Portfolio 2023

Portfolio

Selected Works from 2017 to 2022

Loh Hong Meng Allan

Loh Hong Meng Allan (b. 1999)

Email: lhm.allan@gmail.com

Digital Portfolio: bit.ly/allanloh

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/allanloh/

Education

Bachelor of Arts (Architecture)

National University of Singapore

Dean’s List (Top 5% in the cohort)

Year 3, Semester 1

Archival Exhibition Nominee

Year 2, Semester 2

Year 2, Semester 1

Diploma

BCA International Building Design Competition 2019

1st Prize, Team Entry

Director’s Honour Roll (Top 10% in the cohort)

Year 3

Director’s Honour Roll (Top 10% in the cohort)

Year 2

Experience

Curatorial Assistant

Assisted Assoc Prof Fung John Chye in the curation of Academic Portfolios and Exhibition Planning for the BOA Accreditation

TA.LE Architects

Architectural Intern

Technical Drawings

Graphical Representation for Competition

Feasiblity Study

Skills

AutoCAD, Sketchup, Revit, Rhino, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Office

01. The Productive Bathhouse density, urbanism, publicness, adaptive reuse program: waste composting cum recreational facilities

02. Interweaving Waterscapes

environment, climate, envelope program: cancer therapy center

03. Experiential Scenery

aggregation, structure, space program: residential

04. International Built Environment Week 2019 Competition

explore topics of sustainability in BIM and PPVC program: mixed use rnd facilities for the agritech and waste industry

05. Nomadic Hub

future workplace for the millenials program: offices for the creative industry

06. Rochor Ties

future housing for the silver generation program: high-rise residential

01. The Productive Bathhouse

B.A (Arch) Year 3, 2022

National University of Singapore

Tutor: Chan Wai Kin

The productive bathhouse addresses three areas of urban neglect through:

1. Resurfacing of historical connections to the former Yan Kit Swimming Complex 2. Stitching urban linkages with key contexts 3. Introduction of a circular and sustainable model to deal with the current labour-intensive management of waste

The scheme proposes an adaptive reuse scenario that reappropriates the former Yan Kit Swimming Complex through a circular model of waste management and leisure.

1. urban spectacle

4. demolishment of site

2. graveyards of the pools

5. backfilling of pools

3. urban artefact frozen in time

6. reclaimed land as soulless scars

As a result of physical obstructions and stepping levels between Tanjong Pagar Plaza and Yan Kit Road, the initial site analysis identified poor connectivity between the two locations.

In developing the programme as well as the architectural design, considerations related to the area’s proximity and future connections to the Greater Southern Waterfront were taken into account as well as historical references to the former swimming pool structure now buried beneath the Yan Kit playfield.

conceptual collage

wider contextual reference design parti

As a result of the Greater Southern Waterfront, there are urban issues such as the empty plots lacking culture, spirit, and neighbourhood identity; for the district to flourish, it is important to create a sense of community. Reference was also made to less tangible socio-political issues.

Is it possible to integrate a more sustainable refuse disposal or composting system within a mature estate? In the face of ageing populations and declining commercial businesses, how can existing infrastructure remain useful and relevant? In this Anthropocene epoch, does it make sense to demolish the existing fabric and replace it with an entirely new one?

Part of the existing Yan Kit pool structures will be exhumed and reappropriated as new public spaces that will revive the water-for-recreation theme. This recreational feature will be integrated with a waste composting facility inserted below. The pools have become a part of the collective memory of many of the inhabitants of that time.

1. reusistation of yan kit pool structure

2. removing parts of carpark + expansion of border

3. stepwells & the experiential walkways

4. public thoroughfare & the subterranean

The integration of the old structure with the subterranean spaces was proposed to reinforce the idea of the old pool as an active element in the daily lives of the users, strengthening the dialogue between the old and the new. Above and underneath the site, composting facilities for waste management will be combined with public leisure baths. The water is heated by pipe runoff from the composter’s heating process.

The stepwell accommodates both the served and service spaces, manifesting the hybridised relationship between leisure and production.

facing page: site plan

top right: floor plans

bottom right: sectional perspective B-B’

In the near future, the proposal could expand the potential of the circular economy at the Greater Southern waterfront, located 450m from the site. By reducing the city’s dependence on foreign labour, a sense of resilience would be built. Considering all the factors listed above, it is essential to create a sustainable and relevant model that is appropriate to its context while enabling a sense of neighbourhood and community in this unique urban setting of the old and new.

