ANAM I. AHMED
Architectural & Design selected work 2015-2023
POWERSCAPES Academic Project GSAPP Fall Studio / Transscalar Towers Instructor: Andres Jaque TA: Marylnn Pauline Antaki Group: Rafaela Olivares, Victoria Macchi & Anam Ahmed
Powerscapes addresses the gendered dimensions of the climate crisis by focusing on women and the disruption of their socio- economic setups which consequently forces them to migrate.It functions as a prototype proposing a new urbanism that is an urgent need to adapt to this crisis. Responding to the massive global migrations that have left women and their dependants homeless this project attempts to rethink the way climate refugees and the knowledge
they bring with them is valued. It reimagines living models by creating communal spaces for domestic labor and simultaneously creates spaces such as the market and workshops to empower them financially. Powerscapes falls under the realm of public housing and pushes the notion of how housing in our cities needs to adapt to these global shifts in populations.
SLIT x COURT HOUSE Personal Project Lahore, Pakistan/ 2014-2015 Role: Project Architect
The Slit x Courthouse was my first independant project. It is a 6500sqft residential project located in Lahore, Pakistan. This residence had a very unique design brief with respect to the conventional design practice. The client required open spaces and a personal view for each room. The eventual design incorporates this particular aspect by focusing on traditional planning methodologies. Each room has a private open space hence there is a seamless indoor to outdoor transition. The courts are screened to provide privacy and allow the sWWpaces to be useable. A central light/ venitlation shaft is also made keeping the successful local traditions of design in mind and work well with the climate of Lahore, allowing each room to be thoroughly ventilated and well lit.
Bed indicidual courtyard
First Floor Plan
Front Elevation- Street View
Ground Floor Plan
Basement Floor Plan
Bed studio space
Open plan living space and garden
Split section
Clockwise from top : Court 1, Main court on first floor / Atrium on grounf floor / View of cantileverd Porch roof housing the main couryard / Slit in hanging volume
Kitchen and Family room
JKL ResidenceResidence Combined Architecture Role: Project Manager + Lead w/ Principal UES, New York, NY Aug 2022- Ongoing
Located in the heart of the Upper east side, JKL residence is a 2800 sf apartment on the 27th floor. The apartment has exposure to three sides and a balcony that overlooks the skyline of the city. The original apartment consists of narrow hallways and small rooms and segregated spaces. The first design move was to remove the hallways and breakfast area around the kitchen and open up the space from
the entrance all the way to the terrace adding a gallery in the apartment. All the main rooms and 2 hallways open into the gallery. The use of fluted panels and custom C trim frames the panels alternating between fluted and flat. Each space off of the gallery has a framed panel or portal that allows for the transition from the gallery space into the next room.
SUN ROOM 174 SQ. FT.
PR. ROOM 1
WINE
LEGEND EXISTING CONSTRUCTION NEW CONSTRUCTION DINING ROOM 236 SQ. FT.
NEW MILLWORK
LIVING ROOM 403 SQ. FT.
Details Banquette and Kitchen
PARTITION WALL TYPE /HOURLY RATING (SEE A 700.00) WINDOW #
S
0"
3'-
Ø
50 CFM MECHANICAL EXHAUST
GALLERY
M
CARBON MONOXIDE / SMOKE DETECTOR
LAMINATE WITH MOLD RESISTANT DRYWALL
BATH 2 41 SQ. FT.
GENERAL NOTES
· ANY MATERIAL UNCOVERED DURING THE
BEDROOM 2 189 SQ. FT.
WIC 1
PANTRY 36"
KITCHEN 145 SQ. FT.
FOYER
REF 36"
OVEN 32"
DW
PRIMARY BEDROOM 297 SQ. FT.
OFFICE 81 SQ. FT.
COURSE OF THE WORK THAT MIGHT CONTAIN ASBESTOS MUST NOT BE DISTURBED UNTIL PROPER TESTING IS PERFORMED. IF ASBESTOS IS FOUND TO BE PRESENT, IT WILL BE ABATED BY A LICENSED ASBESTOS ABATEMENT CONTRACTOR FOLLOWING ALL APPLICABLE CODES AND COMPLIANCES · CONTRACTOR MUST FOLLOW SAFE WORK PRACTICES REGARDING MATERIALS THAT Elevation Guest Bathroom MIGHT CONTAIN LEAD, AS PER EPA REQUIREMENTS AND ALTERATION AGREEMENT. · *WINDOW DEMOLISHED, PROVIDED AND INSTALLED BY OTHERS. GC TO COORDINATE TIMING AND LOGISTICS
ARCHITECT'S STATEMENT PROPOSED RENOVATION WILL NOT HAVE ANY NEGATIVE EFFECT ON THE BUILDING'S EXISTING SYSTEMS OR STRUCTURE.
