Arron El-Ammar Design Report | qed
5th Year Workshops Transdisciplinary | Making Manchester
Contents
This document provides a summary of the theoretical position and methodologies that I have employed in the development of my MArch projects. It is explanative and reflective in nature and is a guide to each element of my academic portfolio, including the evolution of my own theoretical position to each individual brief and design development, giving opportunity to reflect upon the synthesis and approach between studio work and complementing studies such as dissertation and professional studies.
URBAN PLANNING ARRON EL-AMMAR | DIANE KWAN | NICK ELSDON
2-4- Summary of 5th Year Studio Projects (inc. Studio & Workshops) 5-8- Summary of 6th Year Studio Project(s) 9- Dissertation 10- Professional Studies
STUDIO PROJECTS 1. LAKA (5th Yr) 2. RSA- One Man’s Waste (5th Yr) 3. RSA- Waste Not Want Not (5th Yr) 4. RSA- Project Rural (5th Yr) 5. RSA- Creative Conditions (5th Yr) 6. iWe- Office Design for the Future (5th Yr) 7. Thesis- Vaasiluvun (Arrive)- (6th Yr)
Through the 5th year workshops I was able to produce a series of theoretical positions in architecture, through transdisciplinary urbanism, I was able to delve into many aspects that were connected to architecture, such as urban design, economics and more. Which I learnt a great deal regarding the influences of architecture and design in wider fields and how architecture is much more about collaboration with other professions for the better. This was linked back into my studio group
projects where I was able to identify and deal with a series of difficulties, which allowed me to grow as a professional in terms of team working and looking into wider fields of research to make the project much stronger. The Making Manchester workshop was much more hands on with a much shorter timescale. Through this project I was able to learn Unreal 4, which was in itself difficult in the 2 week time frame. Having been successful here, it
was something that had inspired me to learn grasshopper and 3ds Max for my final thesis project. It is this kind of learning that I feel is valuable when picking up skills that are not theoretical in nature, to allow me to stand out as a professional with a range of skills that slightly differ to others. The two workshops taught me a great deal, both technologically and theoretically of architecture, as the profession becomes much broader.
5th Year Studio Projects LAKA | RSA
5th Year Studio Projects iWe
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The 5th year studio projects were dedicated to developing the theories and our own architectural position. Through the 5th year projects and studio ethos, it was a position concerned with sustainability and building over time, which was very much my position in architecture. The projects allowed me to explore sustainable design through a series of small competitions, through this I have been able to change my thinking to the wider aspects of architectural design and theory. The RSA projects had allowed me
Buildings
Routes
Water
Activities
Buildings on the site will remain as planned. The spaces in between the buildings will be the important part to explore, playing upon the interactions between building types and users.
Looking at the integration of Wythenshaw, by proposing pedestrian over vehicular traffic on the grid. The aim is to disperse pedestrians through the environment.
Utilising car parking areas for water surface collection to use for grey water activities on the site.
The large green space highlighted have been reserved for activity and interaction areas. The space also becomes a central point of reference for the site.
successful in the light that I was able to research and expand my knowledge of architectural services in office design. Having worked on office projects in my Part I, I was able to grow my knowledge of interior design, mixed with technological advances in office design enabled me to critique modern office design and take influence from other practices such as DEGW, in the search for new theories on office design.
