ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
Mohamed Salah Ali
Perspective Developing a prominent architectural design has become a challenging endeavor. In the age of pluralism, an identity crisis has risen to the surface of architecture. The discipline progressed and regressed, trends have been up and down, and prepitious tracks almost dead-ended. This atmosphere of quick advances and software evolution has demanded rapid adaptation and immediate response to everyday’s update, which in turn set a strenuous commitment on every architect.
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In the midst of all this fusion, I find myself more inclined towards the most basic principles of architecture. I stick to solar studies, the primitive site analysis, and the lovely game of shade & shadow. In the time of photorealistic renders, I am still more attracted to to presenting most of my works in flat simple tones. Concept is the corner stone of any project I attend to, technicalities make the skeleton, and graphics build up the message.
Mohamed Salah Ali
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Bio I am Mohamed Salah Ali, a Kuwait-based architect who graduated from Cairo University, 2017. Following my graduation, I came back to Kuwait where I had lived my whole life and started working in a third-tier engineering consultancy firm for a little less than two years. After that I spent a year in a top design studio where I notched various architectural & personal skills. Despite my Arabic basic educations, I am bilingual in English as well, as I spent a year as an exchange student in the U.S., in addition to basic Spanish. The year 2010 was life changing for me. I spent a year living alone thousands of miles away from my family, making my own decisions and enduring the consequences; very tremendous at the age of 16. I decided to take up architecture as a life-long career and message to define and identify cultural and materialistic issues. On this day, three years after graduation, I still believe this is the best way I could help shape the world and contribute to identity crisis reform in architecture.
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Work Experience
Skills
Design Architect 2019 - 2020
Autodesk Revit
Babnimnim Design Studio
Archicad
As a design architect I was responsible for the following:
Corona Renderer
Creating designs that meet the specifications within the constraints given in the project plan
Vray
Collection and analysis of information in order to adapt the designs to the clients’ needs
Autodesk Autocad
Preparation of material selection of the exterior / interior in the projects.
Adobe Photoshop
Junior Architect 2017 - 2019 DARMASS Engineering Consultants
Adobe Indesign
As a junior architect I was responsible for the following: Creating designs that meet the specifications of the local Kuwaiti market
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Dimension Lumion 3D Rhino-3D
Handling meeting with clients on a daily basis in order to ensure fast project delivery
Grasshopper
Preparation of tender documents & technical offers
MS Office
Education
Contacts
Bachelors Degree 2012-2017 Architectural Engineering Faculty of Engineering Cairo University
Jaber Al Ahmed High School, Kuwait, 2012
+965 550 408 41 mohamedsali22@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohamed-ali-aa8888107/
2009-2010 2011-2012
Strasburgh High School, Virginia, USA, 2011
https://www.behance.net/MSAli
CONTENTS 01
The Yoga Residence
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The Sadu House
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Graduation Project
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Co-op Society
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Miscellaneous
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Graphics 5
The Yoga Residence
Concept
Location
Al Masayel, Kuwait
Year
2020
Type
Residential
The residence is designed for a family of four, who appreciate nature and get together every other day to practice yoga and medtitation. They wanted the closest proximity possible to natural elements in a newly cultivated neighborhood in the middle of the desert.
Brief
The property belonged to a Kuwaiti Diplomat who is settling back in Kuwait after spending more than 20 years in East Asian countries, taking on meditation & Yoga as a lifestyle
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Color Scheme
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The design introduced flexible spaces of living rooms that could be joined together through a mere sliding door. Inspired by the Asian architecture, front, back porches & terraces were added to attach indoor user of the space to the outdoor elements of nature, so that nature is just a step away. The facades represented the trio of yoga; body, mind & soul through the coupling of straight & arched openings and the space in between. Openings were minimized to enhance thermal comfort inside the residence. The main skeleton was punctured with straight square openings representing the body that is enveloped with more flexible arched openings representing the mind; a broader entity, and the space between them is where the soul lingers. Another layer of thin sun-breakers with arched openings was added to give more dynamic sense to the facade.
Solar Study N
Solar studies are primarily conducted showing sun direction at multiple points of the day in order to define primary massing avoiding the hot sun.
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Massing Primitive massing starts with applying building codes and regulations and then spatial configuration according the requirements set by the client
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Ground Floor The ground floor plan introduces flexible spaces such as the reception and the dining room that are connected by a sliding door. An office is also introduced and reached to through the front porch. The office leads to a bedroom that acts a sanctuary for the client as it is a bit isolated but exposed to nature with a back porch. A double-height lobby is placed axial to a greened light well for more natural light and a calming atmosphere. Another double-height element is the cornered part of the reception, desined for a better vertical connectivity and better dispertion of sunlight through the day.
