Portfolio 2023

Dorna Shfieioun

2015-2023

Introduction

This portfolio illustrates my journey in the field of architecture and interdisciplinary areas of art. Starting from an architecture student and a professional architectural designer in Iran to a Master’s student in London, dealing with issues of identity, authenticity, and critical thinking while expanding my cultural horizon and liberating my mind from the boundaries I had as an architectural designer.

As a young architect, I have always been curious about various ways of developing modern architecture based on cultural identity. Thus, during my studies in Iran, I have studied and employed traditional Iranian architecture principles, namely the importance of open spaces and voids, the presence of natural elements, climate-responsive architecture, and spatial diversity, to reach a design style with a regional character but compatible with modern lifestyle’s requirements. Working for two years in Iran as an architectural designer and a researcher later on, I have deepened my perception of building physics, construction details, and working in large groups of designers and engineers, but also affordable architecture, community-led projects, and experimenting with new materials.

Studying at the Bartlett School of Architecture, I have explored new definitions, new mediums, and new ways of thinking. I am more confident in my research skills and how to critically engage with various issues in the built environment, and more keen on interdisciplinary areas of art and architecture with a focus on sustainability, public engagement, and co-design.

Introduction

The Bartlett School of Architecture

Kilburn Grange Park Conversations

Column; The Storyteller

Other Works

The Bartlett School of Architecture

MA Architecture and Historic Urban Environments

2022-2023

Kilburn Grange Park Conversations

Design Practice for Historic Urban Environments

Group Project:

Dorna Shafieioun, Suhela Maini, Matthias Palla

‘Sustaining and designing commons is a challenge for architects today: designing as commoning, designing for sharing, designing collectively, accessibly in such a way that design is not perceived as a privilege and a commodity any more, it does not segregate and exclude but assemble, socialise and eventually politicise.’ 1

Looking for an opportunity to design for the community, we chose Kilburn Grange Park and the area around Kilburn Community Garden to focus on. In search of a framework to begin our process with, we realized the shortage of such tools for the professional facilitators willing to follow co-design principles. This realization, shifted our focus from designing a physical structure to creating a framework based on which community-based projects can be implemented and sustained. Moreover, to test and criticize the process, we proposed a small-scale community project in the context of Kilburn Grange Park as an example of how a design intervention can be planned with respect to this framework.

Plan of Work rsations

RIBA Plan of work provides architects with a tool to organize different stages of a building project throughout its life. Although, it might not be applicable to community projects seeking co-design principals to make the project for and by the community. In such projects a more cooperative, user friendly approach should be followed that may contradict with the somewhat patronizing point of view that RIBA Plan of Work suggests. As a result, we decided to alter this framework to provide a reference for designers and architects as professional facilitators intending to deliver small-scale community projects.

In order to design a new manual, we followed a critical approach towards the original Plan of Work as well as our altered version itself. Consequently, we tried to test the manual in the field, record every challenge carefully and edit and update the manual based on our findings. We consider this project as a process, not a finished product; with a self-critical attitude to make room for more explorations and improvements within the limited timeframe of this project and beyond.

SMALL SCALE COMMUNITY PROJECTS

This plan of work describes the process undertaken to deliver small-scale community projects with the help of design interventions by putting together a Project Programme. The different stages identified serve as a guidance to present the work to the community and can be used as stages to plan a community project that is adaptable, and sustained over a period of time. The manual works solely as a guide in the hope that communities at large can use and build by and for themselves.

(based on RIBA Plan of Work 2020).

SCOPE

OF WORK

STAGE BOUNDARIES

Stages 4-0 will generally be undertaken one after the other.

Stages 4 and 5 will overlap in the Project Programme for most projects.

Stage 5 commences when the protypes have been tested and feedback from the users/and community has been incorporated.

Stage 6 starts with the handover of the project entirely to the community, from whereon they manage the project by themselves. They run it and develop ways and means to understand and expand it.

Stage 7 starts concurrently with Stage 6 and lasts for the life of the intervention. It may be adapted over time as the needs of the community evolve.

