graduate portfolio

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

SABA BAGHERI | 2022

Saba Bagheri is an interdisciplinary designer from Shiraz, a historical city in Iran. She is currently doing her final semester of Master of Architecture at the University of Calgary. Previously, she studied Bachelor of Architecture at University of Tehran, College of Fine arts, where her fascination for interdisciplinary design was born.

Her works questions around social interaction and user experience in past, present and future. She is passionate about the creation of compelling design with lasting, positive social effects in the urban realm - whether it be at the scale of a street corner or an entire city.

She is always on the lookout for new opportunities to become a better designer and would love to grow, and contribute to the success of your firm.

saba.bagheri@ucalgary.ca (825)994-4433

1.1 The New Normal Part 1: Nothing is real Part 2: Everything is true

CONTENTS 2.3 Nexorade 2.4 Innovative Design Mapping

Part 3: Remember the life 3.1 Center for Grief

1.2 Farm Avenue 1.3 Tetris 2.1 ON T.R.A.C.K. 2.2 W/Purpose 3.2 The Music Machine 3.3 #WomanLifeFreedom

SABA BAGHERI

Architecture student

EDUCATION

Master of Architecture University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Bachelor of Architecture University of Tehran, College of Fine Arts, Tehran, Iran

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Student Intern (AAA)

MTa, Calgary, Canada

- Assisting in preparing zoning documents

- Assisting in schematic design of plans in revit

- Assisting in the preparation of research documentations about facade retrofit and new building envelope solutions

- Life Cycle Assessment study using tally

- Producing 3D massing models for client meetings

- Researching and producing building envelope detail drawings

- Developing design concepts and renders

Model Maker

McKinley Studios, Calgary, Canada

- A collaboration work with Steve Kunz to fabricate three wooden models for The Essential: The Making of Commonplace project which highlighted the creative work of Mckinley studios in their creation of the innovative prefabricated home platform Commonplace Homes and exhibited in Meat Hook Gallery

Architectural Assistant

2020 - 2023

2015 - 2020

June 2022 - Present

Apr 2021 - Jul 2021

VOLUNTARY EXPERIENCE

Herampey Consulting Engineers, Tehran, Iran

- Tehran Grand Bazaar: Field research through the Historical houses and the Iranian traditional architecture plans

- Abbas Abad Private Airport: Site modelling and Rendering

Designer and Curator

Stantec Gallery, University of Calgary

click HERE click HERE

Mar 2018 - Aug 2020

- Organized an exhibition based on #Womanlifefreedom and Iran’s history of revolution

Event Analyst and Designer

TEDx Tehran

- Designed the activities and experience of event participants

Photographer

TEDx Tehran, TEDx@Youth Tehran, TEDx Tehran Women

Lead Member & Website Designer

Students Architecture Association, University of Tehran, Iran

- Held sessions with association members for arranging workshops, extracurricular activities

2019 - 2021

2022 2018 - 2020

2017 - 2018

TEACHING

Graduate Research Assistant

Innovative Design Mapping Project, University of Calgary

- A design/study under the supervision of Prof. John Brown and Josh Taron to create a platform for Calgary-based innovative projects, with identifying the firms, projects, users, tours and doing the overall UX design of web/app platform

Graduate Teaching Assistant Building Science and Technology I, University of Calgary

- Created building envelope assignments - Assisted the instructor in grading papers and quizes

Dec 2021 - May 2022

AWARDS

DIRTT Environmental Scholarship in Interior Architecture School of Architecture,Planning and Landscape University of Calgary

SAPL Continuing Scholarship School of Architecture,Planning and Landscape University of Calgary

Gibbs Gage - Marten Rhead Memorial Scholarship in Environmental Design School of Architecture,Planning and Landscape University of Calgary

EVDS Dean's Advisory Council Entrance Scholarship School of Architecture,Planning and Landscape University of Calgary

University of Tehran Foundation Fellowship

COMPETITIONS

Berkeley Prize Essay Competition – Architecture & Climate Resilience Selected as one of the 30 Semifinalists University of California, Berkeley

WORKSHOPS

Nexorade

Wood Computation and Fabrication workshop held by Digital Craft House, Art University, Tehran, Iran