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Office Lobby W.C. Reception Front Porch Dining Room Kitchen Maids Room Court Guest House Back Porch Staircase
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The perimeter of the ground floor is surrounded by porches that overlook a reflection pool all around.
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Ground Floor Plan
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First Floor N
The first floor plan contains two en-suite bedrooms; one for each kid of the family. In the center of the plan lies a living room attached to the terrace that is exactly above the one in the ground floor and also overlooks part of the reception.
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Connected to the living room through a simple a study nook, where the kids can change mode of study if they wish and also oversee part of the reception through the doubl-height space and enjoy the light reflected sunlight. The plan also introduces a game room that could also be used a get-together space for movie nights. The game room is also juxtaposed with a simple pantry for snacks and drinks.
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En-suite Bedroom Pantry Game Room Study Nook Living Room Terrace Master Bedroom Dressing Room Bathroom Staircase
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First Floor Plan
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GSPublisherVersion 0.1.100.100
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Second Floor The second floor is parents’ retreat away from all the daily fuss. Their wing is disected into two main sections, his & hers. Each section has walk-in dressing room attached to a private bathroom where the ‘‘hers’’ section is slightly larger as requested.
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The sections meet in at the bedroom where the bed is looking at the terrace at a greater depth as the meditation nook comes in between. The nook is located at the terrace where its lightly lit and surrounded by a green roof and a side porch. Also service and mechanical rooms were added with a private access right out of the core. The light well / court continues to show in this plan where it provides clerestory windows that partially light the bathroom in the ‘‘hers’’ section and is covered with a skylight glazing.
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Lobby Walk-in Dressing Room Bathroom Bedroom Meditation Nook Terrace Green Roof Mechanical Room Store Corridor Staircase
Second Floor Plan
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+14.600 Roof
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+9.600 SF
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Fenestration The facade was designed to symbolically simulate the Yoga trio; body, mind, and spirit. Basic openings were made straight -playing the role of the bodyand according to the solar study and the amount & dispertion of sun wanted in the space. The were next covered by arched openings pointing to the mind that is of broader and more fliexible identity. Another layer was then added of sun-breakers with arched openings to give shade & shadow more appearance at the facade and increase dynamicity
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Cobblestone Timber Wood
Gray Travertine Greens
Beige Travertine
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Reflective Glass
+14.600 Roof
+12.600 Sub Roof
+9.600 SF
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South Elevation 0
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+14.600 Roof
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Main Elevation
Side Elevation
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Night Perspective
The Sadu House
Concept
Location
Al Funaitis, Kuwait
Year
2019
Type
Residential
The house is designed for a family of five, who are used to having friends & family over all the time; some of which are even from outside the country. Their sociability is reflected on the design programs as we added a pool, a gym, huge reception for parties and social occasions, and a back yard for the get-togethers.
Brief
The house is designed for a family of 5 who are very socially active. The house had one open facade & 3 neighbors.
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Color Scheme
The design also played around the idea of light as a definition of space, where skylight glazings were placed on multiple floors providing a sensational string of light since the house had only one street facade, most of which had to be shaded due to harsh climate circumstances. The facades represented clean minimalistic planes with a taste of traditional Kuwaiti architecture shown in the screen patterns. The materials used were beige plaster, beige travertine, and corton steel.
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Massing Basic massing is started with addressing the building regulations of this particular site; applying height, setbacks, and calculate the allowable built-up area. After that, solar path along with the client’s requierments account for the spatial configuration of the total mass. Then comes the fenestration of the facade and the layer of Kuwaiti traditional heritage that gives the house its identity.
The pattern of the screens is derived from what Kuwaitis call “Sadu�. Sadu is the pattern that ancient generations wove into their different pieces of cloth and, tent canvas, and even upholstery. It is believed this pattern has been derived from living in the desert, inside mountains and valleys, and surrounded by stars.
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Elevation solar study 23
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Farafra-neur
Concept
Location
Al Farafra Oasis, Egypt
Year
2017
Type
Graduation Project
The concept was to state Farafra as new world hub for social entrepreneurship and innovation activities through a responsive, multilayered piece of architecture. The project was also located on a link between the old and the new town. A location that is viewed as the starting point for a new developed town.
Brief
The project site was chosen in Farafra -one of the five oasis of Egypt-, a virgin land, and aimed at introducing an Avant-Garde economic platform to notch up the development in that area.