SMALL SCALE COMMUNITY PROJECTS

A MANUAL FOR COMMUNITY BUILDERS

Facilitating the community in reaching their tasks and goals by using punctured architectural interventions, offering initial and sustained engagement. The guide is also aimes at invloving the community by transforming the members of community from merely users to stakeholders.

HANDOVER

3

DEFINITIONSTRATEGIC STAGEOUTCOME IdentifyaimsforprojectsandneedsofcommunityCORETASKS Identifyaimsofproject Defineareaofintervention EngageStartProjectResearchandSiteAnalysiswithcommunityathandtoidentifytheir

*Please Note: Stages 7 & 5,6 have not been tested at this time of the project, they are open to changes after they have been put through a round of testing.

*Please Note: Stages 7 & 5,6 have not been tested at this time of the project, they are open to changes after they have been put through a round of testing.

Siteonwork siteonupcomethatissuesanyResolveInvolveupcomesthatfeedbackanyforcommunityworkingwhileRecordprojectsfutureforsiteonprocesscycleprojectthroughbudgetMonitor

MANUFACTURING& CONSTRUCTION OUTCOMESTAGE coordinatesite,onworkOverseebetweenusers.andvolunteersteam,design

TASKSCORE workingteamsdifferentbetweenCoordinateMonitor

Siteonwork siteonupcomethatissuesanyResolveInvolveupcomesthatfeedbackanyforcommunityworkingwhileRecordprojectsfutureforsiteonprocesscycleprojectthroughbudgetMonitor

SPATIAL COORDINATION OUTCOMESTAGEidentifyingcommunity,fordesignFinalising communitythewithinfromvolunteers timelines.andbudgetsFinalising TASKSCOREusersfromfeedbackonbasedbriefdesignFinalise interventiondesignforscalesFinalisetimelineandBudgetOptions,FundingExplore ensuretocommunityinvolvetooptionsExplore ofusefromstreamsrevenueanyandusesustained projecttoapplicableifinterventions, projectforconstraintsIdentify

Stages of Work sations

The Project‘s Stucture based on the Plan of Work

STAGE II TESTING IDEAS

This is a summary of our second engagement with different groups of people in Kilburn Grange Park, in a series of interviews.

During these interviews, we made an attempt to test our initial ideas in the political and social settings of the park as well as understanding the communities’ needs.

This summary will assist us, designers, as a research tool to criticise the functionality of the network we previously discovered , and vto push our design process towards a more realistic and practical approach.

The first stage of the project includes first hand community engagements and spatial, ecological and social analysis of the chosen site. This research process is supposed to result in deeper understanding of the community’s collective needs and existing network and infrastructure which leads to conscious planning for co-design.

The second stage of the project includes testing our findings and ideas from stage I, to criticise the functionality of the networks we previously discovered and push our design process towards a more realistic and practical approach based on the community’s feedback.

The final stage of our work is an implementation of co-design ideas as a pop-up project based on our findings in stage I and II. This is rather a conclusion to the process we went through to discover what people need and find a way to make it happen despite all the barriers.

In a project based on co-design, community engagement is a process that starts before any decisions is made and goes beyond generating proposals. 2

Social Network Analysis

Looking for opportunities to intervene and generate a proposal, we tried to identify the existing networks based on which we could analyse the gaps and barriers within the networks as a starting point to strengthen and integrate the existing infrastructure into our design intervention.

Based on network analysis, we could identify gaps and barriers as another form of social analysis which implies the power imbalance, weak connections and unused potentials. This study can ultimately lead to an understanding of what people may need as a collective for more urban resilience that empowers them to be promoters of their own community.

The initial idea for the project was promoting a locally closed ecological chain that encourages active participation and self-managed use of possible common territories and leftover spaces within the community.

To test the new Plan of Work on ground and develop it based on practical challenges we face, we selected Kilburn Grange Park as a site for our experimental small-scale community project.

Visible and Invisible Network, Gaps & Barriers

Planning Process Guidlines, Policies and Funding

Considering Camden Council’s bureaucracy as one of the most determinizing factors in a project’s realization, we made a diagram to investigate the limitations as well as appropriate time and funding resources for our project’s implementation.

With the council proposing their masterplan 3 , our timeline had to fit in the timeframe of the next 2 years. The only way to achieve this during the given timeframe, considering the permissions and policies of the council, was through a pop-up that does not last more than two weeks.

