Hamza Jamjoom Architecture Portfolio

Hamza JAMJOOM

PORTFOLIO

Penn State University 2018 - 2022

Hamza JAMJOOM

Self-directed, innovative, and highly motivated learner equipped with experience in architectural planning and design. Passionate about interior and exterior design, urban planning, and civic architecture with an interest to incorporate new technology and materials into projects. Demonstrates a strong desire to learn and collaborate with others in the industry to improve the human experience

(+1) 202-944-0025

haj5092@psu.edu

State College, PA

Nature Education Center

“The mission of The Arboretum at Penn State is to engage the academic strengths of the University in promoting scholarship and education about plants and their history and importance on earth. The Arboretum at Penn State strives to be a place of beauty and renewal, a venue for the arts, and a pathway to discovery and enrichment.

The Nature Education Center would be at the heart of the cultural district at the University; It will be the main destination at the Arboretum where students, professors, and visitors can learn about the lush plants of Pennsylvania.”

The building design is inspired by an existing garden (Poplar Court) that is considered formal within an organic setting.

Hence, the trees, columns, and walls are driven by the garden’s grid to have a vocabulary that is familiar to the site. The ‘lines’ from the Poplar Court are extruded into the education center, as shown in the site plan, creating a modular sequence of space that focuses on verticality and modularity.

Laia Celma

Site Plan:

The poplar court is located behind the Education Center and the tree lines drawn created a 6 feet module into the building.

Exploded Axonometric

Wooden columns were utilized to mimic the rich trees of Pennsylvania.

North Elevation East Elevation South Elevation West Elevation

Entrance:

The entrance is a bridge towards the main door surrounded by trees establishing the purpose of the building. The trees are following the same grid line of the poplar court but at the basement-courtyard level.

Lobby:

The visitors are welcomed with different types of plants that are placed on the ceiling and are extended all the way to the basement level.

Entrance (Night):

Uplights highlight the verticality of the trees as visitors are walking on the bridge

Basement Access

A ramp from the Poplar Garden directs the visitors to the basement of the building where galleries and the auditorium are located. The trees are spaced 6 feet to follow the modularity that the garden created.

Active Strategy: Water Collection- When it is raining, there is a water collection system that begins on the roof. The plants collect water and it is moved down through a thicker pipe within the column which involves a series of filteration steps till it is stored at the cistern. The water is reused in the building.

The constructed wetland allows for collecting stormwater. The welands are connected through the outlet pipe as there is a natural flow of water through the angle of the ramp.

Visitors could enjoy the weather and learn about the lush trees found in Pennsylvania.

The lighting strategy of utilizing colored uplights allows the outdoor sunken garden to be highlighted and celebrated at night. This is important as visitors cannot access the area directly from the entrance, but must be gravitated towards the area.

Modular Low-Cost Housing: Concrete Printing Technology

“The focus of the studio was governed through parallel systems of research and design activities. The objective was to establish the design of a small low-cost housing units and explore novel ways to develop and represent through Automated Additive Construction technology.

The project comprised a deep-dive into the technological complexities of integrating elements related to design, material properties, and printing system, resulting in the utilization of Robotic Additive Construction as a new design initiative within the fields of architecture and engineering.”

Site: Sahara Desert, Issaouane Erg Sand Sea. Located in Eastern Algeria, the Issaouane Erg has sand dunes as tall as 400 feet. The design is inspired by the sand dunes and therefore the structure becomes part of the landscape, with a contrasting element of concrete.

Project Responsibility:

Responsibilities entailed learning new technology-based skills to be able to print concrete structures using robotic systems. Research, prototyping, arid climate testing, and design-development procedures were established prior to producing a flexible system that could be utilized in the Sahara Desert. Research was also established independently to consider unit modularization. Further, I focused on designing using Grasshopper to represent a variety of iterations and printing multiple models before reaching the best solution.

