EDUCATION
Computational Design
Hesham
Shawqy , Computational Design Specialist
Email // hesham.k.shawqy@gmail.com
Address // Maidenhead, United Kingdom
Contact // +44 7763067274
Date of birth // 17th August 1992
GitHub // HeshamShawqy
MSc in Advanced Computation for Architecture & Design IAAC, MACAD, Barcelona
Oct 21
Architecture Design
BS in Architecture and Design
Faculty of Engineering, ASU, Cairo
July 16
Computer Technology Diploma in Technology and Programming
Information Technology School
July 11
COMPETITIONS/ AWARDS
IAAC, Institute for advanced architecture of Catalonia
Design Innovation prize for Lunar residency project, space architecture
SkyHive Skyscraper Competition
Honorable mention
Cairo Heritage School Competition
First place prize, adaptive reuse of Al-Qady residency
Urban Innovations Competition
Second place prize, innovative urban plugins to enhance local communities
Fairy Tale Architecture Competition
Re-imagining architecture as a shelter
Metropolis Magazine
Futuristic portable workplaces
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
C Computational Design Specialist
Grimshaw Architects, London
In charge of crafting parametric design tools for design teams, creating training materials for various AEC tools, and establishing projects standards and computational design workflows for complex mega projects.
Oct 22 - Ongoing
Lecturer
Institute for advanced architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona
Teaching master's students
Computational Design methods and complex forming strategies
Oct 22 - Ongoing
Teaching and Research Assistant
Institute for advanced architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona
Remotely
Research: Web based ML apps Web based configurators
Oct 22 - July 22
Computational Designer
A_A&D Design, Hong Kong
Remotely
Scope: Developing parametric models for complex structures, automating productions drawings
Aug 19 - Oct 21 : 2 years
Architecture Designer / Team Leader
UDAAR Studio , Cairo
Scope: leading a small design team, conceptual design and visualization for small scale buildings, developing ideas for international competitions.
June 16 - Aug 19 : 3 year
PUBLICATIONS / WORKSHOPS
CAAD Futures Conference 2022
What is My Plaza for? Implementing a Machine learning Strategy for Predicting The Events in the Urban Square
ACADIA Conference 2021
Imaginary Vessels: Machine-Learning digital dataset creation for robotic pottery fabrication
Responsive Cities Symposium 2021
Farm Scapes: Mapping possible urban farming rooftops using Machine-Learning Methodologies
IAAC Global Summer School 2022
Computational Design Online workshop. Introducing Python and machine learning by exploring practical applications within the architectural domain
Digital Futures 2022
Emergent Routes is a Generative design workshop exploring a generative design approach to design a walkable network. During this session, participants will be introduced to mesh manipulation, optimization, and typology
Digital Futures 2021
Differential Growth Structures. Is a computational design workshop using HoudiniFX. During the workshop participants will explore the interoperability between Rhino and Houdini.
The Architecture Summit 2020
Aggregated Structures, Rhinoceros3D , Grasshopper3D
Ain Shams University 2019
Intro to Computational Design workshop series to introduce parametric design work-flows to junior students using Rhino , Grasshopper3d and Keyshot for visualization
American University in Cairo 2018
Intro to Digital Fabrication workshop series to introduce 3D printing digital and physical work-flows to junior students. Teaching 3D printing path tools and geometry optimization using Rhino Grasshopper3D and Python
Ingraft Studio 2018-Ongoing
Founder, a computational design workshops platform
Intro to computational design - Aggregated Verticaility - Grasshopper and Blender work-flows - Grasshopper and Houdini work-flows - Adaptive Skins
SKILLS
3D Modeling / Computational Design
Rhinoceros3D
Grasshopper3D
HoudiniFX
Revit
Ladybug Tools
Climate Studio
Scripting
Python for Geo-data analysis
Python for Machine-Learning
Python for Computer Vision
Java Script for web applications
Front-end web developing tools
Fabrication
Laser Cutting, CNC Milling, 3D printing
Three Bridges
@Grimshaw, Saudi Arabia
The Oxagon Village Bridges are designed to unite the core of Oxagon, connecting the Oxagon Village, the Research & Innovation Campus, and Jebels Village, while embracing the captivating Wadi landscape with its ecological and natural features.
From a computational design perspective, this project presented several challenges due to its size and complexity.
