Yusuf Fahmy Architects is an architecture studio based in Cairo, Egypt specializing in: - Architecture & Urban Design. - Computational Design & Digital Fabrication - Developing New Materials. - Product Design. ​ Our office is currently involved in a number of projects throughout Asia and MENA. YFA’s Architecture is a product of learning from natural systems and applying it to architectural space and products optimizing social lifestyle evolution, economy and providing a high standard of accuracy by adding coding and machine learning to architecture. We believe that the closer design to nature the more we get to be structurally optimized & adaptive with its environment. Turning from top down design process to computational digital formalism with bottom up approach where every form finds it’s own function and living becomes more like exploring.
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Manial Palma Restaurants, Nile facing perspective
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Nile facing perspective
Manial Palma Restaurants CAIRO, EGYPT. Located on the Nile in Manial in Cairo the capital of Egypt. Palma International Trading and Contracting seeked to build restaurants situated on the Nile. The restaurants places a total area of 3831 m2 of area . The site is situated directly on the Nile which gives it a huge advantage in terms of view. The main restaurants are all overlooking the Nile. Also, a new composite roof was added to the form ensuring covering and more clean spans. The process started with a cylindrical form to get view from all side and maximize the view for users getting the views of the Nile and the street at the same time in a 360 manner and without any blockages To use the view even further two rift like open space restaurants were added next the cylindrical restaurant guaranteeing more user get to views without blockages. The new composite roof provided clean spans for the whole restaurant building and used less material compared to a conventional roof which would need columns and beams. The roof also is lightweight and thus less load on the structure without need to add foundation to roofing.
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Layout Scale 1:800
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Ground Floor Plan Scale 1:800
Street Facing Facade Scale 1:800
Nile Facing Facade Scale 1:800
Basement Floor Plan Scale 1:800
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Section A-A Scale 1:150
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Street Perspective
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Outer Lounge
Outer Lounge 2
Street perspective 2
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Concept behind the design
Laccolith
In nature we see many objects that were created from weak materials. Yet, these structures are very strong. An example of this are “Laccolith” that form when magma in deep earth pushes rocks layers resulting in geologic domes. Also Lava domes that form when lava hardens atop volcanic vents. The roof was created through a process that uses physics to minimize the tension using mathematics. That process can create vaulted structure to cover spans with minimal material and without the need for columns and according to where the designers want to put supports for the building. This process is called “Dynamic Relaxation”.
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Lava Dome
Manial Restaurant Vault
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Step 1
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Step 2
Step 4
Step 3
Step 5
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Street Perspective
Immersive Technology Center, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Located in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. The Immersive Technology Center was designed with special features and assets that go beyond the highest standards and use the highest tech in teaching and in spaces. The ITC places 2818 m2 on a land of 7310 m2 in the middle of a forest with 2 lakes from each side that make great views and on a high land. With its open space classes users are allowed to move in an urban open space instead of a closed one which is very convenient in tropical areas. Also the whole center is roofed with a porous vault that protects the open spaces from sun radiations, rain and provides excellent ventilation which gives the users best of both worlds. The benefits of the open spaces and the closed spaces combined in one place. The school is designed to meet the highest standards and the highest tech available for education including 3D classes where users have computers that work in 3D instead of 2d images, VR classes where students would VR goggles to experience learning in real-time, 7D theaters where student experience all aspects of nature within their space and the spherical projection sky dome that projects 360 pictures in for all to see. To design the open spaces were laid out in the environment having the landscape as the corridors and the spaces in between which give the users the relaxing feeling of being in nature also provide much better weather overall. For the roof it was made in a way that panels are closed over the corridors to protect from rain. At the same time, the panels are transparent to let sunlight in. On the other hand, the panels over plants are open which lets air get in the space much better. 17
Lake Perspective
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Interior 1
Interior 2
Street Perspective
Interior 3
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Ground Floor Plan Scale 1:800
First Floor Plan Scale 1:1600
Section A-A Scale 1:800
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First Floor Circulation
Ground Floor Circulation
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Concept behind the design If we look in the environment surrounding us we find many wonders in nature. Emerging from simple fungus, we see structures that withstand their own weight. Forming dome structures and using less materials while using patterns. Fungus 1
The building was created through a process that uses physics to eliminate the loads on the buildings using mathematics. That process can create vaulted structure to cover spans without the need for columns and according to where the designers want to put supports for the building. Added to that, by using nature inspired patterns we get more robust structures and use much less materials, while allowing more sun and ventilation without direct light.
