A work in Progress ...

“ Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better, It’s not” -Dr. Seuss

This world is in a state of constant change. As residents of this planet, We do not have the luxury of sitting on a side bench while watching the traffic of life move right and left. we are in motion and every object in motion must choose a direction.

The collection of work you are about to see is far from representing a goal and target in my design. But they are the means and tools by which I have began to understand and choose a path which could lead me towards a defined goal...

7

Zia MusaUndergraduateArchitecturalPortfolio

Within the Boundaries

Gallery Space Residence

Library

Table of Contents

11

21 33

49

Community Center

Color Legend

Housing

Competition

Supplementary

61

73

91

107

Fall

Winter

Spring

Other

Within the Boundaries

Within the BoundariesWhat defines a space?What determines a use for that particular definition of a space?Understanding and defining a wall as a boundary between two spaces, two definitions was one of the ideas behind this project. Creating a space and defining the use for that space is a primary task of an architect. It is not out of realm to use a kit of parts in a project. At the basis of the most of what is built today lies a kit of parts, a mass produced dimensioned shape, and...Etc.The challenge is to understand what is in hand and manipulate it in order to create what is envisioned regardless of its glory.

13Within The Boundaries -

Design is not a destination but a journey. A design can easily be abstracted to those very first steps taken towards grand ideas. Every step and mark towards a project is a direct result of its predecessors. And that mark has its own influence on the upcoming one. What you see to the left are a collage of some of the primary drawings that influenced this project. A light projecting tower, a language of presence and absence, a smooth flow of weight and gravity, and an unmistakable entrance were all decided upon in the primary stages of the design.

Design Process

15Within The Boundaries -

A collage representing the drawings from my sketchbook

InteriorA space is more than an environment confined by four walls. A space has a use, It has a purpose. What is the right use of a space and how should it be used are not easy decisions to declare. The definition of a space is completed by the visioned use and the actual use of it. Like a puzzle piece, all of the whimsies must work together to give the full and final picture; the columns, the ceiling, the floor, ... and finally the user.The rendering to the left is an envisioned definition to a space created by architectural elements.

17Within The Boundaries -

An interior rendering of the main space created with a photograph of the model and Photoshop

19Within The Boundaries -

Looks, Appearance, and exterior of a building is as important as its interior. Like a humans, a building’s looks can relay many messages to the observer. Is what is shown consistent to what is there, or is it just like a mask concealing it? Does the appearance characterize the age of the surrounding? Or does it revolt against the old and seek a new beginning? A building, a design, a vision has its own character and personality when it is created and introduced to live among others.The rendering to the right has shows the designed space, the designed podium and envisioned site for such a project.

Vision

Museum

What is a gallery space?Are the walls part of the exhibition, or should they be quiet, and sublime in the background?The project you are about to see is about designing and programing a museum. One of the factors for the title was the effect it has had in human history. Modern hygiene is the product of past fifty to a hundred year. Do we know how it evolved?The project encompassed the idea of thinking about the space, circulation, and connecting with the site. An abandoned lot, the site for the project was in Savannah,GA.

Modern Sanitary Museum

23Gallery -

Mon

tgom

ery

Stre

et

Williamson Street

Bay Street

River Street

Factors Walk

Savannah River

Mar

tin L

uthe

r Kin

g Ju

nior

Bou

leva

rd

The idea of form was one of the driving factors in the decisions that were made. After the program comes the from. Should the form give away the program? Should it be literal? Or should it oppose it? Were the main questions t o be explored.The drawings to the left side shows the start of the process and it evolves as you move to the right. These are decisions that were made in the early stages of design that shaped the final product. Maintaining the existing pedestrian connection between Montgomery Street and River Street seemed logical. The division of space from public on the first floor to private on the third floor was another decision that was made. And finally the main circular stair diameter gets smaller to show that change from public to private. It widens towards the gallery space because the visitor is expected to go there.With out the use of a digital software it became challenging to transfer the idea in to a drawing and than create a model that conveyed the sophistication and simple elegance.

Design Process

25Gallery -

A collage of drawings transfered from my sketchbook showing the process of my design

Keep

ing

in to

uch

with

the

site

and

add

ress

ing

som

e ex

istin

g fa

ctor

s wer

e pa

rt o

f the

des

ign.