Encoded Stereotomy

Architectural Computation & Fabrication Studio in collaboration with Center of Excellence in Architectural Technology (CEAT), University of Tehran, Iran

Technical Rhino, Grasshopper, Revit, Sketchup, Blender, AutoCAD, ArcMap, TALLY

Fabrication

Model making, Laser cutting, 3D printing, Woodworking

Visualization

Adobe CC (AI,Ps,Id,Ae,Pr), Lumion, Enscape, Vray

Coding Python, C#, Arduino

The New Normal 1.1

CHUNKITECTURE: Toward a New Politics of Housing 2021 Studio II

Supervisor

Joshua Taron Skills Rhino Enscape Ai, Ps, Id

What if the Covid-19 never ends, and no vaccine will help? Humanity thought it was impossible...but it wasn’t. After years of trying to contain this pandemic, humanity has learnt that it’s futile... Social distancing, also called “physical distancing,” means keeping a safe space between yourself and other people who are not from your household. In 2019, by the spread of Covid-19, communities were forced to social distance to slow down the spread of the virus.

In this world people use VR cameras to picture their own desirable scenes or remember past memories or moments.

How social distancing works in this housing?

Problem: Difficulty to maintain social distancing with entries as congestion points in every building

Solution: Increasing the number of entrances and isolating the pathway to each living unit

Third Floor

Second floor

Utopian Environments 1.0

People use VR cameras to picture their own desirable scenes, memories or moments. The interior of a room might be seen in different ways.

Utopian Environments 2.0

Each space in a building can be augmented with anyone’s pre-covid memories

...”Remember the last date night that we had in November 2019”

Farm Avenue

In recent years, it has become clear that the viability of downtown Calgary is under threat, mainly due to changes in the global oil and gas industry. This has caused disruption in dramatic and unforeseen ways, with serious implications on the ways we view, inhabit, and utilize urban space in Calgary’s core. How can a portion of the West End be re-imagined as an economic hub and a community? How can the typology of the tall building be re-conceptualized? How can marginalized people be integrated into an equitable and diverse environment?

Farm Avenue is a project located in the Downtown West end of Calgary that aims to improve the quality of public space in the area. It includes a large biological water filtration system that cleans local wastewater using a vertical system. The water is then used for urban farming at the top of the system, and the products are sold at a farmers market on the lower floors. The project also includes a public water treatment system at the front of Farm Avenue, which is designed to educate and engage local people about the biological wastewater filtration process.

8 Ave or Stephen Ave as a vibrant busy pathway

9 Street passing along the Stephen Ave has the potential of being as vibrant as Stephen Ave

Mixing the roads to create an intersection specialized for locals

Converting the intersection to the hub of activity and vibrancy

StephenAve

How can plants clean water? The long roots of specially selected plants come into contact with waste water circulating through the system, in a multistage process. Some of the roots grow up to 2.5 metres long and provide a lot of surface area for biological cleansing of the circulating water; a number of microorganisms also assist in the process.

Public biological water filtration system

The connection of building + public filtration system

Biological wastewater treatment is a process that uses natural processes to help with the decomposition of organic substances. Compared to other drinking water treatment technologies that sequester contaminants and then remove them, biological treatment destroys contaminants entirety and is able to remove multiple contaminants at the same time.

Waste water to clean water

The local houses waste water transformation into clean water

Waste to Food flow

How waste water filtration helps to grow and sell farm crops and clean water

for Bow river

Flower Farm is located at the roof top of building

Farmers’ market is located at the ground level

Greenhouse

Flower farms

Low-light farm

Tool and equipment storage

Biological waste water filtration system

Salt/fresh water fish tanks

Sanitizing and cool storage

Cannabis market

Organic products

Farmers' market

Mechanical room and waste management

Fish market

A local energy engine

Tetris 1.3

Multi-family housing

2019 Studio V Supervisor Maryam Gharavi Skills Revit Rhino Ai, Ps, Id

The enclosed space has been always one of the most important characteristics of Persian architecture. After the acceptance of Islam in Iran, the spatial division between public and private became an established design requirement for any building function in Iran. This pattern provides an introverted typology for designing various spaces based on a hierarchy of public, semi-public, private, and semi-private areas. This combination impacts the outward appearance of the space, which might be undecorated and simple while having a more detailed structure inside and an inward-focused design.

