Academic projects
A Holistic Concept
The Informal Settlements of Cairo: A Holistic Concept
Abstract
Purpose: Many individuals had immigrated to Cairo metropolis pursuing the modern dream echoed by the leading power in the previous century, leading to an unplanned transformation of the demography of the country reflected noticeably through a sudden eruption in the population, causing a massive of unplanned urbanization expansions, forcing in alteration of agricultural fields and tombs into informal homes and shelters. An urban holistic vision is proposed following permaculture ethics in an attempt in providing basic human needs through the sustainable perception that can be applied to Cairo’s informal settlements and other similar environments.
Design/methodology/approach: The paper proposes sustainable solutions in the scope of the permaculture definition, attempting in recovering back the ecological value of the land along with providing the informal inhabitants a prospective chance in creating their own self-sufficient neighborhood, converting the informal city into a smart community.
Findings: Return of Surplus, Care for Earth & Care for people, these are the ethics that defined a smart community, through them humanity can live with endless sources with the respect of the ecology.
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Date
2017
Type
Urban + Infrastructure
Location
Cairo, Egypt
Supervisor:
Matteo Poli
Inujima Art School
Inujima Art School, Advanced Design Studio - Politecnico di Milano
Concept:
Inujima Island is located in the Seto inland sea in the south of Japan. There are no cars, no highways, shopping malls, no skyscrapers, it’s an endless source of stunning landscape experience. Taking into consideration that an artistic project was already introduced to the area by SANAA studio, as a group we decided to propose a school of art and design.
Details:
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We propose a fragmentation of a regular school building into a series of small spaces spread in the landscape, therefore, walk through the school becomes an experience of discovering the island.
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The school program include 5 faculties. Sculpture, Dance, Photography + Printmaking, Paint + Drawing, Digital Arts and a dormitory.
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Each faculty of the buildings inside the island is selected considering its natural wealth, views landscape, soundscape, materials and orientation.
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Our project becomes a path along the island, breaking it with several stops rendered as art faculties.
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Each faculty location was chosen carefully to meet the expectations and needs of the artists from view to light needs.
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The shape of the faculties was designed to enhance the landscape, never overwhelm it.
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Date
2016
Type
Educational - Artistic
Location
Inujima, Japan
Professor
Kazuyo Sejima
Strada del Vino
Date
2016
Type
Mixed Use
Location
Cagliari, Italy
Professor:
Fabrizio Leoni
Strada del Vino: Design Studio II - Politecnico di Milano
Concept:
Strada Del Vino , or the Wine road, located in a proposed Vineyards that will be located in Medau Su Cramu - Cagliari, Sardinia. It’s a district which introduced in a strip of land that separates Molentargius pond from a large Salt works area.
Details:
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Proposal is simply a soft mobility path that passes through this desolated district. In an effort to vitalize the area, the path is being designed carefully to connect the two districts of Quartu Sant’ Elena in the East and Cagliari in the west and intended to intersect the existing street that heads directly to the beach area in the south.
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Taking advantage of the rich soil of the area, turning the abandoned greenery into vineyards, creating a unique landscape and restoring the existing abandoned ecology.
· Along the path, Accommodation units will be introduced, hosting visitors and tourists all the yearlong.
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The total journey of the path is 36 minutes along the 3.6 km path, which intended to be broken by the main winery in the midpoint, inviting people to stop by and enjoy a unique wine tasting experience in the middle of the vineyards.
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To increase the diverse of functions in the area, reusing the existing structures is being considered turning them into Silos, individual wineries and commercial use buildings.
UK Pavilion - Expo 2020
UK Pavilion - Expo 2020 : Building Technology Studio - Politecnico di Milano
Concept:
The aim of the proposal is to create a sustainable pavilion by using the innovation technological systems that can tolerate the hot climate in Dubai and present the sustainable vision of the UK which will take place in the event of Expo 2020.
Details:
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The concept of the pavilion is based on the oak tree, the most common tree and characteristics symbol of the United Kingdom since the roman times. The form of the building which is based on the abstraction of the oak tree leaves.
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Designing a double skin façade, formed of mesh, covered with leaf shaped shading devices, installed intensely towards southern orientation aiming to decrease the solar gain in the pavilion.
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The pavilion main icon will be expressed through two main tree shaped structural columns in the center of the exhibition space, emphasizing the oak tree at the same time holding the roof in a double height area.
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The building material used chosen carefully to lower the heat transfer from the exterior hot climate to the indoor exhibition spaces, aiming to moderate the use of electricity needed either for lighting or the Air handling units used for cooling.
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Because it’s temporarily pavilion, the structure system selected is Steel, were the disassembling process will be easier, faster and recycled easily.
