RS
portfolio // 2011 - 2017
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
UNIVERSITY PROJECTS
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A PRODUCT O F N AT U R E thesis project 2016 / Omrania|CSBE winner
W A T CH Y O U R WASTE vertical studio 2014 / Holcim Awards winner
W A STE PIC KE R CA RT vertical studio 2014 /
BE IRUT PIX E L S design studio 2015
P R O F E S S I O NA L P R O J E C T S
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P AN T H E O N O F L U AN D A Dar Al-Handasah project 2016
K U W A I T I M I LI T A R Y AIRPORT Dar Al-Handasah project 2017
WORKSHOP & COMPETITIONS
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BUFFERING THE NOISE Fawzi Azar competition entry 2015
synCH R O N I Ci t y
M ET A L FO R M I N G FO R S T R U CT U R A L EFFI CI EN CY
UIA-HYP CUP competition entry 2016
AA summer DLAB
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01
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A PRODUCT OF NATURE OMRANIA | CSBE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ARCHITECTURE
1ST PRIZE
DEAN'S AWARD FOR CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT THESIS PROJECT Location: Ibrahim river, Lebanon Program: Residence for 2 hydrologists
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Architecture as a "filter"
Situated in the mountainous part of Ibrahim River, Lebanon, this project seeks to question the core relationship between Man-Architecture-Environment. For once, Nature is given the chance to disrupt Man's lifestyle. Architecture is complementary to the forces of Nature and thus this relationship is imposed on Man. Architecture acts as a "filter" and takes shape in a kinetic dwelling activated by water, in which Man lives aware of his surrounding and in coexistence with Nature's power.
The site is threatened by the future Dam of Janneh. This site specific environmentally detrimental plan fueled the need to incorporate a research lab in the proposed dwelling. The inhabitants conduct studies of the water dynamics and the ecosystem in danger before and after the construction of the Dam. The damage of the Dam will both be proven by the data and the future tamed profile of the dwelling.
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View of the lab space from the 1:5 model
A New Typology is created with the overlaying of Nature's forces and Man's basic needs THE SPINE A link in the form of stairs acts as a flow distribution mixing both agents gradually from top to bottom. The structure spans from the top of the slope to the bottom, benefitting from the strong flow of the water to both generate electricity and initiate the activation of the structure. This also allows for the degradation of 3 experiential spaces:
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Inspiration from marine organisms led to the location of important spaces beyond the rock (flatfish and the location of its important parts on one side of its body to escape from the high pressure of the flow that carries it), While elaborating on the structural bracing of the main spine (baetis and the way it anchors on the riverbed) to assure the safety of the dwelling.
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Outline of the structure showing its movement with the contextual changes
+. MECHANICAL TRIALS A 2D frame in which the dweller experiences the forward drag of the water pressure, developed into more enveloping structures in which the 2D frame becomes a 3D object.
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+. KINETIC MECHANISM The wheels activated by water rotate and push forward a frame that initiates the movement of the envelope. The user becomes directly affected and attuned by the specificity of its surroundings.
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+. MECHANICAL SYSTEM Dry compost toilet and Grey water treatment tank placed on riverbed and thrown into the soil.
+. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM UPS machine outputs along central structural frame.
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+. SECTION BB This section shows from left to right, the access ramp, the lab, the stairs, and the bathroom (underneath the stairs). The lower sections show longitudinal and cross-sectional views of the mechanism of the lower volume (surrounding the bathroom), the sliding pivot joint allows the lower space to merge with the forces of the water.
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View from the lab going down
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View from the access ramp
+. MATERIAL & JOINT STUDY
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The model of the project was built at a 1:5 scale, on a 2X1M base with metal rods and aluminum sheets.
Materials used were: - Wood for the base - Metal rods for the main structure - Aluminum sheets for the flaps - Wire mesh for part of the lower spaces Time to Build: 80 hours
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View of the structure on site from a high point on the side of the valley
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WATCH Y O U R W A S TE HOLCIM AWARD NEXT GENERATION 4TH PRIZE Africa Middle East
Location: Nabaa, Lebanon Program: Waste-to-energy plant/ workshop and exhibition for craftsmen and designers. Group work of 5 students in a Vertical studio
My input ranged from the conception of the project, to the idea of the “journey� within the incineration, to the in-depth site analysis, and the 3D visualization of the project.
