PORTFOLIO MARAL BERENJIAN 2016-2019
Content Architecture ARC 502 | Hollistic Wellness Retreat p.4 ARC 501 | Coral Reef Research Center p.14 Arc 402 | Dubai Conservatory Of Music p.26 ARC 401|Design Research Center p.36 ARC 302|Gallery p.42
Digital Fabrication Light Fixture|Splice 1.0 p.48 Fruit Bowl|Scarpa p.49 Spice Grinder|Fusili p.50 Tessellation|Zigi 1.0 & 2.0 p.51 Kuka Robotics|Sheet Forming p.51 Kuka Robotics|Clay Forming p.53
ARC 502|SPRING 2019|PROJECT; HOLISTIC WELLNESS RETREAT Postcolonial Morocco is no exception to the phenomenon of enduring social and cultural catastrophes produced by post-colonial legacies. Between the period of 1912 to 1956 Morocco became a French and Spanish protectorate. They administered health care on behalf of the Western world. WDue to the gendered nature of medical knowledge in Morocco, the Moroccan female medical practitioner became the central antagonist sparking resistance against colonial dominion; and thus, a denunciation and delegitimization of these women as “witches and sorceresses� became an inevitable colonial response; which in turn, caused an erasure and a dissolution of the traditional natural medical practices which were inherited across multiple generations. This Holistic Wellness Center aims to promote and preserve a natural wellness lifestyle that is inherited from traditional Moroccan medicine. The project includes an exhibition and educational center about 6 indigenous medicinal plants, natural therapy facilities as well as 24 boutique lodging units. What drove the idea of this project, in our research, was focusing on 6 specific plants, as they are locally grown in Morocco and sustainably produced; but also because each plant aims to tackle one organ in the body. This addresses the idea of holistic wellness which an approach to being healthy that looks at a person’s health in a holistic way. This considers their body, mind and spirit. Holistic medicine believes that each of these things work together.
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Holistic Wellness Retreat 3D | Exploded Chunk
A. 1. Terrace
2. Cafe + Lounge
3. Welcoming Center
4. Lecture Auditorium
B.
5. Shell
C.
D. 6. Selection of Shell Structuring Columns
E.
F. 7. Bridge
G.
8. Bridge + Structure
H.
I. 9. Healing + Therapy
J. 10. Educational Healing and Therapy Unit
K. 11. Unit Structure
12. Single Lodging Units
13. Lodging Units
L.
N.
O.
Oued Issil, Morocco 31°39'30.9 "N 7°59'01.8 "W
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ARC 501|FALL 2018|PROJECT; CORAL REEF RESEARCH CENTER In response to climate change concerns and the rate at which sea-levels are rising, it is imperative to considr alternative sustainable methods of building that can accomate a practical approach to living and working simultanously. Furthermore, recognizing an enviornmental consition that is unique to the project’s site, the Dibba rock in Fujairah, namely that coral and marine enviornmentalist used to thrive under and around the rock is at an risk due to irresponsible tourisim and polution; it became important to prioritize a project program that did not only solve for practical human problems, but also environmental ones. A design proposal for a floating coral reef research facility, diving center, recreational facility and scientists’ research residences anchored around the Dibba Rock in Fujairah - UAE, that protects the Dibba Rock’s lively bio-marine life and aims to restore the coral reefs through the facility’s program of 3D printing coral reef habitats. The water-urban proposal employs sustainable strategies in effort to go green, in addition to steel-mesh coral gardens used for research by the coral reef research headquarters; as well as to store and maintain 3D printed corals until they have matured and can be moved to their new permanent homes in the seabed.
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ARC 402|FALL 2017|PROJECT; DUBAI CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC The UAE aims to become a capital for art and culture in a region that demands not just repair and upkeep of its heritage and histories, but also advancement. The
government’s
‘Soft
Power
Strategy’
was
launched in 2017 to boost its global reputation by highlighting its identity, heritage, culture and contributions to the world. Establishing the UAE as a regional capital for art and culture is one of the Soft Power Council’s main objectives. Each year, Dubai attracts various international musical acts, festivals and legendary performances, weaving together a cultural tapestry that is unique to the city. The aim of this project is to propose a flexible, function-specific design for Dubai’s Conservatory of Music to join forces with the UAE’S objectives. The music school for kids is an open recital hall located in Al-Khawaneej neighbourhood in Dubai. The proposed site is directly adjacent to RCR’s Dar Al Marefa school, a mixed use, predominantly Emarati residential area. The design proposes two interconnected volumes of steel-frame construction: the music school and grand recital hall; both clad in locally sourced terracotta tiles, gently undulate to respond to the spatial requirements of the varied program. The two volumes of space behave like the arms of a musician, interacting at different paces yet complementing one another in perfect harmony.
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ARC 401|FALL 2017|PROJECT; DESIGN RESEARCH CENTER Dubai Design District, D3, is a purpose built masterplan development in Dubai is dedicated to the design community including startups, entrepreneurs and established international design, luxury and fashion brands. It is a TECOM Groupfree zonebusiness park consisting of 3 phases the first of which is 11 building office completed in 2015. d3’s facilities will include residential, hos pitality, r et ail and of fice space. The development will include a 1.8 km waterfront development which will be populated with food and beverage outlets, h otels, reta il outlets a nd a multi-use outdoor space. The District is situated beside Dubai Creek, and behin d Burj-Khal if a and the Dubai Mall. The project is a ‘design complex’ that will add to the creative life of the area, by providing multiple functions designed to be interdependent with the design district (D3) itself. The idea is to provide a residence for artists to stay while working in the design complex. And labs designed to cater to the needs of those visiting artists, neighborhood artists, and the community as a whole. This was achieved by dividing the project into three major zones according to their function, zone one consists of offices and residential. Zone two, has the research facilities and zone three includes other supporting functions. We cut through the overall mass of the project to create major axis. As well as extending and interweaing the masses to create connections between facilities.
