MEHRZAD RAFEEI

Blossoming River Bank

This project aims to augment the Los Angeles River bank and its vegetation. We are using the water from the river as an element in concert with a pattern that stems from an exploratory drawing. In the areas adjacent to the site the pattern takes on a two dimensional graphic quality stitching the neighbor-hood together. When the pattern reaches the site it thickens to accommodate an irrigation system. The thickened pattern also services the hydroponics sys-tem as well as the structure for the intervention. Hydroponics is a cultivation method that allows the growth of plants without soil. Our system senses when the roots of the plants are in need of water, triggering a release of ine nutrient rich mist. The arrangement of the plants is according to their exposure needs. Plants that enjoy lots of light are located on the upper level and plants that like more shade are located below.

The imbalancing act of entropic architecture

Instructor: Marcelyn Gow

Spring Studio 2012, ESTm, Sci-Arc

The structure supports a two layer soft skin which acts as a water container. The soft nature of the skin allows it to swell times of high containment and contract when it is empty. Within the skin are bub-bles of space that accommodate plant growth. The bubbles are constructed from a smart material that absorbs the sun light and at night glows. The circu-lation moves visitors from the lower areas up via a ramp and then back down returning visitors to the city. Our project serves as a dense urban ecosystem allowing people to experience all the possibilities that can be created from the LA River

Spring Studio 2012, ESTm, Sci-Arc

Knitted CloudArtifi cial Cloud

Instructor: Marcelo Spina

summer Studio 2012, ESTm, Sci-Arc

Contemporary digital design has always had a certain disconnection with its possible physical incarnation. Abstracted away from mate-rial properties, digital geometry loats in Euclidean space unaware of the physical constraint of what it represents. Our project attempts to bridge that divergence. Knitted Cloud is a digital fabricated and mass customized solution for an expandable urban canopy system. It is the result of an integrated process involving handcrafted manufacturing and generative digital design applied for robotic mass production. The handcrafted fabrication of the weave semi rigid textile tectonic serves as logic for a generative script that allows for multiple variations in design consistent with the physical form.

Knit-scapes take a different approach to standard conventions of carbon iber fabrication techniques which typically rely on laying up a series of layers with resin over various mold shapes. The focus of this process uses tensioned carbon iber tow strands as a lexible framework woven through the knitted aramid iber. This combination allows the resulting form to be shaped by the forces applied to the framework rather than the traditional lay-up/molding method.In terms of modeling the form is created based on a script that connects a series of pre-de ined points (particles) with tension lines. For having more control of con iguration on line connection, we have set up what lines to be connected to each other and which points are ixed manually. We have also applied gravities (attractors) to tensile line networks by creating agents to apply forces to particles.

Knitting with robots (intricacies)Real-Time

Instructor: Peter Testa

The project is based on the intricacies of knots in weaving and understanding of motion path of robots in creation of each knot.The challenge in robotic weaving is creating the knot by using 6 axis robots. Knots are the basic motion of weaving that ties materials together and create differ-ent pattern and texture. The challenge of knot creation has been resolved by designing an end arm tool which gives us the opportunity to turn around the string without any limitation in the number of rotation. This creates different textures according to the design pat-tern.

Fall Studio 2011, ESTm, Sci-Arc

Light drawing with robotsRobot House WorkshopInstructor: Jonathan Proto, Bradon Kruysman

This project is about synchronous robotics. We already covered SCI-Arc robotics here, but the results this time are bullet time light drawings which instead of being constrained to a bullet time camera rig have the freedom to be viewed from any perspective.LEDs are attached to corners and centres of the panels whereas the DSLR camera is attached to one of the robotic arms. As the panels move in sync, the camera takes pictures of LED paths. No video editing was done to the light drawings, simply a series of still images.

Summer Seminar 2012, ESTm, Sci-Arc

Taped 3DInstructor: W.Andrew Atwood

Summer Seminar 2012, ESTm, Sci-Arc

The seminar began with a series of discrete exercises based on 3D light drawing as a means to speculate about the robot’s abilities to describe non uniform 3D objects amd also focued on the use of line, pattern, surface and object and looked for ways to understand and exploit the turbulent re-lationships between these four descriptive categories.

Coding Form

Processing IGEO Library

Instructor: Satoru Sugihara

summer Studio 2012, ESTm, Sci-Arc

A cellular automaton is a discrete model studied in computability the-ory, mathematics, physics, complexity science, theoretical biology and micro structure modeling. It consists of a regular grid of cells, each in one of a inite number of states, such as “On” and “Off” (in contrast to a coupled map lattice). The grid can be in any inite number of di-mensions. For each cell, a set of cells called its neighborhood (usually including the cell itself) is de ined relative to the speci ied cell. Here in these different updates, there are different de initions for “next states” .

Surface A

Surface B

Surface C

Panelizing surfaces in Processing ( IGEO library) by importing 3 surfaces from Rhino to Processing and then creating a free form panelization Through IGEO library and Processing.org. iGeo is free and open source 3D modeling software library in Java for computational design in architecture, product de-sign, interaction design and more. iGeo is designed to provide functionality of code-based 3D modeling, practicality of use in computational design practice and extensibility to cooperate with other data processing components and real-time input/output interaction interfaces to other various media in Java.

