Portfolio of Architecture Shadi Afsharnezhad by shadi.afsharnezhad

PORTFOLIO OF ARCHITECTURE

SHADI AFSHARNEZHAD MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

2012 - 2015

CONTENT 01

A WOMAN’S PLACE

BOSTON,MA THESIS PROJECT, ADVISOR TAMARA METZ

UP ACADEMY SCHOOL

DORCHESTER, MA TEAM WORK, ROLE: DESIGNER, BUILDER

03 INTERFAITH WORSHIP CENTER

BOSTON,MA COMPREHENISVE STUDIO, ADVISOR PAUL PATURZO

GENEVA LIBRARY

BOSTON, MA ADVISOR HANK REISEN

FURNITURE DESIGN

ADVISOR MITCH RYERSON

RESUME

48 3

A WOMAN’S PLACE A Center for Women’s Empowerment in Boston’s South End Historically, access to space has been associated with social status and power. Those in control, usually white men, are allocated the most prominent and public spaces. Therefore, the spatial arrangement of our buildings relects and reinforces the nature of gender, race and class in society. As an architect, I want to challenge the social, political and economic hierarchies that have shaped our public buildings today. I chose to focus speciically on gender discrimination in architecture for a number of reasons. First is the underrepresentation of women in positions of power in both the private and public sectors. Second, the creation of the city environment by those in power serves to reinforce that hierarchy, and to support the creation of spaces that are not welcoming to women. In addition, women face security concerns exacerbated by the design of urban space. But it should also be noted that women are only one of many minority groups who face persistent inequality and discrimination.

View from Third Floor to the atrium.

Page 4 - View from the corner of Washington Street and East Berekeley Street

The building I chose to create is a Center for Women’s Empowerment. This center would provide support to enable women to engage in society to their full potential, and would also serve as a model of inclusive, non-hierarchical architecture. My design explores issues of public and private space and security, in order to create a new type of public building and a reimagining of urban public space.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

MIXED INCOME

SINGLE MOTHERS

MIXED ETHNICITY

EASY ACCESS

SOUTH END

VISIBILITY

SOUTH END

PUBLIC PLAZA ROXBURY - DORCHESTER

ROXBURY - DORCHESTER

> 40 % 30 - 40 % 20 - 30 % 10 - 20 % < 10 %

> 50

25 - 50 % 10 - 25 % < 10

Through my research I looked for a site that would have the potential to improve womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s status. Site selection also relied heavily on a locale that mixes women at different levels of status, position and income and with a diversity of skills and backgrounds. In this way, the center I am proposing would not only help underprivileged women, but would also enable those already mid-career to attain real positions of power. In looking for my site, I searched for a location in the Boston Area with certain characteristics that supported diversity. > 80 % 50 - 80 % 30 - 50 % 10 - 30 % < 10 %

These were mixed income, high population of single mothers, mixed ethnicity, easy access, visibility, and a new public plaza. This brought me to the South End -neighborhood of Boston.

> 50 % 25 - 50 % 10 - 25 % < 10 %

1 Family income -Percentage below the poverty line Income Map 2 Percentage of Children in Single Mother-Headed Families At or Below Poverty. 3 Percentage of Children in Single Mother-Headed Families At or Below Poverty. 4 Family income map-Percentage below the poverty line 5 Ethnicity Map 6 Transportation map

Project Site

EAST BOSTON

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AT THE URBAN SCALE I analyzed the relationships between public zones and private zones in the South End. The section diagram below shows the layers of public and private space and the elements that are typically used to deine the transition between zones. At East Berkeley Street, The Castle Square Apartments deine a semi-private zone with a wood fence and trees along East Berkeley street. On the other side of the street the edges of the garden are deined and protected with a perforated fence. The ground adjacent to the fencing was planted with a variety of plants and shrubs, both further deining and softening the edge. Continuing to Dwight Street (on the left side of this section), there are different methods used to deine levels of privacy. The brick row houses in this neighborhood are elevated off the street, creating a stoop and providing a semi-private zone for each building. This concept of gradual change between public and private areas will be applied in my design.

