PORTFOLIO IFRAH ARSHAD
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
ABOUT RÉSUMÉ
ACADEMIC
WHIMSICAL PROGRESSION BODY, BUILDING, AND BEING FIVE POINTS ALLEY
ABOUT
I FRAH A RSHAD USA: +1 202 758 7803 PAKISTAN: +92 303 8344187 IFRAHARSHAD@YAHOO.COM 2886 SWANEE LANE FAIRFAX, VA, USA, 22031
Architecture is about material craft, detailing and integration. My passion lies in understanding the inherent nature of materials and honing them into architectural elements. The work and technique applied during the process of creation is embedded in the final form, therefore turning the whole process, from initiation to completion, into a work of art. I have pursued my education with unwavering dedication, working hard to better my practical skills and theoretical understanding of architecture. I am not an out-of-the-box thinker, instead, I question the ver y existence of the box. This outlook emerges from the blending of my Pakistani heritage with my Masters experience in the USA. My Architecture is a direct expression of this cultural bridge. I am keen to learn and wish to positively contribute to an Architectural practice with fresh and innovative ideas. I enjoy working in a team environment as well as undertaking individual tasks. My interests include Science Fiction, Fantasy, Japanese Anime and Manga, Reading, Badminton, Metalwork, Watercolors and Traveling. I have great admiration for all cultures and delight in sharing mine.
RÉSUMÉ
ACADEMIC
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE COLLEGE OF DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, ART, AND PLANNING (DAAP), UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI, CINCINNATI, OHIO, USA August 2012 - May 2015 Thesis title : “Body, Building and Being”
BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE PAKISTAN
NATIONAL COLLEGE OF ARTS, ISLAMABAD,
January 2006 - January 2011 Thesis Distinction Award Scholarship 2007-2008
EXPERIENCE
LSM
WASHINGTON, DC
Architectural Intern
September 2013 - December 2013
Project type: High-rise office interiors for national and global law firms and others.
GBBN ARCHITECTS
Responsibilities: Construction documentation, shop drawing review, graphics for marketing proposals, furniture test fit, data analysis and diagrams for consolidation plans, furniture bids, photo documentation and processing of submittals.
CINCINNATI, OH
Architectural Intern
February 2013 - April 2013
Project type: Commercial shopping center in China, University of Cincinnati Hospital building and residential.
FARQ ARCHITECTS
Responsibilities: Built large-scale site and conceptual physical model for hospital proposal. Coordinated and updated shopping center drawings and virtual model. Research and creation of city residential project trends database. Assisted in fabrication of conference room steel ceiling installation.
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN
Architect - Partner Project type: Small commercial interiors and residential.
February 2012 - July 2012 Responsibilities: Collaborated in conception, branding and development of business and work strategy of firm. Bakery interior, from design development to construction administration. Created residential project proposals.
MURAD JAMIL & ASSOCIATES Junior Architect Project type: Mid-rise telecom office building, office interiors and commercial interiors.
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN February 2011 - January 2012
Responsibilities: Project Architect and Lead Designer of Mrs. Fields Cookies Cafe. Introduced in-house 3D modeling. Integral role in turnkey Mobilink Office project from bidding and construction to project closeout phase (including coordination drawings, site supervision, floor marking, punch lists, contractor/ architect relations and site team management). Design and detail drawings of reception wall of Microsoft Corporation Office, Karachi.
OTHER 2014 2014 2014 2014 2013 2013 2012 2010
SKILLS
-
Design-build studio: Kiosk construction and light installation with Terry Boling. Phenomenology and architecture course with John Hancock. War port architecture competition project with Mara Marcu. Concrete seminar course on designing and creating concrete forms with Terry Boling. Assessing feasibility: Kroger conceptual grocery store designs with Michael Zaretsky. Interior lighting study and design course with Brian Davies. Detailed structural system analysis of Nelson Atkins Museum, MO. with Tom Bible. Design and head of construction of auditorium backdrop for College musical event.
Proficient: Rhino, Sketchup, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), AutoCAD, MicroStation, Microsoft Office Suite, physical model making (wood, chipboard, foam, acrylic), laser cutting, metalwork, concrete work, sketching, perspective drawing and watercolors. Working Knowledge: Revit, VRay and Brazil. Language: Fluent in English ( TOEFL score: 111/120 ) and Urdu. References available upon request.
W HIMSICAL P ROGRESSION Spring 2014 - Elective Studio, Asst. Professor Mara Marcu. Beginning with a two dimensional pattern: the idea is to identify the nuances that define the intrinsic nature of a pattern, and then to enhance these using the internal logic dictated by the pattern itself. Lines to form, color to material, this project is about bringing a pattern to life by imbuing it with character to inspire emotions. This pattern, like butter flies or petals, has an air y beauty. Once broken out of its repetitive confines , it is allowed to fly free.
