Architecture Portfolio - Jan 2023

Positionality

Table of Contents

Persian, student, woman. That’s how I would probably describe myself. The third being my favorite, despite what my country has put me through. Or perhaps it is for this very reason that I have found an appreciation for an identity that I can openly celebrate today. I come from a place where education is prohibited and being a woman is a shame. Being Afghan and Irani has made me fight to disprove stereotypes here and in Iran. However, my own fight is also accompanied by the guilt that my sisters in both countries continue to suffer from a lack of basic rights. To feel the breeze in their hair, to laugh with their classmates, to choose their own partner, or even to dispute men's rules. Coming from a country where the rulers are always telling women that they are useless makes me question what it is about women that frighten them. Why is the existence of women a threat to them? Do they fear women's power? Their distortion of our image is what has defined my identity as a feminist. What has fueled my anger. There were times when I was afraid and unable to imagine a future for myself, which stems from all the forces that attempted to stop me as a woman. But what makes me strong again is knowing what it's like to be free, and that motivates me every day. As a woman, I have come to create. We were given the biological ability to create and bear the greatest gift of all: another living being. But why do we struggle so much with our own lives? Women are nature. Women are life. Women need to be free to grow.

Architecture, in my opinion, is also unjustly defined. Philippe Daverio in a Humans of New York post described architecture in one of the most devastating ways: “We’re all victims of the architect. Architecture is the only art that you can’t help but feel. You can avoid paintings; you can avoid music and you can even avoid history. But good luck getting away from architecture.” He made architecture seem like it was one of the greatest tools to incite emotion. But somehow, he still managed to make it seem ominous at the same time. There was an anxiety there that I have seen in the way patriarchy sees womanhood. They want to control it because they know how essential it is to their own existence. In that moment, architecture and womanhood became connected. Architecture is the creator.

Architecture is Kind, Confident, Dynamic, Enigmatic, and Sensible. Architecture’s image as a monumental symbol of power is one imposed by men. It must break free from this male dominance. It has been reduced to spaces defined by men for men to control men. Lost in this definition of architecture are the spaces that grow organically as a result of community. It must be liberated in order to thrive. In a male dominated field I see architecture as a fellow victim. She is not the perpetrator of control as Daverio makes it sound. She is a living being. She hears, sees, and cherishes the dignity of others. She forges paths that empower others. She gives places a tangibility by mixing human experience with inspiration. Regardless of what architecture has defined for society, I also see it as a collaborator in finding better solutions for underprivileged populations. Solutions that help to enhance both the local and global environments. Architecture that adds to the environment rather than depletes it because I choose to see it as something that lives on after I make my interventions. I see architecture as being the source of hope and dreams for everyone. And dreams have been the foundation of my own work. They have what kept me fighting to have my own agency and I will never stop dreaming big. What better way to share my passion for architecture than to create those dreams for others and give each back some of the agency they also lost to the patriarchy?

Studio

01 THE NEW NORMAL

Th Climatorium takes an active stand in being part of the solution to the climate issue and urban concerns in Manhattan. It acknowledges a dual responsibility towards the city and the community. It functions on two different scales, as an infrastructure preparing and mitigating climate crisis as well as a place for community engagement and a platform for the public to be heard and seen. That translates into the program organization. This duality is the catalyst that drives the design process. The vertically is intended to claim a place into the city skyline and to free the ground for a generous public space. The top skeleton provides a storage facility on the roof in times of emergency and occupies part of the façade as a second skin to control thermal performance and create inhabitable spaces. The roof structure is meant to allow for future growth and flexibility over time. On the social level, Rising Square is a protest against the top-down institutional structures, it is rather a dissolution of rigidity, a form that is publicly inhabited in different elevations and different seasons. It accepts and prepares for growth, transitions and change.

Video Second Year Graduate Level Winter 2022 Group Of Two

Night Render | The Climatorium as a beacon during a blackout.

Longitudinal Section | Showing the independence of the lower floors, the energy generating double facade, and the emergency storage facility on the top

Cross Section | Showing the resilience raised datum, the inhabitable south-facing double facade, and the emergency storage facility on the top.

