SAMEERA_KADDOURA_MArch_Portfolio_UoGreenwich

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I am a Part I Architectural Assistant, currently working at Uskuri Theobald Architects. I am looking to learn and expand my knowledge and skill set through practice. Having gained educational qualifications and practice-based experience I am now looking for an opportunity at the University of Greenwich, that will challenge me to produce the highest calibre of work. Working at a residential firm in the UK, juxtaposed with my experience working on residential projects in Africa has taught me a lot on how the environment impacts design and construction methods. I am eager to continue my studies in a cosmopolitan city like London, which will allow me to travel around the city, and neighboring countries, expanding my knowledge.

Post Part 1, December 2021, Kaddoura Construction, Lead Designer

EMERALD PARK VILLA 16

Located in a residential region of Lusaka, I was tasked with designing the Emerald Park Villa 16. Emerald Park is a housing complex built by Kaddoura Construction, with 16 bespoke Villas, known for their elegant and modern designs. Villa 16 was designed for a family of 5, and emmulates the style of the other villas in the complex.The core of this house is conectivity and openness, with an open plan kitchen, dining room and living room that all frame the view of the infinity pool.

The residence is constructed of insulated concrete panels in accordance with the material palate of the complex, as well as temperature maintainence. This minimalism juxtaposed with the beautiful, locally sourced wood embellishments, celebrates local materials.

The orientation of the building plot carefully considers the warmer climate of Lusaka, with the minimum amount of south facing openings, with covered terraces, and pergolas with screens to increase sun screening and reduce solar gain.

To celebrate natural slope, the house is built on 2 levels creating a sense of an upwards journey throughout the project. More intimate spaces such as bedrooms, are located on the higher level allowing the incorperation of an infitiy pool.

All drawings and designs for this project shown in my portfolio were designed and completed independently, by me.

structural system

A slab-on-grade foundation - is a structural engineering system where the foundation for a building (concrete slab) is created from a mould set into the ground. Concrete is poured into the mould, leaving the concrete slabs lying directly on the ground over a prepared surface. This method is widely standard in places of warmer climates as it doesn't require deep excavation, and heating is not installed below ground.

It is suitable in Zambia as there is a lot of space to develop vertically rather than underground. Building above ground also improves life quality by providing more natural light. It also helps maintain clean interior air quality by reducing the possibility of mould. Thermal mass within the conditioned living space can absorb and store heat, greatly helping to regulate internal temperatures. Homes with significant thermal mass inside the building envelope are also easier to keep cool in summer. Zambia experiences high temperatures over 25C throughout most of the year. Concrete's high thermal mass means it can absorb a significant amount of heat from the sun while only slightly increasing the temperature.

This system provides functional, structural integrity to support walls, upper floor constructions, and load-bearing requirements to complete the building project. Slab on Grade foundation systems are widely standard as they are affordable, have a low environmental impact, are efficient and provide a solid foundation. It significantly reduces the amount of CO2 produced during the production and delivery of materials, and second, it provides a wall that is substantially more insulated for every dollar spent.

Depending on the design, columns are spaced throughout the building, usually placed 3500mm to 5000mm apart, and foundations lay under each column. I put columns throughout the supporting walls of my design, each with a foundation whose size is calculated by a structural engineer. Beams (B1) are suspended from column to column to support the slabs; drop beams can span longer distances allowing columns to be widely spaced and create an open space. A drop beam (B2) is a beam that is thicker than the slab it supports. Drop beams are used throughout my plan to achieve openness. Internally these beams will be concealed by the ceiling not to affect the interior design. These drawings were then passed onto the team architects and engineers to ensure they met building regulations.

Bachelors Year 3, May 2021. Vertical Studio

ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL AT NEWRY

History of newry

In 1960 Micheal Hill purchased the townland of Carneyhough, allowing for the development of the area known as Hill Street and the building of Newry Canal, in 1742. This played an integral role in the growth of Newry as an important commercial trade centre, trading links were established with Europe and Jamaica and the sugar trade. The Newry market managed to draw in business from counties Louth Down and Armagh. Newry boasted many industries such as tanneries, coach building, iron foundries, flour mills, and linen weaving, expanding the sectors of the marketplace.

Background

The Architecture School at Newry, based in Northern Ireland, provides a space for architecture students and the public to develop creative skills in a nurturing environment. The school pays homage to the market culture in the city, providing the users with a place to showcase their designs and crafts thus delving into the culture. Human connections play a huge role in the health and well-being of society. The students will engage with key individuals in society, in an attempt to encapsulate their life through architectural crafts. The students will be given the opportunity to work with, sell, and display their work to the people of the community, who inspired their artistic processes.

