Waleed AlGhamdi Architecture Portfolio

WALEEDALGHAMDI

2016 PORTFOLIO

I ARCHITECTURE

www.waleedalghamdi.com

Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script . Kufic developed around the end of the 7th century in Kufa, Iraq, from which it takes its name. The emblem to the left is my name, Waleed Ahmed AlGhamdi, written in the Square Kufic script , contained in a perfect square.

S USTAI N AB I LI TY

A R CH ITECTUR E

G R A P H I C DE SI G N

Waleed AlGhamdi

work summary

computer skills

project types

core competencies

Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C, MFBA Building Energy Modeling Energy Audits Energy Reduction Plans Billing Analysis

Architectural Design 3D Modeling Architectural Graphics Project Management

Graphic Design Desktop Publishing Branding Typography

Multifamily Residential K-12 Education Higher Education Commercial/Light Industrial

K-12 Education Office Civic and Municipal Commercial/Light Industrial

Posters, fliers, and brochures Packaging & identity Annual reports and RFQs Slide shows T-shirt design

eQuest EPA PM LEED Online

AutoCAD FormZ 3D SketchUP Revit

Energy Analyst

Architectural Designer

Karpman Consulting, Glastonbury, CT (Dec 2012 – Present)

Bechtel Inc., Jubail, Saudi Arabia (July 2007 – June 2008)

Associate Energy Analyst

Architectural Designer

Karpman Consulting, Glastonbury, CT (Nov 2011 – Nov 2012)

Hamdan Consulting Office, Khobar, Saudi Arabia (Apr 2007-July 2007)

Photoshop Illustrator InDesign MS Office

Freelance Graphic Designer Hartford, CT (Aug 2008 – Present)

Graphic Designer KFUPM Printing Press, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (Jan 01 – Dec 06)

education

Master of Architecture, 2011, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT Bachelor of Architecture, 2007, King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

waleed@waleedalghamdi.com linkedin.com/in/waleedag 860-656-8317

Center for South Asian Studies, v University Montreal, Canada This is a second year graduate school project for the Non-Western Architecture design studio. The assignment included visiting a site outside the USA. For this project, a site on the campus of the University of McGill in Montreal, Canada, was chosen. The intent behind the project was to expose students to architectural traditions different than those found in the West.

The assignment was to design a South Asian/Indian Studies Center. The program asked for classrooms, faculty offices, bookstore, library, gallery, lecture hall, greenhouse, and support rooms.

The design was faced with a few challenges, including a steep drop in elevation from back to front, and have the site on three different streets despite it’s small size.

The design approach started with a section to maximize the amount of natural light coming into the building from the south, while addressing the main street with the appropriate scale given its the site’s urban context. The result was a five-floor tower facing the main street (north) with a large glass atrium facing the campus (south), attached to a two-floor annex on the campus side. The facade treatment for the tower is inspired by Minar Qutub, an ancient landmark of the sub-continent.

The Southern side of the building features a plaza on the second floor with a water fountain, as well as a greenhouse on the third floor. The arrangement of the outdoor spaces are inspired by the South Asian multi-level garden designs and are connected with stairs. The building is accessed from all three streets, with the campus side access on the second floor.

de v el o p m ent

P arti

B uilding L ayers

inspirati o n : ele m ents o f s o uth asian architecture

S o lid / v o id f acade

S creen S yste m s A prominent feature of this project is the system of glazing screens utilized on each facade. On the north, east, and west facades of the tower, a double layered aluminum screen shades the glazing of each side of a bevel facing south, while keeping the glazing clear on each side of the bevel facing north. The screens come in silver, gold, and graphite and take their shape from traditional arabesque patterns of window screens in the subcontinent, reinforcing the image of Minar Qutub, the inspiration behind the tower design.

glazing 2nd screen

graphite

silver

Inner Pattern

1st screen outer Pattern

On the south facade and covering the building high glass atrium is a more porous metal gold mesh that helps break the direct sunlight in the summer while letting in as mush natural light as possible in the winter. The mesh is an homage to the sails on the traditional Indian fishing boats or dhows, taking precedent from the building De Baljurk, Den Haag, Netherlands by Eric Vreedenburgh

silver

n o rtheast ele v ati o n

Gold

graphite

glazing glazing pins screen frame mesh screen

s o uthwest ele v ati o n secti o n A A

mystery box lost dots

This project was a week long design charrette for the vertical studio project at KFUPM. The assignment was to design a 3 meter by 3 meter by 3 meter exhibit booth for the College of Environmental Design (of which the Department of Architecture is part of) for the department to use for recruitment and job fairs. This design ended up winning for place in the college wide competition for the best booth.

