GORDON LEONG WEI XIANG
ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO
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WORKS
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elements of architecture 12 senses and experience-field sense of scale representing architecture and southeast asian cities
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constructing the intangible city biomimicry for our built environment geometry and composition in structure tropical paradigm
CONTENT PAGE
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ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURE
Prologue: A building is composed of various elements. In the past, architectural thinkers tried to explain the origin of architecture by identifying the fundamental elements of architecture. Marc-Antoine Laugier’s famous drawing, the primitive hut, represents vertical trees, horizontal beams, and roof trusses as the essentials, which correspond to the column, the entablature, and the pediment of classic architecture. Gottfried Semper used a Caribbean hut as a theoretical model for his “four elements of architecture”: the hearth, the roof, the enclosure, and the mound. The education in École des Beaux-Arts in the 19th and early 20th centuries was based on the elemental analysis. Significantly, as Reyner Banham pointed out, this elementalism became the backdrop of the modern paradigm of functionalism. Claiming that “a house is a machine for living in”, Le Corbusier tried to update architectural elements as if they were mechanical parts. In the latest development, Rem Koolhaas and his collaborators traced the evolutions of 15 architectural elements at Venice Biennale 2014, revealing the process of their de-materialisation and informatisation. Almost all discourse so far, though, has been held in the Western context, and the modern architectural elements are not always adeqWuate in the hot and humid Asian countries. If the elements should be arranged “under the varied influences of climate, natural surroundings, [and] social relations”, as Semper explained, therefore it is important to reconsider your own elements in your climatic and cultural conditions. Assignment: This week, the studio will explore the unique architectural elements inspired by the tropical climatic and/or Singaporean cultural context. The challenge is to design a new hawker centre typology incorporating the four elements of architecture.
ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURE
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CASE STUDY TIONG BAHRU MARKET
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ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURE
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THE WAVE
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FLOOR PLAN LEVEL ONE
LEVEL TWO
LEVEL THREE
ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURE
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HEARTH
ROOF
CENTRAL GARDEN - Stalls are situated around it, even on the second floor there is an obvious central focus (trees from the first floor) - Social Space (activities like feeding the fishes in the pond can help promote bonding within families - Greenery helps to reduce the urban heat island effect caused by the crowd
- Protect from direct sunlight and rain and yet still able to allow ventilation - Space for social interaction APERTURE - Allows rainwater to collect and flow down to the hearth - Cools down the entire building - Provides a visually appealing water feature
HOLES ON THE 2ND AND 3RD FLOOR - Allows natural lighting and ventilation - Open air seating when there is favourable weather
ENCLOSURE
MOUND
STALLS AS ENCLOSURE FOR SEATING AREA - Stalls have olden signboards to help keep the culture - Gaps above and among the stalls to help ventilate the area
SMALL ELEVATION (20CM) - Prevents flooding and water from entering the area during rain - Short elevation height keeps ramp short in length while maintaining the maximum degree of 5
SEATS AS ENCLOSURE FOR THE HEARTH - Allows patrons to experience and enjoy the fauna provided by the central garden and water feature
FLOORING - Anti-slip tiles
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DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH SAM LIW HEATHER KHOO RAE PHANG
ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURE 11
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12 SENSES AND EXPERIENCEFIELD [WARMTH] Prologue: Science knows that there are 12 human senses, but each sense has a specific influence on the human soul, and on human health as well. It is important for architects to be aware of this because the building and its environment can af ect health. This is especially important for children, as their entire organism and soul life are developing. At the University of Goettingen, Germany, Professor Christian Rittelmeyer has done research on the design of school buildings, resulting in a book: Einfuehrung in die Gestaltung von Schulbauten, or Introduction in the Building of School Buildings. In it, he gives proof that even architectural forms can have an influence on children’s health. WalterSiegfried Hahn is an experienced designer of sense-experience-fields all over Europe, and also in other countries. He has based his ideas on the 12 senses, and his playgrounds are not just for children, but people of all ages, even beyond one hundred. In a time when so many people are sitting inside and doing their work and having very limited sense experience, such sense-experience-fields are absolutely necessary, not only for moving the body but moving the soul and spirit at the same time. He writes: The experience-field is a method to look at life: not haunted by past experiences or drawn away by dreams, but in the presence of the NOW. It is also a place with installations, experiences or artwork that supports you in the endeavour of being present. We have two examples in the English-speaking world of experience-fields so far (there is an abundance of them in Central and Northern Europe). Unless there are conscious ef orts made by the designers of our physical environment, the world will be increasingly deprived of such senses and experiences. Commercialisation and infrastructurisation dominate our daily environment, leaving no spaces for humanity to experience the range and potential of our senses and emotions, and making it increasingly harder to stay healthy in our own being. Assignment: Each student will be assigned to cover 1 of the 12 senses: Touch, Life, Movement, Balance, Smell, Taste, Sight, Warmth, Hearing, Speech, Thought, and Ego. Each student will have to define the sense and come up with a playstation (playground instrument), which will cultivate that particular sense and associated experiences when used. On Thursday, the workshop will focus to create a playground based on the idea of the 12 senses, developing ideas about how to cultivate and invoke such senses in the design of our daily environment. The task for the workshop is therefore to create this playground to foster the 12 senses for children, and even for adults and seniors! In the studio, combine all the models from the homework to create the playground for all the 12 senses, to be proposed for installation in Singapore.
