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Isaac Seah Selected Works 2016 - 2017
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Isaac ; Portfolio 2017
Index 4
Curriculum Vitae
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Hidden, Revealed
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Transition
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Sky Towers
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Placey, Virtual Reality Solution for Architects
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GRIT Lab, Performance Index for Green Roof Data
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Evolve, Net-Zero Building Competition
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Hello, I’m Isaac, a second year student from the University of Toronto, pursuing a multi-disciplinary education in architecture and computer science. This portfolio is a reflection of my efforts to understand and learn about the fascinating world of architecture. I see architecture as a way of manipulating the environment to serve our everchanging needs. I’m always enthusiastically seeking ways to make this manipulation sustainable, progressive and impactful. I look forward to the day where my creativity and passion brings value and happiness to the global community. Sincerely, Isaac w: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/seahisaac e: isaac_seah@hotmail.com
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Isaac ; Portfolio 2017
Curriculum Vitae Education Sep 2015 - Present Toronto, Ontario
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO Candidate for Bachelor of Architectural Studies + Minor in Computer Science , Minor in GIS.
Work Experience Sep 2016 - Current Toronto, Ontario
PLACEY, Co-founder, 3D Modeler
May 2016 - Current Toronto, Ontario
VARSITY PUBLICATIONS INC., Web Developer
Apr 2016 - Sep 2016 Toronto, Ontario
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ENTREPRENEURSHIP HATCHERY, Fellow
Apr 2016 - Sep 2016 Toronto, Ontario
GREEN ROOF INNOVATION TESTING LAB, Volunteer
May 2015 - Aug 2016 Singapore
INVENIO PTE. LTD., Co-founder, Graphic Designer
Devised a virtual reality solution for existing architectural workflows. Responsible for product development, business development and creating architectural environments. Currently undergoing product validation with 2 AEC Firms.
Web Developer for the the oldest newspaper on campus. Responsible for handling website crashes, creating new web templates using javascript, css and html.
Identified a problem within the architectural industry, hypothesised a solution for the problem, created a prototype using Unity, Revit and Blender and emerged as one of top 14 teams to present to prospective investors.
Ensured that data collected by laboratory sensors are accurate, allowing systematic collection and storage of green roof performance data. Assisted in graphic design and Implemented the performance index, a web tool for AEC industry to understand collected data.
Co-founded an educational consultancy. Created and designed education curriculum. Contacted, pitched and coordianted contracts with various schools around Singapore. Delivered workshops to 200 students.
Skills Advanced
Business Writing, Presentation, Research, Story Boarding, Web Development
Intermediate
Rhino, Adobe Suite, Vray, Unity3D, Javascript, SketchUp, Model Making
Beginner
Revit, AutoCAD, Grasshopper, T-Spline, RETScreen 4, Python scripting
Awards & Achievements Apr 2016
University of Toronto Entreprenuership Hatchery Fellowship Award
Sep 2016
University of Toronto Entreprenuership Hatchery 2016 Cohort Top 14 Team
Involvement Jan 2016 - Apr 2016
Blue Sky Solar Car Racing
Sep 2015 - Apr 2016
SHIFT Magazine, Undergraduate Architectural Publication 5
01. Hidden, Revealed Toronto, Ontario, Devonshire Place In this project, a study space is designed for students, taking design cues from the Robart’s Library, a notorious brutalist building situated in the core of University of Toronto. Upon analysis of the Robart’s floor plan, a system of fractals was uncovered. The resulting study space employs a similar algorithmic approach, creating soothing and compelling visual effects on its facade and floor plans.
N
Site Devonshire Place
St. George Street Hoskin Avenue
A series of design iterations were completed to reach a conclusive version that was inquisitve in nature, intended for further exploration The yellow arrows represent pedestrian traffic. The treatment of the site and the design of the study space is strongly geared towards the two arterial roads that run parallel to the site.
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Isaac ; Portfolio 2017
A passage was created between the building to facilitate pedestrian traffic. Triangular panels were created using Grasshopper to create a shading system for direct sunlight from the West.
A recurrsively generated volume was subsequently applied to the structure, influencing it’s program. The result was monolithic, akin to Robart’s Library.
Interior rendering with glass and concrete. Generated surfaces are characterized by a recursive pattern, Sierpinski’s Carpet.
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The final result is a merging of the lightness of the first iteration and the algorithmic exploration of the second one. By pinching the corners of the second iteration, the skirts of the building is drawn up, revealing the activites below it. Its perforated facade provides an optical effect of revealing the activites happening within the building as a pedestrian grows increasingly curious and his eyes are drawn towards the middle of each facade piece.
Hidden, Revealed
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Section B
Section A
Plan A
Plan B
Plan A
Plan B
Section A
Section B 10
Isaac ; Portfolio 2017
Hidden, Revealed
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02. Transitions This project explores transitions between spaces of different height spaces. The transitions are implemented through a series of ramps that wrap around the building, prompting discussion about the relationship between height, space and ramps.
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Transitions
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03. Sky Towers What happens when we run out of space? What happens when we gain the ability to expand our skyscrapers indefinitely? This project explores modular expansion of vertical towers, expanding on concepts and representations curated by metabolist architect, Arata Isozaki. Starting from a basic building block, a series of towers are created and connected, representing an ever growing vertical city.
Creation of a module, followed by stacking and lateral expansion to form connected towers 14
Isaac ; Portfolio 2017
Sky Towers
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This image is a recreation of Arata Isozaki’s Clusters in the Air. The towering figures above the cityscape is reminiscent of the condominium developments located in Toronto, where there is a never-ending vertical expansion of the city.