The Concept Formation

At first glance, the design of Persian gardens may appear simple, but upon further examination, it becomes clear that these gardens are carefully crafted to express cultural meaning and identity. Many Persian gardens are rectangular and divided into squares or pseudo-squares, possibly for ease in positioning garden elements and greenery. Unlike western gardens, the geometric structure of Persian gardens does not follow the principles of perspective but rather aims to create unity and cohesion.

To keep the garden private and in line with the principle of inward focus in Islamic architecture, the entrance to the garden is designed with a clear hierarchy. Similar to traditional houses, mosques, and schools, the entrance to the garden progresses from a public area to a semi-public area and then to the private area. From these ideas we understand that traditional Iranian houses are examples of this introverted, private architecture,

Bagh-e Fin (Fin Garden), Kashan, Iran

Block A

Block B Block D Block C

Top view pattern

Typology

1bd - 110 m²

2bd - 190 m²

Module 1 & 2 : One side sun | One or Two bedrooms

2bd - 208 m²

3bd - 254 m²

Module 3 & 4 : Two sides sun | Two or Three bedrooms

4bd - 336 m²

4bd - 393 m²

Module 5 & 6 : Three sides sun| Above Three bedrooms

ON T.R.A.C.K. 2.1

This studio was a partnership with the City of Medicine Hat to re-design a 1.2 km long strip of the downtown core that is bordered on the North by Medicine Hat’s waterfront situated on the South Saskatchewan River, on the West by a railway that bisects the downtown, and on the East and South by a historic neighborhood. Consisting of 20 square blocks, this narrow—yet critically important—transect of the city needed new and innovative strategies to bridge the physical and infrastructural divides of its surrounding context.

On T.R.A.C.K was based on ideas from Jane Jacobs and other community organizers. It was designed to have a minimal destructive methodology on the existing culture of Medicine Hat. The project involved studying the agriculture and food industry in the city and decided to add small food startups and micro-food industries. The goal was to strengthen and regrow the current culture of the city and site, rather than creating a new one.

Tactical Revitalization And Conservation Kit Civic Commons Catalyst: City of Medicine Hat 2021 Urban Design Studio Team

Brendan Mcdonald, Kylie Wilson Supervisor Alberto de Salvatierra Skills Rhino Vray Ai, Ps, Id

2.1.1 As the Medicine Hat and District Food Bank begins operations in its new building in the old fire station on Maple Avenue, the non-profit has changed its name. The former food bank is now the Root Cellar, Food and Wellness Hub.

Site analysis: Built characteristics of Medicine Hat

Corona Tavern

Cecil Hotel

YMCA

Mustard Seed Root Cellar

Monarch Theatre

Hull Block

Fifth Avenue memorial United Church

Alberta Memorial Funeral Home

Canadian Pacific Railway Station

Dominion Grocery Co. Ltd.

Medalta - Historic Clay District

Riverside Veteran's Memorial Park

Imperial Bank of Canada

Site design: Connection to Greater Medicine Hat

CONNECTION TO NORTH FLATS

Site design: Kit of Parts

Grids: Orientation + Waterscape

KIT OF PARTS

Micro Industries

Renovation for reuse

Medium footprint

250 - 500 m2

320 m2 450 m2 330 m2

Consumer Packaged Foods

Plant Based Proteins

Snacks

Spices Food Oils

Frozen Food

Ready to Eat Meals

Chocolate

580 m2 280 m2

280 m2 420 m2

250-500 m2 250-500 m2 250-500 m2 250-500 m2 250-500 m2 250-500 m2 250-500 m2

Consumer Wellness Products

500 m2 500 m2

250-500 m2 250-500 m2 250-500 m2 250-500 m2

W/Purpose 2.2

Distributed Design Studio: Oakland Avenue, Detroit 2022

Senior research studio I

Supervisor William Marquez(W/Purpose)

Stafford House Skills Rhino 3D printing Mold making Ai, Ps, Id

Detroit’s rebirth can easily be attributed to two main factors - a family of vehicle companies AND the survival of expert citizens whose “we never quit” or “we never left” mantra is hard to ignore or miss across the urban landscape. This embedded critical practice studio explored the once grand Oakland Avenue in the North End community of Detroit. While its glory may be currently masked by what many would describe as traumatic, its future is in its residents and unique agriculture vibe.