12 SENSES 13
WARMTH
with this sense, we are directly aware of the warmth of another body APPROACHED THE DESIGN WITH NOSTALGIC, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL WARMTH IN MIND. THE AIM OF THE PLAYGROUND IS TO ALLOW THE USERS TO EXPERIENCE WARMTH AT DIFFERENT DEGREES ON DIFFERENT PLATFORMS.
INSTALLATIONS FAMILIAR DRAGON FACADE TO ACTIVATE NOSTALGIA
INSTRUMENTS TO HELP STIMULATE WARMTH - NOSTALGIC - EMOTIONAL - PHYSICAL
BENCH TO INVOKE EMOTIONAL WARMTH WET ROCKS (WARM) DENSER CONCRETE WHICH ABSORBS MORE HEAT THAN THE REST OF THE PLAYGROUND DRY ROCKS (HOT) WATER (ROOM TEMPERATURE)
STONE PATH NOT ONLY STIMULATES THE USERS THROUGH PHYSICAL WARMTH VIA THE DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES, IT ALSO ENABLES ONE TO EXPERIENCE MOTIONAL WARMTH BY PROMOTING SOCIAL INTERACTION
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NOSTALGIA
REMINISCING OLD MEMORIES
12 SENSES 15
PHYSICAL
CONTRAST TEMPERATURES
EMOTIONAL
OXYTOCIN AND DOPAMINE
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INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
12 SENSES 17
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SENSE OF SCALE DOCUMENTING AND REPRESENTING ARCHITECTURE AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN CITIES Prologue: A sense of scale is indispensable in understanding architecture and drawing. When we say a space is ‘tight’, ‘cosy’, or ‘oversized’ or overwhelming for a particular purpose, we are referring to a sense of ‘human scale’ or the measure of space required for human activity.The fine-scale measure of space and form for bodily movements for various tasks requires familiarity with the domain of study named anthropometry. An awareness of the human body’s dimensions also serves as a measure for estimation. A sense for proportion refers to dimensions of parts in relation to the whole and is essential in visual estimation when documenting what you see. Familiarity with different scales and the required level of detailsofconstruction isalsofundamentaltoarchitectural drawing. In this exercise for Week 6 and Recess Week (Fieldtrip), you will learn to sense and recognise the application of scale in architecture and deploy architectural drawing conventions by recording and documenting buildings, streetscapes and urban neighbourhoods, and sidewalk activities in the Southeast Asian cities you will be visiting for your fieldtrips. Through drawing and observation you will also learn to recognise type and model in architecture and distinguish this from style as you document buildings of a single type and compare them with your studio mates. This trains you in ways of seeing, reading, distinguishing, andrepresenting/drawing form, volume, surfaces, spaces and architecturalfeatures. Assignment: (a) Neighbourhood scale: Mapping the city fabric During the fieldtrip, each team will document a particular neighbourhood by recording key landmarks /sites/sights that will be connected by a detailed trail. This trail will be plotted as a neighbourhood plan (1:1,000 on A2 sheet). Draw the plan of the street(s) of this trail, linking the places of architectural or other interest that you have chosen. On your neighbourhood plan, record the roof plan of selected buildings and render the ground of significant or important sections of the street or sidewalk. This neighbourhood plan will be accompanied by drawings and sketches done for section (b) and (c) below. (Indicate your neighbourhood plans as insets on your 1:10,000 base map). (b) Building scale: façade, elements and features Imagine that you are asked to document what is of special architectural or cultural interest in the built fabric of the neighbourhood you are exploring. You are to individually choose and document a ‘quotation’ of one building – a façade, elements like a porch, dome, tower, portal, entrances, verandahs etc. – as a record of an interesting feature that will serve as illustrations for the trail you are creating for the neighbourhood. Draw the building façade at 1:50. You may not be able to accurately measure the building, but try a common-sensical approach to guesstimate the distance and dimensions, and train your eyes to aim for accuracy. Use freehand drawings (choose asuitablescale)andsketches;includeshort captionsexplainingthefeature’ssignificanceoruniquenessinarchitectural,material,orsocio-cultural terms (one A2 sheet per student). Aim for accuracy (the right proportion, the shape and texture of materials, etc) and record the details. Map the locationofyourquotationinyourteam’sneighbourhood plan. (c) Streetfront details and human scale: Anthropometry and thresholds Sidewalks, alleyways and public spaces form the settings for the life of a city, where architectural typology and urban morphology meet and the threshold between public and private is located. Using a scale of 1:20, you are to individually document a feature of public space – a storefront, sidewalk, kiosk, five-foot-way, alley, nook, square, etc – showing how it is designed for a person’s use (eg a street vendor), for human interaction, or has been modified for street activities (one A2 sheet per student). Draw street-level constructed perspectives of the space and its details – refer to the text by Plummer (1993) on building thresholds, and to the reading on ‘Active Design: Shaping the Sidewalk Experience’ for approximate samples of sidewalk perspectives. Mark the location of your selected featureonyourteam’s neighbourhoodplan.