PROJECT CONSTRAINT

A timeline illustrating the project constraint within existing developments

The additions that community is asking for is actually quite simple: a toilet, a sheltered seating space and a barbecue area for communal activities.

Pop-up Manual ns

Implementable by the local community

BUILD A POP-UP

A MANUAL FOR THE COMMUNITY

SMALL SCALE COMMUNITY PROJECTS KILBURN GRANGE PARK LONDON

Who is the Manual for?

This manual is designed for members of the Kilburn community. The manual contains interventions devised from reasearch and testing phases carried out with the users of the Kilburn Grange Park.

The manual makes an attempt to provide a framework for members of this community to build the interventions and modify them as their needs change. The pop-ups are designed to be maintained and run by the Kilburn community.

The interventions are designed as pop-ups that will be present in the park for a duration of two weeks, on the conditions that the funding and planning permissions from the council are met in the timeframe provided in the timeline.

The pop-up can be seen as a testing phase for making these intereventions a more permanent feature in the Kilburn Grange Park

*

Please Note that at this stage, in accordance with Stages 4 & 5 of the ‘Plan of Work’ manual, the prototypes have to go through another round of community testing.

BUILD A POP-UP

1. BUILD A TOILET 1x Module [1200mm 1200mm]

2. BUILD A BARBECUE 3x Module [1200mm 1200mm]

3. BUILD A SEATING AREA 4x Module [1200mm

The idea of the pop-up project is to empower people of the community to build the design interventions and modify them if their needs change. As a result, based upon the proposal, we came up with a modular-based design. The single module unit has been designed as a toilet, with the possibility of the units’ expansion to accommodate various functions. For example, the 3 and 4 module units can be proposed as a barbecue space and seating area.

In the pop-up manual we have covered the construction stages as well as maintenance and cleaning instructions, an almost complete manual for the community to build and sustain the units as a pop-up project.

BUILD A BARBECUE

Conclusion

Self-critical Approach

Design interventions especially if they involve a community’s collaboration are inescapably political. What started off as an ambitious community project to produce social processes to reinvent, maintain and reproduce the commons, became the documentation of an experimental process based on political and social challenges.

To conclude this self-critical process, we assessed our work based on the ethics of co-design to update the Plan of Work manual with a new focus on co-design principals and community’s active participations. As mentioned earlier, the project never ends, it’s a repeating cycle and the ending point, can be just another beginning.

Column: The Story teller

3D Scanning for Urban Environments Individual Project

There is no right or wrong way of experiencing the world. Each of us perceives our surrounding differently, based on our culture and social background as well as our personal interests and approach. This project illustrates the lens through which I see the world, not necessarily as an artist or a designer but as an explorer trying to re-tell forgotten stories.

Fascinated by sculptures, their forms, details, the story they carry, their materials, and the changes they have been through, I decided to conduct this experimental project to document, re-compose and re-create sculptures in a form of an architectural element. The project itself carries the story of my recent trip to Italy, where there is always a story to tell in the form of an artefact. The final output is not supposed to be a work of art, but a physically interpreted model holding the memory of this experiment.

Stage I: Documantation

Techniques and Softwares: Photogrammetry, Agisoft

The first stage of my work includes scanning sculptures using photogrammetry method and processing the data in Agisoft to create a series of 3D objects. Therefore, during my travel to different cities in Italy, I tried to capture and document sculptures of various size, material, age and physical appearance to represent the culture of the city.

Genoa is where my trip started. Sculptures could be found in a lot of places, in main squares celebrating warriors, on small fountains in random alleys, and mostly as building ornaments and niches.

Turin was my second destination. I saw a lot of sculptures around the city; especially in the parks and green spaces. Those sculptures were fairly modest; humbly surrounded by vegetation, slowly fading away in the background. The signs of deterioration were evident in their form as if they were left to be forgotten, untitled, and with no visitors.

Florence was my next trip. This city seems to be a heaven for sculptures. Unlike what I experienced in Turin, original and copies of great sculptures throughout the history were carefully maintained for visitors’ display.