The

Bas

emen

t hou

ses

the

galle

ry s

pace

. It

prov

ides

a

bett

er li

ghtin

g o

ppor

tuni

ty fo

r the

exh

ibiti

on a

nd th

e sp

ace

is a

cces

sibl

e fr

om F

acto

rs W

alk

for

larg

er p

iece

s of

art

. The

Firs

t flo

or m

aint

ains

the

ex

istin

g pe

dest

rian

conn

ectio

n be

twee

n M

ontg

omer

y St

. ` R

iver

str

eet.

It al

so p

rovi

des

a vi

ewin

g p

latf

orm

of t

he S

avan

nah

Rive

r fro

m it

s se

atin

g ar

ea fo

r the

cafe

. Rec

eptio

ns d

esk

and

publ

ic re

stro

oms a

re a

lso

part

of t

his

floor

. Thi

s is

the

mos

t pub

lic s

pace

of t

he b

uild

ing.

As

you

mov

e up

, the

sp

aces

are

mor

e pr

ivat

e. T

he th

ird fl

oor h

ouse

s th

e ad

min

istr

ativ

e offi

ces.

Third

floo

r pla

ns

Mon

tgom

ery

Stre

et

Williamson Street

Factors Walk

River Street

Sec

ond

floor

pla

ns

Mod

ern

San

itary

Mus

eum

3-a

4-a

4-a

Adm

inis

trativ

e O

ffice

s

4-b

4-b

Mai

n C

ircul

atio

n

4-c

4-c

Adm

inis

trativ

e of

fice

spac

e

3-a

Per

man

ent

colle

ctio

n G

alle

ry

3-b

3-b

Mai

n ci

rcul

atio

n

3-c

3-c

Cla

ssro

oms/

Con

fere

nce

Roo

ms

27Gallery -

Firs

t floo

r pla

ns

Bas

emen

t pla

ns

1-a

2-a

2-a

Ent

ranc

e P

laza

2-e

2-e

Pub

lic w

alkw

ay

conn

ectin

g to

Riv

er S

treet

2-b

2-b

Rec

eptio

n

2-c

2-c

Pub

lic g

alle

ry s

pace

2-d

2-d

Caf

eter

ia a

nd

outd

oor s

eatin

g

1-a

Mai

n G

alle

ry

spac

e

1-b

1-b

Mai

n ci

rcul

atio

n

1-c

1-c

Em

erge

ncy

and

Ser

vice

Exi

ts

1-d

1-d

Fac

tors

Wal

k ac

cess

1-e

1-e

Par

king

and

ot

her s

ervi

ces

area

South facade Watercolor Rendering

29Gallery -

RenderingsThese watercolor renderings represent the vision for the skin of the design. The first rendering to the right is from Williamson Street as it would be seen by a visitor from Montgomery Street. The idea of the skin cracking open to reveal its interior relates to the program. This opening is the entrance to the museum as the museum is the entrance to the history and importance of hygiene in modern civilization. The rendering to the left is a three scale perspective view of the back of the building. It shows the skin as it relates to its parts and finally a human scale.

Water color renderings of the backside in three different perspective scales views

31Gallery -

Exterior Rendering of the Project. It shows the vision as opposed to reality. A vision or concept is more powerful that what one could create with a rendering software. This rendering is a water color and graphite rendering. Using a birds eye view of the site, a sketch of the building was overlay-ed. After tweaking and getting the right angle, I applied several layers of water color to bring the dept and atmosphere of the space out. Some line works wore done with a micron pen to further enhance and define the design.

The Vision

Residence Project

During the Winter quarter of 2009, in Oil based media exploration’s class I met Wyatt Ramsey. He is an accomplished artist. His work expands to painting, and photography. He leans more towards cubism and modernism in his paintings .

This residence was designed for Wyatt Ramsey. Taking his art work and free spirit in consideration, the vision for the house was to provide an open and airy space. The fluidity and ease of motion within the spaces were also key factors in the design process and final assembly of the project.

