A COLLECTION OF WORKS
G LEN N LO H T ZE YAN G
works one:
To t e m | A n E v o l u t i o n o f S p e c t a t o r s h i p a n d P l a y two:
Drone City \ Viaduct three:
Hydro Project four:
Canopy
project
ONE
TOTEM
An Evolution of Spectatorship & Play
Totem: An Evolution of Spectatorship and Play Thesis Project
The days of video games being played in computer rooms are over. Rapid growth in competitive gaming has brought these virtual contests to real, heart-racing episodes held in front of deeply passionate live crowds. Prize pools reach tens of millions of dollars, not only making them comparable to more “traditional” global sporting events, but also representing a new sporting dream. While this growing phenomenon presents an opportunity for media industries to expand, architecture of the Esports facility is only just starting to respond. Consequently, although more purpose-built Esports spaces are beginning to be built, its biggest annual events still tend to be held in retrofitted professional sporting venues. However, these facilities are not designed to respond to the new nature of screen-based spectatorship. Sited in New York City, Totem represents a new standard in the future of game spaces. The project demonstrates the creation of an urban event that draws upon the escapism of “Play”. The novel large-scale stadia typology serves as a convergence of industry agents – creators, publishers, gamers, spectators and the general masses – in the celebration of the Making, Playing, Watching and Living of games. With its distinct focus on screen and projection technology, the new hub illuminates the way forward in our increasingly digitalized society.
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TOTEM TOWERS A reimagination of the Esports Stadium, the Totem Tower represents not only a novel way to consume gaming, but also introduces immersive screen-based experiences. Its modular nature allows for efficient seating allocation, allowing for multiple smaller scale events to occur. Through stacking, seating capacity is also intensified and the small building footprint frees up the ground floor for the public podium.
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NEW YORK 2040
“Beta Test” Podium | The Urban Event
JOSEPH LIM STUDIO
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“BETA TEST” PODIUM One of the distinctions of game development is the importance of “testing”. From internal “Alpha” testing to external public “Beta” reviews, these processes are critical to debugging and game refinement. As such, the podium block incorporates the smaller scale Totem Pods to facilitate solo and group “Beta Testing”. These play-test spaces generate the Urban Event by activating the large arena ground floor spillover space that is required to facilitate high spectator numbers.
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Boutique Capsule Hotel
BOUTIQUE CAPSULE HOTEL The Hotel is broken down into the basic unit of a room. Each capsule room has 2 main full-height windows that double as projection screens. Like the “Beta Test” pods, the 3 room sizes all contain their own screen-immersion zones. The cores house hologram projectors that transform the central void into a “Hologram Atrium”, populating the space with larger than life projections. Sitting below the block an anchor interactive virtual arcade space that is wrapped around by the Permanent Temporary Exhibit. As singular entities, each capsule unit serves its occupants within; but is part of a larger collective as a whole. The external facing window/ screen hybrid gives the capsule a pixel-like nature, in effect transforming the facade into a giant screen. Because the visibility of the hybrid window is user-controlled, the resultant “image” is organic in nature. The facade becomes liminoid - a canvas of internal activity.
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Hotel Facade Lattice Grid Structure
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Hotel Facade with screens removed
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project
TWO
DRONE CITY / VIADUCT The Reconfigurable Spectator Hotel
Completed in 1981, Benjamin Sheares Bridge stands in Singapore as the country’s longest and tallest vehicular viaduct. Stretching across Kallang Basin and Marina Bay, the bridge bears a prominent role in the Singapore skyline. Originally built tall for passing ships to the since demolished wharf upriver, the substantial airspace left under the bridge today presents a sizeable opportunity for architectural intervention in consideration of the packed Marina Bay event calendar. The Reconfigurable Spectator Hotel aims to democratise paid spectatorship through a series of movable walls and hidden spaces inspired by Gary Chang’s “Suitcase House”. The result is
a collection of multi-use adaptive spaces that change their function based on the Marina Bay event calendar. During the quiet season, the development operates as a 154 room boutique hotel that offers affordable living in the commercial district. Conversely, these rooms can be “exploded” to collectively form a large free-to-visit spectator platform during event season. With “Drone City 2050” as the studio interest, the design is further complemented with 4 drone towers, each equipped with 6 landing pads. Arrival to the viaduct is envisaged to come from land, sea and air, thus opening up more transport avenues for the public.
