parsa parsa parsa parsa parsaparsa kamali. kamali kamali. kamali. kamali. kamali. portfolio. portfol portfolio. portfolio. portfolio. portfolio. ofI a master master ofmaster architecture ofmaster architecture ofmaster architectu ofmaster Iarchit candidate. candid candidate. candidate. candidate. candidate. harvard harvar gs harvard harvard gsd. harvard gsd. harvard gsd. gsd.
f i rf si trf si yrt es yat er ya s er e a slr ee scl et e lc ed t ce w td eod wr o kws r ok rs k
r ee t1nn 1i0e l2kcgonco i r iprtsb edls:hgi tidartarvear n ap hi l ,krn 1o e1ro 0 te2nrdgb eoncim :r picsi e i dthse rgtal_dhprItaI av,I rnaerh e nd irle oktm onoeerch b tc_ :iiItiIeItl rhat p a ,ennri el kd oo omr be h: it i_ It IrIa p , n r e d o m e h t _ I I I 0 1 0 2 l l a f d s g d r a v r a h 0m 1 0o 2 o l l ar f n d seg ddd r aivh r a he
h mto_ oVrI 0 1n0e2 dl l d a f i dhs gedhr at v_r aVhI m o o 0 1r 0 2n le l ad f d d si gh d rea h v rta _ h Vm I oor neddih eht_VI
0 1 0 2 l l a f d s g d r a v r a h 0g 1 0d2 l lb l a f kdc s go d l_ r aV vrah
g d l b 0k1 c 0 2o lll a_f Vd s g
dravrah
g d l 0b1 0k2 cl l o a fl d _sVg
dravrah
gdlb kcol_V
ht
s: nh rt1ea1d b 0 2olgm an im rr perstefdh a s gt e d:rhn a tvrr_a eIhd s o 1h m1t0ra2ebgt nfliarap m se dh rsetg_hdItr a v: rn 1a1h r0e2sdgho nti m rapb sr e dlsta gf m ad rraeevhrhatht_ sI: n h rt e ad b ol m am r er tef ha t e:hntr_eId o m r e t f a e h t _ I
h
t reasp1u1o0, n 2h rgl e noi d ropo p sm d:s iged thrratav_p ra I Ih, ner1 s 1 e0u d2 ogh m n ilr p oesohdpts g_:IdiIr atvrr1a a1hp 02 e ,gns n iru re po sdh dosl m go d orep ah v r:tai_ h It Ireaspu o , nh rl e od oo p m: i ethr ta_pI I , n r e d o m e h t _ I I
rtarvea rn ap hi
l ,krn1oe1ro 0 te2nrdgb eoncim :r picsi e i dthse rgtal_dhprItaI av,I rn1ae 1rh0e n2 d irgle onkitm ron po seerdch b s gtc_ :diirItiaIevItrlarhhat p ar e,en tnnri el kd c oocomirt bee lh:hit ti_aIt IreIanpi l ,knoroerdbo m : i i ethr ta_pI I ,I n r e d o m e h t _ I I I
0m 1 0o 2 o l l ar f n d seg ddd r aivh r a he
h mto_ oVrI 0 1n0e2 dl l d a f i dhs gedhr at v_r aVhI m o o 0 1r 0 2n le l ad f d d si gh d rea h v rta _ h0 Vm 1I0 o 2 o l l arf d nseg dd d r aivh r a he h mto_oVrI n e d d i h e h t _ V I
d s g d r a v r a h 0g 1 0d2 l lb l a f kdc s go d l_ r aV vrah
g d l b 0k1 c 0 2o lll a_f Vd s g
dravrah
g d l 0b1 0k2 cl l o a fl d _sVg
d r a v r a h 0g 1 0d2 l lb l a f kd c s go dl r_a V vrah
gdlb kcol_V
1h0 2s g hnti rapbs dlsag m d rrae v rh a ht
s: nh rt1ea1d b 0 2olgm an im rr perstefdh a s gt e d:rhn a tvrr_a eIhd s o 1h m1t0ra2ebgt nfliarap m se dh rsetg_hdItr a v: rna hr esdhot m a br eltaf m a reehhtt_ I: n r e d o m r e t f a e h t _ I
h0 2 eg s n iu r po sh d sl g oo d rp a v r:aih
t reasp1u1o0, n 2h rgl e noi d ropo p sm d:s iged thrratav_p ra I Ih, ner1 s 1 e0u d2 ogh m n ilr p oesohdpts g_:IdiIr atvrr a a hp e , ns rueodhol m o o eph :t i_ It Ir a p , n r e d o m e h t _ I I
r ee t1nn 1i0e l2kcgonco i r iprtsb edls:hgi tidartarvear n ap hi l ,krn 1o e1ro 0 te2nrdgb eoncim :r picsi e i dthse rgtal_dhprItaI av,I rnaerh e nd irle oktm onoeerch b tc_ :iiItiIeItl rhat p a ,ennri el kd oo omr be h: it i_ It IrIa p , n r e d o m e h t _ I I I 0 1 0 2 l l a f d s g d r a v r a h 0m 1 0o 2 o l l ar f n d seg ddd r aivh r a he