Our goal as the CD team was to develop customized tools to manage the project’s library of assets efficiently, enabling architects to develop and maintain various bridge types effectively. This project involved interesting challenges related to bridge gradient slopes, topography analysis, library management, BIM interoperability, and geometry rationalization.
Norrkopping Central Station
@Grimshaw, Sweden
Norrköping’s new transport hub sets a benchmark for integrated urban mobility. It is calm, efficient, userfriendly, and a comfortable high-quality multimodal interchange that serves as a welcoming destination, seamlessly integrated into the city’s urban landscape. As part of the computational design team, our responsibilities included:
- Querying and processing GIS data
- Managing project modeling standards
- Developing a user-friendly geometry configurator for the architecture team to explore the design space
The framework for geometry generation was datadriven, incorporating both environmental and urban inputs to inform the outcomes.
SSC-Sports Complex
@Grimshaw, Sharjah
The Sports Complex project aims to align the environmental performance of a sports center with green building standards, integrating sustainable principles. It connects the concepts of shading, grass ventilation, thermal comfort, and glare reduction into a comprehensive computational design workflow.
From a technical perspective, the project posed challenges due to its multidimensional environmental requirements.
The goal for the computational design team was to create tools for optimizing stadium orientation and maximizing sustainability outcomes. Covering shading analysis, airflow modeling, thermal studies, and geometry simplification to ensure the best balance between performance and feasibility.
Staggered-F
With Felipe Romero and Aleksandra Jastrzbska @IAAC, POLAND
This daylight analysis aims to shape the final built form by optimizing environmental performance and daylight access, reducing energy consumption while enhancing indirect sunlight in residential units. It demonstrates the effectiveness of digital environmental tools like Ladybug and Honeybee (Rhino/Grasshopper) in early design phases to support informed decisions.
Seasonal temperature variations necessitate heating in winter and cooling in summer, highlighting the importance of passive shading systems and building geometry optimization to limit heat gains during warmer months. This section also delves into Poland’s climatic conditions, providing context for the design choices. These analyses aim to guide subsequent design decisions.
Urban Lux
With German Bodenbender @IAAC, NYC
The AI-driven Urban Sun Hours Analysis project is designed to enhance urban planning by predicting solar exposure across urban blocks. It uses a surrogate GAN model trained on synthetic datasets, simulating urban blocks in New York City.
From a computational design perspective, this project presented challenges related to data accuracy and the complexity of urban geometry.
Our goal as the AI team was to create an efficient model to streamline sun hour analysis and inform sustainable urban design. This involved overcoming obstacles in training data generation, urban layout representation, predictive modeling, and AI tool integration. interoperability, and geometry rationalization.
Acropora Shading Element
@Advanced architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona With Felipe Romero and Aleksandra Jastrzebska 2020
The proposal was for a shading unit that provides a canopy on extreme weather conditions and functions as a shelter (oasis) that provides different amenities to the community. The structure will promote interaction between people and open space by having a series of urban activities and present a new approach to create landmarks within urban landscapes. The design was based on explorations using differential growth behavior which is inspired from nature, this project establishes a new computation design process. A preliminary structural analysis was done to identify behavior for the different connections; this includes vertical & horizontal connections, solid and flat elements at the ground level. Gravity and Wind were applied as initial forces to understand the structural behavior.
#arid climate #generative design #environmental performance #fabrication
1. Perspective view showing the allocation of the shading structure within an arid environment. As the structure emerges from the landscape, users can easily adapt to the typography and utilize elements in different ways.
2. Generative design matrix using differential growth behavior applied on a base circle.
3. Detailed views demonstrating the structural density hierarchy from the ground level
4. Sectional elevation demonstrating the human scale inside the shading element
5. Structure analysis, assembly diagram, and unrolled parts
6. Mesh stripping diagram using networkXx in python
7. Sequential plans showing the structure growth
Dar Al-Uloom Library
@Udaar Studio, Sakakah Open Competition 2018
The proposed redesign to the existing library attempts to break the norm regarding library design and establishes the concept of the “fields of knowledge” for its visitors and for the community at large. Perceived as a perpetual and accumulative source of creativity, knowledge, and freedom of expression; a propeller and attractor for public knowledge exchange, we envision the campus in its totality as a vast field of crop circles and wells that is metaphorically amalgamated with a “cloud of knowledge” that transcends all the boundaries of incessant inquiry to shape new spaces of intellectual expression utilizing state-ofthe-art methods and innovative technologies. The entire library campus is conceived as a multi-dimensional juxtaposition of environmentally and socio-culturally interac-