Diagram: Gentle progression of the pattern from lines to shapes to form.
SHAPE GENERATION
This page: Top to Bottom: Diagram showing the step by step progression of the form. Plan and Section of hollow form (1�= 2’). Render of the final form with light diffusing plastic sheets and close ranged lighting. Diagram showing the form repeated following the pattern logic.
Opposite page: Top: Diagram of suspended forms with focused spot lighting. Bottom: Shell cluster under spot light.
ARRANGEMENT STRATEGY
The shell is fabricated through the process of Vacuum Forming: Light diffusing plastic sheets are heat molded over a pre-formed dense foam negative and trimmed. Using metal clips and nylon wire, the forms may be suspended in var ying patterns. After extracting the physical form, the arrangement possibilities were explored in three dimensional digital space: how the shell engages with itself, its space and with light. While repeated based upon the pattern logic, the composition varies and shifts due to the irregular lines of the form. The translucent material enhances the ethereal character as the light is absorbed and emitted, making the form glow.
COMPOSITION Rendering showing the form in pattern, soaring, engaging with itself and the viewer. Each form is individual and part of the whole at the same time, creating a play of material, light and shadow.
B ODY, B UILDING AND B EING Workshop Annex for design/build projects for the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. Thesis - Committee Chair: John E. Hancock. Buildings are extensions of the human body. Like prosthetics, we incorporate [absorb into the body] buildings and their various systems into our body-image, making them a part of our extended-bodies. But in recent times , buildings have become mere black-boxes, their fundamental self hidden behind opaque technology and false ceilings, creating a gap in that relationship. This Thesis aims to reignite the dialogue between bodies and buildings-as-our-extended-bodies by enhancing, in form and function, the analogical similarities between building systems and our bodily systems. Methods are used to design rich moments of engagement between the Student and the Workshop to create a seamless connecting. This will improve the student’s creativity as they absorb the building and its tools into their body, thereby thinking and designing through the enhanced capabilities of their extended bodies. A space may be experienced and utilized better when it becomes a part of us as our extended body. From wall textures becoming part of our skin, to the building systems and technology that breath and pulse in harmony with our body, to the mechanically operable garage doors that the muscles of our body pour their energy into to crank open, momentarily diminishing the physical boundaries that divide the building and us.
THE BODY IMAGE
Mixed media drawing of a body morphing into its built extensions, blurring the distinction between built and organic.
FLOOR PLANS
FIRST FLOOR PLAN 0
20 FT
SECOND FLOOR PLAN
The site is an old abandoned manufacturing building carcass in Camp Washington, Cincinnati, near the University of Cincinnati. The brick outer walls and rust colored columns and beams are retained from the existing structure to borrow the character of old handcrafted innovation.
STRUCTURAL SCHEMATIC
OLD STRUCTURE WITH NEW SPINE
SERVICE CHANNELS ALONG SPINE
The new structure is designed to create a Central Spine. As in the human body, this Spine supports the functions of the entire Workshop. All ser vices run through the Spine at the mezzanine level and branch out into smaller channels built into the ceiling of the adjacent single height spaces so as to allow uninterrupted floor space. A gantr y crane spans the length of the Spine. The space between the old and new columns is used as a work area. The design objective was to create a strong structural framework that will allow the customization of all elements based on the student’s needs. For example, during an exhibition, they may suspend display panels from any part of the structure.
ANALOGY OF EXTENSIONS
Thermal
Circulator y
Muscular
Ner vous
Respirator y
Skeletal
Skin
Each diagram represents an extension integrated within the Bay Model above, with symbols showing a breakdown of the kind of bodily systems they extend [key below]. For example, the gantr y crane is an extension of two systems: skeletal and muscular. The former is extended by the structural system which in turn supports the crane. The crane is an extension of the latter as it may be used to per form heavy lifting.
HVAC ducts run through the ser vice zone of the spine and branch into each bay. Flexible dust filtration ducts are suspended over the work zone to allow for heavy machiner y use.
Outlets for pressurized air pipes, fire prevention system and water are dropped down into workspace zones from the spine ser vice zone creating uninterrupted floor work space.
The gantr y crane may be used for major muscle work in the workshop. It can move along the length of the building spine. It may also be used to suspend displays during exhibits.
Ventilator windows are provided at the mezzanine level and may be opened through a crank system. It allows fresh air and brings the student at eye level with the ser vices and crane.
The skin of the building may be opened using the garage doors. This provides a feeling of flexibility and the opportunity for the student to engage with the building.