Rome was my final destination, the capital city of Italy. The whole city was a museum, an exhibition of sculptures in different piazzas, random alleys, over the bridges, and famous buildings. Some of them were well-known and some contained great stories about their discovery and restoration.

Sample of Scanned Sculpures - Genoa - The Barchile (1697)

Sample of Scanned Sculpures - Turin - La Dora (1937)

Sample of Scanned Sculpures - Florence - Patroclus and Menelaus (240-230 B.C.)

Sample of Scanned Sculpures - Rome - Fontana del Nettuno (1878)

Stage II: Re-Composition

Techniques and Softwares: Agisoft, Rhino 7

1. Secondary Data Handling

During the second stage of the project, I extracted different fragments from each 3D object to provide sufficient material for the final collage. To do so, I edited the 3D mesh models in Agisoft, based on the model’s accuracy and levels of detail in the extracted bits. Sometimes it was just a head, sometimes it was a headless body, legs, or even textiles of statues’ clothing.

2. Collage Making

After extracting fragments from different sculptures, I exported the new 3D mesh models to compose the final collage in a form of a column in Rhino. Firstly, I made a base column with regard to the proportion of an actual column I have scanned in Rome. Subsequently, I added layers of extracted chunks to make the final output. Different chunks needed to be overlapping to cover each other’s holes and defects. During the composition process, some bits were scaled, some were attached to each other and some were omitted as they were flawed and disproportionate in accordance with the whole column.

Exracted chunks of the scanned scluptures

Stage II: Re-Composition

Techniques and Softwares: Agisoft, Rhino 7

Stage III: Re-Creation

Softwares and Techno;logies: Magics, GRABCad, SLS, Polyjet

In the previous stages of the project, the physical forms of the sculptures have been scanned and digitalized, decomposed, and recomposed in a new form. The final stage of the project includes bringing this recomposed model into a physical form, so the cycle of re-creation would be completed.

I decided to use the 3D printing method to bring the re-composed model into reality. To further explore the potential of different materials and technologies, I made two prototypes of the collaged column: a monochrome and a colored version. These two versions are completely similar in terms of size and shape, to highlight the difference that the color information would make.

The monochrome version was made using SLS, which prints models using opaque white powdered nylon. Prior to the print, the exported mesh model from Rhino needed some refinements to be ready for the print. Hence, the model was refined and rewrapped in Magics by adding thickness and merging different fragments to make a whole.

The colored version was made to add another layer of information showing the colors and textures using Polyjet. Using GrabCAD Print to prepare the model prior to the print, the base layer on which different chunks were composed was printed with VeroClear (the clear material) in comparison to VeroVivid (the colored material) to emphasize the collage nature of the column while exploring the machine’s features and various materials composition.

The Double Entendre of the Covered Truth

Final Project

(Un)Veiling // An exhibition based on stories of Iranian women

This journey unfolds from the women of Iran to a small enclosed space in London, and then to the individuals who visited and engaged with these Iranian women‘s stories through the exhibition‘s space.

Using Woman, Life, Freedom movement as a focal point, this project aims to bring attention to the transitionary concept of ‘self, home, city’ from traditional mindset to ungoing social changes in cotemporary context of Iran.

(Un)Veiling is an intervention in the space using veils along with mirrors and textual elements to communicate profound meanings. Considering women as agents of change, regardless of their age and background, the experiential exhibition is curated using headscarves and narratives gathered from eleven Iranian women residing within Iran, which changes as the viewer walks through the space: the double entendre of the covered truth.

*Visit the (Un)Veiling website for complete information and videos*

(Un)Veiling rsations

Exhibition // 5-7 August 2023

As one navigates the exhibition space, the process of unveiling takes place. To engage with the narratives, the observer is enveloped within the headscarves, feeling their embrace, experiencing their simultaneous transparency and concealment – a representation of the struggle to unearth the truth, the desire to unveil. Stepping inside, the viewer establishes a closer connection with the women who‘ve shared their experiences. Within each narrative, they glimpse a subtle reflection of themselves, suggesting that anyone could embody the depicted figure.