Wyatt Ramsey Residence

35Residence

Design ProcessThis Project was based on My perception of the artist’s art and personality. Wyatt’s art falls almost to the category of cubism. He expresses himself through angles and different shapes. The goal was to carry that individualism to the design of the house. The drawings in this spread represent the stages and steps taken in the design process that were significant to the final assembly. Circulation, separation of gallery space from living quarters, a unique fire-place design, and standard residential spaces were part of the design challenge achieved by Ramsey Residence.

Painting by Wyatt Ramsey

37Residence

A collage representing design process drawings, diagrams, and studies.

Models and drawings are essential tools of design. The water color diagram was one of the early studies of the circulation for the house. While the design have changed, the main idea behind it still remain. Pushing the circulation to one side , having the gallery and studio space separate from the rest of the house are all the ideas that followed through the design.

The model diagram shown here is labeled with the programs and reflects the final programmatic assembly of the project.

Car port

Back yard

Storage space

Circula

tion

diagra

m

Existing tree

Diagrammatic Model

39Residence

Existing treeThird Floor Master Suite

Artist second floor studio

Artist private gallery

Second Floor Bedrooms

Main Circulation

First Floor living space

Entrance

Models and drawings are essential tools of design. The water color diagram was one of the early studies of the circulation for the house. While the design have changed, the main idea behind it still remain. Pushing the circulation to one side , having the gallery and studio space separate from the rest of the house are all the ideas that followed through the design.

The model diagram shows is labeled with the programs and reflects the final assembly of the project.

Floor Plans

41Residence

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Left Section; The Basement can be used for apartment or extra space. The first floor is dedicated for the living, dinning, and cooking spaces. As the visitor moves up the stairs the residence gets more private. There are two sleeping rooms on second floor, and one for the master of the house on the third floor. The tree, carport and the storage can also be seen from here.

Sections

43Residence

This rendering is a combined technique using a photograph of the model and Photoshop to communicate the conceptual use of the space.

Interior Rendering

45Residence

interior Rendering of the kitchen and dinnign area

47Residence

Design VisionThis spread showcases the model and final product. The artistic facade of the residence is mirroring the creativity of the artist himself. It is designed to not only go with his style of art but set his individuality apart as well. Far left and right are photographs showing the facade. The middle photograph shows the court yard, the carport, and artist studio with the existing tree being preserved.

La Biblioteca di Compagni

La Biblioteca di CompagniAn institutional building, This project was one of the most exciting and challenging ones to work on. Designing a public library right in front of the Pantheon in Piazza Dela Rotunda in Rome. The language between old and new, modern and ancient, and time are the subjects touched by this project. From the front facade, the building rises out of the ground and it reaches its full height once it completes its orbit. The idea of rising above, aspiration, and enlightenment is a key discovery through out the design.The circulation rises as a visitor follows it to second, and third floors before reaching the rooftop piazza. The path is filled with reveals, senses of discovery as it is enclosed by the library and gets exposed to the outside through many green roof access.This all happened with a single idea of revealing the hidden triangle inside the pantheon.

51La Biblioteca di Compagni -

Site analysis , understanding the site with its context is one of the most important aspects of the design phase. Having considered the importance of understanding the site, this task was accomplished by several teams in the studio. Saara Jazeel, Khalid Riad, Taylor Manly, and I were members of the team who worked on this site model. The site analysis diagrams on the other side are also part of the team effort.

Understanding the site

53La Biblioteca di Compagni -

Court yard spacesCafes Site in relationship to Pantheon

Heat gain

Air Circulation

Sun Diagram

Sun Diagram

Access Ways

La B

iblio

teca

di C

ompa

gni

PlansTh

e fo

ur le

vel p

lan

here

sta

rts

from

the

firs

t flo

or a

nd e

nds

on

the

gree

n ro

of.

Diff

eren

t vi

sito

rs c

an t

ake

diffe

rent

rou

tes

to

get

to t

he r

oof t

op a

nd t

he c

ircul

atio

n ca

n be

stu

died

from

the

pl

ans.

With

a f

unct

ioni

ng s

tate

of

the

art

libra

ry,

this

des

ign

offer

s th

e ci

ty

the

oppo

rtun

ity

of

prom

otin

g its

to

uris

m.

55La Biblioteca di Compagni -

0 1

5

15

50

100

Rendering to the left shows the grand stair case and the library stacks behind it.

