Abdullah Alsahafi - Portfolio

SELECTED WORK

ABDULLAH ALSAHAFI

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX.

Colorful Forced Perspective Art Gallery Indifference Workshop Reflective Archive Threaded Chamber Schenk-Woodman Competition Visual Studies 3-Dimensional Maps of Relief Moments of Refuge

All projects are completed individually unless noted otherwise.

Colorful Forced Perspective

This project explores the idea of forced perspective.

How design can manipulate the way people perceive space.

The building is a cultural center placed inside a church that was burned down, except for its exterior walls. The challenge was to fit a large building inside a small one.

The design uses techniques like repetition, light, color, and edge blurring to turn a small space into a large one. * None of this project’s model images were Photoshoped. The lighting effects were created by spray painting sheets of tracing paper and directing light onto them. As light passed through the colored sheets, different colors lit the space. For some images, LED lights were used. The cover image is one of these photos.

CRITIC: CYRUS PENARROYO. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. TERM: FALL 2015

Interior view of a gallery

CRITIC: CYRUS PENARROYO. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. TERM: FALL 2015

CRITIC: CYRUS PENARROYO. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. TERM: FALL 2015

Blurring the edge.

CRITIC: CYRUS PENARROYO. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. TERM: FALL 2015

ART GALLERY The project is gallery that houses seven paintings by the American expressionist Richard Diebenkorn.

The main idea of the building is a series of ramps that take visitors from the ground floor all the way to the highest floor. Each ramp has two platforms that look directly onto a painting hung from the ceiling.

The journey of going up the ramps is analogous to circulating around the work of Richard Diebenkorn.

The paintings are organized in a chronological order; revealing to the visitors the progression and the increasing simplicity that the painter’s work had gone through.

Landings

Viewing platforms

All interior

Structure carrying

CRITIC: MICHAEL KENNEDY. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. TERM: FALL 2014

CRITIC: MICHAEL KENNEDY. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. TERM: FALL 2014

IV.

Indifference Workshop

Led by: MOS Architects

The assignment asked us to rethink the design of the suburban house. As a group, we began with two objects, a gable form and an architectural element (an arch). We made up design instructions to follow and we were able to come up with 180 variations of houses, all organized in one neighborhood. The resultant houses came in three scales; one for cats, one for humans, and one for elephants.

Instructions: - A gable form is placed on any of its seven faces.

- Arches are made in six different angles and scales.

- Arches are extruded into corridors.

Resultant corridors interrupt the gable forms at any point.

SECTIONS & PLANS BY: ABDULLAH ALSAHAFI PROJECT TEAM: ABDULLAH ALSAHAFI, KRISTEN GANDY, KELLY KOH, HANG CHO, ANDRES VASQUEZ ADVISORS: MICHAEL MEREDITH, HILARY SAMPLE, ELLIE ABRONS, ADAM FURE

RENDERING BY: KRISTEN GANDY

COLLAGES BY: KELLY KOH

Reflective Archive The archive is an extension to the Penn Museum that is meant to house physical artifacts, paintings, and rare collection of prints.

The Museum carefully organizes and selects what to put on display. By doing so, the Museum is effectively disporting how visitors perceive those artifacts.

The new extension is made of a series of vertical buildings that are cladded in reflective material to visually distort how the Museum appear to passers by.

CRITIC: DANIEL MARKIEWICZ. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. TERM: FALL 2018

Reflective Archive Section showing the interior of the archive with shelves covering the interior. This way all the artifacts are on display without curating.

CRITIC: DANIEL MARKIEWICZ. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. TERM: FALL 2018

Reflection Studies Section studies showing how the Archive floors and ceilings reflect, fracture, and disport the image of the Museum from the vantage point of passer by.

CRITIC: DANIEL MARKIEWICZ. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. TERM: FALL 2018

Interior Choisy

A choisy revealing the interiors of the vertical Archive building and the mounted shelving.

Threaded Chamber A full-scale chamber that is meant to hold artifacts from Penn Museum.

The chamber is made of three different cylinders that rotate independently to show/hide certain views of the artifacts.

CRITIC: DANIEL MARKIEWICZ. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. TERM: FALL 2018 PROJECT TEAM: ABDULLAH ALSAHAFI, MADISON GREEN, YI HSUAN WU

Threaded

Close-Up vie the how the between the a the Chamber.

Chamber

ews showing relationship artifacts and

Schenk-Woodman Competition

The project consists of two pop-ups. One sitting in the Schuylkill River, while the other is attached to a building under the rail-line bridge. The first pop-up comes to life during the season.

As the river water overflows, sensors activate the pop-up by opening its top offlood two pop-ups.

One sitting in the Schuylkill latches; releasing smaller pods into the water.

The project consists River, while the other is attached to a building under A rail-line pods function autonomous delivery systems to beflood used by Manayunk’s residents. bridge. The first pop-up The comes toas live during the season. consists of two One supplies sitting in to the Schuylkill River, while the other As the river water overflows, sensors the pop-up by TheyThe canproject place food, drinks, andpop-ups. otheractivate relieve help the community during the is attached to a building under the the rail-line Theitems first pop-up comes to life in during the by floods.