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The Bouchrieh industrial quarter of Lebanon currently suffers from daily power outage, an overflow of waste, and minimal recognition of skilled technicians. T-he city's overflowing landfill is in dire need of an emergency waste plan. The project is a sustainable solution for reactivating the area, reincarnating the waste into energy, and reinstating the local craftsmen at the forefront of the city's design scene.
i. 01 Regional Map This map shows Beirut's outskirts highlighting zoning, flows, user groups and other agents involved.
i. 02 Conceptual Diagram The two incorporated programs are the thermal treatment plant and the designer's workshop spaces. The first journey acts as a museum and is guided by the incineration process. It then links to the second journey along the studio workshop spaces, which aims to provide exposure to the local skilled laborers in the nearby industrial region.
i. 01
i. 02 +.
THE
PREMISE
Making the problem an integral part of the solution, a waste-to-energy plant provides much needed electricity to 200,000 industries and households.
. A M E S S A G E + AWARENESS
OF
The aim is to introduce a waste awareness campaign revolving around the idea of extending life cycles which is translated into a journey alongside the process of converting waste into energy.
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+.GIVING
BACK
TO
THE
COMMUNITY
Studio and exhibition spaces for designers in proximity to the bouchrieh laborers reintegrates their role within the social fabric while providing them with an added layer of exposure.
+.GROWING
FROM
SOCIAL
EMERGENCY
The zero impact-plant reprises the solution for waste in an economically and environmentally sustainable way. The project proposes an NGO investment for initial implementation into a viable solution for the community energy crisis.
+.THE
NEIGHBORHOOD
HUB
Accessible roofs acting as a continuation of the urban landscape allow for communal spaces which provide informal reading and resting spaces with the aim of reactivating the public space for the local residents.
i. 01
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i. 01 Reading space and lounge at the end of the museum journey
i. 02
with a view towards the existing landfill
i. 02 Exploded axonometric revealing access points, overlay of programs, accessibility of outdoor spaces
i. 03 View of the end of the journey through the thermal treatment plant, the thinking tube
i. 03
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i. 01 *
Mass plan showing roof accessibility and relation to urban context
i. 01-02-03 Plans through the thermal treatment plant, the designer’s workshops and ground floor landscaping
i. 04
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i. 02
i. 03
i. 04 Section cut through the first journey along the i. 05 Section cut through the cafeteria, designer's incineration process with corresponding moments
workshop, and exhibition space with corresponding moments
i. 05
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WASTE P I C K E R C ART PUBLISHED ON BBC NEWS Location: Nabaa, Lebanon Program: A cart for a waste picker in Nabaa Group work of 5 students in a Vertical studio
My input ranged from the conception of the Cart, to its 3D modeling, to the small scale analysis of its volume in relation to the streets of Nabaa, and to the hands-on assistance of its construction at the Metal Shop.
In Nabaa, a neighborhood characterized by its informal waste managment system, we looked for a waste picker willing to accept our new and enhanced cart that we would design after taking into account his needs.
+.
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MAPPING
MAHMOUD
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CONCEPT
AND
EVOLUTION
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Mahmoud, our client in charge of picking the waste of Nabaa, sorting it, and exchanging the goods for money, helped us design his cart. First, he briefly described a few features he wished to have in his new cart, then explained to us his exact routine in the neighborhood. The diagrams on the left represent Mahmoud’s path around the area, and on the right the drawings show the design development of Mahmoud’s cart.
i. 01
i. 01
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After checking on him a few months later, we discovered the cart readapted to respond to his needs.
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BEIR U T P I X E LS Design studio 2015
Location: Ashrafieh, Lebanon Program:Residential, Office, Public space tower
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an alternative to the B eirut residential tower
Requestioning the traditional residential typology of towers in Beirut, the idea was to observe our lifestyle and highlight its fast-paced nature. The used spaces of our apartments are simply the private rooms providing our basic necessities. The communal rooms of the apartment are becoming unused. MAKING USE of this new individualistic lifestyle, the wasted communal spaces of the apartment have been absorved by the PUBLIC core and have become part of the public spaces that serve the entire city, transforming the typical "inaccessible tower" into a HUB for all inhabitants of Beirut.