Rendering to the right is of the Piazza Della Rotunda. The green facade combined with the green and accessible roof invites human interaction. It also continues the language of the public plaza inside the public space which is the library.

The sections at the bottom are different scenarios of humans interacting with different parts of the design. The green and accessible roof proves to be a favorite location to admire the Pantheon and the public piazza.

La Biblioteca di Compagni sections and renderings

Section I

57La Biblioteca di Compagni - Section II

Left: Ink rendering of the interior touched up with photoshop.Right: Exterior Rendering

The VisionThis rendered model is an example of how the library could be used. The plan was to carry on the piazza and the green roof accomplishes it beautifully.

Humanities Center

Regions are formed by the layers of their history that communities within those regions go through. Studying the South, it was impossible to separate slavery from each and every layer of the society . Weather it was economics, social or religion slavery defined how people related to each other, their communities, and even social classes. Going further and deeper, slavery formed the sole fabric of families and small members of society to be much closer and tied together. The unit of a family in the South is also the basis for the concept of this design. The social relationship of a society is fascinating. How different groups meet and great, show respect, and utilize different public and private spaces are subjects of this design. In order to define the broad topic better I focused on the Savannah Ward as an example of social unit. While being a member of a society, this unit is formed by families of buildings and users. How different users come in a public square and disperse to their respective semi and private spaces are the target of this design.

An Interpretive Center for Southern Humanities

63

Starting from top left and ending at the top right, these series of diagrams show the process of getting to the final decision. Dividing the program of the building in many categories , understanding the site, and implementing those design ideas on the site until a design decision is reached are part of the process shown here. Other site analysis and approaches to the design is also depicted at the bottom of the spread.

Process

65

A collage of process work ranging from diagrams to schematic desgn.

Plan and SectionsIn plan the building is divided in to three section. The first space is right after a visitor enters the humanities center. This space is the most public of all spaces where one can find the cafe , gift shop, and reception areas. Going further the second spaces are more semi private. Exhibition galleries, and the lecture hall make this space. A visitor must be invited for the lecture or he/she has to buy tickets for the exhibition to get admitted. The last space is the private space and it is made from different administrative office and spaces.Two drawings at the bottom of the page are sections of the building.

Section I

67 Section II

A series of hard line drawings are represented here. The four facades of the Humanities center that are created from precast concrete.

Southern Humanities Center Sections and Elevations

North Elevation

West Elevation

69 South Elevation

East Elevation

71

A final watercolor rendering of the Southern Humanities Center.

Southern Humanities Center

73

Student Housing

75

SCAD Lacoste Graduate housing This Project was a collaborative design with my Interior design Partner, Brie Samyn

The project highlighted in this section of the book is a graduate housing residence for SCAD student visiting Lacoste France. The site is a rural site with a very rich history. The adjacent buildings that were being re purposed are ancient. The concept of the design was influenced by the rustic setting and use of traditional materials to create an integration of old and new. A stacking effect is seen throughout the exterior and interior, the selection of furniture, materials, and construction technology.

One of the main focuses in designing the addition to Maison Basse was to create a housing unit in which all the units were equal in terms of comfort and size. Focused on this task, the design took shape from inside out. The final design was influenced by the famous Mistral winds of Souther France, daylighting, and the views of Bonnieux and Lacoste.

SCAD Lacoste Graduate housing The design really took shape from inside out. The approach was more of a reactive to nature, and the site. The angle of the units, the wind shield thick walls, are all products of this reaction.

The communal area on the first floor creates a connection between existing and new structures by separating from the rest of the addition and orienting itself towards the Existing Maison Basse structures. This design not only achieves the goal of equal housing, but also leaves smaller footprint on the land and environment.

First floor plan

Access Ramp

Laundry Space

Main Entrance

Communal Area

77

Second floor plan

Modular Units

Norther Mistral Wall

Patio Space

Corridor

Souther Stairs

Light Embedded Entrances

Section and Elevations

East Elevation

North Elevation

79

South Elevation

Section I

West Elevation

SCAD Lacoste Graduate Housing Communal AreaHaving a successful communal area was very important to the overall design. With the understanding of the long, harsh, and snowy winters local to this part of France, we decided to make the communal area indoors. It was decided to have study area for hanging out and enjoying a functioning fire place, as well as a place for watching movies. During Spring and Summer seasons the communal area can be opened up to the court yard space which expands the existing the communal space beyond its walls. The renderings, and their descriptions to the right are all work of my wonderful interior design partner, Brie Samyn.