Fall 2021 | Professor Jose Duarte & Shadi Nazarian Arch 431

Partner: Gaurav Ganguli

Printing

Utilizing the robotic arm, we printed a scaled portion of the housing unit to test the technology

Concept Development: Drawn from the Sand dunes of the Sahara Desert

Axonometric & Perspectives

Plan Configurations: First, the central unit could be closed to create space. Second, at night, the sides of the unit unfold to create beds for the nomads. Third, the tables that cover the unit could be taken off when needed.

Prayer Room:

At the back of the housing, there is a prayer room in which visitors could pray in tranquility

Hamza JAMJOOM

Roof

The sun penetrating through the roof informs the nomads prayer timings through the angles

Aurelian Wall Intervention

The project title POMERIUM 2.0 derives from “Pomerium” the name given to the ancient, symbolic enclosure of Rome, coinciding with the city walls, which separated its “sacred” space, with its laws, traditions and religious rites, from the outside world with its agricultural practice, military activity and alien populations and deities.

Phase 1: Group Site Analysis

Partners: Emily Freid & Holly Zimmerman

Concept Statement: The Line is an interactive route along the Pomerium for visitors to be enlightened about the local art, history and culture. It provides a new connection between the Testaccio and Ostiense neighborhoods. Pods attached to the Aurelian Wall create a unique park which connects the two museums. Visitors can directly interact with the Aurelian Wall

by climbing, touching and passing underneath the pods. Each pod teaches visitors about a different part of the neigh- borhood

Phase 2: Individual | Community Center Program Goal: To offer a flexible organi- zation of space that acts as a platform for visitors to learn about the arts in the area, simulate interaction between different disciplines, and become inspired by the end of the journey.

Spring 2022 | Professor Silvia Aloisio| Arch 499A Pantheon Institute

Design Response to Traffic Congestion

Interior & Exterior Renders

MykoKnit

This is is an interdisciplinary studio experimenting with a new system of MykoKnit; How knitted textile could be the formwork of a structure while mycelium submerges into the knitted textile to offer a biodegradable material.

The focus of this studio revolved around designing a pavilion that could be shipped to Australia in six luggage-sized containers under a competition.

Phase 1: Indivisual Precedent Research In this phase, I have researched thin structures. Particularly Knit Candela by Zaha Hadid Architects

and ETH Zurich. Moreover, I found the form of the pavilion utilizing grasshopper to grasp a better understanding on how the structure works.

Phase 2: Mesoscale MykoKnit Partners- Alexandros Naylor & Christopher Castiglia

In this phase, we took what we learned from our precedents and created the first version of the pavilion in small groups. We focused on designing a pavilion that could be assembled in small pieces based on geometry. Also, we experimented with techniques that could be used to knit the yarn and

apply the mycelium in an effecient manner.

Phase 3: Macro-Scale MyoKnit- Studio wide Alireza Zamani, Jackie Emanuel, Sean Ryan, Quaid Spicher, Parachi Masown, Alexandros Naylor, Alisa Asare, Andrew Ferreri, Chris Castiglia, Elliot Brau, Grescia Aguilar

The overall form of the pavilion was defined in this phase of the project as a studio-wide effort (shown above). My responsibility was to build the formwork and apply the mycelium to the knitted textile to show how the pavilion could be built/assembled.

Fall 2022 | Associate Professor Felecia Davis, Assistant Professor Benay Gursoy & Instructors Ali Ghazivinian, Farzaneh Oghazian | Arch 491

Form-Finding Process

We investigated using a flexible formwork to be able to change the angles that the different pieces of the pavilion could be at. Next, we designed a geometry based on tessellations that shapes each ‘petal’ that is shown on the final form on the right.

Knitting Parameters & Techniques

Pavilion Support System & Dimensions

Assembley & Packaging technique

In order to implement the design in a knitted-textile form, we knitted square pieces and folded them to create triangles to mimic the paper tessellations. That created pockets after stitching the textile together where we applied mycelium inside to have depth.

Although contamination occured in the mycelium during the drying process, we were able to successfuly build the form

Initial Hypar form created using Grasshopper

Plan

Dimensions: 3.7 m x 3.8 m x 3.7 m

The holes will allow the overall form to have a base to attach the thin shell structure to the ground.

