Behind The Veil (Technical Portfolio) - Design Exploration - (Year 3)

‘BEHIND THE VEIL’ Humaira Ramzan / (Technical Portfolio) Birmingham City University BA (Hons) Architecture | Year 3

CONTENTS

Site Analysis 1: 1000

1

Site Plan 1:500

2

Floor Plans 1:200

3-7

Roof Plan 1:200

8-9

Elevations 1:200

10-11

Section AA 1:500

12

Section BB 1:100

13

Environmental Section 1:100

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Structural Diagram 1:100

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Wall Details

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Exploded Layered Model

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Element Study

19-22

SITE ANALYSIS

Minor Roads

Major Roads

Blue Arrows (these have been included to showhow the main cross road leads into the main entrance) Commercial Buildings (included are: shops, takeaways, Library etc)

As chapter two of my design book shows, as I was going through the stages of designing my form, I was also considering the site, its context, opportunities, and constraints along the way. However, as this was a long process with many changes, I thought to make it clear, I produce this perspective map, with most of the site analysis on it.

So, one of the things I considered was the location of my residential units, this did change and adapt, but at the end decided to keep it here, it is located under the veil roof. I decided to have it behind the main assembly building because I wanted the users to feel like they have a sense of modesty, privacy and most importantly closer the other residents in that area, where they could build further connections and create a wider community of their own. When taking a look at this map the buildings which have been kept white represent all the residential buildings.

I noticed that when doing my research and going to the site, most of the residential buildings are located at the bottom of my map, so between east to west and location I picked had minor roads near the residential houses, which I think would be perfect as there will be less sound and distraction.

It also means that as my residential building has four floors, that are three meters high, and has been layered in a very unique way, making it taller than the assembly building, it allows the residents inside to get views from different angles

Site Boundary

However, with this assembly building, after going through different process, the field diagram helped me relocate and adapt the entrance of the assembly building to the existing site. Throughout my project I searched for ways in using what is already there, than changing things around. Therefore, I decided to have my assembly building facing into the direction at the center of the crossroad, below I explain why I did this.

Main Entrance For Assembly Hall

Winter Sun The reason why I did this is because the center of the crossroad is the heart of that area, which means my building can be seen from any sides of the road, which will attract many more people, into wanting to go and use the spaces created. Also, because it’s in the center of many existing, minor, and major roads, people can enter into the buildings, but also the courtyards under the veil, from any angle.

Another reason why the building has been located there is because back in semester one when we first looked at this site, I felt like there seemed to be this division between the upper and lower end of the road, as the upper part had the shops and seemed more alive, and this center part was vandalised and not being used, so as this building is not only designed to bring people together to educate them, but also a way to keep this community of Balsall Heath alive throughout the area.

Site Analysis Scale 1:1000 at A1 0

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Summer Sun

As well as this the diagram in dark yellow represents the sun path, which travels from east to the west. Even though I have the furniture shop which is covering most of the residential unit, from digitally model making, I was able to see how light will still travel by and as I have this huge gridshell veil that goes over the main building, it is not covering the wholes , which allows controlled amount of light to travel in and create nice patterned shadows from the gridshell and courtyard walls.

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1

SITE PLAN

Sun Path Direction

Wind Direction

Site Plan Scale 1:500 at A1 0

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Solid Wall

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Main Entrance

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Gathering Space

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House Entrance

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Pavements

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Foyer

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Meeting Space

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Main Office

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Food / Kitchen Area

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Storage

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Delivery Space

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Biomass Bioler Plant Room

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Refuse Room

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Chamber

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Male Toilets

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Female Toilets

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Scooter Area

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN

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3 13 16 12 7

A4

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Food Area

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Relaxing Space

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Male Prayer Room

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21 A1 A2 A3 A4

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Female Prayer Room 10

Unit 1

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Unit 2 Unit 3 20

Unit 4

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A2 A1

A3

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A

B

C

2 As this is a technical portfolio, I have decided to include structural grids (with dimensions), as well fire escape distances to my floor plans. I used the Approved Document B, volume one and volume two. According to volume one, which is the dwelling one, in section three, diagram 3.3, it states that as long as I have an internal protected fire staircase, that is locked off by walls and doesn’t bleed into any other residents’ units, I can go ahead with my dimensions because if a fire happened all the staircases are locked off with doors and walls, giving the residents time to escape, it also states that as diagram 3.3 focuses on studios / flats with restricted travel distance from the furthest point to the nearest exit, it has to be 9m, which is what I have achieved.