CL1
PRIMARY BATH 101 SQ. FT.
1
PLAN SCALE: 1/8" = 1'-0"
N
Floor Plan
PR. ROOM 2
Elevation Kitchen
1
GALLERY - EAST SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0" 2'-10"
3
4'-0 1/8"
1'-10"
6'-11"
GALLERY - WEST SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0" 1'-10"
6'-4 3/8"
1'-10"
3'-1"
1'-10"
5'-5"
1'-10"
CL
2'-10 1/2"
CL
Ø3'-6"
5'-7"
2
GALLERY - SOUTH SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0" 2'-10 1/2"
1
Gallery Render
1'-10"
3'-0 1/4"
3'-0 1/4"
1'-10"
GALLERY - EAST SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0" 2'-10"
4'-0 1/8"
6'-0"
3 1'-10"
6'-11"
1'-10"
5'-3 5/8"
1'-10"
6'-4 1/2"
1'-10"
GALLERY - WEST SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0" 1'-10"
6'-4 3/8"
1'-10"
3'-1"
1'-10"
5'-5"
CL
4
1'-10"
2'-10 1/2"
CL
GALLERY - NORTH SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0"
1
GALLERY - EAST SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0" 2'-10"
4'-0 1/8"
Ø3'-6"
5'-7"
Gallery Elevations GALLERY - SOUTH 2
SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0"
Threshold Panels Details
5'-0 7/8"
1
GALLERY - EAST SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0"
3
GALLERY - WEST SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0"
3 1'-10"
6'-11"
GALLERY - WEST SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0" 1'-10"
6'-4 3/8"
1'-10"
EL SITIO FELIZ Parsons Design Build Workshop Role: Designer, Builder, Manager Team Project Jan-Aug 2016
Parsons Design Build Workshop is an annual Design Build program offered by Parsons. The objective is to design and build community projects specifically for those in need.
The brief also required a lot of additional seating and hence a series of benches are introduced along the edges of the garden allowing for play spaces to sit between them and the garden beds.
El Sitio Feliz is a community garden attached to the union settlement in East Harlem, New York City. This community garden is occupied with a wide demographic and old and young people alike. The clients brief asked for a central main deck with partial shade for jazz concerts, performances and dance events.
A complete student project the Design Build Workshop enables and equips students with building knowledge and makes them familiar with woodworking, steel work, operating heavy and light machinery and management skills.
Left : Deck and Canopy Right: West Benches
Above: Canopy Section details Left: Canopy Plan
Bench Model / Scale 1’= 1/4”
Bench Mock up / Scale 1:1
Constructed Bench
East Bench Construction Drawings
House no. 18 MOS Architects Role: Designer, Model Maker, CD Team Project Sep-Nov 2020
Physical Model
House no. the 19 or Linear house was designed using the 3m width of the plywood as the defining constraint of the width for the house. This allowed for the linear expansion along the slope of the site with the rear decks facing the valley.
platform without needing to entirely excavate the ground below for setting the base. The multiple volumes above are chimneys and skylights with one of them being a bulkhead to allow for a roof viewing deck.
The house is propped up on stilts and appears as if floating in the forest. The stilts allow for leveling the
The entire model and all its components were made by hand.
Physical Model rear elevation
Axon rear facade screenshot
Physical model Plan
Axon front facade screenshot fatline elevation and plan
Physical Model: Assembly
Physical model: Plants, stools , 03 Stacking chairs
Physical Model: Stair of parts
Model in Progress
Ef- ZIN
wellbeing market Summer Studio GSAPP / Market Values Instructor: Tei Carpenter TA: Marylnn Pauline Antaki Group: Niki Kourti & Anam Ahmed
Ef- Zin is an ancient greek term that translates to “wellbeing”. It is a cooperative that replaces money as a currency with time banking. It challenges the notion that well-being is a luxury, by making it accessible to anyone and everyone in New York City .To propose alternatives to capitalism, Ef-Zin employs a time banking currency that uses labor from doctors, therapists, train ers, chefs, gardners to people with unskilled labor in need of a community to be a part of. Research has shown the unhealthy and stressful lifestyle of the average new yorker hence it pushes forth the idea of rethinking what it means to be healthy and not just merely functioning.