Circulation and lighting

The angled nature of the facade, invites the public in, and is repeated throughout the whole building, from the tables, and design studios all the way down to the structure of the roof. The thought process behind this was to elongate the journey throughout the structure, forcing people to stop, think and learn from their surroundings.

The nature of the site is particularly difficult to design within, I have taken extra measures to assure the studio has optimal natural lighting to design in. The addition of a central atrium introduces light throughout the building, allowing it to funnel through to the ground floor. The angle of the roof is calculated to maximise the northern skylight, Double glazed windows are placed along the southern facade. The windows can be opened to allow adequate ventilation through the building which is particularly important following COVID-19.

CURRENT SEA LEVEL IN NEWRY

The year 3 vertical studio, Holding Pattern, focuses on disassembly, the studio explores the construction and deconstruction of an architectural education facility in the floodprone city, of Newry. We were assigned a long, narrow site in the centre of the city, shown in red, to propose a design for the architecture school. My proposal for the school is one that boasts extroverted design, which is an approach that recognises the power of society and culture and aims to create a school not only permeable to the community around it but charged with positive symbolic value. The aim of the design is one that is easily portable. This temporary manner of design will be resonated in the teaching programme.

Use of Space

The school will offer part-time, and full-time architectural education. Each term the school will focus on different aspects of society, where they will look for their inspiration. This flexible manner of teaching must be accompanied by flexible space planning.

Common problems when it comes to architecture classrooms are; a lack of usable space, poor flexibility, and limited functionality. The idea behind the design was to accommodate an interactive market space, on the ground floor. This is where the school will hold formal design reviews for the students. Additionally, the school will host weekly guest lecturers and craft markets that invite members of the public to display their crafts, creating a positive learning environment. What I prioritized in this space are flexibility and intrigue. The zig-zagging nature of the desks invites the public to journey throughout the space, providing a nook to visit each table of crafts. By prolonging the journey throughout the room, people spend more time learning and gaining inspiration from the crafts on display.

To keep the space flexible, the desks have a hidden screen that can be pulled up to hang up architectural work, crafts or posters; the desks can be used to sell, study, display crafts and artwork, and finally to display design work for architectural reviews. Along the first floor there are meeting rooms, workshops, and lecture rooms; on the second floor there are studios, and offices, and finally on the third floor, an additional studio space. All the spaces will have southern light, the studios will have these strategically designed angled windows that mimic the form of the building and roof, to maximise northern light.

The ethos of the school is inspired by my childhood growing up in Zambia. As a safari hotspot with breathtaking natural beauty and raw materials, it is commonly overlooked when it comes to cultrual heritage and the arts. Zambian locals produce stunning handmade leathers, textiles and arts and crafts using low reused materials, making this industry inherently sustainible. The Architecture school at Newry provides a space to surround yourself with like minded individuals, to teach and be taught sustainble methods of craft, a skill that can be applied in multiple fields.

The building will gather its own rainwater, and purify its wastewater. The structural walls will be made of modular, prefabricated CLT panels, that can be reused. The interior walls will be made up of sliding panels once dismantled and can be turned into furniture. Mobile walls are designed to improve the function and efficiency of space within a building, creating flexibility. The interior finishes throughout the building are comprised of reconstituted limestone from nearby quarries.

Daylight analysis

For the daylight factor analysis, I am focusing on the studio area marked on First Floor plan. There are several light sources on the studio on this floor, including 4 southern facing windows with adjustable louvres, 4 ceiling to floor windows along the northern facade and 3 windows, and finally a view onto the central atrium.

D = Average Daylight Factor

W= Window Area (m2)

A = Total Internal Surface Area

T= Glass Transmittance

daylight factor analysis

Average Reflectance

The average daylight factor of the studio area on the first f loor is 7.116% which represents a bright and well lit comfortable space suitable for use as a studio. The large amounts of light are due to the open space looking over the atrium, where the polycarbonate roof invites in an abundance of light. The users have the ability to control the amount of light by adjustable window louvres, and window awnings to maintain an appropriate level of light.

ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES

Photovoltaics are placed on the western surface of the roof. They should be on the southern surface

Volume made up along a north facing diagonal to maxi mize Northern Light through the studio spaces

High pitched roofs that allow funnel in while avoiding direct sunlight

Recycled insulation within the prefabricated panels and airtightness

Atriums introduce light into the centerof the volume, allowing it to funnel onto the ground floor

Southern facing windows to benefit from solar gain as a method of passive heating. Floor to Ceiling windows allow greater penetration of passive heating.

