Architecture Studio 4

PROJECT 1: EXPLORING ENVIRONMENTAL POETICS

Introduction

This project requires us to design a structure within an open area that applies ideas of environmental sustainability in architectural design, that should provide both a shelter and suitable environment for users, exploring the environmental poetics of a structure that respond to the basic natural context such as the sun, wind, heat, cold, energy issue, and the existing context.

Learning Outcomes

Through the completion of this project, I have gained the ability to:

Identify and analyze environmental qualities and contextual needs of a site.
Apply ideas of environmental sustainability in architectural design.
Employ particular material and construction techniques.

Submission Requirements

This is a group project. In groups of 3, we were required to design a 'gateway' to Taylor's University based on the following requirements:

Have a volume of 300 m³ (min 2 storey)
Serve 2 main purposes, that is, for student activities (indoor game, social) and security surveillance (watch tower, security station).

We were to fit our site analysis, plans, diagrams, perspectives and design processes onto 3 A1 Presentation Boards, and construct a physical model of 1:20 scale.

Submissions

My group consisted of Koay Hui May, Edwin Ho Khai Vun and I, and our assigned site was the triangular plot of undulating land beside the Taylor's University tennis court.

Our design concept was derived from the combination of the analysis of our target group (self discovery, expressive, energetic) and the site (dynamic, vertical, undulating, movement), resulting in an overall concept based on our chosen sport: Parkour.

Further analysis on parkour revealed its main qualities that we have adapted into our design:

Requires strength and determination - Usage of solid verticals (concrete)
Requires a high degree control - a semblance of order amidst chaos in the arrangement of solids vs voids
Allows for freedom of movement - an open structure with no path restriction
A sport of momentum - building speed (solid) to scaling an obstacle (void)
Dynamicism - usage of tensile structures within the structure that gives the illusion of movement

Our final panel and model is as seen below.

Reflection

Through this project, I have become aware of how to appropriately analyze and identify environmental qualities that can be exploited to create a design with strong contextual relations such as topography, sun, wind, circulation and also a specific target user. By taking the surrounding context into serious consideration, I have gained the knowledge of how to create an environmentally sustainable design including certain construction details regarding the use of sustainable materials.

PROJECT 2: NATURE APPRECIATION CENTER : GATEWAY TO ROYAL BELUM

Introduction

This project requires us to design a simple public building with some complexity that includes the complexity of site topography and vegetation, socio-cultural events, and variety of strategies for sustainable design.

A design that takes advantage of environmental qualities and conditions for human and environment sustainability but is also for specific community of users. The design should reduce environmental impact utilising clustered spatial typology and passive design approach, merging harmoniously with nature and the site, and providing the best of experiences for the users.

Project Objectives

Through this project, I am now able to:

Be more aware of environmental sustainability in architectural design.
Meet the imperative and inter-related environmental and social needs.
Design poetic spaces.

Learning Outcomes

After the completion of this project, I have gained the ability to:

Apply ideas of environmental sustainability in design.
Design and create architectural spaces with consideration of environmental poetics in relation to the basic natural context and existing built context which impact on users’ experiences.
Combine the environmental needs, the site, and the users’ experiences within simple building design in the open landscape.
Produce drawings (both 2D and 3D), modelling and verbal presentation to communicate and visualize architectural design and ideas based on clustered spatial typology.

Submission Requirements

This project consists of both a group and individual component.

The group component consists of a site analysis in a group of 14 members which are to be summarized into 4 A1 Presentation boards

The individual component of this project requires us to design a Nature Appreciation Center at Pulau Banding, Gerik, Perak that acts as a 'gateway' to the 130 million year-old Royal Belum Rainforest, a man-made island located within the majestic Temenggor Lake, it is known for nature based activities such as fishing, bird watching, camping and visiting orang asli settlements.

Specifications of the design are:

2-3 Storeys
800 sq m
Acts as a mixed-use facility (gallery, auditorium, information desk, archive, observation deck, cafe, children explorative area)
Disabled access
Public/Private separation
Pedestrian/Vehicular Access

All aspects of the design are to be fitted into 6 A1 Presentation Boards for submission.

Submissions

For the group component, I was placed under the vegetation team on site under Mr. Axxu whereby my duty was to determine positions of all major trees on site to be indicated on the building plans and sections, determining soil conditions and the assesment of whether they would be suitable for building on, and determining the species of trees on site.

After returning to my own tutorial group under Mr. Izwan, I imparted my knowledge to my group so they could translate the data into visuals and come up with appropriate design implications for the site analysis boards.

Our site analysis board submission and class model is as follows:

For my individual component, I was much inspired by the organic quality of the spaces created by nature, which drove me to my concept, Structure is Nature.

My spaces were planned around the natural clearings of the trees on site, where each clearing houses one cluster of spaces, and the trees act as a natural partitiion between them. These clusters were function specific with views corresponding to their functions and spatial characteristics, where the user would experience less and less human intervention as they progressed throughout the building.

There are 4 clusters in total, corresponding with the 4 layers of the rainforest (forest floor, understorey, canopy, emergent) whose characteristics mirror the population size and general layout of each layer, showing a hierarchical relation between clusters.

My design also strives to alert the users of a deep connection of dependency between themselves and nature by having the design heavily rely on natural ventilation, natural means of shading, and the slope that it is on for support. The high concentration of trees also provides the illusion that the structure is supported by the surrounding trees. This particular keyword was inspired by the icon of the Royal Belum Rainforest, the Hornbill whose reliance on her mate (during mating season) is akin to the reliance of humans on nature.

Below are my final presentation boards and models.

Garden view	Birds eye view
View from library	View to indoor gallery
View to auditorium	View to library
Library interior	Gallery interior

Reflection

Through this project, I have gained the awareness and knowledge of how to effectively analyze and understand the site and its properties, both tangible and intangible. Through this in depth understanding I now know how to plan an effective journey and layout that engages both the user and the site, creating a poetic feeling and atmosphere specific to the site. I have also had the opportunity to apply the knowledge of passive design strategies that result in a more sustainable building design through conscious consideration of section-plan relationship with considerations of human scale, natural light, materials/texture.

All in all, I can safely say that I have gained a substantial amount of exposure to designing a sustainable community building that takes into account both the user needs and requirements and inhibitions, advantages and disadvantages of the site context.

li ern lim

architecture portfolio