An outside work area can be utilized by opening the three garage doors, thus blurring the boundar y created by the wall of the workshop. The area can be used for displays as well.
The garage doors allow deliver y and transport trucks to drive into the workshop within the gantr y crane zone to aid in the heavy lifting and moving.
Each column and beam may be used to support frames that may be used as work tables or displays surfaces. Most of the workshop structure is designed to allow for any customization.
The steel columns are wide enough to allow panels to be stacked to create storage racks for materials and equipment. It is within range of the crane to help with heavy lifting.
Electrical outlets for hand tools or heavy machiner y is provided over the work area in the form of retractable coils. These can be adjusted on tracks and uncoiled as desired.
Flexible lighting fixtures on tracks are provided over the working area. These can be adjusted to any angle and length needed by the student.
GARAGE DOOR
MOMENTS OF ENGAGEMENT Each extension diagrammed on the previous page is designed to create a unique moment where the student may engage with the extension in order to incorporate it into their body-image. These moments combine to create numerous opportunities for the student to bridge the physical and mental gap between their body and the building. The Garage Door is one such moment. Three methods are employed to engage the student: Bare extensions, where the mechanism of the door is laid bare to the eye of the student so that they may perceive the delicate movement of the crankset caused by the turning of the handle. Embodied extensions, where the door appears as part of the building skin instead of a separate component, while the door handle, unlike regular doors, is detached from the leaf. It is as if the large building is reaching out a small hand to shake that of the student’s. Body-activated extensions, where the static building becomes dynamic as, through the handshake, the student transfers his energies into the operable mechanism, momentarily becoming one with the building.
Clockwise from top: Garage door perspective view. Front view of garage door. Enlarged view of crankset and caramel leather covered handle.
STUDIO TABLE
The Studio Table on the second floor is another such moment designed using these methods. The new studio floor is positioned to straddle a section of the existing brick wall structure so the wall may protrude into the studio space. This section of the wall is used as a base for the studio table where the steel frame that supports the glass work sur face clamps onto the top of the wall. The continuity of the brick wall is visually unbroken by a glass curtain wall as it morphs from being the base of a table to the skin of the building. This creates a unique instance where the student is able to engage with the brick wall as it per forms two different functions at two vastly different scales
Clockwise from top: Studio table perspective view. Exterior view of studio structure. Interior view of wall morphing from table to skin.
Each extension is designed using these three methods, from the HVAC to the smallest railing posts, with the intention to inspire in the student a new awareness of the purpose of the building, which is as their extended body.
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL SPACE
CUSTOMIZABLE COMPONENTS
ENHANCED CREATIVITY Once the building is incorporated into the body-image through the various moments, the student will be able to design and think through their extended body and capabilities. Using the space and facilities will become part of the enhanced creative process, with the building transforming into a prosthetic or a robotic arm not physically connected to the student. The structure of the workshop allows complete freedom of customization to the student. They may suspend, attach and support any manner of design/build projects for exhibition or building purposes. Display panels may be attached to the columns at ground and mezzanine levels. The panels may be transformed into work sur faces in the work zones below the mezzanine where outlets are provided for all ser vices such as electrical, heating, cooling, ventilation, dust filtration and air.
Top: Perspective view from mezzanine of workshop used for exhibition. Bottom: Perspective view from workshop spine zone of work area.
PHYSICAL MODEL SCALE: 1/8 INCH = 1 FOOT
The workshop is cradled within the aged walls of the manufacturing building, the old and the new integrating to become a cohesive whole. The older structure contributes rhythm and character, while the new systems introduce technology and innovation. The result is an intricate framework analogous to the human body, where each building system is deeply integrated with the next. The outer skin wraps around the valleys and ridges created by the protruding systems, while allowing itself to be opened and closed by a mere turning of a wheel. Clockwise from top: 4 feet x 2.5 feet physical model with laser cut chipboard exterior walls, laser cut MDF base and bass wood structural detailing. Interior view of workshop space. Top view of workshop structure.
The building is at once an embodied whole and a simple door handle, depending on the need of the student. The overall result is a building that will inspire students, allowing them the mental and physical space to bring their ideas to fruition.
RED
F IVE P OINTS A LLEY Spring 2014 - Group Project, Design/ Build Studio with Asst. Professor Terr y Boling for METROLAB. This semester long project was based on the idea of “found materials� (re-purposed or from the junk yard) and working as a group on a design/ build project to revitalize a run down historic neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Five alleys converge in this area giving it its name and relevance in this project. The objective was to create an event that would draw the neighborhood residents and allow us to present to them the methods through which the community can be brought together. Through an interactive installation, they were given the opportunity to contribute ideas and feel involved in the development planning process of their own neighborhood.