Ceiling to floor windows along the northern facade to allow northern light to funnel into the studi, increas ing the visible sky angle and minimizing heat loss

Low conductivity timber

Retractable blinds prevent summer overheating

Adjustable window louvres along the southern facade to control glare and overheating

Stack effect- allow hot air to leave the building. Dur ing the cold season the stack effect is reversed

Precedent Study adaptive reuse- PC Caritas

This old psychiatric hospital pavilion has been partially saved from demolition to create a peaceful space for patients and people walking in the public park. The center was to remain as it was - a finished building with open spaces.The internal green space can be used by the public, patients and their families for moments of respite.The director refused to continue the demolition of the villa and requested for it to be kept as it was found. The villa sits perfectly in its context;with a backdrop of mature trees and other surrounding villas, the new shared public space is a perfect place for dwelling.

The architects ensured that the building was kept in itsoriginal form. Some structural aspects were reinforced for safety and stability, however, PC Caritas can still be recognized as the Psychiatric villa it once was. Small decorative features were also added, such as the striking tree that extends through the first floor. Several green houses were added in place of old rooms in the villa. Other adaptions such as benches, chairs, lighting and railings have been added for places to dwell.

Some existing floors were removed, increasing the openness of the villa. There is a rawness to the retained brick work and open structured timber work due to the internal joinery being stripped, creating a unique space for the public to use. This precendent study is a good example of how a space can be reused while maintaining the essence of the building. This leads up to the next unit I studied during my BSc which was an Adaptive Reuse project, where we were tasked to take an abandoned building and give it new life.

Architecten de Vylder Vinck Taillieu, Melle, Belgium

THE BELFAST YOUTH CLUB - ADAPTIVE REUSE

History

On the corner of the Royal Parade and North Street in the Center of Belfast, the former Bank of Ireland Building stands. The building was constructed using Portland Limestone in 1929-1930 and was designed by Joeseph Vincent Downes. Portland stone is formed in a warm subtropical sea and is mainly found in the English county of Dorset, on the Isle of Portland. The building occupies a corner plot, with 5 stories including a basement. The building is constructed of a steel frame as the primary load-bearing structure, and in an attempt to disguise the steel frame, the building was clad in portland stone. In some parts of the interior, the stone has broken away and the structure is visible. The steel structural system is connected in a grid to support the floors and walls. The floors and roof are constructed of reinforced concrete.

Building Envelope

The envelope of the building boasts vertical stonework fluting to the face of the tower and a square clock. It is topped with a copper-clad domed roof. Along the facade, there are tall, green, metal-framed windows, which complement the ornately decorated Green front doors. The walls are made of thick blocks of Portland Stone, which is pale in colour, and joined with cement. Each floor window blank is ornately decorated with green and gold metalwork, creating the illusion of a taller building. The bank was closed in 2005, and during the troubles in Northern Ireland, the main shopping area around Royal Avenue was closed off with road blocks and security gates. Ever since, the city has become filled with students from Queens University Belfast, and Ulster University

Background

The Adaptive reuse brief was to transform the former Bank of Ireland into a place of learning. I decided to develop my project further, after completing my BSc to create a youth centre for people ages 16-25 to get support, meet other individuals and get involved in activities that teach them how to transition from teenage life to adulthood successfully. The Youth Club is near Ulster University. Many students may require extra support, ranging from counselling to one-to-one tutoring and managing stress. The Youth Club aims to teach people how to implicate methods into their daily lives that increase their well-being, improving their abilities to manage stress and responsibilities. The youth centre offers many facilities, including a fully equipped gym with personal trainers, as out of 1,158 studies examined, 89% found a statistically significant, positive association between physical activity or exercise and mental health. There are also on-campus counsellors and tutors that best support each student's needs. And finally, students are provided with private study spaces, a library and spaces to interact with others. Although the rooms are separate, a glass atrium runs throughout the building, promoting transparency and reiterating the importance of social interaction on mental well-being.

Mental illnesses affect 19% of adults46% of teenagers, and 13% of children each year. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of students and teachers is plummeting due to a lack of social contact. The responsibility of the youth centre is to arrange face to face activities. "Face-to-face contact releases a whole cascade of neurotransmitters, simply shaking hands, giving somebody a high-five is enough to release oxytocin, which increases trust, and it lowers your cortisol levels, so it lowers your stress."-Susan

Pinker.

