portfolio mayar salama
PERSONAL INFORMATION Mayar Mohyeldin Salama 05.08.1994 mayarmsalama@gmail.com +201110048849
EDUCATION 2017
German University in Cairo | Cairo, Egypt
WORKSHOPS FEB 2015
B.Sc. in Architecture and Urban Design with Honors 2016
The 5-day workshop included 21 students from SSOA and 18 students from GUC, AUC, and AAST in cairo. The workshop aim was to test methods of mapping the social relations underpinning spatial production, while simultaneously exploring passageways as key sites in the redevelopment of Downtown.
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya | Barcelona, Spain Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona Bachelor Project in Urban Design, grade: excellent
2015
GUC Berlin | Berlin, Germany Semester Abroad
2012
Mokattam Language School | Cairo, Egypt IGCSE
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CLUSTER Cairo | Cairo, Egypt CLUSTER-Sheffield Mapping Workshop Field Researcher and Designer
NOV 2016
Al-Azhar’s Nasr City Campus | Cairo, Egypt Failed Architecture Workshop Researcher A 4-day research workshop on the history, present and future of a modernist campus belonging to one the oldest universities in the world.
WORK EXPERIENCE JUL 2015
CEG International | Doha, Qatar Intern post-production, visualization and conceptual design for a couple of projects.
AUG 2015
CLUSTER Cairo | Cairo, Egypt Intern worked in a team on mapping passageways in Downtown Cairo as a part of the research project “Cairo Downtown Passageways”.
SEP 2016 JAN 2017
German University in Cairo | Cairo, Egypt Junior Teaching Assistant assisted the teaching staff of the third semester course “Introduction to Urban Design”.
OCT 2017 JUN 2018
CLUSTER Cairo | Cairo, Egypt Junior Architect and Researcher field research, data visualization, editorial design, concept creation, graphic design, exhibition layout design, rebranding.
JUL 2018 PRESENT
RiseUp Co. | Cairo, Egypt Multidisciplinary Designer experience design, concept creation, spatial design, stage design, site supervision, graphic design.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ARCHITECTURAL/URBAN PROJECTS 01. Contemporary Art Space in Downtown Cairo
8 - 15
Design Studio IV | Assoc. Prof. Vlatka Seremet | 2015
02. Multi-Leveled Connections
16 - 23
Bachelor Project | Prof. Dr. Rita Pinto De Freitas | 2016
03. Bridge The Gap
24 - 25
Design Studio VI | Assoc. Prof. Holger Gladys | 2016
SPATIAL PROJECTS 04. A Momentary Lapse of Escape
28 - 29
Elective Course | Lost Tales From Promised Futures | M. Arch. Mostafa Youssef | 2016
30 - 31
Elective Course | Scenery & Stage Design | M. Arch. Ines Schroeder + B. Arch. Marco Michel | 2017
PROFESSIONAL WORK 06. Urban Research: Formal-Informal Interface
34 - 35
CLUSTER Cairo | 2018
07. Urban Design: Al-Bursa Art District
36 - 37
CLUSTER Cairo | 2017
08. Stage & Spatial Design: RiseUp Summit ‘18 RiseUp | 2018
38 - 47
* all photos used in this portfolio are taken by myself unless stated otherwise.
05. Alice In Capsuleland
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ARCHITECTURAL/URBAN PROJECTS
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01. CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE IN DOWNTOWN CAIRO Contemporary art in Egypt was not introduced until after the 25th of January Revolution, just as many other social/cultural aspects. Thus, being a newly added mosaic piece to the canvas of the Egyptian culture, it is not yet accepted by everyone. The proposed design of the new Contemporary Art Space in Downtown Cairo is a projection of our mixed feelings and uncertainties. It is an uprising against the chaotic and hysterical order of the street, whereas it seems like a no man’s land yet it is also every man’s land, and that particular notion reveals itself in subtlety and in aggression in every corner.
mass model
elevation from al-jalaa` st. 8
context plan of downtown cairo, maspiro triangle and the site 9
illustration of the design 10
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The site is located in al-Jalaa` street, Wust al-Balad (Downtown), Cairo. The area is locally referred to as Maspero triangle. The location of the plot is a rich, heterogeneous area, where the symmetry of modern european architectural heritage of Downtown Cairo and the spontaneous informal settlements of Bulaq Abu al-’Ela collide. In my narrative mapping, the space flowed smoothly, except where the nodes of disturbance were met, where general or specific disturbing events occured. These disturbing nodes vary in their intensity, including traffic, noise, pollution, crowds of pedestrians, harrassment, interference... etc.