SENSE OF SCALE 19
SITE VISIT KAMPONG GLAM
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STREETFRONT DETAIL AND HUMAN ANTHROPOMETRY, THRESHOLDS SCALE AND PUBLIC SPACES WALKWAY BETWEEN MUSCAT STREET MASJID SULTAN
MUSCAT STREET
MUSCAT STREET
AXONOMETRIC OF A FIVE-FOOT WAY WALKWAY
PUBLIC SPACE WIDE TO ACCOMMODATE HUMAN CIRCULATION
FIVE-FOOT WAY
TRANSITION FROM PUBLIC TO PRIVATE SPACE SHELTER FROM THE ELEMENTS
AWNING SHELVES
STREETLAMP
KIOSK
TABLES AND CHAIRS SENSE OF SCALE 21
GEDUNG KUNING THE YELLOW MANSION
- INCORPORATING MALAY CULTURE INTO PALLADIAN ARCHITECTURE
BUILT AS A RUMAH BENDAHARA PAINTED YELLOW TO SYMBOLISE ROYALTY INSPIRED BY PALLADIAN ARCHITECTURE
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PALLADIAN ARCHITECTURE - DRAMATIC EXTERIOR MOTIFS - INTERNAL HARMONY AND BALANCE - ECONOMIC MATERIALS
AN EVOLUTION OF PALLADIO’S ORIGINAL CONCEPTS
ECONOMIC MATERIALS STAIRS
BALUSTRADES AND BANISTERS ARE MADE OF POLISHED HARDWOOD
IONIC COLUMNS LOCATIONS
IONIC
DORIC
GREEK PEDIMENTS
DRAMATIC EXTERIOR MOTIFS
BEAMS AND JOISTS
COLUMNS, ARCHES AND PEDIMENTS
HARDWOOD(CHENGAL) - SOURCED LOCALLY - ENOUGH TENSILE STRENGTH TO CARRY LATERAL LOADS
DORIC COLUMNS ON THE FACADE OF THE BUILDING - SHORT, FACETED, HEAVY COLUMNS WITH PLAIN CAPITALS - ECHINUS IS CONVEX AND THE ABACUS IS SQUARE
SPAN BETWEEN WALLS
IONIC COLUMNS FACING SULTAN GATE - SLENDER FLUTED PILLARS WITH A LARGE BASE AND TWO OPPOSED VOLUTES
ENCASED IN CONCRETE FOR FIRE SAFETY AND AESTHETICS
GREEK FRONT TEMPLE PEDIMENT ARCHES THAT ACCENTUATES THE RHYTHMIC PROGRESSION OF THE FIVEFOOT WAY
ABACUS
ROOF
ECHINUS
VOLUTE
COVERED WITH OVERLAPPING AND INTERLOCKING UNGLAZED TERRACOTTA CLAY TILES
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I N T E R N A L HARMONY AND BALANCE WIDTH TO LENGTH RATIO BASED ON HARMONIC PROPORTIONS OF MUSIC
FRONTAL ELEVATION
SYMMETRICAL BALANCE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT IN PALLADIANISM
ARCHITECTURAL FLOOR PLAN OF FIRST STOREY FIVE-FOOT WAY FACING KANDAHAR STREET
FIVE-FOOT WAY PREVIOUSLY PAVED WITH TERRACOTTA TILES, WAXED CEMENT SCREED AND GRANITE SLABS NOW PAVED WITH MODERN TILES
KANDAHAR STREET
AT THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE HOUSE PLASTERED AND PAINTED
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INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
SENSE OF SCALE 25
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CONSTRUCTING THE INTANGIBLE CITY [THE FLOW CITY]
Prologue: So far, for this semester, we have covered a variety of themes concerning our built environment, such as ethical and societal engagement, human senses, the relationship withnature, place, and people, culture and identity, space, and aesthetics. Architecture is an art and synthesis of all those capacities. To become architects with such myriad capacities, it is essential that we be able to observe, feel with deep sincerity, and beem pathetic to the people whom we serve as designers of their home and city. Only with such strong foundations and values can architects deploy their skill and technology for the betterment of our built environment. This week, studio will explore our ability to express ourselves via artistic processes called collage and collagraphy, in collaboration with Singapore Tyler PrintInstitute (STPI). This week, we will explore the concepts and techniques of collage and collagraphy. Before we visit STPI, there will be an AR2224 lecture by Junko Tamura on “Collage and Bricolage”. Junko will also give us the theme for this week’s assignment, which is “60 years, 55 neighbourhood. Exploringthe high density and high quality of living environments for Singapore.” Based on this theme, we will produce mixed-media and multi-dimensional works and an installationusingcollageandcollagraphy techniques. Assignment: Each studio will generate its own curatorial direction regarding the works to be done by the students for homework and in the workshop. Collagraphy, Embossing, and Frottage works incorporating the spoken words and photographs, to be done by each studio. Construct a Free-format installation in the gallery space at STPI. Basedonthethemeof“50years,55neighbourhoods”. - 1 Spoken Words (poetry/writing, free-format, free-length) per student - 12 Photographs per student
CONSTRUCTING THE INTANGIBLE CITY 27
THE FLOW CITY : STREETS
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AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT
CONSTRUCTING THE INTANGIBLE CITY 29
THE FLOW CITY