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ARC 302|SPRING 2017|PROJECT; GALLERY The gallery is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting critical practices in architecture, landscape, urbansim in the rapidly transforming cities of the Gulf and the larger Middle East. The Gallery’s annual program includes a series of exhibition, talks, workshops, film screenings and other public functions. The space also invites 8 spatial practitioners in residence throughout the year from across the world to practice within its spaces in an effort to promote critical dialogue that bridges geographies and disciplines The intention was for the project to create affects of gradient luminosity and a sense of dynamic repetition in ways that mimic the existing field that project exists in. The way this was achieved by strategically aggregating an off the shelf T-Section to create a modular spatial unit of 6m x 6m. This repetition in this strategy allowed me to control luminosity through controlling where transparent and opaque panels were placed. The program is organized on a column grid, which allowed to blur interior and exterior both in façade treatment (transparency) as well as through creating outdoor spaces within the body of the project. In a way the project takes some cues from a Miesian attitude to amplifying the role of structure as ornament within an open space plan.
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A
SECTION B-B
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Digital Fabrication Light Fixture|Splice 1.0
p.48
Fruit Bowl|Scarpa p.49 Spice Grinder|Fusili p.50 Tessellation|Zigi 1.0 & 2.0
p.51
Kuka Robotoic Panels
p.52
Splice 1.0
light fixture|50 x 10 x 10 cm Splice is an idea of creating efficiency out of a single piece of material. It starts from a blank sheet of stainless steel metal which is then designed by sequentially making four panels of lines gradually intersecting and colliding with each other in unpredictable ways. The end of each panel is scored and then folded into a rectangular prism. Once the piece is folded into its shape it is then illuminated with an internal led lamp.
Scarpa
Fruit Bowl|40 x 30 x 15 cm The design intent of Scarpa fruit bowl is to have two different kinds of fruits coexisting yet in different volumetric units. Unit a is meant for bigger fruits, while unit b is for smaller fruits. the form is influenced by carlo scarpa’s san vito d’altivole.
UNIT A
UNIT B
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F U S i l l i 1.0 Fusili 1.0
Spice Grinder|25 x 7 x 7cm
FUSilli 1.0 IS A LONG, CORKSCREW SHAPED SPICE GRINDER. IT HAS FOUR CORNERED BASE THAT FITS COMFORTABLY I N TFusili O T H1.0 E HisA a ND S , A Ncorkscew D HAS A P L A S T I C spice S U R F Agrinder. C E T H A TIt' Shas E A Sfour Y corlong, shaped TO GRIP AND TO CLEAN .
nered base that fits comfortably into the hand, and has aplastic surface that’s easy to grip and to clean
Zigi 1.0 & 2.0
Tessellation|20 x 15 x 15cm Zigi 1.0 has translation symmetry, it can be shifted and some dis-
Zigi 2.0 has rotation symmetry, it can be rotated about a point and
tance and direction, matching up with its’ previous image.
give a different pattern.
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INCREMENTAL SHEET FORMING ARC433|SECTION01|ADVANCED DIGITAL FABRICATION
A
B C
INCREMENTAL SHEET FORMING (ISF) IS A FABRICATION METHOD WERE A FLAT SHEETS ARE FORMED CREATING THREE DIMENSIONAL COMPONENTS FROM A PARAMETRIC MODELED SURFACE. THE INDUSTRIAL ROBOTIC ARM HAS A 15MM DIAMETER CASE HARDENED SPHERICAL FORMING TOOL, WHICH MOVES ALONG PREPROGRAMED PATH GENERATED FROM THE DESIGNED 3D MODEL. THE PATH STARTS FROM THE OUTLINES OF THE 3D MODEL PART AND CONTINOUSLY PUSHES AGAINST THE SURFACE OF THE SHEET, UNTIL IT REACHES THE CENTER OF THE DEEPEST CONCAVITY OF THE DESIGN. GEOMETRIC PARAMETRIC ARRAY & PANEL AGGREGATION D 1 2 3 4 E
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FABRICATION PROCESS A. ROBOTIC ARM B. FRAME C. CLAMP D. PLASTIC SHEET E. 3D FORMED PANEL
INCREMENTAL CLAY FORMING
THE PROJECT INTRODUCES A NEW TYPE OF PROCESS, ROBOTIC CLAY EXTRUSION WHERE THE TASK WAS TO GENERATE A THREE-DIMENSIONAL PANEL MADE FROM EXTRUDED CLAY. THE PANEL DEMONSTRATE VISUAL PROPERTIES SUCH AS, DENSITY, DIRECTIONALITY, AND GEOMETRIC MORPHING.
ARC433|SECTION01|ADVANCED DIGITAL FABRICATION F
G
E
D
A
B
C
LAYER 1
LAYER 2 FABRICATION PROCESS A. ROBOTIC ARM B. FRAME PLATE C. CLAMP D. 50% SPEED EXTRUDING CLAY E. CLAY EXTRUDER F. 3D FORMED CLAY PANEL G. AGGREGATED PANELS L1 & L2 MORPHED
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maralberenjian@gmail.com 2017-2019