An Invistigation Into the Viability of 3D-Printed Mashrabiya Window
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
33 HYBRID HERITAGE: AN INVISTIGATION INTO THE VIABILITY OF 3D-PRINTED PhD thesis submitted MASHRABIYA WINDOW in partial fulfilment of the requirement for SCREENS FOR BAHRAINI the degree of doctor of philosophy DWELLINGS De Montfort University Faculty of Art, Design and By: Nehal Almerbati Humanities First Supervisor: Prof. Peter Ford Second Supervisors: Dr. Ahmad Taki Dr. Lionel Dean June 2016 Examined by: Dr. Hocine Bougdah Prof. Mark Lemon Hybrid Heritage: An Investigation into the Viability of 3D-printed Mashrabiya Window Screens for Bahraini Dwellings By Nehal Almerbati A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the School of Design Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities De Montfort University June 2016 i ABSTRACT Current debates on design and manufacturing support the claim that the ‘Third Industrial Revolution’ has already started due to Additive Manufacturing (AM) and 3D Printing. The process of solidifying liquid or powder using a binding agent or a melting laser can save time and transportation costs associated with importing primary material if locally sourced material is available. This research investigates a framework approach, titled SAFE, for discussing the functionality, economic viability, production feasibility, and aesthetic and cultural value lent by 3D printing on an architectural scale through a construction known as a Mashrabiya. This traditional window screen has distinguished aesthetic, cultural yet functional constraints, and there is a manufacturing gap in the market that makes it a viable product option to be 3D printed. The practical element and design process related to reviving this screen are examined, from complex geometry development to cost and fabrication estimations. 3D printing technologies potentially offer solutions to solve issues in construction and assembly times, reduce labour costs, and address the loss of hand craft making skills in a variety of cultures, typically Middle Eastern ones; this was a factor in the abandonment of old Mashrabiya in houses typified with Bahrain as a case. Presently, there is a growing wealth of literature that highlights not only the strength of Mashrabiya as a design concept but also as a possible 3D printed product. Interviews with a total of 42 local Bahraini manufacturers, academics and architects as well as 4 case studies and 2 surveys and 11 focus groups are hybrid mixed methods used to define a new 3D printed Mashrabiya (3DPM) prototype. The future of the 3D Mashrabiya prototype is further supported by economic forecasts, market research, and interviews with global manufacturers and 3D printing designers’ insights into the subject in an accretive design process. The research contributes to an understanding of the implications of technologies that enable mass customisation in the field of 3D-printed architecture in general and in the Bahraini market in particular. The process for developing a prototype screen and in determining its current economic value will prove significant in predicting the future benefits and obstacles of 3D-printed large scale architectural products in the coming five years as advised by industry experts. The main outcomes relate to establishing boundaries determining the validity of using 3D printing and a SAFE framework to produce a parametric Mashrabiya and other similar heritage architectural archetypes. This can be used to enhance the globalism of the design of Middle Eastern dwellings and to revive social identity and cultural traditions through innovative and reasonable yet superior design solutions using a hybrid architectural design language. ii DEDICATION To Islam, a religion, a policy and a guide of every day and everyone… To my beloved children Abdulla and Ali, every minute I spent away was for a better good, for you both and for the generation after… To my husband and family, I could not have done this without you all, you were the blessings and gifts I can never thank God enough for… To all Muslim women out there, you are precious diamonds and rare, veiled for the eyes of the ones who really care… iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Unending glory to God, The Glorious, who granted me the knowledge, patience and stamina to complete this humble work. To my husband Ghassan and sons, my father and mother, sister, brother and every individual member of my family and friends, you all were the stimulation and motivation I relied on for the production of this modest contribution. To my best friend Amal Alawadi, thank you for 24 years of friendship and continuous encouragement. I would also like to express my gratitude to my first supervisor Peter Ford for all his guidance through this long journey, and for his enormous