Residents can also direct podsbridge. to deliver to specific locations Manayunk opening its top latches; releasing smaller pods into theby water. flood season. the river water overflows, sensors activate the pop-up opening its top speaking into As them. latches; releasing smaller pods into the water.

The pods function as autonomous delivery systems to be used by The second pop-up provides an immersive experience for visitors of Manayunk. The walls are Manayunk’s residents. equipped They can place food, drinks, and other The pods function as autonomous delivery systems

by Manayunk’s residents. with speakers that playback the messages leftto bybe theused residents as they were directing theeach pods. In addition, the interior of the pop-up moves and shakes slightly; imitating the relieve supplies to help other during the floods.

Residents They can place food, drinks, and other relieve supplies to help the community during the can also direct the pods to deliver floods. Residents can also directitems the pods toto deliverspecific items to specificlocations locations in Manayunk by speaking into them. in Manayunk by speaking into them.

POD CHAMBER

The second pop-up provides an immersive experience for visitors of Manayunk. The walls are

equipped with speakers that playback the messages left by the residents as they were directGROUP PROJECT: ing the pods. In addition, the interior of the pop-up moves and shakes slightly; imitating the DRAWINGS: ABDULLAH ALSAHAFI + AMIE YAO RENDERINGS & LAYOUT: MERRICK CASTEL DESGIN: COLLECTIVE FIRST PLACE WINNER8

RELEASE ANCHOR

POD CHAMBER

RELEASE ANCHOR

STORAGE PODS

STORAGE SHELL

STORAGE PODS

STORAGE SHELL

PLAN OF POD BASIN

PLAN OF POD BASIN

POD CHAMBER

RELEASE ANCHOR

MOTION SENSOR MOTION SENSOR

GIFT HATCH

MOTION SENSOR

GIFT HATCH

CAMERA SCREEN GIFT HATCH

CAMERA SCREEN

CAMERA SCREEN

CONTINUE The second pop-up provides an immersive experience for visitors of Manayunk.

The walls are equipped with speakers that playback the messages left by the residents as they were directing the pods. In addition, the interior of the pop-up moves and shakes slightly; imitating the movement of the pods in the water.

Visual Studies Re-Interpretation of Penn Museum artifacts through photogrametry, digital modeling, 3D printing, and drawings.

CRITIC: NATE HUME. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. TERM: FALL 2018

Visual Studies An artifact inserted into the Villa Muller by Adolf Loos. The goal is to introduce a figural form into a strictly geomagnetic building. The artifact acts as a n atrium that provide natural light and creates a visual connection between the floors and the sky.

CRITIC: KUTAN AYATA. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. TERM: FALL 2018

Visual Studies An artifact inserted into the Villa Muller by Adolf Loos.

The goal is to introduce a figural form into a strictly geomagnetic building.

The artifact acts as a n atrium that provide natural light and creates a visual connection between the floors and the sky.

CRITIC: KUTAN AYATA. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. TERM: FALL 2018

3-Dimensional Maps of Relief Work in Progress

Analytical/Abstract maps of Manayunk, Philadelphia. These

are early studies exploring the relationship between figure and ground and private and public.

The project will be a city market that serves Manayunk and the surroundings neighborhoods

CRITIC: BRIAN DELUNA. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. TERM: SPRING 2019

Moments of Refuge The typical Amazon Fulfillment Center lacks human scale and basic amenities for employees.

Employees walk up to 12 miles a day with few breaks and suffer mental and physical exhaustion as a product of harsh working conditions. Rather than redesign the entire center, this project acts upon the existing center by inserting spaces of refuge that allow moments of isolation from the bustling workplace. The building is placed underground to maintain the park above; a key resource to the neighborhood. *Note: This project was selected as one of 15 finalists in the Wallenberg Studio Competition, invited to exhibit in Wallenberg Studio show.

CRITIC: ASHLEY BIGHAM. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. TERM: WINTER 2016

Moments of Refuge The center is carved from the underground bedrock, creating large expanses of warehouse space supported with both steel and rock columns. Inside each rock column, a space of refuge is inserted to fulfill an employee need. Skylights in each refuge connect each worker back to the park above and transform mundane programs (restrooms, meditation spaces, entries, or dining halls) into meaningful, beautiful spaces within a sea of monotony and exhaustion.

CRITIC: ASHLEY BIGHAM. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. TERM: WINTER 2016

Moments of Refuge Habitable Lightwells

Every restroom is carved out of a large rock column.

Inside the column, each stall is also carved out of a smaller rock column.

The restroom becomes another place of refuge. Each bathroom stall is connected to the park aboveground through a skylight.

CRITIC: ASHLEY BIGHAM. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. TERM: WINTER 2016

Moments of Refuge The section contrasts the typical work space with the new interventions. The skylights not only allow light in, but also become habitable spaces.

CRITIC: ASHLEY BIGHAM. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. TERM: WINTER 2016

Moments of Refuge Habitable Light Wells

The Break Room is a rare moment where Amazon workers and the park visitors can see each other. That kind of interaction never happens in the current Amazon warehouses due to Amazon’s obsession with secrecy.

The Meditation Room and its tall skylight connecting it to the park above.

The Break Room

CRITIC: ASHLEY BIGHAM. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. TERM: WINTER 2016

Thank You