Mai Ta Architecture portfolio BArch

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CONTENTS

01

Personal Summary & CV

02

Final Year: Brink Territories

03

Final Year Thesis Project

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Second Year: Project Aga Sikolo

& Calais Tetris Module

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Further design work

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For full CV, please refer to document file: 01 MAI QUE TA CURRICULUM VITAE

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ACADEMIC RECORD

SKILLS

PERSONAL SUMMARY & CV I am a diverse individual with proven capabilities, balancing my workload with my hobbies. I developed a focused approach, with an interest in natural and traditional materials and techniques after my time working on Project Aga Sikolo, where I was a member in designing and building a Nursery school in South Africa. This lead me to Article 25 Nottingham where I served as the Design Publicity Officer. With much experience with working in teams, I can communicate my ideas in a positive, relevant & passionate way.

I am enthusiastic in learning and developing my skills further in all areas of design, although am confident with most design based software.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPERIENCE Calais Nursery School, South Africa, Easter 2013 Designer and construction worker on Project Aga Sikolo, Nursery school in South Africa, learning valuable skills, few being: team work skills, adapting to the changing environment, construction knowledge, and working within a time and budget constraint Education Africa award in recognition of invaluable contribution during the construction/development of a nursery school, Easter 2013 Awarded by James Urdang, Executive Director/Founder of Education Africa Vice Chancellors Exhibition, University of Nottingham, Feb 2013 Chosen with a team as the only second year Architecture students to exhibit work and meet the Vice Chancellor to showcase our Project Aga Sikolo work

Computer Skills Micro-station (Basic) Rhinoceros (Basic) Vectorworks (Basic) Autodesk Ecotect (Basic) AutoCAD 2013 SketchUp Adobe Photoshop CS6 Adobe Illustrator CS6 Adobe InDesign CS6 Mac Software Other Sketching Model making Photography Research Construction detailing Language Skills English: Mother Tongue Vietnamese: Limited working proficiency

Fleeting Retreat, Market Square, Nottingham, Feb 2013 Building a pavilion at the light show in Nottingham, to publicize the Aga Sikolo project while learning initial construction skills and teamwork skills East Lindsey District Council Exhibition and Meeting, Dec 2013 I exhibited and presented my studio project to the East Lindsey District Council Marketing and Publicity Officer of Article 25, University of Nottingham Working with a team of students to publicize Article 25, organise workshops and fundraise, providing me with skills of organisation, initiative and specifically creativity

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Higher Level Education, University of Nottingham Sep 2011 - 2014 B(Arch) Honours Upper Second Class Honours First Class Studio Third Year: Unit 5B. Farida Makki: Brink Territories Second Year: Unit South Africa.

John Ramsay: Project Aga Sikolo A-levels, Magdalen College School, Brackley, Sep 2009 - 2011 A*- Art A - Mathematics A - Economics GCSE, Magdalen College School, Brackley A*-B - All subjects

CONTACT INFO. Name: Email: Telephone: Website: Address:

Mai Ta Ta.mai1@yahoo.com 07958165152 Cargocollective.com/maiqueta 91 Halse Road Brackley Northants NN136EQ

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BRINK TERRITORIES 02 BOSTON, LINCOLNSHIRE

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FINAL YEAR: BRINK TERRITORIES Lincolnshire, UK

A connection of opportunities In addressing the brink territory, the multivison is a research based project, helping to review historical, geological, and climatic and the most mystical pieces of data of Britain’s most versatile agricultural land, Lincolnshire.

“Coastal communities are among one of the least well understood of Britain’s locality’s.” I will seek to define the problems within the untapped area, which lacks in a connection with people, place and time.

The multivision is a future based projection of Lincolnshire, where I focused on mapping the key problems over the entire county to project the opportunities that could be created when connecting these problems.

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Three key areas were: 1. Wifi and Connection 2. Population and Employability 3. Geology In bringing these together, I wanted to create opportunities of work by adding value to the rich fertile produce of Lincolnshire, by connecting people better, and more sustainably.

Example of Adding Value, to encourage the younger generation to stay in Lincolnshire due to the prospects of business 8

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The intention of the dispersal husk is to narrow the multivision. The aim was to provide a facility to resolve the connectivity & communication of Lincolnshire.

The coast of Lincolnshire being a successful tourist area, the buffer zone of farms lack any connection and sense of direction using wifi.

