AymanRouhani SELECTED WORKS
Architecture doesn’t occur in a vacuum. It is embedded in the context in which it takes place, thus having an immeasurable impact on the individual, the community, the city,and the environment. The design process allows us to understand this complex series of parameters, activating a design solution. From these parameters, the true power of architecture is unleashed. Throughout my academic career I continuously strive to study these multi-scalar physical and social issues while allowing my design values to adapt around them.
Bunker at Chinati Master of Architecture Spring 2017
Tropical Thresholds Master of Architecture Fall 2016
The Grove
Bachelor of Science in Architecture Fall 2014
Northwood Elementary
Bachelor of Science in Architecture Fall 2015
Perkins Homes
Bachelor of Science in Architecture Spring 2015
Old North, New Refuge Master of Urban Design Fall 2017
Bunker at Chinati
Permanent Art Collection 2017 Marfa, TX Located in the remorte Marfa, TX landscaoe, Chinati is a pilgramage site for any art enthusiast. Donald Judd, artist and founder intended to grow the facility with a new series of buidlings hosting additional works. This project is in homage of Judd’s vision.
Allowing imagination to run freely after visiting the site. An epherial atmosphere exists on this barren site, with remains of WWII barracks. The sky, the horizon, and the landscape together, create the perfect canvas for a dramtic experience of art. Aspects of the site interpretation informed the design of the project.
markers
SiteSpeculation
p
pit
cave
levitate
BUNKER AT CHINATI
4
Removing all contextual awareness creates endless possiblitlies for the interpritation of the art work. In the proposed sequence, natural light is utilized in a variety of methods and densities. It creates a context for the sculpture to live within. Light has the potential to create a transcendental space. The light shafts placed sparingly throughout the site are the only recognition of an outside context one will perceive when in the spaces. From above, only traces of what exists below can be seen.
SectionalSequence
g.
f.
e.
d.
c.
b.
a.
marker
g.
PlanometriclSequence
climax
f.
e.
d.
sound chamber
c.
b.
descension
a.
BUNKER AT CHINATI
8
organic Roni Horn: Untitled (1999)
object Roni Horn: Pair Objects (1988) BUNKER AT CHINATI 10
axis Anish Kapoor: Untitled (2015)
climax Anish Kapoor: Descension (2015) BUNKER AT CHINATI 12
Donald Judd intended for the Chinati permanent collection to be unlike any art collection prior to it. In homage to this vision, the proposed permanent collection of contemporary art sculptures occurs not on the site, but beneath it. Using the existing remains of the previous barracks, a long narrow tunnel connects a series of unique spaces. Each with it’s own lighting condition, and spacial quality.
site model recycled wood scraps & chipboard
PhysicalModel
concrete section subterranean section model BUNKER AT CHINATI 14
Tropical Thresholds
International Housing 2016 San Juan, PR
San Juan’s extreme climate demands shading and natural air ventilation with an empasis on security and privacy. This project proposes mixed-use housing on a site charged with a variety of physical, social, and urban conditions.
In the tropical climate of San Juan, climate is a deciding factor on architectural openings. Alongside security and privacy concerns, a re-imagined threshold was proposed. Re-introducing the ancient middle eastern element of the Mashrabiya allows for varying levels of privacy and security without sacrificing air permeability. This threshold creates a “lock� space at the entry of a housing unit, allowing the user to control the access and visibility of their unit living and private spaces.
closed
ThresholdStudy
semi-private
open
TROPICAL THRESHOLDS 18
Located on the edge of a commercial urban district, the site is charged with a variety of physical conditions. By introducing a commercial ground floor and dense middle income housing, the site can be a vibrant link between various zones. A public greenspace directly North of the site is suggested as a reaction to the lack of intermediate public space. In San Juan, the dependency on the automobile generates the need for carports and parking garages. The proposed design integrates secure parking without disrupting the dense street-scape. site location
KeyStrategies
design moves
The North facade imposes its identity on the street, casting much needed shade for the commercial street-life below. The building itself appears as a floating “brutalist� mass paying homage to the modernist concrete housing blocks of San Juan.
TROPICAL THRESHOLDS 20
G
P1
P2
The South facade absorbs and shades the building from persistent daylight radiation. The interplay of the automobile ramp, resident circulation, and green terraces allows for a rich neighborhood dynamic.
