STITCH-IN-THE-DITCH How can a library continue a cycle of reuse through quilt making?
Situated in Corktown Toronto, the textile library attempts to formulate meaningful community interactions through a cycle of reuse. Inspired by the traditional quilt, the building serves as a means of donation, production, and the display of quilts which ultimately inspires change within the community. Through the re-use of bricks and textiles, material consciousness is implemented throughout the design. Quilts are showcased through the large windows to entice pedestrians walking along the colorful environment around them. With the entrance facing the Toronto Humane Society mural, visitors are already immersed in the culture of the site. With multiple apartment complexes in the area, a central community hub was very much needed, and serves as a means to not only create community work, but also display it.
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1F
Right; longitudinal section
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2F
Left; section cutting through library (top) and sewing studio (bottom) to show relationship to the street. Through views and connections, the building attempts to encourage people to donate clothing and volunteer in the sewing studio.
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Clothes are donated to prevent landfill textile waste.
Community reimages them as quilts allowing for awareness, engagement, and community development.
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South
Local Reclaimed Brick
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Green Roof
Quilts are showcased to encourage others to engage in the textile studio/ library.
East
The greater number of clothing donations, the more quilts can be created and distributed.
North
Inset Steel Windows
Brick Massing to Signifiy Entrence
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Program Course Location Skills
[5]
BORER’S BRIDGE How can a bridge be designed to match the unique site?
Borer’s Bridge attempts to outline a waterfall otherwise hidden from the public eye by not only increasing pedestrian traffic but also showcasing the site through its intricate steel details. While summer includes hiking and site seeing, the winter condition is much more different. Through the years Borer’s falls proves to be a popular ice climbing destination. Thin Steel cables mimic both leaf patterns from the summer and frost patterns in the winter in sectional views. Open voids between each ‘leaf ’ allow for views of the natural surrounding landscape while the wooden desk blends in with the prexistant rocky conditions.
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Pedestrian Bridge 1B Building Construction (April 2022) Hamilton, Ontario Rhino 7, AI, PS
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Floor Plan
Longitudinal Section
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1. Welded Connection 1
2. Hinge Pin Connection 2
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3. Tensile Connection 3
4. Bolted Connection
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Thank you! A33salee@uwaterloo.ca