Melissa Kong
Architecture Portfolio
I like to observe cities and its contents and I am passionate about thinking and drawing to express my ideas.
Melissa Kong
G ra d u a t e A rc h i t e c t Malaysia | Germany melkwtse@gmail.com +49 177 4351434
Education & Accreditation Oct 2016-July 2018
Mar 2012-Aug 2015
Mar 2011-2012
Masters of (Arts) Architecture Dessau International Architecture (DIA), Hochschule Anhalt, Germany Bachelor of Science (Honours)(Architecture) Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus, Malaysia Graduated Architecture Degree (Part 1) with honours Foundation in Natural & Built Environment Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus, Malaysia
2015-2016
Working Experience HL Design Group Sdn. Bhd. / Architectural Designer /
2014-2015
Masterplanning, Mixed-Use & Commercial Projects, Facade and Layout Design, Authority Drawings and Submission Design Spirits co. ltd. / Architecture Intern /
2013
Visualization, Presentation Boards, Interior Design, Furniture, Physical Modeling, Detailed Drawing Co-curricular Experience
2013
Measured Drawings Ng Clan Temple Penang Draw and document the historical building of Ng Clan Temple, Penang Shalini Ganedra Fine Art Gallery Interactive Green Wall Chosen green wall design for a children community project Software Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom Auto CAD, SketchUp, Rhinocerous 3D Quixel nDo, ZBrush Skills Graphics and Illustration Architectural Hand Drawing Conceptual Sketching Physical Modeling Language English, Chinese, Malay, German (Basic A2)
Contents
Inhabiting The In-Between
1
Articulating The In-Between Realm as Freedom of Space
Swissmetal Areal The Productive City
2
Euro Campus Terracing School
3
Sustaining Humanity Boat Building Maritime Centre
4
Genius Loci Visitor Intepretive Centre
5
2D Wayfinding
6
Inhabiting the In-Between is a speculative project of Kreuzberg Berlin expressed through a series of big scale spatial interventions that serve as spatial instruments in perceiving urban freedom
Master Thesis Project More Than Meets The Eye
1
Inhabiting The In-Between Articulating The In-Between Realm as Freedom of Space, The Case of Berlin
Robert Oxman Prize Nominee First Advisor: Ivan Kucina Second Advisor: Johanna Meyer
The title Inhabiting The In-Between relates to a realm of living possibilities as a way of exploring the extent of how spaces could be inhabited in our daily life. The interest of this project steers towards discovering the potential of spaces within the structure of our evolving city. This appears as a re-evaluation of our everyday life, as recognizing the In-Between would reveal attributes of urban unconsciousness. The unit of study focuses upon how the Berlin is used by its inhabitants on a daily basis and the resulting spaces which opened up within the city; which to me is a way of reading into the formation of spaces through natural processes; how emptiness shapes into what non-emptiness is formed after. Through the relationship of mapping the physical and the intangible elements and taking them as experiments in articulating spaces, this project ultimately serves to present ways of reimagining architecture.
The space between things
void gap void distance span stretch The seperation of time
pause interval moment period situation life The scale of the in-between size scope range proportion proximity section
空 間 Between Space
人 間 Between People
时 間 Between Time
Manifestations of MA 神
Spirit is a way of situating a place where kami descend / The non-physical part of emotions and character
暗
Concealed is mantained by absolute darkness / Kept secret;hidden
桥
Bridge divides the world / Something intended to reconcile or connect two seemingly incompatible things
移
Shift is a way of sensing the moment of movement / Move or cause to move from one place to another
现
Present is a place where life is lived / In a particular place; existing or occuring now
数
Figure is the structural unit for living space / Have a significant part or role in a situation or process
符
Symbol is filled with signs of the ephermal / A mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function or process
行
Move coordinates movement from one place to another / Move at regular pace
Trace
Use Path
Situation
Mapping Berlin through urban exploration
District of Kreuzberg through observation
The Case of Berlin District of Kreuzberg
1
Kottbusser Tor
2
Oranienplatz
3
Lausitzer Platz
4
Gรถrlitzer Platz
5
East Side Gallery
Urban Exploration The site is mapped through the technique of urban exploration by observing attributes from the 5 major nodes of the site in articulating and defining the realm of In-Between.
1
神 Spirit
2
数
3
现
4
符
Unit
Present
Symbol 5
移
Shift
In-Between Interventions The site plan shows 5 In-Between elements as spatial interventions that serve to be spatial instruments in speculating different ways of inhabiting urban spaces.
神 Spirit The Space Spirit As An Infinity Loop The character of ‘Spirit’ is conceptually defined as a way of situating a place for a presence to descend. The in-between realm is expressed through an infinity loop that encapsulates the tension between the two peak nodes of Kottbusser Tor and Skalitzer Platz in recapturing a different space for walking.
