Rhapsodic Architecture

E DI TO R’ S N OT E This is the third of the HKDI Architecture Projects Review publication #03– RHAPSODIC ARCHITECTURE, which offers an overview of a collection of Open Studio works from 2013-2017. “ Form “ is the most familiar word for architecture students, in school and in the Internet social media world.

Facilitated by digital design tools and fabrication technologies, extravagant architectural forms with utmost complexities can be produced. With such context, would architectural schools revisit some of the less tangible architectural design paradigm? How would space be perceived without “ Form “? How would architecture be transcended from frictional ideas?

In fact, throughout the long architectural history of human beings, most aspiring and conjuring experiences in architectural spaces speaks themselves in ways beyond languages, diagram, theories and data…

This series of Open Studio student works explored the crafting of space in response to human perceptions of light, sound, wind, scale, materiality, illusions, literature, fiction and drawing narratives...etc. The light, wind drifts, darkness and the silence echoes with the materiality of the architecture.

Carol Leung Visiting Fellow HKDI

CO N T E N T

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About the Fog experiment, I use some dry ice to produce fog in a box. Besides, i observe the movement of the fog how to deďŹ ne in the box. The fog can deďŹ ne the shape of space but it can to show the depth of space. Also, the fog will blur the distance. So that, it make people obsessed and encourage 58 people to feel.

Nomal texture

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But programming is too dull a word.

This is the realization of the nature of a realm of spaces where it is good to do a certain thing.

Now you say there are some spaces you know should be flexible.

Louis Kahn

Conversations with Students (Architecture at Rice)

Ephemerality Space : Factual and Perceptual “To see a horizon, is to conjure up a border where none exists.”

Depart from the external concern of systematic data analysis, the Ephemeral Studio focuses on the immediacy of architectural experience: the relationship between space, our perception and consciousness, a parallel world that is immediate, and without representation.

Kant described our constructed world is in fact a dual reality: the factual (thing in itself) and the perceptual (things that appear) worlds. Despite the fact that men have developed different tools and methods to describe ‘things’ in a meticulous scientific way, we perceive the world first hand through our senses that reconstruct the experience in our mind. ‘Experience’ is our way of understanding how the light defines the corner of the room, the movement of everyday life and the echo of a grand marble stairs. Departing from a conventional way of architectural design, the studio investigates in ways of manipulating our perception that may lead to powerful experience.

To summarize the 4 major different constructs in the world: the factual tangible, factual intangible, memory and phenomenon.

The factual is one side of the ‘named’ world. The name of the tree, and its different parts, its dimension, organize system. The Perceptual, including memory and phenomenon, is the other side of the ‘un-named’, where our understanding is simplified down to energy and fields, no matter is it’s through vision, sound, smell, touch etc…

Both are equally real.

The studio was divided into 3 parts. The first part, students designed apparatus that record and recreate the intangible through one of the senses, in order to be able to differentiate our banal state on mind from our consciousness. The understanding of the phenomenon is crucial, and it required time to explore and discover. The second part, students designed a space in darkness. By taking away the vision, they needed to utilize other senses to reimagine an abstract space. Inspired by Pallasma’s Working Hand, students have to discover space in charcoal, when the motion of excavation and texture were imprinted into the mind. The final part is a short exercise, attempting to translate this phenomenon into a pavilion of poetry.

Julia Mok

MSsc Arch (TU Delft), BSc Arch (UMich), SBA 8

b m

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the b p

The Phenomenon

“What you start with is that the mark is completely empty and meaningless, a difficult thing to do. Let’s assume that we can deal with an absolute meaningless mark: in what manner can we relate to it?? Besides its imagery, it exists, by having a physicality; it has weight, density, volume and energy…”

Robert Irwin, Notes Toward a Conditional Art The exercise began with a visit to the Science museum, where the exhibits challenge our normal state of preconception. Students were asked to explore a natural phenomenon associated to one of the five senses, and to design their own experiments: apparatus that recreates a perceptual phenomenon. After this exercise, students should be able to differentiate the 4 different level of consciousness that we perceive the world, namely, the tangible, the intangible, memory and the phenomenon.

p.s. A paradox is that images and records can never restore the phenomenon, because the apparatus created a condition where the phenomenon can only exist in the presence of the viewer. We are only able to show you here the documentation of the phenomenon, instead of the thing itself.

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The light defines space, and we understand space through our senses. Vision lets us see shape of space with light. In the split second when light is presented, a relationship of mutual influence is established between light, space and our human sense. Light is intangible. The phenomenon does not exist without light or the observer. Flashing light was used to create a glitch on retina, where mind understands the frequency of the flashing light, but the light-sensitive retina cannot catch up with the flashing speed. The space lit up was imprinted in the mind. Light created a space mass.

Black Box (Flash frequencies testing form 20.00 Hz -5.04 Hz) test 1 20.00 Hz White light Foam board

test 2 15.42 Hz White light Foam board

test 3 10.58 Hz White light Foam board

test 4 05.04 Hz White light Foam board

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Sound is intangible, it is produced by different frequencies.The high frequency creates high pitch and the low frequency creates low pitch. The first experiment was trying to record the shape of sound, this is done so by using charcoal powder on white paper to make the sound tangible. A speaker in placed below the white paper with charcoal powder on top, the charcoal powder will then react to the vibrations of the sound produces.

