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For the development stage. Spaces were detailed out while also re arranging spaces to fit better with the site context. I focused on make the core of the structure the most 'public' space by allowing all circulations to go through this space. Furthermore. I aligned the porous spaces which would allow for light to pass though into the central point based on the sun path. This allowed for me to utilize those spaces in such a way it allowed for light to go into the central space while maintaining its functionality. Some units are also removed creating a cascading effect which doubles ss private gardens that open to the center allowing for more light into the central point

The Auditorium and The Pool

The Event Hall

The Primary Study Lounge

My main Design Strategy is Calibrated Porosity. Giving each person within the unit the ability to decide the level of privacy they want depending on the activity that is occurring. in order to achieve this, I introduced large amount of shared spaces between the units which can either be study lounges or garden spaces depending on the apartment units. for the form of the building, I experimented with arranging spaces in such ways that it maximized the views. by rotating and every corresponding floor it creates varying shared spaces between units while also allowing me to represent my concept through the form of the buildind.

During the literature review, I began by examining the book Public Places, Urban Spaces. Beyond simply describing successful urban spaces, the book quantifies them into six dimensions: Morphological, Perceptual, Social, Visual, and Functional.

I explored how these dimensions apply to Malé. O r, more accurately, how they fail to apply as intended. These dimensions served as the basis for my design. I began by mapping the characteristics of each dimension to see where they aligned with the context of Malé and where they diverged. My understanding is that these dimensions are six interweaved connections, formed gradually over time. Depending on the context, one dimension may be favored over another; in this case, the Morphological dimension is where Malé struggles most due to limited space.

This is where I began to see an inverse correlation to what is described in the text. Where the Morphological dimension speaks of 'enclosure,' I saw 'entrapment.' I didn’t find social interaction; I found a proximity that actually prevented it. I realized that the standard dimensions could not fully capture the dysfunctional system within the city. This led to the synthesis of 'Pressures.' Each pressure is the consequence of a dimension existing in a state of extreme imbalance.

Transitions, Conceptual Journey of Male’

My design acknowledges that it exists within a field of intense urban pressure, where the forces of people and context constantly push against the space. Rather than a solid wall that simply resists, our strategy of Calibrated Porosity begins by first determining the specific strain of these pressures, understanding their unique direction and intensity. The building’s form then acts as an instrument, concentrating these identified pressures and channeling them away from the private peripheries towards a central focal point—the building’s social condenser. Here, at this core, the raw pressure is transformed. It is then carefully dispersed as a positive, animating force throughout the building’s vertical and horizontal axes, bringing life and energy to the communal spaces within.

After finishing the initial density mapping, we were left with a large set of raw data, some of which have already been visualized for the density mapping. The Current datasets we had at this point were:

Area of the Plot

Number of floors of each plot

The Road widths

The population density and the estimated population of each plot.

Using this data, what we were hoping to calculate was the maximum number of floors any building within male can be constructed to. This depends on two factors, the area of the plot, and the adjacent road with. Although this sounds simple, it was quite difficult to apply the technicalities of it in purely grasshopper. So we chose to make custom grasshopper components using python and implement those to the already existing grasshopper script.

Max Height Calculation

The values you see above are taken from the building height calculator of Male’ City Council. The calculation works by creating two separate sets of criteria for the plot area and road width, if both are met you are able to construct to the maximum height. For example, a plot with an area of 3000sqft with an adjacent road width of 25 feet can be constructed to a height of 45m (15 floors). However, if the plot area remains at 3000 sqft, but the adjacent road width is 15 feet, the maximum buildable height changes to 30.5m (10 floors). Because of the way max height is calculated, it leaves heavily underutilized plots where they meet the requirement in area but does not meet the requirement in road width.  

So far, we have all of the areas of the plot, but now we needed to calculate the road widths and figure out how to assign a road width to each road. Not only that, we needed to figure out how to effectively consider both factors before giving a max height value to each plot. This is where the custom grasshopper components come in.

Custom Component 1: Road Width Calculator

Custom Component 2: Assign Road To Plot

Now that we have a list of road widths and plot areas, we needed to figure out a way the components to recognize each other. Every plot has at least one edge intersecting with a road at an edge. What this script does is scan every plot with every road and assigns the largest intersecting road to that plot. So now we have comprehensive list of plots with an assigned road with and plot area

Custom Component 3: Max Height Calculator

This component takes the composed list of plot areas with the assigned road widths and calculates the maximum height of the building in accordance with the values set by the Male city Council.