People
between 2 fields
within 3 spaces
for people who likes to walk
The Space Spirit As An Infinity Loop // The Space Unit for Atomic Living
The Space Spirit As An Infinity Loop The Loop encapsulates the city’s pace and repurpose a space for people who likes to walk.
数 Unit The Space Unit for Atomic Living The character of ‘Unit’ is conceptually defining a structural unit for a calculated living space. The in-between realm in this space of atomic living roots from informal spaces of momentaneous scenes in the city, that is: An eating corner, A nursery strip, A tree’s purpose and A fun space.
People
between 3 fields
within 4 spaces
of informal activites
The Space Unit for Atomic Living Atomic space represents the minimum space to host any domestic activity; Informal activities of the city grows from a boundary to serial atomic spaces.
Corner Space; An Eating Corner
Linear Space; A Nursery Strip
Tree Space; Furniture Dumpster
Fun Space, A Playground
The Space Unit for Atomic Living A tower of Inhabitants living in atomic spaces.
现 Present The Space Present As The Road The character of ‘Present’ is conceptually defined as a place where life is lived. In this space, a road that go against the grid of the city becomes a physical intervention on the site where built structures present will be left to decay. As built element starts shedding off, the In-between realm observes how the living is then altered.
People
between 2 fields
within 3 spaces
where life is lived
The Space Present As The Road
The Space Present As The Road Nature takes over the space of the shedding built structure as it slowly integrates into the existing, becoming an extention of space in which the inhabitants live.
The Space Present As The Road Inhabitants living next to a shedding built structure experiences space where rooms become scenic spots and walls become frames
The Space Present As The Road Inhabitants living next to the shedding built structure has a sun-bathing floor and approaches an open stairwell space before reaching down to the street.
The Space Present As The Road Inhabitants take advantage of the extra sunlight exposure to grow plants on the space of the shedding built sturecture.
The Space Present As The Road Inhabitants using the shedding built structure as a large open balcony to house a rooftop bar.
符 Symbol The Space Symbol As Walls The character of ‘Symbol’ is filled with signs of the ephermal. In this space, walls are independant spaces of its own. From one wall to another, the city seems to continue, boundaries of the in and out seems to be multiplying its repertory of images. The In-between realm is expressed a wall, which consist only of a face and an obverse, can neither be seperated nor look at each other; one is always representative of another.
People
between 2 fields
within 3 spaces
with a face and an obverse
The Space Symbol As Walls
The Space Symbol As Walls Vertical spaces with a face and an obverse provide inhabitants barber services, flea markets, drinking bars, every named activity in the city.
The Space Symbol As Walls Vertical spaces with a face and an obverse provide inhabitants street busking; Nodes of gathering within the city.
移 Shift The Space Shift As A Landscape The character of ‘Shift’ is conceptually defined as the way of sensing a moment of movement. The In-between realm is expressed through the urban park of Görlitzer as an enormous hill that sits amongst every inhabitant’s daily life. An enormous landscape is made up from reshuffling odd bits of scraps in the city. This forms the backbone of a space that slowly takes shape on the park, signifying a shift happening in the city.
People
between 2 fields
within 3 spaces
sensing the moment of movement
The Space Shift As A Landscape
The Space Shift As A Landscape The landscape is created on the site of former scraps of the city, inhabited as an open urban park above; built upon a foundation of odd scrap bits.
Master’s Year 1, Semester 2 Urban Masterplan
2
Swissmetal Areal
The Productive City Donarch, Switzerland First Advisor: Martin Rein-Cano The urban pattern of the city of Basel morphs as it strays further away into the industrial land of Donarch. The urban grid gradually loosens, resulting in larger built forms and empty lands that detach away from River Birs. This bring about my concept of inhabiting the negative space; to create a portion of an interiorized city. The study of this project includes extracting the blocks out and converting them into a series of coutyards. The result discover silhouettes of these post-extraction in creating a masterplan city.
A masterplan study of the land’s negative and positive inversion.
Silhouettes of formal factory blocks.
25 post-extracted negative spaces.
The productive city of interiorized spaces.
MASTERPLAN LAYERS The idea of inhabiting the negative space envisions a masterplan that acts upon it’s horizontal layers. From extracting and converting the solid blocks of the original factory site into large courtyards ; forming solid mass around it’s core; layering connections to reconstructing a walled mass of internal hollows. Facade suggest human scale openings that will look opposing of it’s scale from the exterior.
Public Semi-public Private
The large courtyards serve to reverse the function of what formally was a closed factory space.
Formal factory blocks inverted as open public ground.