The design of this mixed -use residential complex was developed though site analysis and research into the current social and economic status of downtown Sudbury. Derived from the goal to regenerate the downtown core, this project encompass the concept of growth, as change over time. This is seen through resources that promote personal growth, architectural adaptive growth, transformable residential units, and through the literal growth of vegetation. The design proposes two residential typologies, supported housing (derived from the Y-Foundation) and affordable housing, combined with a grocery store, restaurant, public and private resource center, vertical farming, walkable alleyway and parking structure. The restaurant opens up to the alleyway joining Old City Hall Lane and Larch Street, to activate the lane way.

Fourth Year Under Graduate Level Winter 2021 Group Of Two

Landscaping

• A pedestrian plaza connect the Old City Hall Lane way to the Larch Street. It will allow for a convenient access to Urban Farming and safe crossing to access the developments on Lane way.

• The design of the space include bio diverse landscapes with year-round activity and visual interest, bird-friendly, pedestrian- scaled lighting and other features for pedestrian amenity such as seating, way- nding and weather protection.

• The pedestrian plaza will incorporate unique and playful features that add interest to the pedestrian experience as well as provide amenities such as seating areas.

• The design of the plaza incorporate low impact development measures and integrate drainage and permeable surfaces into the design.

• Opportunities for public art, performances, food vendor, market and access to the grocery accounted for in the design. This will enhance the quality of the plaza while engaging local artists, communities and business owners.

0 1 10

The spaces between buildings provided opportunities for physical and visual Connections, pedestrian and cycling links and overall site permeability, Circulation, and connections to parks, open spaces, trails,neighboring amenities and resources.

The design and layout of mid-block Connections identi ed a space for public or private movement with Suitable landscaping, lighting and signage. The design enhance the sense and perceptions of personal safety and minimize potential for crime and vandalism by allowing building components to overlook streets and open spaces where appropriate.

Connections and open spaces within the site also are clearly signed and well-lit.

The lower part of the building contributes to a positive pedestrian experience at the ground level. The location and height of the lower building responds to its context and de ne the street edge and reinforce a human scale.

Street level design elements such as clear glazing, and the organization of Entrances and internal uses, de ne the appearance of the building and Created physical and visual connections between the private and public realms While promoting vibrancy and activity throughout the day

Building’s orientation maximized South-facing walls for optimal access to sunlight to habitable rooms and other environmental bene ts such as energy conservation, solar access to open spaces or areas for planting

The roof of a lower buildings have been landscaped and used as common and private outdoor amenity area for the residents such as gardens, Play area, Lounge & BBQ.

The building’s set back to created a boulevard that can accommodate Wider sidewalks, street trees, landscaping, and active uses to establish A more pedestrian-oriented relationship between the building and the Sidewalks

Cedar St.

Old CityHall Laneway

The design of the project integrated Ontario Building Code. It target speci c issues, such as building classi cation, occupant loads, means of egress and exits, plumbing facilities, re separation, spatial separation and exposure protection, as well as barrier-free design.

Supported housing.

The supported housing tenants have access to support sta and a private resource center as needed. This housing is broken down into two types: scattered and communal living. Communal living setting has slightly smaller living areas as they have full access to community living and cooking areas. Scattered living have access to all the resources of the supported living residents, however they live individually, scattered throughout the a ordable housing units. Some members of the at risk community thrive in a communal living setting while others thrive living alone.

A ordable housing. These units are no more than 30% of the residents income. The lack of a ordable housing is a major contributor to the high amount of homeless experienced in Sudbury. By adding this type of housing into the program, it will lower the risk of homelessness

PLANS OF EACH TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL UNIT

Structure.

