ARCHITECTURE | PORTFOLIO CHARLES HAJJ
SUMMARY
01. Architecture Projects HAB Habitactory 04 WED Wedding Constellation
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ATL Atlanta Amtrak Station
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RESc Residential Complex
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TPC Typological Correction
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ICE Ice Core Research Facility
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ACT
Active Line
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DTL Residential Complex
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02. Urban Planning
0.0.0 Statless Bodies LOS Lost Identities UrM Urban Morphology
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HAB
Habitactory Europan Competition - Hamberg, Germany Habitactory hybridizes contemporary and traditional forms of working and living by hybridizing the domestic perimeter block and generic factory box. The project is organized by wrapping a series of factories with housing. The factory inserts itself into the middle of the block to allow for a human-scaled pedestrian experience along the streets. Between these two uses a series of circuits strategically tie these programs together—to benefit from similar needs—while providing separation to ensure privacy, sound isolation, and safety. The circuit acts as public infrastructure, tying the three blocks together and blurring the distinction between interior/exterior, street/park, shared spaces of production/living. Programmed with shared amenities, the circuit allows adjacent spaces of working and living to expand and contract to find productive overlaps. Ultimately, the mediatory role of the circuit not only strengthens the links between the residential and production spaces, but also enables their independence, responding to their diverse needs and schedules of occupation. Habitactory proposes a new model of development that shares the resources of the city to create a resilient framework for differential users and uses. In collaboration with IGG, The Open workshop, Antonio Mora & Diego Soto Madrinan 4
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Two trends can be leveraged to reconcile how we live and work today. Firstly, traditional productive spaces—such as factories—are now complimented with a broad array of new ways to work—workshops, DIY start-ups, and co-working spaces. While each of these has been considered a separate entity in the contemporary city, if grouped together, they could benefit by sharing equipment and auxiliary programs while producing a range of economic models. Secondly, domestic living arrangements are evolving beyond the nuclear family to include new ways of co-living. Not only do these living arrangements embrace a range of users, through sharing amenity spaces they inherently build communities and a higher quality of life.
Floor plans: the interaction that happens on the entire plot.
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Efficiency:
Section showing the relationship between WorkingLiving and how the different spaces are organized.
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WED
Wedding Constellation YAC Competition - Italy Constellations by nature are independent stars that only form a whole when together. Similarly, marriage by nature existed only when two independent individuals come together as one. Wedding constellation, with its pavilion module offers a transcendent poetic space that is adaptable to all weather conditions, but also adaptable to whichever disposition, wedding sequence, and experience the newlyweds wish for their fairytale. It can be assembled in a variety of ways, but by nature, like a marriage, it always starts with the union of two components. The pavilion can be a small as to shelter two guests, and as big as to shelter more than a hundred guests. Situated in Castello de Rosciano, it acknowledges its beautiful surrounding, standing solemnly on the site, it embraces its majesty, offering it to the newlyweds. In collaboration with Sabine Aoun
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Components:
6 components can be combined in different ways to create different configurations adapted to the different uses. The structure while represented in wood can also be achieved in steel.
Assembly:
At any satge almost the assembly leads to a final configuration, answering the different weather conditions that Castello de Rosciano has; the pavilion can hvae one leg to four. It can have a roof or be open to air, it can have windows and doors or be completely open...
Flexibility:
The pavilions can be assembled together in various ways that come as a response to the number of guests the bride and groom are hosting. The set up can also be according to the program and setting they wish to have for their wedding.
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High Performance
The Pavilion can be used during winter season and is ale to collect rain water, offer cross ventilation, reduce energy consumption using “onyx glass photovoltaic�. It also has built in spcae for technology and electricity conduits.
Door hang detail: Showing how each module can have a door and how watter collection is incorporated in the structural system.
Assembly detail of two or more modules when larger spaces are needed.
