Design Yearbook 2017

BA Dissertations
Vernacular Architecture of Nomads: Transmission of principles and knowledge from
traditional Kazakh architecture to the architecture of 21st century
Assem Nurymbayeva
This dissertation set out to investigate and discuss Vernacular Nomadic Architecture and how
its fundamental efficient engineering basics and other aspects have been applied and used in the
contemporary construction field. Study on the historical background and structural principles
of nomadic dwellings is important in order to get a better understanding of traditional Kazakh
Architecture, to test and analyse the ancient structures and research the subject of cultural
influence. In this dissertation the Case Study on the aspect of implementing the features of
nomads’ dwellings in the time of 21st Century is reviewed and studied. Moreover, purpose of
this research is to assess the extent to which information gathered from the Literature Review
unravelled nomadic constructions - Yurts. Their examination and inspection with the aim
of obtaining holistic critique will be implemented by collecting primary data of thermal
performance and feedback from the occupants. The notion of combining technological
innovations of today and extremely valuable traditional experience and knowledge accumulated
by the human race for many centuries is the focus of this dissertation.
Rebuilding Identity: Acknowledging the traumas of architectural destruction
Daniel Barrett
My dissertation aims to investigate the troubling state of identity within refugee camps,
following the biggest migration crisis since World War II. I began by defining the routes to
a positive sense of identity under the two classifications of accomplishment. This provided
an architectural and spatial framework from which to view identity in refugee camps, which
naturally led to an uncovering of the tensions at the heart of humanitarian design that constrict
identity growth: Permanence – Temporary, Independence – Control.
Considering the spatial clues for these categories, an analysis of the formal and informal
refugee settlements seemed to reveal that the further towards the permanent and independent
side of the spectrum, the more identity is able to flourish.
The dissection of the Za’atari camp was important as it showed the development of identity
over a wide time frame in a highly controlled environment (a refugee camp ‘sandbox’). The
steady swing from temporary to permanent, and from control to independence, over the
course of five years unveiled a gradual rebirth of Syrian Identity. I tell this story through the
accomplishments of the refugees in Za’atari.
Classifying Concrete: A study of existing irregularities in concrete’s characteristics and
how this could affect its position in the current classification system of material properties
Quynh Dang Le Tu
This dissertation originated from my interest in finding out what could be regarded as ‘irregular’
in architecture. This is not the kind of striking unusualness that calls for attention like the
extravagant cladding of Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum or Zaha Hadid’s extreme curved
style in Heydar Aliyev Centre. I wanted to study something which exceeded the ‘normal’ in a
subtle way but which also has a significant impact on the work of architecture.
At the outset, concrete came to my research as fabric formwork, something contrasting to
the density of the common concrete. What interested me was its plasticity, but moreover the
appreciation of the material itself more than just about the constructional aspect. Concrete
cannot be defined by one category and I wanted to find ways to express its ability ‘to be both’
of concrete. While determining concrete’s indeterminacy I have also realised that I might as
well have created a new class for its properties. Because of being ‘in-between’, concrete has
moments of irregularity and does not fit into the conventional property system. This led me to
question whether it was the classification that could not cope with the properties of concrete
and caused irregularities in it. And if that is the case, could there be another framework that
accepts concrete’s properties as another standard category?
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