1

2

3

81

Each zone of the communal area serves different student needs and activities. The provide places for study, entertainment, leisure, and group gatherings.

The space is inspired by rustic elements of Provence, contemporary interiors, and public space. The open floor plan is designed to encourage student interaction in a comfortable environment.

1

2

3

The plan bellow represents a single unit of the residence hall. In order to connect the design to the local context, The team decided to add tilted balconies. These balconies not only doubled the size of each room, but also created personal space with great views.The design of the inside of the inside of the room was done by my Interior design partner.

SCAD Lacoste Graduate housing

83

The module is a two person room designed to optimize space through organization and furniture selection while allowing for personalization. The room combines rustic interior architecture with contemporary furniture pieces.

Pierre Cardin Quarry ProjectPierre Cardin Quarry project was a supplementary project for the SCAD graduate students residency and housing in Lacoste, France. The site is an old stone quarry that has been re purposed for many uses. The project goal was to create an artistic cover for the quarry without defining an absolute program. My approach to the design was to create a theatrically sound space where the world known fashion designer can host fashion shows, concerts, performances, and receptions.

85

An exterior rendering of the Quary project.

This section depicts the use and design of the interior space of Pierre Cardin’s stone quarry in Lacoste, France. This design allowed me to create a space that could be used for many programs like fashion shows, receptions, and theatrical performances.

The drawing to the right is a final schematic design drawing. It was finalized and the result is represented in this section.

Pierre Cardin Quarry Theatre Section

section

87

This rendering captures the moment right before a performer enters the stage. The theatre is filled with audience and every one is waiting for the play, theatrical dance, etc to start.

Pierre Cardin Quarry

89

Pen, pencil, and digital media rendering

Public Dwelling

93

What is the housing of the future? In order to find an answer to this question, It is very important to understand the user of the future. This project envisions the future of housing to revolve around the future user. The next user will be more knowledgeable about the world and resources. He/she will be more insightful of the nature, resources, and global energy. The architecture of the housing of the future will also be one that emphasizes sustainable living while empowering its user to take part in a harmonious life with the nature.

The site for this project was in a small city called Lathi which is located just north of Helsinki, Finland. The competition covered the whole industrial district and was divided in smaller pieces among the studio students. The idea was to have a development of the site with different design approaches.

This collaborative master site plan contains seven(7) projects. Cassie Bray, Jason Knight, Raquiya-Ann Glasgow, Dalia Robenson, Michael Ressali, Nathan Cartwright, and Zia Musa are the designers of those projects shown here.

Insightful Living

International Housing Design Competition

In addition to the standard site analysis the drawings in this spread were very instrumental in the design process. The diagram at the top left shows the design opportunities, possibilities, and challenges of the site. Understanding these factors, the rest of diagrams represent different schematic design that address the challenges, opportunities, and possibilities mentioned above. The final design concept diagram is the one at the top right. It is also important to mention that each of this design scheme has its own small 3-d model. The process was to diagram the site, draw the idea and finally build a model to represent that idea.

Design Process

95

A diagrammatic collage of different possibilities building placement

Using different tools will shape the design in its own different way. After many studies of the possible building footprint, the next step was to draw the proposed footprint and imagine the design in a perspective view. The collage of images you see here are different drawing schemes and their envisioned perspective view. Although most of these drawings did not make it to the final submission, they surely have shaped the design.

Some of the elegance, and beauty of these drawings got lost in the process of transferring these ideas to a digital model. The lesson learned here was not to loose sight of the greater idea and goal. Conceptual drawings are more than just a drawing, they carry with themselves an elegance and beauty that should not be overlooked.

Process continued...