The second experiment attempts on shaping sound by measuring through hearing. The sound source is set to 1000 Hz, and the sound level varies at different spots of the room, this phenomenon is called interference. A mark is placed where the volume becomes louder, thus mapping where the sound waves clash. By connecting the marks, the shape of sound appears.

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No, nothing was planned. The most beautiful things that ever happened in my life was by coincidence and not by plan. If you have plans, you only have one go. If you don’t have plans, it often turns out well because you`ve followed the situation. That's why I've always jumped into unprepared situation, the most exciting conditions.

Ai Wei Wei

AI WEIWEI SPEAKS with Hans Ulrich Obrist

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This experiment explored the imagination of space.

Patterns of light are produced by the light shining through the fine gaps. These images are then translated by our brain into what we associate it with. Our brain automatically fills up any lack of information, in this case, darkness.

Is it a corridor perspective? Or the slit of a half opened door? The apparatus experiments and plays with this phenomenon.

The imagination journey in darkness providing four main view points for visitors. The journey is the short cut of our life. Everyone will face difficulties in their life regardless of the scale of the problems. Through the darkness in our life, the journey of feeling inside our soul may be the same.

The entrance is small which is only for one person to get in. It means we can tackle the problem by ourselves without any help.

When they get into the space, they will first see the leading road, this is the indication of direction. A message that we have only one way to go. Overcome it, one will see the door gap, which leads people to open it. No one can predict the result of the darkness, but one can keep going with brave heart. After that, the mystery area induces confusion, just like the feeling of struggle to overcome or give up in darkness. Finally, the journey finished by the star night. The peaceful and pleasure space.

Darkness is a kind of beauty in life, while light is the hope. This is the journey in our life and soul.

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The thickness of the ink varies depending on the calligraphists, they can increase or reduce the intensity of the ink with different amounts of water added or varying the grinding time of the ink stick. The experiment intends to perceive this process in another way. By letting the ink drip on the Xuan paper, then photographing it at a set time interval, the density of the ink is then captured by time.

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我看到一個老年的舞者， 在舞台上拿起椅子旋轉 、移動 、凝視。 他 在和 觀眾 對 話嗎？ 不， 他只是 在 舞蹈中獨 白。 在 修行 的 冥想 中， 諸多 的 幻影 來來去去 盤膝端坐者， 在 閉目凝神 中一一 斷絕 了 與 人 對話 的 雜念 。每 一柱水中 倒影 的 燈光， 都 是 一種獨 白。 水中 之花， 鏡中 之月， 他們如此 真實， 指證 他們 是 “幻影” ， 也許 只是 我們 對 現實 的 心虛罷。 如果 你是水中 之花， 你 大約會在 水中 抬頭仰視那岸上 的 真相： 如果 你 是 鏡中之月， 你 也 會 從 明鏡煌煌 的亮光 中抬頭仰望 那天 空中 一樣煌煌 的 明月， 發出 嘖嘖贊嘆罷。 蔣勳 《獨白》

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Space In Darkness

“For the beauty of the alcove is not the work of some clever device. As empty space is marked off the plain walls, so that the light drawn into its forms dim shadows within emptiness. There is nothing more.�

Junichiro Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows Students should be able to understand the 4 different levels of consciousness that we perceive the world, namely, the tangible, the intangible, memory and the phenomenon.

Extracting from the field of the phenomenon, students then move on to translate it into spatial elements.

While there are no questions that light defines space, the darkness is another way to look at this definition. To derive from our traditional way of experience space through a brightly lit visual representation, students designed an abstract space in darkness, with charcoal, a banal material that has an inherent quality and history.

Taking away the vision in the process of designing heightens different senses, thus defining a powerful spatial experience.