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2 to take a different view of architectural thinking, with an opportunity to explore future materials (chitin in this case) as a catalyst for a design strategy. The project was used as a research project, with reference to research carried out at MIT by Neri Oxman. Being able to introduce such complex strategies and materials into an MArch project was an opportunity to focus my thinking on developing
4 and utilising abundant/ sustainable materials. The project was short listed for the RSA award and commended by the RSA for the theoretical approach to the brief. The project allowed me to broaden my theoretical thinking and my role throughout the group project was that of an organising and delegating role, allowing me to take control of the project and see it through from
5 ‘It’s even better if the whole office environment represents the ethos and culture of your brand. Employees who are engaged with your brand message will be motivated to do their best in representing the company’s objectives. This feeds a consistent and positive experience for the client, as well as brand loyalty’. (Evoke Project)
development to submission. The creative conditions brief was a chance to explore office design individually in a new way, that gave me the chance to introduce innovative technologies and systems into office work culture. ‘In summary, companies that integrate their brand into the workplace will win the war for talent and the quest to retain clients’. (Evoke Project)
MODULE
The iWe project had a relatively short life span, but had stemmed from the RSA- Creative Conditions, where the integration of the competition became the furniture/ anatomy of the building. The project gave me a chance to enquire and investigate a series of options when designing for an airport site. The design took a form that was simplistic but allowed for long spans and clear floor plates. My architectural position here changed in a sense that I was able to adapt my thinking to suit such a niche
site, while keeping some principles that were true to me. Being part of an atelier that stays true to sustainable principles allowed me to immerse myself in this thinking and implement it into my design. By using and researching new technologies to invest in my design I have been able to broaden my knowledge on sustainable systems, not just as a bolt on approach but using sustainable principles to shape spaces. The project was
The 5th year projects gave me the capacity to create an architectural position in architecture that was much more broad and critical, about the profession and current design practices. The competitions and practices enabled me to learn valuable skills in architecture, and coupled with my dissertation, I was able to link the studio projects with the additional electives in the course to develop my view of architecture, in a way that was much more sustainability and environmentally positive as a concept.
6th Year Studio Project (s) Vaasiluvun (Arrive)
6th Year Studio Project (s) Vaasiluvun (Arrive)
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Ca
CALCIUM
12
Mg
MAGNESIUM
The project seeks to speculate and articulate the possibilities and inevitability of sea level in the country of the Maldives, namely the island of Maafushi. Through the implementation of a new passenger terminal building typology combined with advanced techniques in BiorockŠ to lagoon the many island in the country. Growing BiorockŠ at a mass scale gives opportunities far beyond those capable of traditional sea defence, allowing a passenger terminal space to become a key part of a masterplan. Considerations for hybrid programme and new technologies are essential in the airport of the future, all of which are explored throughout the project. Traditional methods of airport expansion have proved ineffective in the country over the many years and the immediacy of sea level mitigation coupled with the need for mass tourism has recently halted and here become possibilities to engage in speculative research in the Maldives. Over the next 80 years it is predicted that the country will have vanished and it is vital to rethink the current strategies of the country and ensure the survival of a remote community and rich history. The project provides a link between my interests in sustainable design and technological advancements, to develop my intellectual position in architecture. The Maldives provides a rich historical context and culture that allows exploration in adaptability and designing for time in architecture. The project provides opportunities for country survival allowing adaptation into its inexorable future.
1 Environment
2 Steel Cage
3 Electrical Field
4 Reaction
This entitles an ocean current and sun light. The faster the ocean current and the more direct sun light the better for the reef to grow.
A welded electrically conductive frame often structures have been made from rebar or wire-mesh structure is submerged and anchored.
A low voltage electrical current is applied and would be powered by wind turbines situated on the western side of the island.
Mineral crystals naturally found in sea water, mainly calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide, to grow on the structure.
5 Limestone
6 Marine Life
7 Apply Coral Parts
8 Growth
Within days, the structure takes on a Limestone coat which has a grey hue as it becomes encrusted with precipitated minerals adding rigidity and strength (Construction).
The shade offered by the structures in the water attract a variety of marine life. Fish, crabs, octopus, lobster and sea urchins often colonise in these spaces.
Once the reef structure is in place and minerals begin to coat the surface, drivers transplant coral fragments, attaching them to the arks frame. These coral pieces begin to bound to the accredited mineral substrate.
Power can be turned off at any given time, this can cause the process to slow, but when the structure becomes sufficiently strong the power can be turned down to maintain levels of growth.
The project gave me a chance to explore the phenomena of BiorockŠ. Most recently explored by Peter Cooke, it was something that I wanted to pursue as a concept for the Maldives. The concept allowed me to explore and implement a system that would mitigate sea level rise and improve the current coral reef degradation in the Indian Ocean. The project was a chance to explore new materials and systems in aviation design, with options for sister systems that would work, socially, economically, politically and environmentally in co-ordination with the terminal. The design methodology was vast for this project as there was a series of design iterations and portfolios produced before the final outcome. The thesis gave me a chance to delve into some of the qed ways, in which the use of advanced technology and computer programs are used to create architectural design, throughout the project I was able to learn grasshopper and 3ds Max, to produce an architectural design that was responsive of its climatic conditions. I feel learning programs like this in the MArch course is an essential way to play into parts of architecture/ architectural practice that may be a niche now but is forever becoming more evident in architectural design services. This is something that I had set out the aim of learning when I started the MArch course and have been able to achieve and implement into my final thesis project.