site plan 11
spatial studies
In an attempt to discover the identity of space, a few spatial experiments were carried out through creating spatial models, which introduce space as an enclosure, a continuum or an extension, with light intensity, texture and scale being the spatial dichotomy subjects. According to the results, the initial step was creating a pure form, a cuboid, which serves as the main exhibition hall. The space around the form developed into extensions, which are routes that lead to the main exhibtition hall. Using contradicting spatial qualities in each space, an experience of curiosity, uncertainty and surprise makes an impact on the visitor. The art space later developed into the current form, using two intersecting grids, and the organization of functions.
concept sketches 12
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exhibition space + outdoor exhibition area foyer + auditorium (performance art & media/video art) + outdoor performance/exhibition area
ground floor plan
reception area + library + workshop space + outdoor workshop area 13
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basement floor plan
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first floor plan
section a-a 14
interior collage of the exhibition space 15
02. MULTI-LEVELED CONNECTIONS During the spring of 2016, my bachelor project in urban design was completed at the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Arquitectura de Barcelona, UPC. In collaboration with three of my colleagues, Amin ElDidi, Mark Estafan and Pakynam Gheith, we propose a solution to an existing problematic urban situation. Our intervention targets the heart of the city of Barcelona, where a disruption is caused by several reasons that are to be mentioned later on. We worked on reconfiguring the qualities of the city to develop simultaneously the architecture, landscape and infrastructural dimension. Furthermore, our project is a fight against decontextualization. It manifests the importance of the link between history, context and architecture. It promotes realizing the existing reality and including it as a crucial part in a newly introduced system because this is what makes Barcelona what it truly is; an urbanism success story.
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Since the goal is to enhance the connectivity aspect in the area, and we will be able to achieve that by connecting the park to the surrounding urban fabrics, the sea and the mountains, not only visually but also physically, we decided to work on different levels; the underground level, the ground level and the higher level. Not only that, but also consider the historical traces and redesign the existing reality, instead of demolishing and starting over. general masterplan 17
upper level intervention: vertical structures
underground level intervention: citadel walls gound level intervention: the spine through estacio de franca
THE MASTERPLAN The masterplan was divided into four fragments, each one dealing with an issue. The four fragments altogether are designed to serve the main concept. The first proposal deals with the underground connections beneath the Parc de la Ciutadella using the old fortress’s guidelines. The second proposal is making the upper level accessible through lightweight vertical structures, which transform into a network of pedestrian walkways on the upper level, hence bringing the city to the park and vice versa. The third proposal works on descending with the topography to the seafront and completely altering the situation in the Parc de la Barceloneta. Finally, my proposal, which not only respects the existing traces, but also works on intertwining the urban fabrics, transforms Estacio de Franca and the train tracks into a thread of public realm.
seafront intervention: extending pier
physical model 18
intention diagram of all four proposals combined
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THE PROPOSAL Emphasizing on a spine that includes the Parc de Carles I, the train tracks, the train station, Mercat del Born, some courtyards and finally, the Arc de Triomf is the general strategy. This spine has an exceptional quality of connecting the different urban fabrics around the park, not only visually but also physically, and that would be achieved by highlighting the spine with materiality. Three main contributors were pointed out as disconnectors – the ring road, the train tracks and the train station. The ring road, as mentioned before, causes a drastic disruption in the continuity between the city and the seafront. The train tracks and train station altogether also form a sort of blockage between the old city and the other side of the Parc de la Ciutadella, where the flow of locals and tourists is diminishing. Therefore, opening the way through it should solve the problem.
strategy diagram 20
The Estacio de Franca will act as a gateway to the other side of Parc de la Ciutadella from Mercat del Born. Opening the way through it will transform it into a cultural hub hosting city events, activities and markets. The space will extend into a curved boulevard, which will replace the train tracks and revive the concept of La Rambla, which connects between two prominent nodes, Placa de Catalunya and Mirador de Colom, where all kinds of touristic and local activities take place. However, the case here is connecting between Parc de Carles I and Estacio de Franca.
interior collage of estacio de franca 21
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The design of the area follows the idea of keeping traces of what is currently existing and using them to generate a public space. The train tracks overlap in a certain pattern, which, as a result, create leftover leaf-shaped spaces. These spaces are to be transformed into green spaces that would extend sideways. In addition, since there is an apparent difference in levels in this area, creating a topographical solution will facilitate the movement from the Parc de la Ciutadella and the Parc de la Barceloneta.