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你看見那湍白 的 一線 也 在 跳躍 ，分不清哪是 上端 哪時 下方，彷彿 在 飄搖，又消蝕在煙 雲之中，沒有 輕重 ，舒 張開 來，得到 了 一種從 未 體驗 過 的 解脫，又 有點 輕微 的 恐 懼，也 不 知恐懼 什麼，更多 是 憂傷 。 你像是 在 滑翔，迸裂了，擴 散開，失去 了 形體， 悠 悠然，飄盈在 深邃 陰冷 的 峽谷 中，又像一縷游絲，這游絲似乎 就是 你 ，處在 不可名 狀 的 空間，上下左右，都 是 死亡 的 氣息，你 肺腑 寒徹，軀體 冰涼 。你 摔倒 了， 爬起來 ，又 吼叫 著 再 跑。草叢 越來越 深，前去越 加 艱難。你 陷入灌叢 之中，用手 不斷 分開 枝 條 ，撥亂其間，較之 從 山坡 上 直 衝 下來更 費 氣力，而且 需要 沉靜 。你 疲倦 極了，站 住 喘息，傾聽嘩嘩 的 水聲。你 知道 已 接近 河邊，你 聽見 漆黑 的 河床 中 灰白 的 泉水 洶 湧，濺起 了 的 水珠 一顆顆 全 像是 水銀 閃閃發亮。水聲 並非嘩嘩 一片，細聽 是 無數 的 顆 粒在 紛紛 撒落，你 從來 沒 這樣 傾聽 過河水，聽 著 聽 著 居然 看見 了它 的映像，在 幽暗 中放 光 。你 覺得 你 在河 水中 行走，腳下都是水草。你 沉浸 在 忘河之中，水草 糾纏，又 像是 苦惱，此刻，一 無著 落 的 那種 絕望 倒也 消失 了，只 雙腳 在 河床 底 摸索。你 踩 著 了卵石，用 腳趾 扒緊。真如 同夢遊，在黑 幽幽 的 冥 河中 ，惟有 激起 水花 的 地方 有一種 幽 藍 的 光，濺起 了 水銀 般的 珠子，處處 閃亮。你 不免有些驚異，驚異中又隱約 歡欣 。 高行健 《靈山》

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In the charcoal carving exercise, we are trying to use charcoal to create dark space. Since we are exploring whether the space is exists without any light source.

Some of my colleague who studies vision expressed that it is hard to define if the space is totally dark because we can see nothing. In my perspective, we can define the space in terms of the sound. For example, the bat can survive in a dark cave because they create some ultrasound that hit the wall and return. The bat is using this method to identify boundaries and obstacles. Imagine that if the person

creates sound and stand in a large scale room or in a small room. What we hear is totally different because the sound wave transfers in the different distance. we can’t hear the echo in a small room but we can hear the echo in a large room because the sound pass a shorter distance so that human ear cannot recognize the echo, but the sound pass a longer distance then we can recognize the echo.

There-fore, the sound defines the space.

Besides, the other aim of the dark space is really let us feel the space through our sense. The dark space lowers the vision.

At the same time, the sense of hearing would be strengthened.

The next space contains a light well that penetrates the ground, it traps the light beam produced by the opening on top. The result of this is a clean light beam, the light well contains any light spills. The light beam is the only thing your eyes can focus on, thus removing the depth of space.

The huge wall acts as a buffer, it blocks out any light behind it. As you walk pass the wall, a path descend into darkness,

Depth can be perceived as light illuminates the space. In the midst of darkness, light appears as a mass. The journey is separated into four parts. It begins with a dark corridor leading to a charcoal wall, the wall allows light to flow in, illuminating the depths of space. Facing the charcoal wall, the depths of space is then understood.

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The last space allows you perceive time and space in the dark.The small sky openings allows the sun to shine at different angles as time pass, it moves the light beam ever so slightly. The slow and subtle movement of the light beams pierces through the dark, allowing the visitor to perceive movement and time.

leading you to the next dark space. In this space, the spotlight shines directly at the visitor as they walk pass. The overwhelming brightness in a dark space prevents you from understanding your surrounding, it urges you to focus on your existence in this space.

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沙隙間黑暗 的 水流 可能 是 一種 獨 白， 一種 失去了 對話 功能 的 獨 白（ 但 不要 誤會， 絕 不是 喪失 了 思維 的 喃喃 的囈語），獨 白 也許 是 真正 更 純粹 的 思維。在一 整個 城市 要求 著 “對話” 的 同 時 ，我 猜測， 你 的 出走 ，竟是 為了 保有 最後 獨白 的 權利 嗎 ？ 蔣勳 《獨白》

Seeing is often regarded as the most reliable way for objective perception, but this doesn’t mean that we should neglect our other senses. In this project, hearing and particularly the echoes in space are the focus of study. Sound is everywhere, they echo differently in different spaces with different materials. The echoes of sound can affect how we feel and perceive about the space.

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The third aspect you must learn is that architecture really does not exist.

Only a work of architecture exists.

Architecture does exist in the mind.

A man who does a work of architecture does it as an offering to the spirit of architecture . . .

Louis Kahn

Conversations with Students (Architecture at Rice) 27

Pavilion of Poetry

“ I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, and a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: Nine bean-rows will I have these, a hive for the honey-bee ; And live alone in the bee-loud glade.�

W.B. Yeats, The Lake Isle of Innisfree

After the 7 weeks long exercise to explore abstract ideas and spaces, students made an attempt to ground these concepts into a pavilion of poetry. Site integration, architectural elements, scale, materiality and spatial quality are brought to the table as a discussion on how phenomenology can be understood in the architectural realm.

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N

NN N N 1:500 1:500 1:500 1:500 1:5001:500 N

Because there is that sort of feeling that people don’t know what to do with gaps in their lives. It’s a scary notion, but actually, if you can stand in space just for a little while, a new door will open, or you’ll be able to see in the dark after a while. You’ll adjust.