In contrast to the headscarves that symbolize the veiled concept of ‚self, home, city‘ in the traditional mindset, the mirrors embody the idea of the unveiled truth. Beyond the layers and layers of veils, which might hinder viewers from perceiving their genuine reflections, mirrors are affixed to the walls, similar to those found within homes.

The presence of eleven mirrors, each one designated for a woman and her story, adds a personal touch to the setup. This arrangement establishes a visual representation of the connection between the women‘s experiences and the idea of self-reflection.

Embrace of Headscarves Visitors‘ Feedback

Narratives on Mirror Cards

Mirrors and Self-reflection

Exhibition Space Visitors‘ Experiences

Other Works

Animations and Videos: Experimenting new mediums

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Animation // Narratine the story of Kilburn‘s different communities

https://youtu.be/kMRBSFsHZpg

Overheard Conversations

Film // Documentation of public engagement in Kilburn Grange park and community garden

https://youtu.be/0pOuU1zdyO4

Stopmotion Model Video

Stopmotion// The process of model making and different layers of the project

https://youtu.be/0Hj-DoetN6c

Shahid Beheshti University // Professional Projects

Architectural Engineering // Architectual Design

2015-2021

01

Office-Commercial Complex

Academic Project

Year: 4th Year, Term 7&8, 2018

Architectural Design: Individual Project Technical Design: Group Project

Team: Dorna Shafieioon, Aria Torabi

Role: Architectural Developments, Structural Design and Calculations, Detail Design and Wall Sections

Supervised by: Dr. Matin Alaghmandan (m_alaghemandan@sbu.ac.ir)

Location: Tehran, Iran

Built-up Area: 12000 m2

Structure: Steel Framing System with Concrete Slab

Designing mid-rise and high-rise buildings are among the toughest challenges in modern capital cities as these buildings play a crucial role in the city’s skyline, the passers-by encounter, and energy matters.

This project was about designing a 12-story multifunctional building including commercial and cultural spaces along with offices, which should have been able to serve the neighborhood, and maybe beyond, in one of the most significant parts of Tehran in terms of access and function. Besides the architectural design, all of the required technical drawings and details were also prepared to design more realistic and comprehensive in the form of BIM. These drawings present the building in four disciplines: architecture, structure, mechanical, and electrical.

Initial hand drawing sketch of the project

Where and For Whom?

Site and User Analysis

The project’s site has located between two dominant streets in terms of communication and business, Gandhy and Valiasr street, with about a 17m height difference, connected by a walking path between green areas. Because of the exceptional location, the building will be on a 3400m2 land, free from all sides.

Big Corporations

Passer-by: A place to rest and chill!

Open

Spaces in connection with nature to relax while enjoying great views of surrounding vegetations and mountains in between the mass for different users.

Open sapace and Terrace

Spaces in connection with nature to relax while enjoying great views of surrounding vegetations and mountains in between the mass for different users.

Spaces connected with nature to relax while enjoying great views of surrounding vegetation and mountains in between the mass for different users

Residential Buldings

Offices Shopping Mall

Medical Sercives Restaurants Shops

Emloyee: A more vibrant workplace! Resident: A place for entertainment!

Salesperson: A more attractive store!

Costumer: A more diverse shopping space!

Employees Lounge

A place to rest and communicate with other employees in the building, have a meal or a snack, with adequate facilities.

Cultural Activities

Vibrant Workspace

Shops with various qualities for an easier access for the local and costumers and a wide storefront for a more enjoyable purchase.

To provide the users for entertainment and the possibility of cultral exchange while visiting the gallery or going to the cinema in the neighbourhood.

Employees Lounge

A place to rest and communicate with other employees in the building, have a meal or a snack, with adequate facilities.

A place to rest and communicate with other employees in the building to have a meal or a snack, with adequate facilities

Shops

Shops with various qualities for an easier access for the local and costumers and a wide storefront for a more enjoyable purchase.

Shops with various qualities for easier access for the local and costumers and a wide storefront for a more enjoyable purchase

Cultural Activities

To provide the users for entertainment and the possibility of cultral exchange while visiting the gallery or going to the cinema in the neighbourhood.

To provide the users with entertainment and the possibility of cultural exchange while visiting the gallery or going to the cinema in the neighborhood

Veriety of offices with different qualities (open office and regular ones) for different requirements. in connection with terraces, other offices and large common spaces.