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Fungus 3
ITC Vault
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Step 1
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Step 2
Step 4
Step 3
Step 5
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Entrance & Street Perspective
Templer Park Pool Kuala Lampur, Malaysia Located in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Templer park school invested in making a swimming pool with a roof for its students. Templer Park pool places around 2000 m2 surrounded by a forest. The main goals were providing shelter from the weather conditions and providing some privacy with a lightweight material and large spans. The space consists of Swimming pool, Changing rooms, WCs and showers. To accomplish goals for our design we went back and forth between design, Coding and Analysis.
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Entrance & Street Perspective 2
We planned out our space then physical simulation and structural analysis. The resulting solution relies on vaults which uses much less material. Getting the roof to cover big spans was challenging and very costly. Instead we used vaults to cover these span with less 30
columns. As for the weight, we used a new material that is very strong while being lightweight.
Roof Hole Perspective
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Floor Plan Scale 1:400
Facades Scale 1:800
Details Scale 1:150 Section A-A Scale 1:800
Section B-B Scale 1:800
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Facades
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Perspectives
Side Perspective
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Concept behind the design Within deserts we find sand dunes so majestically spread over with forms that are both smooth a beautiful to look at. Whole dunes created from grain of sand where a grain of sand can do nothing on its own, but combined it form these dunes. Thus, the Sand Dunes
Malaysia swimming pool roof was inspired. With the help of nature and physics we were able to conceive a vaulted structure that is beautiful and functional with the emergence of nature and without any needs to use columns or supporting structures
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Sand Dunes
Swimming Pool Roof
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Radiation Studies 1
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Radiation Studies 2
Form Studies 1
Form Studies 2
Wind Studies 1
Wind Studies 2
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Chalets
John Kassar County Alexandria, EGYPT.
Located in King mariout, Alexandria, John Kassar county is a bio county with activities and leisure located on a 79269 m2 of land. The project is about a county with many attractive leisure activities. It contains chalets, gym, spas, clubhouses, swimming pools, soccer pitches, tennis courts and other activities. Surrounding a zone of chalets engulfed by water features. JK County has many activities for kids that includes workshops where kids would learn carpentry, drawing, sculpting and sciences. Also, playgrounds are equipped with the most interesting new games for kids. For sport there are various activities including swimming pool, squash,Diving, soccer, Tennis, Horse riding, gyms, Calisthenics. There are also many leisure activities: Swimming pools for families, bowling centers, mazes, trampolines, Zorbing, paintball, Spas, stargazing and skytrex. Then there are the social activities that are BBQ near the lake, restaurants, clubhouses Chalets are made with vaults having a free form mass saving us the extra material in structure, foundation and material usage. They also have water going beneath its terraces and ivy over the roof which gives them a great blend with the surrounding nature.