Design Ambition

The Youth Club works with university students and the public, offering people a chance to experience new adventures and unique experiences and gain new skills and establish valuable local connections. I wanted to create a community within the building by providing many public and private spaces, from a cafe to a gym to a library. This gives the user choice of whether or not they want to engage collaboratively and independently. Users can access a dance studio, fully equipped gym, cafeteria, therapist offices, private study spaces, library and a games room. I created separate volumes for each use to create a journey throughout,creating the sense of being in a city within a city.

For the interior of my project, the aim was to connect the old and new seamlessly. Incorporating central atriums connects different spaces throughout. The structure of the building encourages the users to engage with one another. People chronically lacking in social contact are more likely to experience elevated levels of stress and inflammation.This is particularly important following COVID-19 as people have fewer opportunities to meet new people and socially interact.

The sequence of volumes is to be built of a timber frame structure. Each separate volume mimics the exact size of that adjacent volume, allowing the design to be easily duplicated for all volumes. The structure consists of timber columns repeated throughout, with a concrete foundation. The floors are timber supported by timber columns and beams in a grid-like system. The elevations of each floor follow those of the existing building to ensure continuity between old and new. To reinforce this relationship, I used timber slats along the windows and throughout the interior of the existing building as both decorative and panels used to separate the spaces. This separation allows for the creation of independent study areas. These partitions are not structural; hence they can be moved and manipulated to open and divide spaces, giving the space flexibility with adequate space for social distancing.

What's unique to Youth clubs is that the work area is constantly changing, from face-to-face programmes to online projects. Youth clubs are required to keep up with issues society faces and adapt. Incorporating flexible spaces within the building allows the building to be used in various ways. The repetition of spaces throughout shows how all the spaces can have miltiple uses, making the building future proofed allowing it to develop alongsidee the needs of the youth. The openness of design ensures adequate natural ventilation in the face of COVID-19 and allows the youth to connect inside and out. This encourages creativity; creative places are about making people with curious minds collaborate and share stories, art and experiences.

VISUALISATIONS OF CAFE, STUDY SPACES, GYM AND ATRIUM

proposed building exisiting building

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SCHEDULE OF ACCOMODATION

19.

20. key

9.

17.

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first floor

second floor

third floor

CULINARY SCHOOL AT CARNLOUGH

As a part of the Architecture and Montage vertical studio in year 2, we were tasked to design a new technical school inn Carnloughs unique urban conditions. The aim of the design is to include public facing elements which will redude environemntal impact, include cultural heritage and a place where public and private functions interface. Beef and other large-scale food industries have become the main contributors to global warming. Sustainable farming and fishing is proven to be the single most effective method to reduce carbon emissions and minimise the effects of global warming. As a response to this i decided to design a Culinary School in Carnloough. The school offers spaces for guest chefs, effectively involving the community around the school to engage with the students.

Based on the Ayobe Considerations, the following project proposes a culinary school in Carnlough, that focuses on sustainable fishing. The schools form uses strategic design principles that encourage visitors from the public, and the neighbouring primary school. The school aims to teach sustainable fishing and farming, while familiarising people with plant based diets.

The project incorporates prevalent features of the site throughout the form of the design. The angle of the streets throughout Carnlough is mimicked throughout the circulation of the school. Ultimately, this Zig-Zag circulation determined the form of of the building, allowing one to travel from one side of the site to another smoothly. The changing direction of circulation, frames a different view, from mountains, street or sea. Additionally it relateds the school to the pre-existing structures in an interesting way. After studying the history of tourism throughout the city, I learnt that the city shifted its view towards the sea. I aimed to blur the relationship between town and sea through the design.

Development of models

Throughout the process I experimented through 1:200 models. I began developing the form of the buildings that was determined by the Zig-Zag circulation throughout the site. Next I began to build upwards and created a second floor that overhung the first to create a shaded space for cars to park. The double height spaces allowed me to split volumes in two to create a covered area underneath to be used for seating and storage.

All buildings were made to maximize the space and leaving as little space unused as possible, while still creating a central meeting space. To further connect the school to its surroundings, openings were carefully placed so they led to neighbouring schools and buildings. Each turning point throughout the circulation framed a different view of the city, creating the sense of a journey throughout.

