architecture portfolio
CV
Julia Cheam juliacheam@gmail.com +61 481353007 [Australia] 11.03.1991
educational background 04 2009 - 03 2012
Singapore Polytechnic | School of Architecture & the Built Environment Diploma of Architecture (Merit) Certificate in Business
02 2013 - 12 2013
University of Tasmania | School of Architecture & Design Bachelor of Environmental Design [Architecture major]
02 2014 - 12 2015
University of New South Wales | Faculty of the Built Environment Master of Architecture
(expected)
scholarships & awards 2012
Singapore Institute of Architects Silver Medal Board of Architects Prize
2013
Tasmanian International Scholarship provided by UTAS
2014
Golden Jubilee Scholarship provided by UNSW
work experience 02 2010 - 04 2010
East 9 Architects & Planners | Architecture Intern
09 2010 - 10 2010
DP Architects | Architecture Intern
06 2012 - 01 2013
RT+Q Architects | Architectural Assistant
skills Autodesk AutoCAD | Revit | Sketchup | Rhinoceros 5 | Ecotect | Lumion | VRay Adobe Photoshop | Illustrator | InDesign | Premiere Pro Microsoft Office | Excel Model Making | Photography Piano (classical & contemporary)
languages English Mandarin (Chinese)
Primary, written+spoken Secondary
Circular Quay Redevelopment of waterfront landscape \\ Masterplan & Transport Interchange The big idea for the masterplan aims to enhance Circular Quay’s identity by establishing functional and visual connections, and rethinking the current urban nodes of activity. The urban web is studied to analyse the correlation between built form, human activity and circulation - the path that connects these nodes. These connective paths have shown to be complex, multiple, and irregular without showing any geometrical regularity. In this masterplan, the idea of an organic organised complexity is proposed, following the overlaying of Circular Quay’s original topography and the tank stream that served Sydney during the late 18th century. A boardwalk that flows through from east, central and west Circular Quay links up the harbour foreshore like a ribbon. While West Circular Quay is activated through an undulating landscape, fusing the Overseas Passenger Terminal within, Central Circular Quay
[2014] is revamped with a new structure for the railway station that frames up the Customs House and act as a gateway to the city. Cahill Highway, seen as an visual obstruction is removed; Alfred Street is pedestrianised and turned into a market, plaza, and light rail station; while the ferry wharfs are redesigned with a lightweight structure and realigned with the city grid. The boardwalk ribbon splits into a lower and upper promenade - one ramps up at central Circular Quay, connecting to the first level of the railway station platform. This gesture aims to relieve the commuter and leisurely pedestrian circulation that used to coexist on the ground floor, while incorporating cafes, vantage points and activity nodes along the upper promenade. The interweaving of hardscape and softscape of West Circular Quay continues to Alfred Street - offering a public plaza fronting the Customs House.
framing Customs House
Overseas Passenger Terminal adapting to The Rocks heritage
East-West flow
Realigning urban axes
Original topography
adapted topography
tank stream water feature
removing Cahill highway
social integration Circular Quay Masterplan
exploded axonometric
1st level plan [boardwalk + station platform]
Ground level masterplan
East-West Section
Circular Quay tranport interchange
North-South section
PARRAMATTA’S DREAM DISCO
[2014]
Parramatta’s new music venue; the RED SUB is for the SUBculture of the Suburban youth. Submerged underground in 3 basements, it is located at the very prime intersection of Church St and Philip St. Meant for after dark activities, the Red Sub hopes to attract artists from the alternative music scene locally and internationally. Music genre expected to be performed at this venue ranges from Post-punk revival to experimental electronica, trip-hop and progressive rock.
While the lower levels are the main dance floor and stage where the artist performs, the lowest basement and uppermost floor (first level) is a the chill-out area. The levels in between are made up of metal floor decks with voids, maintaining visual connection throughout the vertical volume. The sound of people walking on the decks contributes to the underground industrial ambience, like trash found underground. Sheet piles are used to form the basement, but extends up to the main facade above ground, fusing into a juxtaposition of what is precious and treasured, and what is recycled trash. The rhythmic pattern of the sheet metal piles resonates with the Cumberland land building’s facade. Huge concrete tubes that are used to construct underground sewers are used to enforce the idea of finding an ‘underground’ culture. Container crates are inserted to form partitions of smaller spaces, eg Toilets. Artworks produced by the local community are encouraged to be displayed on the upper level gallery/ chill-out areas to promote local talent.