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Cafeteria & Walkway 2
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Cafeteria & Walkway 1
Chalet rear
Chalet Front
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Shadings & Track
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Running Track & Pitches
Running Track, Changing Rooms & Shadings
Swimming Pool & shadings
Squash & Diving Center
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Running Track & Pitches
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Running Track, Walkway & pitches
Lake & Workshops
Swimming Pool 2
Swimming Pool
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Clubhouse 1
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Business Center
Clubhouse 2
Clubhouse 3
Swimming Pool 3
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Cafeteria
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Cafeteria 2
Camp 1
Camps 3
Camp 2
Chalets
Spa
Gym 1
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Gym 2
Gym 3
Gym 4
Lake 1
Restaurant With Composite
Lake 2
Restaurant With Composite
Mosque 1
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Mosque 2
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Seafood Restaurant 2
Seafood Restaurant 1
Stargazing 1
Stargazing 2
Workshop 1
Stargazing 3
Lake 2
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Workshops 2
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Workshops 3
Masterplan
John Kassar County
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Scale 1:500 Workshop Plans
Seafood restaurant
VX-CK-4348
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Scale 1:500 Business Center Plan
Scale 1:500 Changing Room Plan
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Scale 1:500 Cafeteria Plans
Scale 1:500 Clubhouse Plan
Mosque Con
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Scale 1:500 Clubhouse Plan
Scale 1:500 Clubhouse Plan
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Concept behind the design By studying the patterns found in nature. We found patterns that make up new designs that both are innovative and unique. Inspired by these patterns we created a space for the workshop in the childrens area.
Pattern from nature
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Lines From Pattern
Form From Pattern
Workshops Conceptual
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Concept behind the design
Origami Pattern
By following the use of origami used to make new shapes out of a single paper so was our project shaped to follow certain rules avoiding the direct sun radiation and maintaining its own weight. In this structure solar carving and origami were used back to back to orient the facade points towards the lowest radiation possible during summer. physics engines were used for the roof while adding an origami structure to it. Resulting in reducing radiation even further.
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Origami Folding Paper
Stargazing Conceptual
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Concept behind the design Using coding, simulation and optimization we were able to reform the outside part of the building to reduce radiation. In a process called solar carving.
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Sol ar carving
Seafood Restaurant Conceptual
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Concept behind the design Within deserts we find sand dunes so majestically spread over with forms that are both smooth a beautiful to look at. Whole dunes created from grain of sand where a grain of sand can do nothing on its own, but combined it form these dunes. Thus, the Sand Dunes 1
Malaysia swimming pool roof was inspired. With the help of nature and physics we were able to conceive a vaulted structure that is beautiful and functional with the emergence of nature and without any needs to use columns or supporting structures
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Sandunes 2
Restaurant Conceptual
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Concept behind the design The Golden Ratio
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A Seashell
As discovered by the infamous Fibonacci, many nature patterns follow a ratio called the golden ratio in their forms. Inspired by his nature learning we used the ratio as part of our clubhouse design
Clubhouse Conceptual
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Concept behind the design If we look in the environment surrounding us we find many wonders in nature. Emerging from simple fungus, we see structures that withstand their own weight. Forming dome structures and using less materials while using patterns. Fungus 1
The building was created through a process that uses physics to eliminate the loads on the buildings using mathematics. That process can create vaulted structure to cover spans without the need for columns and according to where the designers want to put supports for the building. Added to that, by using nature inspired patterns we get more robust structures and use much less materials, while allowing more sun and ventilation without direct light.
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Fungus 3
Chalet Conceptual
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Behind the design Hexagon nesting
The inspiration came from the famous kelvin problem for stacking items with least amount of wasted volume. The solution was the Tetra-Kai-Decahedron. A hedron that would make great visual effect and is the most practical to save spaces in the camp.
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Tetra-Kai-Decahedron Nesting
Camp Conceptual
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Concept behind the design Using coding, simulation and optimization we were able to reform the outside part of the building to reduce radiation. In a process called solar carving.
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Solar Carving
Cafeteria Conceptual
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Concept behind the design Using coding, simulation and optimization we were able to reform the outside part of the building to reduce radiation. In a process called solar carving.
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Solar Carving
Business Center Conceptual
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Concept behind the design Using coding, simulation and optimization we were able to reform the outside part of the building to reduce radiation. In a process called solar carving.
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Solar Carving
Squash & Diving Center Conceptual
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Concept behind the design Using coding, simulation and optimization we were able to reform the outside part of the building to reduce radiation. In a process called solar carving.
