Architecture Portfolio / Akmal Zain

AKMAL ZAIN

B. Arch, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

This architecture portfolio serves as a collection of select academic works from 2018 - 2022.

NEXUS CIVIC LIBRARY WESTMEAD, SYDNEY

NEWTOWN APARTMENTS

NEWTOWN, SYDNEY

APOLLO FILM INSTITUTE ROCHOR, SINGAPORE SKYNEST AT DAKOTA DAKOTA, SINGAPORE

NEXUS CIVIC LIBRARY

NEXUS CIVIC LIBRARY

Type: Civic Location: Westmead, Sydney Year: 2022

Close to the geographic heart of metropolitan Sydney, the library at Westmead will focus on cultural, learning and recreational opportunities, with quiet spaces for study and information-seeking, places to collaborate and create, accessible and highly visible collection displays, and multifunctional spaces for events and programs, exhibitions and lectures.

Located at the intersection of Westmead and Parramatta is a library complex that encircles a courtyard. The entrance plaza from the junction of Alexandra Ave and Hawkesbury Road leads into a nested public space where locals can enter the library lobby, the café area, take a short respite under shade or continue their journey southwards of Grand Ave. On the upper floors, the reading rooms and exhibition spaces open up to views towards Paramatta as well as southwards towards Westmead residences. NEXUS seeks to connect and foster a vibrant community through its presence and character.

Enhances circulation for pedestrians coming from all directions and also serves as both a node and thoroughfare.

Allows for a diversified experience as there are opportunities for both inward and outward looking views.

Stepped terraces allow for a variety of experiences from indoor spaces to outdoor spaces with the added benefit of great visual connectivity.

Building footprint creates a nested public space that shields against unwanted sources of noise from street level.

EAST ELEVATION

NORTH ELEVATION

SOUTH ELEVATION

BELOW (TOP TO BOTTOM): Reading room Staircase to library

NEWTOWN APARTMENTS

NEWTOWN APARTMENTS

Type: Residential Location: Newtown, Sydney Year: 2022

This multi-unit residential project requires three dwellings and a kiosk on the lot at 53 and 55 Georgina Street, Newtown, in the Sydney City Council area. The task is to develop an integrated project that will support the inhabitants within their own dwelling and thoughtfully shape their interactions with one another and with the physical environment of the surrounding site.

Nestled at the edge of Hollis Park at the end of Georgina Street, this housing project seeks to forge a union between residents of multiple dwellings by way of a purposeful centric-focused layout while serving as a node for passersby and residents of the area. Hence, this housing project seeks to foster a sense of community and belonging by affording residents high levels of comfort and autonomy through thoughtful design.

Design aims:

1. To provide residents with high levels of autonomy over their experiences within and around their dwelling.

2. To exploit the natural slope of the site to enhance residents’ privacy and comfort.

3. To foster a sense of community through a central shared space.

4. To provide a good amount of natural sunlight and ventilation for dwelling interiors.

HOLLIS PARK

While each dwelling is unique in its affordances, when brought together, their individual position, orientation and configuration complement one another to create a cohesive layout that physically and visually converge into a central shared space. Each dwelling seeks to afford residents a high level of social control through the provision of individual, household and communal controlled spaces as well as different levels of control for outdoor spaces.

An outdoor kiosk sits at the perimeter, drawing in pedestrians from a footpath connecting Wilson Street and Park Lane. The kiosk and adjacent dwellings cocoon a sunken central courtyard area that is shielded from public view.

Together, the three dwellings and kiosk and envelop a private shared space that allows a generous amount of sunlight to bathe the interior spaces and for natural ventilation to take place.

The level changes of the project respond to the natural slope of the site and help to maintain a comfortable level of privacy amongst residents. Each dwelling features a private outdoor space that further exploits a heightened level of privacy afforded by the site’s natural topography.

WEST ELEVATION

SOUTH ELEVATION

Central courtyard

Allows for a centralised point of convergence for social interactions to foster a sense of community and belonging for residents by providing a shared intermediary space for circulation.

Multiple private outdoor spaces

A private outdoor space that overlooks a central shared space heightens the level of autonomy afforded to residents. Residents are able to enjoy the views of a central courtyard from the privacy of their dwellings.

Multiple levels of control

Within the site and within the dwelling, communal controlled outdoor spaces, household controlled outdoor spaces, and individual outdoor spaces are afforded to residents.

Sunken central courtyard

Provides residents with high levels of comfort, privacy and a sense of being shielded from public view as afforeded by level change which is both thougtful and strategic

Multiple private outdoor spaces

A rooftop garden terrace provides an alternative outdoor space and further adds to the multitude of possibilities, control and experience for residents.

Transitory spaces as a light well

Residents spend the least amount of time in circulation spaces such as hallways and staircases which makes these spaces ideal for catching natural sunlight for other interior spaces.