Mobility is one of the most important issues in our cities today. Everyday millions of people move and commute around the world to go to work or to their study places. The Flow City studies the spaces devoted for mobility in Singapore. The infrastructure systems, and specially the road and street systems, usually occupy a significant quantity of land of our cities. Transforming infrastructures into streets and public spaces will increase the public space quality and help to make our cities more liveable.
MUSIC AND THE STREETS Music has always been experienced together with commuting. Be it the accomapnying tunes on the way to work in the morning, or the deafening horns catalysed by the morning traffic.
TANGLEDNESS OF A EARPIECE
VASTNESS OF A ROAD
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EARPIECE JACK SYMPOLISING THE START OF THE DAY
CLEAR UNTANGLED WIRES TO REPRESENT HOW THE ROAD OPENS UP AND BECOMES LESS CONGESTED WHEN EVEYONE IS AT WORK
TANGLED WIRES REPRESENTS THE HEAVY HUMAN TRAFFIC DURING PEAK HOURS
ROUGH SURFACE OF A ROAD TO SIGNIFY THE ARDUOUS PATH OF A DAY’S JOURNEY THROUGH THE CROWD
BOTTOM OF A SHOE TO INDICATE THE DIRECTION OF OUR TRAVELS
EARBUDS SYMBOLISING THE END OF A DAY’S JOURNEY
CONSTRUCTING THE INTANGIBLE CITY 31
COLLABORATED INSTALLATION WHAT DO THE STREETS AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT MEAN TO YOU?
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DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH SAM LIW TAN JIAN HAO ALMAS AZMAN HEATHER KHOO RAE PHANG DOMINIC THIAN
VERNON LIM HONG WAY CHARMAINE TAY IM EE WU LING YI ELAINA ONG XIN YEE CONSTRUCTING THE INTANGIBLE CITY 33
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BIOMIMICRY FOR OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT [SUN]
Prologue: Our planet, Earth, faces devastating environmental challenges. Its surface has been severly damaged, and much wildlife has been destroyed. Natural resources have become dangerously scarce, to the point where they can no longer sustain the whole population of the planet. The population has risen to over 10 billion, and wars and food shortages have displaceed millions of people, forcing them to migrate to urban areas. Most people have also been forced to live in urban areas to help the planet’s natural resources renew themselves. As a result, urban areas have required high-density development to accomodate the large numbers of people. People are living in super high-rise towers in these areas - towers that have been designed to perform like a bio-organism, to seemlessly integrate into the lives of humanity. These super towers have been designed to provide the population with five basic, essential needs: Air (wind), Water, Sun, Soil (ground) and Trees. The super towers act like wind/water/sun catchers, harnessing energy and natural resources. The super tower has its own cycle of ecology, and the five so-called ‘elemental super towers’ (one for each basic need) have been designed according to the principle of Biomimicry. The principle of Biomimicry has three levels: the Organism level, Behaviour level, and Ecosystem level. Each super tower has been designed to perform at least one level of Biomimcry, and a variety of super towers have been designed for and constructed in severe environmental conditions... Assignment: With this undesirable yet plausible scenario in mind, the future architects are asked to come up with the design of the five “elemental towers” according to the principles of Biomimicry. The task is to define each element in terms of the natural resources required, then to design each super tower to be able to harness its resources. Each tower is rather mono-functional. It does not have to address all the elements but can be focused on dealing with just one element. The tower should be 1,189 metres tall and the building’s exterior parameter cannot exceed 841 metres. For this exercise, the towers can essentially consist of the skin and the building envelope, and therefore articulation of floor plates and structure is not necessary, although they can be articulated and incorporated if desired, the structure can be like a tube. Each tower is to be designed by a pair of students, so there should be five pairs of students in each studio (If there are 11 students in each studio, one team can have three students); each studio therefore needs to cover all the five elements. Each studio can modify the scenario a bit and have its own theme - please discuss among studio and with your tutor.
