African project
Educational Hub at AUC Greek Campus – Egypt
Sadany Dezines, to execute their project, I was so overwhelmed by the fact that they
believed in the importance of design and the impact of it; especially that we are
talking about designing for the youth. They were also believers of a concept that I
was an advocate for, which is the impact of design on the psychology of its users, and
consequently, on the productivity increase.
A study via Design Council UK, which I attended a seminar discussing it, was made
to prove scientifically that proper studied design increases productivity by 28-30%.
You can manipulate the behaviour of human beings, whether indoors or outdoors,
via design. There are several countries worldwide that are investing a lot in the
concept of design in all aspects (architecture, interior, furniture, product design,
packaging design), and there is a lot more to design than a just beautiful space; it had
be functional and it had to send a message and impact the people who are using that
space.
I had to consider creating a space that would function as an office and would be
practical, yet at the same time be glamorous and an educational place for the youth
that would have a lot of positive energy and would be encouraging and effecting the
youth in their future.
What challenges were encountered during the project?
Definitely, it was one of the most challenging projects that I have designed and work
on throughout my over twenty years of experience. The fact that a project would hav
so many challenges was certainly intimidating and refreshing. When we first studied
the project the requirements were; interior design, finishing as well as FF&E (furnitur
fixtures, and equipment).
As we started to study the requirements and investigate the premises, many
unforeseen issues emerged. The site chosen was based on top of an old theatre, so pa
of it was the ceiling and upper area of the theatre and the rest of it was the old roofto
that was covered with very simple trusses and corrugated sheets. This structure was
not durable enough for use as solid structure to withhold the heavy weights of the
air-conditioning needed to ventilate the space, nor was it effective in the insulation
from water leakages or heat proof. That was the first of the issues that transformed th
project into a structural/architectural task.
The second ordeal that emerged was the fact that most of the flooring was not proper
reinforced, so whenever we uncovered the old wooden blanks that were used,
especially in the only built concrete area which was the top of the theatre, which is th
central zone, the space underneath was exposed. The flooring was merely metal beam
on spans which needed structural reinforcement. Even the columns were not safe; th
steel was rusty. It was a hazardous site that kept all contractors on edge.
Since there were no architectural or structural drawings for the premises, a lot of
inspection was needed as we worked since a mezzanine and an extra area needed to
be constructed to expand the space, so loads had to be calculated and alterations wer
needed to the current beams and columns.
Last but not least , a lot of architectural illusions had to be employed in the space, sin
the space was not that big and contained several elements. The visual continuity was
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