#arid climate
#generative design
#environmental performance
#fabrication
1. Perspective view shows the added exterior ring that acts as a urban gates to the old library
2. Longitudinal elevation demonstrates the contrast between the old and new structures.
3. Form generation diagram shows the contextual impact of the added architectural and landscape features
4. Perspective view shows the renovated exterior skin and surrounding public circulation network
5. Exploded diagram for the different layers of the new proposed design shows the landscape, outer entrances ring, water features, plantation, and shading elements
Jazan Waterfront
@LDP+Partners, Jazan
Invited Competition 2019
The project is an hotel tower located on the Cornish of Jizan, Saudi Arabia. The site directly overlooks the red sea from almost three directions and is characterized by its various panoramic views of the sea from its upper floors. The tower consists of 21 floors. The Podium consists of 3 floors for various hotel facilities while the towers consist of 18 typical floors which hold bedrooms, suites and deluxe suites. The main concept was inspired by Jizan’s heritage and urban context. The staggered forms of the tower is inspired by the masses found in the buildings of the current citizens & also in the Eisha found in their heritage village. The building was subdivided into masses slightly shifted from each other, with openings overlooking the sea to give the ratio of human scale.
Bendary Sports Center
@Unii Design Studio, Qatar Invited Competition 2018
The proposed stadium design explores form generation based on physics simulation. The driving concept for the project depended fundamentally on a ubiquitous geometry found in almost the majority of sports i.e. Circle. The Circle inspires sports, it emphasizes itself as a basic geometrical source for tools and geometries of courts. The moment the ball engaged with the net is the explicit manifestation of the concept. The intended design was to depend upon a terrain-like single Surface to cover all the land-use. The Hexagonal grid found in the net inspires the pattern generated on the designed Surface. The exterior skin layer designed to allow and adapt the natural lighting amount going through the different stadium spaces.
#physics simulation
#net manipulation
#environmental performance
#skin optimization
1. Form Generation diagram illustrates the layers of the proposed design
2. Longitudinal Section shows the emergency of the structure from the desert environment, providing shading elements for both spaces and pedestrian network
3. Perspective view shows the exterior skin layer and the form composition
Generating landscape lines affected by the nodes representing different spaces
Pattern projection on the landscape and nodes 3D strength
Widok Platforms
@Advanced architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona
With Felipe Romero and Aleksandra Jastrzebska 2020
The purpose of the project “WIDOK” is to create a new elevated pedestrian framework that can define new relationships between the existing historic buildings and the landscape in Krakow. The disconnection of these elements generates a fragmented city that lacks urban character, particularly in the public domain. To reduce this fragmentation, cultural activities can be implemented into the existing fabric, creating new landmarks that function as a link between art, nature, history, and the city. In the early stages of the designed process, we explored Minimal surfaces using Grasshopper3d and python. To ensure vertical elements connections and spatial relationships, circle packing is proposed as the initial design grid
#mesh stripping
#minimal surface
#view optimization #python
1. Conceptual diagram illustrates the generative form of Widok platforms
2. Mesh typology analysis diagram demonstrates the develop-able stripping which was done using NetworkXx in python
3. Perspective view shows the articulated levels of the raised structure platforms
4. Axo shows the views analysis optimization done to control the direction of the different levels
5. Longitudinal Section shows the emergency of the structure providing private spaces for human activities
6. Layout Drawing for the different observation tower clusters
Lunar Residency
@Advanced architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona
With Marissa Ridzuan and German Otto Bodenbender 2020
The purpose of this project is to create a self-sustainable residential community that does not just solve the technical challenges of becoming the first extraterrestrial species, but thrive on it. The project embraced radical inclusion, dehumidification, communal effort, radical self-reliance, participation, and an extreme approach to a leave-no-trace attitude towards our community. The design process was based on modularity, adaptability, self-assembly, individuality, and embracing lunar gravity. The whole project consists of seven elements that belong to different categories; residential, structure, and circulation. These units are designed to allow flexibility of the construction and adaptability to connect more units to help the first lunar community grow on the moon.
#lunar structures
#aggregation
#collaborative workflow
#BIM
1. Perspective view showing the final configuration of the aggregated community, main circulation paths to other space programs connected with the LNS system, and different in between spaces
2. Parts catalogue diagram showing the six different layers of units
3. Exploded diagram shows the precast modular units assembled together
4. Axo shows the designed configurations of the system parts
5. The construction process is created to be flexible and can accommodate the structure’s modularity and adaptability. It can really allow future growth and expansion of this community. The connection nodes between different parts are designed to be flexible enough for future recycling and mobility.
