Aswan, Egypt being in a hot & arid climate follow specific passive strategies, which are incorporated in the design. Installing a lattice patterned terracotta skin was seen as the primary idea for envelopes considering it enhanced the functionality of the passive strategies incorporated. Further, the thermodynamic study of heat sources & sinks indicate at the need of envelope not only on the facades but also horizontally covering the courtyards in day time.
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Considering the prevailing winds to be from North towards South, small water ponds are provided on north periphery for evaporative cooling. As the first layer of skin, Mashrabiyan, which is a traditional lattice element is installed to filter the winds. Following a buffer space are the binder walls of the residential units that are sandwiched with hemp board as insulation for thermal comfort.
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Since the structural arches follow the principle of catenary, the same is followed by the Mashrabiyan for a self-supporting system. Breaking out of the traditional squarish moulds, the project develops a modular system with circular patterns based on nodal geometry. The inner patterned grid not only has a traditional value but has a structural purpose as its functions as a bracing for larger terracotta pieces. The initial idea of tessellations gets evolved into a circular geometry & hence the final outcome is an amalgamation of two different geometries & the larger idea of catenary.
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The diurnal nature of the climate demands for a horizontal envelope to cover the courtyards in day time & open up the same in nights for the hot air to dissipate without any obstruction. A low-tech retractable roofing system is seen as a feasible solution for the same which also uses locally produced textile making the envelope eco-systemic.
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Envelopes for the project are seen as an opportunity where in a sense of contemporary could merge with the traditional elements, along with some structural value to it which makes the overall systems resilient & respnosive to the climate as well as the social fabric of the context.
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