TROPICAL THRESHOLDS 22
public street access
resident access “lobby”
neighborhood green-space
A homogeneous concrete facade juxtaposes the fully adjustable glass louvers and permeable screens within. Each glass louver allows to redirect northern winds, thus initiating natural ventilation through each unit.
TROPICAL THRESHOLDS 24
Urban Infill
Mt. Vernon 2014 Baltimore, MD Gaps in this dense, cultural neighborhood in Baltimore are serving only as parking to a neighborhood rich in activity and resources.
Mt. Vernon, a neighborhood rich in culture, architecture, and activity is one of Baltimore’s most prestigious neighborhoods. Unfortunately, there are undesirable gaps in this dense urban community. Asphalt paved parking lots have replaced previously demolished buildings.
site photos
SiteAnalysis
process sketches
THE GROVE 28
With an abundant variety of resources in the area, the site needed to not only provide housing, but also introduce amenities that would benefit the neighborhood. With a shortage of vegetation in the area, the proposal of the centralized courtyard will bring a rich natural experience to the residents.
current condition vacant lots & local resources
KeyStrategies
current condition local resources & surrounding vegetation
n
intervention consolidate resources & vegetation
block configuration maximize surface area & permeable surface
THE GROVE 30
art gallery
n. calvert st.
0’
10’ 20’
40’
cafe & bookstore
Bridging the gap between two existing structures with new urban fabric, the design uses a simple material palette. The depth in the design is unnoticeable until one enters the building, immediately encountering the courtyard.
THE GROVE 32
the courtyard provides rainwater harvesting for water re-use on site
By blurring the line between the built and natural environment, meaningful relationships exist between the user and the space. Traveling throughout this multidimensional space, there is constant visual interaction to nature.
THE GROVE 34
School in the Park
Northwood Elementary School 2016 Baltimore, MD Built in 1952, Northwood Elementary is outdated and insufficient for children’s needs today.
2017 Undergraduate Honerable Mention
The Northwood Elementary community is a strong and proud community with outstanding faculty, passionate parents, and engaged students. The physical condition of the school, however, was in need of a face lift. The school lacks site integration and natural daylight. Traffic circulation creates unsafe conditions, and the lack of technology is cause for concern.
unsustainable impervious lots
SiteAnalysis
waste unprogrammed lawn
unsafe traffic congestion
NORTHWOOD ELEMENTARY 38
“the nests” learning communities
KeyStrategies
“the stream” circulation / atrium
“the garden” outdoor learning space
school play area
school entrance
the Garden
staff parking
existing community center
NORTHWOOD ELEMENTARY 40
green roof system low plants erosion control filter fabric drainage layer thermal insulation waterproofing roof deck
0’
main entrance
1’
3’
“the Garden”
The atrium (the Stream) serves as the main circulation of the school, and acts as a living art gallery for students’ work. As a child grows and graduates to higher grades, their experience and their connection to the outdoors develop.
NORTHWOOD ELEMENTARY 42
0’ 20’
60’
first floor plan
second floor plan
The school creates an environment where the relationship between learning and play are symbiotic. The Garden introduces a method of learning where children can understand the value of growing produce and introducing fresh vegetables into their school lunch, thus improving the child’s health.
NORTHWOOD ELEMENTARY 44
Gap in the Urban Fabric
Perkins Homes 2015 Baltimore, MD
As the one of the oldest public housing projects still existing in Baltimore (1942), Perkins Homes is reaching the end of it’s useful life.
A gap in the urban fabric, Perkins Homes is surrounded by thriving neighborhoods in Baltimore. With it’s poor architecture and planning, the current condition of Perkins Homes is unsafe, and socially, and economically unviable. With a high crime rate and low education level among residents, this neighborhood is avoided by many in Baltimore. The site has a dramatic contrast in relation to it’s surrounding neighborhoods, including Fells Point, Harbor East, and Little Italy.
SiteAnalysis
Perkins Homes
y
tal le I
Litt
me inco vel n le rity io t ca ecu . s edu nd l co sica phy
income education level security physical cond.
Upper Fells Point income education level security physical cond.
Harbor East
income education level security physical cond.
Fells Point
income education level security physical cond.
Harbor Point
income education level security physical cond.