APOLLO FILM INSTITUTE

APOLLO FILM INSTITUTE

Type: Education

Location: Rochor, Singapore

Year: 2021

The site is located within Rochor Planning Area, Singapore’s budding arts, culture, and education district. The urban design guidelines focus on preserving the area’s rich architectural and cultural heritage, while facilitating its development into a renowned education and learning hub. Envisioned to be a lively arts, learning and heritage enclave, the site calls for the design of an institute of higher learning that adopts modern learning technologies and challenges pedagogical convention.

Consolidation of programmes

Cinema Screening room

Library

Administration office

Sound stage

Motion capture studio

Computer lab

Animation lab

Workshop Lecture hall

Classrooms

Collaboration spaces

Lounge Film archive Café

Amphitheatre

Reception 1st Floor AGUs

Parking

Shuffling of programmes

Cinema

Administration office

Studios Labs

Lecture Hall

Classroom & collaboration

Library Café

Arrival Parking

Singapore, despite excelling in the academic sciences, has an arguably lacklustre arts scene, more specifically in the discipline of filmmaking and lacks concrete, institutional support to imbibe a dynamic and inquisitive mind in the arts.

At the intersection of Selegie, Middle Road and Prinsep Street, the site is a culmination of multiple influences and institutions such as art, cultural and commercial, with arts being the strongest undertone within the district. The proposed school is a film institute that fosters one’s passion and the skills required in the discipline including filmmaking, screenwriting, cinematography, animation and visual effects.

The school complements the fabric of the site due to its rich history of arts and culture. The discipline of filmmaking naturally fits the context of the surrounding area. The main driver is the importance of revitalizing the film and culture scene in Singapore as it does not have a dedicated film school, or even a film centre for that matter. The idea is to create a conducive environment to facilitate creative expression, and by extension fostering a cultural stronghold within the district and beyond.

As such, in time it is hoped that people and students of Singapore are able to find their voice through a universally powerful medium – storytelling.

Cinema Administration office

Studios Labs

Lecture Hall

Classroom & collaboration

Library Café

Arrival

Parking

Studios Labs

Library

Lecture Hall

Classroom & collaboration

Cinema

Café

Administration Office

Arrival

Parking

Studios Labs

Library

Lecture Hall

Classroom & collaboration

Cinema Café

Administration Office

Arrival

Parking

‘Unstable’ zones

3RD STOREY PLAN

4TH STOREY PLAN

5TH STOREY PLAN

SELEGIE ROAD ELEVATION

PRINSEP STREET ELEVATION LONG

BELOW (TOP TO BOTTOM): Event space lounge Amphitheatre

Section detail (opposite):

A DRYWALL PARTITION

B UNITISED CURTAIN WALL & RAISED FLOOR

C SKYLIGHT

D SUSPENDED CEILING & LIGHTWEIGHT METAL ROOF

Perforated facade system

Perforated metal offers a unique, modern rhythmic aesthetic to compliment any building. With virtually endless options in hole shapes, sizes, geometric patterns & finishes available, perforated metal makes it a perfect material to achieve a specific look.

Materials which make up perforated metal are versatile. They are easily bent & configured to a specific design.

Perforated metal has a structural strength many other materials do not have. They can withstand harsh weather environments, with the ability to control or equalize pressure due to its high strength-to-weight ratio.

Bioclimatic performance

By balancing light & ventilation, perforated metal can allow architects to manage interior heat build-up from the sun. By deflecting heat, less energy output is required from HVAC systems, providing a more consistent interior temperature. As a screening element, perforated metal decreases the amount of indoor lighting required.

As the ultimate green material for design and construction, perforated metal minimizes resource depletion due to its recyclability, reduces energy in use and promotes sustainability.

DETAIL A DRYWALL PARTITION SYSTEM

DETAIL B UNITISED CURTAIN WALL & RAISED FLOOR SYSTEM

DETAIL C SKYLIGHT SYSTEM

DETAIL D SUSPENDED CEILING & LIGHTWEIGHT METAL ROOF SYSTEM

SKYNEST AT DAKOTA

SKYNEST AT DAKOTA

Type: Residential

Location: Dakota, Singapore

Year: 2020

The future of Singapore housing is projected to head into a model of greater urban density as the population is expected to increase to 6.9 million in 2030. The solution to the future of housing for millennials lies in a vertical green urbanism in micro cities that seek to root people to their community. The site at Dakota Crescent enveloped by two adjoining roads and a river calls for a high-rise integrated residential project.

MOUNTBATTENROAD

OLDAIRPORTROAD MRT GEYLANGRIVER

Singapore has always been looking for ways to make high density living more liveable as the population density increases and there is increasing demand for a city-like lifestyle within the microcosm of a residential building. Green urbanism is the practice of creating communities beneficial to both humans and nature using nature as a mitigating tool against the built environment, which is an important element of a liveable city, and is in line with Singapore’s vision to become a garden city.

