top of page

Connect Create Cairo - Exhibition Workshops 

Ismaili Centre , Toronto, in March - November 2015

Yasin Visram, Architect for the Exhibition / Workshops

Explore Cairo through an exhibition showcasing the city's historical urban landscape and architectural heritage. Join a 3D printing workshop to design and build a model house that you can place in the exhibition's centre piece - an architectural model of Cairo's historical Islamic quarter. Take a journey into a city's past to think creatively about cities and urban futures, wherever you live. The workshops were held at the Ismaili Centre , Toronto, on Sundays, starting in mid-March to November 2015. 

 

Having travelled, lived and worked in Cairo, in 2009, on a day to day basis for several months,  it was important to provide adequate context and day to day understanding for students participating in the workshops - the conventional sequence of an architect’s design process is always based making things  as tangible as possible while also allowing thougth process to develop in a more abstract way if needed. Chosing a physical site - in the vicinity of Alzhar Park and the Citadel - provided a reference point to a ‘real place’ in this exploration. We started the process by developing a set of prototype buildings models which would be based in reality, but given the timeframe allotted for students to learn the software and to think about some design ideas, and the time required for the 3D printing process, a set of typical residential building model typologies were prepared. At the outset the models seemed contrived but we soon found ways to simplify them and making them more abstract and thus more generic in their shape and form and adaptable to the context. Given the number of participants anticipated to attend, we would have over a hundred modeled variations would be printed. The scale for the site model and the individual models prepared by the participants posed a significant challenge at first. But this was overcome by a trial and error process during the printing of each model. A based model (CNC prototyping model) represented a portion of Cairo as a physical setting for the more individualized responses - the specific site would be chosen by the participant. The models could be manipulated and morphed into more personalized responses by each participant. The end result was a relatively organic process by which the models were developed and positioned on the base model giving a organic representation of how a city develops over time.  Participating students and teachers, with no background in architecture, nor any understanding of a formal design process, designed their objects based purely on intuition. 

 

 

High Dense City Living

Sixth Annual Student / Professional Design Charette, London,2000

The Sixth Annual Students and Professional Design Charrette organized by the American Institute of Architects was held on November 4th at Call Print Warehouses in Olympia. This year’s Jurors included Paul Finch, Zaha Hadid, Christina Seilern, James Pickard, Jane Wernick, and Andrew Wright. The charrette had an enthusiatic turnout of 75 students and professionals who collaborated on a conceptual design problem related to West Kensington Underground Station and its environs.  This year’s challenge was to use the station site as a focus for new high density development for the area as attempt to resolve the ‘residual’ character of its location. The site is bounded by Talgarth Road as the main East-West route to Heathrow, and Northend Road running North-South and the close proximity of three underground stations. Secondly, the teams were also asked to explore concepts of environmental sustainability, and try to define them within the context of this project. Solutions ranged from the de-scaling of Talgarth road, re-position of the station into a more strategic location, to landscaping over the whole of the interchange and depressing the road below, and even the suggestion of billboards to be used as scaling devices for the thoroughfare.

 

The event exposed students to the process of conceptualizing ideas through a team situation sharing ideas with other students and a practicioner to guide the process. The 75 participants were separated into 11 teams ranging from 5 to 10 members. The approaches, as anticipated, were urbanistic and broad brushed, due to the complexity of the project. However all groups responded with passion and intensity about their ideas, producing a sleu of drawings and models.

 

The process, through the day, was very intense, as teams struggled to clarify strategies. For those groups who took the process too light heartedly, a prompt warning was given by the jury not to take the process so lightly. This comment reinstated the purpose and intent of this day – other than offering a day for students to meet other students and practicioners, the charrette as a process has a pedagogical intent. Groups receiving such comments should take them with sincere intent, as the day long process and the comments are intended to enhance their ongoing architectural experience – both students and practicioners alike.  The day is a collaborative process rather than a competitive one between students, practicioners and the ultimately the jury.

 

The projects were presented by two people from each group – one practicioner and one student. The project sites being tested are always of a scale that students would face in the profession, hence  students should take every advantage of learning from the process and the experience being offered by the practicioners. Several students commented on not having been involved in such a process before were surprised at focus that a group process was able to provide. Students came from Schools of Architecture from Universities of Sheffield, Portsmouth, Greenwhich, Westminster, Cardiff, Kingston, RCA, the Bartlett, Southbank, UEL, UNL,and the AA. Number of students were on exchange programs from Milan, Durban, Halifax, Canada, and Virginia Polytechnic.


