Design Concept

Komorebi // “to the sunlight shining through the trees.” the movement of light and shadows formed by the interplay of trees, wind and sunlight on the landscape.

Crown shyness

A phenomenon in which the highest branches of a tree canopy avoid touching each other, forcing their neighbours into a pattern that maximizes resource collection & minimizes harmful competition.

Sowing the Seeds

First, the implementation is started by ‘sowing’ the seeds of columns which imitate the growth of forest (in order to blend in); at the same time, symbolises the university’s ‘Passion’ in providing and equipping students to be aspiring leaders through the offered education.

Growing the Columns

The placement of columns defines the pathway and spaces for human and vehicle flow. Hence, urban street scape and social lingering can take place in between the columns. ‘Oneness’ & ‘Empathy’ are portrayed by the blending in of the structure with existing surrounding trees.

Learning from the Nature

The canopy learns from the philoshophies of komorebi and crown shyness which highlight the influence of nature and aesthetics in the design. Materiality and shapes of the roof are controlled to allow sunlight piercing through the roof creepers - as a way to ‘embrace’ our tropical climate while being under pleasant shade. The ideal of ‘Integrity’ is reflected in its honest use of materiality of the roof - not hiding the nature of bend-able GI mesh.

Free standing lighting

Location of existing guardhouse

Roof can be segmented for ease of transportation to site

‘cornerless’ guardhouse

Matching the organic form of the roof, the corners disappear so the structure

‘vanishes’ amongst the columns and trees

Exploded Axonometry

Recycled brick aggregate concrete

Galvanisediron mesh

Stainless steel suspension cables

Location of existing guardhouse

Roof can be segmented for ease of transportation to site

Tropical creeper plants (eg. clitoria ternatea etc)

Materiality & Detail Axo

EXPLODED DETAIL AXO

How the columns meet the folded mesh roof

PJ Gateway Section scale NTS

PJ Gateway Elevation scale NTS took a rare opportunity to become a research assistant for a sociolinguistic research headed by Dr Welyne Jeffrey & Dr Patricia Riget from University of Malaya in January & February 2023. was sent to collect interviews from one of the minor native groups in Sarawak - the Kelabits - in their ancestral Kelabit Highlands which is also called Bario. The research is to study their language vitality & inter-generational language transmission. took up this work as have always been interested in working directly with the indigenous communities, & am hoping to somehow integrate this experience into possibly working on cultural buildings that represent their culture & identity one day.