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_PLAN 1
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_PLAN 2
The residences are designed according to three initial volumes mimicking our daily movementsL standing (shower, kitchen), lying down (bed), sitting (the central multipurpose unit).
PLAN 3
These three modules can be assembled according to the needs and number of its inhabitants. Double and triple heights can be achieved, in addition to a more horizontal apartment.
The units follow the minimum dimensions for living, and can thus house a large number of inhabitants in this tower, while also providing, its their compactness, space for the public space to travel vertically. The modules are distributed to allow for light to enter the public spaces where needed.
PLAN 2
_PLAN 3
PLAN 1
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i. 01 View from the side entrance 02 View from within the plaza i. 03 Aerial view of the Pantheon and the Presidential Palace
The place is located on the route between the memorial of Augustine and the building of the new national assembly (which will be in front of the presidential palace) Being a tribute to figures of society who founded the identity and history of the nation, the pattern was inspired by the local pattern of Angola. .
i. 01 i. 02
Achieved using Grasshopper, the pattern is composed of volumetric triangles separated by vertical mullions, with adaptable units for the entrances. My input consisted of scripting various trials of skin pattern for the Pantheon, and developping the client's choice (shown in the renderings).
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THE PANT H E O N O F LUANDA DAR AL HANDASAH PROJECT 2016 Location: Luanda, Angola Program: Modern Pantheon
+. PATTERN TRIALS Inspired by african traditional patterns
i. 03
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The military airport of Kuwait was comprised of 40 buildings, ranging between 50 sqm to 30000 sqm. For a month, the work consisted of designing the 7 steel buildings of the airport, which I was doing in coordination with the different trades: mechanical, electrical and steel design. For 6 months, I was in charge of the design and development of the biggest building of the airport: the Maintenance Hangar (30000 sqm). The first phases comprised of applying the Nato standards manual for the Maintenance Hangar, with all dimensions and technical requirements were provided for each workshop: - zone limitation - size, location and orientation of rooms in relation to natural light - sizes and types of doors - location of shafts - location of plumbing units - materials to be used (they were specific for every workshop) - entrance and circulation
+. WALL SECTION Through the gutter
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KUWA I T I M I L I TARY AIRPORT DAR AL-HANDASAH PROJECT 2017 Location: Kuwait Program:Military Airport
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+. PLAN OF THE MAINTENANCE HANGAR
Part 1 out of 9, showing the layout of the airplane workshops
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+. NORTH ELEVATION
+. EAST ELEVATION
With the primary conditions implemented, the next step was to send plans to Fire Safety unit in order to assure all plans were approved. In parallel, mechanical and electrical trades were providing additional input.
At a further stage, more coordination followed with the comments of the client. As this proceeded, the Fire Safety Unit and the Acoustics Department were sending requirements that needed to be implemented in the wall types. The production further developed with details, schedules, boq, specifications in the Final Design Submission.
+. WALL SECTION
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BUFFE R I N G T H E NOISE ENTRY “FAWZI AZAR AWARDS” COMPETITION Location: Ashrafieh, Lebanon Program:School
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Plans showing the “buffer zone” achieved through the irregular thick walls of the ground floor, with regular classrooms, with lighter material on the upper floors.
