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CIIT - DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN. ARC 311.

PROJECT-1 2016

COMSATS INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY


DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN, ISLAMABAD

ARC 311 ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN & PRESENTATION - 3

Project No. 1

HOUSE OF ONE

Duration: 7 Weeks

Class teachers: Ar. Hammad Husain (Team Lead)


Ar. Naeem Abrar
Artist Naqsh Raj (Coordinator)
A visiting faculty

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"History is for human self-knowledge ... the only clue to what man can do is what man has done.
The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is."
- R. G. Collingwood
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Site location - Temple Mount, Jerusalem

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CIIT - DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN. ARC 311. PROJECT-1 2016

A. PROJECT
a. CONTEXT & INTRODUTION

You accidently pass through a time & space portal and arrive in an unfamiliar land.
You ask around and find out that you are in Jerusalem in the year 640 AD

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Program:
1. Mosque (for 75 persons)
2. Church (for 75 persons)
3. Synagogue (for 75 persons)
4. Common gathering space (250 persons)
5. A library (For 100 persons)

(given in the Design Requirements below).

b. PROJECT PHASES

The project is divided into two phases:

Design of the complex

1a) Initial research of key parameters of the project, based on group scenarios;

1b) Building design on individual basis

a) Initial research Pin-up presentation in groups on the following:

Group 1: History of the period. Understanding the political scenario, the


lifestyle and a general background to the project. Understanding the building
types (mosque, church and synagogue) historically and as a new building type.
Its functions and objectives with at least one case study.

Group 2: Structure and materials of the period. Understanding load transfer


techniques. Research of local construction materials, shown with a case study.
Anthropometrics, codes & standards for the building.

Group 3: Site analysis Different aspects of the site and its environs, Site
measurements and contours (Google Earth), approach to the site, preparing
CAD drawings (Existing site plan and site section) Cultural, social and climatic
context of the region, including orientation, mean temperatures, rainfall,
humidity.

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CIIT - DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN. ARC 311. PROJECT-1 2016

b) Building design Designing the building according to the program (see


below). Understanding of a public building as a transition space as opposed to a
destination. Understanding basic spatial zoning, visitor paths and relationship
of primary function with support and transition spaces, relationship of outdoor
and indoor spaces. Incorporating the iconic nature of the building and its
structural systems.

c. DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

The following 3 distinct building types will be under one roof as an


integrated new building type:
o Mosque
o Church
o Synagogue
(The above buildings will be designed with all their major
primary functions)

Gathering space for people of all three faiths


Library
Public Toilets (separate male female toilets)
Any other secondary or support space required

d. CONCEPTS TO UNDERSTAND

Proportion & Scale

Scale and proportion play very important roles for architecture. Proportion
refers to the proper and harmonious relation of one part to another or to the
whole, while scale refers to the size of something compared to a reference
standard or to the size of something else (like a human being).

The mind seeks out mathematical and geometrical relationships or


proportions in patterns. Human beings possess a special intuition which
makes them perceive simple mathematical proportions in the physical world.
This is also true of music. For this reason, since architecture is a composition of
forms brought together in proportional relationships, it was called frozen
music.

Throughout history, it has been realized that a proportion system can assist
both the ordering and also the perception of buildings. Proportioning systems
provide an aesthetic rationale for the dimensions of form and space. They can
visually unify the multiplicity of 3 elements in an architectural design by having
all of its parts belong to the same family of proportions. They provide a sense of
order in the facades and spaces of architectural works. A number of theories of
desirable proportions have been developed during the course of history:

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CIIT - DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN. ARC 311. PROJECT-1 2016

Theories of Proportion:
a. Golden section
b. Regulating lines (Le Corbusier)
c. Classical orders (Greece)
d. Renaissance theories (Leon Battista Alberti, Andrea Palladio)
e. Modulor (Le Corbusier)

Proportion is a central principle of architectural theory. It is the visual effect of the


relationships of the various objects and spaces that make up a structure to one another
and to the whole. These relationships are often governed by multiples of a standard
unit of length known as a "module" (James Stevens Curl)

Proportion in architecture was discussed by Vitruvius, Alberti, Andrea Palladio and Le


Corbusier among others. (Wikipedia)

Form

Form refers to the shape or configuration of a building. Form and its opposite, space,
constitute primary elements of architecture. The reciprocal relationship is essential,
given the intention of architecture to provide internal sheltered space for human
occupation. Both form and space are given shape and scale in the design process. In
addition, the placement of a building form in relation to its immediate site and
neighboring buildings is another crucial aspect of this form/space relationship. Just as
internal space is created by voids in building form, exterior space can be defined or
poorly defined by the building form as well. (NIBS)

Function

The function of a building looks at the way in which the design of a building is
informed by its function and the demands of climate

A building must be Functional, Strong and beautiful (Vitruvius)

Form Follows Function (Louis Sullivan)

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CIIT - DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN. ARC 311. PROJECT-1 2016

Space

Space, that immaterial essence that the painter suggests and the sculptor fills, the
architect envelops, creating a wholly human and finite environment within the infinite
environment of nature. The concept that space can have a quality other than
emptiness is difficult to grasp. When a building is entered, floor, supports, walls, and a
ceiling are seen, all of which can be studied and perhaps enjoyed, while the space, in
the sense that one is accustomed to think of it, is void: the absence of mass, filled by
air. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is about designing for people, wherever they interact with products,
systems or processes. We usually dont notice good design (unless perhaps, its
exceptional) because it gives us no cause to, but we do notice poor design. The
emphasis within ergonomics is to ensure that designs complement the strengths and
abilities of people and minimise the effects of their limitations, rather than forcing
them to adapt. (Ergonomics.org)

Anthropometrics is similar to Ergonomics and should be Googled.

