SADIA TABASSUMCORE DESIGN PORTFOLIO

SADIA TABASSUMARCHITECTURAL STUDIES, ITHACA COLLEGE

ADDRESS953 DANBY RD, ITHACA, NY 14850

TEL475-238-9477

EMAILsadiatabassum94@gmail.com

LINKEDINlinkedin.com/in/sadia1994

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“Architecture is the thoughtful making of space”

-Louis Kahn (Perspecta, IV, pp. 2-3), 1957

Photograph: Abdullah, Abdul Quasem, Interior View of Assembly Hall Ambulatory, Item 33959. Collection: Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban (National Assembly Building) Dhaka, Bangladesh, Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture, Digital Library.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Micro-housing

Research Facility & Observatory

Papercuts

Study on light and shadow

Figure drawing

Negative space drawing

3-D Art

Architectural Manifesto:On Thoughtful Design

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CORE DESIGN ONE | MICRO-HOUSING SPRING 2015 - 8 WEEK STUDY

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MICRO-HOUSINGTitle

SiteLower East Side of Manhattan, NYC

The prompt for this project was to take an empty double plot in Manhattan and to design a multistory micro housing project meant to accommodate 60-90 tenants. Focusing on the communal aspects of such a space, the project was meant to imagine the building as a social entity.

The lower east side of New York City, where this project is centered, is a burgeoning area of commercial interest. In sight of the East River and on axis with the High Line, our site was ready for the implementation of spatially economic micro-housing, an emergent architectural trend which seeks to promote shared spaces, cooperation, and the development of community among its inhabitants. With small private apartments and an abundance of public gathering places, micro housing brings people together while also serving to alleviate environmental pressures such as urban sprawl.

Purpose

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Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

General Floor Plan

Individual Floor Views Sketch-up

Module One 3-D Model Module One Sketch-up

Overview of building Sketch-up|7

C-C’ Cross Section One

D-D’ Cross Section Two

A-A’ Long Section One

B-B’ Long Section Two

A

C’C

D

A’B’

B

D’

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CORE DESIGN TWO | RESEARCH FACILITY AND OSERVATORY SPRING 2015 - 8 WEEK STUDY

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Van Natta Dam Geological Research Facility

Title

Site

Van Natta Dam, Ithaca, NY

The objective of this project was to create a structure that engages the cliff face in an intriguing manner, seamlessly incorporating nature and architectural form.

Ithaca is known for its natural beauty. Its dense forests, vast networks of hiking trails, and sublime gorges draw visitors year-round to explore the city’s surroundings. For the final project of Architectural Studio I, we were asked to design a geological research facility that embedded itself into this iconic landscape. My project, drawing inspiration for its form from the pine leaves that scattered the site during early spring, nestles into the cliff face of the Van Natta Dam gorge. It aims to provide a modern counterpoint to the decaying form of a hydro- electric power plant on the dam’s eastern side. The forms are at once sculpture-like and indicative of the surrounding site, rising upward and pulling the gaze from the walls of the gorge to the sky.

Purpose

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Hand-drawingsResearch Facility and Observatory

Floor One Floor Two

Side Elevation

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CORE DESIGN THREE | PAPERCUTS FALL 2014 - 8 WEEK STUDY

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PapercutsTitle

SiteOutside Hill Center on Ithaca College Campus

It began with the manipulation of lineweights, repetition of similar line-weights and a study of directionality of lines on 8.5/11 sheets of paper, drawn by hand. Then, by scoring certain lines and folding along certain lines, the paravillion emerged as the result of a series of systematic cuts on the same sheet of paper. The seats, enclosing walls and the main pavillion are all part of the same sheet of paper and with no excess paper was left unused.

Purpose

Main Pavillion

Enclosing walls Seats

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CORE DESIGN FOUR | STUDY ON LIGHT AND SHADOW SPRING 2015 - 8 WEEK STUDY

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Study on Light and ShadowTitle

MediumCharcoal

These drawings were focused on understanding subtleties in tone, ranging from the darkest to lightest shades of black and white charcoal, and using them to interpret and express light and darkness. Expression of these tones through an understanding of light on varying texture was more important than the composition or subject matter in these projects.

Purpose

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CORE DESIGN FIVE | FIGURE DRAWING SPRING 2015 - 8 WEEK STUDY

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Figure- drawingTitle

MediumCharcoal and black ink

These were focused on a complex understanding of the human form and learning to use charcoal and ink (sometimes in combination) to express the range of textures, shapes and contours of the human body. These drawings aimed to express aspects like the textures of a human skull, the play of light and shadow on its surface, the flow of soft fabric that wraps around the human figure.

Purpose

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CORE DESIGN SIX | NEGATIVE SPACE DRAWINGSPRING 2015 - 8 WEEK STUDY

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Negative-space DrawingTitle

MediumCharcoal and black ink-pens

This series was a personal project to understand the features of a portrait that are heightened, exaggerated, or simply delineated through abstracted shadows on a page. These drawings are aimed at understanding the simple beauty of black on white, not only in artworks but also in figure-ground drawings in architectural mappings of a site, using well-known photographs of figures in popular culture.