help, deep understanding and professional expertise that strongly influenced the progress of this research. I would also like to thank Dr. Ahmed Taki and Dr. Lionel Dean, my second supervisors, who supported my progress and influenced my research design and development. From academia, I would like to dedicate this work to my sponsor, the University of Bahrain and the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, for their faith in our abilities to earn higher degrees with flying colours. I would like to express special thanks to my colleagues Dr. Raanjith Dayarante, Dr. Mustafa Ben Hamouche, Dr. Hana Aljawder, Dr. Chiraz Musbah, Ms. Anmika Juwaine, Ms. Reem Abbas, Ms. Hawra Alshaik, Ms. Tamadher Ali, Ms. Fay Alkhalifa and the entire UOB group. Inviting the contribution outstanding scholars from the fields of Architecture and Additive Manufacturing has had a tremendous impact on the output of this research. I would like to start by thanking Dr. Rupert Soar for his insight into 3D printing and architecture, Dr. Fareeda Almurahhem for sharing her intensive research about Rawashen screens in KSA, and Prof. Craig Kaplan for helping me understand the algorithms behind Islamic patterns. I would like to thank Assistant Professor Dusting Headley from Kansas State University, USA. I met him at the ASA conference in 2014 and his curiosity and foreseeing the potentials of the renewed product after my presentation has led to a very fruitful collaboration. His help in developing the product’s parametric geometry and fabrication possibilities, as well as co-authoring research papers afterwards, improved my research. His time, thoughts and effort are highly appreciated. My gratitude goes also to Mr. Abdulla Alkhan, Bahrain’s first photographer. His documentary photographs of Bahrain’s streets, lifestyle and women’s lives captured the essence of real moments and told stories that might have never been written in any research paper. Thank you for allowing me access to your library and photographs. iv From the professions of both Architecture and Additive Manufacturing, I would like to thank all the following people who gave up their valuable time and thoughts to discuss my enquiries and informatively answered my interview questions. I would like to start by thanking Martin Postler from Postler and Ferguson, UK, Mr. Abdulmajeed Karanouh, Ramboll architect and Aeadas Albahar tower’s concept developer, and Mr. Ahmed Bakhash, Arch-identity, UAE. Special thanks to Mr. Khalid Engineer, co-founder of the first 3D printing shop in Bahrain for all his shared knowledge, feedback and continuous support for this research. I would also like to thank Dr. Phil Reeves from the Econolyst group, UK, for his informative interview and advice on the product’s economic model, and Prof. Thierry Rayna from France for his economic input. Thanks goes to retired architect John Lockerbie for stimulating my thoughts and writings about Islamic architecture and its new reflections. I highly appreciate also the help of my former student Eman Alsaffar, co-founder of Dot per Inch, for her help with the Max visuals and to the cameraman Ahmed Almqahwi and Limefish for video recording and editing the interviews. I also would like to thank Katie Finnegan for her help in proofreading the thesis. I would also like to thank all ADH and Architecture PhD students, Haila Altwaian, Chloe, Muneer, Noma, Stella, Jamal, Alice, Randah, Elham, Basma, Sara Alwashmi, Amani, Linda, Evelyn, Juan and Jonathan and Marina for simply being there to discuss ideas, care, and share knowledge every step of the way. I wish you all the best in your research as well. More thanks go to the Bahraini souls in Leicester, Mariam Reyad, Maryam Jalal and Amal Attiya; you made it feel like home. Further thanks to Dr. Robert Chen for his helpful remarks and his continuous support to all PhD students. I would also like to thank all the administrators at the graduate school office, Mr. Jimi Oclaham, Ms. Nisha Colera and Ms. Jan Hewitt, for making this PhD course easier for me as an international student. More gratitude goes to Dr. Melanie Petch from DMU CLASS and the entire PhD research writing group. v STATEMENT OF INTENT I cannot claim that I can change the world, but I can simply play my part. As a Muslim veiled woman, as a Bahraini conservative housewife who appreciates her privacy, as an interior designer who cares about users’ culture, background, taste and daily life routine, as an architect understanding the social context, aesthetics and functional yet affordable design solutions, as a product designer of emotional, feminine yet revolutionised traditional screens, as a researcher who cherishes variable knowledge, understands the supremacy of industrial and technological constraints yet challenges them. A new Mashrabiya is hitherto a treasure that mediates between architecture,