B. FINAL PRESENTATION
a. REQUIREMENTS

Group work

Initial research conclusions composed and printed along with EACH individual
project

Individual work

Concept, research & idea sheet


Properly rendered Master plan showing shadows
Site section from a point which shows the maximum details of your design

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CIIT - DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN. ARC 311. PROJECT-1 2016

All floor plans (also showing structural members)


Basic furniture layout plans
3-D view(s) / perspectives
Two Elevations (minimum)
Three Sections from appropriate locations
Part sections showing necessary details
Sketch book design development sketches
Report (Number of words as appropriate, however, it should be to the point,
concise and should relate with the final design)

Note:

1. Google Sketch Up is not allowed in this project


2. All work till mid jury will be done manually and on scale
3. Mid jury will be on manual drawings
4. Final jury Presentation may be computer-aided or manual (in printed form)
5. Use only standard sheet sizes for presentation. (A-1 or A-0). All sheets must
be the same size & same orientation.
6. Use the following scale for presentations:
a. Master Plan: 1 = 1/16
b. Floor plans, Elevations, Sections: 1 =

b. CALENDAR

Date Day Project Schedule

5th September 2016 Monday Project Introduction

23rd September 2016 Friday Research work jury

3rd October 2016 Monday Mid Jury

26th October 2016 Wednesday Final submission at 3.00 PM sharp

27th October 2016 Thursday Final Jury at 11.30 Am sharp

28th October 2016 Friday Final Jury (continues)

c. GRADING CRITERIA

Class Progress + Evaluation 37.5 %


Mid Jury 25 %
Final jury 37.5 %

Total: 100 %

| Ar Hammad Husain | Artist Naqsh Raj | Ar Naeem Abrar | Visiting faculty Page 6
CIIT - DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN. ARC 311. PROJECT-1 2016

D. SUPPLEMENTS
Man was able to cope successfully with some adversities, but he felt powerless to deal with
many other events in nature that filled him with fear and awe. A thunderstorm often turned
out to be the precursor of more serious events such as rains, floods or hail. Thunder and
lightning made primitive man wonder if superior beings inhabited an invisible world in the
sky and invoked various cataclysmic events.

It would be natural for humanoids to appeal to such superior beings in the sky in order to
solicit their help. It seemed reasonable to assume that these powerful, superior beings, these
gods, were punishing humans for unknown reasons or merely for their pleasure. From this
viewpoint, it required little imagination to try to appease these gods by appealing to them by
means of prayers or by sacrifices of men or beasts.

Sometimes these prayers and sacrifices seemed to bear fruit and sometimes they did not show
any results whatsoever. Due to his lack of knowledge, it was difficult for primitive man to
distinguish between miracles and cause/effect relationships. He merely presumed that
prayers were sometimes effective in appealing to the gods. When a violent storm eased, he
attributed the event more to the effect of his prayers, than to the fact that dry air had just
replaced a cold front. Man had no insight in the processes of nature. He lacked knowledge,
science and rationality.

Since prayers and sacrifices seemed to be effective at times, man ascribed their lack of
effectiveness at other times to improper or insufficient prayers or sacrifices. Unpredictable
responses to his prayers generated feelings of fear and awe and strengthened his submission
to his newly created gods.

We can trace the origins of religion to the prehistoric development of man between 500,000
and 100,000 years B.C. It was during this long period of human evolution that religious
emotions and motivations became hard-wired into the human brain and genes.

During subsequent periods of human evolution, from hominoids to Neanderthal man to Cro-
Magnon man, these primitive forms of religion imbedded themselves ever more firmly into the
genes of human beings. These genes for susceptibility to religion and superstition remain
among of the most pervasive and powerful motivators of man.

By means of prayers and alleged miracles, religion provides the illusion of security and
comfort in this life and the promise of a splendiferous life after death. What more could man
ask for? (Excerpt from Book: "How Life Really Works" Book II: Man and Society Chapter 9: Religion & Mythology)

RECOMMENDED READING

Abrahamic Religions: On the Uses and Abuses of History By Aaron W. Hughes Oxford
University Press 2012

Disfiguring: Art, Architecture, Religion By Mark C. Taylor University of Chicago press 1992

Lefebvre, H. The Production of Space, trans. D. Nicholson-Smith, (Oxford: Blackwell 1991)

| Ar Hammad Husain | Artist Naqsh Raj | Ar Naeem Abrar | Visiting faculty Page 7

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