The design is a simple black box with bright colored interiors

lego construction primary structure secondary structure

Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

assembly joint

ced mystery box Exhibit Booth

and slits through the wall, a design statement intended to develop a sense of intrigue and curiosity for passers-by and attract them to visit the booth. The “Lost Dots�, which stand for the initials of the college, are meant to increase that sense and get visitors to ask questions.

The design was meant to be bold but compact and easy to disassemble to pack. The structure is composed of a primary and secondary metal frame, and a special screw connection was developed to connect all the pieces together.

secti o n

plan

interi o r v iew

e x teri o r v iew

ele v ati o n , right

ele v ati o n , le f t

ele v ati o n , bac k

ele v ati o n , Fr o nt

daylighting park river Hartford, CT

Daylighting Park River was a multiphase project part of the urban studio at the University of Hartford.

It included historical research, data collection and analysis, precedent research, design alternatives for daylighting the river and a master plan for the entire south downtown district, and a detail design of a three block part of the master plan.

d o wnt o wn streets / bl o c k s

hart f o rd

The approach used for this design solution sought to minimize disruption to the river and uncover it in the same location it currently is. The master plan’s aim was to create a

f igure gr o und

more walkable neighborhood with narrow and straight streets and a strong definition for the street edge, while increasing population density by zoning most of the area as midrise residential. The plan also called for a large civic area with a sculpture garden and amphitheater overlooking the river, as well as a large plaza for regional events and fairs. The plan also introduce new commercial and civic buildings, as well as new vegetation, street furniture, and green areas

analysis civic heart needs development existing centers

be f o re

be f o re

park

expanded heart retail

a f ter

a f ter

parti

residential office/civic

secti o n aa

secti o n bb

secti o n cc

summer: open gallery

winter: skating rink

fall: farmer’s Market

spring: Hartford festival

design alternati v es The three blocks chosen for detailed design include a food court and office suites, in addition to the civic heart of the project which is the plaza-amphitheater-sculpture garden in the center of the plan.

In the following spread, further street sections and access studies show the different facets of this new vision for the south end of Downtown Hartford.

anch o ring diagra m business district residential district civic district park/plaza anchor building

access diagra m pedestrian traffic vehicular traffic anchor building existing blocks

3 - bl o c k de v el o p m ent plan

I ntersecti o n plan

S ecti o n E E

summer

S ecti o n D D

Noon

4pm

winter

9am

shad o w study

ele v ati o n , east

ele v ati o n , s o uth interi o r

side access S tudy f irst f l o o r plan open, accessible

semi-open, inaccessible

semi-open, accessible

gr o und f l o o r plan

ele v ati o n , s o uth street

DYmotion: an Art Installation Hartford, CT

1.8 inch square wooden planks glued and stapled in a radial configuration around the center at 2° intervals, for a total of 20 planks

7 feet

Ping-pong (table tennis) balls held in place by fishing rod strings at various heights from the wooden platform base, for a total of 100 balls

t

ee 3f

t

ee 3f

Translucent fishing rod strings suspended from a wooden platform

This art installation was designed for an assignment in a media arts class at the University of Hartford Art School.

The sculpture is composed of three different parts/materials, & is suspended from the ceiling in order to be properly displayed.

The first part is a group of wooden members (squared profile bars), that are connected closely to each other (glued and stapled) in a manner that depicts the dynamism of a wave or motion. From the wooden panel, a grid of fishing lines is suspended, equally & densely spaced; glued to the wood. At the end of each string will be a ping pong ball & painted in a gradient of colors. These balls are suspended at different heights/ distances from the wooden panel based on its location on the grid.

The geometry of the “plane� created by the balls also depicts the dynamism of waves/motion, & would either mimic, comple-

ment, or oppose that of the wooden panel. An accompanying video loop is projected through the transparent fishing lines & on a wall next to the sculpture. The loop displays imagery appropriated from the different sources that relates to the nature of the sculpture (ocean waves, flocks of starling birds, etc).

This installation piece is firmly grounded on the concept of wave patterns, especially conflicting waves such as the ones found in echoes. Our sculpture has two elements that represent conflicting waves when in motion, but are frozen in time. The wood planks act as one wave, which follows its own pattern, and the hanging ping pong balls create another wave that runs a completely separate course from the previous one.

Knowing that wave structures can be found in nature helped to bring us to the third element of the installation.

Whitney Museum Expansion New York, NY

This project was part of the first design studio of my masters. The assignment was to design an expansion to The Whitney Museum in New York City. The architectural program was composed mostly of exhibit space, in addition to a new entrance and lobby, cafe, conference room, VIP lounge, bookstore, and some support spaces.