Coding Form

Processing IGEO Library

Instructor: Satoru Sugihara

spring seminar 2012, ESTm, Sci-Arc

iimport processing.opengl.*;import igeo.*;void setup() { size(1200, 1200, IG.GL); IG.duration(500); IG.bg(1); IG.perspective(); int num =20; MyParticle[][][] pts = new MyParticle[num+1][num+1][num+1]; for (int i=0; i <= num; i++) { for (int j=0; j <= num; j++) { for (int k=0; k <= num; k++) { if ( i==0 || i==num || j==0 || j==num || k==0 || k==num ) { pts[i][j][k] = new MyParticle(IG.v(5*i*.5, 5*j*0.5, 5*k*0.5), IG.v(10,10, 10)); pts[i][j][k].fric(0.01).clr(0.9); if ( (i==0 || i==num) && (j%5==0 || k%5==0) || (j==0 || j==num) && (i%5==0 || k%5==0) || (k==0 || k==num) && (i%5==0 || j%5==0) ){ pts[i][j][k]. ix().clr(1.0,0,0); } if (i > 0 && (j==0 || j==num || k==0 || k==num) ) { new ITensionLine(pts[i-1][j][k], pts[i][j][k], 5).clr(0.9); } if (j > 0 && (i==0 || i==num || k==0 || k==num) ) { new ITensionLine(pts[i][j-1][k], pts[i][j][k], 5).clr(0.9); } if (k > 0 && (i==0 || i==num || j==0 || j==num) ) { new ITensionLine(pts[i][j][k-1], pts[i][j][k],5).clr(0.9); } } } } } IVec[][] topPts = new IVec[num+1][num+1]; IVec[][] bottomPts = new IVec[num+1][num+1]; IVec[][] leftPts = new IVec[num+1][num+1]; IVec[][] rightPts = new IVec[num+1][num+1]; IVec[][] frontPts = new IVec[num+1][num+1]; IVec[][] backPts = new IVec[num+1][num+1]; for (int i=0; i <= num; i++) { for (int j=0; j <= num; j++) { bottomPts[i][j] = pts[i][j][0].pos(); topPts[i][j] = pts[i][j][num].pos(); leftPts[i][j] = pts[0][i][j].pos(); rightPts[i][j] = pts[num][i][j].pos(); frontPts[i][j] = pts[i][0][j].pos(); backPts[i][j] = pts[i][num][j].pos(); } } new IMesh(topPts).clr(0.9); new IMesh(bottomPts).clr(0.9); new IMesh(leftPts).clr(0.9); new IMesh(rightPts).clr(0.9); new IMesh(frontPts).clr(0.9); new IMesh(backPts).clr(0.9); new RepulsionAgent(IG.v(25,25,25)).clr(1.0,0,0); }class RepulsionAgent extends IPointAgent{ double strength = 20; double thresholdDist =40; RepulsionAgent(IVec p){ super(p); } void interact(IDynamics agent){ if(agent instanceof MyParticle){ MyParticle p = (MyParticle)agent; double dist = p.pos().dist(pos()); if(dist < thresholdDist){ IVec force = p.pos().dif(pos()); force.len(thresholdDist - dist); force.mul(strength); p.push(force); } } }}class MyParticle extends IParticleAgent { IVec prevPos; MyParticle(IVec pos, IVec vel) { super(pos, vel); }

Restoration of a historic monument Savoji HouseInstructor: Abdollah Jabalameli

Fall Studio 2001, ESTm, Azad Khorasgan

Previous situa on of the building (Safavid Era)

Present situa on of the building

Sugges ve situa on of the building

This worthful building was built in the Safavid Era (about 200 years ago). Although most of this house has been destroyed but it has some worthful and beauti-ful parts. At irst we identi ied the destroyed parts and some elements that treated the house. Then we sug-gested some methods and details to prevent the de-struction of the other part. and inally we suggested to rebuild the destroyed parts with a new function.

A design experience of a space referred to creation (The center of religions rally)

Final ThesisInstructor: Morteza Fesharaki

From the beginning of mans life until now, the need to pray has been there in his nature as a permanent companion. In order to answer this natural and innate need, man has looked for creating special places so that he could pray in comfortably and calmly, along with which he could ind out the meaning of words such as immunity and sense of belonging. He has enjoyed art in order to create such places. An art which has been his companion to make his mental images touchable and has enclosed him to his innate lost. Complexion the na-ture and the philosophy of real out, which is nothing but knowledge and spirituality, with symbols and real appearances of the art to answer the need to pray has caused to create ever lasting and permanent works in Iranian architecture. This research which is based on existing sciences and is that of developing, is due to de-sign a place for closer relationship between man and God and also to worship his only creator following the answer to these questions, How could place impact on creating a holy place? How could architecture answer ultra physical needs? Also how could architecture cause man to worship and get to religion? How could Iranian culture and architecture lead to building such places? This center which has cultural doings in order to know religions and their common purposes and is a place to pray and education and research has been located near Zayanderoud Bed River on Moshtaghe sevom between the historical bridge, Shahrestan, and Chamran hospital.

Final Thesis, MArch, Azad university

To choose a roughly high hill is one of the singes of the ancient custom, which people located holly places on high points. In this place, getting to the four elements and its symbols, which is the basis of such design, is easily possible. This complex was designed according to four elements which has been always a symbol of creation so that it conducts man to the light pass-ing the earth. Through this way, irst a pattern, stable and irm like a cube has been located as a symbol of the earth, to show the soil break the ele-ment of water has been shown with some broken movements and after that some cursive movements which are symbols of wind has been created, and inally a sphere meaning sky and light and ire has been appeared. Ap-parently this edaphic material pass-ing and breaking becomes so soft and calm so that it achieves a high and bright position.

winter 2006, fi nal thesis

Technical & Vocational Training Organization

Shahrekord, IranDesigner & project manager

Summer 2003, Shahrekord, Iran

Summer 2003, Shahrekord, Iran

Mosque of grain and cereal bureau

Isfahan, IranDesigner

Summer 2010, Isfahan, Iran

Interior Design(Dental Clinic)

Summer 2009, Isfahan, Iran