Ana Rolim

advisor

https://www.ufpe.br/mdu

Brazilian

Ana Luisa Rolim is an architect and educator, with experiences encompassing architectural design… more

The project touches on a very timely subject, which is urban agriculture as a means to promote sustainability and a tight sociocultural connection with local culture. The main argument that this can be reached by combining technology and local tradition is a valid one, and the proposed connection is one to be pursued indeed.

In order to strengthen and clearly convert the form-generating process it would be important to add conceptual diagrams, expanding the written documentation. These schemes (such as simple axonometric perspectives) should express both the relationship of the architectural form with the site and the nature of the geometry in itself (for instance: Was the shape inspired by a particular vernacular tradition / object? Does the form-generating process depart from a polygon mesh surface?). These images should be included at the beginning of the presentation, perhaps after an overall 3D view of the project, which should also be added to the set of renderings. The specific views presented were very helpful but starting with the overall idea before getting into details is always a didactic strategy.

In terms of architectural geometry, the building shell could offer more sectional variations, generating a profile varying in height and width, which would contribute to the uniqueness of the shape. On the other hand, as per previous comments, more information on the negotiations between shape and site would be required to evaluate such operations.

Considering that the weather in Dubai is humid and reaches high temperatures, it is unlikely that the proposed building skin would be sufficient to protect users and produce from over exposure to sun and other natural elements. Adding some solid parts to the skin could not only minimize the issue but also add more variety to the design. A sustainability diagram addressing issues, such as sun exposure and cross-ventilation would be very valuable.

In regards to the technical drawings, instead of including the formal drawing sheets it would be more impactful to select the most important information (plans, sections and a couple of details) and graphically treat them in a way that it would make it easier to read them (such as, increasing the scale of most relevant details and fine-tuning line definition according to scale). Sometimes having lists of specifications on competition boards is not very attractive. In general, too much text in one single board should be avoided. It would be better to create graphic schemes with essential colours and materials.

The initiative to explore an alternative to minimize climate change is an important one and deserves to be praised. Moving away from pesticide-driven agriculture and heading towards agro-ecology is one of the solutions we should seek to address through architecture.