Architectural Portfolio (2017) - Hui Yuan Koh

H U I YUAN KOH ARCHITECTURAL P O R T F O L I O

CONTENT LIFE OF THE HERMIT CRAB

DESIGNING ENVIRONMENT 2016

A PLACE OF KEEPING SECRET

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO: EARTH 2017

THE HEART PROTECTOR

DIGITAL DESIGN FABRICATION 2017

VARIOUS ARTWORK

2013 - 2017

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

2015 - 2017

DESIGNING ENVIRONMENT / 2016

LIFE OF THE HERMIT CRAB Occupy, was the main idea for this design project.

Our site for this project was the Concrete Lawn in Hermit crab which is al- University of Melbourne. ways changing their pro- The design outcome was tective shell expresses primarily based on the suthe idea of temporary oc- perimposition collage. cupancy and the needs to search for a better shelter. By randomly outlining the Similarly, people also dis- elements from the superplay this kind of action, al- imposed collage, a plan ways occupying different with rather interesting places when their condi- composition is formed. tions changed.

Life of the Hermit Crab:

Spatio-Temporal Narrative

It’s time for house hunting again.

He picks and chooses from houses from all styles and shapes.

He is a wanderer who never really leaves the house.

But the funny thing is, he has already long forgotten the feeling of home.

Perhaps, it’s just the side effect of too much house changing when he was young.

To him, houses are just tools that protect himself from the outside.

He is a loner, always alone.

One time, he wanted to invite someone to his newly found house but that will never happen ever and he knows that the hermit crab knows that.

Life of the Hermit Crab:

Superimposition Collage

This was made by overlaying of the site analysis diagram, plan of my tectonic model and the spatio-temporal narrative collage.

Transparency of the layers are adjusted in Photoshop to create an image with depth.

Life of the Hermit Crab:

Experience Collage

A 1:50 @ A3 collage was created to show the material used in the project. My assigned material was timber. I want people to experience and appreciate small changes when walking through the design so I used a variety to timber type at different part of the structure.

Life of the Hermit Crab:

Plan and Section

At first sight on ground level, people will only notice the frame structure standing at the center of the site. As they walk across the area, they will notice that the landscape of that whole area is actually designed, platforms and steps that goes below the ground.

Life of the Hermit Crab:

Digital Model

Life of the Hermit Crab:

Physical Model

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO EARTH / 2017

A PLACE OF KEEPING SECRET What is secret? Secret is something that is kept or meant to kept unknown or unseen by others. Secret doesn’t has to be an object, it can be a message, it can be a space, it can be an experience, it can be abstract, it can be anything.

This design studio had two parts. The first part was The Three Relationships, where we learned the basis of all complex

architecture - ‘Point/Line/ Plane’, ‘Mass’ and ‘Frame and Infill’. In this studio, they are allied to a specific ground related space: ground surface, underground and above ground.

The techniques, forms and ideas of these tectonics are then applied in our architectural project which was to create a pavilion that has a secret in Herring Island.

The Three Relationships

The Three Relationships:

Point/Line/Plane

Combining 2 points form a line; combining lines form plane; combining planes form volume.

All these basic elements are everywhere. An object can be seen as point, line or plane at different perspective.

Using this design principle we can bring them together and create beautiful and unusual forms.

The Three Relationships:

Point/Line/Plane

“The Extrusions�

The model explored the extrusions of points, lines and planes, to create an interactive sculpture which could blend into the natural landscape. Each straight extrusion is arranged in such a way to form a hill-like, undulating structure.

It can serves as a meeting point where people are able to sit and rest on the sculpture. If someone is curious enough to walk through the narrow path in the middle of the sculpture, they may find a small hidden space too.

The Three Relationships:

Mass

“A Pot of Gold” Once upon a time, the people of the village in a tropical forest had discover a very special tunnel. At certain time, the end of the tunnel will glow brightly. Many villagers thought that

there was some magical gold at the end of the tunnel but they discovered nothing every time after they spend hours climbing down the dangerous tunnel. It was then became a forbidden ground after many people fell down and die halfway down the tunnel.’

The Three Relationships:

Mass

Mass is defined as ‘a large body of matter with no definite shape.’; ‘a large number of people or objects crowded together’.

The first thought of mass will be related to objects such as rock, stone, brick, metal, earth. What happen when a large number of rock is assemble together? First, it gave off the feeling of heaviness and firmness. Second, the surface of the assemblage and rough. Third, gaps are form between each of the object and because rock is opaque, light and shadow is formed.

Thus, the play of solid and void; darkness and light; touch and see.

‘A Pot of Gold’ is a painting that expresses mass visually and emotionally.

Using watercolour, pencil, charcoal and collage, a section view of a cave-like architectural space is made. The solid blocks with different sizes are arranged to imitate a space that contain natural and man-made features.

This method allow voids and gaps to form between the blocks. The creases on the background create a sense of roughness for the interior space.

The painting also shows part of the narrative where the ‘magical gold’ phenomena is actually created by a puddle of water formed by the rain with direct sunlight shine on it.

The Three Relationships:

Frame and Infill

Frame and infill is an intellecture system that requires planning and shows transparency. Most of the spaces we dwell in everyday life are made up of this structure.

Normally, frame is first set up as the permanent structure and infill is then put out / on / inside / behind the frame which is the temporary sections of architecture. What if the clear distinction of frame and infill become ambiguous?

The Three Relationships:

Mass

‘ The Observation Tower ‘

This model is built based on the structure of a Baobab Tree. The sequence of pentagon platform is the trunk; the irregular shaped platforms are the leafs and branches of the tree. The whole structure shows the transformation of frame and infill, from regular to irregular. Instead of focusing the grid, permanent and temporary feature of frame and infill. I want to challenged that perception by creating a frame and instill structure that explore ambiguity and irregularity.