(top) view yoga garden (left) view market courtyard
2nd floor Plan
HOME
objects, notions & other things
Home
objects, notions & other things Spring Studio GSAPP / Maker Graph Instructor: Ada Tolla & Giuseppe Lignano
As part of the maker graph studio the book Home, was developed through a process of thinking through making and thinking through book making. The project developed in parallel with weekly material explorations and preoccupations. The book explores the pertinent question of what home means to me .Through a series of investigations of meanings attached to objects and notions such as access safety and expression based on gender it transcends the notion that home is a place, rather explores that home is the culmination of something as tangible as objects of affection, to basic human rights, to default identities and developed notions. Following are excerpts of spreads from the book. This book operates from both sides. Where the english ends, the Urdu begins and where the Urdu ends the English begins. It is a consistent narration of the short stories, anecdotes and processes in both Urdu and English simultaneously. It is a play on my identities, my interaction and journey with an inherent and learnt identity.
Vol. 1 Makergraph Anam Izhar Ahmed
Page count: 200 pages. Saddle stitch binding Fabric Hard cover: digital & screen print
Prologue sea
Preface
breathe
wonder living
create studio
gabba
found
blue
expression the house
all the things/zabaan
strata
memory kitchen
dream
bedroom
chaawal
shawl
armor
Epilogue sky Makergraph studio Spring 2020
home fixation objects
This book asks a very pertinent question, a question that has been occupying my mind for many years. What is home? It traces the journey through imaginary spaces, with real objects, notions and ideas. It tries to understand that home transcends the notion of place and is formed by objects, memories, tastes, identity and freedom. That home is a formulation of manythings, some tangible and some intangible, some inherent and some learnt. It understands nostalgia, and expression. Existing realities and hopes. The reality of the sky and the hope for water. This is a book about being home, no matter where I am.
ت ل ےہ اور ایس رطح اسسن ی ا
And so it did, to some degree, it expands and contracts with air.
اسسن
inhales
اسسن وھچڑان exhales
This object explored the abilities of wood as a material. It understands that wood has limitations of size. Hence the object uses scrap pieces all that were discarded in the wood shop.
ت ی الصحوں یک اس ارتعاض ےن وطبر وماد ڑکلی یک وھکج یک۔ �ی اتھجمس ےہ ہک ڑکلی ےک اسزئ یک دحود � ح ڑکلی یک داکن ی م اضعئ وہےن وہیت ہ ی�۔ ذہلا �ی پ ی ر ی پ رکس� ڑکٹوں اک اامعتسل رکیت ےہ۔ واےل امتم
� � اہرل ی � اھت بج ی �ی بت کت ہ ی م رشمیق ی ا� ڈ�ی رانئ ڈلب اوٹسڈ�ی و ےک م ی ہک ی، ا� اپرک انبےن اک ومعق ہن اپؤں م ےن وایعق اس ےصح ےک وطر رپ ی امدے ےک ابرے ی م اانپ وشق در ی�اتف ی کا۔
exhale It wasn’t until I had the chance to build a park in east harlem as part of a design build studio, that I truly discovered my passion for the material.
Plan
1- LIVING [l1, l2, l3, d1] 2- KITCHEN [k1, k2] 3- STUDIO [s1, s2, s3, s4] 4- BED [b1,b2] 5- BATH [bt1- bt4] 6. GARDEN [g1,g2,g3] 7. STORAGE [s1-s8] 8. COURT [c1-c14] 9. MECHANICAL [m1-m6] 10. DECK 11. HAMMOCK 12. POOL 13. FLOATING RAFT 14. ACCESS
6 7
2
6
8
3
8
7
2
12
3
7
9
8
1 5
5
11 3
11
9
1
7
8 3
1
1
8
4
9
5 0
5
10
plan elevation 70’-0”
20
8
120’-0”
4
home
POWER TOWER Evolo Sky Scrapper entry 2018 Team: Aaron Albinder, Hanieh Naviepour, Anam Ahmed
The design of the tower is focused on generating maximum wind potential at the top of the building. Due to the fact that a majority of the building is not a habitable space for people, views to the outside were not necessary. For this reason, we designed a wind turbine system that could be applied directly into the building’s façade. Lastly, a mega turbine was installed on the building’s roof in order to reach the needed kwh of energy to charge the 2,000 cars yearly. With our skyscraper we are providing approximately 2,000 parking spaces that will charge cars using
100% renewable resources. This futuristic tower is equipped with multiple wind turbine devices, that will be able to provide enough energy to charge all 2,000 cars. With the rise of ride-sharing programs in New York, we predict these companies will be the first to make the switch to all electric vehicles. Today Uber and Lyft have already begun investing in significant electric car fleets. By locating ourselves within Midtown Manhattan, the most popular ride sharing destination, we hope to become the leading parking garage for ride sharing programs.