Key; Roof Detail

Key: floor Detail

1. Metal Cap

2. OSB Sheathing

3. Rubber Roofing Membrane

4. Coping Wedge

5. Rigid Insulation

6. Sealant

7. Air Barrier Membrane

8. Building Paper Bond Break over Drainage Plane

9. Cavity Insulation

10. Gypsum Board with Semi Permeable Paint

11. Sealant

12. Ceiling Cavity for Electrical Connections

13. Wall insulation

14. Acoustic Panel

1. LimeStone Brick Veneer

2.50mm Rigid insulation

3. Airspace

4. Self Adhering Membrane

5. Acoustic Panel

6.12mm Gypsum Board

7. Continuous Joint Reinforcing

8. Structural Steel

9. Self Adhering Rubberized Asphalt

10. Drywall Channel

11. Base

12.100mm Concrete Slab

13. Waterproofing

14. Insulation

Part 1

Architectural Assistant, December 2022, Uskuri Theobald Architects

27 NEWLANDS AVENUE, RADLETT

The clients at Newlands Avenue, Radlett are building a 6 bedroom, 3 storey detatched house. The clients came to Uskuri Theobald to improve upon elevations completed by other architects, and for full interior design services. With guidance from my director, I was the main designer for this project. To gather the clients initial thoughts on the path they'd like to go down for their house, I prepared an InDesign presentation of mood boards that communicates 24 different interior design styles. After this initial meeting I began by drawing the plans and elevations of each room in AutoCAD to gain a better understanding of the spaces, and rationalize how each of the spaces would be more efficiently used.

Preparation of the concept design is a part of Stage 01. My supervisor and I consulted with each other over a few of the design options for the rooms, and for each room I produced 3 different concept designs. To begin with, I created moodboards for each scheme in Photoshop communicating materiality, colors, texture and overall concept. I began by drawing in furniture and fixtures to scale, into the plan to rationalize how the space would be used, and ensure there is adequate negative space. I then exported these plans into Sketchup and produced 3D models of each room showing layout, furniture and color. I then rendered all 3 options in Lumion. To communicate the concepts to the clients I produced an InDesign presentation exhibiting a mood board, floor plan, precedent images, and concept renders for each scheme. I produced multiple of these presentations following the same protocol, for each room of the house. After each meeting the presentations were emailed to the clients, sometimes their comments would be made via email, and sometimes via Zoom. I am currenty working on stage 02 - completing joinery drawings, and MEP plans.

JOINERY AND VISUALIZATIONS OF MASTER DRESSING ROOM

Part 1 Architectural Assistant, December 2022, Uskuri Theobald Architects

Ramsbury Road

Ramsbury Road is a residential project in St. Albans, which is the extension of a semi-detached dwelling. The proposal is a single-storey side extension to the rear kitchen and a loft extension. The proposal should include 4 bedrooms and an additional bathroom. The loft conversion will accommodate a dance studio, which is future-proofed with a toilet and shower. My role on this project included drafting up the technical floor plans, sections and joinery drawings in AutoCAD, my favorite of which the kitchen shelf. Additionally, I designed 3 options of staircases, and bathrooms in 3D visualizations using SketchUp and Lumion. I undertook site visits with the clients to review these drawings.

VISUALISATION OF STAIR DESIGN

TECHNICAL PLAN GROUND FLOOR

VISUALISATION OF KITCHEN SHELVING

Kitchen - R.00.08 - Elevation B

Woodlands Avenue is a detached dwelling where the clients are looking to give their property an external facelift with internal reconfiguration. My colleagues and I were tasked to produce a scheme on how the clients could achieve this brief within their budget. My scheme was chosen for this design and developed further with the clients. The proposal includes an extension to achieve an open-plan kitchen, dining and living room with a butlers pantry. I look at possible reconfigurations along the first floor to allow the clients to have a master ensuite and separate dressing room. I then produced 3D models to allow the clients to visualise the front facade of their property.

Part 1 Architural Assistant, August 2022, Uskuri Theobald Architects 17 WOODEND ROAD

Woodend Road is a residential project, which proposed a single-storey garden room to the rear of the property. The existing garden shed is to be demolished allowing for a large single-storey garden room to be built under permitted development rules. The garden room is to have a main living space with a kitchenette area, shower room and section for storage, to mitigate against the loss of the existing shed. Ideally, the form will have a pitched roof to gain some additional height internally, and this will help with the golf simulator machine that is to also go in the garden room. My colleague and I undertook a survey of the house and garden, I then produced the existing plans and elevations, as well as a design proposal for a garden shed to accommodate a kitchenette, bedroom, bathroom, and golf simulator. I then developed mood boards to communicate my scheme.

PROPOSED FLOOR PLANS, ELEVATION, AND SECTION