Brick house in Dwight Street South End Boston Brick row houses in Shawmut Avenue South End - Boston

Public Plaza

Proposed Design Plaza

DWIGHT STREET

BRICK ROW HOUSE

BERKELEY COMMUNITY GARDENS

EAST BEREKELEY STREET

CASTLE SQUARE APARTMENTS

Section showing the relation between public and private zones in South End PUBLIC PRIVATE CHANGE ELEMENT

East-West Section Through Site CASTLE SQUARE APARTMENTS

SHAWMUT AVENUE

PROPOSED DESIGN

WASHINGTON STREET

PRELIMINARY DESIGN Conceptual exploration helped me to articulate the idea of ambiguity and hierarchy in space. HIERARCHY In order to question the existing social hierarchies that discriminate against women, it is essential to address the issue of hierarchy in architectural space. Through my early design work, I looked at how to challenge established hierarchies between public and private space and hierarchies of placement (i.e. lower loors vs. higher loors or ‘front’ of building vs. ‘back’ of building). AMBIGUOUS SPACE My interest in ambiguous space followed from the exploration of hierarchy. In order to create a built form that was as accessible as possible to as many people as possible, it was important to design for lexibility and user control. The ‘inbetween’ spaces I included in the program to facilitate greater interaction between users also derived from the exploration of ambiguous space. SHIFT Similar to ambiguous space, shift is an approach which challenges rigidly deined spatial forms. This allows for greater freedom for inhabitants and the possibility of multiple readings of the physical space. By shifting adjacent spaces into and through each other, intermediate spaces are formed that provide a place for programs and users to merge. The shift also questions assumed notions of use and suggests new relationships between diverse pieces of program.

Site Plan 9

Ground Floor Plan

0 4’

8’

16’

Education Mentorship Public Outreach

32’

1 Stairs to Plaza 2 Plaza 3 Green Ramp to Plaza

Washington Street

4 Entrance 5 Cafe 6 Kitchen 7 Storage 8 Fountain 9 Gallery 10 Curator’s Ofice 11 Ramp to Day Care 12 13

Day Care Storage Gallery Storage

14 15 5

16 17

Private Entrance for Day Care Day Care Reception Break Room

18 Classroom 19 Interior Playground 20 Garden Playground

North-South Building Section

9 8

East-West Building Section

19 21

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

1 Flexible Workshop Spaces 2 Reception

Lounge Area

Legal Aid Garden

Lecture Classroom

Lounge

Library Circulation

Legal Ofice

Storage

Media Lab

3 Flexible Conference Area 4 Atrium

Reading Room (Double height) Legal Aid Reception

Break Room

Hands-on Classroom

Library Reception

11 Open to Lower Reading Room 12 Individual Reading on Balcony 13 Library Reading Area

Staff Kitchen

Atrium

Ofice

14 Break Room

5 Gallery Balcony

10 Legal Aid Waiting Room

Lounge

10 Stacks

15 Staff Kitchen

Forth Floor Plan

Fifth Floor Plan

Stage

6 Ofice

11 Group Consulting

7 Roof Garden

12 Ofice

Auditorium Seating (Lower Level) Storage

8 Conference Room

13 Break Room

Atrium

9 Career Counseling

14 Staff Kitchen

Lounge Area

10 Consulting Ofice

1 Auditorium Seating (Upper Level) 2 AuditoriumEntrance

6 Cafe 7 Storage

3 Flexible Lecture HallEvent Hall 4 Atrium 5 Lounge Area

ORGANIZATION

EDUCATION MENTORSHIP PUBLIC OUTREACH

The inal design is organized so that the three categories of program â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Education, Mentorship and Public Outreach â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are distributed throughout the building, creating lexible spaces between that allow for less formal interactions among different groups of people. The public and private spaces are also distributed in such a way as to challenge the traditional vertical hierarchy of public buildings. The spaces dedicated to public outreach, - the cafes, gallery, roof gardens and auditorium - are distributed throughout the building on all loors.This is also true for the mentorship and education spaces. This distribution encourages a mixing of different groups within the building. Spaces belonging to more than one program are distributed between the dedicated program spaces. To blur the lines between programs and to create transitional spaces, I distributed the programs between loors to encourage visitors to move through the entire building. This can be seen in the building sections below. Shown in green is public outreach, as at the irst loor cafe and gallery. The blue indicates the education programs and yellow is for mentorship.The remaining colors illustrate the transitional, shifted spaces in between that can be used by all categories. These latter spaces can have a range of uses: lounging, overlooking or informal meeting areas.