Jane Campion

Interview with Scott Tobias

A pavilion guided by light. A journey of light and space. Light clarifies space, it lets you visually perceive the depth of space. Light allows us to focus on things, shining directly at you, you become aware of your existence in this space. Light reflects time, the sun is a powerful source of light. As light pierce into the dark, it’s subtle movements is reflected in space.

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Right now? I think right now is the moment.

This is the beginning. We don't know what is the moment of, and maybe some time much crazier what happened.

But, really, we see the sunshine coming in.

It was clouded for maybe a hundred years.

Our whole condition was very sad, but we still feel warmth, and the life in our bodies can still tell that there is excitement in there, even though death is waiting.

We had better not enjoy the moment, but create the moment.

Ai Wei Wei

AI WEIWEI SPEAKS with Hans Ulrich Obrist

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What you see is not what you hear

Hear the direction of the space

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Hear the sound that from the nature

Hear the sound from the reservoir

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Section A

Section B

Plan

Section B

Section A

Architectural Design 5

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It should remain silent and let nature in the guise of sunlight and wind" - Tadao Ando

The dome act as heart of human.

The sound of human heart is very quiet and there is only heartbeat and breathing.

People can find their self-identify in the pavilion.

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333P.M. P.M. P.M.

12 12 12P.M. P.M. P.M. 12 P.M.

3 P.M.

9999A.M. A.M. A.M. A.M.

Entrance Entrance

3 P.M. 333P.M. P.M. P.M.

12 12 12P.M. P.M. P.M.

999A.M. A.M. A.M.

The Decision (Trifurcate Path)

The The Decision (Trifurcate (Trifurcate Path) Path) Path isDecision lit by the sun at different times. The light from the sun becomes overwhelming as you are exposed in the dark for a while, the other paths becomes hidden.

Path Path isis lit lit by by the the sun sun at at different different times. times.

The The light light from from the the sun sun becomes becomes overwhelming overwhelming as as you you are are exposed exposed in in the the dark dark for for aa while, while, the the other other paths paths becomes becomes hidden. hidden.

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12 P.M. Pavilion The strong noon light acts as a spo surrounding hides the depth and h The exit of this space is lead by a s the light spill.

12 Pavilion P.M. Pavilion

ot light in this pavilion. The dark heigh of the space. spiral staircase down to minimize

Intersection

Intersection This part of the pavilion combines the 3 paths forming a huge semi circle. The path is installed with bright LED strips creating an illusion that the path forward is hidden. (Reference: The Phenomenon)

Three paths forming a huge semi circle. The path is installed with bright LED strips creating an illusion that the path forward is hidden. The strong noon light acts as a spot light in the central pavilion. The dark surrounding hides the depth and height of the space. The exit of this space is lead by a spiral staircase down to minimize the light spill.

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Pitch dark spaces juxtaposed with the brightly lit scenic views. The spaces are arranged so that it allows our eyes to adapt and be comfortable in the dark before exposing them to the brightly lit spaces. As visual clarity begins to peak in the dark, the visitor is then exposed to the light which resets the sensitivity of their rod cells. The cone cells being responsible for color vision and functions best under bright light, it allows the visitor to pick up details and color of the scenic view, thus creating a huge contrast between the loss of details in the dark and the overwhelming details in the landscape.

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等你，在雨中，在造虹的雨中 蟬聲沉落，蛙聲昇起 一池的紅蓮如紅焰，在雨中 你來不來都一樣，竟感覺 每朵蓮都像你 尤其隔著黃昏，隔著這樣的細雨 永恆，剎那，剎那，永恆 等你，在時間之外 在時間之內，等你，在剎那，在永恆 如果你的手在我的手裡，此刻 如果你的清芬 在我的鼻孔，我會說，小情人 諾，這隻手應該採蓮，在吳宮 這隻手應該 搖一柄桂槳，在木蘭舟中 一顆星懸在科學館的飛簷 耳墜子一般地懸著 瑞士錶都說七點了。 忽然你走來 步雨後的紅蓮，翩翩，你走來 像一首小令 從一則愛情的典故裡你走來 從姜白石的詞裡，有韻地，你走來 余光中 《等你，在雨中》 39

Sojourn For centuries mankind have been striving to build the greatest and tallest habitation. Some buildings are erected to showcase status and political dominance; some buildings spread over acres of land to display greatness and luxury; and some buildings are built to accommodate land scarcity, over population and pollution issues. With such pressing issues, we may have to seek alternative built environments.

Subterranean space is one of the most primitive forms of shelter and has been around for thousands of years. Caverns, cellars, caves all provide protection from the extreme external living environments. Instead of building above ground, can humans explore the underground? Can qualities of living be maintained? Can equilibrium be achieved between above and below? Can a sustainable eco-system be created equally on the two sides of earth’s surface? How can the earth’s surface be redefined?

Through research and understanding of subterranean terrain, students are to define what kind of space should be intervened underground. Unlike above ground geography, the living parameters and context used to inform architecture design may no longer be relevant. In order to make subterranean spaces habitable, design parameters must be redefined. What are the qualities of spaces and what kinds of functions and activities can be created to underground architecture?

Instead of designing just basic functional spaces, students must explore ideas on how to define various spatial atmospheres, qualities and translate them into physical spaces, relevant to underground premises.