BIOMIMICRY 35
SUN
APOLLO
GOD OF THE SUN
LAUREL WREATH HELIOTROPISM RESPONSE TO SUNLIGHT
PHOTOSYNTHETIC USING LIGHT ENERGY TO FUEL OTHER ACTIVITIES
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PROPOSED LOCATION
BARROW, ALASKA
LOCATED NORTH OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
MIDNIGHT SUN
POLAR NIGHT
In early may, the sun does not set and remains above the horizon for the entire day. This is a phenomenon known as the midnight sun. The sun will then not set again for another 80 days, until late July or start August. During this period, the temperature rises above freezing at 2.1 degree celsius and will remain so until the middle or late September.
The Sun in Barrow, Alaska sets in mid-late November and remains below the horizon for about 65 days. This creates a polar night that lasts till late January the following year, where the sun’s rays will lightly touch the horizon. Civil twilight in Barrow can reach to a lowest point of just 3 hours during the polar night.
24 HOUR SUNLIGHT
2 MONTHS WAITING FOR THE SUN
BIOMIMICRY 37
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HELIOS
EMBRACER OF THE SUN
BIOMIMICRY 39
FACADE LINED WITH PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS CENTRAL CYLINDER ABSORBS LIGHT ENERGY DURING THE MIDNIGHT SUN ELECTRIC SWITCHABLE GLASS WITH ADJUSTABLE OPACITY
CYLINDER REFLECTS LIGHT TO THE INTERIOR FACADE DURING THE MIDNIGHT SUN
CYLINDER EMITS LIGHT TO MIMIC THE SUN DURING THE POLAR NIGHT
POSSIBLE INTERIOR FEATURES
HELIOTROPISM
LIGHT PIPES LIGHT SHELVES DIAGONAL LIGHT SHAFTS VERTICAL LANDSCAPING DOUBLE ROOFS DOUBLE LAYER FACADES GREEN WALL
BUILDING WILL BE ABLE TO DETECT THE POSITION OF THE SUN VIA LIGHT INTENSITY A LIGHT SENSITIVE MECHANISM WILL THEN BE TRIGGERED TO ROTATE THE BUILDING ACCORDINGLY, ALLOWING MAXIMUM EXPOSURE TO THE SUN
GREENHOUSES IN THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING TO FACILITATE SELF SUSTAINABILITY
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DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH TAN JIAN HAO
BIOMIMICRY 41
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GEOMETRY AND COMPOSITION IN STRUCTURE
Prologue: “Engineering problems are under-defined, solutions, good, bad and indifferent. This art is to arrive at a good solution. This is a creative activity, involving imagination, intuition and deliberate choice.” Ove Arup “When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.” R. Buckminster Fuller “Everything man is doing in architecture is to try to go against nature. Of course we have to understand nature to know how far we have to go against nature. The secret, I think, of the future is not doing too much. All architects have the tendency to do too much. “ Frei Otto “I don’t want to undress architecture. I want to enrich it and add layers to it. Basically like in a Gothic cathedral, where the ornament and the structure form an alliance.” Cecil Balmond Architects and structural engineers work hand in hand to come to artistic solutions and innovations that reconcile humanity and nature, aesthetics and function, material usage and multiple usage of spaces. With these considerations in mind, how can we generate a unique structure and envelope that suits people, nature, and the environment in the tropics? Assignment: a. Bridge a gap beween two parallel edges 600mm apart (Span) b. Enclose a square void of 400mm x 400mm (Dome) The minimum rise of the span is to be no less than 50mm. The load at mid-point as a point load shall be two full coke cans in weight. Gluing is not allowed.
GEOMETRY AND COMPOSITION IN STRUCTURE 43
THE MODULE PROTOTYPES
RATIONALE 50MM X 30MM 8MM SLIT LENGTH SLITS WERE NOT DEEP ENOUGH TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT CONTACT AREA TO SECURE THE MODULES TO EACH OTHER. FURTHERMORE AS ALL OUR MODULES WERE ARRANGED IN THE SAME ORIENTATION, WHEN A TENSILE FORCE IS APPLIED, THE SLITS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO OVERCOME THE TRANSLATIONAL FORCES, AND WILL COME APART.