h mto_ oVrI 0 1n0e2 dl l d a f i dhs gedhr at v_r aVhI m o o 0 1r 0 2n le l ad f d d si gh d rea h v rta _ h Vm I oor neddih eht_VI
0 1 0 2 l l a f d s g d r a v r a h 0g 1 0d2 l lb l a f kdc s go d l_ r aV vrah
g d l b 0k1 c 0 2o lll a_f Vd s g
dravrah
g d l 0b1 0k2 cl l o a fl d _sVg
dravrah
gdlb kcol_V
I I I _ t h e m o d e r n , p a r t IiIiI:_ tbhr eo omk ol idneer na ,t hpl ae rt ti ci i c:I Ieb I n_rttoehorek lm hian o r ve d a re dartgn h s d,l e sp IptIa riIi c nr_gttc 2h i0eie1:n1 m tberorodoehkarrlnvia,nr depgaa s rdtth s pil riei :ntgibc 2r0o 1c1o e IcVo_ n t htee hni td sd e n r o o m hI aVr v_atr dh e g s dh fiad l l d2 e 0 1n0 r o o m V_lock bldg
h a r v a r d g s d Vf a_l l l 2o0c 1 0k
bldg
h a r vI aVr d _ tg h s de f ahl l i 2d0 d 1 0e
h a r v a r d g s d f a lV l 2_0l1o 0c
k bldg
pa r s a
k a m a l i
n r oIoVm _ t hhaer v ahr di dg sddef n a l l r2o 0 1o0 m h a r v a rV d _g ls o d c f akl l 2b0 l1d 0
g
harvard gsd
harvard gsd fall 2010
I _ t h e a f t e r m o d e rIn_ :t ht eh earfm t earl mboadt e h rsn h:a rtvhIa _ redtrg hm seda sa l pfrbitna eg tr2h m 0s 1o1 h daer vranr d: gtshd es Ipr_rm i tn h a g le 2 0b 1a1af t h e rsmh o a rd v aer drIn g _s:tdhtse hp reianrgfm t2ea0 r1l 1mb I I _ t h e m o d e r n , p IaI r_tt hi :e pmooodl h e ronu,s p e a rh ta r viIa:Ir _ dptgo hs o de ls h p mroi o nu gds2ee 0r1 n 1 h, a rpv aar rd tg si d: sp IpIro_i notghl 2he0o1 m 1u s o ed e hr anr v, a rpdIaIgr_s tdt hsi p:er ipnm goo 2o0d l1h e1
I I I _ t h e m o d e r n , pI IaI r_tt hi ie: m b roodoekr lni ,n e p aartthIilIieI:_t itbchr eoc oemknoltid enreer n haa,tr h vp alra ed rtgtiscdi isc:IpIerb Ii n n_rgttoe h 2o 0re1k1lm hian o r ve d a re dartgn h s d,l e sp IptIa riIi c nr_gttc 2h i0eie1:n1 m tberorodoeh I V _ t h e h i d d e n r oIoVm _ t hhaer v ahr di dg d s de fn a l l r2o 0 1o0m hI aVr v_atr d he g s dh fiad l l d2 e 0 1n0 r o o m V_lock bldg
h a r v a rV d _glso d cf akl l 2b0l1d 0 g h a r v a r d g s d Vf a_l l l 2o0c 1 0k
bldg
h a r vI aVr d _ tg h s de f ahl l i 2d0 d 1 0e
h a r v a r d g s d f a lV l 2_0l1o 0c
k bldg
n r oIoVm _ t hhaer v ahr di dg sdde h a r v a rV d _g ls o d c f akl l 2b0 l1d 0
g
I _ t h e a f t e r m o d e r n : t hI _e trhmea a l fbt a e tr h mso hdaer vranr d: gtshd es Ipr_rm i tn h a g le 2 0b 1a1af t h e rsmh o a rd v aer drIn g _s:tdhtse hp reianrgfm t2ea0 r1l 1mboadt h e rs nh:a rtv h a re d rgm s daslp rb
I I _ t h e m o d e r n , p a r t iI:I _ptohoe l hmooudseer nh, a rpv aar rd tg si d: sp IpIro_i notghl 2he0o1 m 1u s o ed e hr anr v, a rpdIaIgr_s tdt hsi p:er ipnm goo 2o0d l1h e1 o r nu ,s e p a rh at r via:r dpgos do ls h pr
I I I _ t h e m o d e r n , p a r t IiIiI:_ tbhr eo omk ol idneer na ,t hpl ae rt ti ci i c:I Ieb I n_rttoehorek lm hian o r ve d a re dartgn h s d,l e sp IptIa riIi c nr_gttc 2h i0eie1:n1 m tberorodoehkarrlnvia,nr depgaa s rdtth s pil riei :ntgibc 2r0o 1c1o e I V _ t h e h i d d e n r o o m hI aVr v_atr dh e g s dh fiad l l d2 e 0 1n0 r o o m V_lock bldg