It was also important to address the issue of public and private zones within this building.The in-between spaces that I am proposing provide the opportunity for people to come together who are maybe there for different reasons. For example, somebody that runs the gallery runs across someone that come for legal aid. This provides an opportunity where strangers might meet and learn from each other. 14

East-West Section

North-South Section

PRIVATE

PUBLIC

1. Ground Floor Plan 2. Second Floor Plan 3. Third Floor Plan 4. Fourth Floor Plan 5. Fifth Floor Plan

East-West Section

North-South Section

View from the building entrace and atrium View from the second loor of Library to double height reading room

South Elevation Scale 1â&#x20AC;?= 16â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

View from the Green ramp in plaza

View from the Berekeley Community Gardens

CONCLUSION

I began my thesis with an interest in the place for women in architectural space. Through research into feminist architectural theory, I discovered the concept of gendered space and the role that gender has played in the creation of space through history. As I further explored these themes, I came to understand the modes of exclusion architecture has traditionally employed, from the domestic to the urban scale. My goal in the design of a Center for Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Empowerment was therefore to create an inclusionary architecture, one of non-hierarchical spaces. Through the use of ambiguity and shift, the building encourages communication and social destratiication while giving users control over their environment. Most crucially, my work here attempts to address the larger question of inclusion and exclusion in architecture, whether it be based on gender, class, ethnicity, orientation, or physical ability.

PROJECT CREDITS SHADI AFSHARNEZHAD KYLE ALLEN JEFF EICHERT HAZEL RYERSON MICHAEL SACK ZACK SHEDLOCK LUCY SNYDER CHRISTINA TULLY ALEX WEBER

PROFESSOR SAM BATCHELOR

UP ACADEMY DORCHESTER

TEACHING ASSISTANT SHANE GIBBONS

COMMUNITY BUILD 2013

PHOTO CREDITS SHADI AFSHARNEZHAD

The project for this class was to design and build a new entry courtand identity for Up Academy in Fields Corner, Dorchester. Our project relected the transformative nature of the change from The Marshall to Up Academy, and promoted a positive, welcoming environment for students coming to school. The concept behind the design of this project was to use the existing site conditions and develop a system of layering that would create a gradient that extended to both edges of the site. We developed this through the use of horiztonal lines that followed the long linear shape of the site. We feathered the edges to create a transition between materials. Using mostly wood and large landscape features, we created a more welcoming entrance to the school.The large UP Academy Dorchester sign helped to deine the schools new identity. The east side of the site, which is the narrower side of the site largely focuses on the two outdoor learning spaces. The depressed spaces are wrapped in wood and feature synthetic lawn on the bottom. A perforated children sign and a family resource center sign are wrapped in wood on the deck. Small rectangular gardens and sawcut lines were designed on either sides of the deck to carry the horizontal linearity of the design through out the site. The west side of the site is the wider and higher part of the site. It features a large deck area, with benches wrapped in wood, as well as large rain gardens which feather into the deck.

INTERFAITH WORSHIP CENTER

The goal of this project was to create a worship center for gathering people with different religions and make it welcoming for all. I started the design of this center with the concept of layering and interlocking elements such as its structure. The main space and it structure is sloped toward the interior sacred courtyard. All the interior and exterior courtyards slopes down toward the peacefull interior courtyard and pool and brings the special moment for people inside the worship space.The interlocking and layering concept can be seen also in the envelope of the main worship space as the glass building is covered with marble.This give the privacy to prayers and also penetrates lights and texture to the space.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Main Lobby Worship Space Service Prep. Administration Secondary Lobby Mechanical Womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restroom Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restroom Conference Room Cafe

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Colonade Entrance Social Hall Terraced Landscape Storage Catering Social Hall Lobby Waiting Room-Counseling Counseling Center

Secondary Lobby Stairs to Basement 22 Library 23 Single Restroom 24 Ofice 25 Sacred Inner Courtyard 26 Witch Hazel Garden 27 Pool 20

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GENEVA PUBLIC LIBRARY A community library for the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston

The library building is divided into three branches with courtyards in between. The roof is composed of curves that differ according to the spaces underneath. The ribs of the roof weave and intersect each other to create spaces with different levels of privacy. The courtyards between the branches are covered with the roof ribs to provide a welcoming outdoor space. The buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roof acts as a transition between the interior and exterior spaces of the building.