-WE STARTED OFF WITH THE IDEA OF HAVING A SINGLE CONSISTENT MODULE THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE STRUCTURE -ADDING A SEPARATE CONNECTOR PIECE IS A MERE ONE STEP SOLUTION AS IT ONLY HAS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF PROVIDING A CONNECTION BETWEEN 2 MODULES -CHALLENGE OURSELVES BY USING A SINGLE MODULE THAT CAN PROVIDE A SECURED CONNECTION AS WELL AS BE ABLE TO ACT AS A “GROWTH” IN ORDER TO EXTEND THE STRUCTURE AND BRIDGE A GAP
FINAL MODULE DESIGN
INSPIRATION
-STARTED OUT WITH A RECTANGULAR MODULE -IMPLEMENTED SLITS ON THE TOP AND BOTTOM TO ALLOW FOR A POINT OF CONNECTION BETWEEN TWO MODULES. -WANTED TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING A MODULE THAT USED LESS MATERIAL, WHILE STILL BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN ITS STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. -THUS, A TRIANGULAR AREA WAS REMOVED AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM TO REDUCE ITS WEIGHT WHILE STILL ENSURING ITS STRENGTH. THIS ALSO PREVENTED THE STRUCTURE FROM LOOKING TOO BULKY.
PLYWOOD AS IT IS AN OVERALL STURDIER MATERIAL SLITS WILL BE BETTER ABLE TO WITHSTAND WEAR AND TEAR THE DIMENSIONS WERE KEPT THE SAME AS OUR SECOND PROTOTYPE THE NUMBER OF SLITS REDUCED FROM 3 TO 2. DID NOT NEED A SEPARATE MODULE FOR THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SPAN AND THE RISE AS WE SETTLED ON A MODULE WHICH WAS SERRATED, WE DECIDED THAT OUR BRIDGE AND DOME SHOULD ALSO BE JAGGED TO ENSURE CONSISTENCY IN THE OVERALL DESIGN.
80MM X 40MM 10MM SLIT LENGTH TO OVERCOME THE ISSUE OF TENSILE FORCES, WE MADE A SEPARATE MODULE USING GREYBOARD THAT HAS THE ORIGINAL FORM, BUT WITH A DIFFERENT SLIT CONFIGURATION. THE 2 MODULES ARE KNOWN AS THE “GROWTH” AND “SUPPORT” MODULES, AND THEY WILL CONNECT IN AN ALTERNATING PATTERN. THE “SUPPORT” MODULE WILL HAVE A DEEPER DIAGONAL SLIT THAT PROVIDES THE “GROWTH” MODULE WITH A SUPPORT. THE “GROWTH” MODULE WILL THEN BE ABLE TO USE THE SUPPORT TO EXTEND FORWARD. FURTHERMORE, AS THE MODULES ARE JOINT AT DIFFERING ORIENTATIONS, THIS WILL ENSURE THAT TENSILE FORCES WILL NOT DISLODGE THE MODULES. WE DISCOVERED THAT IN ORDER TO CONNECT THE SPAN TO THE RISE, WE NEEDED TO CREATE ANOTHER MODULE WITH A DIFFERENT SLIT CONFIGURATION. THIS MODULE HAD A “SUPPORT” ELEMENT ON ONE END AND A “GROWTH” ELEMENT ON THE OTHER.
MODULE A
MODULE B 44
THE BRIDGE SPAN: 622MM HEIGHT: 250MM
ELEVATION
ROOF PLAN
THE MODULES ARE ARRANGED IN A SPECIFIC ORDER BY ALTERNATING MODULES A AND B TO FORM THE BRIDGE STRUCTURE. MODULE A ALLOWS THE BRIDGE TO GROW AND EXPAND HORIZONTALLY WHILE MODULE B HELPS TO SUPPORT THE STRUCTURE AND ALLOWS IT TO EXPAND VERTICALLY. THIS PATTERN PROVED ITSELF TO BE STABLE AS WE WERE ABLE TO CONSTRUCT THE BRIDGE AND OVERCOME THE REQUIRED GAP OF 60CM BETWEEN TWO PARALLEL EDGES AND THE MINIMUM RISE OF 5 CM.
SECTION
MULTI-MODULE CONFIGURATION
LOAD TEST AND ANALYSIS
2 PIECES OF MODULE BS ARE SLOT INTO THE TWO INNERMOST SLITS OF 2 PIECES OF MODULE AS SHOWN IN THE PICTURE ABOVE, ANOTHER PIECE OF MODULE A IS THEN INSERTED INTO THE OTHER HORIZONTAL SLIT OF MODULE B. THIS FORMS THE GENERAL MULTI-MODULE CONFIGURATION THAT WILL BE REPEATED THROUGHOUT THE STRUCTURE.