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04. Placey Placey is an ongoing collaborative project that seeks to develop virtual reality solutions for the architecture industry. Guided with industry validation and a series of test users,the project team undergoes design sprints, creating and exploring methods to create immersive and collaborative virtual environments. This section features some of the virtual environments I’ve created using Unity, Blender and Revit. The following project is based on the floor plan of a Tridel condominium development in downtown Toronto.
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Isaac ; Portfolio 2017
Placey
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05. Photo credits: GRIT Lab The Green Roof Innovation Testing Lab is located on the roof of the University of Toronto’s Architecture Faculty building. It is a state of the art facility that investigates the environmental performance associated with ‘green’ & ‘clean’ technologies such as green roofs, green walls and photovoltaic arrays. In this project, the GRIT Lab’s existing image index was improved to reflect the performance of different plant mediums in the Green roofs residing in Toronto’s unique climate. The web tool reflects time series data on temperature, water and plant growth in the summers from 2014 to 2016. The tool correlates four green roof design parameters (growing media composition, depth, planting, irrigation schedule) with plant growth, water retention (runoff reduction), and thermal cooling performance. My role in this project encapsulated the implementation of the web tool, implementing interchangaibility between the pictures and data models, enabling sorting of the different diagrams, implementing a continuous timeline of the visualization as well as the conceptualization of the 3D models. Tools utilized include Unity3D, Rhino, Grasshopper, Illustrator, Photoshop and javascript.
The GRIT Lab 20 Isaac ; Portfolio 2017
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Data Visualisation [Input] Water: mm (mm rainfall + mm irrigation)
Pin-frame for measuring canopy biomass. Plant’s contact with pin frame is recorded at 4 different heights.
0mm
60cm
[Input] AmbientTemp. °C (Monthly Max) 0°C
45cm 30cm
Grass Biomass
15 cm 0 cm
Wildflower Biomass
45 - 60cm 30 - 45cm 15 - 30cm 0 - 15 cm
Toronto Standard = 50% of [Input] Water
0mm Exceeds Datum Below Datum Equal to Datum
[Output] Runoff: mm
0°C
[Output] Bed Temp °C (Monthly Max)
[Datum] Cooling Threshold = [Input] Temp
75% Cover
60% Cover
55% Cover
Wildflower Density Grass Density
100% Cover 0% Cover
50% Cover
Ground cover: Proportion of touches between pin and plant, out of 16 pins Density: Number of touches for all 16 pins per height. Touches: Plant material in contact with pinframe. 25% Cover 22 Isaac ; Portfolio 2017
Comparison
Meadow Medium
Sedum Medium
GRITLab
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06. Evolve Net Zero Competition 164 Sterling Road, Toronto Ontario This project is a six storey mixed-used wood building with a building area of 1500 sq.m. Its program includes a public art gallery on the ground floor, 15 small residential units, 15 large residential units and 60 medium residential units and a roof garden. My role in this project included rendering, modelling in Revit, creating sections and plans, designing and calulating for energy systems using RETScreen 4. The aesthetics of the building was inspired by the surrounding industrial buildings and the historical significance of the site. Employing a triangluar frontal engagement with the intersection of Sterling Road and Perth Avenue, a pedestrian walking down the narrow street will encounter this uplifting structure tucked within the redevelopment area. As an attempt to captialize on the elegance of timber, the timber columns were exposed on the ground floor and a chequered pattern of wood and white concrete permeate the entire building. Some of the sustainable features implemented in the building include the following:
Solar Panels
Rainwater Management
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Geothermal Heat Exchange
Green Wall
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ve Perth A
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Go lde
Proposed Park
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1.
2.
1. Maximize North, South facing, minimize East, West facing. Increase natural light, decrease glare. 2. Staggered south facing for increased privacy. 3. Levels are shifted in an alternating pattern, adding variation to reveal columns and wood work. 4. Building is elevated to create a public gallery, producing an active streetscape. 5. A green roof is installed, complemented with ample skylight for better illlumination within the building.
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dary
oun
B Site
3.
5.
4.
Large apartment Medium apartment
Small apartment Water Catchment BBQ spit Community space Community Garden Green Roof
2nd Level Plan
Roof Plan
Foyer
Community Room
Gallery
Lobby WC
Retail Space
Parking Ramp
Workshop and offices
Store Loading
Ground Plan Ground Plan
Geothermal Equipment
Basement Plan
Evolve Net Zero Competition
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The building employs the following steps for effective water conservation and power efficiency.
1. Storm water is collected on the roof, where its entirety serves as a catchment area. Catchment drains are located be
2. Prior to distribution, collected stormwater first goes through the process of filtration before being stored in under underground for ease of maintenance.
3. The greywater collected will subsequently be used as a non-potable water source for water closets in the building, w better performance, the building also utilizes efficient water closet systems. 4. Finally, some of the greywater collected is also used in irrigation for the surrounding greenery.
For power efficiency, the building also employs a Geothermal Heat Exchange System, operating on a vertical closed lo
5. Each apartment is equppied with underfloor radiators for temperature regulation, where heat exchange is regulated
6. A centralized HRV system is also installed in the building to improve the ventilation of the building, reducing the nee air circulation. 28 Isaac ; Portfolio 2017
Savings off Energy Expenditure RETScreen 4 Calculations
eneath the boardwalk and the green space.
rground storage tanks. The storage tanks are positioned
50%
25%
25%
where upon use, water will be directed to the sewage. For
Geothermal HRV System
Passive Heating, Cooling
Photovoltaic Surfaces
Savings off Water Usage Based on region rainfall statistics
oop for increased space for installation.
d automatically by the Geothermal system.
ed to provide additional energy to regulate the building’s
55%
65%
High Performance Water Closet
Rainwater Collection
Net Zero
Evolve Net Zero Competition
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Thank you for your time. e: isaac_seah@hotmail.com w: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/seahisaac