The expansion was designed to sit in the background and give the original building -designed by Marcel Breuer- be itself and stand out without competition. However, the building gets more expressive on the southern facade where competition with the original building is no longer an issue.

relati o nship diagra m s

M o ther

child

f ather One of the main features of this design is the concept of “the third gallery”, a gallery space that connects the original building to the expansion, giving life to the new building like an umbilical chord connects a mother to her child. This gallery jets out of the curtain wall of the south facade, reminiscent of a body’s naval. The inspiration for the southern facade treatment is Zaha Hadid’s Contemporary Art’s Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Massing / ele v ati o n studies

1st floor plan: lobby

n o rthern ele v ati o n

western ele v ati o n

3d view

4th floor plan: 3rd gallery

The Green Mosque Montreal, Canada

This project was assigned as part of the Non-Western Architecture design studio in the second year master of architecture program.

The assignment was to design an Islamic Center, including a mosque, in Montreal, Canada.

The program included men and women prayer spaces, classrooms, a community room, a library, a daycare, and support rooms. The site was located in a medium density urban area park just outside downtown Montreal.

The concept behind the design was to maintain as much of the park’s green space as possible, while allowing park visitors to

parti

experience the building without actually being in the building. The roof of the building mimics a part of the earth’s crust peeled off and a prayer space emerging beneath it. Transparency was a key feature of the building, especially in light of the fearful and Islamophobic environment of the time.

Sustainability was at the heart of the project, from the green roof, to the wind turbine minarets, to the ample natural light and roof solar panels, to providing access to public transportation and bicycle racks, and the list goes on.

c o ncept

interi o r v iew A key issue that was addressed in this design was the location and relationship between men and women prayer halls, as well as access to them. Equality in experiencing the building and the prayer services while maintaining traditions and religious requirements was achieved by designing a single space for both user groups and assigning the back to women and the front to men, only distinguishable by the pattern on the carpet.

site plan

aerial v iew

f l o o r plan

aerial v iew

eastern ele v ati o n

s o uthern ele v ati o n f acade studies

western ele v ati o n

l o ngitudinal secti o n

leed plan Another important issue that was addressed in this mosque was designing the building with every age group of community in mind. For babies and toddlers, a daycare was provided, for older children, a small playground immediately adjacent and visually connected to the prayer hall and easily accessible from the women’s entrance was provided. The playground was located on the nieghborhood side of the site instead of the street side to protect them from accidentally wandering into the street. For adolescents and young adults, a plaza on the opposite side of the prayer hall was provided, which also serves community functions when weather permits.

In addition to all these community spaces, and in addition to maintaining as much open space as possible, a community market space was provided near the main entrance for vendors and farmers to sell on Fridays, a common practice at mosques throughout the world.

cr o ss secti o n

Qatif Urban study and intervention plan

urban pattern

streets/nodes

Qatif, Saudi Arabia l o cati o n

This urban study and intervention plan was conducted over the course of an entire semester in my senior year at KFUPM. The target of the study was Qatif, a city on the east coast of Saudi Arabia that dates back to antiquity. Today, the city is in despair due to a multitude of economic, social, political, and religious problems. An old city with a strong and proud character, it’s image is fading away, and its residents are trying to cope with changing times.

organic blocks

cul de sacs

The project started with historical research including precedent research, then field data collection and processing, then urban analysis and identifying problems, then finally developing alternatives for a comprehensive intervention plan. The second part of the semester was dedicated to taking one the proposed urban infill projects and designing it.

height

land use

c o nditi o ns

Material

o ld q ati f

identi f ied issues

inter v enti o n plan

1. Insufficient Youth Facilities.

Undeveloped Soccer Fields 2. Desertification, abandoning farms and selling its lands for real estate development 3. Lack of a School and civic institutions 4. Traffic regulatory problems in old neighborhoods. Diminishing old social life aspects 5. Mixed-use land problems and security issues in Mayas 6. Unprepared places for traditional merchants 7. Underdeveloped open space 8. The loss of most of the Qalaah heritage 9. High traffic in commercial routes. Pedestrian Hazard due to poor street design

The plan is a response to social concerns, and intends to revive the old rich social and street life by developing existing open spaces and introducing new ones, and encouraging traditional coffee shops to develop by zoning regulations. The projects proposed in this plan are: 1. Qatif Charity Foundation Plaza 2. Youth Square and sports facilities 3. Developing the Al-Qalaah Area, introducing an amphitheater 4. Localizing merchants of Souq Waqif 5. Old Neighborhood Cafe Plaza 6. Pedestrian Roads to commercial areas crossing through old neighborhoods.

7. Development of Souq Mayas, introducing open spaces & greenery

street heirarchy

organic pattern

o pen spaces configuration

approach

character

scale

grid pattern

tarajji youth center Qatif, Saudi Arabia This project composed to the second part of the urban study of the city of Qatif: designing a detailed master plan for a problem area and fully designing one of the proposed buildings in the area, in addition to selecting one of the streets around the area and redesigning the existing facade.

