Nexus innovation Hub | Architecture Thesis

Site Context

The central region of The Knowledge City in the New Administrative Capital (NAC), a brand-new metropolitan area in Cairo Governorate, Egypt, and a satellite of Cairo City, has been chosen as the location for the project. It has been under development since 2015 and is intended to serve as Egypt’s next capital.

A residential suburb borders The Knowledge City to the west, and the Regional Ring Road runs along its western edge. The site chosen for the proposal is surrounded by a variety of institutions, including the University of Canada, Egypt University of Informatics, and European Universities in Egypt, in addition to more institutes that are currently under construction.

Design Process

The goal of the design is to create a versatile workspace that can accommodate varied activities and provide inviting areas for studying, working, and innovating. Three keywords derived to support the concept were (i) Flexibility (ii) Connection and (iii) Variation.

(i) Flexibility: In order to accommodate different requirements of a functional workspace, such as solitary cubicles, group discussions, and meetings, the arrangement was kept flexible, shapeshifting like a cloud.

(ii) Connection: In order to enhance user interactions, the zoning of areas was developed with a physical and visual connection established both horizontally and vertically. The users will be able to exchange ideas and learn new concepts due to these interactive spaces.

(iii) Variation: In order to combine expertise and knowledge and produce creative results, a variety of spaces were merged together.

Form Derivation: A mass was extruded with a built up area that utilises 30% of the site area. The mass was then divided into multiple parts in accordance with the essential functions and oriented in relation to the climate of the region. Finally, different forms were given to these masses in order to adapt to particular functions.

Final Outcome

Masterplan: The design proposal emphasises pedestrian and bike-friendly circulation around the campus while also focusing on a considerably landscaped master plan in order to create a sustainable campus. The goal of the project is to maximise and magnify the location’s potential and turn it into a centre of interaction and activities. The accessibility and extroversion of outdoor spaces naturally promote an exchange of ideas across disciplines.

Spaces: The building’s commercial areas, training centre, and service centre are all located on the ground floor and are centred on the reception, which serves as the complex’s core. A green street divides the structure, providing an appealing environment for employees to enjoy during breaks and lunch. The upper levels include technical and administrative offices, separated by a variety of leisure spaces, outdoor gyms, and public lounging areas.

Roofing: The design includes a tent-like photovoltaic integrated canopy skin that covers the structure. The canopy skin will control indoor climate, air quality, and sound as well as enable the production of renewable energy on the site. In order to lower the building’s cooling energy and enhance the air quality, landscaped spaces were also added to its flat roofs, where everything from low grasses and herbs to trees and shrubs can be grown.

Façades: The façade’s sinuous direction matches the solar orientation. It minimises exposure on the sunny sides while maximising the openness on the north side for views and natural light. With no mechanical components or modern technology, this sustainable facade solution lowers the building’s overall energy consumption. While the facades facing the green street are made of glass, the exterior facades are made of brick. The upper levels of these inward-looking façade decrease, giving the green street a feeling of more openness. To improve connections inside the office complex, walkways connect the building’s top floors.

The digital media façade aims to develop into a virtual forum for interaction and conversation with visitors as well as locals. It is intended to encourage the sharing of knowledge, social interaction, and play-based activities.

Plaza: The plaza is packed with various pieces of furniture that offer various levels of interactions and tasks to be accomplished much like the components of a computer chip. Students are compared to electrons or bits of information, and they are assumed to circulate and share information to form a complex network of greater intelligence.

Conclusion: The goal of the project is to maximise the site’s potential and turn it into a centre of communication and activities. This goal is accomplished by perceiving outdoor areas with an inherent accessibility and extroversion that promotes the fusion of ideas from various disciplines. The proposal entirely occupies the site with urban furniture in order to establish a new centre of activity and revitalise the knowledge city in the new administrative capital.

[This Academic Project has been published with text submitted by the student]