The venue and printing services were generously provided by Call Print who infact sponsor the event each year - the process was brilliant and made even faster than previous years giving groups more time to discussion and production of drawings. The space used as the venue was in fact Call Print’s own workshop which was transformed to accommodate the event. Call Print also provided services for digital work as one particular group managed to do their drawings on a laptop, and produced a 3-D model in the time given. One of the strengths of the event is the service the role played by the printer’s play through the day.

 

Yasin  Visram


Koetter, Kim & Associates

AIA Board Member / Director for the Charette

DWELLING IN THE CITY- Spaces in the 21st Century

Competition at Canary Wharf (2001) - Yasin Visram - Competition Director

Hong Kong - Utopia vs Dystopia

Photo Exhibition, Forum Gallery , Vancouver,1994

​More Often than not when utopia is the goal - dystopia is the reality. Caught between east and west, Hong Kong represents (and perhaps still does) a utopian ideal. With this ideal in mind the colonising force sought to impose its own sense of order; like any parent , to create in its own image but ultimately as an "ideal" version of itself. And became a haven both politically and economically from the Mainland.

 

The physical manifestations if his this colonial order came in the form of iconic images of architecture. The new built structures gave physical presence to the colonial traditions - a symbolic presence of the home nation. Hong Kong offers many examples of classical colonial architecture of the late 19th century and early 20th century, and now the 21st century. Equally, there are examples of the iconic modern buildings which establish a link to European movements of the same period.  This linkage to European traditions has maintained itself only in physical image. The process by which the built environment is shaped is also influenced by the cultural dichotomy. Examples, of a 'genuine' vernacular of early Hong Kong are rare here, and exist only in the rural areas. On the whole, Hong Kong looks very 'western'. However, the issues of climate, landscape, planning laws, densities required for feasible development, and the construction methods enforce a very local context in architecture.

 

Hong Kong has developed through a random and rampant, but constant process. The extortionate and ongoing  increase in property values fuels the development process from one end, and the ever lessening quantity of land from the other. This city is constantly flexing and restructuring itself to be able to squeeze-out even more buildable land . The results are an over developed built environment that appears so exaggerated in scale in proportion to the actual land mass, there is a complete distortion of conventional reality - it is a place of extremes.

 

Hong Kong's extreme built environment is rooted in its mountainous topography. This landscape is immediate, confronting the buildings which are rooted in it. The physical constraints of constructing a high rise building on the side of a mountain poses 'exaggerated' problems and even more 'exaggerated' solutions. Hong Kong is often ascribed with a utopian metaphor of a 'vertical city' due to the extraordinary scale of many of its structures cause an immediate shift in the visual scale. Buildings are monumental without being monuments. Here buildings are tall, solid in appearance with small openings. Construction methods are rough and fast, so an oversized concrete structure with a seemingly pristine finish is inevitable. Due to the shortcomings of building technology the life span of a building is relatively short compared to buildings elsewhere in the west - buildings of ten ago are considered to be 'old' in Hong Kong and need to be refurbished , both inside and outside.

 

 

CONNECT CREATE CAIRO - EXHIBITION / WORKSHOPS 

Ismaili Centre , Toronto, in March - November 2015

Yasin Visram, Architect for the Exhibition / Workshops

Explore Cairo through an exhibition showcasing the city's historical urban landscape and architectural heritage. Join a 3D printing workshop to design and build a model house that you can place in the exhibition's centre piece - an architectural model of Cairo's historical Islamic quarter. Take a journey into a city's past to think creatively about cities and urban futures, wherever you live. The workshops were held at the Ismaili Centre , Toronto, on Sundays, starting in mid-March to November 2015. 

 

Having travelled, lived and worked in Cairo, in 2009, on a day to day basis for several months,  it was important to provide adequate context and day to day understanding for students participating in the workshops - the conventional sequence of an architect’s design process is always based making things  as tangible as possible while also allowing thougth process to develop in a more abstract way if needed. Chosing a physical site - in the vicinity of Alzhar Park and the Citadel - provided a reference point to a ‘real place’ in this exploration. We started the process by developing a set of prototype buildings models which would be based in reality, but given the timeframe allotted for students to learn the software and to think about some design ideas, and the time required for the 3D printing process, a set of typical residential building model typologies were prepared. At the outset the models seemed contrived but we soon found ways to simplify them and making them more abstract and thus more generic in their shape and form and adaptable to the context. Given the number of participants anticipated to attend, we would have over a hundred modeled variations would be printed. The scale for the site model and the individual models prepared by the participants posed a significant challenge at first. But this was overcome by a trial and error process during the printing of each model. A based model (CNC prototyping model) represented a portion of Cairo as a physical setting for the more individualized responses - the specific site would be chosen by the participant. The models could be manipulated and morphed into more personalized responses by each participant. The end result was a relatively organic process by which the models were developed and positioned on the base model giving a organic representation of how a city develops over time.  Participating students and teachers, with no background in architecture, nor any understanding of a formal design process, designed their objects based purely on intuition. 