Not only will it provide a form of service station for specifically Wi-Fi, it will also be sustainably run by the farmers themselves, using crops which are food product waste, but can still be used within the building The husk will integrate ideas from the Multivision of using light as a innovative source of connectivity, due to the many pathways it provides.

Scale (m) 0

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Optical fibres in concrete test

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Scale (m) 0

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4

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THIRD YEAR THESIS 03 THE WOAD GUILD

The germinator project, “The Woad Guild� is centred around the preservation and revitalisation of the ancient ink production within the disappearing dockland culture in the face of rising sea levels. The site focus for the project is Boston, a town under constant threat from flooding, while battling with constant coastal problems being situated in the Brink territories.

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ste Maud Fo r Drain

FINAL YEAR THESIS PROJECT

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Boston, Lincolnshire, UK Site Analysis

“Two birds, one stone”

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Research, mapping and cultural interest have driven this project.

Reconnecting the fragmented site with augmented solutions allows for a number of problems to be solved at once.

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The staple trade made Boston a centre of intellectual influence from the Continent. Yet, the dock lacked attention due to the new railway trains offering a trading route, and renovation is lacking.

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The dock became somewhat of a historical illusion of flourishing trade, as it became a working port.

Although significant, now lacked the real heritage and trade of Boston itself, but a port to export, industrial goods. By the 21st century, Boston was losing its reputation.

Exacerbated by the decline of farming, the town’s traditional role as a service centre for the surrounding agricultural region was eroded, and the retail businesses in the centre struggled.

South

Scale 0

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A The Dock B The Haven Village C Havenside Country Park

The Disappearing Dock 14

C

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FINAL YEAR THESIS PROJECT Boston, Lincolnshire, UK Th Narrative

“Coastal communities are among one of the least well understood of Britain’s locality’s.”

The intent of the project is to create an Architecture, which encases and protects the heritage of Boston’s traditional ink production while embracing the trading route of the river; spreading colour back into Boston’s culture. Through thorough research, the opportunities of flooding defences and, the storage and recycling of the flooding River Whitam, the project strived to revive Boston’s old flourishing dockland and public space through one of the biggest industries from the golden age.

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1 Water Harvest and collection 2 Water used for processing of Woad 3 Water mixed with process pigment for experimentation of woad colours 4 Water mixed with specific pigment for dying Yarn 6 Water reused for irrigation of plants

Water Movement

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CITIES OF THE HANSA LEAGUE Connecting the ports

“The League’s creation reflected the weakness of medieval governments and the divergent interests of city dwellers and the feudal overlords with whom they were often in conflict.”

Boston earnt its plaque for the strong front in the wool trade, which was largely due to their woad dye within the wool. Woad was highly sort after, showing wealth, heritage, and quality represented within the deep blue. The decline of the trade lead to Boston’s place within the Hansa league dissolved and forgotten.

The ideals of a flourishing and youthful Boston were long gone.

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THE RECONDITIONED CULTURAL DOCK Inspire colour & life

The cultural dock which once flourished in the golden age, will be re-mapped to introduce life back to the dockland, the residents, the tourists and the heritage.

Infusing colour through the river which runs the entirety of Boston, will allow for a redevelopment of public space, cultural life, and hope.

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DEVELOPMENT

Sketching, modelling, materiality & tectonics The scheme has been driven by rigorous iterations and studies of not only the process as a whole, but individual spaces and requirements, to stitch together a fabric of design development.

Our studio module, IDA, has allowed us to focus and push our work, through each design choice aided by the integration of ecotect, environmental studies, structure, tectonics, materiality and assemblage.

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Materiality & drying study

Materiality, movment & Transition study

Materiality & grinding study

Massing models 19

These studies of the process, reflect the raw spaces, as they are un-precious and are focused around the protection of the building from flood, and serve the protection of the final product.

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AUGMENTED WOAD LANDSCAPE Introducing green space

Master-planning the Woad landscape to enhance the dockland and green space for the public, while introducing a cultural point of interest.

Introducing green space allows for the activity of the river to come alive with movement and transitions of colour. Hull boats, personalised, travel the River Whittam to retrieve the precious Woad, to be processed in to Woad Ink.

Full set of plans 20

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN -Public Realm

.

The main focus at ground level was to enhance and enlighten the public space, by allowing pathways and impressions of pathways towards the dock. Not only this. To tackle the forces of mother nature, we allow her to take over. Equipping the ground floor area with un-precious and the use of raw materials allows the space to be unharmed from the flood.

FIRST FLOOR PLAN -Transitioning

floor The movement within the ink production is key to allowing the transition to protective areas and raw areas, without this floor, we are unable to appreciate the raw product to the final product. .