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PRESCHOOL PLAY + STUDY INTERTWINED. IMPORTANCE OF CIRCULATION AS A SPACE FOR PLAY
ELEMENTARY CIRCULATION IS KEY, WITH BIGGER DE-
PARTMENTS> A FULL LOOP AROUND CLASS ROOMS IS DESIGNED
INTERMEDIATE LINEAR CIRCULATION FROM ASSEMBLY TO WORKSHOPS > HALP LOOP IS NEEDED
SECONDARY DEPARTMENTALIZED, SIMILAR TO ELEMEN-
TARY TYPOLOGY IN ADDITION TO GROUP STUDIES IN THE HEART OF EVERY BOX
Within the urban context of Ashrafieh, the given site, surrounded by streets and an existing park to its right, inspired my design's driving factor: an internal courtyard. Nested within the project, it is privatized from the streets. In such a congested and noisy area, a heavy material ground floor was introduced as a Buffer Zone. This filter, of several heights, gave way to further experimentation on the above levels. A lightweight double skin facade formed of operable aluminum mesh panels that students can manipulate to their need is introduced on the upper level in contrast with the ground floor mass. The volumetric minimizes vertical circulation, creating a campus like environment and several intersection points of both users and functions. The upper volumes connected by bridges create a single loop housing a horizontal layering of the designated spaces. Different circulation patterns intersect encompassing all intellectual levels.
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Beirut is suffering. Losing its state of repose, it has forever embedded itself in a post-traumatic existence. Apart from frequent attacks to its infrastructure and resources, the city spirals in chronic replay of infiltration, neglect, and corruption. It never rests. Nor do its inhabitants. Drowning in closeted paranoia, they would rather shy away from public scrutiny and solve it in the privacy of their home, their minds.
This project investigates the typology of the Horton sphere gasholder, a primary urban energy resource reservoir. By importing a foreign element and program into the sphere, the intervention behaves as a prosthetic, with a plug into the city. The clinic is reimagined in a dystopic world, visited by those unable to deal with the impacts of war and its equivalents.
Patients are admitted through a network below the silo, serving as a rehabilitation center. At one point, a schism appears between the curable, for which conventional methods suffice, and the hopeless, the memories of whom are too scarring to make way for a normal life. The former is allowed to reintegrate back into society whereas the latter is taken up into the silo for alternative treatment: memory loss through electroshock therapy.
- by - Natural Decay
IDENTIFY
DIFFERENTIATE
D
The breaking down or rotting of matter through the action of spreading bacter
- by - Muscle Convulsion
Rapid and repeated contraction and expansion of body muscles resulting in the
- by - Sudden Strike
Suddenly occurrence of a disaster, disease or other unwelcome phenomenon havi
- by - Masochism Concealed in the sterile environment of the Silo, the prosthetic reacts to the controlled system of recharge and discharge, using its pressurized environment as a source of energy. The schedule of the silo and that of the clinic are co-dependent and operate simultaneously.
The city is read as body, its integrity impacted by various forms of trauma. Inspired by the attacks on the Beirut gasholders in the beginning of the 2006 war, the project experiments with defense mechanisms that a city's urban fabric and infrastructure can adopt. These silos, being primary targets in the event of an attack on the city, are seen as viral or contagious zones waiting to be amputated.
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Gratification as a result of painful self-infliction.
- by - Latency Delayed impact resulting in unforeseen consequences that require alternative
- by - Forensic Investigation
The application of scientific techniques into a systematic examination for ju
synCHRONICity Entry for the UIA-HYP CUP 2016 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT COMPETITION Location: Jiyeh, Lebanon Program: Clinic for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Group project of 4 My input ranged from the analysis of the site, to the conception of the program of the structure and its mechanisms, to the 3D and 2D detail drawings.
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- by - Aspirational Evolution Premeditated experiments with uncertain, ambiguous and unstable outcomes.
DECONSTRUCT
REINTERPRET
MAP
ria: the spontaneous transformation of a relatively unstable urban fabric into a new set of living conditions.
e uncontrolled shaking of administrative systems.
ing destructive effects on infrastructural performance.
design solutions.
urisdiction ends.
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A city undulating in chronic replay, outbreaks of trauma at once interrupting and creating the inevitable state of constant post-trauma. A convulsed infrastructure burdened with an uncalculated load, its supply far beneath its demand threshold. A self-diagnosing people, unable to rely on any label of authority. An endless influx of selfprescribed solutions to mental instability, neatly tucked away from public concern. An army of paranoid androids roaming the city, searching for catharsis.