h a r v a r d g s d Vf a_l l l 2o0c 1 0k
bldg
h a r vI aVr d _ tg h s de f ahl l i 2d0 d 1 0e
h a r v a r d g s d f a lV l 2_0l1o 0c
k bldg g sd
n r oIoVm _ t hhaer v ahr di dg sddef n a l l r2o 0 1o0 m h a r v a rV d _g ls o d c f akl l 2b0 l1d 0 first
ye a r
g
s e l e c te d
harvard gsd
harvard gsd fall 2010 w o r k s
2 0 1 1
the aftermodern thermal baths
harvard gsd core studio I spring 2011 critic: elizabeth whittaker
p a r s a
the
k a m a l i
thing
in contemplating contemporary architecture as a product of technology, this project takes a stand against the notion that people are no longer willing to engage with architecture on a level beyond the surface, this lack of engagement being a result of the exponentially increasing rate of information and media consumption. this has resulted in an architectural culture where design emphasis has shifted to surface complexity that often serves the purpose of nothing more than to grab attention or make a visual statement, rather than to physically engage the inhabitant. this building takes on the roll of a heideggerian “thing” (those items characterized by our use and interaction with them, our “nearness” to them), rather than “object” (items which are pretentious and separated from the human and have no use). one cannot know the building without physically engaging with it, experiencing it, feeling it, hearing it.
TOWER
the tower sits set back from the edges of the site as an autonomous and separate environment. the front portion of the site sets up an oversized, public staircase with a cafe set inside; the large stairs appear to lead up to the building, but in fact are physically cutoff from the building by a 15 foot
DROP
tall gap. the entrance to the building rests unassumingly on the side of the stair surface, leading underground, where the preparatory spaces for the baths are.
CAFE
g s d
f i r s t
y ear
select ed
ENTRY
wor ks
2011
the
fourfold
th e
a fte r m o de r n :
th e r m a l
ba th s
the organization of the spaces and baths in the tower is based on heidegger’s concept of “the fourfold”: heideggerian “things” connect those interacting with it to the earth, sky, mortals and divinity, thereby placing their existence in the world. each floor of the tower is therefore connected by a vertical open space, which serves as an acoustic void for the sound bath, collecting vibrations from each floor and their respective baths.
the
others
once in the tower, the inhabitant may take one of a couple staircases which take them through the building in differing paths. along these paths, there are specific moments where one becomes aware of and confronts the other but is unsure of the nature of these adjacent spaces. furthermore, the image of the city is obscured by the varying steel cables hanging from the facade, leaving the city to be reevaluated through the eyes of the inhabitant.
gs d
s pr i n g
2 0 1 1
p a r s a
k a m a l i
plans baths and pools raise in temperature from ground up to the sky; coldest baths near the ground, warm and hot baths near the light and sky.