Ground Floor Plan Scale 1:200 at A1 0

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LANDSCAPE STRATEGY VISUAL SECTION CC Landscape Strategy Visual Section CC Scale 1:200 at A1 0

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A6 A7 A8 A9 A10 A11

Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit 8 Unit 9 Unit 10 Unit 11 Unit 12

B

A12

Unit 5

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FIRST FLOOR PLAN

A5

A

A12

A11

A10

A9

A5

A8 A6

A7

B

C

A

First Floor Plan Scale 1:200 at A1 0

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Unit 13

A14

Unit 14

A15

Unit 15

A16

Unit 16

A17

Unit 17

A18

Unit 18 Assembly Hall

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B

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

A13

A

A18 22

A17

A16

A13 A15

C

A

B

A14

However, in regard to the assembly building, I used the volume two book, which is the building other than dwellings, using page 14, table 2.1, I understood that under purpose group 5 – assembly and recreation, my building comes under 45m because there aren’t continuous seating’s in row, but a unique set of benches that I created and because I have two doors that lead to the exit, I am able to follow this rule.

Second Floor Plan Scale 1:200 at A1 0

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A20 A21 A22 A23

Unit 20 Unit 21 Unit 22 Unit 23 Unit 24

C

A24

Unit 19

B

THIRD FLOOR PLAN

A19

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A24

A23

A22 A19

A21

C

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B

A20

Third Floor Plan Scale 1:200 at A1 0

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ROOF PLAN WITHOUT VEIL Roof Plan Without Veil Scale 1:200 at A1 0

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ROOF PLAN WITH VEIL Roof Plan With Veil Scale 1:200 at A1 0

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NORTH AND EAST ELEVATION

North Elevation Scale 1:200 at A1

East Elevation Scale 1:200 at A1 10

SOUTH AND WEST ELEVATION

South Elevation Scale 1:200 at A1 0

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West Elevation Scale 1:200 at A1 0

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SECTION AA

Exterior Cladding One - Charred Timber Cladding. A grey toned or darkish material for spaces which are private, or looked closed off, from the outside, something that contrasted the lighter cedar cladding. It also acts as a waterproof, protective layer, its durable, resistant to fire, rot and insects.

Roof Covering - ETFE. As shown on the previous couple of pages, when developing my roof, I added on ETFE, but only to specific parts of the roof, where people would mainly walk under. I picked this material because not only is it lightweight because it only weighs 1% of average glass, the etfe cushion is very light and doesn’t put weight onto the main structure, covers people from rain and allows light into courtyard.

Exterior Cladding Two - Light Cedar Cladding. A brown toned timber material. That I picked because it is light both in colour and weight, and a way for me to represent the openness, light, and relaxing spaces. This allowed me to do it as it’s a natural earth material, durable and very popular, which will be used for the louvers, door and window frames and the courtyard walls.

Roof Beam - Steel. From doing my research on different gridshell precedents, I noticed a pattern where you have to use a beam structure, that holds the main gridshell in place.

For my beam I am using steel, that will hold my gridshell in place, it’s a strong, durable material, that takes the shape of the gridshell and prevents it from moving or breaking even with prevailing wind.

Interior Walls, Floor and Ceilings - CLT. As I’m using CLT as one of the main structures, this has many benefits to it, like allowing me to have it exposed and used for the internal walls, floors, and ceilings because its high in strength, a great fire resistance, it’s a high thermal performing material as it doesn’t allow air leakage and light weight compared to concrete. Exactly what I wanted as it allows me to keep its simplicity that I was inspired from the cultural precedents.

Roof Gridshell - Oak Timber. Taking a look back at the precedents I mentioned when researching on gridshells. I was inspired by the use of oak because this is high in moisture, allowing it to be flexible when putting together the gridshell, which is needed because of the curves and different direction the gridshell is going in. Its also a strong, long lasting material which is great as my gridshell is double layered to keep it secure and in place.

Windows - Toughened Glass. Typically Annealed glass gets used on windows because of its durability and affordability, however for my project I have gone for toughened glass because its known to be stronger and less likely to break and even if it does break its safer option as its likely to break into small pieces, making it easier to dispose and it can survive large forces.

Roof Column Support -Light Cedar Timber. The column that holds up the main gridshell is the same material as the second cladding – cedar. I used a material that was contrasting the gridshell, but yet blended into the main building. As I used timber for the columns, I then had to use metal footings. The cedar for the column is used because it’s a reusable, lightweight, durable and long-lasting material. This was another way for me to represent the woman’s strength but still keep the idea of the cultural, basic materials.

Section AA Scale 1:500 at A1 0

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SECTION BB As you would have noticed this section has been cut diagonally because my building is layered, so I thought this would give an interesting three-dimensional view of the, inside surrounding and the external atmosphere.

Section BB Scale 1:100 at A1

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Sum me rS un

ENVIRONMENTAL SECTION

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nte i W

Rainwater Harvesting Water will be reused for the green roofs.

Daylight

Underfloor Heating Cross Ventilation

Single Sided Ventilation

Cross Ventilation will occur here as there is pressure from the windward and leeward faces of my building.