97

A diagrammatic collage of different possibilities for building appearance

The site model pictured here was created in a collaborative combined effort of the whole studio (16 students). The model contains four major diagrammatic layers. The first layer is the site contours and elevation diagram. The second one represents the vegetation and ground cover. The third layer represents the roads and streets carved by humans. And finally the last or forth layer is for all of the building masses that populate the site and its surroundings. Each layer can be pulled and studied individually , or they can communicate as one diagram as depicted in the photograph to the right.

Studio Site Model

99

The image to the right is a final rendering showing the proposed design in the site. This rendering represents the concept of the new design harmoniously living between other existing multi and single residential housings. This rendering also depicts the relationship between old and new, the entrance to the site, and the railroad track as a barrier.

Insightful Living

101

Plan rendering showing the design on site.

This spread breaks the whole project down to its much smaller pieces. One of the driving decisions for the project of The Housing for The Future was to use modular construction. Sustainable living and having access to nature will be a commodity in the future, therefore it has been integrated to the design. Moving on to the larger scale of the building, major components such as vertical and horizontal circulation are highlighted. There are light shelfs carefully situated to have an even distribution of natural light in all units. In the next scale the building sits on the site and the contextual relationship can be studied. The last scale compares this design to neighboring design suggestions and future development of the site.

Diagrams

Individual patio space

Modular facade design

103

Main Horizontal Circulation

Main Vertical Circulation Light Shelves

105

This spread is dedicated to the rendering and model photographs representing the final design as it was submitted for the competition. The model to the left represent the main ideas of modularity in design, and green roof space. These were the

Insightful Living

Supplementary Work

In this baked clay sculpture the idea of scarcity of food is explored. We take food for granted yet there are many of our kind to whom food is as rare as a piece of art that needs to be kept in display boxes. The four connected figures represent humans in all four corners of the planet. It also represents the basic unit of a society, a Family. The idea behind the hand being connect to the body is the almost impossibility of finding food.

Food Exhibition

109

This sculptural piece depicts the moment of attack. The second before pulling the trigger. The subject is a Taliban fighter. One of two pieces, this sculpture was to depict the violence of Taliban, especially against women. The scared lying women was opted due to time restrains. But the irony behind the celebratory drapes and figure of this piece still remains, as if it was also mirroring the ideology behind their actions. My personal interpretation of this piece came to be the false celebration of violence that is a costume in ignorant minds. The pure and basic intention of this piece was to show the violence. The color of his clothes are blood red and cynical rage showers the impression on his face.

Figures (b), and (c) are back and side views of the same project.

The Messenger of Terror

111

bc

Oil Painting: The technique behind this painting is called alla prima which means doing everything all at once. The Sitting Man was painted during one class session.

Sitting Man

113

Life Drawing I’s final project. All charcoal drawing with added background.

The Worrier

Conte and Charcoal combination, Figure 1 is a life model sketch. It was created in an open model session in a friends studio.

Figure 1

115

Figure 2 is one of the first charcoal drawing created during my journey in SCAD - Savannah. It is a charcoal drawing of a model who is lying on a side while lost in deep thoughts.

Figure 2

A Pencil line drawing of a model, Kaitlyn was created in one of the open model sessions .

Kaitlyn

117

The Well is an oil painting about the harshness of winters in Afghanistan. The footprints are the only remains of the villagers who carried water to their homes

Portrait Sketch 1

Using Conte and some Charcoal this portrait was sketched during one of the foundation studies life drawing session’s at SCAD-Savannah. The portrait depicts a lady gazing to the far distances.

Portrait Sketch 1

119

One of the most recent sketches, this portrait is also a combination of Charcoal and Conte Crayons. The sketch was completed in less than two hour window.

Portrait Sketch 2

A quick oil sketch of a friend. This painting was created in a two to three hour time frame.

A Friend

121

A three panel Oil on Canvas Painting commissioned for the owner of the cats. From left to right: The Brave, The Innocent, The Cute

Felines

123

Charcoal Drawing, Created during one of the foundation studies at SCAD.

Composition I

125

A collection of objects painted with limited oil palate.

Composition II

Oil painting on canvas showing two Afghan child in an abstract environment.

Innocence

127

One of my pen sketches of a water fountain during my visit to Europe. This is a very quick ink sketch of a fountain in one of the cities or villages of southern France.

Travel Sketch

129

The collection of work you just experience is a product of the past four years.

Thank you