This is a boutique hotel by Malaysia’s renowned Landscape Architect, Mr Ng Sek San who designs, owns & operates a series of 10 retreats.
Lesson to be learnt:
-A simple material palate of solid timber and metal that is able to produce an elegant ladder design that exudes a simple yet timeless and contemporary aesthetics of the ladder which is simply rested on the edge of the upper loft.
-A simple detailing strategy that reveals and expresses the beauty of the fixing and securing details of the ladder parts and installation respectively with the ladder easily removable and recyclable by unscrewing the two securing screws at the bottom of the ladder.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
LADDER PLAN: L-P1
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LADDER SECTION: L-S1
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LADDER ELEVATION: L-E1
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VIEW OF LADDER
DETAIL 1 - PD1
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DETAIL 2 - PD2
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DETAIL 3 - PD3
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This is a boutique hotel by Malaysia’s renowned Landscape Architect, Mr Ng Sek San who designs, owns & operates a series of 10 retreats.
Lesson to be learnt:
-I have recorded the details of this metal-framed glass door to my best observation during my one night stay at the retreat. From my understanding through reading of various publications of Mr Ng Sek San's practice to collect old building materials and parts for recycling, and in view of the only odd number of this glass door found in this retreat, it leads to my conclusion that this metal-framed glass door must has been recycled from his collection.
-The following design features have fascinated me:
1_A built-up metal door frame that overcomes the heaviness of the material to exude a light weight aesthetics.
2_A built-up metal door frame that observes all traditional details of beading to hold glass panel in place, a composite metal door frame comprising metal hollow section, flat and C-channel that overlaps with the door opening to fulfill weather proofing.
3_A customized metal pivote hinge design to cater for a 180-degree swing to park the door parallel to the wall.
ORCHID PAVILION
As an addition to Singapore's famed National Orchid Garden with the largest display of tropical orchids in the world.
SITE SELECTION AND OBSERVATION
Existing beautiful greenery with mature trees can be seen along both sides of the existing circulation track. A straight forward approach is taken of selecting an empty patch to park my proposed Orchid Pavilion in keeping with the existing strategy and planning of scattering various orchid related attractions on both sides of the circulation route/track.
DESIGN INTERVENTION
Existing tree are kept with least disturbance to the beautiful existing greenery of the chosen site through the proposal of a minimum physical footprint and the shortest direct connection in the form of a plaza to receive the general public, departing and arriving along the existing circulation track.
Topographically inspired architectural form and structural system are conceived with main functional spaces initiated as circular footprints, structural configuration in circular & radial framing and stacking of 50mm by 50mm G.S. S.H.S. to further reinforce the design intention to relate to the topography.
Tangent points are applied to connect the three circular footprints of orchid gallery, café/retail space and outdoor arena into a free flowing form that is able to blur the boundary between the indoor and outdoor spaces. A visitor is able to move along the seemingly free flowing curve that leads & connects one into the sheltered café/retail space, out into the outdoor, into the semi-sheltered orchid gallery, out into the outdoor again and back into the enclosed outdoor arena which is open to the sky. This sequential experience of the programmatic functions is threaded through the meandering curvature of the proposed pavilion.
Enclosure of the spaces is conceived as eight stacked tiers that act as both the roofing as well as the seating over the orchid gallery and café/retail space which are enclosed, and under the outdoor arena which is open to the sky. This is intended to better blend & merge the new pavilion with the existing topography. A skylight over the center at the top of the pavilion, granite over the horizontal surfaces/tiers and louvered glass proposed in between the eight tiers are intended to shelter the café/retail space from the rain. Whereas the orchid gallery is shaded by the perforated G.S. sheet that replaces the granite over the horizontal tiers with the vertical surfaces in between the tiers open to the weather to allow water into the pavilion with hanging trays of orchids on display.
Entire architecture/pavilion as seating terrain is achieved as a result of the new orchid pavilion being conceived as eight tiers of 450mm each that are stacked either internally or externally over the functional spaces below, thus allowing a more interesting and intricate spatial form that is either converging or diverging towards the sky.
Modular system is applied to both the structure and architecture to facilitate off-site pre-fabrication to allow ease of production, transportation and assembly of the pavilion which can be dismantled and relocated for any reuse in the future. As a result, a more cost-efficient and refine architecture is made possible.
Simple material template of structural framing in galvanized steel hollow sections, cement-rendered concrete floor, roof/seating in the form of stair tread to finish in granite or/& G.S. perforated sheet, risers as void or/& in louvered glass.