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*
Mass plan / site analysis showing the surrounding industrial area +. WEIGHT INCREASE
In a structure in which the liquid constitutes 90% of its total weight
+. SEISMIC RISKS
+. BULLET STRIKES
Overpowering the pressure valve resistance and causing an increase in gaz or liquid leakage
+. INTERNAL CHANGES
Leading to a rapid increase in internal pressure, causing an enlarging of the puncture and an explosion
+. EXTERIOR TEMPERATURE INCREASE
Changing the internal pressure and initiating an explosion
+. RUPTURE OF THE STRUCTURE Due to the previous problems or other unforseen, the metal gets near melting and causes a weakening of the structural membranes and therefore leading to the rupturing of the silo.
*
Study of silo potential threats
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Scheduling_energy generation vs nucleus movement vs gasoline level
+. SCHEDULING
energy generation vs nucleus movement vs gasoline level
+. DETAIL
maximum output in failure mode
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Detail_maximum output in failure mode
+. PLAN PLATEAU MODE
+. SCENARIO A.PLATEAU MODE
+. SCENARIO B.FAILURE MODE
The prosthetic exploits the controlled environment of the gasholder, translating its monthly change in trapped pressure into an amount of energy generated for the activity of the clinic. The beginning of the month triggers the recharge of gasoline and the simultaneous admittance of a new batch of patients. During the course of the month, the gasholder enters the discharge mode, slowly supplying gasoline to the city, while the patients enter their period of memory loss infliction. They gradually elevate through the space as the treatment evolves from electroshock therapy into training, to be eventually dispatched, at the end of the month, back to the city as laborers in neighboring industrial and construction sites.
When the gasholder is subject to attack, the prosthetic reacts to the sudden loss in pressure, adapting through form and function into a more compact typology. This facilitates the dispatch of a larger amount of patients, thus catalyzing the reconstruction of the city, postwar, back to its plateau mode.
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09
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M ETAL FO R M I N G F OR STRUCTURAL EFFICIENCY AA SUMMER DLAB Location: Architectural Association, 36 Bedford Square Program:Terrace Canopy Duration: 3 Weeks Team of 16 students and 5 tutors The main focus of the workshop is to design a canopy for the AA terrace, using the single point incremental forming method. In the first two weeks, we learnt numerous plug-ins on Grasshopper that were then used to optimize our design. As a group of 4, our aim was to have a water collecting canopy, that would cover the terrace during days of heavy rain.
i. 01 The place is located on the route between the memorial of Augustine and the building of the
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While our concept developed from the observation of pools of water being collected on the terrace, our first step was to find a way to spread the metal panels on our designed surface, in order to optimize both the collection of water and the structural efficiency of the canopy. An L-system generation - deriving from biomimicry of leaf natural collection systems- resulted in different trials, from projection, to reparameterization.
i. 01
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i. 02
i. 01
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i. 01
Site analysis: the terrace of AA was analyzed, from circulation, to sun exposure, to possible canopy connections.
During the last weeks, all 4 groups of 4 merged to design and build one canopy that would incorporate the strengths of all proposals.
i. 02
The two drawings show the bottom and top connections of the canopy, later explained in more detail.
It is a combination of two layers, joint through the contact of the concave and convex bumbs formed with the Kuka six-axis robot. The two layers with this specific connection become structurally efficient and span from the top posts to the lower ones towards the gutter, directing the rain water. In order to save time, the middle pannels of the layers were done with plastic
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+. ELEVATION 1
i. 01
+. ELEVATION 2
i. 02
From the entrance of the terrace
Between the two AA buildings
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i. 01
The top connection consists of three rods, passing through the concave and convex bumbs, increading structural performance of the joint.
i. 02
The bottom connection joins vertically the two layers, through their flaps.
From scripting with grasshopper, to senging the scripting to the robot lab for forming, then cutting the panels, punching holes, bending the flaps for both the zinc and plastic panels, the fabrication process took 1 week with 16 students. My input consisted of: Scripting the L-system on Grasshopper and Rabbit plug-ins Doing the site analysis Designing the Top connection Scripting the points of connections between layer A and layer B In charge of the organization and assembly of all the panels
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romy el sayah | romysayah@gmail.com | +(961)3349682 52