THE BRIDGE WAS ABLE TO WITHSTAND A WATER BOTTLE WITH APPROXIMATELY 700ML OF WATER WITHOUT COMPROMISING ITS STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY.
WE ADDED AN ADDITIONAL ROW OF MODULES HORIZONTALLY TO THE BASE OF THE BRIDGE. THIS INCREASES THE BASE SURFACE AREA OF THE BRIDGE, IMPROVING THE LATERAL DISTRIBUTION OF DOWNWARD FORCES FROM THE BRIDGE TO THE PARALLEL EDGE. THIS STRENGTHENS THE STRUCTURE AND ALLOWS IT TO WITHSTAND MORE LOAD.
THE SLITS OF THE MODULES ALLOW THEM TO BE LOCKED ONTO EACH OTHER WITHOUT THE USE OF GLUE. THEY SUPPORT EACH OTHER VIA THE SHEER STRUCTURAL AND MATERIAL STRENGTH. MODULE B IS ORIENTATED SUCH THAT THE ONE EDGE OF THE TRIANGLE CUT OUT IS HORIZONTAL. WHEN A LOAD IS APPLIED, THE HORIZONTAL PART SUPPORTS ITSELF THE HORIZONTAL MODULE A AND THE MODULES ABOVE IT. THE HORIZONTAL PART ACTS AS THE PLATFORM FOR THE LOAD AND THE HORIZONTAL GROWTH OF THE STRUCTURE. THIS ALLOWS THE DOWNWARD FORCE TO BE PASSED DOWN FROM THE APEX OF THE BRIDGE (WHERE THE LOAD IS APPLIED) TO THE ANCHORS OF THE BRIDGE AT THE OPPOSITE ENDS.
GEOMETRY AND COMPOSITION IN STRUCTURE 45
THE DOME HEIGHT: 250MM LENGTH: 440MM BREADTH: 420MM ROOF PLAN
SECTION
THE SUPPORT IS ATTACHED TO THE RISE OF THE DOME USING BOTH MODULE A AND B. THEY ARE JOINED IN A COMPACT MANNER TO PROVIDE A STRONG SUPPORT THAT WILL HELP TO STABILISE THE CLIMBING PART OF THE RISE.
ELEVATION
THE RISE IS MADE UP OF ONLY ALTERNATING MODULE B HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY AS IT MAKES ITS WAY TO THE TIP OF THE DOME
THE TIP IS MADE UP OF ONLY MODULE A, THE MODULE WITH THE VERTICAL SLITS THAT CONNECT THE RISES FROM ALL FOUR CORNERS
SIDE A 2 OPPOSITE SIDES (SIDE A) REQUIRES THE USE OF TWO DIFFERENT MODULES. MODULE AS ARE PLACED VERTICALLY AND THE MODULE BS ARE PLACED HORIZONTALLY. USING A REPEATED PATTERN, IT EXTENDS TO FORM ONE SIDE OF THE BASE.
SIDE B THE OTHER 2 SIDES (SIDE B) ALSO REQUIRES THE USE OF BOTH MODULES. HOWEVER, FOR THESE 2 SIDES, THE MODULE AS ARE PLACED HORIZONTALLY AND THE MODULE BS ARE PLACED VERTICALLY. FURTHERMORE, INSTEAD OF USING ONE LAYER OF MODULE BS, TWO LAYERS ARE JOINED TO THE OTHER MODULE TO INCREASE THE STABILITY OF THE BASE AS ONLY THE SHARP EDGE OF THE UNIT IS IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND, COMPARED TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BASE WHERE THE ENTIRE EDGE OF THE UNIT IS IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND.