LanyYuan Complex
@A_A&D Design, Hong Kong
Skin Engineering 2020
The metal veil, covering in a similar way the north and south sites gradually change color tones from modern white to traditional red as it approaches the temple area. The deep and historically charged red color allows the facades to blend in with the temple and its serene atmosphere. The drastic difference in size and volume of the buildings facing the streets, from the south and north sites creates the opportunity to address the modern and the traditional sides of the LanYuan development. The skin was inspired from the incredibly rich history of Chinese traditions in street life, temple developments and weaving crafts. Thousands of years of history have forged an identity in the Chinese culture and its everyday life.
#lunar structures
#aggregation
#collaborative workflow
#BIM
1. Perspective view showing the final configuration of the aggregated community, main circulation paths to other space programs connected with the LNS system, and different in between spaces
2. Parts catalogue diagram showing the six different layers of units
3. Exploded diagram shows the precast modular units assembled together
4. Axo shows the designed configurations of the system parts
5. The construction process is created to be flexible and can accommodate the structure’s modularity and adaptability. It can really allow future growth and expansion of this community. The connection nodes between different parts are designed to be flexible enough for future recycling and mobility.
Administration Complex
@Arch-Heaven, Cairo Administrative 2022
This project aims to optimize and existing skin design for an administrative building, where typology, planarity, geometrical optimization needed to standardize the skin paneling system. The typology was recreated to get equal width panels to be cut for manufacturing using aluminum sheet material. Structural layers were taking into consideration to avoid clashes with the main structural frame. Using Grasshopper eight structural layers were added (square steel frames - corrugated sheet A - U steel frames -T hook system -corrugated sheet B - U steel frame - fixation boltsAluminum panels). Rhino inside was used later to convert each category into Revit families for further documentation and drawings production.
#automation
#parametric design
#structural details
#paneling optimization
1. Conceptual perspective illustrates shows the outer skin geometry
2. Layout details for the skin paneling division
3. Axo view shows the different structural layers supporting the skin panels
4. Annotated Detail demonstrates the base modulation dimensions and configuration
5. Detailed Axo
6. Annotated Detail demonstrates a partial part for the skin panels fixation
MREA Nile Tower
@Unii Design Studio, Sakakah Invited Competition
2018
This project explores how to use generative design to maximize waterfront view range from a residential tower located in Cairo. Using environmental analysis tools during early design process, the tower massing was manipulated to increase the perimeter length towards the Nile front. The generative process starts with base mesh based on the space program, mesh manipulation using floor plans silhouettes, minimize heat gain using terraces extrusion, and maximize the view to the Nile. Further details and coordination with development team done using grasshopper to extract different data from the model. Detailed drawings automation was applied at later stage to export the building geometry documentation.
#environmental performance
#generative design
#drawings automation
#detailed design
1. Perspective view shows the exterior skin layer and terraces orientation
2. Detailed views shows the tower glazing elements
3. Clustering diagram for the different categories of the ground floor shading system
4. Unrolled Drawing illustrates the individual curtain wall panels for each floor
5. Annotated Diagram shows the detailed curtain wall panels and documentation coding for construction
6. Perspective view shows the final
WAV_Wall Feature
@Box Wall Company, Canada Product Design
2019
The proposed wall feature explores the correlation between geometrical art, artificial lighting and CNC milling. This product is developed to act as a lighting wall using solid sheet material, parametric path shifting in multiple dimensions and CNC machine properties. Different iterations were generated to shrink the gap between the parametric pattern paths and the milling machine route. The full scaled design is divided into 43 pieces to be assembled later on frame support elements. Each point of the path has been shifted in X,Y,Z directions to enhance the pattern view from different perspectives inside the space. Finally the feature wall should be illuminated using a concealed light source, and the lighting illumination should be variable based on each cut depth.
#generative design
#CNC milling
#geometrical patterns
#parametric models
1. Orthographic view of vessels generated using the generative script that mimic the wheel pottery forces
2. Orthographic view for the parameter space shows the recorded parameters and time-based script parameter space
3. Neural Network architecture and model loss function during training on free cloud-based GPU illustrated using deviation graphs between the true and predicted vessels
4. Diagram shows Set of 500 pot subsamples selected to analyze deviation values while the red represents the predicted one.