MAIN TURBINE OBSERVATORY
FACADE TURBINE
OBSERVATORY DECK EVENT SPACE
Exterior rendering OBSERVATORY DECK
The Car Charging tower is designed to the dimensions of a standard New York City Block, which allows for locating future towers on the New York City grid. CAR FREIGHTanywhere ELEVATOR
AUTOMATIC CHARGING PORT
LOOP RAMP
Plan
Section Perspective
Circulation
Shez Chair
Tukra end table
Maiz
Smerlo Cabinet
kar-Aa which stands for Karkhana (workshop) -Anam Ahmed was formed by me to take on an informed and accessible approach to design. From its inception it explores the use of craftsmanship, local materials and the limits of designing objects.
karda Furniture Shop Original Furnitue Pieces 2018-19 Lahore, Pakistan
The furniture pieces are often designed taking inspiration from local materials such as the woven bands used for traditional beds (charpai) and explore it in a smaller, affordable contemporary design context. Similarly the waste table was inspired by waste wooden pieces to come together and form geometric patterns. laal Bench
NJ POOL HOUSE Firm: SRDW Role : Project Architect Bedian, Lahore - 2014
The NJ Pool house was my first independent project at SR Design Works. I worked on this project in the capacity of Project Architect and took on the project from initial client meetings with the schematic design, site visits and developed the design and construction documents. The Pool house is a 4000 sq ft project located in the farm lands that surround Lahore. It was conceived as a weekend home for the client and developed on a 2 acre property. The masterplan and placement of the pool house is designed to allow for future expansion of a family home.
The project was developed while working closely with the landscape architect so as to allow for a certain element of privacy and also with the pool engineer to develop an infinity pool that overlooks the lush garden of the property. The materials used for the project were in earthy themes and local slate stones. The space designed is a one bedroom residence with a kitchen/ dining and powder bath and large living space for lounging and entertaining .
Front Elevation
Top: Interior living space Bottom: View of pool from
Layout Plan
Front Elevation 3
4
5
6
7
8
9
PARAPET TOP LEV. +17'-6" FROM R.LEV. ROOF TOP LEV. +16'-4" FROM R.LEV.
FINISH FLOOR LEV. +5'-0" FROM R.LEV. +5'-0"
FINISH DECK LEV. +1'-6" FROM R.LEV. +1'-6" ENTRANCE
POOL
ROAD LEV. ±0'-0" FROM R.LEV.
±0'-0"
MACHINE ROOM
EXISTING SOIL LEVEL EGL -2'-0" FROM R.LEV.
2
3
3a
FRONT ELEVATION section at aa
4
5
6
7
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9
Plant and Paint Party
Vacant Retail Jackson Heights Field Office
Neighborhoods Now: FIELD OFFICE Volunteer Project: Summer 2020 Van Allen Institurte and Urban Design Forum MOS Architects team: Anam Ahmed (project lead), Qiazi Chen
Field Office
Neighborhoods Now is a collaboration between Van Allen institute and Urban Design Forum to provide support to hard hit communities impacted by COVID-19. As part of the Volunter Architects Limited, I led to project represening MOS Architects to work with 89nd street partner ship in Jackson Heights, Queens. The primary focus was to doument vacant spaces and
Field office table construction
inturn activate a vacant site to establish a Field Office which became the center of information for the community. Along side we explodred the design language of a community table, a modular piece made with leftover donated plywood to imagine the endless possibilites of community gatherings and events. We also developed the work jacket inspired byt the kurta (a traditional south asian garment) for the wokrers assiting the community.