Vibrant Workspace

Open spaces and Terraces Employees Lounge Shops Cultural Activities Vibrant Workplace

Veriety of offices with different qualities (open office and regular ones) for different requirements. in connection with terraces, other offices and large common spaces.

Variety of offices with different qualities (open office and regular ones) for different requirements connected with terraces, other offices, and large common spaces

Design Process

The design process of the building is closely related to the project’s site and technical requirements as well as architectural considerations. Firstly stepped terraces are designed to be the extension of the nearby parks and resemble the stairs connecting the two streets between which the building is located. This gradual setback also avoids blocking the view of those passing by. Finally, the glass boxes, which are one of the project’s main features, reflect the voids inside, providing interaction while allowing the building to receive the most natural light.

< View from the northwest of the project

View from the southwest of the project <

1. Site Development

4. City’s Extension

7. Veriaty of Terraces

2. Pull back the office tower

5. Functional Diversity

8. Glass Boxes

3. Stepped Terraces

6. Void for more light

9. Vertical Vegetation

Programming

This building consists of four main functions: commercial, cultural, and parking as the base building and the office as the tower. All different spaces had been organized to be easily accessible by their users from the variety of entrances besides staying connected visually to one another. In addition to the main required program, numerous communal areas had been designated to enhance the visitors’ interaction with each other and their neighborhood which is the project’s ultimate objective.

View from the south side of the project

The base buildings’ floors have a linear and core plan arrangement, divided into 2 parts by the central core. The hallways are faintly transparent spaces, situated around the voids with large windows and glass-wall stores surrounding them.

From the office building’s eight stories, two of them are allocated to open offices with curtain walls on all sides to be distinct from the outside. The open offices are designed to be interactive and diverse, allowing people to experience a flexible workplace in connection with their co-workers and other offices through voids and glass boxes.

General office tower’s floors consist of 4 or 2 regular offices with various rooms and sections. Each office had been designed uniquely to study different alternatives of office arrangements for a variety of purposes and requirements. All of the rooms receive natural light and are able to use the terraces’ view and space.

1. Entrance

2. Lobby

3. Bank

4.Temorary Exhibitions

5. Vestibule

6. Shops

7. Mechanical Room

8. Waiting Room

9. Office

10. Meeting Room

11. Kitchen

12. Restroom

13. Lounge

14. Terraces

3rd Floor Plan- Main Entrance (+18.00 )

Scale: 1.750

Scale: 1.500

Scale: 1.500

9th Floor Plan (+44.00)

10th Floor Plan (+48.00)

Technical Drawings and Details

Sonbolestan Hostel

Academic Project

Year: Final thesis, Term 9, 2019

Individual Project

Supervised by: Dr. Matin Alaghmandan (m_alaghemandan@sbu.ac.ir)

Location: Isfahan, Iran

Built-up Area: 4500 m2

Structure: Concrete Framing with Concrete Slab

Iran is of great significance in cultural, historical, and natural attractions with numerous unused potential in the tourism industry. Among its several amazing cities, Isfahan is one of the most popular destinations for travelers worldwide. However, the importance of staying in a hostel that provides for an economical, vibrant experience enabling people to expand their cultural horizon has been constantly overlooked in this city, making it a less probable destination for foreign visitors.

Since architecture is believed to have a social objective of serving and developing the community, I proposed this project as my final thesis to design in the cultural and traditional context of the city. During the project, I made an effort to employ my knowledge to make a difference in my hometown by preserving original Iranian architectural values while introducing modern principles in a new function.

Initial hand drawing sketch of the project

Historical houses being used as hotels in Sonbolestan st

Residential buildings with relatively religious elderly residents

Noticable vegetation with diverse types of trees, almost taller than the buildings

Site Analysis

The site of the project has been chosen with regard to a hostel’s requirements; for it to be in the traditional context of the city and close enough to tourist attractions. As most of Isfahan’s sights are located in district 3, the project is decided to be located here, at the corner of Abdolrazagh and Sonbolestan streets.