5. Graph explains the Neural Network features pair-plots defining the correlation factor between inputs and outputs
Imaginary Vessels
@Advanced architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona With Cami Quinteros
2020
Out of all of humankind’s handicrafts, pottery is the oldest. Even writing, the very method of communication, came after the first pots. The earliest historical records of wheelthrown pottery date back to 4000 B.C. in Egypt and 3000 B.C. in China. In this project we are exploring a method to train an adaptive environment for additive manufacturing with clay, based on the analysis of pottery, machine-learning procedures and material explorations. The process starts with capturing data from a generative models inside Grasshopper to create 5000 pots. During the motion of these geometries within loops different features are stored to train an Artificial Intelligence ANN Regression model that can predict the psychical forces needed to create these vessels in real life.
#machine learning
#generative design
#physics simulation
#robotic fabrication
1. Orthographic view of vessels generated using the generative script that mimic the wheel pottery forces
2. Orthographic view for the parameter space shows the recorded parameters and time-based script parameter space
3. Neural Network architecture and model loss function during training on free cloud-based GPU illustrated using deviation graphs between the true and predicted vessels
4. Diagram shows Set of 500 pot subsamples selected to analyze deviation values while the red represents the predicted one.
5. Graph explains the Neural Network features pair-plots defining the correlation factor between inputs and outputs
FarmScapes Web Platform
@Advanced architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona With German Otto Bodenbender 2021
#geodata #machine learning #web app #online configurators https://farmscape.wixsite.com/intro/configurator
This project aims to provide a web platform for architectural solution to the food production crisis in African cities. The research approach is based on two levels; Marcroscale which focus on creating a live database of all the existing buildings in Kampala (the study area). The database was created by the help of AI and by merging multiple data sources for the area, levels, roof condition, structural condition, roof type and roof slope. The macroscale result should be a farming index score for each rooftop. The microscale on the other hand focus on the research and development of the small scale rooftop system, where the food farming should occur based on different structural approaches and farming methodologies using hydroponics system.
1. Perspective view showing the final configuration of the rooftop farming system on the top of one of Kampala’s houses
2. Exploded diagram shows the aggregated part of the hydroponic farming system
3. Perspective view showing the clusters configuration and the farming network
4. Diagram shows the applied parametric rooftop farming configurator on different building scenarios
5. Axo illustrates the process steps of analysis the rooftop both structurally and environmentally
6. Snapshot from the web platform shows the different mapping scenarios to evaluate rooftops
City Library Web Platform
https://iaac.github.io/citi-library-app/
@Advanced architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona With Areti Markopoulou and Oana Taut 2022 #computer
City library is a building material recognition digital interface developed by using computer vision and machine learning algorithms. This tool aims to detect waste materials in cities from building construction, treating buildings as material banks and urban environment as “mines”. The term “Urban mining” is used to describe the process of recovering and reusing a city’s materials, which is the focus of this tool. Process:
- Dataset generation using geodata and GSVs
- GAN model training and deploying
- Query single image per building
- Applying material recognition model
- Material percentage analysis
- Concrete-Bricks-Stone-Glass-Wood-Metal %
City Skape Web Platform
https://iaac.github.io/IAAC-UTT/
@Advanced architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona With David Leon 2022
City development through user participation in Oslo will enable to create the best city of tomorrow. As a citizen you can voice your needs and dreams. As a developer you an showcase your project and expedite the approval process. As a city official you can interact with all the stakeholder and initiate a more transparent process. Together we will create better cities faster. This web app shows the possibility of creating a real time interaction between architecture developer and citizens, where 3D models are uploaded, and users can use the interface to rate individual buildings based on designed criteria. The app allows a smooth camera orientations around a specific points to enhance the view of upcoming projects in Oslo.
Vision Craft
@Grimshaw
This project explores the application of graph machine learning to develop a kit-of-parts approach for architectural design. Using the Wikihouse dataset, it extracts parameters such as construction time, cost, and assembly duration for each part.
From a computational perspective, this project faced challenges in learning connection rules and training a graph-based machine learning model to handle tasks like node prediction and graph clustering.
Our goal was to introduce GraphML into kit-of-parts workflows to automate aggregations and improve validation processes. Persistent correlations between parts eliminate rigid hierarchies, enabling scalable, knowledge-driven solutions across varying design typologies and building scales.