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Color Scheme
The concept was reflected on the massing aspect on a number of levels. Small masses were located at the edge of the community tissue (old town) with gradual enlargement to the opposite edge which symbolizes the new coming era. The material was chosen to be from the local soil in hybrid rammed earth mix. The openings are relatively minimal on the side of the community edge compared to the opposite one. A huge mesh of webs and beams is applied on the whole project to provide maximum shading as clear response to the environmental hindrances. The project consists of an entrepreneurial center being the main component and the major typology among the mix, a hostel, a research center, a library, an orientation platform and an administration. The entrepreneurial center is composed of lecture halls, section classes, co-working spaces and entrepreneurship studios.
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Floor Plans The basement, ground & first floor plans come in a staggered interlocking form as a representation of a number of aspects. First, it shows the gradual to total fusion of both old non-grid fabric of the existing town and the iron grid fabric of the newly planned town. Second, the interlocking plan also join the project to nature represented in the palm forest located north to the plot. The ground floor has multiple courts allowing light into the basement plan that embraces a number of activites. The plan starts with an irregular grid shown in the tilted walls and begins to adjust itself and align to the iron grid piecemeal.
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Ground Floor Plans
Basement Floor Plans
First Floor Plans
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longitudinal Section
Main Elevation 34
Main Plaza 35
Main Plaza 36
Main Entrance 37
Visuals The visual message conveyed in the whole project as shown in the bird’s eye shot, main plaza & main entrance was aimed at the people of Farafra. The implant of a new strange structure in a predominantly introvert community had to take more than step towards the people. Therefore, a local material & building technique such as the rammed earth was chosen, with a wooden grid covering the whole project puncturing some of the masses as another form of fusion. These wooden members also carried tent structures as a shading device, and more importantly, as another tribute to the heritage of the site and the way the people have always percieved architecture in their own land.
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Co-op Society
Concept
Location
Al Zahraa, Kuwait
Year
2018
Type
Tender Proposal
The concept was to introduce a new experience of shopping addressing the harsh environment of Kuwait. The design intended to use redirect sunlight through prism glass collectors in into the space in order to support energy efficiency through the day and use lights only through the night.
Brief
The proposal was submitted as technical offer for a co-op society in Al zahraa, Kuwait. The design was mainly aiming for energy efficiency and use of passive systems for lighting.
Color Scheme
The facades were also design in alignment with the main intention as they were semi-covered. The facade was made of three layers; glass, brick walls, and GRC. The glass layer of curtain walls surrounded the whole building up to the total height, and was meant to let daylight into the space. The perforated brick walls then were added to reduce heat and minimize daylight. A pixelated pattern of GRC was applied after that to add motion to the concrete-finished walls. Also greening was present in order to cool down the air coming into the glass layer.
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Massing The massing starts with the rectangular outline of the plot as requested, a double height section of the space, and a roof added only for service and mechanical rooms. A shell was added to cover the whole building form brick walls and GRC pattern. The walls and the GRC were both perforated in a complementary relation in order to enhance solid & void visual image. Interior plants were added after that to fill some of the voids in the facades and to cool down the heat radiation coming into the building.
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Main Entrance 41
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Bird’s Eye
Back Entrance
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05 Location
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Miscellaneous Kuwait
Type
Governmental
Name
Bayt Al Zakat
Main Elevation
Year
2020
General Perspective
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Location
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Kuwait
Type
Residential
Name
Wafra Farm House
General Perspective
Year
2019
Master Bathroom
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Location
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Kuwait
Type
Residential - Interior
Name
Al Andalus Residence
Library / Staircase Node
Year
2019
Living Room
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Graphics
Concept
Location
Oman
Year
2019
Type
Design Firm
Name
Dawn Design Studio
The design of the ‘’Dawn Design Studio’’ is an abstract and merge of the ‘’dawn sun’’, the horizon, and an architectural annotation to which the studio main scope of work is directed. The design was chosen to be flat and in black in white in order to stand the test of time and allow multiple usage.
Proportions
Design Elements
Breakdown
Final Logo
Business Card
Brand Identity
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Concept Location
Kuwait
Year
2020
Type
Entertainment
Name
Yoga Retreat
Proportions & Breakdown
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The design was meant to be flexible as a reflection of the practices of Yoga. The concept played with the letter Y as an initial and merge it with one of the most basic poses of Yoga. The final logo yielded a tweaked letter Y with human head and two splines as a reflection to the motion added to it.
Final Logo
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Thank you
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