Project Description
OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY
| Client: | AUS, Office of Sustainability |
| Type: | Office, Design-Build |
| Location: | AUS Main Building |
| Area: | 30 sqm |
| Role: | Interior Designer |
| Contribution: | Concept Design, Material Exploration, Budget Coordination, Detail Design & Documentation, Mock Up Build & Construction |
| Talk: | Pecha Kucha |
The Interior batch of 2018’s Design | Build Studio was aimed at refurbishing an existing office by rethinking how a normative office space in the American University of Sharjah (AUS) is built.
Main Building, AUS
2018
PRE-EXISTING SITE & CONTEXT
Through extensive research, various recycled & reusable materials were sourced from construction sites of buildings and thus led to the creation of a project from materials that have a second life. The final construction material percentage distribution was ‘60% Repurposed + 10% Recycled + 30% New’.
Acknowledging the material’s source and the patina that it had acquired in it’s former life; various prototypes were constructed to explore their structural capacity. Other groups in the studio focused on creating mechanical systems without external hardware. This initial experimentation led to multiple compelling directions to explore.
FINAL RESULT: Conventional single desks with file cabinets were replaced with a communal table. Additional working conditions were provided like a standing desk and a low seating majlis area next to the window. A new system was devised to house removable live planters next to the majlis. Storage was conceived with open shelves and integrated lighting for the communal table and shelving.
PROCESS: We had two main initial design approaches for the office:
1. an environmentally sustainable perspective &
2. a psychologically sustainable perspective
This was carried out by dividing the project into sub components. (Shelving / Flooring / Ceiling / Lighting etc.)
COMPONENTS: Wooden Shelving System
COMPONENTS: Carpet Tile
COMPONENTS: LED Lighting
COMPONENTS: Green Wall
COMPONENTS: Paint & Color
COMPONENTS: Majlis Lounge Area
COMPONENTS: Communal Table
Modernity and sustainability are two concepts which often seem to be contradictory. However, with newer technology being developed and products entering the market which have reduced carbon footprint & are being manufactured ethically, it’s making the life of designer’s easier.
However, it is time to take a step back and reassess. It is time to prioritize sustainable value through lifestyle redesign. For example – The raw, rustic finish of the office is the outcome of the fabrication decisions to minimize processing / treatment of the materials enough to supplement the actual construction while maintain the original form of the remaining material. This kind of a utilitarian – functional approach helped minimize the energy consumption on process which would otherwise have been executed for purely aesthetic and non-functional reasons.
The Team:
Assistant Professor – Danial Chavez
Students – Priyanka Soni, Melody Ghobrial, Leen ElMobbadr, Amira Al Zaiem, Noor AlSaqqa, Dalia AlDubaisy, Aysha Mohammed, Rima Chalha, Mariam Mansour, Hadeel Hisham, Samar Sharif, Jana Nassreddine, Nariman ElNaggar, Dina Safaa, Shaza Khalil (in this order respectively)
EMBRACING SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH INTERIOR DESIGN – PECHA KUCHA TALK 2018