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Solar Carving
Changing Rooms Conceptual
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Camp Step 1
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Camp Step 3
Camp Step
Business Center Composition
Cafeteria Creation
Squash & Diving Center Creation
Stargazing area Folding Design
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Chalets Fab Step 1
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Chalets Fab Step 2
Chalets Fab Step 3
Chalets Fab Step 4
Clubhouse Composition
Clubhouse Element
Restaurant With Composite
Workshops Diagram
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Lounge & Pool Perspective
Swimming pool Proposal, Alexandria, Egypt.
Located in the Alexandria, Egypt. Within a zone consisting of hangars used as sports facilities. An indoor space designed to hold an indoor swimming pool with a sitting area. The goal of the project was to create an attractive interior space out of a hangar. It was achieved by making a new space inside the provided space itself like a facade inside the building. The design was inspired by the beauty of nature by adding greens and wood within the internal facade. Also the shape of wood was designed to flow like the flow of water waves which makes beautiful harmony with water in the swimming pool.
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Pool & wall Bench
Pool Perspective
Roof Assembly
Roofing Composition
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Concept behind the design Cave 1
Ivy covered caves are on the best natures indoor space one can go to. Inspired by it we made a contour similar to it with ivy hanging from making it close to nature as possible and giving it more beauty.
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Cave 2
Roofing Composition
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Restaurant With Composite
North Coast Restaurant, Alamein, Egypt Located in the North Coast, Egypt. Within a zone of restaurants and entertainment consisting of one story restaurants and cafeterias. A restaurant designed as an indoor space holding the kitchen and its facilities and an outdoor dining area. The idea behind the project was to create an attractive facade for the kitchen and an open buffet table within the restaurant zone to attract users to it. While infusing nature with architecture using a simple yet cutting edge tech structure made out of the YFA composite and covered with a translucent material while having ivy climb the structure.
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Restaurant With Composite
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Restaurant Contour
Concept Contour 1
Concept Contour 2
Restaurant Contour
Concept Contour 3
Concept Contour 4
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Concept behind the design Using coding, simulation and optimization we were able to reform the outside part of the building to reduce radiation. In a process called solar carving.
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Solar Carving
Restaurant Contour Concept
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YFA Bio Table 1
Bio Table As a part of the John Kassar project located in King Mariout, Alexandria, Egypt, a sample a table was made to fit with the exterior of the workshops. The table is part of nature learning that was learned from the patterns of animal scales and how they extend or shrink according to their needs. The table was then fabricated using CNC machines on wood to precisely carve the table out of wood.
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YFA Bio Table 2
YFA Bio Table 3
Bio Table Diagrams 1
Bio Table Diagrams 2
Bio Table Diagrams 3 YFA Bio Table 4
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Bio Table Fab 1
Bio Table Fab 2
Bio Table Fab 3
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Concept behind the design By studying the patterns found in nature. We found patterns that make up new designs that both are innovative and unique. Inspired by these patterns we created a space for the workshop in the childrens area.
Pattern from nature
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Lines From Pattern
Form From Pattern
Bio Table Conceptual
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Future Residences
FUTURE RESIDENCE BEHAIRA, EGYPT Located in the Kafr El Dawar, Egypt. Within a Residential zone. Consisting of six story residential building Containing different facilities: Shopping mall, Parking, Rooftop club with: Swimming pool, Cafeterias, Library, Spa, Soccer pitch, Multi- Purpose hall, Gym and Outdoor Cinema. The project is also unique with modern facades seeing streets from all four sides with luxurious entrances made from marble, glass and containing exported high quality elevators. The project was founded in the intention of creating a full community with all its services while respecting privacy and culture of the residents.
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Future Residences Pool
Land area: 4468 m2. No. Of Apartments: 36 Apartments per floor. No. Of floors: Ground + Five. Apartments net areas vary from 94 m2 to 121 m2 Ground floor: Shopping mall. First floor: Offices. Four residential floors. 108
The net area of the apartments without cores, stairs and corridors is: 3856 m2. It means that the apartments without facilities are around 86.3% of the land. The 100 m2 apartment will be 110 m2 with facilities.
