Museum of Moving Image, DubaiDu(b)alities, Modular Housing Experiment

Lebanese American University Restaurant Design - The Courtyard

Sports Hall DesignFurniture Design - Chair

Cosy_X1

ModelsObservation Tower

Top ten winning finalist at TRAFFIC DESIGN COMPETITION

UNDERGRADUATE WORK | 2003-2008

WORK FROM PRACTICE | 2008 - 2010Sharjah Tv Studio

Saraya Bandar Jissah - Residential Development

Museum of Moving Image

The program was to design a museum of moving image in a given site near Mall of the Emirates,

Dubai.

The project was initiated with a kinematics(The branch of mechanics dealing with the description of

the motion of bodies or fluids without reference to the forces producing the motion), whereby a karate

kid performing a 560 degree flipkick was mapped. The mapped diagrams aided in developing a formal

language.

A complex module was developed to become a structural unit of the parametric skin, which allowed

a varied level of transparency for light and vision. Whereby they scale transform large enough to

allow human access into different programmatic regions and scales to level of a mere texture, with

out altering its genetics.

studying kinematics and mapping movement

Vertices get translated into structural openings or aperture

Vertices forming the geometry.Translation of 2D Kinematic study into 3D form.

Apertures Large Sized AperturesMedium Sized AperturesSmall Sized Apertures

Diagram for Performative architectural skin responding to light. Diagram used to inform the structural skin of apertures by varying its module sizes.

Generated maps used to determine the Aperture modules

Ground Floor1. Outdoor Landscaped Area2. Stairs from the parking3. Adminstration / Security4. Restrooms5. Entrance Hall6. Mechanical systems7. Restaurant / Cafe8. Restaurant’s Kitchen9. Cascaded Seating (views the water)

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First Floor1. Exhibition / Gallery 2. Cinema3. Restrooms4. Ticket / Snack booth5. Adminstration Office6. Production Studio7. Entrance Hall8. Exhibition / Gallery

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Aerial view

Du(b)alities

This was an 5th year experimental studio, where we started with a few words. These words were

used to generate iterative abstract diagrams which were further translated into formal expressions or

systems.

I start with the word ‘CAST’. In casting there is a profile and a substrate which takes the form of the

profile, my fascination was when these profiles started to overlap. The substrate started to take

unique forms, which were often referred in my case as ‘cookies’. A unique module was isolated

and a rotational-connection system was introduced for it to expansively generate in a controlled

manner.

An infill site was selected in the dense urban residential context of Dubai. These modules grew

within the infill as a viral growth.

The idea initiated with the notion of imprint. Fingerprints are basically a profile epidermal layer of the skin. Magnification and mapping of different sections of the fingerprint produced unique discret profiles. Varying degrees of profile overlap generated unique modules

Translation of the generated diagrams into physical models, whereby gypsum was casted into aluminum profiles. This resulted into a series of ‘cookies’ or modules

Translation of the generated diagrams into physical models, whereby gypsum was casted into aluminum profiles. This resulted into a series of ‘cookies’ or modules

A selected module from the previous exercise was used for a generative system. A rotational connection system was developed whereby the module was repeated , rotated and connected.

Lebanese American University - School of Design

This was a fourth year comprehensive project where we were asked to design the School of Design for Lebanese

American University (LAU) in Beirut. The project was situated in a dense urban fabric with two street ends at

different street heights.The concept was to design an awe-inspiring architecture

with an increased interaction among students and faculty within the school, and the school with its urban

context.I initiated the project with a research of modern-

day design schools. After laying-out the program and conducting site analysis I carried out a formal exploration exercise. Whereby I bought an old TV,

dismantled it and then re-assembled its selected components to a produce the SMODEL (sketch+model).

Diagrams generated from the SMODEL were used as form generators.

The monocoque structure with gravity-defying architecture makes it sublime. In the heart of the school

there is a communal area with interlocking spaces where students can eat, display work, read books, or

just hangout, thereby increasing interaction.

SMODEL (sketch + model)

DE-CONSTRUCT RE-CONSTRUCT

Projected Shadows translated to Figure/ground drawings Massing Study

Restaurant at The Courtyard Art Gallery

Studio demanded to a restaurant design near an art gallery. The design breif established space constraints of 16m x 16m which shared both

its side walls with adjacent buildings.

I envisioned a design space with dynamic views. Where the acting of eating would become the performance of the space and people would become part of the theaterics. Inaddition to internal excitement of the

space, I intented to connect the interiors with the external courtyard by providing seating on terraces.

The dynamic form of a generic stair was used as an inspiration where the sightlines of users at different steps are interestingly different and

interactive.