Capacity: 200

Low-rise small buildings; mostly commercial in Abdolrazagh st

Abdolrazagh St

Valiasr St Kohneh Square Sonbolestan St

Chahar Bagh Paeen St Hatef St

3.2 Km to: Zayaderood River, Khajoo Bridge

1.5 Km to: Naqsh e Jahan Square, Hasht Behesht Palace

0.8 Km to: Kohne Square, Jame Mosque, Hakim Bazaar

2.

Programming

How to fulfill the project’s purpose?

As the main objective of a hostel is to provide people with an economical stay while enabling them to interact with other tourists to exchange culture, the majority of this building is allocated to communal areas for socializing and various activities in the form of indoor spaces, multiple yards, and terraces. The rooms, thus, are only for resting and retaining luggage.

Staying at a hostel is generally based on sharing. This project consists of 24 rooms and has the capacity of 184 guests, 14 of whom are staying in private double rooms. The rooms benefit from sufficient light and view as small side yards have been designed to serve both rooms and hallways.

2nd Floor Plan- Rooms (+4.14)

Circulation

To value the historical context of this neighborhood, the project follows some main principles of traditional Iranian architecture: spatial diversity, the significance of open spaces, axial design, and the use of traditional materials. Therefore, a 45-degree axis has been defined alongside Abdolrazagh and

intersection, where important spaces have been situated.

Sonbolestan’s

1. Porches Along The Sidewalk, resembling historical alleys, keep the building connected with the neighborhood

2. Small Yards in between the mass to provide light and view, keeping the building connected with the nature

3. The Connection Joint between main yards, since the yards are distinct characters yet visually connected.

Beheshte Niatus Tower

Professional Project

Year: 2020-2021

Team: Amirhossein Sahiholnasab, Bijan Vaziri, Fatemeh Taheri, Faezeh Hasamkhan, Soheila Kiani, Dorna Shafieioun

Role: Shop drawings and detail design of Terraces and Facade

Supervised by: Bijan Vaziri

Location: Tehran, Iran

Built-up Area: 70000 m2

Structure: Concrete Framing System with Prestressed Concrete Slab

Niatus tower is a 30-story residential building in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Tehran, with 60 apartment units. The building’s most significant architectural characteristic is its terraces, enabling it to integrate with nature vertically. In the project’s technical design, the team tried to use modern technologies and products in various parts to design as sustainably as possible.

During six months of my presence in the team, I collaborated with different teams of design, construction, mechanics, and landscape on terraces, planters, and ceramic façade, which contributed to my more profound understanding of building physics and various technical aspects requirements of a building to coordinate different disciplines.

Ceramic Facade and Terraces

Shop drawings of each floor plan have been provided to demonstrate the arrangement of ceramics, glass railings, and terraces types to ensure the least material waste by modularizing them.

I Shape Planter

Aluminium Rail

Laminated

2nd Floor Plan, Ceramic Facade Plan

Scale: 1.400

I Shape Planter

Aluminium Rail

Laminated

Glass

Horizontal

Strip Light

Type A

I Shape Planter

Glass Glass

Horizontal Horizontal

Aluminium Rail

Laminated

Strip Light Strip Light

Type B

Type C

Looking at terraces in more details

All the terraces’ and planters’ details have been carefully designed and drawn in various forms of 3D, exploded diagrams, and sections regarding modern technologies and products, namely handrails, root-resistant waterproofing, raised- flooring and so forth. During this process, both architectural and technological aspects of each element have been considered so the building would have an appealing appearance and a long life-cycle compared to other buildings of the same class.

Details

All of the details related to terraces and ceramic facades have been produced, so accurate surveying and estimating would be possible. In addition, these drawings may guarantee an exact construction based on what has been designed.

General Details of the facade and terraces have been accurately drawn on a 1:1 scale. Some of the profiles shown in these detail are uniquely customized for this project, such as strip lights, aluminum cover profiles using clamp connections, and connector profiles to ensure the detail’s stability.