Future Residences Interior
Future Residences Interior 2
Scale 1:2000 Future Residences Plan Future Residences Interior 3
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Jeddah Restaurant Perspective
Jeddah Restaurant jeddah, Saudi-Arabia. Located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, The restaurant places 3360 m2 of plot area overlooking 2 roads which gives it site advantages and more potential at becoming a landmark. The purpose of the project was to make a new restaurant with an innovative facade the would look futuristic while having minimum radiation during summer. To make this building possible, we had to bring together coding, Environment and architecture. So, we made an algorithm that follows the sun path in the area to avoid direct sunlight during summer so less AC is used and more people are comfortable. To get the final form of the facade, we used an algorithm that we created where the sun moves the facade elements to reduce the radiation on the surfaces of the building. Given the intensity of the solar heat in the area and additional roof was added and relaxed using physics engines and structure analysis.
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Ground Floor Plan Scale 1:1300
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First Floor Plan Scale 1:1300
Second Floor Plan Scale 1:1300
Site Plan Scale 1:2000
Section A-A Scale 1:800
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Concept behind the design Origami Pattern
By following the use of origami used to make new shapes out of a single paper so was our project shaped to follow certain rules avoiding the direct sun radiation and maintaining its own weight. In this structure solar carving with origami were used to orient the facade points towards the lowest radiation possible during summer physics engines for the roof while adding an origami structure to it reducing the radiation even further.
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Origami Folding Paper
Jeddah Restaurant Conceptual
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Step 3
Step 4
Step 9
Step 2
Step 5
Step 8
Step 6
Step 7
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Step 1
Step 10
Step 11
Step 12
Step 13
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YFA HQ Roof
YFA HQ Roof Cairo, EGYPT Located in Maadi, Cairo, Egypt. As a part of our research and as we moved to our new HQ YFA decided to shade its roof. The YFA HQ roof covers an area of 38 m2 on an 82 m2 roof on one of Maadi’s Main streets surrounded by residential buildings. The pavilion was designed to cover the roof of our building using vaulting technique to make the pavilion withstand its own weight. To get a pavilion that would lift its own weight without a collapsing on itself we used coding and simulations and physics engines to optimize the pavilion to have the least support and minimal use of material.
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Layout Scale 1:200
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Relaxation Diagram
Radiation Analysis
Sunlight hours Analysis
Roof Framework
Roof Assembly
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Concept behind the design When wind flow on clothes it results in it moving in the same direction of the wind causing less resistance towards the wind and thus less wind(lateral) load. Wind Moving Sand Dunes
Our main inspiration in nature was when the sand dunes are moved by the wind to conform with the wind. That even despite the strong wind sand dunes are quite large with little wind(lateral) load on them. In this structure physics engines and vaulting technology were combined with wind simulation to generate the same behaviour of cloth resulting in less wind(lateral) load.
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Wind Moving Clothes
YFA HQ Roof Conceptual
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Villa Mariout Perspective
Swimming Pool Shade Alexandria, EGYPT Located in King Marriott, Alexandria, Egypt. We designed a shade for an outdoor pool and an outdoor sitting area.The Villa Places 318 m2 of land surrounded by residential units (mostly Villas). The project is about a shading pavilion for the pool and the outdoor sitting area of a villa in the outdoor garden containing the swimming pool and its surrounding lounge while conforming with the surrounding wind and using the least amount of material and still being innovative. By combining Vault techniques with wind a successful result yielded a roof that can withstand its own weight with least material while conforming with the surrounding wind. To achieve satisfying results, a roof was designed using physical engines that would compute loads and determine how to make roofs with least amount of supports and material use. It was then combined with a wind flow algorithm to simulate the effect of the wind on the roof resulting in roof that lifts its own weights with the least support and material and conforms wind and has less loads caused by it. 125
Roof Unrelaxed
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Roof Relaxed
Site Plan Before And After Making The Roof
Facades Before And After Making The Roof
Scale 1:400
Scale 1:400
Radiation Analysis
Sunlight Hours Analysis
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Concept behind the design When wind flow on clothes it results in it moving in the same direction of the wind causing less resistance towards the wind and thus less wind(lateral) load. Wind Moving Sand Dunes
Our main inspiration in nature was when the sand dunes are moved by the wind to conform with the wind. That even despite the strong wind sand dunes are quite large with little wind(lateral) load on them. In this structure physics engines and vaulting technology were combined with wind simulation to generate the same behaviour of cloth resulting in less wind(lateral) load.