This studio provided a platform to examine color, elevation, scale, urban agriculture, development, sustainability and new ways of living to imagine a dynamic streetscape experience in Oakland Avenue, Detroit. People like Alexander Girard used as a muse to better understand how process and design of color, culture, and objects can inform a street brand, experience, and community.

The book Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit, 1920-60 says the Bizerte Bar ( later Phelps Cocktail Lounge) opened around 1945, and was a spot for frequent jam sessions with the likes of Detroit greats Tommy Burnette, Edwin Davis, and Alberta Adams.

Distributed Design: Downtown Columbus, Indiana (case study)

View of Washington Street, Columbus, Indiana, around the mid1960s, before Alexander Girard’s restoration. The facades are all painted in different colors and have various shapes and sizes of signage installed

Washington Street, Columbus, Indiana; with the same facades renovated using the design scheme by Girard in 1965. Here, colors transition smoothly from one facade to the next along the entire block, enhanced by similar styles and sizes of signage and lighting across all stores.

Girard’s 26 colors were chosen with the intention of organizing the

buildings and period-specific details on them.

buildings along the street. Colors chosen based on the history of

Alexander Girard, Mid-century architect, designer of textiles. He created numerous fabrics for Herman Miller Company, using abstract forms, geometric patterns and wide variety of color compositions

* The case study was used as the basis of the studio and was influential for the final studio design

Distributed Design: Oakland Ave. Detroit, Michigan

ArtGallery+MusicianResidence MusicSchoolRecordshop

RecordingStudio

Livemusic Nightmarket Jazz/soulmusicbar Oakland Ave.

OwenSt.

OwenSt. Woodward Ave

Detroit’s People’s Food Co-op

The Fox Theatre

The Majestic Theatre

Orchestra Hall Historic Blue Bird Inn

MaxM. and MarjorieS. Fisher Music Center

Oakland Avenue Urban Farm Phelps Lounge ( Bizerte Jazz club) Michigan Urban Farming Initiative

Oakland Ave.

EGrandBlvd.

Bizerte Jazz Bar

Though today the small, run-down building standing alone in an empty field may not look like much, the Phelps Lounge was a landmark nightclub in Detroit’s soul music scene.

Interior condition of Phelps bar after being closed and its color palette

Dynasty marquee inked pm2-7

Dynasty marquee black g9-7

Dynasty marquee King’s court pp7-5

Dynasty marquee hacienda blue bp8-4

Dynasty marquee fire cracker rm7-7

Dynasty marquee heirloom rose rs4-5

Dynasty marquee metropolis rn5-3

Dynasty marquee legendary gray g10-5

Dynasty marquee flowing breeze bn7-2 Current exterior condition

RECORD LAND

Dynasty

Dynasty marquee kalahari sunset oh-1-14

Dynasty marquee adobe sand on7-2

Dynasty

Dynasty marquee true copper os1-7

Dynasty marquee rugged tan on2-4

Dynasty

Dynasty marquee cherry cola rs4-7

Dynasty marquee Artisan crafts OH8-4

PHELPS MUSIC SCHOOL PHELPS MUSIC SCHOOL

marquee teal motif OH-7-1

marquee haute couture OH-1-4

marquee gilded glamour oh-2-16

Dynasty marquee Compass BLue OH8-1

Dynasty marquee aztec sky bp8-2

Dynasty marquee Casual khaki yn5-3

RECORDING STUDIO RECORDING STUDIO

Dynasty marquee twinberr baie OH1-1

Dynasty marquee jet ski bm8-5

Dynasty marquee rugged tan on2-4

Dynasty marquee hacienda blue bp8-4

Dynasty marquee trellis vine bm3-6

Dynasty marquee Artisan crafts OH8-4

If it’s all BROKEN out we can WORK IT out

Pattern-making process

Nexorade 2.2

Synthesizing Ecologies

2019 Digital Craft House Workshop

Team of 14 students

Role: coding in a team of four, fabrication of the final design, documentation

Supervisor

Ramtin Haghnazar Skills Rhino Grasshopper Ai, Ps, Id

The Reciprocal Frame (Nexorade) is a structure made up of three or more sloping rods in a closed circuit. The inner end of each rod rests on and is supported by its adjacent rod. Siginified by the word “reciprocal”, which expresses mutual action or relationship, such closed circuit is placed over the first one in a mutually supporting manner.