YELLOW
BLUE
Diagram: The First Row of images show the plates farther away from the light source, throwing a sharper and brighter reflection on the wall. The Second Row of images were taken with the plates ver y close to the light source. The translucency of each plate varies. The Third Row of images displays the light reflected on the wall when the distance is less between the plate and the light source.
ORANGE
WHITE
As part of the light installation planned for the Community Event I per formed a series of experiments to deduce which acr ylic color sheet will best suit our needs. A box with a pinhole for light was set up with the light directed into the dark interior. Different acr ylic color plates were used and photographed. Five colors were chosen based on their success, as shown in the images above: how much light the plate absorbed versus how much colored light it allowed to pass through was the criteria used to pick the plates.
LIGHT INSTALLATION An Interactive Light Installation was designed for the Community Event and the printed panels represent the educational part of the event. Each panel represents one of the following: Make, Connect, Exchange, Play, and Learn. These are the five Principles upon which the community may be developed. Through images, the panels show how each of these Principles can be used to change the community. To each Principle we assigned a color acr ylic sheet. These sheets were laser cut to extract dozens of smaller pieces we called tokens and each sheet had its own uniquely shaped token. Below each Principle’s panel we suspended these assigned tokens using removable clips. The event visitors were led to the printed panels, where they picked the Principles they preferred (for their community), unhooked a token from beneath it, and then re-hooked them on the suspended armature pre-installed, which was later lit, therefore creating a Community Chandelier.
Anticlockwise from top left: Diagram showing the key element of the frame structure, the Corner Angle. I crafted the piece with the novel idea of scoring the steel as we would cardboard to allow easier bending and a sharper angle. The Corner Angles. Steel, Wood and Aluminum frames. Detail of frame with corner element and rod for suspending tokens.
Old false ceiling frames found at the junk yard were used in combination with steel angle bars to create the frames for the panels. Smaller panels for the acr ylic sheet light installation and longer frames for the printed educational panels. Clockwise from top left: Visitors at event viewing the Principle Panels and removing tokens. Printed panels showing Principles with their tokens suspended underneath. Acr ylic panels with strategic back lighting to throw colored reflection on the floor. Community Chandelier.
The design of the frames was based purely on experimental assembly and mock-ups with the objective being to keep it low cost and sturdy but not heavy. The hands on construction method employed during this studio made us familiar with different materials and joiner y techniques. The tokens on the Community Chandelier were later counted to know which of the Principles were preferred in the development of the community.
EL R O O F PA N
SIDE
PA N E
L
BA
SE
TR
EX
PA
NE
L
KIOSK The second phase of the project was the design and construction of a Kiosk. This was to be a prototype designed for future outdoor community events at the park in the Five Point Alley Neighborhood. The aim was to create a kiosk that was modular and allowed the end-user to be physically intimate with the product as they assemble and operate it.
Center Spread:
The primar y material is steel angles and re-purposed Trex panels cut into narrow slats. The construction was more complex and required precision and coordination between each design element. A frame within frame strategy was applied: beginning with the large armature then working inwards to smaller frames and smaller details.
The Armature dimensions are 6’x3’x7’. The kiosk is designed to be closed up when not in use, and opened when needed. The Grey Trex panels make up the kiosk floor and the operable wall. The side panel and roof is made of corrugated plastic sheet. The sun shade is made of plastic canvas.
FRON
T TRE X PA N EL
Top to bottom: Detailed view of sun shade mechanism. Installing trex front panel with hinges. Trex panel, hinge, and armature joiner y detail. Initial Armature construction.
SUNSH
ADE
OPERATING SEQUENCE
KIOSK MODEL
Opposite page: Top to bottom: Diagram showing progression of Kiosk from packed state to unpacked state. 3D rendering of finished Kiosk with both sides open.
This page: Clockwise from top: Second community event in park with Kiosk as a lemonade stand as the main attraction. Front view of Kiosk. Side view of Kiosk showing corrugated sheet side panel.
The aim was to create an object that will engage the community and make them embrace the kiosk as a part of themselves. The kiosk inspires the neighborhood community to self-heal through activities supported by the kiosk such as a farmers market. The vision is to produce many such kiosks and to place them around the park as symbols. Due to their flexible nature, they can be repositioned as singular units or several units lined together to form a larger whole. The weather resistant materials and finishing will allow this prototype to last in the outdoors. By closing the panels and pulling the sunshade down, the kiosk becomes a protected box that will resist wear and tear. Due to its modular nature, the kiosk can be easily stripped down to the basic armature and the other elements stored for future use.