Purpose

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CORE DESIGN SEVEN | 3D MODELLING SPRING 2015 - 8 WEEK STUDY

Linear Project:Expressing MovementThis piece was constructed only from wood and metal a single piece of metal wire and built from the outside going in. It implies motion by being able to physically be rolled around, but also because of it’s spherical form and the wheels in the center- implying a kind of machine aesthetic- reminiscent of gears and cogs. It balances by itself and is definitely meant to be kept on a surface, teither inclined, curved or flat and preferably not displayed in naturalistic surroundings.

Spin the Context: High Fashion Carpentry

This piece was constructed out of wood, fabric and a wood-caving saw. The block of wood and the saw were transformed by their fabric skins- rendering the purpose of the saw irrelevant. The saw and the fabric were also meant to represent physical labor with all its masculine connotations and fabric, fashion and design with all its feminine connotations respectively. Combining these two notions were meant to show the juxtaposition between gender-roles and re-contextualizing the pieces so they can be viewed in an unexpected light.

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Planar Configurations Or Folded Forms In SpaceThis piece was constructed out of wood, mylar paper, construction paper, vellum paper and metal wires. The contrast between the black and white is balanced out by the geometric, planar and uniform shapes. There is subtlety in the piece, exaggerated by natural light from behind it, which blurs and emboldens the forms simultaneously.

We live in a world of thoughtless consumerism, existing from one moment to the next with little time to spare for nurturing our core self- the essence of our being. Our society encourages the consumption of products to fill that void of connectivity, and sadly, our architecture tends to reflect this. We need to advocate for thoughtful architecture that addresses these issues and is designed with soul- reflecting the beauty of everything human.

Architecture must reflect the complex identities of its occupantsWhether by addressing the socio- economic status, profession, culture, gender, race or any number of facets of its occupants’ identities, thoughtful architecture must respond to the individual needs and aspirations of those who occupy it. In celebrating diverse identities, architecture can help reduce the gap between the elitist architectural communities that exist today and the general population, and better cater to the needs of the people who are meant to experience it.

Architecture must adapt to its context, both spatial and temporalBy being sensitive to the natural and cultural histories of the environment it inhabits, thoughtful architecture must integrate itself into the built and un-built space around it. It is important to pay just as much attention to the parts of the cityscape that aren’t built upon as those that are, to understand the chronological growth of the city and to occupy a portion of it with respect and sensitivity.

Architecture must be at once fearless and humbleWhether by introducing bolder forms, strategies, or even building materials in an otherwise orthodox region, thoughtful architecture must be audacious with its imagination, pushing the boundaries of social constructs. But it must be humble in equal measure in accepting that not all experiments are ultimately successful and respond to the consequences of such situations with the grace and optimistic resolve that are necessary for its growth.

Architecture must be deliberateThoughtful architecture must clearly be able to identify its true purpose to everyone who experiences it. Whether by addressing the divide between public and private spaces within its form or by highlighting the ambiguity between the two, architecture must be intentional in its design in a way that is legible to the people who occupy it. Each individual component of the overall form must |22

reinforce the intentionality of the design and thus communicate the purpose of the overall form.

Architecture must evolveLike every art form that hopes to survive, thoughtful architecture must be open to change. By cultivating sustainable design and providing economic solutions where it’s necessary, for our present time and for the future, it must constantly learn from the past to improve.

Final thoughtsTruly thoughtful architecture must help us connect to our humanity. As the Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser put it in the description of his work:

“The flat floor is an invention of the architects. It fits engines - not human beings. People not only have eyes to enjoy the beauty they see and ears to hear melodies and noses to smell nice scents. People also have a sense of touch in their hands and feet. If modern man is forced to walk on flat asphalt and concrete floors as they were planned thoughtlessly in designers’ offices, estranged from man’s age-old relationship and contact to earth, a crucial part of man withers and dies. This has catastrophic consequences for the soul, the equilibrium, the well- being and the health of man. Man forgets how to experience things and becomes emotionally ill. An uneven and animated floor is the recovery of man’s mental equilibrium, of the dignity of man, which has been violated in our leveling, unnatural and hostile urban grid system. The uneven floor becomes a symphony, a melody for the feet and brings back natural vibrations to man. Architecture should elevate and not subdue man. It is good to walk on uneven floors and regain our human balance.”

Hundertwasser chose to use the uneven floors of his architecture to help people get in touch with the part of their humanity that has been stripped by the grid- locked machine of efficiency that is our society. In similar fashion, thoughtful architecture must find ways to help us recollect our humanity, and reclaim our relationship to the built environment that surrounds us.

Architectural Manifesto

On Thoughtful Design