The project sites can be some existing caverns, basements, caves, or tunnels within Hong Kong, or students may choose to redefine a virgin site. The notion of “sojourn” and the experiential architecture are to be addressed.

The methodology of the studio operates upon the analysis of modern abstract art works to explore sensational or hidden logics as perceived or embedded in the painting and/or mechanism of art production. The ideas or topics extracted from the abstracted artistic operations were then informed into the architectural exploration of the subterranean with appropriate programme and journey.

Henry Chan

BA Arch Hons (PSU), M Arch (MIT)

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Overall

Front

Between

Rear

The original painting studied named Number 107, by an American Artist Ad Reinhardt.

When the white paint shades, its psychological nature of purity and cleanliness started to disappear, possibly meaning the nature definition isn’t always right, so as the reality of existence. It also creates a depth of field for the entire painting, creating an illusion of space, or maybe an abstract drawing of a metropolitan.

The thickness of white patches also changed from thick to thin at bottom and top respectively. The white shades but not disappear completely, giving a sense of obscure and fog, while differentiating the top and the bottom by the visibility of the white bricks group.

The painting inspired me to further explore about visual perception of space and tangibility of space. Further 3D model studies were done about intangible spaces caused by a forced perspective illusion.

ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM I MODELING

Abstract Expressionism I Modeling

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ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM I MODELING

A

B

C

D

E

F Optical Testing on lines & Positive and Negative Space Testing Thickness Testing on lines A B C D E F G

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Line (AI size) - 1 pt Line (AI size) - 2 pt Line (AI size) - 3 pt Line (AI size) - 4 pt Line (AI size) - 5 pt Line (AI size) - 6 pt Line (AI size) - 7 pt

2

1. Optical Illusion Testing 2. Profundity Illusion Testing 3. - 4. Spatial Testing 3

4

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G

TEXTURE & LAYER

TIME & MOTION

TIME & MOTION

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Original Colour

Visual Impression

Coloured Lighting Disappearance & Changing of Colors

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sojourn

'sod3(a)n,'sod3a n/ Formal

noun

noun: sojourn; plural noun: sojourns 1. .a temporary stay. "her sojourn in Rome" synonyms: stay, visit, stop, stopover, residence:

verb

verb: sojourn; 3rd person present: sojourns; past tense: sojourned; past participle: sojourned; gerund or present participle: sojourning 1. stay somewhere temporarily. "she had sojourned once in Egypt" synonyms: stay, live

An Adventure to Find Ourselves Though zoom-in One Human Sense. It is an adventure for people to explore themselves through five human senses which are Vision, Somatosensation, Audition, Imagination, and Olfaction. The layering of senses is arranged through combining or separating of the spaces, unique to different senses. Manipulation of scale of spaces and materiality are introduced to enhance the journey experience.

Entry

Exit

Sense of Footstep

1

2

Sense of Depth

Sense of Touch Darkness to Bright

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Sense of Height

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So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell Blue skies from pain?

Can you tell a green field From a cold steel rail?

A smile from a veil?

Do you think you can tell?......

Pink Floyd

Wish you were here

暴雨的氣味， 那是我們有記憶的感覺 ，那都會引發我們的感觸和 感動 蔣勳 《過得像個人，才能看到美》

Water is being trapped by concrete and tubes near our living environments. People miss the opportunity to interact with it. The importance of water is being forgotten and people took it granted to use, even waste water. To address this notion, this design is themed as a place to introduce different water interactions to visitors and convey the message of the importance and wonderfulness of water. The water memorial will have sequences of water spaces, forms, and motion. It creates different spatial experience and interaction with the visitors.

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Room of Mist (With Mist) Room of Mist is the darkest space in the entire journey.

The room is surrounded by rough rocks and there are light columns shining into the mist via optical fibres and light chambers collecting sunlight from the ground surface. Mist are produced by reservoir water entering ultrasonic water diffusers at the bottom of each light columns, the mist then diffuse the light and make the floor having enough brightness to walk across.

Room of Mist (Without Mist) When there isn’t enough water in the reservoir, like in autumn and winter seasons, the mist will be disabled yet space will still be bright enough to walk across by the light columns. Light from the exit of the journey can also be seen and guide people keep walking forward.

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Platform of water The platform of water is an alternate path from the room of silence for visitors who want to leave the subterranean environment temporarily before entering room of mist. This platform has a narrow water pool in the middle, the surface is motionless and it acts as a mirror and reflects the sky above. At the end of the pool is a waterfall activated by proximity sensors, which transform motionless water into active water, creating a contrast between two states. There is water falling down at both sides of the platform, which visitors can interact with and wash hands.

Water Entrance The water entrance will start by seeing a mysterious cube in the middle of the room, water falling on top of it and create a 3-side barrier and barely seeing the entrance inside. Visitors have to walk around to the only side without water to continue the journey. This is the brightest room to reduce anxiety from visitors and continue the journey.

