Portfolio architecture
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design
Tan Soon Lee Alex, M.Arch selected works | 2008 - 2013 prague, | 2010
dresden | 2010
Profile Alex was born and raised in the heartlands of Singapore. His passion for design and the arts is fuelled by the exposure given to him growing up with his extended families. He sought apprenticeship with Mr Randy Chan (Zarch Collaboratives) and was under the mentorship of Mr Tang Guan Bee throughout his educative years, taking a gap year after completing his Bachelor’s Degree to gain experience at these respective offices. Alex received his B.A.(Arch) with 2nd Upper Honors and is expected to graduate with a Masters Degree in July 2013. In addition, Alex’s interest in the creative fields outside of Architecture led him to pursue a scholarship to travel to Los Angeles to research and work at the prestigious USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2009. He has also worked freelance for local artists to explore ideas and inspirations that he hopes would be applicable in future. Alex believes that design is a way one conduct the self, a lifestyle and an attitude, and sees everyday rituals as potential inspirations for radical design breakthroughs.
curriculum vitae
tan soon lee alex 90 tanglin halt road #09-322 singapore 141090
skewedperspektifs@gmail.com +65 9298 3219 26/11/1986 education 2011 - 2012 National University of Singapore, Singapore Master of Architecture 2007 - 2011
National University of Singapore, Singapore Bachelor of Arts in Architecture (2nd Upper)
2010 - 2011
České Vysoké Učení technické v Praze, Czech Republic Student Exchange Program (1 semester)
2003 - 2005 scholarships / awards
GCE Cambridge ‘A’ Levels St. Andrew’s Junior College
2010 NUS Exchange Awards Travelling Scholarship 2009
National University of Singapore Interactive and Digital Media Institute NUS IDMI Scholarship (currently NUS-MDA SHAPE)
2012
Zarch Collbaoratives Pte. Ltd, Singapore | apprentice architectural designer
2009
USC School of Cinematic Arts, Los Angeles, USA | visiting scholar / design intern
2008 - 2011
Zarch Collbaoratives Pte. Ltd, Singapore | architectural Intern
2008
Istana Art Event | architectural volunteer
work
references upon request
publications 2011 City Exihibition 2011 Essay, The Authentic Jargon in NUS Phonebook and Dictionary make Great Reading Material 2011
NUS Yearbook 2011 Reflection Entry, Ignorance of Experience
2011 NUS Yearbook 2011 Design Project, Symbiotic Paradoxities competitions 2012 New Punggol Mosque (with Zarch Collaboratives Pte. Ltd.) competition entry 2011 13th Shelter International Architectural Design Competition 2011 competition entry 2011 Mapletree BizSpace closed competition (with Zarch Collaboratives Pte. Ltd.) competition entry 2010 Kaohsiung Pop Music Center Competition (with TangGuanBee Architects) competition entry 2009 Build London Live 2009 (with TangGuanBee Architects) Collaborative Award exhibitions / activities 2012
Building as Body | installation and construction coordinator
2012
Shall we play another way? | student volunteer for workshop at the substation
2011
Exhibition of design project contestation | NUS City Exhibition 2011
2009
Exhibition of project ‘a bookcase for 5 books’ | Archifest 2009
skills AutoCAD | Revit | ArchiCAD | SketchUp | Lumion | Artlantis Adobe Photoshop | Adobe Illustrator | Adobe InDesign | Microsoft Office references upon request
contents wien | 2010
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Residential | Institutional | Cultural | Detail | Miscellaneous
01 Something There Is,
That Doesn’t Love a Wall Masters Thesis | 2013
In
The thesis projects a typology of community care that speculates new relationships between geriatrics and the residents. It aims to de-stigmatize and allows a point of entry into community living where geriatrics can heal in the community, with the community. Spatially, the proximity between everyday life with aged living is maintained. The adjacencies of aging and death as a part of the life cycle is celebrated through common activities for different purposes - as spaces for creative learning, as gardens that heals and yields, and as spaces that serves and in turn be served. site plan with massing concept
This project will be exhibited in CityEx 2013.
‘Before I built a wall I’d ask to know What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I would like to give offense’ Exisiting plans toallow elderly patients to manage their illness in the community had led to stigmatization and gentrification of geriatric care. Efficiency is not maximised as patients still relocate to facilities between communities. Existing as a counter point, the thesis consolidates main geriatric provisions under one facility, proposing a new model that centres around everyday provisions that is the market. The market is decentralised into a distributed network with the different provisions of care inserted at alternating levels. In this way, community care is reprogrammed with the market as a responsive matrix to care.