section through the multi-leveled landscape 22
masterplan for the proposal showing parc de la ciutadella interlinked with the newly designed public space call-out plan zooming in on the connection between estacio de franca and the embedded landscape 23
03. BRIDGE THE GAP A short animated film, in which Cairo’s cityscape is reimagined through utilizing its most significant artery; the Sixth of October Bridge. Choking on its own congestion, social segregation, and traffic induced illnesses, the city of Cairo reached a point of no return. With the complete standstill of the Sixth of October bridge, the government reached out to all urban planners to take this exceptional opportunity for the urban repurpose and makeover of the bridge. Ideally, the intervention would serve the greater good of Cairo on the long run and bring the utopian vision of a city, that is prosperous and transcending, to life. A city that is able to endure as an entity unified in diversity. A city characterized by well-management, cleanliness, accessible mobility and the capacity to partake and enjoy in urban life. A city restoring its long lost charm and exhibiting its prominent historical, cultural and physical features. It must be given back to its people, and by doing that they have to be involved in every step of the way. Citizens being the focal point of the design, proposals depended primarily on participatory design workshops and communicating with the public.
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Furthermore, observing, studying and analyzing all actions of appropriations done informally by the people during the halt period, were essential in informing the design approach. Locals strongly expressed and met their needs through simple, yet efficient, acts of retrofitting and stipulation. Hence, formalizing informal patterns, planners proposals aimed at changing the dynamic along the urban thread and stitching the urban fabric together. The aim is to stimulate social cohesion and deal with the bridge from a communal perspective underneath and a collective overview above. It responds to a public demand for a free and accessible public space. This public space equity would allow for the accommodation of a variety of public functions and mixed use. Finally, Cairenes would be given a chance in time and space of no man’s land and a state of “openness”, somewhere in between strict restrictions of the gated premises and utter chaos of wasted space where they can coexist, meet and deal with the “other”.
ANALYSIS
STATISTICS
OBSERVATION
SCAN QR CODE TO WATCH VIDEO: BRIDGE THE GAP INTERVIEWS
PROPOSAL
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SPATIAL PROJECTS
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04. A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF ESCAPE A dystopian futuristic tale on overpopulation and the extinction of the postmodern city. In the distant future, a world, where the term “urban sprawl” is not valid anymore, is born. Dwellings are built upon each other. Layers over layers of ruins, grazed by the people’s marks of survival. Everything transforms into utter chaos. A brutal reality. No escape. We are back to the basics. The only intangible utopia we know of are the heavens. Our minds become the only way out.
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However... Our capacity to imagine is constrained. For it is a world, where the air we breathe is a property. The solution is embodied in the walls. They are deprived of their real essence; shelter. They emerge from the rubble to accommodate the “happening� of seeing vivid stills of lost desires. A platform of a parallel earth now exhibits what is left of humanity. ----Your virtual journey begins now. You have only 15 minutes. Tick tock... Remember, Use your senses fully for an intense experience.
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05. ALICE IN CAPSULELAND A spatial experiment, which transforms the stages of experiencing alzheimer’s disease into a dynamic, interavtive and representational space. The narrative is based on “Still Alice”, a novel by Lisa Genova, about a linguistics professor diagnosed with early on-set alzheimer’s disease shortly after her 50th birthday. The author goes above and beyond to make the readers see the distorted world of an alzheimer’s patient through Alice’s eyes from the moment she realizes she is sick until her mind completely collapses. The stage design focuses on illustrating Alice’s struggle to hold on to her memories that are soon to be long lost, until the disease takes over eventually, leaving her giving in to her clueless version of herself. Using metaphors embodied in physical elements, the space becomes a reflection of the battle that takes place in Alice’s mind, until it all fades away. The light cones represent her memories, the capsules represent Alice’s attempt to store them, the structure represents her life, the glitches reperesent her inability to remember and her other self represents the disease.
WATCH SHORT FILM: ALICE IN CAPSULELAND
mood board 30
WATCH STAGE DESIGN, TRANSFORMATION OF SPACE AND MOVEMENT THROUGH IT
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stage design and transformtation diagrams
excerpts from the gif 31
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PROFESSIONAL WORK
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06. URBAN RESEARCH: FORMAL-INFORMAL INTERFACE A study by CLUSTER Cairo funded by AURI (African Urban Research Initiative) on the formal-informal interface in three different Egyptian cities; Cairo, Alexandria and al-Minya. The research approach is critical, analytical and comparative. The research seeks to examine the relationship between the formal-informal interface at several scales within the context of a centralized Egyptian state. It proposes an analytical framework to address and discuss key urban issues based on the Egyptian experience, which can then be extended to undertake a comparative study of other cities in Africa and the Global South. I worked on this project as a lead graphic designer in charge of the editorial design and graphic design. In addition, I was also part of the research team.