PERKINS HOMES 48
inspiration organic fractal pattern
KeyStrategies
application unravels to fit urban grid
intervention connection to water
block configuration modular & diverse
PERKINS HOMES 50
Fells Point waterfront residential district
commercial district
current density : 680 units density required : 1,000 Units density achieved : 1,200 Units
temporary housing during construction
PERKINS HOMES 52
rooftop deck serves as an extension to the commercial corridor, used by residents
complete street design prioritizes the pedestrian. Bike lanes are provided, and a vegetative buffer gives distance from vehicles
MarketExperience
PERKINS HOMES 54
bio-swale courtyard gives a visual buffer and provides privacy to residents
rooftop gardens provide semi-private outdoor areas for residents to enjoy
HousingExperience
PERKINS HOMES 56
Old North, New Refuge Infrastructural Optimism, 2017 St. Louis, MO
In order to justify the huge investment on the N/S Metro Line, this new mode of public transit shoulld not only improve connectivity in St. Louis, but should generate density and sustain equity throughout all the neighborhoods along the line.
With a lack of N/S connectivity, St. Louis is divided racially and socioeconomically. The existing metro line cuts through the city using an industrial railway with limited access from neighborhoods North or South of the line. The goal is to densify, not gentrify. This speculative proposal generates a social infrastructure along a segment of the proposed metrolink that seeks to serve and host a new population of refugees in a struggling neighborhood in St. Louis.
St. Louis Vacancy
PrimaryObjectives
2017
2040
2060
2100
Population Density
Racial Demographics
Vacant Parcels
Data Intervention
OLD NORTH, NEW REFUGE 60
bazaar/housing
refugee housing
71%
population diversity
U.S.A. CAP MET
STL
exising resident
1528
housing
1161
healthy food access transient refugee 3 mon.
income
600k
education
662
job training refugee 1yr
refugee trend refugee needs
1m 800k
healthcare
400k 200k
english language
253
257
refugee resettlement (1980-2017)
2000
2017
2040
city population trend projected tradjectory
vocational/professional skills
existing middle school
KeyStrategies
health center/childcare
St. Louis’ population is currently at its lowest levl since 1880 at only 320,000. an upsurge of our mere 816 anual refugee acceptance (2016) can catalyze and sustrain a thriving economy in the neighborhood of Old North. Currently, Old North sits isolated between highway I-70, the Pruitt Igoe site, and the future NGA (National Geospatial Agency). The neighborhood faces several challenges including high vacancy, low access to healthy food, a poor connection to the river front and a lack of public green space.
KeyStrategies
before fragmented urban fabric
stitch engage the river
before outdoor learning space
redistribute outdoor learning space
The school creates an environment where the relationship between learning and play are symbiotic. The Garden introduces a method of learning where children can understand the value of growing produce and introducing fresh vegetables into their school lunch, thus improving the child’s health.
The school creates an environment where the relationship between learning and play are symbiotic. The Garden introduces a method of learning where children can understand the value of growing produce and introducing fresh vegetables into their school lunch, thus improving the child’s health.
OLD NORTH, NEW REFUGE 66
Visualizing the design proposal iin an exxagerated model that highlights primary design moves. The model itself shows a 1/2 mile radius arounf the metrostop. Landmarks and new civic anchors are hiighlighted, while vacant plots are infilled. Bridging over the sunken highway gives the community access to the once isolated and industrial waterfront. the post-indstrial waterfront landscape is converted into a vertical farming productive landscape.
PhysicalModel
urban site model hardware & industrial materials
OLD NORTH, NEW REFUGE 68
UrbanSketching Capturing architecture, form, and space with a few strokes of a pen and a touch of watercolor to bring the sketch to life.
Harbor Power-Plant Baltimore, MD
URBAN SKETCHING 70
MICA Brown Center Baltimore, MD
Grand Central Station New York, NY
URBAN SKETCHING 72
Omid Rouhani Architectural Design Dubai, UAE
Jun 2014 - Sept. 2014
HOK Architects Georgetown, D.C.
Jan 2015 - Feb. 2015
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Laurel, MD
May 2015 - Sept. 2015
Hord Coplan Macht Baltimore, MD
Sept. 2015 - May 2016
Mackey Mitchell Architects St. Louis, MO
May 2017 - Sept. 2017