Room of Silence Room of Silence is the second brightest space, provides an echo area for people to take a break after the hiking journey. A circular hole at the center where water drops fall down and forming a circular water curtain, with sunlight above lighting up the curtain, making it a focus point in a dark environment. A corten pathway in middle allows visitors to step into the water curtain, create an experience of being engulfed by water and light.

The room is filled with water drop sounds surrounded by a rough circular shape stone space, aiming to reflect sounds in the space and make echo sounds, allow visitors to hear the voice of water.

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“The lighting and views captured between the surface and underground are very different.” This is the starting point for the design concept.

Subterranean space is a dark, mysterious place for people. When light enters a dark environment, the conversion of the environment will bring a strong impact on people’s vision. Human visions captured different vision fields and depth of light penetrates from the surface into the subterranean spaces.

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Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again; but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

William Butler Yeats The Second Coming

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And man said, ‘But I will look out! I see wonderful things, and I want to look out.’ And the wall still felt very sad. Later, man didn’t just hack a hole through the wall, but made a discerning opening, one trimmed with fine stone, and he put a lintel over the opening.

And, soon, the wall felt pretty well.

Louis Kahn Conversations with Students (Architecture at Rice)

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Architecture Fiction and Reality

“Feel my body architect so your plans will not be so rigid listen to the sound of my voice so you will know what volume is my soul is made of no substance your space might be the same I am made for birth and you?�

John Hejduk, Soundings (excerpt)

We live in both reality and imagination, the way we inhabit the city is both physical and mental. We overlap mental images, from imagination and memory, over existing spaces to give meaning / narrative / excitement / emotions to our banal life. By creating fictional narrative of the city, the unit explores the phenomenological approach towards architectural design. The fictional character(s) bares the ghost of oneself as well as his/her imagined self - the character that he/she desires to be. The juxtaposition between reality and desire sets ground for our architecture fiction.

Architect is not a creator of space but also a creator of fiction and ghosts that inhabit the space.

Eddie Chan

BSc(Hons)Arch(UEL), Prof. Dip. Arch(UEL)

Jze Yi Kuo

Dip. Arch (AA), RIBA (Part 2)

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Trev. Anderson is a volcanology professor at “B” University, living in solitary. His nephew Sean visited him asking help in searching for his father Max, who was lost three months ago during his site research on underground activities. Trev found a note that his brother Max left to him marked a trace of his whereabouts. An exploration trip is planned to the Iceland to find Max. Trev and Sean arrived Iceland and tried to visit another volcanologist Dr. Strange mentioned on the notes, but they can only find his daughter Hannah. Hannah joined the searching team, as her father was lost too. With the help of Hannah’s tracking device and sonic instruments, they arrived to a cave, which is believed to be the starting point of their fathers’ underground expedition. A lightning storm sweeps fiercely in the mountain, and the three young explorers were trapped inside the cave when the entrance collapsed. Walking deep down the cave, which was an abandoned mine, they discovered the ruins of ancient pit track. Suddenly, They felt down to the abyss when the fragile granite slabs collapsed down to a deep underground shaft, which seems endless and leads to the centre of earth. Down below was a completely different world and they reached the bottom of the deep hole through the water slide. A glowing phoenix flew upon and guided their journey toward the “Geocentric Earth” They find the burrow.

The burrow have a abandoned train station

The train past though many big burrows

The big burrow has several small burrows like ant nest

Arrive the burrow end point and discover the entrance

The inside has a special space with diamonds on the wall

The ground finishing is translucent

Below the translucence mica is a reservoir

Passing through the reservoir, they ran into to the lava zone

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And I said, ‘You know, Gabor, if I could think what I would do, other than architecture, it would be to write the new fairy tale, because from the fairy tale came the airplane, and the locomotive, and the wonderful instruments of our minds. . . it all came from wonder.’ Louis Kahn

Conversations with Students (Architecture at Rice)

Light & Shadow divided ground

Memory

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Imagine how different our lives would be, if natural light comes from the ground but not from the sky? This fictional project using light and shadow to create different spatial qualities. The form of the building is molded with merging and divided spaces in relation to the light effect.

Provide a special feeling of space and reflect the lighting from below, the ground is a entity to prominent the shadow

Shadow is using space, light is circulation.

The ceiling has some angle to make reflection of light in the dark space

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‘What is the shadow of white light?’

Gabor has a habit of repeating what you say, ‘White light . . . white light . . . I don’t know.’

And I said, ‘Black.

Don’t be afraid, because white light does not exist, nor does black shadow exist.’

I think that it is a time of our sun on trial, of all our institutions on trial.

I was brought up when the sunlight was yellow, and the shadow was blue.

But I see it clearly as being white light, and black shadow.

Yet this is nothing alarming, because I believe that there will come a fresh yellow, and a beautiful blue, and that the revolution will bring forth a new sense of wonder.

Only from wonder can come our new institutions . . . they certainly cannot come from analysis.

Louis Kahn

Conversations with Students (Architecture at Rice)

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How I wish, how I wish you were here We're just two lost souls Swimming in a fish bowl Year after year Running over the same old ground What have we found?

