PROJECT STATEMENT

“… is a map and not a tracing.The map is open and connectable in all of its dimensions; it is detachable, reversible, susceptible to constant modification. … is without a General and without an organizing memory or central automaton, defined solely by a circulation of states.”

-- Gilles Deleuze & Félix Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus

The Huge House situates itself on the previous International House, 96 City Rd. It grows from the existing skeleton of masonry and concrete, sitting next to the brutalist School of Architecture at a corner of the university campus.

Only the skeleton of the existing structure remains after the radical removal of all walls and most structures to the west. The podium was demolished for the accommodation-only extensions, which leaves the existing to serve as the circulation core, connecting the other two accommodation areas via bridges.

In the unit, 3 students share a set of separate sanitary facilities plus a ‘kitchen-less’ and stove-less bench for a simple and rapid meal in the morning. Bedrooms are radically squeezed to contain only a bed, a wardrobe, and a bay window with good natural lighting where tenants may ornament. 9 levels of units on CLT construction unfold themselves through lightweight bridges around the deconstructed and discrete existing skeleton, and some banal canopy structures on top.

In response to the compression of private spatial ownership in the unit, double-level communal lounges find their place in the vacated existing structure, which receive brutal penetrations on quasi-mezzanines and are defined by students as they co-work, barbeque, and circulate within.

The ground floor includes huge bicycle storage, providing a bike spot for every tenant. For security purposes, the main entrance on this partially open site was moved from City Road to Maze Crescent. The parcel room sits near the reception that faces the rotated circulation core with a secured entrance. The skeleton of the existing cylinder structure is cut through, delineating an open-air theatre for a movie. 3 irregular shallow ponds and gravel piles make up the freeform landscaping, adding an ambiguous touch.

Is the protection enough? With couple layers of timber, sheets of curtains, and the last but certainly not the least, big, windows and openings, we seek to introduce situational ways of living that internalises the exterior atmosphere.

--We acknowledge theTraditional Custodians of the land on which we gather today.We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and celebrate the diversity of Aboriginal peoples and their ongoing cultures and connections to the lands and waters.