 

 

HIGH-DENSE CITY LIVING

Sixth Annual Student / Professional Design Charette, London,2000

The Sixth Annual Students and Professional Design Charrette organized by the American Institute of Architects was held on November 4th at Call Print Warehouses in Olympia. This year’s Jurors included Paul Finch, Zaha Hadid, Christina Seilern, James Pickard, Jane Wernick, and Andrew Wright. The charrette had an enthusiatic turnout of 75 students and professionals who collaborated on a conceptual design problem related to West Kensington Underground Station and its environs.  This year’s challenge was to use the station site as a focus for new high density development for the area as attempt to resolve the ‘residual’ character of its location. The site is bounded by Talgarth Road as the main East-West route to Heathrow, and Northend Road running North-South and the close proximity of three underground stations. Secondly, the teams were also asked to explore concepts of environmental sustainability, and try to define them within the context of this project. Solutions ranged from the de-scaling of Talgarth road, re-position of the station into a more strategic location, to landscaping over the whole of the interchange and depressing the road below, and even the suggestion of billboards to be used as scaling devices for the thoroughfare.

 

The event exposed students to the process of conceptualizing ideas through a team situation sharing ideas with other students and a practicioner to guide the process. The 75 participants were separated into 11 teams ranging from 5 to 10 members. The approaches, as anticipated, were urbanistic and broad brushed, due to the complexity of the project. However all groups responded with passion and intensity about their ideas, producing a sleu of drawings and models.

 

The process, through the day, was very intense, as teams struggled to clarify strategies. For those groups who took the process too light heartedly, a prompt warning was given by the jury not to take the process so lightly. This comment reinstated the purpose and intent of this day – other than offering a day for students to meet other students and practicioners, the charrette as a process has a pedagogical intent. Groups receiving such comments should take them with sincere intent, as the day long process and the comments are intended to enhance their ongoing architectural experience – both students and practicioners alike.  The day is a collaborative process rather than a competitive one between students, practicioners and the ultimately the jury.

 

The projects were presented by two people from each group – one practicioner and one student. The project sites being tested are always of a scale that students would face in the profession, hence  students should take every advantage of learning from the process and the experience being offered by the practicioners. Several students commented on not having been involved in such a process before were surprised at focus that a group process was able to provide. Students came from Schools of Architecture from Universities of Sheffield, Portsmouth, Greenwhich, Westminster, Cardiff, Kingston, RCA, the Bartlett, Southbank, UEL, UNL,and the AA. Number of students were on exchange programs from Milan, Durban, Halifax, Canada, and Virginia Polytechnic.


The venue and printing services were generously provided by Call Print who infact sponsor the event each year - the process was brilliant and made even faster than previous years giving groups more time to discussion and production of drawings. The space used as the venue was in fact Call Print’s own workshop which was transformed to accommodate the event. Call Print also provided services for digital work as one particular group managed to do their drawings on a laptop, and produced a 3-D model in the time given. One of the strengths of the event is the service the role played by the printer’s play through the day.

 

Yasin  Visram


Koetter, Kim & Associates

AIA Board Member / Director for the Charette

DWELLING IN THE CITY- SPACES IN THE 21st CENTURY

Competition at Canary Wharf (2001) - Yasin Visram - Competition Director

HONG KONG - UTOPIA vs DYSTOPIA

Photo Exhibition, Forum Gallery , Vancouver,1994

​More Often than not when utopia is the goal - dystopia is the reality. Caught between east and west, Hong Kong represents (and perhaps still does) a utopian ideal. With this ideal in mind the colonising force sought to impose its own sense of order; like any parent , to create in its own image but ultimately as an "ideal" version of itself. And became a haven both politically and economically from the Mainland.

 

The physical manifestations if his this colonial order came in the form of iconic images of architecture. The new built structures gave physical presence to the colonial traditions - a symbolic presence of the home nation. Hong Kong offers many examples of classical colonial architecture of the late 19th century and early 20th century, and now the 21st century. Equally, there are examples of the iconic modern buildings which establish a link to European movements of the same period.  This linkage to European traditions has maintained itself only in physical image. The process by which the built environment is shaped is also influenced by the cultural dichotomy. Examples, of a 'genuine' vernacular of early Hong Kong are rare here, and exist only in the rural areas. On the whole, Hong Kong looks very 'western'. However, the issues of climate, landscape, planning laws, densities required for feasible development, and the construction methods enforce a very local context in architecture.