The proposed project was Tarajji Youth Square, which included in addition to a plaza, a sports and cultural club, an arcade and video game hall, a cafe and restaurant promenade, an artist studio complex, and an art gallery. The building to be designed was Tarajji Sports and Cultural Club, an existing institution with debilitating facilities. The architectural program for the club included a 300 seat theater, media rooms, cafe and dining hall, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, in addition to a large lobby with “cultural nooks and crannies�.

parti

m aster plan

Fl o o o r P lan

E le v ati o ns

f acade D e v el o p m ent

The style of the entire project, including the club, all buildings on the square, and the facade development, is derived from the vernacular architecture of the city, with it’s distinctive 3 bay windows, pointed arches, and plaster finish. The traditional wind towers or “Barajeel” were repurposed as skylights. Tensile shading elements provide shade for the cafe and restaurant promenade reminiscent of the old alleyways of Qatif City.

Al Falah School Complex Khobar, Saudi Arabia Al Falah School Complex is my capstone project at KFUPM. The ambitious architectural program included designing a school complex with an elementary school, intermediate school, and high school, complete with a cafe, gymnasium, auditorium, open spaces, amphitheater, and faculty parking. The school is a private school with grades 1 through 12. The total square foot area for all spaces is 230,000 SF. The mission objective for the capstone was to create an educational-social facility that accommodates students from KG to high school in an environment that creates a feeling of belonging and loyalty, and to encourage student group work and non-class activity.

The facility should also function as a social activity and awareness center for the city.

The school incorporated several new trends in school architecture including the L-shaped classroom, outdoor classrooms, extended learning areas, cluster collaborative learning areas, and the school as a third place.

site plan

alternati v e b

B ubble D iagra m s The Academic House The idea is to reinforce the small community formed by teachers & students.

music

complex level

intermediate and secondary school

elementary school

art

Each cluster represents a school within the mother school.

Each house has a group of common facilities dedicated to it such as science labs, lockers, and team work areas.

media Classroom Cluster

Traditional Architecture Creating an architectural image inspired by local architectural traditions and a contemporary interpretation.

This will foster an identity loyal to the local culture but open to modern trends in education

Learning as a Social Process Learning, especially in this age, could not be successful in isolation from the social life a school provides.

Socializiong helps in developiong skills other than typical school curriculums, which are vital for succeeding in other education levels.

admin

cafe

music

art

Classroom Cluster

SCHOOL COMPLEX

Belonging, Identity, Loyalty

School as a Community Hub

Each cluster should carry its own identity in terms of color, texture & elements.

Excitment in moving from one year to the next.

Classroom Cluster

media

Vertical elements should be introduced on the school scale. labs

cafe

AL FALAH

Creating Educational Families

& COMMUNITY CENTER

The school should act as a center of the community, meaning that it should house various social activities.

Schools should be a preferred destination for the family’s recreation in the evening.

Schools are places of knowledge for all age groups providing continuous education

Diverse Opportunities of Learning

Experiential Learning Making use out of outdoor class areas in teaching students basics of science, behavior along with games in math.

This interaction with nature will develop the senses of students and inspire them in expressing their feelings and fears.

labs

admin

admin

Elementary School 5929m2

Intermediate & secondarySchool 6841m2 Cpmmunity Center 1365m2

Gym 1620m2

L-SHaped Classroom Layout

Natural Light in Classrooms

Window Shading Configurations

alternati v e c

gr o und f l o o r plan

intermediate school entrance

intermediate school outdoor class area

f irst f l o o r plan

Secondary School Entrance

interi o r western ele v ati o n

S o uthern E le v ati o n

interi o r eastern ele v ati o n

western ele v ati o n

Architectural Presentation Boards Hartford, CT

Hand Sketches Various Media

Rejal Almaa Village, Aseer Province, Saudi Arabia

St. Patrick St. Anthony Church, Hartford, CT

Ink and Water Color on Paper

Pencil on Paper

Pratt Street, Hartford, CT Pencil on Paper

Hand Sketches Various Media

Old State House, Hartford, CT Pencil on Paper

Window, Rejal Almaa, Saudi Arabia

Window, Abha, Saudi Arabia

Ink and Water Color on Paper

Ink and Water Colors on Paper

Hand Sketches Various Media

Windows from Qatif, Saudi Arabia

Qatif Architecture, Saudi Arabia

Ink and Markers on Trace Paper

Ink and Markers on Trace Paper

For my por tfolio of graphic design, please visit: w w w.waleedalghamdi.com email: waleed@waleedalghamdi.com linkedin: w w w.linkedin.com/in/waleedag