05 Small Ashayeri Library

Competition: Nomadic Library Design

Held by: Iran Fablab (info@fablab.ir)

Year: 2021

Group Project

Team: Dorna Shafieioon, Aria Torabi

Role: Initial Research and Analysis, Architectural Design, Detail design, Rendering and Post-production

Location: Iran

Built-up Area: 40-60 M2

Structure: Wooden Framing

Proper cultural infrastructure and facilities are crucial for every community. Nomads or “Ashayer” account for more than 1.5% of Iranian’s population, and despite leading numerous domains of art and science, they have always suffered from a lack of adequate cultural facilities such as libraries and schools.

The challenge of designing a portable library for various tribes of Iranian nomads was posed by Iran Fablab in collaboration with Iran Public Libraries’ Institution. This library should function as a place for cultural interaction, IT services, and education, along with its’ traditional role as a place to borrow and read books. It is of great importance to consider each tribe’s unique cultural values and technological considerations while designing.

Initial hand drawing sketch of the project

Northwest and West nomads consist of various tribes, including Shahseven and Bakhtiari. They Live in cold weather beside mountains in tents made of goats’ hair to keep warm during the winter and circulate the air in summer. They also have exquisite art crafts in various colors and forms.

Where and For Whom?

Iranian Nomads’ Habitats and Traditional Homes

West Nomads consist of Ghashghaee and Kurd tribes, living in relatively moderate habitats on hillsides of the Zagros mountains. They usually accommodate in rectangular-shaped tents, which are less decorated and lively than the Bakhtiaris’, though they have numerous unique traditions and customs.

There are 1 million Iranian nomads or “Ashayer” living in 104 ethnic groups, divided into four groups based on their culture and habitat’s climates similarities. Coming from original, unique culture, they all live sustainably in close interaction with nature. It is of great significance, thus, to study each ethnic’s and tribe’s aesthetics and living habits carefully. In addition, seasonal migration, various placements, and Iran’s diverse climate should be considered to guarantee climate comfort. Finally, as Ashayer tend to live entirely on their own, each group has their own traditional housing, made of traditional handcrafts and natural materials.

Northeast Nomads consist of Turkoman and some other Kurdish and Turkish tribes. Living by the Caspian Sea has enabled them to benefit from pleasant weather as well as numerous greeneries. Besides, as they live by the borders, the diversity of their customs is noticeable and different from other tribes.

South Nomads consist of Arab and Baloch tribes who accommodate in the deserts under severely harsh weather conditions. They live in circular-shaped tents made of wood, straws, and other natural materials. As a result of limited natural resources, these tribes have special characteristics.

Alachigh

Kapar

Bohun

Bohun

Alachigh

Design process Initial Steps Module’s features Arrangements

Designing for Ashayer can be challenging since they have an independent lifestyle with a rich culture and tradition of art, housing, and techniques. As a result, this project has been designed based on Ashayer’s current housing and their specific sense of art and space to be compatible with their desires.

Since Ashayer are constantly migrating, it is also vital for these freestanding structures to be easily transported, assembled, and dismantled by Ashayer themselves without any help from specialists.

Furthermore, innovative details and the use of modern technology are also essential factors in this design to develop Ashayer’s current technical knowledge regarding their own traditions.

2. Functions

2. Flexibility

1. Modules

3. Surfaces

3. Extentions

1. West Tribes: Turkish and Kurdish 2. Northwest Tribes: Trukish and Lor 3. Northeast Tribes: Turkoman 4. South Tribes: Arabic and Baloch 5. Central Areas’ Tribes

How to assemble the module?

The main idea of these modules is the folding surfaces, a combination of structure and covering material. Each module consists of 7 of these surfaces and two individual columns. Besides these portable surfaces, the modules must be adaptable to various weather conditions. Thus, the structural details and cover material are designed flexible enough to enable the module to alter and become sloped when needed.

Needless to say, each of these elements is entirely replaceable by natural materials in case of any damage without any external interference.

Modules and Furniture Arrangments

A variety of closed, open, and semiopen spaces

A closed area to retain the heat, made of traditional fabrics

Diverse and flexible arrangement based on the tribes’ culture

For air to be circulated easily to mitigate the hot weather

Enabling numerous ways of interaction based on their culture

1.300

1. West Tribes

Scale:

2. Northwest Tribes

3. Northeast Tribes

4. South Tribes

5. Central Tribes

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Alternative 1 Maquette

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