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The Roof cladding selected to be high reflective Aluminum, (Ytong) block walls in the south, double glazed low E-glass curtain wall towards the North.
Date
2016
Type
Exhibtion
Location
Dubai - U.A.E
Professor:
Ingrid Paoletti
Ground He(ART)
Ground He(Art) : Design Studio II - Politecnico di Milano
Concept:
Converting an abandoned military barracks located on one of the beaches of Cagliari into an artistic complex, attracting more artists than soldiers.
Details:
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Reusing the abandoned building and converting it into an art complex that includes Art school, Library, Exhibition space, Artistic squares, restaurant and accommodation.
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Allowing a direct access from the beach level towards the art complex through an excavated pathway, ends up towards to an Art piazza used as multi-purpose space.
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Excavation schemes intended to give the artist the sense of embracement into the soil of the land, visually, emotionally and physically connected to different nature intensities beginning from the Sea, Beach, Rocks and Reinforced Concrete.
Date
2016
Type
Public Space
Location
Calamosca, Cagliari - Italy
Professor:
Fabrizio Leoni
OWC
Concept:
Minimizing the impact of the built environment towards Ohrid Lake by proposing a sustainable model integrating water sports center with the surrounding nature.
Details:
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Proposing a constructed wetland, assisting in treating and purifying agricultural and storm water runoff
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A sustainable sports center, uses the whole year rainwater collected from the sloped roof, purified through the constructed wetland and then managed for filling the Olympic pool & showers.
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The greywater coming out of building will be treated and purified through different wetland stages and released as irrigation for the surrounding landscape.
Date
2015
Type
Sports Architecture
Location
Ohrid, Macedonia (Fyrom)
Professor:
Matteo Poli
News
Finalist in Archmedium competitions
West Milan Future
Date
2015
Type
Urban Planning
Location
West Milan, Italy
Professor:
Nicolò Privileggio
Town Planning Workshop : Politecnico di Milano 2015
Concept:
Proposing a sustainable strategy for improving the quality and functionality of the urban fabric of West Milan area.
Details:
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Continuity of the urban fabric and defining main spines through refining the fading paths and enhancing their quality of interaction with the adjacent potential areas.
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Choosing one spine passes through main potential areas “Navigli” in the south, Piazza d'armi and “San Siro stadium” in the north. Taking this spine as a prototype presenting the enhancement prospect
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Focusing on San Siro zone, an abandoned area, proposing new functions operational all weekdays and weekends.
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To define the San Siro stadium, a piazza have been proposed defined mainly by a pedestrian path and landscape .
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Creating underground parking serving the stadium and the proposed functions in the site.
Empire Port
EMP
Date
2011
Type
Urban Planning
Location
New York City, USA
Team Leaders:
Daniel and Marie Law Adams
News
The project was presented in MIT Architecture department, Boston & in AIA New York center for Architecture. Project Poster was presented in Guggenheim museum,
New York, June 2011.
Empire Port : ArchiPrix 2011 Workshop - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Concept:
Proposing accessibility alternatives towards Manhattan with a scenario of minimizing or banning the vehicles from entering the island in the future.
Details:
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Manhattan, future without cars and more importantly without trucks will help in enhancing the air quality and highest traffic congestion seen in NYC.
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Proposing solutions to facilitate the city business like steering goods, materials, people and nature into the island.
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Creating a plural structure, in which transportation and recreation are combined by projecting a canal through Manhattan.
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Infraports located along the canal were small size vessels are responsible for transportation on water and electrical vehicles on land.
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The canal will be passing from the southern tip vertically towards north, tangent to the most important landmarks and business crowds on the island
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The excavated soil generated from digging the canal will be used in constructing dyke on the periphery of the island in an attempt in protecting Manhattan from future sea level rising.
Vaduz Performing Arts Center
Date
2009
Type
Performing arts Architecture
+ Urban Planning
Location
Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Professor:
Khaled Asfour
News
The project have been exhibited in MIT Architecture Dept, Boston , May-August 2011 through the the ArchiPrix workshop.
Vaduz Performing Arts Center: Thesis 2009 - Misr International University
Concept:
Vitalizing the business city of Vaduz by proposing an artistic and a dynamic landmark building which can turn the capital of Lichtenstein into a center for arts spotted on the European route.
Details:
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Proposing a performing arts center with an 800 seat auditorium which will be an extension of an existing multipurpose theater.
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Adding a performing arts academy consisting of its main requirements from studios practicing areas, outdoor street stage and Black Box Theater for small rehearsals.
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“To see and to be seen” a major keyword giving a cultural message to the vicinity through the direct connection of the studios to the street. The different orientation of the spaces on the ground floor level shows different views of the performers.