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Paddock Rooms in fully Exploded Configuration Total spectator space: 6252 m2 Total spectator count: 14 954 pax
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Forest Rooms Fully Operable Facades facing the Trees
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Drone Tower
Public Core Lobby & Circulation Space
Paddock Rooms Exploded configuration
Paddock Rooms Closed configuration
Service Core Linen room & General Store
Forest Rooms
Public Core Lobby & Circulation Space
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Typical Level 1 & 3 Floor Plan Hotel Rooms
Service Core Store & Toilet
Ancillary Hotel Spaces Office, Storage & Staff Quarters Public Core Reception & Lobby
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Pla n Pla n
Centre kitchen installed
Level 2 Typical Plan Column-free lettable space Centre void can be temporarily slabbed over to increase floor area
Centre stage installed
Service Core Store & Toilet
Typical Floor Plan Middle Commercial Floor and Ancillary Spaces
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Paddock Room Exploded Isometric Hidden living spaces and movable walls for different use configuration
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Forest Room Isometric Fully openable facades to bring nature into the home
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Capsule Pods beneath Viaduct overlooking Singapore F1 GP Track
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Paddock Rooms in fully exploded configuration
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project
THREE
HYDRO PROJECT
Sustainable Energy of the City As part of a studio-wide hypothetical master plan in Singapore’s Holland Village, The Experiment stands both as a showcase of new age living and the urban potential of water. The project takes advantage of the tropical climate and utilises the kinetic potential of falling water to generate power. This energy is in turn used to power the building, which includes a visitor centre, research laboratories, a cafe and living facilities. The water tank that is normally hidden is celebrated, gaining an elevated status and overlooks the building. A visitor centre within is well situated to invite new visitors and educate the uninitiated on the new master plan and The Experiment. Floating on hypothetical lake, a new dining experience is created as the turbines punch through cafe spaces, fusing the tangible with the intangible. Technically a microhydropower station, living labs within tap into the recycled energy and the possibility of living off water. Visitors and users cross paths in sharing spaces throughout the building, engaging in social exchange and the spread of “Experimental Living�.
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project
FOUR
CANOPY
The Arboreal Funeral Home An exploration of architecture integrated with nature, Canopy incorporates the existing trees at Bishan Park and brings grieving visitors through its successive layers - on grade, arboreal and canopy, as well as below ground - to allow nature to soothe the grieving process. A building swallowed by the treescape, the scheme focuses on bridging the divide between architecture and the natural landscape, while also subtlety challenging the taboo around death. Nature acts not only as a healer, but also the medium that leads the communities of the bereaved and the public to cross paths and influence each other, encouraging moments of serendipity in a time of sorrow.
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SUNKEN COLUMBARIUM Located in basement one, the columbarium features niches assembled in circular and semicircular plans, further exploring the idea of the forest as an aid to healing. These “trunklike� niches are seemingly randomly arranged, recreating the effect of one standing at the base of a densely populated forest. Skylights and airwells punch through the ceiling in the middle of these niche trunks, bringing in fresh air and light. The main focus of the columbarium is the banyan tree in the middle, with a large ramp circling round it marking the start of the elevated boardwalk. The blending of a public boardwalk into the columbarium further seeks to challenge the notion of death as a taboo.
ELEVATED FUNERAL HALLS Set at the canopy level, the funeral halls offer an intimate level of engagement with nature that is only possible at this elevation. Vertical timber fins line the curved floorplates, which skirt the trees to bring the bereaved as close as possible to the green. This not only gives the procession more privacy, but also creates a dynamism that enhances the energy of the space. Due to the organic and random nature of the trees, the facade has no fixed design, with the trees informing the architecture on site. As such, branches come into the funeral halls, resulting in an ever-evolving space that always offers new corners for comfort.
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PORTFOLIO | Architecture & Design
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LOH TZE YANG GLENN | lohglenn@hotmail.com
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34,8. 41,9.
Charcoal on Paper, 360x150cm. ‘A’ Level Coursework, 2012.
end