Ground Floor Plan

1. Library Entrance 2. Circulation Desk 3. Egree Stair 4. Restroom 5. Storefrton Space 6. Gallery 7. Reading Area 8. Stacks 9. Cafeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen 10. Cafe 11. Elevator 12. Children Area 13. Story Time Room 14. Children Restroom 15. Restroom 16. Egress Strair 17. Auditorium 18. Monument Stair 19. Fountain 20. Paver Path 21. Parking 22. Handicap Parking 23, Garden

Third Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

1. Atrium 2. Reading Room 3. Stacks

4. Classroom 5. Restroom 6. Egress Stair

7. Auditorium 8. Administration 9. Ofice

10. Teanage Room 11. Study Room 12. Elevator

13. Study Carols 14. Group Study Room

FURNITURE DEISGN FURNITURE STUDIO ADVISOR MITCH RYERSON

FURNITURE DESIGN Natural branches were gathered in the woods and used as the starting point for a sculpture and a piece of furniture. In the irst piece different curvaceous branches and roots created the igure of a seated ballerina on the ground. In the second piece the forked branches were selected to be the legs of a live edge cherry top table. Each of these branches has two or more contacts with the top and also creates a triangle at the base for stability.

afsharnezhad.shadi@gmail.com 150 Myrtle Ave. Apt. 407, Brooklyn, New York 617.435.0974

SHADI AFSHARNEZHAD

+ MArch + BSc Electrical Engineering + Electrical Engineering

EDUCATION EXPERIENCE DESIGNER and BUILDER

UP Academy, Boston

Summer2013

Community Build Program, Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Document development,Model Making, Presentation Renderings, On-Site Photography, Construction

Team Member

INSTRUCTOR

Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston 2012-2015 Purdue University, Indianapolis 2007-2010 University of Tehran, Iran 2005-2007

Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston

Summer2015

• Architecture and Design Course - Creative Vacation Program • 2D Drawing Course - Summer Studios Program • Architectural Drawing Teacher in ARTWARD BOUND Program Prepared course materials, Taught courses for foundation and upper level curriculum, engaging and advising students in the conceptualization and technical drawings

TEACHING ASSISTANT

SUPERVISOR ENGINEER

Khorasan Electric Industrial Inc., Iran

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

Sepehr Parto Electronic Company, Iran

Architectural 3D Modeling, Drafting and Architectural Visual Rendering

• Architectural Technical Drawing, Instructor: Paul Hajian • Light As a Sculptural Element, Instructor: Elaine Buckholtz • Studio for Drawing, Instructor: Juan Ormaza • Visual Language, Instructor: Juan Ormaza Coordination of semester end reviews, daily class preparation, curriculum development, ieldtrip Coordination, inal review presentation and installation Attending weekly Critiques, Mentoring students.

2011-2012

Supervisor Engineer in Factory, Control Systems Qualiication control of Electronic Boards, Designing Electronic Boards with Altium Designer Program

SKILLS SOFTWARE

CRAFTING 50

Spring2015 Spring2015 Fall2013 Fall2012

REVIT

AUTOCAD

RHINOCEROS

SKETCHUP

3DS MAX

VRAY

GRASSHOPPER

INDESIGN

PHOTOSHOP

ILLUSTRATOR

Model Making, Laser cut, Furniture Design and Wood Fabrication, Jewelry Design and Metal Fabrication, Sculpture, Free hand Sketching, Drawing, Painting (Color Pencil, Water Color, Markers, Charcoals, Acrylic, Pastel), Ceramic Art, Photography, Calligraphy

2010-2011

SHADI AFSHARNEZHAD afsharnezhad.shadi@gmail.com 617.435.0974