SHORT ANIMATED FILM: OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR
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extracts from the publication
collage showing the urban experience spectrum in cairo 35
07. URBAN DESIGN: AL-BURSA ART DISTRICT A proposal by CLUSTER to transform al-Bursa triangle in Downtown Cairo into an art district, where cultural events occur. My focus was on al-Sharifayn passageway; the longest passageway of al-Bursa triangle. The passageway is home to several significant banks and antique shops. The approach is to zone the passageway into three categories; sidewalk, a margin for temporary setups, and the main event space. The sidewalk is for pedestrians and leaving a bufferzone for banks. The temporary setups, whether they are book stands, bazaars or market booths, shall also follow this margin. Finally, the main event space is for large gatherings and festivities.
section through al-Sharifayn passageway 36
top view plan for al-Sharifayn passageway 37
08. STAGE & SPATIAL DESIGN: RISEUP SUMMIT ‘18 RiseUp Summit is a 3-day grand entrepreneurship event that takes place in Downtown Cairo, Egypt, in which global and local business leaders, techpioneers, design-geniuses, investors and successhungry young entrepreneurs are brought together. It has been described as “one of the largest gatherings of entrepreneurs in the region”. The summit is designed to contribute to sustaining a healthy and dynamic entrepreneurship ecosystem for the MENA region. The event provides informative talks, panel-discussions, workshops, deep-dives, startup stations, pitch competitions and most importantly, a networking platform. RiseUp Summit ‘18 focus was a take on the previous year’s “thinking human experience” theme and grounding it even further. The fundamental question of the theme was this: who and what was the summit catering towards? The question blew us back to the square-one of the thought-process, whereas it has been concluded that in order to thrive and move forward with the ecosystem, one must direct their focus at their own context. Contextualization led us to breaking down what it meant to be living in Egypt and how can one use the resources that are sitting at one’s feet to improve the human experience, in response to the global focus on Silicon Valley. Absorbing the reality we are immersed in to transform the summit into a “grounded experience”. Aim high, stay grounded.
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RISEUP SUMMIT ‘18 ON SOCIAL MEDIA
* photography by MO4 39
SPATIAL CONCEPT It’s all about distorting the current state of reality that was forced upon us into abstraction. Rebelling against the apparent nature of elements. Like the entire scene is an undone puzzle. Like a physical glitch. Deconstructing to reconstruct in our own terms and the way we see things. Back to the basics.
early stage collage showing the spatial drive and essence of the designs 40
the greek campus ft. capital stage documented brainstorming
MISSION STATEMENT RiseUp provides a summit experience to a curious audience in a young, glocal environment with an expert, reliable voice. Empowering them with a diverse range of opportunities.
CREATIVE CONCEPT The aim is to communicate the various dimensions of grounded experiences through an engaging design. auc tahrir campus ft. creative and tech stages 41
* photography by MO4 42
detailed axonometric of the greek campus’s capital stage
THE CAPITAL STAGE The main stage of the summit is a quintessential statement on its own - the human capital is at the forefront. This stage emphasizes the dominance of its attendees as well as its speakers. It bridges the gap between both. However, it is also a powerful body that intrudes the space with its geometric force exerting invisible borders within the space, guiding the audience to react limitedly to the actions happening on the sacred platform. It is integrated within the space to also highlight its surrounding eclectic and monumental architectural facades of the greek campus.
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* photography by MO4 44
the whole picture
grid
panels
screens
THE CREATIVE STAGE flâneur (n.): a man who saunters around observing society. A creative individual is originally a flâneur. The entire court represents their core, in which layers of past experiences and buried emotions are taking place which are represented by translucent eclectic surfaces. These layers are supported by a structure that represents the skeleton of the space and the screens shall distort the imagery of these inner conflicts. Disturbances created by the people entering the space will be in the form of moving through and interacting with the space. The invitation the stage sends out to the observees depicts the creative process a flâneur goes through. The collector folds out their case of precious collectables. 45
* photography by Momen Nabil 46
conceptual sketches
THE TECHNOLOGY STAGE How do we want to visualize digital space? How do we enter a data mine? What do we expect to see, feel and hear? Is there a core to this being? Like a digitized human brain? A centralized body that transmits energy/information to its cells? Or is the entire being a space of floating data? A data mine is a formidable yet a vulnerable being. It is intimidating yet can be easily (relatively) hacked or dismantled. It is a fast-learner and a collector. It has no subconscious (so far!). The stage represents the core, space represents the body, cells are represented by projections of dashes, dots (like a musical note, there’s a rhythm to the movement of this data through the space or morse code). There’s a pattern of some sort that is floating and creating an experience. 47
mayarmsalama@gmail.com +201110048849