Diagrams by petrasvestartas

First step

The first experience was the formation of a hyperbolic structure with cylindrical wooden components. The goal was to form simple hand made nexorade structures to get some simple understanding of how they exactly work and keep balance.

Resulting nexorades in the shape of one or two curvature depending on the grid and connecting technique.

Going from tiling grids to tessellation and from tessellation to a free form spatial structure in a way that elements are eccentric at connection points, which is the definition of Nexorade.

Second step

The second experience was the development of a 1:5 prototype out of plywood in groups of 4 people. Our group decided to continue studying hyperbolic forms in depth, continuing our initial hand made experience. The main challenge was to use planar components which changed the form of connections in comparison to the latter step.

The wedge segments were then designed using grasshopper coding and each components had its unique code.

Final Design

Numbering, Nailing line and footprint of the other element added to the final model

Each element was nailed to other one. A line considered in the design and curved bay the CNC to show the nailing position

Footprint of each element engraved on the other by CNC milling machine

CNC

Preliminary wire mesh

extruding alongside the normal vector

Rotating the elements

Making the base elements' form

Extending the elements

Wood Joints studies

Generating the final shape of the elements

Trying different types of connections, cross lap was chosen. Elements were further tagged to be cut in sheets of 3mm plywood

What makes Calgary ? resilient efficient vibrant diverse active

dynamic connected

2.3 Research Project

Innovative Design Mapping

In collaboration with EvolveU developers team +University of Calgary + City of Calgary

2021

Team

Vivian Ton, Komal Patel

Supervisor

Joshua Taron

Skills

User experience Communication Figma Ai, Ps, Id

The Innovative Design Mapping Project was a joint initiative formed by the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Calgary, EvolveU, the City of Calgary, and various industry partners involved in design and city building. The objectives of this project were to answer questions below by delivering a product through a mobile application interface. The user group is the public: residents, investors, designers, tourists, etc.

-How can we improve design literacy within the general public?

-How design innovation manifests in the built environment?

-How can we activate and promote designed spaces at multiple scales?

3.1

Centre for Grief

Synthesizing Ecologies

2022

Comprehensive Studio

Team

Brendan Mcdonald

Supervisor

Ashley Ortlieb (MBAC)

Skills

Rhino Enscape

Ai, Ps, Id

Grief is an idiosyncratic journey full of ambivalent emotions that oscillate between rational and experiential thoughts. This project embraces this oscillating ambivalence by allowing users to process grief on their own terms through traditional art therapy and a series of contemplative spaces. Curated perspectives both inward and outward carve neutral, specific and ambiguous spaces; which act as activation mechanisms.

The site for this studio is the parcel of land on the northeastern edge of downtown Calgary largely defined by Riverfront Ave, the 5th Ave fly-over, and 4th Ave connected which connects to Reconciliation Bridge on the northeastern edge of downtown Calgary.

The focus of the comprehensive design studios is mostly the integration of architectural design and technical drawing skills.

How to process grief?