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ATL
Atlanta Amtrak Station [Professional work at AECOM]
Atlanta - Georgia, USA Amtrak is the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. The Amtrak trains provide medium to long distance service around the United States of America and three Canadian cities. The Amtrak – ADA program consists of reforming the stations to meet ADA regulations and compliances. Since the stations are located in different states, their scale is different thus the size of the transformation of the facility varies. Some stations mainly require interior alterations, such as Castleton Vermont station, while others may require an extension to the existing station building and adjustments to the platform and its emergency egress paths, such as Mattoon Station & Atlanta Station which you see in the image on the right. This program allows having at all the stations, an ADA compliant path of travel from PROW to parking and to boarding platform. It also provides ADA compliant waiting area, ticket counter and restrooms. In addition to that most of these are historical stations, which means that the transformations are to be made while preserving the historical aspects of the stations.
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#1
#2
#1
2' - 10"
5' - 10"
5' - 6"
#2
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Periodical Elevation & Plan:
%%231 %%231 %%231
Elevation and plan showing the transformations that occured throughout the years. Looking at the West elevation the existing station building is on the left, the first extension in the center, and the new proposed addition on the far right.
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DEERING RD NW
ACCESS TO STREET SIDEWALK ELECTRICAL CLOSET
MENS RESTROOM
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887' - 6"
5' 0"
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1 DOOR E-1
25' - 1 3/8"
ENTRANCE
6' 6"
BAGGAGE BELT
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WOMENS RESTROOM
ELEVATOR 887' - 6"
55' - 8 1/8"
DN 19
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WINDOW
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TICKET OFFICE
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CLEAR
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WAITING AREA 896' - 2"
15 7' - 9" MIN.
WAITING AREA
20 30' - 6 3/4"
5' 0"
CHIMNEY
AREA NOT IN SCOPE
FREIGHT ELEVATOR
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WAITING AREA
3
896' - 2"
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WAITING AREA
WINDOW
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9' - 2"
DN
7' - 9"
896' - 2"
ELEVATOR 17' - 3 1/4"
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CLEAR
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7' - 9" MIN.
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5 DOOR 20 21
53' - 10"
5' - 9 1/2"
34' - 8 1/8"
LANDING
WAITING AREA
DOOR E-3
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GARDEN AREA 895' - 6"
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Section passing throught the new proposed addition. South Elevation view from platfrm level below the station building
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Section passing throught the entire station building, existing and new. East Elevation showing importance of the new addition as a “liaison� between the existing building and the platform
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RESc
Residential Complex [Professional work at Ronald Baz]
Khobar - Saudi Arabia The architecture of the Arab homes recalls, among other things, to the distinction & relationship between public and private spaces. While the Arab culture is known for it s hospitality, yet privacy is also as equally appreciated and required. That same notion is dependent on the country itself, therefore can be executed in various layouts and forms. As such example is “Al Jomaih residential complex�, located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which you see on the right. The project revolves around a large family land that is envisioned to host five private villas for the parents and their children, a guesthouse with an outdoor tent, a Mosque and a service house. Each home requires two separate entrances that do not cross paths: one for the family and another one for the guests. The interior layout of the villa would need to be in a way to separate the public areas from the rest of the house while allowing the owners to have access, from their private rooms, to the rest of the house and not the other way around. Only when asked the guest can enter the private sections of the house. In addition to that the Arabic architectural character is also another important element that should be visible inside and outside the house.
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Site Plan:
The site plan showing the program disstribution along the entire plot. Includes the Private Villas, Guest house, Festival Tent, Mosque and Streetdisstribution.
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North elevation - Private entrance
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South elevation - Public entrance
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TPC
Typological Correction Manhattan - New York, USA The selling of Counterfeiting products in Chinatown has become the main source of income for the retailers and the people living in Chinatown. In 2013 Council women Margaret Chin, proposed a law that will also criminalize the buyers of these products with a prison sentence of up to a year. This law will change the retail fabric of Chinatown, therefore the district will need to rely on a new source of production and income. The MADE IN CHINATOWN project envisions an alternative of new Manufacturing ecologies and residential spaces in the city. The project examines the existing typological conditions of the retail spaces on the ground, second floor and more specifically in the “back room�, where most of these activities happen. At first the project address the Made in Chinatown, but also provide Manufacturing spaces for outside investors. In collaboration with Pablo Lopez
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Project perspective mass plan
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Typology 1
Retail and restaurant program was noted typically at the ground level, specfically at this location teh kitchen was held at teh underground level, Providing space for the restaurant above.