SECOND FLOOR PLAN -Hierarchy

of space. In line with the process of the ink production, the material becomes more delicate. Therefore, the spaces need to open out, have higher ceilings, and to separate volumes to concentrate on the product.

However, points of appreciation are kept in tact, to allow the makers of the product to appreciate their product.

THIRD FLOOR PLAN -Encasement,

protection, light, & air. A key process of the ink production besides the protection of the final product is drying the product. In doing so, heights are exaggerated to increase airflow. This not only let air out but invites light in through light wells, creating spectacular views from all angles.

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TECTONICS

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Explored through materiality studies, modelling, sketching (handcraft, CAD) Tectonics has been a key to all my designs. I have an interest in clarity and simplicity in design with attention to detail.

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The tectonics not only is appropriate and simple, but it reflects an innovative ambition to read as a narrative parallel to the well thought out brief.

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1 Zinc Flashing mechanically fixed and sealed to insulation on bituminous membrane waterproofing 2 Waterproof membrane 3 90-min fire rated seal, max width 65mm 4 100mmx40mmx5mm RHS S/S windpost 5 28mmx15mm Ancon channel to front windpost 6 Aluminium windows 7 Solid bricks, 215mmx102.5mmx65mm 8 Perforated gap 9 Stiffening plate, align with windpost 10 External rigid insulation 11Concrete Panel with brick slips between Steel Frame 356 x 406mm 12 Insulation 140mm 13 DPM 14 Cavity 75mm 15 Wall ties spaced at 450mm centres 16 Weep hole 17 Shelf angle plate bolted in to concrete wall and pre-cast concrete rib deck floor 18 Brick cut to hide shelf angle 19 Compressible filler 20 Shelf angle 21 Hidden gutter

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Developing the tectonics for my third year thesis project. I had to tackle the problem of slanted brick.

I was able to learn and adapt from the new Tare Modern by Herzog and De Meuron and The LSE New Students’ Centre by O’Donnell & Tuomey as a precedence.

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West Elevation

North Elevation

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Process section

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FINAL YEAR THESIS PROJECT Boston, Lincolnshire, UK

The manifestation of the transitional moments within “The Woad Guild” is defined by three moments which shapes the quality of space reflecting in materiality, the heritage, movement of the river and the production process itself: 1.

Flood mitigation, relating the raw and “messy” usage of ink itself. Flood protection with manageable raw materials that can withstand both, water in the event of a flood, and water from “messy” ink dying pools. This first ground floor layer remains a monolithic space to aid the poetic sense of the heritage-rooted project.

2.

Transitional climate, relating to the constant change in depth and colour of precision of ink. The harvesting and processing movement of the ink production, is carefully raised, captured and exploited to allow for vast moments of breathing space to allow for the appreciation of the carefully hand made, sustainable and precious moments 3.

Heritage and culture protection, relating to safeguarding of the precious Woad ink production method, and the activity of the docklands. The importance of heritage sits far from reach of destructive floods, leaving trails of precious spaces to be occupied by hand-crafted textiles dyed specifically by Woad ink.

The Woad Guild 26

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Transition of concrete wall to steel frame & masonry

1:100 Wax model 6

6 Masonry internal wall 7 Insulation 140mm 8 DPM 9 Cavity 75mm 11 Masonry External wall 32 Weep hole 33 Shelf angle plate bolted in to concrete wall 34 Brick cut to hide shelf angle 35 Compressible filler 1 Steel Frame 356 x 406mm welded to footing plate 36 Expansion bolts in to concrete 15 Insitu concrete with insulation & gradual brick imprint

Material Manifestation & Facade Study

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Concrete was important to the scheme to protect the building, while having hard raw spaces which could be flooded, which gradually dispersed in to something solid, but perforated.

This transition gave way to a detailing opportunity to allow for the brick to bleed in to the concrete while keeping a continuous thermal envelope and water tight solution

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Featuring an encasement of blue, to reflect the protection of heritage while producing a rich space internally.

The Facade manifestation aided the concepts behind the tectonics.

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FINAL YEAR THESIS PROJECT Boston, Lincolnshire, UK

The manifestation of the transitional moments within “The Woad Guild” is defined by three moments which shapes the quality of space reflecting in materiality, the heritage, movement of the river and the production process itself: 1.