A there is only one window on some places of my building, this would lead to single sided ventilation and because they are openable it will allow both ventilation and daylight.

Green Roof Designed to allow people to gather, socalise and interact

Environmental Section Scale 1:100 at A1

Thermal Comfort Having shading devices, such as louvers to break down the light directly coming from the summer sun

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STRUCTURAL DIAGRAM Primary Structure - Columns, Beams and Foundation (The residential building has a load bearing CLT structure and the Assembly hall building is framed with glulam columns and beams, so these woul be the primary structure for these buildings, so they do slightly very).

Secondary Structure - The additional Walls or floors that act as secondary support

Tertiary Structure - Roof

Structural Diagram Scale 1:100 at A1 0

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RESIDENTIAL WALL DETAIL

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15mm Aluminium Capping 10mm Vapour Barrier 75mm Insulation

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Unit Twenty

Third Floor Unit Fourteen

2 150mm CLT Structure 75mm Insulation with Battens

150mm Wood Fibre Insulation 10mm Vapour Barrier

Second Floor

50mm Battens 25mm Charred Timber Cladding

Unit Seven

2 First Floor

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Unit Three 25mm Flooring 9mm Underlayer 75mm Secreed with Underfloor Heating 150mm Insulation with Battens 30mm Insulation 10mm Aluminium 220mm Concrete Slab

900mm x 600mm Concrete Footer

Ground Floor

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Elevation Bay and Wall Detail - Scale 1:20 at A0 Call out Details - Scale 1:10

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ASSEMBLY HALL WALL DETAIL

3 15mm Aluminium Capping

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10mm Vapour Barrier 75mm Insulation

Assembly Hall

2

300mm Gluelam Column

First Floor

150mm Wood Fibre Insulation

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10mm Vapour Barrier 50mm Battens 25mm Charred Timber Cladding 800mm deep Beam (in the distance)

Female Prayer Room

1 25mm Flooring 75mm Secreed with Underfloor Heating 150mm Insulation with Battens 30mm Insulation 10mm Aluminium 220mm Concrete Slab

Ground Floor

900mm x 600mm Concrete Footer

1

Elevation Bay and Wall Detail - Scale 1:20 at A0 Call out Details - Scale 1:10

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LAYERED MODEL

I created this exploded layered model, to help the reader understand how my building has been created using different layers from top to bottom. Throughout this project, I wanted to continue the use of my concept word layering, this has been shown throughout my work, from the build up of the exterior layers, to the layers of the grideshell, columns and walls and floors that formed both the exterior and interior. Not only was this done because of my concept word, which helped me get to this architectural form, but also to represent the layers and division created towards Muslim Women, within our society. This model shows you an overview of my entire form.

The last layer that goes over the roof (veil) is the ETFE, originally in my chapter two, of my design book, when I was going through the process of making this roof (veil) work with the rest of the main building, I had the ETFE all over the gridshell, however, when I decided to add in terraces, that will have grass and people walking over it, I decided to remove this ETFE and only have it in between the two buildings, so people walking underneath on the ground floor, have some sort of shelter. Having the ETFE in a specific space, also allowed me to have the light which will hit the gridshell, create really nice shadows into the terraces.

The roof (veil) was the element I wanted to explore further, as this is a huge element with many parts to explore, I narrowed it down to the parts I wasn’t sure about and decided to go ahead an investigate those. When looking into precedents there were many ways to go about the gridshell, so after doing my research I went ahead and carried my own hand model making and realised that for the gridshell to work, I will need four layers of timber, which I crossed over each other, this kept it in place and secure.

The roof, also known as the veil, is my way of representing the Muslim women’s Hijab (veil), I wanted to have a second piece of architecture that covers the main building as this represented this idea of privacy, modesty and not actually knowing what’s underneath it, until you visit it. Its also another way to show the truth behind the veil, society always assumes the truth by hearing from others or through social media and news. However, in reality nobody actually knows besides the Muslim women who are experiencing it, so the building underneath the veil explains that to the users.

The roof (veil) was the element I wanted to explore further, as this is a huge element with many parts to explore, I narrowed it down to the parts I wasn’t sure about and decided to go ahead an investigate those. When looking into precedents there were many ways to go about the gridshell, so after doing my research I went ahead and carried my own hand model making and realised that for the gridshell to work, I will need four layers of timber, which I crossed over each other, this kept it in place and secure.

These columns have been designed to hold up the entire roof (veil), I had to go through a whole process, until I was satisfied with them because as chapter two in my design book shows, I had them originally going straight down, however as my beam and gridshell developed and evolved overtime, so did they because I then had them slanted and going the same way the curves on the beam were going.