Kitchen

Kitchen

Kitchen

Section a.a Section b.b Front Elevation

Beech Wood Parquet

Beech Wood Moulded

Plywood

Profiled Aluminium

Structure

Commercial Grade

Fabric

Aluminium Substructure

Moulded Beech PlywoodSteel I-Beam Structure

2cm Gypsum Board

Scale 1:25

KitchenKitchen

Sports Hall Design

The challenge of this project was to design a long span structure over the sports areana. To have an understanding of forces and

methods to span larger areas.

My design encorporated curved trusses, which sat elegantly on the site. Provisions for natural light were made. And spaces were

organized accordingt to their programmatic qualities.

Parti Diagram

Structural Detail

Furniture Design - Chair

This chair was the final project of a major elective, Furniture Design. The goal of the course was to educate students

about tools, materials and methods of construction.

My concept was to design a monolithic chair which seems like a series of isolated blocks having the reading of a chair when seen together. The connections are hidden and small

gap produces a strong sense of gravity among the units.

The essence of the chair is in its material, where a non-conventional material, cardboard, is used. Cardboard is not only cheap but it’s also recyclable. Moreover, different cuts against the corrugated flutes produced a variety of texture.

Process Images

Furniture Design Exhibition , American University of Sharjah, 7th-Feb-2008

Traffic Design Gallery had an international lounge chair design competition in year 2008. The requirement was to design a

single-seater that can be used in casual indoor spaces.

The concept of my proposal was to design an exciting contemporary lounge chair that is ergonomic and

environmentally-friendly.

The whole notion of a chair has been revitalized in my design, where I have studied the forces of a seated human body

and translated them on a digital fabric. This makes the chair ergonomic and very inviting to its users.

In today’s energy-thirsty world, energy resources are being consumed at phenomenal rates. Manufacturing and

construction industry are to be blamed the most. My design exploits this opportunity of Traffic Design Competition to make

a statement on how recyclable material such as cardboard or corrugated fiberboard can be put to alternate uses such furniture, rather than just using it in the packaging industry.

Corrugated fiberboard is an excellent recycling candidate. This helps to conserve natural resources and energy.

COSY_X1Selected in the top-ten winning nominations at Traffic Gallery’s Lounge Chair Design Competition

Field of forces being applied on a digital fabric

Digital Morphology

3D Visualization

Observation Tower - Lagoons

A design competition initiated by SAMA Dubai developers. The competiton was to design an observation tower at the

Lagoon developement , Dubai.

My design was inspired by nature and tradition. A parametric structural skin inspired by the arabic geometrical

patterns and the idea of basket weaving.

The building gracefully sits on three major structural element creating a tripodal condition. And a parametric skin

intensifies or relaxes to inform the programatic needs

Reference Images for development of a superstructure skin

SHARJAH TV STUDIO - UAE

Sharjah TV wanted to re-brand themselves and increase their popularity by opening a landmark Tv studio at Al Qasba.

Al Qasba is a famous canal walkway with a variety of restaurants, cafe, shops and offices. And public features such as the ferris wheel called ‘Eye of the Emirates’, the musical fountain and a canal flowing through with boat rides. Al Qasba is particularly popular among familes and has these ongoing festivals throughout the year.

Sharjah TV was interested in capturing this vibrancy of the city’s heart by opening a Tv Studio.

ITN , famous britsh channel, were hired as consultants and had their say in the planning / programming of the architecture.

I envisioned a landmark that not only serves the purpose of a Tv studio but also contributes to the urban setting of Al Qasba by becoming an event. And aids Shrjah Tv in forming an identity. A dynamic mashrebiya-inspired skin was developed, which illuminated in response to the activity on site and varied in its perforation to identify the active edge.

Octuber 2009

Existing Logo of Sharjah TV Studio. The ordering/ construction lines of an arabesque star regenerated.

Size and proportions of the module influenced by the existing geometry found on site context

An offset algorithm applied to produce varying modules / panels that carry identical genetics. The arrangement of the panels is informed by the parameters found on site.

MOSQUE NURSERY BLOCK F BLOCK E

Restaurants / Cafe Shops Offices and Business Center

SITE CONTEXT

BLOCK D Proposed Sharjah TV Studio

Illuminated Skin at night

Multi-purpose Area. Eg Cultural Events

Ground Floor Plan First Floor Plan

SARAYA BANDAR JISSAH - OMAN

Saraya Bandar Jissah is a massive developement project in Oman. The client envisioned a contemporary architectural style with a regional influence for the 300+ residential plots and 2 hotel masterplan.

Situated in a mountaineous region, the challenge was to minimise cut/fill, maximise views and incorporate for the rare flash floods in the area.

I primarily worked on this project for 18 months and assisted in plot set outs on masterplan, conceptual massing for hotels and designing residential units all the way from planning on CAD to modelling and rendering final 3D models.

2008 - 2010

TYPE J Villa GFA - 700sqm

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan Roof Plan

Typical Details

Adnan Ihsan | B.Arch | +971 50 6977104 | adnan.ihsan@hotmail.com

A D N A N I H S A N

P O R T F O L I O