‘Something there is that doesn’t love a wall And makes gaps even two can pass abreast There where it is we do not need the wall’ - Robert Frost, Mending Wall, 1914 Two articulated volumes collides and locks together, producing a sequence of threshold spaces which overflows and overlooks different spaces. These thresholds integrate the different functioning areas of the complex, but at the same time differentiate it. In times of differentiation, an energised complex is created, which corresponds readily to the diversity of activity. In times of integration, a synergised effect is produced, where community interaction occurs at 3 levels – proximity, commonalities and appropriation
sections
sectional perspective
plans | 1st storey
plans | 2nd storey to roof
render |exterior
render | juxtaposition of care and market
final model | exterior scale 1:150
final model | part section scale 1:150
final model | section scale 1:150
02 Punggol Mosque competition| 2012
Cu
Intimacy within grandeur plays a central role in thie design for the Punggol Mosque. By sinking the main prayer halls underground, a tranquil and intimate prayer environment is created, while freeing up the ground level for communal activities. The use of water as a feature element not only alludes to verses and key events in the Quran, but also cools down the building. Motifs are incorporated alongside these water elements to enhance the grandeur of the mosque.
render | main prayer hall
section
render | exterior
03 Symbiotic Paradoxities competition| 2011
Cu
A dance center in Little India exists as an irony - it aims to promote interaction and brotherhood, yet gentrifies itself as private property. In addition, Large congregations of the Indian community lie in contrast with lack of public spaces. The project investigates the limits of spatial contestation by juxtaposing programs and playing up these paradoxities, allowing for new situations to emerge. Using the dance center as a basis, an intervention that provides additional public space is proposed, seeking to bridge the barrier between the dance center and the indian community. Secondary street levels are added and connected to the surroundings, with dance and arts related activities are introduced to intensify use and activities. This project was exhibited in CityEx 2011 and featured in NUS Yearbook 2010.
render | interaction between museum visitors with residents through a veil of mesh
conceptual and model studies
first story plan
short section
long section
rear elevation
04 Inside - Out House competition| 2011
Re
In this competition, there is a conscious intention to probe conventional ideas of the living institution in an attempt to introduce new ways of living.
render | exterior
The design proposal revives the basic understanding of the primitive hut. It explores spaces that is “inside-out” and “outside-in”. This spaces are perceived as extensions of the wilderness, creating new spatial categorizaions that enables one to experience nature in its entirety while being in the comfort and safety of a house. Large holes frame views and surrounding trees to demarcate the spatial boundaries.
render | garden space
05 Kaohsiung Pop Music Center
competition | 2011
Cu
The proposal envisions the Maritime Cultural and Pop Music Center as an emblem of energy, a place where people, culture and music resonates as one entity. The design is perceived as a continuous landscape that unifies different programs together, creating new grounds and opportunities. Its undulating landscape mediates between city and the bay, its ground porous and low, constantly maintaining connections between city and sea. The competition entry is done with TangGuanBee Architects and Zarch Collaboratives.
elevation | schematic
rendered perspective | boardwalk
rendered perspective | exterior
06 Studio of Stencils studiowork | 2008
Re
With reference to Manhattan Transcripts, a narrative is used to explore boundaries at the site - an abandoned railway track belonging to Malaysia, residing in Singapore soil. This investigation streamlines the program brief of an artist’s residence into a space for the stencil graffiti artist. The proposed design is an allegorical response to program, context and phenomenon. Drawing from the methodology of stencil art, the studio residence is made up of movable stencil frames that creates different hierarchies of spaces at different times. This probes the dualistic phenomenon of spatial boundaries on the site, and maintains the insidious yet expressive nature of the program. This project was exhibited in CityEx 2008. final model | interior
exploratory studies
elevation | closed (residence)
elevation | open (studio / gallery)
final model | exterior
07 Constructing Accidental Construction studiowork | 2008
De
The definition of “construction” in this project lies beyond the physical creation of an artifact/system. It is also about the “construction” of the self, its views, and observations to the surroundings. Rather than testing the material’s limitations and/or potentials, plywood is instead utilised as a medium to probe the ethics of construction. Drawings are constantly produced to rationlise accidental results of the surroundings and investigations, and an artifact is eventually realised as result of these drawings.
constructing the site
material studies
final 1:1 artifact
08
Dowel Bookcase studiowork | 2008
De
The design began with the premise of a challenge - to build a portable bookcase with ease of transport and minimal materials. The resultant object is slender lightweight bookcase made primarily of timber strips and dowel joints. In order to push to latent potential of the dowel through craftmanship and detail, the dowel is utitlised more than just a joint - it becomes a cap, a handle, a pivot. This also allows for ease of assembly. This project was exhibited in Archifest ‘08.
final 1:1 prototype
detail
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Photography 2008 - 2013
Berlin, Germany Langelois, Austria Munich, Germany Prague, Czech Republic Saigon,Vietnam Venice, Italy
Mi
Acknowledgements 2013 Something There is,That Doesn’t Love a Wall Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Lilian Chee (Assistant Professor) 2012 Punggol Mosque Competition Team: Randy Chan, Angelina Yoanita 2011 Kaohsiung Pop Music Center Competition Team: Randy Chan,Tang Guan Bee, Benjamin Yeo, Suchada Kitisopakul, Steven Lim, Dora Paramita 2008 Constructing Accidental Construction Instructor: Randy Chan Studio: Khoo Ee Jia, Fabian Fan, Chua Gong Yao, Jolene Lee, Kion Wong, Michelle Chew, Gary Terrence, Shaun Yeo, Xing Ying, Zhang Qian, Tan Zi Hua Dowel Bookcase Instructor: Cheah Kok Meng (Associate Professor) Design Team: Chen Yanyi, Joleen Woon, Welly Budiman, Neo Wen Hao *all photographs by author, unless otherwise stated
- Thank You -
tan soon lee alex portfolio 2008 - 2013 skewedperspektifs@gmail.com +65 9298 3219