GROUND
SECOND
FIFTH
SIXTH salt bath_steam_cleansing rooms
lockers_cafe_yoga_sound and outdoor baths
FOURTH
massage baths and rooms g s d
f i r s t
y ear
specatating baths_cafe
select ed
wor ks
2011
ice and cold baths_private vacating
THIRD
ower baths_mud room
SEVENTH hot bath_steam_sauna
th e
a fte r m o de r n :
th e r m a l
ba th s
sections
east facing section
north facing section
gs d
s pr i n g
2 0 1 1
p a r s a
g s d
k a m a l i
f i r s t
y ear
select ed
wor ks
2011
th e
a fte r m o de r n :
th e r m a l
ba th s
model_1/8th� - 1’ water-jet cut steel and plexiglass
gs d
s pr i n g
2 0 1 1
the modern poolhouse
harvard gsd core studio I spring 2011 critic: elizabeth whittaker
p a r s a
k a m a l i
a
built
postscript
as an abstract exercise, this project required each student to develop and exercise concepts outlined in individually written postscripts on the modern. my postscript was based on adolf loos’ social dynamics within his architecture, as outlined in an essay by beatriz colomina. specifically, i concentrated on the loos’ phrase, “to be modern is to stand out the least,” as a result of the modern condition of his age, namely the metropolis and proliferation of technology. furthermore, i studied the dynamic between owner and visitor of his houses and the objectification of the subject through the circulation, orientation and spatial relationships within his architecture, eg. the idea of the theater box, causing the visitor to be fully aware of his relationship to the spaces and therefore his actions within them. juxtaposed
modernity
this photomontage overlays the issues addressed by adolf loos’ in the early 20th century, such as individuality within the metropolis, with what i identify as the issues of our contemporary modernity, where to be modern is now to attempt to stand out the most, but at the expense of personal information to the likes of google and facebook, ultimately jeopardizing one’s privacy by a naive and voluntary submission of personal details.
an abstract spatial condition which objectifies the inhabitant by presenting a distorted shadow of their body overlaid onto the image of an eye, representing an altered version of themself staring back.
g s d
f i r s t
y ear
select ed
wor ks
2011
circulation
axon
th e
m o de r n :
po o l h o u s e
furthering the notion that our contemporary condition is that of a naive loss of privacy, the poolhouse becomes a statement on our modern. it constantly forces the occupant to be aware, to confront themselves and not take their physical space for granted, as they do their privacy. sound becomes material, vibrating the walls of these tunnels with the sounds of the pool environment below, footsteps and water from above. embedded in a hill, the occupant descends and spirals through these tunnels into the ground, through various spaces that undress, objectify and cleanse them. the poolhouse makes no distinction of sex, with shared lockers and showers that forces one to confront and be aware of their bodies. as they pass through the body of the pool in a space that seems to be collapsing, they are compressed and left in a reverberant room where only sounds from the pool are collected. only then, purified by this circuitous procession, are they granted entrance to the main pool, in an open space looking over the city, spreading their voices throughout the space and surrounding the tunnel paths above.
sections
gs d
s pr i n g
2 0 1 1
p a r s a
k a m a l i
model laminated bristol, museum board and plexiglass
conceptual
g s d
f i r s t
axon
y ear
select ed
wor ks
2011
the modern
brookline athletic center harvard gsd core studio I spring 2011 critic: elizabeth whittaker
p a r s a
k a m a l i
nested spaces_spatial interference “...THROUGHOUT THE ATHLETIC CENTER, ATHLETES ARE CONFRONTING THEIR IMAGE THROUGH THE VARIOUS ADJACENCIES THEY ENCOUNTER: ADJACENCIES OF SEX, PENETRATIONS OF SPACE, PERMEATION OF SOUND...� this project is a continuation of the concepts demonstrated in the postscript on loosian modernity and the poolhouse, moving from the abstract to the architectural realm. the site for this athletic center is an idiosyncratic urban setting at the outskirts of boston, characterized by the T (subway), which runs directly through the edge of the site. this proposal negotiates a packed program, consisting of a large pool, basketball court and other athletic spaces onto the small site while confronting the same contemporary issues of loss of privacy, as well as spatial and mental penetration, as demonstrated by nested spaces and the leakage of sound between programmatically disparate areas.