The same old fears Wish you were here Pink Floyd

Wish you were here

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This project starts from a song of Pink Floyd “Wish You Were Here”. The lyrics inspired me to create “a space of the extreme” - people living in two extreme spatial qualities. Presented with a wax model, one space is bounded by irregular walls; the other side of the wall, in contrast, is formed by regular space with smooth walls. People living in the regular spaces will eventually find the other space. Then they try to design a new type of building in order to get a balance between the atypical and traditional living qualities.

When we use third person viewpoint to look at what is architecture in this story, the desire is designing something better for the human in a mystery space.

Meanwhile, when we look at our own mystery space in Hong Kong, what is the desire?

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What is your favourite word? freedom.

What is your least favourite word? maybe my name.

What gives you a buzz?

I don't want to tell you because I dont want to share my buzz with you.

What irritates you more than anything else in the world? can't find a toilet when I need to go.

What does the moment we are all waiting for? the moment we least want.

What would have been your dream job? interviews.

Ai Wei Wei

AI WEIWEI SPEAKS with Hans Ulrich Obrist

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By extracting childhood memory, the project redefines the domestic space in both rational and emotional ways.

This project tries to explore in definition of architecture: Is architecture a container for people or a living space where people can experience. By readings, movies and other inspirations, “window“ is defined as the media interfacing

interior and exterior, and a threshold for people living inside architecture. Based on this, my project is designing on different ways of meeting - people can reach by each other in sense of visual/ acoustic/ smell but NOT in physical format throughout their path of circulation. And this is further elaborate to moments how people randomly meet within the city.

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你站在橋上看風景 看風景的人在樓上看你 明月裝飾了你的窗子 你裝飾了別人的夢 卞之琳 《斷章》

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Seperation

Threshold 1 _ Bits and Shades Through the small openings, pieces of silhouette shown continuously Threshold 2 _ Up and Down The glass floor provide the one underneath peeping the one walking on the upper level

Lighting . Sensing

Viewing

Threshold 3 _ The Moving Shadow When one pass through the space, the shadow of his/her may cast to the otherside of the tunnel, which another passenger may see the movment

我用 了 一程 火車 的 時間 把 窗外 的 風景 拍攝 在 一張 相片 上，「 山、 樹、屋、人 」 的 影像 混和在 一起 ， 風景 變得 朦朧。 玻璃 窗上， 我 隱約 看見 自己。 白雙全 《圖文城市 : 單身看 : 香港生活雜記》 Viewing

Threshold 4 _ Reflection The reflection of the passenger will reveal as long as you walk through somehow you pass by a window another one may appears

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ILLUSION BETWEEN REALITIES “First of all, consider the space. This elevator was so spacious, it could have served as an office. Put in a desk, add a cabinet and lock, throw in a kitchenette, and you’d still have room to spare. You might even squeeze in three camels and a mid-range palm tree while you were at it.” Haruki Murakami What is real and what is virtual? Can these two exist in one space or can we turn the whole “real” world into virtual? Illusionary space could fuse in and exist in the real architectural elements, such as column, beam, or under the bridge. People could walk in and get lost between reality and virtual world. At last, people would find the virtuality is transition between reality only. This project is a solely fictional, and an illusionary spatial study is carried out at my testing ground - podium of Great Eagle Centre.

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站 在 月 台， 我 看見 自己 的 身影 停留 在 走動 的 火 車 上， 一個 人 的 身體 與 很多 人 的 身體 重疊 在 一起 ， 瞬間 消失 了 。 我 在 走動 的 火車 面前 按下 快門， 直到 整 列 火車 走過。 相片 剩下： 一個 矇矓 的 自己， 沒有 其他人 。 白雙全 《圖文城市 : 單身看 : 香港生活雜記》

Re_Architecture

“Drawing is to architects what writing is to authors. For the designer, jotting must be an almost unconscious act, relying on the imperceptible synergy between brain, eye and hand, or mouse. The graphic pervades every stage of architectural creation. It represents the initial impulse – the napkin sketch of digital scribble. It is also the primary means of working up a building design – on or off screen – for production and presentation. It, additionally, allows us to fuel our tectonic imaginations and go beyond the built and the feasible into the sphere of the visionary and fantastic. Drawing provides the very motive force of architecture.”

Peter Cook, Drawings In this unit, the studio looked at the fundamental tools of architects – drawings, as a design methodology. The students will require to use different methods of drawings (hand and computer-drawn, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional) to explore and develop architectural design. Through the research of local entertainment culture, each student will formulate his/ her own programme related to the topic and to generate a visioning plan for the proposed site at West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD).