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DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH SAM LIW YAO EN LIM WEN JIE HEATHER KHOO HUI MINWW RAE PHANG GEOMETRY AND COMPOSITION IN STRUCTURE 47
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TROPICAL PARADIGM
Prologue: “Are those involved aware that they have perhaps unwittingly legitimised the primacy of the cube and the surface plane as the language of form and space applied to the problem of tropical aesthetics not withstanding the physics of tropical design?” Tay Kheng Soon “‘Neo-tropical’ had the motive not only to restore but also to challenge the current status of topicality. We are, in no way, claiming higher or a totally new ground. However, it is timely to challenge certain comfortable notions of the all-important issue of identity usually tied to the vernacular. What is Singapore’s vernacular anyway?” Chan Soo Khian As propective architects educated and trained in the tropical region, how would you weave the threads of the language of form and space to define architecture that is deeply rooted in the climate, culture, and context of Singapore? Assignment: Based on the statement, create an envelope that encloses a square void of 600 mm x 600 mm, or a circle of 600 mm diameter. You may also incorporate ideas on structure from the previous assignment. Please prepare a base in the way that you can poke your head into to experience the inside of the envelope. The model can simply be placed between two tables for this. The height of the envelope should be between 400 mm and 600 mm. The success of the envelope will be evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitatively, we will test the envelope with an electronic fan and a spotlight, placing a flag in the middle and obersving if the flag cam sway in horizontal wind direction. The flag’s height is 15 cm, positioned in the central area of 400 mm x 400 mm which has to be pprotected from vertical rain and direct lighting at 60 degree angle. The more sway of the flag and the less area under direct lighting, the better. The protection from rain will be assessed by looking at the model from above; no holes are expected to be seen from that position on top of the central area. We will have 2 performance test beds per 3 studio. Qualitatively, we will experience the work by removing the base and putting our heads inside the envelope, to see if we can reveal a successful manifestation of the statement on tropicality in architecture.
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DESIGN DIRECTION NEO-MODERNISM
RECTILINEARITY
CUBIC VOLUMES
NEO-TROPICAL CONTEXTUALISATION
OCCIDENTAL CONCEPTS FITTED INTO A SINGAPORE CONTEXT TROPICALITY
Kolašin town hall/war memorial. Montenegro. Photo by Orlando R Cabanban published by Inland Architect, Dec. 1969
CLEAN LINES
LOUVERS
SHELTERS THE BUILDINGS AND THE USERS FROM UNDESIRABLE CONDITIONS FROM THE ENVIRONMENT
MIESIAN FORM AND SHAPES Mies van der Rohe, Promontory Apartments, Chicago, Illinois, 1947
S.R. Crown Hall, 3360 S. State Street, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, Mies Van der Rohe Society
Craigieburn Library Architectural Louver System in England built by Architectural Facade Solutions
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WARPED
STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT ISONOMETRIC
PLAN
VOLUME CONFIGURATION DERIVED FROM A RECTILINEAR CUBOID
PROTOTYPES AND MOCK-UPS
HARD CLEAN LINES
SOFT GENTLE CURVES A HARD RECTILINEAR EXTERIOR TRANSITION TO A SOFT CURVED INTERIOR TO EXPRESS HOW ALTHOUGH THE FACADE OF OUR BUILDINGS MIGHT SEEM OF OCCIDENT DERIVATION, BUT THE PRINCIPLES AND SKELETON OF OUR DESIGNS ARE STILL ORIGINATED AND DERIVED FROM OUR TROPICAL ISLAND CLIMATE
ELEVATIONS
LOUVERS
SUN
RAIN
WIND
THE LOUVERS ENABLE USERS TO ENJOY THE NATURAL VENTILATION THAT NATURE PROVIDES WHILE PROVIDING SHELTER FROM THE UNDESIRABLE ELEMENTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT, NAMELY, RAIN AND GLARE FROM THE SUN. THE GAPS IN THE LOUVERS ALLOW COOL BREEZE TO ENTER AND HOT AIR TO ESCAPE. THE THICKNESS ALSO PREVENTS WATER FROM ENTERING THE STRUCTURE.
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WARPED A NEOMODERNISM TAKE ON TROPICALISM
TROPICAL ARCHITECTURE SHOULD NOT SHUN AWAY FROM MODERNIST METHODS BUT STILL TURN TO THEM TO CREATE WORKS THAT ARE BOTH VISUALLY STIMULATING AND PRACTICAL
THE STRUCTURE LOOKS RECTILINEAR AND HAS A STRAIGHT CLEAN FACADE BUT WHEN ONE ENTERS THE STRUCTURE, HE OR SHE WILL BE GREETED BY THE WAVY SWEEPING INTERIORS. THIS IS POSSIBLE AS THE LOUVERS ARE STRAIGHT ON ONE SIDE AND CURVED ON ANOTHER, CREATING A CONTRAST OF TEXTURE BETWEEN THE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR OF THE STRUCTURE
VERTICAL PLANES AMONG THE HORIZONTAL LOUVERS TO ENABLE THE STRUCTURE TO STIMULATE VISUAL INTEREST AND COULD BE ARRANGED STRATEGICALLY TO DISPLAY ILLUSTRATIONS
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DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH HEATHER KHOO HUI MIN TAN JIAN HAO DOMINIC THIAN VERNON LIM HONG WEI TROPICAL PARADIGM 53
YEAR ONE SEMESTER ONE GORDON LEONG WEI XIANG NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE A0167806WWW UNDER THE TUTELAGE OF YANG HAN
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