A Place of Keeping Secret:

Site Analysis - Herring Island

N

Chosen site

100m

Herring island located in the Yarra River, 3km from the city has a very interesting transformation in the pass 130 years. It started off as an old quarry and slowly turned into an environmental sculpture park. The island consist of many environmental art sculpture for us to find and discover.

As I wanted to further explore the concept of light and shadow, I investigated the sun path on the island and chosen the east bank of the island which can received more afternoon direct sun light and has lesser vegetation to shade from sun light.

A Place of Keeping Secret:

Site Analysis - Herring Island

Access & Infrastructures

Circulation

Topography

Vegetation density

Intensity

Summer Solstice - December

Noise level & sources

Winter Solstice - June

A Place of Keeping Secret:

Concept development

Conceptacles are small sketch models that turn the ideas in our mind into physical state.

They helped in the development of different design aspects in this architectural project. First, to test the design for the light and dark concept; second, to design the journey and experience to the assigned secret.

A Place of Keeping Secret:

Final Design - (Don’t Tell Anyone)

A Place for keeping secrets, Something like a Pavilion, On Herring Island.

Sometime during the noon, people who come to Herring Island will often see the mystery yet interesting phenomena in the tunnel-like pavilion at the east side of the Island. As they arrive the center of the pavilion, they can see words cast on the wall by the sunlight. It says: “Secret is here”.

A Place of Keeping Secret:

Final Design - (Don’t Tell Anyone)

This pavilion design stimulate one’s curiosity when they were told about something or someone is having a secret.

They will start pondering what it the secret and start asking or looking for it.

The secret of this project is the journey itself, as they discovered the hidden message in the pavilion, they will start to question. What is the secret? Where is the secret? Who is Secret?

ROOF PLAN

ELEVATION

SECTION A

N

10m

PLAN

A Place of Keeping Secret:

Final Design - (Don’t Tell Anyone)

DIGITAL DESIGN FABRICATION / 2017

THE HEART PROTECTOR This studio required us to design and fabricate a second skin, a three dimensional wearable structure. It uses the body as site and response to the boundary of personal space.

was Panel and Fold. This system was first studied through an expanding document file, the material logic is then applied throughout the project.

Digital technology and fabrication are closely asThe fundamental mate- sociated with our design rial system we chose to process to create the opexplore for this project timum second skin model.

The Heart Protector:

Design developments

The Heart Protector:

Final Digital Design

This second skin is design for introvert female users who used to be a bully victim. Its spiky design protect the user from her personal space’s intruders. The second skin also helps her to become more confident and stronger to face the society once again.

tion of the user from the surrounding people and the body skin structure which has varying perforated pyramids. The variation shows the changing of personal space at different part of the upper body.

With this, she will always have a place to hide when This design consists of she feels frighten; a place two part, the expandable for temporary isolation; hood which block the eye a place that gives her a contact and communica- sense of security.

The Heart Protector:

Final digital design

PLAN

FRONT

RIGHT

LEFT

BACK

The Heart Protector:

Personal Space Analysis

Personal Space can be analysed and perceived in two ways, distance and sight.

Personal Space (Distance) decrease

Personal Space (Sight) decrease

As we uses our dominant body parts more often, those parts will most likely come in contact with people. Therefore, the varies in the height of the pyramids elements indicate the need of protection from the touches of strangers.

In this case, it is designed for right handed person. Hence, the right side of the body has taller pyramids that increase distance between the user and other people.

A person’s personal space can also be intruded upon when being perceived by someone.

It is especially related to female who are more self-conscious. Therefore, the smaller the perforations on the pyramid elements means the more sensitive the user feels when being looked at.

The Heart Protector:

Exploded Diagram

The Heart Protector:

Fabrication Sequence

The Heart Protector:

Final Physical Model

The Heart Protector:

Final Physical Model

VARIOUS ARTWORKS

I like to create artworks using different art media.

Not only because they allow me to present and communicate my ideas in various ways, they are also useful to explore ideas through cross-pollination of works.

Recently, I have created some artworks using methods such as collage, printmaking and stop mo-

tion animation. They have made me wonder: ‘Beside using traditional and CAD drawing, what is the potential and outcome to incoorporate other mixture of art media in the process of architectural project?’ Learning new things are not always easy but the process and accomplishment to create something is what I enjoy.

Various Artworks:

Hand Drawing

Malaysia, the Multicultural Country / Drawing pen, colour pencil / 2015

Various Artworks:

Hand Drawing

State Library of Victoria / Drawing pen / 2016

Various Artworks:

Hand Drawing

Quadrangle, University of Melbourne / Pencil / 2016

Various Artworks:

Painting

Wanderlust / Watercolour pencil, arcylic paint / 2016

Various Artworks:

Graphic Design

School magazine & Event Posters / Digital art media (Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator) / 2013 - 2015

Various Artworks:

Graphic Design

T-shirt and jersey design / Digital art media (Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator) / 2014 - 2017

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

I am a nostalgia person.

Taking photographs is my hobby. Photographs helps me remember what happen in the past because I do not have a good memory.

As I took more photos,

I started to be aware of how to compose a good picture. What is the main focus in the picture? How should I adjust the shutter, aperture, exposure, composition and colour?

Digital Photography:

Nature Close-up

Digital Photography:

Natural landscape

Digital Photography:

Urban landscape

Digital Photography:

People

Digital Photography:

Artistic

Thank you for spending your time to read my portfolio. If you wish to contact me..

Name: Hui Yuan Koh Contact #: 0426587235 Email: hyuan.koh@gmail.com