Also, normally from my research these columns would be about 250mm in diameter, however as they are designed to represent this idea of secure, strong and empowerment for the Muslim women, I went ahead and exaggerated them, as I doubled up the size. Also, as I wanted them to be this continuous use of natural recyclable materials, that you would see these women use in their culture, I decided to therefore stick with timber, instead of concrete, as it will still represent their basic lifestyle and appreciating the natural stuff in life.

However, as timber doesn’t work well with the ground, I had to use steel footings, so the timber column doesn’t expand and break or chip when touching the ground, if it was to get wet.

As one of the main features of this project is to have different ways to bring the society together, to create their own community, where people can talk to each other, listen and share their experiences of what they have had to deal with, or just a place to educate the wider public.

I thought it would be a good idea to have different recreational spaces, instead of deliberate spaces because as I studied from Jane Jacobs and Jan Gehl, those spaces which have people in them, that allows them to do what they desire, are more successful, than those created by architects to control what happens in those spaces.

Therefore, when creating these terraces, I wanted them to be open to the public, on different levels, which allows many different views out into the city, but also keeps them private and hidden from the outside world, as they are under the veil.

The terraces are only accessible from the outside because I wanted the women to feel secure and safe in their units and also, it’s a much better option if a fire was to happen, the staircase leads them straight onto the ground, as they are already outside.

The main part of the project is the building itself, as this is what both the public and residents will be interacting with and using. As mentioned before the building is broken down into units for the Muslim women and assembly hall building for the public. This part of the model gives you glimpses of exterior, as well as the interior of the building, with its material, external stairs, internal structure, terraces courtyard and furniture.

The residential building, which is load bearing and uses CLT structure, is three meters high, per floor, making it taller than the assembly hall building, as the units have been layered in such a way, it allowed me to have windows in different places, giving the residents different views out.

Whereas the assembly hall building uses a semi framed glulam structure, with exposed beams because I didn’t want to have columns go through the middle of my hall, so as the span was a bit big, I instead had the beams exposed.

The use of arched windows was to represent how in Islamic architecture, they use arched windows and I wanted to replicate this and then the ground floor also has semi-public courtyard spaces, so if an individual isn’t able to use the external terrace stairs, then they are able to use the ground floor ones.

Layered Model Scale 1:200 at A0 0

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The final thing I added to the ground floor is a brick wall on the left side of the residential unit, just to keep the residents safe and to keep their side and the surrounding buildings private and away from vandalisation or crimes.

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ELEMENT STUDY

Small Piece Taken Out Of The 3D Roof Model

Selected 3D Roof Part (Exploded)

5mm ETFE

150mm x 100mm Four Layered Gridshell

500mm Thickness Beam (Has been intentionally exaggerated)

500mm Thickness Columns (Has been intentionally exaggerated)

My element is the veil (roof) that sits over the main building, I decided to pick certain aspects and study how they come together. This model is only a piece of the whole 3D model I had to make, as shown at the bottom right corner.

Scale 1:20

The parts which are highlighted, represent the parts I am focusing on at a bigger scale and have been put in blue boxes, as this model and the above are just diagrams, they are not scaled.

The model above this one isn’t the whole roff, its just a third of it.

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ELEMENT STUDY

Gridshell Joinery 3D Model

Small Piece Taken Out Of The 3D Roof Model

150mm x 100mm Timber Grid 300mm x 300mm Metal Plate (Holds the timber gridshell in place) Screw Bolts (One at the top and one at the bottom, to keep it secure)

Scale 1:2

Scale 1:20

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ELEMENT STUDY

Column To Floor Detail

Small Piece Taken Out Of The 3D Roof Model

500mm Column (in diameter, it has been exaggerated, to represent strength of Muslim Women)

60mm Steel Plate Connector Bolted into Slot in the Column Screw (They have been put in, in a way so they don’t stick out)

60mm Steel Plate Connector

750mm (Thickness) Concrete Foundation

40mm Steel Shoe Bolted to the plate connectors 100mm x 40mm Steel Shims

Scale 1:10

Scale 1:20

This model has been cut at the top of the columns, as there isn’t enough space, but the drawing on the left shows how it’s detail would look for the column to floor joinery.

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ELEMENT STUDY

Gridshell Joined To ETFE And Beam Screws (into the Steel Sheet)

Small Piece Taken Out Of The 3D Roof Model

Aluminium Clamping Strip 6mm ETFE Cushion

Screws and Bolts (going through the entire gridshell) 6mm Steel Sheet

Cap Seal Lid Profile Plate coming off the Beam to hold the Gridshell

500mm (Diametere) Beam

150mm x 100mm Timber for Gridshell

Extra Timber Brackets (To keep Gridshell in place and secure)

500mm (Diametere) Column

Metal Plate

Base Seal

Scale 1:5

Scale 1:20

This model has been cut at the top of the columns, as there isn’t enough space, but the drawing on the left shows how it’s detail would look for the column to floor joinery.

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