YBA’s work is not just about sketching the architectural design of the project. A big part of their work includes researching potential problems and implementing solutions for those foreseeable problems so that this problem is already solved during execution.
Al Beltagy’s research philosophy is a key factor to the exceptional execution of his work.
“The architect’s job is the hardest in the
world,” Al Beltagy said. The entire process begins with research.
There are many different layers of research, and the goal of every project is to implement those specific layers that will influence the design of the project, according to Al Beltagy. For example, one of the most important components is researching the site from an environmental (built and natural) standpoint.
The built environment is correlated with researching what is near the space they are creating. For example, if Al Beltagy is designing a building, he would start researching the height and the shapes of the buildings that are near the one he is building, and he researches the urban fabric of the area. If he is designing a building in a foreign country, he starts researching the history of the buildings and its proportions in that country and more specifically in that area.
The natural environment includes researching the climate (winds, humidity, rain, and the angles of the sun) and the topography.
If it is a complicated project, he researches the different life cycles of that area (for example, a space in the woods). Then, he researches how those different factors affect the spaces he creates. Those are his first areas of research in any project.
Another important research layer is the rules of construction of every country. Each country has a set of requirements and rules relating to construction, and the architect has to put those into consideration during the research process. This includes the measurements of the heights of the buildings and the measurements of the building proportions on the ground, according to Al Beltagy.
An architect also has to recognize the appropriate construction methods of each country as well, Al Beltagy said. An architect studies the cost of the project and connects it to the construction methods, for example, the kind of finishing work and fabrics used in the project. An architect has to execute a project using the appropriate construction method that is within the budget for everyone involved and appropriate for its users. The construction method has to be appropriate to the area and the county of where the space is built, Al Beltagy said. “We have to measure it right. It’s complicated stuff. When professors were explaining architecture theories, we didn’t understand it at the time. It’s hard for a student to comprehend it. This job needs 15 years of work experience to become mature enough to know how to execute projects,” Al Beltagy said.
Next, Al Beltagy starts researching the functions of the space, including the volume and the amount of space he needs for the project. For example, the functions of building a hospital are completely different than building a house. When building a hospital an architect has to think about different factors, including how will a big piece of equipment be transferred to the fourth floor or where to transfer the operation waste. Each user wants different functions for the space that they will use. During this stage, Al Beltagy also studies the electromechanical aspects of the project, such as electricity and air conditioning.
Next, Al Beltagy researches the psychology of the user. For example, if he is designing an educational facility, such as a nursery or a school, he needs to create a space that encourages the students to learn and encourages them to think.
“Those
psychological factors are super important when we are designing any building,” Al Beltagy said.
Real estate projects are a little bit more complicated because they have to consider the objectives of the developers, the marketing team, and the sales team because they also have goals. They