The structure of the complex is diverse in order to be adaptable and a ordable. The ground oor, consisting of the grocery, public resource center and functions of the vertical farming, comprises of a post and beam structure in order to create exibly for the programming. The Cedar Street building is main a parking structure with vertical farming extended up through the structure, thus it is comprised of wood post and beam in order to promote adaptability. Due to the plastic nature of concrete, it will allow for holes to be made though the oors in order to make more room for the vertical farming. The residential portions of the structure are comprised of CLT panels to reduce the building cost of the a ordable housing.

steel

bracing and load bearing CLT Walls. X Shear Wall Stabilization with conc ete circulation core steel X b acing and load bearing CLT Walls.

Shear stabilization with concrete circulation cores.

HVAC Diagram

Residential Heating

Decentralized VRF Units used to recoverer heat and cool the Supported Communal living.

Decentralized In Floor heating for Supported Community style living. Compliments our concept of sharing within the building.

Excess heat is recovered from the parking area and transfered into the decentralize VRF unit which controls temperature in the units. The bad exhaust from he parking is directly exhausted outside. The VRF Unit for the urban agriculture is easier updated and altered as more urban agriculture is integrated into the parking.

Decentralized VRF Units used to recoverer heat and cool the Supported Communal living.

Decentralized VRF Units used to recoverer heat and cool the Supported Communal living.

Centralized In Floor heating for A ordable Units

Each A ordable Unit uses it’s own VRF unit to recovery heat and cool the units.

One Parking Space vs Urban Farming

Diagram above is showcasing that one parking space can be solution to food insecurity that affects almost in 5 Toronto households (18.5 per cent).

The diagram above shows why we need to rethink our norm spaces and prioritize people over cars ?

Now 10 Years 15 Years

These parking spots must be returned to the public and must take into account the demands of cities, housing insecurity, food insecurity, and public areas that can directly bene t the neighborhood. The sections demonstrates how urban planning is expanding, and how parking structures are being revised to solve food insecurities in Sudbury, Ontario in the next 15 years.

One Parking Space vs Living Space

Diagram above is showcasing that one parking space can easily be a living space for one person. Considering that we living in the age of housing crisis and over 8,700 people in Toronto are experiencing homelessness. The above diagram clearly argues that why we building shelters for our cars, but not for our people?

Cut through the Cedar Street building to see into the above grade parking program combined with the urban agriculture.

Full shad growing produce on th north side of the complex

Carousal for growing partly shaded owers on the south side

More urban agriculture will be added where the cars are parked currently

THE CITY BOND

The City Bonds Project emphasizes Sudbury’s identity by focusing on the molecular connections of Nickel as a key element, bringing the re-greening movement to the city, and creating social connections between the people. The molecular approach is standing at the center of our project to foster resiliency via an ecological and human perspective. Mining has been the driving aspect of the development in Sudbury and it has bridged different nations together. Leading to the diversified civilization of the Northern city and continues to do so as the city grows. Nickel is a symbol of connection and origin standing at the heart of our design, with diversity being the result. It is said that the electrons often spend their time in the space between the centre of the atom and their outer ring. The City Bonds Project focuses and highlights these in-between spaces where interactions occur. The positive and negative spaces can attract each other to build a stronger community connection. Sudbury City Bond pairs spaces that will attract and draw people from all over to create a hub within the community. The project develops and uses Sudbury’s identity to create the atoms and bonds that connect and bring growth to Downtown Sudbury. The bond of Sudbury 2050 is a force that unites people and holds the community together.

Video Summer 2020 Group Of Four Sudbury 2050 Competition

The form developed this shape from the snowdrift formations seen during the winter due to wind. the design lets the wind depict a form and wraps around like a scarf using isosceles triangles as the base geometry and continuous cladding throughout, the ice hut seems to be free standing on the ice by just one thin wooden rim at the bottom presenting as a delicate feature.” Video First Year Under Graduate Level Winter 2018 Group Of 15

The studio group collaborated to design and build a playhouse that would captivate babies, toddlers, and preschoolers after an intensive design charrette. the playhouses were given to better beginnings, a sudbury non-profit that offers preventative programmes and kid-friendly events to high-risk neighbourhoods. The play structure fosters imagination through the use of exaggerated scale and space encouraging the child to explore curated areas in a collaborative way that activates their developmental domains through various activities.