Interweaving Waterscapes

B.A (Arch) Year 2, 2022 National University of Singapore

Tutor: Fung John Chye

The design focuses on extracting the element of water and adapting its natural climatic performance into an envelope design for the tropical climate of Singapore. The resultant curved façade was developed to become a cancer therapy center in the heart of Marina Bay. It wraps around the building, with different sizes of curvature that respond to the varying sun angle and programs.

this project offers an opportunity to experiment with water as a thermal mitigation of tropical heat through façade envelopes and surface insulation.

massing iterations based on wind performance

perspective renders

Design Intentions

The chosen site, Marina Bay, helps to bring the idea of cancer therapy to the heart of the city, instead of hiding the stigma of end-of-life care in the confines of a hospital. Research in hydrotherapy and therapeutic atmosphere also influenced the design of the programs. As water is an inextricable part of the site, it is also deployed as an overlapping element

that forms a soft boundary between spatial program which enhances the aesthetic and sensorial aspects of in-between spaces. The interplay of water, light and porosity in different programs benefits cancer patients through the sense of touch and sensory stimulation.

Interweaving Waterscapes

B.A (Arch) Year 2, 2022 National University of Singapore

Tutor: Shin Yokoo

Conceived as a response to the hermetic condition of local housing typology, the intervention seeks to investigate the potential of the archetypal stairway and platform to reconcile with the loss of connection between the private and the wider community. Represented as a microcosm of the site, it invites the community to participate and unveil layers of juxtaposing architectural narritives through

an experiential circulation that oscillates between the boundary of the private and semi-public. Picture frame fenestrations capture certain viewpoints, reflecting nuances of tactile qualities on site. The japanese principle of ‘shakkei’ influences the form to take on a cavernous expression. The neighbouring facade becomes a backdrop, activated by the sporadic nature of the planters; an everchanging living

scenery for residents to spectate. The typical floor slabs are deconstructed to achieve autonomous platforms that give rise to various habitable possibilities for the residents.

Design Intentions

The dichotomised spatial-temporal quality on site features a series of interconnected spaces where users demarcate them with make shift furniture, creating informal relieve spaces along a formalised street. The meandering axis of alleyways deliberately slows one’s movement, guiding

users from the monotonous shophouses to the visually chaotic back lanes allowing one’s senses to heighten. The lessons learnt were translated into spatial terms through a series of volumetric studies with the intention to harmonise with the physical and morphological aspects of the site.

exterior perspective

tenkei models

structure and final models

A series of model making explorations were executed to convey spatial strategies and relationship between two seemingly different boundaries, in a human scale. The final model displays the culmination of selected tenkei strategies, facade design and structural system, integrated into an aggregation.

Week 2019 Competition

Joint Collaboration with students from Singapore Polytechnic and National University of Singapore

Awareded 1st Prize

The design employs a computational voronoi tessellation-driven form that addresses the natural environment of coney island, reducing the amount of tree felling. By integrating circular economy principles into its design, interweave addresses sustainability issues such as food security and waste management. The concept of pathways blurs the line between technology, recreation and nature, offering an intimate relationship with semi-outdoor workspaces. The low-lying building is constructed using DFMA and MET systems.of the site, it invites the community to participate and unveil layers of juxtaposing architectural narritives through an experiential circulation that oscillates between the boundary of the private and semi-public.

Final Year Project

Singapore Polytechnic

Tutor: Ho Yenn Giin

What if the floor plate liberates itself from its formal stratification, distilling the notion of a stair, bridge and path to form unstable platforms in varying scales, to spur new formulation of spatial activities where users can personalise according to their needs? With the relentless expansion of public spaces in offices, it has resulted in the encroachment of private spaces.

The project aims to question the flexibility of integrating public collaborative spaces in offices, without compromising the essential need for private spaces. The design then compartmentalises the stable and unstable spaces distinctively to achieve spaces of different spatial qualities and function.

conceptual diagrams

spatial perspectives

The levelling of platforms suggest a feature space that cannot be identified with a purposed program. To daily office workers, the building becomes a part of their everyday life where they can find a suitable space to configure the furniture to perform their intended task. The platforms are staggered to enhance visual connectivity, spurring interdisciplinary interaction across the levels.

sectional perspective

left: feature space detailings right: 1:100 sectional model

2nd Year Project

Singapore Polytechnic

Tutor: Priscilla Foo, Chua Soo Hoon

With the isolation of the elderly from the younger generation due to the advancement of technology and the increasing lack of social participation, three-generational homes have become less common over the years and more older people live by themselves.

Thus, inter-generational common spaces are becoming more important. The project seeks to create meaningful communal spaces in the sky to foster a sense of familial relations between neighbours.

exploded axometric

Top: reflected ceiling plan

Below: electrical plan

Right: bathroom plumbing detailings