P O R T F O L I O BI L A L HA L L A K
“An Architects dream is an Engineers nightmare.”
About Me
The previous quote is something I have become quite fond of over the years, especially when designing alongside Engineering students, as it evokes a sense of endless creativity an Architect can play with. Ever since the beginning of high school, my sense of imagination and creativity has inspired me to design what is on my mind, thus creating this passion to pursue a career in Architecture. An ambitious goal that I carry with me, and will carry until complete, is to collaborate with a team of members to design high rise buildings that can become part of an existing skyline. After my completion of high school in Saudi Arabia in 2012, I remained behind to complete multiple volunteering programs, from babysitting, tutoring and coaching football. I then returned to Australia in 2013 to study at the University of Melbourne, where I would go on to complete a 3 year Bachelor of Environments, graduating from Architecture in 2015. It was throughout the degree where I learned new ways of understanding Architecture, and how there is more to it than just design. I was also fortunate enough to take on several internships in Saudi Arabia (2014/2015/2016) and undergo tasks that pushed me to learn new computer programs, such as AutoCAD, Revit, Photoshop and InDesign. During the course of my degree, I undertook several studio classes, with each class focusing on different aspects of Architecture. As part of this design portfolio, I have included several designs and projects from 3 of the studios I completed in my course. The variety of studios helped developed a wide range of skills, such as conceptual thinking and technical skills, and this is evident throughout my work, as there is a shift in quality of design. Even throughout the course, whenever I stumbled upon an idea or design concept, I would sketch them down in my notebook, as I believed this would later help influence my thinking. I hope to study my Masters Degree in the near future and hopefully one day I aspire to become a fully qualified Architect, backed by experience gained from across the world, which will surely have an impact on the built environment wherever it may be.
EARTH STUDIO 2014 Second Year - Semester 1 Individual Work
This being my first studio class, for the purpose of this project I had to explore different spatial systems and understand architectural space as part of the design and not just an abstract idea. The idea of “Earth� encapsulates the experience of above and below, in which above is our usual space and below is an underground solid. For the main project, we had to think how we could incorporate the idea of Earth with a place for keeping secrets. My design approach encompasses this idea by playing with three different planes, such as the ground plane (usual space), below plane (underground) and above plane (heightened space). This sequence is shown in the design, where users begin on the ground plane, entering a maze situated underground, inevitably leading towards an elevated plane where a capsule holds the secrets of those left behind.
Model of Project
Hand Drawn Floor Plan Scale 1:100
Hand Drawn Section Scale 1:100
WATER STUDIO 2014 Second Year - Semester 2 Individual Work
For the purpose of my 2nd studio, the brief was to design a new boathouse at Studley Park, as the existing boat house is in disrepair and must be demolished. A major component of the design was to accomodate for the lost spaces by designing our very own boathouse , with the help and influence of one master of Architecture covered in the course. In the case of my studio, our influence would be drawn from Alvaro Siza, where some influences are evident with the curvature of walls and intricate openings for fragmented views, as well the type of material used for construction, such as concrete blockwork.
OFFICE
CAFE & RESTAURANT
BOAT HOUSE
Office/Kiosk Ground Floor - Scale 1:200
Office 1st Floor - Scale 1:200
Boat Storage/Hire Ground Floor - Scale 1:200
Restuarant/Cafe Ground Floor - Scale 1:200
Rooftop Garden 1st Floor - Scale 1:200
FIRE STUDIO 2015 Third Year - Semester 2 Individual Work
This was the capstone for my degree, covering all aspects of architecture learnt throughout the course of the 3 years, from technical skills, history, communication and conceptual thinking. The purpose of this project was to design a new motel in the city of Melbourne, accommodating not only regular visitors, but also designated special interest groups that may function themselves on the premise. The brief made students think more than just the design and think more pragmatically of how the building will function. This studio in particular deemed most challenging as it required us to design according to the Australian Standards, therefore restricting our conceptual thinking. However, by doing so, it also proved to be most beneficial in terms of preparing ourselves for design in the real world.
West Section
Ground Floor
1st Floor
West Elevation
2nd Floor
Typical Residential Floor (3 to 6)
Site Map of West Melbourne
The purpose of the project was to create your own building name and Architectural firm that functions within the motel. The building name, ‘The Tantique’, is Latin for ‘The Monumental’, which is an underlying style of mine that I incorporate into the design. As for the Architecture firm, the idea of ‘SHAPES’ originates from the concept of allowing clients to design their building with different blocks and shapes which fundamentally create their desired spaces and form.
Roof Top Garden
Cafe Interior
Reception
Front Entrance and Porte Cochere
T h e T a n t i q u e
Final render of Motel using Revit and Photoshop
INTERNSHIP 2016 Jan-June Team/Individual Work
After graduating from the University of Melbourne, I was given the opportunity to do some work as a volunteer intern in KAUST for a 3rd time. However, this time the work completed was more design based and there was much more exposure to how the design team operates as a whole. The team I was able to work alongside included Project Managers, Architects, Engineers of a wide variety, and an urban planner. The combination of this team gave me a variety of exposure into the different disciplines in charge of a large scale project. Fortunately for me, my time at KAUST was during the Housing Expansion Project, which was a major development of residential townhouses in a new sector of the university campus. During my time on this internship, I was also given free time to further develop my technical skills on Revit, 3DS Max, Photoshop and InDesign. Some of the works presented in this portfolio include some of my own designs, as well as a KAUST house project where I completed a Revit Model based on the house plan the Architects had prepared.
Parametric design of a Tower I created using Revit
Twin Tower concept inspired from my trip to New York City.
KAUST Housing Expansion Project
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KAUST House Type A1 Created using Revit/AutoCAD
KAUST House Types Rendered using Revit
Type A
Type B/C
Site maps provided by the KAUST team. As shown, the new site will be integrated into the campus as part of the residential expansion project. Page 15
SKETCHES The samples of sketches provided all stem from the same contextual root I had in mind when sketching. A desire of mine is to design high rise buildings in city skylines, and has been a passion for as long as I can remember. Provided are just some ideas I had in mind whilst thinking of where I want to take my Architecture career.