g s d
f i r s t
y ear
select ed
wor ks
2011
the building is organized by two systems, separated by usage: the athletic spaces and the cafe/gallery spaces; both have entirely separate yet adjacent and interweaving circulations, one spatially interfering the other. cafe / public spaces athletic spaces
th e
plans
street level entry - cafe +23.5’ rock wall cafe lobby / outdoor patio +12.5’ elevator lobby
mo d e r n :
b ro ok l i n e
a th l e ti c
c e n te r
showers
pool deck
men’s locker women’s locker street level entry +12’ garage garage entry + 0’
ground/basement - 0’
rock wall reveal
pool
first_pool
cafe
seating / gallery
cafe spectator deck
second_basketball
wellness center balcony patio
third_wellness
gs d
s pr i n g
2 0 1 1
p a r s a
k a m a l i
sections
wellness
nested cafe path basketball court
spectator deck pool
locker
section:
east facing
wellness
cafe / gallery
basketball court
pool
locker
section: north facing g s d
f i r s t
y ear
select ed
wor ks
2011
cafe patio
locker
gym lobby
model_1/8th�=1’ bristol
th e
mo d e r n :
b ro ok l i n e
a th l e ti c
gs d
c e n te r
s pr i n g
2 0 1 1
the hidden room harvard gsd core studio I fall 2010 critic: ingeborg rocker
p a r s a
the
k a m a l i
hidden
“...THEY CAN SEE THE EXPOSED STAIRCASES LEADING FROM ROOM TO ROOM AND CAN SEE THROUGH THE WINDOWS INTO THE SPACES ON THE GROUND FLOOR, BUT INDEED HAVE NO IDEA WHY THEY DID NOT AND CANNOT BE THERE...” asked to rethink and redefine what it means to create and occupy a “hidden” room, this building proposal presents itself as a monolithic cube whose exterior withholds any hint of its interior functionings. upon entrance, one is greeted with a staircase which ostensibly grants access to the building’s functional spaces. rather, the staircase and stairwell serve one function: to take the unfamiliar observant directly through and out of the building, placing them in an exit corridor which, in a fishbowl manner, displays them to those who already know the way the building functions. to circulate through and inhabit the building’s main spaces, one must do what the building tells them not to do: evade the entrance.
two
systems
path through building, to exit corridor
g s d
f i r s t
y ear
path to inhabitable spaces
select ed
wor ks
2011
th e
h i dde n
ro o m
plans The observer approaches the cubic building with glimpses of the four rooms through the strip windows on the facade, which follow the organization of the rooms and grant light into them. Upon entering, the observer is met with a staircase right beyond the entrance threshold, leading into the staircase tower. Following the logic of most buildings, the observer understands that this stair tower, like all stair towers, is what will grant him/her access to the different floors. While ascending the stairs, the observer is met with doors at the landings, where one would assume a room to be, but these doors are in fact decoy doors
ground floor
second floor
that cannot open, frustrating the observer. At this point, the observer still has not seen into the rooms other than from the exterior of the building. At the top of the tower, the observer walks back into the inner tower, looks below to the entrance he/she came through, is granted a view through the interior and exterior and briefly into the rooms, but continues back on the path, this time descending and hoping to be allowed into a room. But they are in fact met with more decoy doors, until they reach a tunnel back at the ground floor, the hidden room, exposing the fact that the route the building dictated completely circumvents the rooms.
third floor
fourth floor
gs d
fa l l
2 0 1 0
p a r s a
k a m a l i
exit
g s d
f i r s t
y ear
select ed
wor ks
2011
corridor
top
view,
top
of
exit
corridor
staircase
model_1/8th�=1’ plexiglass, museum board and bristol
th e
h i dde n
gs d
fa l l
ro o m
2 0 1 0
p a r s a
g s d
k a m a l i
f i r s t
y ear
select ed
wor ks
2011
lock bldg harvard gsd core studio I fall 2010 critic: ingeborg rocker
p a r s a
the
k a m a l i
locks
elasticity
as a study on the kinetics of architecture and geometrical
choosing the “vane pump” as my
inscriptions of actions and states, the only precedent for this
mechanism, i began to study the
project was one of eleven given mechanisms to be studied and
mechanism’s inherently “elastic”
applied to a site located on the locks controlling the water level
qualities. the apparent symmetry
between the charles river and the boston harbor.