6th Year Studio Project (s) Vaasiluvun (Arrive)
6th Year Studio Project (s) Vaasiluvun (Arrive)
Throughout the MArch course, I have been able to identify and work on gaps in my knowledge, while being able to develop my architectural and theoretical position in architecture. Leaving university at this stage I feel that my position and aspirations in the profession have changed and developed for the better. I have become much more involved in sustainable design strategies and ecosystem services of architecture, always finding myself questioning the design strategy of an architectural project. Through technological research and appraisal, including BREEAM and Building Regulations I have been able to assess my own projects against the current regulations, learning about current practice and building design, which I feel is essential when finding employment in the profession. Thinking critically about the learning process in the studio and technology projects, I have been able to fully engage and progress in the profession of architecture, in both design and theory. It has allowed me to engage in the subject and disprove and adapt my thinking to form valid reasons of what architecture could be, and the type of architecture I would want to pursue as a professional. The project gave me a chance to improve my skills in architectural rendering, in terms of style and selling a project to a client in means of visual description. The visual evidence of the produced work, gave me a chance to think about the project setting, culture and geographical location in the way I produce work for a client in the future. Through the qed ethos and style, I have been able to critique my design and visuals in a way that would sell a project to win work.
The course has been an essential part of my architectural development, to engage with the profession on social, cultural, economical, political and environmental levels.
Dissertation
Professional Studies
This part of the course was possibly the most relevant in terms of preparing for the Part III exams and progression with the aim to become an architect. The course allowed me to express my concerns with the RIBA Plan of Works 2013, and critically appraise the role of the architect. Combined with a client letter and internal office memo, it was a vital part in practicing ‘real world’ situations on the course. Through the course I had produced a system in which the architect would become the lead role in the project, giving power back to the architect. I was concerned with certain parts of the RIBA Plan of Works which I had made comment on, giving some changes which I though should be made regarding post occupancy evaluation in the profession. I see post occupancy evaluation a big part of the future of the profession and I think it is somewhere architects could make a difference when producing architectural project, not only does this give an architect another tool in their arsenal but becomes a vital part in good practice/ learning throughout the life span of architecture, ultimately setting better precedent throughout the profession. I had then devised a system, that was very much like UBER, where the architect became the biggest voice in the system. There must be resilience to the profession and with this system it can be provided. The architect can become the facilitator of any team, they would be proficient in constructing valuable teams for any situation, and this is the ultimate aim, to create a title that is adaptable to change in any situation, whether that be firm closure or economic crash, with a system where the architect becomes orchestrator it is possible that the architect could become orchestrator for any situation or business. I feel it is truly the role of the architect that is changing into the future and for me to learn and challenge that, was a opportunity to take a look at where I want to take my career in architecture, and my role as an architect in the profession and how I see it developing into the future, I was able to spot potential gaps where I could not only expand my knowledge but also set me up with some vital tools for practice to set me up for the finish of education and start employment.
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The study investigates the effects of Green infrastructure (GI) as a contemporary approach to understanding and adapting Manchester’s current ecosystem services (ESS) and to ultimately improve health in Manchester’s urban environments. Current literature on GI has focused on it as a separate entity, the research advances our understanding of GI and its direct connections to ecosystems and health. To illustrate these ideas, the use of interviews and case studies were used to show current views, understanding and applications of GI. The findings from the research show more complexities than first thought with regards to external factors and pressures. The findings provide insights into potential routes to apply GI into Manchester and provide developers, investors and the public with a greater understanding of GI and its importance in improving ESS and human health. “Architects have been aware of the issues for some time, of course, but the proportion of those committed to sustainable and ecological practices has remained small. And until recently, much of the work produced as sustainable architecture has been of poor quality. Early examples were focused mainly around the capacities of simple technologies to produce energy and recycle waste.” (Mostafavi and Doherty, 2010)
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