1st level floor plan
Ground level plan
1st basement floor plan
2nd basement floor plan
3rd basement floor plan
Academy of Creative Industries & Performing Arts \\ Hobart
[2013]
Launceston Gasworks \\ ADAPTIVE REUSE
[2013]
T.H.E. Dance Company \\ Dance Institute
[2012]
Diploma Year 3 project is a dance institute building for the client T.H.E. Dance Company. The design for this project focuses on the intention of retaining the 8 main trees on site to obtain the overall building form and interior experience. In retaining the trees, the concept of birds ‘dancing in the trees’ acting as a metaphor of dancers hovering in their choreography is expressed in architecture. Comparing ideas of birds in flight to Merce Cunningham and his ideas of defying gravity in contemporary dance, it can be said that these dancers are like birds in flight. In a bird’s flight it contains beauty, gesture, detail and grace- attributes that a dancer could study and be inspired by. Combining studies of dancers and birds, and the site context which is currently filled with trees and a living habitat of birds, the idea of creating an ‘Aviary’ for the dancers, is conceived.
Site
Project site sits on the corner Armenian street, along the fringe of the devloped city and its green lungsFort Canning Park. This area is known as the Arts and Civic district, where other institutions and cultural musuems are housed in Singapore. Surrounding the site are low rise historical buildings which marks the history of Singapore. Among the architectural styles found in the area are: English Gothic Revival architecure, Eclectic and Neo-Classical, Singapore 90’s architecture, and Colonial Architecture. Right opposite the west of site sits Singapore Management University (SMU), which is of a 6-storey high modern architecture. Being in a Arts and Civic district gives an opportunity of express itself as a dance centre, yet it should be sensitive to site context as to not overwhelm the surrounding historical context. It also marks the transition between the built environment and the natural.
Form Finding
Max volume
Compressed to tree hight
Split mass: natural ventilation
Melting architecture
Existing tree openings
Final form
First level plan
Third level plan
South Elevation
North El
levation
Second level plan
Fourth level plan
East Elevation
Structural System of Dance Studio
Section (Dance Studio & Resource Centre)
Section (Dance Studio)
Detail A
Detail A (3D)
Detail B
Detail B (3D)
Detail C
Detail C (3D)
Design Primer [Dance Institute] \\ Modular Sculpture
[2011]
This modular sculptural model is an ancillary design primer conducted before the year long project in Year 3. This design primer allowed students to explore the possibilty of forms and its structure, in relation to the year long project brief. The client for the year long project was T.H.E. Dance company, a contemporary dance institute. Students were made to explore the relationship between the human body+dance form and spatial dimensions.
1 3
4
2
5
6
1 2 3 4 5 6
pair connection 1 pair connection 2 secondary pair connection pair system connection 1 pair system connection 2 overall modular sculpture
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Community housing
[2011] [group]
In exploration of the site, the team decided to preserve the existing trees which resulted in strategic orientation of the housing units around the trees, reducing impact on site. Access roads are located at the basement level instead of ground level, allowing human interaction, activities and green spaces to remain on ground. By implementing a continous water feature throughtout the site, the goal was to encourage evaporative cooling on site. The water feature would also serve as water catchment areas, where rainwater water harvesting systems are incorporated to be reused as non-potable water. To encourage cross ventilation through site, houses are orientated alternately and staggered, allowing the houses to efficiently capture prevailing winds.
Site The site sits directly adjacent to the coasts which divides Singapore and Malaysia. It is situated at the farthest end of Punggol where only a single route takes you into the beach. Flora and faura bounds and occupies the site, fragmenting and framing the visual elements, and provides privacy from the surrounding public areas. The Straits remains the main visual element from the site. 8 massing blocks were planned on site, each representing a single family unit. These blocks sit in a linear fashion, set apart not more than 25 metres. To encourage community and interaction, programs are planned between these 25 metres between units. The units are planned in such a way that every unit gets a view towards the sea.
Basement level site plan
Ground level site plan
Basement level unit plan
First level
l unit plan
Second level unit plan
Basel Pavillion of culture Competition entry
[2014] [group]
The City of Basel sits at the frontier of Switzerland, resulting in a fusion of German and French cultures. The Basel pavilion culture sits at the corner of Steinenberg and Theaterstrasse, replacing a public square with a new take on the urban landscape. Four distinguished monumental ‘walls’ sits on the site, addressing the corner and the existing urban landscape to channel the public through permeable urban spaces. The new ‘terrain’ that serves as a roof for the indoor spaces on the lower ground, also serves as a public square. On the ground level connecting the lower street level to the Tinguely Fountain,
encouraging pedestrian flow through the site. The Basel Pavillion sits on a landscape that is bountiful in the cultural and arts scene - It opens up like an art folio, revealing canvases of Basel’s rich and exuberant art culture. The first wall at the street edge speaks about the fusion of culture that Basel has to provide. The timber and rusticated wall speaks about the natural resources, landscape, and the layered history of the city. The media wall that faces the Theatre Basel represents Switzerland as a country forward in technology, while serving the public on site to information around the city.
Haywards Launceston \\ Entry walkway
[2014]
Model Making
\\ these are models made during the 8-month work experience at RT+Q Architects, Singapore. [2012]