Typology 2
Chinatown typical commrical building facade
Typology 4 Typology 4
Chinatown indoor commrical facility.
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This typology offers an unexpected commercial center. Three floors underground, starts from its main entrance at the ground floor level and goes down using electrical stairs between glass facades.
Typology 2
Typology 3
Typology 5
Typology 6
This condition is specific to this building only. There are three different levels that connect to the pedestrian sidewalk. In order to access the retail shop located at the upper level, the visitor must go up the stairs and turn left or right. Using that same landing tenants are able to access their apartments.
At this location the second floor was utilized as a unorthodox community center. The Gee How Oak Tin association is a non-profit organization that provides educational scholarships to qualified high school students, fund to emergency and local healthcare centers, language tutorials, business assistance, and social support to non english speaking within the Chinese community.
This typology offers shared access to the retail shops and residences of the building. All shops are noticed to be beauty shops targeting female clientele.
This building reveals a series of complex circulation patterns. An arcade that penetrates the ground floor of the building and stretches to the streets on both sides. This configuration allows for a huge number of retail spaces all along the arcade. On the other hand one of the stairs of the ground floor leads to a restaurant that occupies the entire third floor.
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Made In Chinatown
Overview of the proposed Manufacturing system implemented in Chinatown. Showing the relationship between the ground level, the towers and the top bridges.
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Section B: The communication within the same block
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ICE
Arctic Research Facility Greenland - Arctic Using color as study platform, color studies aim to understand and identify strategies on how to engage Architectural projects in the Arctic. The Arctic being a place with extreme weather and light conditions. A major color constraint is derived from three monochromatic arctic ecosystems undergoing rapid transformation: The Arctic Ocean, the Boreal Forest, and the Cryosphere. The project seeks to show how architects use color or light to represent their ideas in drawings, sketches or models. Color also being black and white. It is located in Greenland in the Arctic, and is composed of mainly of an ice core research facility with all its necessary equipment. Greenland provide a site with old age ice that dates from the Emian period becomes and interesting site for drilling ice cores. It will help scientist to understand the history of the earth as well as decode the complexities in the weather and the consequences of climate change.
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Temperature Analysis Color as a measurement tool
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Greenland - Arctic The process used engages with color and light to study the efficiency of the building in the arctic context. Color therefore show the alteration in temperature for each area of the project. It also examines the sources of light and the propagation of light towards the interior. The project in these conditions adapts by locating some of its programs, that needs to stay cold, imbedded within the ice, whereas the ones that needs heat are elevated to a level higher than the ground floor. It also orientates based on wind circulation, to reduce wind in some areas, and use the high wind to accumulate snow in other areas.
Wind Analysis
Color as a measurement tool
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ACT
Active Line Medawar - Beirut On the East entrance of Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, Medawar a coastal area is disconnected from the rest of Beirut. It is surrounded by the sea on the north and west side, by a river to the east and a large highway to its south. This part of the country went under continuous mutation due to wars that caused rural exoduses and emigrations. The main focus of this project is to find the most adequate solution to improve its environment. The project considers the location and how adding a station reestablishes a lost connection between different regions. It also works on market demand the surplus of introducing a mixed-use program. The project combines both public spaces and public transportation thus raisesv the value of the area and its inhabitants. It creates a multimodal space linking different aspects such as private and public vehicles, transportation, pedestrian walkways and rail tracks. This project can serve as a study and help develop several abandoned stations, on the Lebanese coast, using the same standards and technologies. * Thesis project: 1 year
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View from the Public Space
General Arial View
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Ground Floor Plan
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Duplex Type A
Duplex Type B
Cross section showing duplex units type A & B
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Wall sections: Office building curtain wall & Residential building Metal skin panels.