 

Hong Kong has developed through a random and rampant, but constant process. The extortionate and ongoing  increase in property values fuels the development process from one end, and the ever lessening quantity of land from the other. This city is constantly flexing and restructuring itself to be able to squeeze-out even more buildable land . The results are an over developed built environment that appears so exaggerated in scale in proportion to the actual land mass, there is a complete distortion of conventional reality - it is a place of extremes.

 

Hong Kong's extreme built environment is rooted in its mountainous topography. This landscape is immediate, confronting the buildings which are rooted in it. The physical constraints of constructing a high rise building on the side of a mountain poses 'exaggerated' problems and even more 'exaggerated' solutions. Hong Kong is often ascribed with a utopian metaphor of a 'vertical city' due to the extraordinary scale of many of its structures cause an immediate shift in the visual scale. Buildings are monumental without being monuments. Here buildings are tall, solid in appearance with small openings. Construction methods are rough and fast, so an oversized concrete structure with a seemingly pristine finish is inevitable. Due to the shortcomings of building technology the life span of a building is relatively short compared to buildings elsewhere in the west - buildings of ten ago are considered to be 'old' in Hong Kong and need to be refurbished , both inside and outside.

 

 

EXPLORING IN-BETWEENESS IN THE CITY

Fifth Annual Student / Professional Design Charette, London,1999

The Fifth Annual Students and Professional Design Charrette organized by the American Institute of Architects was held on November 6th at Toynbee Hall, in Whitechapel. This year’s Jurors included Paul Finch, Fred Koetter (Koetter Kim & Associates), Rick Mather (Rick Mather Architects), Edward Jones (Dixon&Jones Architects), Valerie Owen (RIBA london Region), Carolyn Clark (CRISIS), Norman Krangel and Steve Jolly (Call Print). The charrette had an enthusiatic turnout of 75 students and professionals who collaborated on a conceptual design problem related to West Kensington Underground Station and its environs.  This year’s challenge was to use the station site as a focus for new high density development for the area as attempt to resolve the ‘residual’ character of its location. The site is bounded by Talgarth Road as the main East-West route to Heathrow, and Northend Road running North-South and the close proximity of three underground stations. Secondly, the teams were also asked to explore concepts of environmental sustainability, and try to define them within the context of this project. Solutions ranged from the de-scaling of Talgarth road, re-position of the station into a more strategic location, to landscaping over the whole of the interchange and depressing the road below, and even the suggestion of billboards to be used as scaling devices for the thoroughfare.

 

The event exposed students to the process of conceptualizing ideas through a team situation sharing ideas with other students and a practicioner to guide the process. The 75 participants were separated into 11 teams ranging from 5 to 10 members. The approaches, as anticipated, were urbanistic and broad brushed, due to the complexity of the project. However all groups responded with passion and intensity about their ideas, producing a sleu of drawings and models.

 

The process, through the day, was very intense, as teams struggled to clarify strategies. For those groups who took the process too light heartedly, a prompt warning was given by the jury not to take the process so lightly. This comment reinstated the purpose and intent of this day – other than offering a day for students to meet other students and practicioners, the charrette as a process has a pedagogical intent. Groups receiving such comments should take them with sincere intent, as the day long process and the comments are intended to enhance their ongoing architectural experience – both students and practicioners alike.  The day is a collaborative process rather than a competitive one between students, practicioners and the ultimately the jury.

 

The projects were presented by two people from each group – one practicioner and one student. The project sites being tested are always of a scale that students would face in the profession, hence  students should take every advantage of learning from the process and the experience being offered by the practicioners. Several students commented on not having been involved in such a process before were surprised at focus that a group process was able to provide. Students came from Schools of Architecture from Universities of Sheffield, Portsmouth, Greenwhich, Westminster, Cardiff, Kingston, RCA, the Bartlett, Southbank, UEL, UNL,and the AA. Number of students were on exchange programs from Milan, Durban, Halifax, Canada, and Virginia Polytechnic.


The venue and printing services were generously provided by Call Print who infact sponsor the event each year - the process was brilliant and made even faster than previous years giving groups more time to discussion and production of drawings. The space used as the venue was in fact Call Print’s own workshop which was transformed to accommodate the event. Call Print also provided services for digital work as one particular group managed to do their drawings on a laptop, and produced a 3-D model in the time given. One of the strengths of the event is the service the role played by the printer’s play through the day.

 

Yasin  Visram


Koetter, Kim & Associates

AIA Board Member / Director for the Charette

VERTICALLY INCLINED

Seventh Annual Student / Professional Design Charette, London, 2001

bottom of page