The modern green urban model consists of a few principles; connectivity, sustainability and diversity of use.

Hence, the design intent in Skynest is to provide a greater sense of home and community amongst nature and flora, for it to be a sustainable model for the long run. In the future, with effective spatial and landscape planning, nature and flora would able to soften and mitigate the hardscape while allowing the creation of a unified residential community brought together by their common desire for respite, thereby inducing a homely sense of belonging.

Conventional high-rise residential block

Two blocks are arranged to complement the profile of the site

Provision of sky terrace and additional communal garden spaces through vertical splitting of blocks

A section of the first block is extended over the other. Doing so results in an express intent to create multiple modes of experience within the open spaces as well as to ‘interlock’ two separate programs

Cantilevered spaces enhance the living experience and further allows for multiple modes of experiencing and appreciating greenery

BELOW: Sky terrace

STRUCTURAL FRAME PLAN

Structural columns

Primary beams

Secondary beams

PREFABRICATED PREFINISHED VOLUMETRIC CONSTRUCTION

Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) is a construction method that first builds rooms in an off-site facility, and then transports to the construction site to be assembled into a building. PPVC is one of the game-changing technologies that supports Singapore’s Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA), a key pillar of the Construction Industry Transformation Map (ITM). The idea is to significantly speed up construction in a traditionally manpower-intensive industry.

BELOW: Bathroom interior

SOLAR SHADING

Facades that are facing the East-West axis are the most susceptible to unwanted excessive heat gain that copromises on user comfort. Vertical timber fins are able to counteract this problem by blocking out most of the direct sunlight while maintaining visual connectivity to the outside.

SOLAR HARVESTING

Solar photovoltaic systems in buildings use solar panels to convert solar energy into electricity. The amount of space needed to meet the building’s energy needs may be substantial, but this method is economically friendly and helps to reduce electrical consumption from the public grid.

Total Number of Units: 84

Electrical Consumption: 50, 400kWh

Possible energy savings using 122 1.0m x 1.5m solar panels: 32, 040kWh

BELOW: Communal garden at sky terrace

ECO HOUSE

ECO HOUSE

Type: Residential Location: Pasir Ris, Singapore Year: 2019

A young family of three seeks an abode near the beach that serves as a place of peace, warmth, and comfort and is also able to harmoniously consolidate the family’s needs for the present and the foreseeable future. While they wish to house their art collection in a gallery, they also envision a house that is able to capture desirable natural elements of the wind and sea. Eco house seeks to provide a harmony of art, nature and family.

Located just over 200m away from the beach and just across from Pasir Ris Park, the site can be characterized by its reclusiveness and tranquil disposition. While tapping on natural daylighting is imperative, few considerations must be taken into mind.

For one, the art gallery along the corridors is located mostly away from the edges of the building to avoid direct sunlight while transient spaces are relegated to the edges. Breezes from the nearby beach are also capitalized through the provision of vertical louvres and adjustable pivot doors that allow adequate ventilation in the dining and living room during daytime. In the night time, pitched roofs allow the breezes from the opposite direction to ventilate and lower temperatures in the bedrooms, maximising comfort. In addition, the house recognizes the appropriate levels of privacy needed by different spaces. The patio, for instance, is located in a semi-private area that allows for unhindered interaction without excessive seclusion.

EAST ELEVATION

WEST ELEVATION

NORTH ELEVATION

PARAMETRIC DESIGN

PARAMETRIC DESIGN

Rationalization of complex geometries through scripting and digital fabrication systems of recursion and optimization, transforming three dimensional structures into a series of buildable and connectable elements.

1. ITERATIVE DESIGN

2. LIVING HINGE

3. ADAPTABLE TEXTILE

4. TRANSLATIONAL SURFACE

5. DYNAMIC ROTATIONAL SHELL

6. WAFFLE STRUCTURE

7. POLYHEDRAL STRUCTURE

8. FRACTAL STRUCTURE

1.

Exploration of parametric design in the built environment

ITERATIVE DESIGN

2. LIVING HINGE

Exploration of flexible living hinge patterns on rigid materials

3. ADAPTABLE TEXTILE Exploration of adaptable textiles through interlocking chainmail modules

Exploration of weave patterns on parametric surfaces

Exploration of dynamic patterns on cylindrical surfaces

5. DYNAMIC ROTATIONAL SHELL

6. WAFFLE STRUCTURE

Exploration of waffle structure on warped surfaces

7. POLYHEDRAL STRUCTURE

Exploration of polyhedrons through rods and nodes

Exploration of three dimensional fractal structures

8. FRACTAL STRUCTURE