Master’s Year 1, Semester 1 Public Instritution
3
Euro Campus
Terracing School Zagreb, Croatia First Advisor: Johannes Kister
The school is inspired by the overlapping and terracing landscape of Croatia. The desire to be part of the landscape and the desire to capture it as a learning ground. The topography of the site ignites the concept of preserving a natural ground where three school hovers upon. The building hovers over the landscape, while the landscape becomes the interiority of the building itself. A continuous interchange between open and closed spaces, levels and permeability in drawing a school’s atmosphere.
Hovering over the landscape: The school is dramatically lifted off ground in 3 vertical levels.
Each level has interchanging open and closed spaces.
Bringing the landscape into the school’s atmosphere : The canteen overlooks an open field and the levels of corridor above.
The kindergarten is layout in terracing sections.
ELEMENTARY First Floor Plan
HIGH SCHOOL Second Floor Plan
Front Elevation
West Elevation
1 2 3 4
Entrance Administration Playground Canteen + Kitchen
KINDERGARTEN 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Entrance Lounge Common Space Classrooms Group Rooms Terrace Entrance Porch Gym Hall Changing Rooms Indoor Sports Court
Ground Floor Plan
Bachelor Year 3, Final Semester Sustaining Humanity
4
Boat Building Maritime Centre
A Maritime Village Port Klang, Malaysia First Advisor: Ar. Eric Chang
The act of sustaining humanity focuses upon upholding the local fishing community in the dying town of Port Klang, Malaysia. A place that was once thriving with trading and activities and has rooted cultural prominence. The design takes on the notion of preserving the local’s lifestyle through the typology of a fishing village. Providing seperate cluster of building blocks that gathers together to function as a warehouse for boat building and a hub to house a local fish market. The binding of an existing typology and renewed function ultimately overlap to create an architecture that concerns for the people.
Fishing village typology: A stacked massing series that engages with activities at different levels.
Clustered layout: Maximum airflow and pocket spaces throughout its elongated space.
CLUSTERED TYPOLOGY The massing is a series of vertically stacked up boxes as how the local fishing villages is formed as a combined community to accomodates both living and fuction into their everyday lives.
1
2
Acoomodation Restaurant + Bar Net repairing Area Preperation Kitchen Boat Workshop Boatyard Wet & Dry Dock
1 2 1+2 3 4 3+4 2+4
A Workplace
3
Build, Repair, Salvage & Dismantle, Net repairing
A Community Ground Fresh catch, Preperation kitchen, Market based restaurant and bar.
Local’s acomodation Living and social exchange environment for locals. 4
Split Leveling Floating walkway as observation deck.
Air Gaps A block is broken up by structural columns and beams. creating air gaps in between to prevent trapping unplesant smell.
Sectional Detail
Front Elevation
Rear Elevation
Bachelor Year 2, Semester 3 Genius Loci
5
Visitor Intepretive Centre
Island of Hardships Pulau Jerejak, Penang On a historical island off the South-Eastern tip of Penang Pulau Jerejak, Malaysia; a building that relies heavily on the context to inspire and inform a design in ways that expresses the spirit of place. The Visitor Intepretive Centre is a two-storey affair made up of prominent built element which reads as a singular character on the land. This singularity in character closely relates to the design concept of intertwining the past into the present. Coinciding with the history of the place, the building represents an unerased hardship before revealing a rekindling light.
25 post-extracted negative spaces.
The productive city of interiorized spaces.
JOURNEY THROUGH THE SENSES
Bright | Darkness Light is given as a hope and desire that persist on the continuation of life.
Open | Enclosed The east facing courtyard opens up to a public gathering space. The void within the building breaks up it’s solidity, extend views towards the sea across where the existing detention camps grounds.
Softscape | Hardscape
Ramp Structure The ramp as a gallery and main public circulation circulates vertically in varying widts; wrapping around a courtyard that lits up the space naturally.
Skin Structure A strong monolithic outer skin marks a significant presence to the hardships and barren past of the land.
A Memorial path Entrance Stairway A wide flight of staircase reminds visitors of their arrival from the present back into the past as they gradually descend into the building, experiencing a transition of elements.
A sensory perception with texture transition.
A spatial experience of light contrast.
Small Scale
6
2D Wayfinding
Blake Southern Gallery, Berlin Blain Southern gallery occupies a former printing hall, which has a wide layout, high ceiling, and a bright spatial scheme. The gallery itself has a straight forward layout and a large center void that opens up two floors visually; Yet, it’s one-circulation path is unclear from the entrance due to wayfinding signages that camouflage into the overall space. Therefore, the idea of rethinking the gallery’s wayfinding design is by abstracting text to icons by applying as little imprint as posssible to it’s minimalistic space. The replacement of text with pictograms; 2D signages with 3D attached signages will play along with the advantage of it’s bright and naturally lit interior. These protruding elements will cast light and shadow to the space.
interior of the gallery with renewed neon wayfinding signage.
Entrance Signage
Wayfinding graphic and family
Melissa Kong melkwtse@gmail.com +491774351434