Eddie Chan BSc(Hons)Arch(UEL), Prof. Dip. Arch(UEL)

Sarah Mui BSSc(Arch), Dip. Arch(Lond.), MHKIA, ARB

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  W 1.5-4cm H 3-5m

Types of Floral Studies: Roses & Others Dimension

W 6-8cm H 1-2m

W 6- 9cm H 1-1.5m not suitable in HK

 Rose Multifiora

Rose Chinensis

Rose Rugosa

W 8-12.5cm H 0.75-2m

Lilium







 Cool Water

Cologne:

 Essential Oil

Eau De Toilette:



Perfume:

Alcohol

Essential Oil

Essential Oil Fragrant Water Mix with Alcohol

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Moutan Jasmine  Peony

Sense Brought by Alemblc: Steam with smell

 Temperature in different parts of alembic



Hybrid Tea Rose

Beauty is important; it brings identity to a city. A city should have its own native beauty. However, the boxlike buildings, shopping malls & streets with chained store twist & destroy the aesthetics of the city.

Even though there is the Kowloon Park, it was totally separated. The city can’t make a good use of it. It is necessary to remind people about the sense of natural beauty and extend the beauty of park to the city.

The native beauty of the city is celebrated once again.











 Bird & butterflies from kowloon park attracted by flowers

 Sense Brought by Alemblc:

Temperature change of Alembic

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"The sense of beauty has a more important place in life than aesthetic theory has ever taken in philosophy."

George Santayana , The Sense of Beauty, 1896 The sense of beauty for people in Hong Kong is twisted by the concrete forest to only about economy, development, and appearance... Beauty should be a human experience of the 5 senses, beyond of just looking good.

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A building is a world within a world.Buildings that personify places of worship, or of home, or of other institutions of man must be true to their nature.

Louis Kahn

Conversations with Students (Architecture at Rice)

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Rose Tower

Alembic Tank

Reception

Rose Garden & Public space

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Spa Rooms

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Binge drinking, which is a hong kong drinking culture. It interprets our life style, hastily and un­pleasant. It may be a way to give vent out against daily lifes, societal or governance problems. But I opt drink­ing as an entertainment, it is made for joy. A necessity for gathering and a way of communication.

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Rethinking the drinking culture in hong kong.

This architectural design is trying to let the binge drinker or alcoholic rethink or remind why we drink a beer and realize the processing of making beer need to fermented and aged at least two weeks, but we finish drinking in 2 minutes or less.

I know when I was a kid, we used to throw the football out of a first-floor window.

We never went to a play space; the play space began immediately.

Play was inspired, not organized.

Louis Kahn

Conversations with Students (Architecture at Rice)

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Entrance ... Lift Lobby ... Lift ... Drinking Area ...

Clubing Area ... Drinking Area ... Pool Area ...

Drinking Area ... Sleeping Area ... Exit

Human Circulation

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Beer Circulation

External View

Drinking Area 1

Drinking Area 2

Drinking Area 3

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This architectural design is mainly focus on two aspects, interaction and transition.

The interaction between people who are sober, people who are drunk and the brewing machines. It can be through visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory and somatosensory cortex. Such as the sound from clubing area, the smell from hops and the steam from brewing machine.

The transition of spaces from entrance to exit. The drinking journey have three drinking spaces and three post-drinking spaces, all designed for different level of drunkenness.

The size, form and ceiling height of spaces; the size of opening and the intensity of lighting will keep changing through out the journey.

Clubing Area

Pool Area

Sleeping Area

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Design Studio Tutors ( 2013 -2017 ) Eddie Kwok Yiu CHAN Jze Yi KUO Julia Ting Yan MOK Henry Kwan Yue CHAN Sarah Sze Wa MUI

HKDI Architecture Projects Review #03

Rhapsodic Architecture Editor Carol Leung Editorial Assistant Jollie Cheung Graphic Design

Carol Leung Jollie Cheung

Ephemerality Space:Factual and Perceptual The Phenomenon: Ka Ming LIU (p.11). Eric Chin Wai WONG (p.12-p.15). Jessica Ngan Fong LEUNG (p.16-p.17). Ngai Tung CHAN (p.18-21) Space in Darkness: Eric Chin Wai WONG (p.26-27).

Ka Ming LIU (p.28-p.29). Ka Wai LAM (p.30-p.33). Shin Fong LEUNG (p.34-p.37) Pavilion of Poetry: Ka Ming LIU (p.39-45). Ka Wai LAM (p.46-p.47). Eric Chin Wai WONG (p.48-p.51). Hau En TSAI (p.52-p.53). Shin Fong LEUNG (p.54-p.57)

Sojourn Stone Tung Hing YUEN (p.61,p.82-p.85). Kelvin Chun Yin LO (p.60,p.70-p.77). Ice Pui Shan CHONG (p.60-p.62). Mickey Tin Wai CHAN (p.63,p.66-p.69).

Emma Jiaqi HUANG (p.78-p.81)

Architecture Fiction and Reality Brian Ying Lim MOK (p.88-p.95). Louis Man Yiu SHING (p.96-p.107). Marco Yin Sing LEUNG (p.108-p.115) . Alison Yuk Ying CHOI (p.116-p.123)

Re_Architecture Ivan Ho Man CHI (p.126-p.135). Josh Hon MAN (p.136-p.143)

Architectural Design Programme Department of Architecture, Interior and Product Design

Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) hkdi@vtc.edu.hk www.hkdi.edu.hk

© 2017 Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form without prior permission in writing of the publisher.