Field office screenshot
Kurta Jacket for field research
Field office Axon
Cut out desk layout studies
SOAKER BLOCKS Parsons Design Studio 03 / Gowanus+50 Faculty: Amy Milke & Rebecca Hill Gowanus +50 aims to look at historic gowanus canal and the potential of water infrastructures to rescue sapce that are greatly affected by climate change and urbanization. Soaker Blocks is an innovative 3 fold system: Upland, Midland and Lowland. The Upland system retrofits exisiting infrastructure with blue roofs. The lowland strategy benefits from the soft permable scape to make the edge resilient. But it is the midland where Soaker Blocks are positioned as these strategically chosen blocks form a plateue in the gradient of the watershed which allows for maximum absorbtion of rainfall water flowing downhill. The Soaker Blocks consolidate the footprint of hardscape and maimize softscape and operate as largescale bioswales. The strategy is meant to be executed over 50 years, making the need for water x tank redunt. More to think about waht happens to the futrure use of this tank. Lowland: Educaitonal center, Water tank and Salt shed
Exploded Axon Screenshot
Screenshot front facade
House no. 19 MOS Architects Role: Model Maker, 3D Screen Shots Team Project Oct-Dec 2020 Proposal Unbuilt
The entirety of the spaces sit below a large sloped circular roof. The structure below consists of a grid of beams which span the distance of the spaces below. The house is tucked into the slope for protection. Spaces under the roof shift horizontally and vertically, with the private rooms above and living spaces below. Light flows into the spaces from the rear upper facade and the triangular clearstories that line the sides of the building along the slope. All components of the physical model are entirely handmade. Physical Mode
Fatline Drawing
Swat, Khyber Phakhtunkhwa
top to bottom: Bamboo framing, cane covering, Stone work infill. Interior of occupied unit with belongings and mud plaster walls
Green Karavan Ghar Heritage Foundation / Yasmeen Lari Role: Volunteet Desiner + Field Worker Kore Village, Swat, Pakistan. November 2010
In 2010 Swat valley which had previously suffered violence was faced with heavy flooding during the monsoon season, just as people had begun to resettle back into the valley. Hundreds and thousands of people were displaced in Swat alone, left without homes, food, electricity and clean drinking water. With the winter approaching it was pertinent to provide a quick, sustainable and cost efficient solution to house the thousands of people across multiple villages in the valley. The Heritage Foundation founded and headed by Ar. Yasemeen Lari developed a prototype of the Green Karavan Ghar (home) which used affordable sustainable local materials. As a student volunteer we worked with the communities in educating and helping rebuild the villages one by one. The plans were adapted to each region. A womens center to harbor community and provide space for economic empowerment was also built.
Top: completed unit, Bottom: detail drawing of unit
Lower Duplex Primary Bathroom
Lower Duplex Living and Kitchen
Sterling Place Combined Architecture Role: Project Manager w/ Prinipal Brooklyn, New York May 2020- June 2022
A prewar brownstone located In the heart of Brooklyn was gut renovated to provide a change of use. The clients were two millennial couples with kids and wanted the building to house 2 duplexes. The brownstone underwent a change of use from 4 family to two families. The garden and parlor level became the lower duplex and the 2nd and 3rd floor are the upper duplex. The lower duplex has an open plan with the kitchen at the center of the house dividing the dining the living areas. The bay window overlooks the redone backyard. The lower duplex is wrapped in dark woods and natural stone surfaces.
The upper duplex has the library at the south end which overlooks the rear yard. The clients are avid readers and hence we encased the room in shelves from top to bottom framing out the windows and original fireplace. Also fond of cats and birds, their fireplace was clad in original Dutch delft tiles. Each unit has a living and common space and 3 bedrooms. The cellar houses a wine cellar for their wine collection.
Upper Duplex Library
4th floor: Upper duplex
3rd floor: Upper duplex
Parlor floor: : Lower duplex
Top left to right: Rearyard Exterior and stairs deck Middle left to right Upper Duplex Library and Fireplace with Delft tiles Bottom left to right: Lower duplex Primary barh and kitchen stone
Garden floor: : Lower duplex
www.manymany.nyc
manymany Social Enterprise Role: Creative director + Co Founder Febraury 2022-Present
manymany is a research and design project that is inspired by existing sustainable design practices. The rilli project which attempts to study and reemploy a centuries old traditional craft into an array of uses set in homes across the globe. The rilli, which is made by women across villages in southern Pakistan, utilizes an infill of old leftover fabric scraps that end up in landfill. These quilts are made for household use but by nurturing relationships directly with the women the craft also becomes a tool for economic empowerment for the home based women workers. The underlying goal of the project has been to collaborate and innovate design practices while providing economic opportunity and stability to artisans involved and working on fair wages.
Feature: Wallpaper * Featured Wallpaper* Magazine Next Generation 2021
Featured in Wallpaper* Magazine’s Next generation rising stars: 21 for 21 in thier January 2021 Issue. The Feature focuses my work from my Maker Graph studio where I developed a Book titledHome: Object, Notions & Other things. The article looks at my past and recent achievements and Interest in Volunteer work for bettering communities.
Wallpaper* Magazine Print Version