Office Building Elevation & Train Station Section
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Office Building Elevation & Train Station Section
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Wall sections: Office building curtain wall & Residential building skin panels
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DTL
Residential Complex Design development and construction documents for a residential complex in Sin El Fil, Lebanon.
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Wall sections: Office building curtain wall & Residential building skin panels
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0.0.0
Statless Bodies FALL 2015 - Echoing Borders Seminar The Political orientation of nations during crisis is also seen and understood through the death of a refugee. How much can we understand of these deaths and graveyards that are taking place in different countries and under different circumstances? In his book The deep times of the dead, Thomas Laqueur speaks about the importance of the dead body: The dead body mattered and matters everywhere and across time; in particular times and particular places. In the presence and absence of religion and God. It matters because almost always, the living need the dead more than the dead need the living. In this sense the graveyards becomes the place where not only the living gives respect to their loved ones but also the place where they identify themselves through their dead. The paper deals with death and stateless bodies. More specifically looks into the formal and informal graveyards in Jordan and Greece asking how they are thought, where and why are they established. Considering as well the causes of death and the importance and meaning behind burying a body in the context of asylum seekers, the Middle East culture and religion.
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MEDITERRANEAN SEA
SYRIAN REFUGEE
GREECE
TURKEY
TIMELINE STATUS: DEAD STATUS: ALIVE DEATH ZONE GRAVEYARDS
Trajectory lines of migrants and traces of death casualties.
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LOS
Lost Identities FALL 2015 - After Belonging Seminar During the time of transit and migration, people move, objects are displaced, and also territories are redefined. Even during these transit trajectories there is always some sort of character that sticks with a person shaping a specific identity representing him/her. In his book The mass ornament, Siegfried Kracauer when talking about the hotel lobby starts with elaborating on the aesthetic meaning of things: The aesthetic rendering of such a life bereft of reality, a life that has lost the power of self-observation, may be able to restore to it a sort of language‌ The unity of the aesthetic construct, the manner in which it distributes the emphases and consolidates the event, gives a voice to the inexpressive world, gives meaning to the themes broached within it. In this perspective representation can take form in a specific place or through an object, in a room or on a surface. What are the limitations of these kinds of representations? How much can they extend beyond the borders beyond the walls or surfaces that contain them, in order to project a sense of belonging?
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Lost Identities during forced migration
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Looking at the media and the news projected about this specfic case, the illustrations sketch the images found in these reports in order to depict the meaning and understand the notion of these space that are redefined by the activity taken place. As Designers-Architects what can we understand and how can we be involved during temporary settelments and forced migration.
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UrM
Urban Morphology Naher Beirut - Beirut The project consisted of a morphologic analysis of a part of Beirut River. The studied perimeter took parts of two regions, Rmeil Ashrafieh and Bourj Hammoud, separated by the Beirut River. The analysis started by comparing several assets in order to understand the transformation between 1960 and present time. Although the two regions surround the same river yet their urban tissues are completely different. While Rmeil is on a sloping site and had encountered multiple change is occupancy, Bourj Hammoud rests on flat land and initially served as a camp for the Arminian refuges. Small in area the neighbourhoods offer diverse urban tissues that are byproducts of the fragmentation and the topography of the site. Therefore, the comparison was done on three dimensions: time, location and occupation. The neighborhood was divided in 3 sectors to compare and analyze different levels such as built and non-built spaces, blocks, parcels and roads. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of all these factors on the urban morphology of the studied area. * Period of the project: 3 months In colaboration with Tatiana Stephan, Maurice Homsy, Marie-Joe Tabet & Stephanie Azar
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Urban silhouette that
follows the slop
Gabarit Green Integration
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Topography Plan
Non-Built Plan
Site Analysis - Urban Fabric maps
Sketches over site pictures, showing the existing or non-existing relationship between streets, buildings and public space.
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Parcels Plan
Parcels Plan
Built occupancy Plan
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