in the housing of the pills is constantly altered when the device is in motion; the distance between the pills is changing with each degree of rotation. therefore, rather than manifest the mechanism in my design, i decided to exploit this malleable quality in the mechanism.
charles
vane
pump
river
state_1 most squished
boston
state_2 less squished
state_3 least squished
harbor
state_1 closed_open
state_2 open
state_3 closed_open
studies of how spaces can be changed and altered when walls are attached to the individual pills of the vane pump. g s d
f i r s t
y ear
select ed
wor ks
2011
th e
inscribed
l o c k
bl dg
form
i then conducted a thorough study of how form can be inscribed by the rotation of the mechanism with a simple geometry , two walls in the shape of an “L,� attached to the pills. when stacked vertically, the elastic relationships between these rotating walls inscribe a form that becomes the memory of the mechanism’s pumping movement. vertically matched planes_curved
vertically matched planes_triangulated
vertically related planes_triangulated
gs d
fa l l
2 0 1 0
p a r s a
k a m a l i
final
form
the final form is a result of taking three frozen states of the rotating vane pump with these “L” walls attached to the pills and stacking them on top of each other. an envelope is then wrapped around the resulting walls, exhibiting the stretching qualities of the mechanism. this form is attached to two more sets of larger “L” walls, creating exterior courtyard conditions that serve as gathering and entry spaces for and into the main space. this series of spaces is mirrored across the water and onto the platform on the other side of the lock’s gate mechanism, taking advantage of the public walkway that is connected when the lock is closed.
g s d
f i r s t
y ear
select ed
wor ks
2011
th e state 1_ground
final
state 1_second
l o c k
bl dg
form
the program for the design is
private dance/viewing area_1
dance/viewing area_2
walk
upper bar / patio_1
lounge_1.1 lounge_1
upper bar / patio_2
lounge_1.2
lounge_2 dj booth
lounge_1
a nightclub that has the ability to shift its program to accommodate different scenarios,
catwalk private room_1
dance_1.2
private room_2
dance_2.2
open to below
open to below
e.g. private parties, vip rooms. the walls are connected to the
dance_2
dance_1
vip entrance / lounge_1
bar/dance_1
waiting_1
vip entrance / lounge_2
qualities allow for thresholds to
bar/dance_2
waiting_2
mechanism, whose inherent be opened and closed as the pump rotates; the mechanism
state 2_ground
sits in the ground of the main
state 2_second
dance/viewing area_1
upper bar / patio_1
walk
lounge_1 semi-private room_1
spaces, functioning autono-
dance/viewing area_2
public
lounge_1.1
upper bar / patio_2
lounge_1.2
lounge_2 dj booth
lounge_2 semi-private room_1
open to below
gathering
open to below
vip entrance / lounge_1
waiting_1
vip entrance / lounge_2
different functions. a staircase rotates around the interiors,
bar/dance_2
waiting_2
of the lock are independent and can be used for completely
gathering dance_2
bar/dance_1
furthermore, when the lock and gates are open, the two sides
catwalk
dance_1
mously from the lock’s gates.
connecting the ground level to static spaces above. state 3_ground
state 3_second
dance/viewing area_1
dance/viewing area_2
upper bar / patio_1
lounge_1.1 lounge_1
upper bar / patio_2
lounge_1.2
dj booth
lounge_2
lounge_2
catwalk dance_1.2
private room_1
dance_2.2
private room_2
open to below
dance_2
dance_1
vip entrance / lounge_1
bar/dance_1
waiting_1
open to below
waiting_2
vip entrance / lounge_2
bar/dance_2
gs d
fa l l
2 0 1 0
p a r s a
g s d
k a m a l i
f i r s t
y ear
select ed
wor ks
2011
th e
l o c k
bl dg
model_1/8th�=1’ bristol, museum board inset mechanism: plexiglass
gs d
fa l l
2 0 1 0
c o n ta c t
contact parsa kamali 8 1 8 . 8 07. 6 8 70 p k a m a l i @ g s d . h a r v a rd . e d u kamali.parsa@gmail.com w w w. p a r s a k a m a l i . c o m
g sd
first
ye a r
s e l e c te d
w o r k s
2 0 1 1