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Wind Moving Clothes
Villa Mariout Conceptual
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Al Orouba Perspective
Al Orouba, CAIRO, EGYPT. Located in Badr City, Cairo, Egypt. We designed a low cost residential building. The building places 318 m2 of land surrounded by residential units (mostly residential units). The projects is a design of a residential building using low cost materials. The building consists of a garage, a ground floor and a typical floor for the next four stories.
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Ground Floor Plan Scale 1:200
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First Floor Plan Scale 1:200
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Al Morouj Perspective
Al Morouj, Yalova city, Turkey.
Located in the heart of Yalova city, Turkey. In 2016 We designed a clubhouse with an outdoor pool and an outdoor sitting area. El Murooj Yalova consists of 54 residential units ranging from separate villas, duplexes and duplex apartments. Construction started in early 2017 and is currently in the delivery stage. Located in a compound with the land area of 12000 m2 and built up area of 3300 m2 to serve 23 residential buildings. Inside the closed compound with 24 hours safety and security. The project is about a clubhouse with indoor an outdoor pool and lounge. The clubhouse also contains an indoor swimming pool, a spa and a gym.
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Basement 2 Scale 1:400
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Basement 1 Scale 1:400
First Floor Plan Scale 1:400
Roof Scale 1:400
Al Morouj Perspective 2
Ground Floor Plan Scale 1:400
Section A-A Section A-A
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Saudi Island Perspective 1
Aqua City & Yacht Club, West coast of Saudi Arabia Located on an island on the upper west coast of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government seeks to invest in islands along the west coastline to increase its tourism. The Saudi Island places 298136 m2 of dry land surrounded by water from all sides. The project was about building a pavilion on an isolated island with least modification the land of the island. Using vaulted structures and special composite materials The Saudi Island was allowed to have a greener environment. The Saudi island consists of amusement zones for kids and adults that involve water games. In order to accomplish the process, we had to make collaboration between design and coding. An algorithm of AI swarm was created in order to find the best spot to place our building. Where slopes are not too steep and where water can flow freely for water games without the need of digging. To reduce material use in the structure, physical relaxation and optimization were used to minimize the loads using structure analysers and physics engines. The resulting structure requires much Less reinforcement and thus much less material. Solid and Void were designed according to environment where is solid is most at high radiation areas during summer and void is in the least radiated areas to provide enough daylight and use less artificial Lighting. 139
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Saudi Island Perspective 2
Saudi Island Perspective 3
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Saudi Island Perspective 5
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Saudi Island Perspective 4
Saudi Island Perspective 6
Saudi Island Perspective 7
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Saudi Island Perspective 9
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Saudi Island Perspective 8
Saudi Island Perspective 10
Saudi Island Perspective 11
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Concept behind the design As water flows over any surface it follows its form. By studying water we applied through agent based design in form of a building flowing over the surface of an island resulting in less excavations and a free flow all over the island. As for the form it is inspired by the cocoons in nature as they are carved across the land. Water Flowing over Landscape
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Cascades
Cocoon
Saudi Island Conceptual
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Step 1
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Step 2
Step 4
Step 3
Step 5
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ADDRESS
16 GAZAYER ST., MAADI, CAIRO, EGYPT. CA 11742
PHONE
+20-2-2516-9140
www.yusuf-fahmy.com