Flood mitigation, relating the raw and “messy” usage of ink itself. Flood protection with manageable raw materials that can withstand both, water in the event of a flood, and water from “messy” ink dying pools. This first ground floor layer remains a monolithic space to aid the poetic sense of the heritage-rooted project.

2.

Transitional climate, relating to the constant change in depth and colour of precision of ink. The harvesting and processing movement of the ink production, is carefully raised, captured and exploited to allow for vast moments of breathing space to allow for the appreciation of the carefully hand made, sustainable and precious moments 3.

Heritage and culture protection, relating to safeguarding of the precious Woad ink production method, and the activity of the docklands. The importance of heritage sits far from reach of destructive floods, leaving trails of precious spaces to be occupied by hand-crafted textiles dyed specifically by Woad ink.

Monolithic Exterior

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Yarn & Garment drying Space

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Garment Dying & Yarn Space

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SOUTH AFRICA

04 PROJECT AGA SIKOLO & CALAIS COMMERCIAL CENTRE

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SECOND YEAR: PROJECT AGA SIKOLO Calais, Limpopo, South Africa

Project Aga Sikolo, a studio module in the first semester of second year, run by University of Nottingham for it’s third time since 2009. The project ran as a competition, with teams of six creating a proposal for a nursery school.

The intention of our design concept was on non-linear learning and the opportunity that education could provide for the small village of Calais. Our approach was a rigorous development through making.

Located within a flood risk and sub-tropical climate, all means to design sensitively towards their needs was an opportunity of environmental design.

In Easter 2013, I was a member of the second phase design and construction team, which flew to Calais Village, Limpopo, South Africa. An amazing experience, which has influenced the way I think and design; developing project management skills, adapting to the changing environment, sourcing materials, construction knowledge, and working within a time and budget constraint, are only a few of the many things I learnt throughout the process and being on site.

1:2 truss prototype Our rigorous development through making, lead to experimenting at human scale to understand the the full task that we had set ourselves.

We we the only team to make our own 1:1 and 1:2 truss prototypes in the short time we had for this project.

Modelling

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CALAIS COMMERCIAL CENTRE

Explored through materiality studies, modelling, sketching (handcraft, CAD) Tectonics has been a key to all my designs. I have an interest in clarity and simplicity in design with attention to detail.

The tectonics not only is appropriate and simple, but it reflects an innovative ambition to read as a narrative parallel to the well thought out brief.

1 Zinc Flashing mechanically fixed and sealed to insulation on bituminous membrane waterproofing 2 Waterproof membrane 3 90-min fire rated seal, max width 65mm 4 100mmx40mmx5mm RHS S/S windpost 5 28mmx15mm Ancon channel to front windpost 6 Aluminium windows 7 Solid bricks, 215mmx102.5mmx65mm 8 Perforated gap 9 Stiffening plate, align with windpost 10 External rigid insulation 11Concrete Panel with brick slips between Steel Frame 356 x 406mm 12 Insulation 140mm 13 DPM 14 Cavity 75mm 15 Wall ties spaced at 450mm centres 16 Weep hole 17 Shelf angle plate bolted in to concrete wall and pre-cast concrete rib deck floor 18 Brick cut to hide shelf angle 19 Compressible filler 20 Shelf angle 21 Hidden gutter

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Developing the module for my second year project.

This project had to be tailored to enable the villagers of Calais in South Africa to build the modules themselves with the limited labour and tools they had.

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DESIGN

FREELANCE/SKETCHING/MODELLING

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SELECTED FREELANCE WORK Design, branding for start-up O-ren is a family run Vietnamese fusion restaurant. Great value, deliciously healthy and authentically prepared food in a friendly and trendy environment for all to enjoy.

1:100 Grounf Floor Plan

1:100 Basement Plan

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They specialise in the national and nutritious Vietnamese dish, pho, perfected with a delicious broth, which goes along side there flavourful grill menu.

oRen 1:100 Basement Plan

Pho. Bar. Grill

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oREN 1:100 Grounf Floor Plan

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oR Pho. Bar. Grill

1:100 Second Floor Plan

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First stage Branding ideas 40

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SELECTED ARTWORKS & INST

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SKETCHBOOK & MODELLING Modelling: Handcraft, Sketchup, Rhino & 3D print examples featured only Besides my research abilities in to the cultural and heritage based realm of development, sketching & modelling has always been a key to my development.

It always begins with a series of speculative sections and concepts which drive the project.

Materiality studies and models are key to developing a unique and relevant approach towards the design. I continuously source natural materials and innovative traditional techniques.

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Please contact for more information & work Thank You