Confrontation

Memorial

DIGITALGALLERY

SCULPTUREGARDEN

SITE SECTION B-B

GRAFFITI

WALLS

OUTDOOR MUSIC PLAZA

RIVER MEMORIAL LOOKOUT

SITE SECTION A-A

ANAMORPHIC SCULPTURES

DIGITAL ART LOOKDOWN

INTERIOR MEMORIAL LOOKOUT

RIVERFRONTAVESE

ART + MUSIC STUDIO

PUBLIC CAFE

BUILDING SECTION B-B

INTERIOR GLAZING LAYER

Tripled-glazed glazing

Extruded aluminum frames

Structural silicon connections

STRUCTURAL SYSTEM

TOP LAYER

Concrete roof tiles

DRAINAGE CONTROL LAYER

Concrete roof tiles Spacer pads Damp proofing

THERMAL LAYER Rigid insulation Rigid insulation cant

STRUCTURAL LAYER Precast concrete roof panel

STRUCTURAL LAYER

Precast concrete wall panel Steel stud parapet wall

THERMAL LAYER Vapor barrier Rigid insulation Z-girts

RAIN-SCREEN LAYER

Air gap Concrete rain screen Parapet cap

WINDOWS

Tripled glazed glazing

Extruded aluminum frames

STRUCTURAL LAYER

Structural mullion system

EXTERIOR GLAZING LAYER

Tripled glazed glazing

Extruded aluminum frames w/ built in drainage

Structural silicon connections

R1

Concrete roofing tile Drainage gap Roof membrane Rigid insulation Vapour barrier

Precast concrete roof panel

W1

Concrete rain screen Air gap Semi-rigid insulation Vapour, moisture, air barrier Precast concrete structural wall

F1

Polished concrete topping w/ radiant floor heating/cooling Rigid insulation Hollow core concrete floor

F2

Polished concrete topping w/ radiant floor heating/cooling Rigid insulation Concrete transfer slab

W2

Rigid insulation Drainage board Water proofing Cast-in-place foundation structure

F3

Cast-in-place concrete slab Water proofing Rigid insulation Gravel backfill

Vapour barrier

Flashing from air gap ties into drain

Proper overlap of vapour barriers

Vapour barrier tied into extruded window mullion Steel cover plate

D.03

W1 W1 Z girt

D.01 D.01

Parapet cap

Steel framed parapet wall w/ batt insulation

F1

Hidden double flashing Vapour barrier

Precast concrete structural tie in

Vapour barrier

D.02 D.02 D.03

Proper overlap of vapour barrier and damp proofing Flashing tied into parapet cap

Structural tie ins

DIGITAL ART GALLERY

F2

Triple-glazed skylight w/ structural silicon connections

Structural mullion truss

Triple-glazed window w/ finned structural silicon connections

W3

Triple glazed window w/ structural silicon connections

Structural mullion truss

Triple glazed window w/ finned structural silicon connections

F1

Polished concrete topping w/ radiant floor heating/cooling Semi rigid insulation Hollow core concrete floor

W4 Rigid insulation Drainage board Damp proofing Cast in place foundation structure F2

Polished concrete topping w/ radiant floor heating/cooling Semi-rigid insulation Concrete transfer slab W2 Rigid insulation Drainage board Damp proofing Cast-in-place foundation structure F3

Cast-in-place concrete slab Damp proofing Rigid insulation Gravel backfill

Mullion Beyond Structural Silicon Built-in drain of mullions

W3

D.04

D.05 D.06

W4

Vapour Barrier Mullion Beyond False Glazing

Structural Silicon Connection

Extruded Aluminum door frame w/ vapour barrier Steel cover plate Frameless glass door

D.05 D.06

Frameless glass door

Low profile threshold Expansion Joint External Flush Drain Damp proofing

Music Machine 3.2

2022

Intro to Computational Design

Senior research studio I Supervisor Guy Gardner Skills Rhino Grasshopper Arduino Python Ai, Ps, Id

There’s something about sound that has captured humanity’s attention for thousands of years. It’s one of the five kinds of input we receive to be able to interact with one another and the world around us. It’s pretty much our central mode of communication. So it’s no surprise that some of the most creative minds in our community of humans are enthralled with being able to represent the audible visually. From music videos to fancy sculptures, what we hear is more and more often shown to us optically.

Detroit is a famous city of music, and Jazz/ soul musicians have been born and glowed in this city more than anywhere else. It’s not just art that allows sound visualization but the advent of new technologies that show us what sound really looks like. This design proposal uses the Firefly and Millipede plugin of grasshopper and captures a sound/music, and transforms it into a pattern.

Human beings are members of a whole In creation of one essence and soul

If one member is afflicted with pain Other members uneasy will remain If you’ve no sympathy for human pain The name of human you cannot retain - Saadi Shirazi (1210-1291)

In Persian literature, cutting the hair is a symbol of mourning and sometimes a symbol of protesting. In this installation, each knit represents a victim of Iran’s brutal regime that is in-prisoned, killed, or exiled. Each line represents a human’s life cut short because they exercised their right to protest. In front of these strings, the faces of Iranian people murdered by an oppressive regime represent only a portion of the lives lost in this fight for freedom only in the past few months.