Cutting the hypar to allow 4mx4mx4m constraints of the competition

Resting hypar form

Dividing form into diamonds through grasshopper, each diamond will become a seperate piece

Diamond divided ther for connection details 0m 0.5m 1m 2m

One component out of nine Two Mykoknit components connected through two wires

divided furconnection details

Choosing a smal portion to contruct for testing and connection details.

9 diamonds

Pieces with holes to connect

Two constructed pieces at the end to connect pieces to the ground.

Thin Shell Structure

Dimensions: 3.7 m x 3.8 m x 3.7 m

Ending pieces

Componants:

3.8 m 3.7 m

Meditation Space

Design Brief: ARKxSITE Competition

The fortress is located at Veracuz Figueira in Algarve, Portugal. Built in the 19th century, abrasions occurred through time and the stones remained. The program was to create a meditation space for visitors overlooking the ocean.

Concept: The heaviness of the mountain along with the ruins is celebrated through the

contrast of a light structure at the end of the cliff. This reflects nature; Earth is contrasted with the sky and water is contrasted with the stiffness of mountains.

When visitors approach the site, they will be attracted towards the linear structure at the end of the cliff. Walking between the ruins till reaching the carved-out entrance that is contrasted to the light system. There, an infinite space towards the horizon will reflect the notion of meditation

in a space that enhances elevation of mind and body. This is meditation, the sensation of existing in a space that is boundless and limitless.

As it is a flexible-modular sequence, one can contemplate by climbing up a ramp that symbolizes elevation of mind. Another possibility is focusing on one element by viewing a ruin wall from the building as sunlight creates shadows of columns and trusses.

Fall 2020 | Professor Katsuhiko Muramoto | Arch 331

Axonometric

Concept Models Concept Models

Collage of Concept

Perspectives

Elevation

Neue Galerie Expansion

Design Brief: NCMA Competition (National Concrete Masonry Association)

This is an expansion design project located at the Neue Galerie in New York City. The program is to expand the galerie to the neighboring building and offer improved accessibility to the location from 5th Avenue. The first week of the project revolved around studying a precedent with a group (partners Madison Ausbury and Adam Figueroa)

through analysis and model-making. The precedent chosen was Zaha Hadid’s Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati where I learned the importance of ‘negative’ space as means of circulation. Also, I learned how to connect the urban fabric with the building itself.

Design Concept: The expansion I designed is titled Pods Woven by Space

The New York city streets are organized

as a grid that connects through a dynamic central park. As shown in the sketch on pg. 35, the paths in central park ‘stitch’ the two grid halves together creating an organic movement and a break from the congestion of the streets. My Neue addition symbolizes the connection of the grid across the space of the park. My Neue addition consists of gallery pods supported on a grid that are divided by a large open atrium of space that cuts from the sky to the basement of the addition.

Spring 2020 | Professor Felecia Davis | Arch 232

New York Analysis - Model & Sketch

Precedent Models

Concept Models

The string represents the ‘dynamic space’ which reflects the nature of the New York City grid. It is a reflection of how Central Park breaks the grid and creates breathing space.

Concept Interior Development

Existing Neue Galerie

Hamza

Boathouse

The targeted clients for this project are kayakers at the Bald Eagle State Park. The dynamic terrain of the site resonates a radiant interaction between the viewrs and the park. As visitors approach the boathouse, either along the water or via the pathway from parking,the building appears to puzzle the visitors as there are multiple layers (structure and scree- ning) intrigues the kayaker to explore. A flexible kayak rack was also built to store the kayaks throughout the seasons as the water levels change

Fall 2019 | Professor DK Osseo-Asare| Arch 231

Section

Front Elevation Dock View

Side Elevation

Kayak Rack Mechanism & Models

Lantern

This project features a lantern that was designed based on geometry. The design concept was presented with a physical model constructed with papers that is a fusion of our preliminary work. Afterwards, we utilized the CNC machine to cut steel panels to create the final lantern.

Spring 2019 | Professor Benay Gursoy| Arch 132

Partner: Christopher Castiglia

Hamza JAMJOOM

PORTFOLIO

Penn State University 2018 - 2022