Final Output and Findings

After the data passes through all the components, we are given the maximum building height of each plot. Using this data and the ones we have already collected, we made various analysis which helped in the masterplan process. At first, the data was mainly collected to see if there is a correlation between the number of plots a building is built to Vs the number of floors a building is allowed to be built to. Although we found minor correlations in this field, the data gave us an understanding on the maximum capacity of Male’. And an understanding on the sheer amount of underutilized plots as well, For example, one thing we noticed was that plots are very commonly divided between families throughout generations, but as a result of this division it creates miniature roads, which objectively prevents the development of the building, because it creates narrow alleyways, and these buildings can only be built to a certain height depending on the width of those alleyways. A building which could have once been built up to 10 storeys ends up getting capped at 6 storeys. Furthermore, by mapping out this data we are able to see which parts of Male’ are at its maximum capacity as well as areas for potential redevelopment based on how well the plots are utilized. There are still many ways the datas can be interpreted to get a better understanding on the urban context of Male’

@feststudio6-25

When working on Density mapping, we were looking to gain key data such as the population density within each plot, the area of each plot and the current constructed height of each plot. To do so we needed a master file containing all of the plots sorted by ward within each block. The result is a clean file containing a neatly organized file with all of The information. At first, we were planning on using a file from the previous semester students but that proved to be too difficult, as the file was not optimized to be working with python or grasshopper. As a result the current Masterfile was meticulously made ward by ward, block by block, plot by plot with the help of custom python scripts which helped to speed up the process. Here is a list of custom scripts used to help with this process.

Script 1: Label Floor Area of Surface

This script calculates the area of polysurfaces on a selected layer using their height. It then converts the area to square meters  and places a text dot with this information at the object's area centroid. This text dot is later exported into grasshopper as the value for the Floor Area in cases where necessary.

Script 2: Dup Checker

This script works by finding and selecting duplicate surfaces and polysurfaces from my input. A duplicate is defined as an object with the same area and centroid. The output of this script is a final selection of only the duplicated surfaces and polysurfaces, this saved a lot of time in clearing up the files. This was crucial as any duplicates completely messed up the grasshopper scripts.

Script 3: Floor Surface Maker

This script works by taking the input of curves that I give it and then generating a surface on each one of those curves. Normally, this can be automatically done in rhino but due to the sheer number of plots it was more optimal to use a script reducing read times by more than 50 minutes.

Script 4: Extrude Plots to floor height

For this script to work, 2 main inputs are needed, the plot surface, and the number of floors, I was able to extract the plot surfaces using the previous scripts, and with the help of my colleague Anoof who converted the Sketchup file containing the building heights using grasshopper. I had both the values I needed. Just need to input them for each plot. In other words, this turns the SKP mesh file to a set of CSV numbers and back into a clean 3dm file.  

The Final Masterfile gave us every residential plot, sorted by ward, by block, by floor area, and floor height. This file later became the base for the density mapping and 3d printing which we did later throughout the semester

@feststudio6-25

Public Places Urban Spaces By Matthew Carmona is a guide on urban design, proposing that the creation of successful public places is a continuous process shaped not only by aesthetic considerations but also by considering a holistic approach. it argues that urban design is an ongoing act of shaping places influenced by the global, local and power contexts. The core of the book is built around key dimensions that explain the tangible and intangible qualities of urban spaces. the dimensions that I focused on are:

The Visual Dimension

“observers can choose whether or not to experience art, literature and music, urban design does not afford such a choice”

This dimension is about the kinaesthetic experience, how we feel as we move through a space. the book describes urban design as an inescapable artform.

Functional Dimension

The Functional dimension is about how places work, it analyzes the relationship between the human environment and the human activities it is designed to support.

The Pyramid of a functional public space

For a space to be functional, it needs to offer the People

Comfort and safety:

Movement and Connection: Connected to the wider pedestrian network. They benefit from what the book calls the 'by-product movement'.

Passive and Active Engagement: calls 'optional activities' the things people choose to do when they find a place pleasant. r active engagement. is often sparked by 'triangulation'. A feature like a fountain, social catalyst, providing an excuse for strangers to interact.

Vitality

Temporal Dimension

"The true test of good urban design is not how a place looks on opening day, but how it adapts, endures, and responds over time."