Social Network by Michelle Wun

WUN MICHELLE HIU SHUEN 2010086129 THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE ARCH 4001 STEPHEN LAU SIU YU SEMESTER 1, MArch 1

Social Network

A sustainable office typology within community in Yangon In collaboration with Cyril Leung Hin Yan (L)

BACKGROUND RESEARCH Historic & socio-economic structure of Yangon

FIELD STUDY & ANALYSIS Site condition, wind & IEQ studies

DESIGN & SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT

BACKGROUND RESEARCH Historic & socio-economic structure of Yangon

Historical Timeline of Yangon

Urban Morphologic Development of Myanmar

Site

Commercial Area in Yangon

Socio-economic Situation in Yangon Yangon is experiencing post-colonial economic structure in which the Economic Liberalism in 2012 has led to an influx of foreign investment. According to Foreign Investment Law of Myanmar, investors must employ 25% Burmese citizen as skilled workforce and with subsequent training up to 50-75%. Nevertheless, the unemployed/ underemployment rate of the workforce remain high as language barrier and mismatch of skills contributes to the problem. Existing vocational and skill training can be found in Yangon but only up to 4% is directly related to the commercial sector, and effective communication in English is not provided in these centers. In light of the situation, the existing site serves as a potential agent within the community to provide training. While the existing governement and professional offices can provide training for the graduates, they can serve as interns or potential employees to the industry.

Green Open Space in Yangon As the downtown area has a high development density, green open space is being diminished for the past ten years. The lack of open space for community activities is revealed by the community gathering by driveway, citizens playing football by the riverside, youngster using market space for sports. All these evidents point out the urgent need of community space within the neighbourhood, as one of the design focus of the project.

Citizens playing football by riverside

Roadside community gathering

Teens using market space for sports

Precedent Studies- Programme A University of Aberdeen new library,

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

Irregular artium space is carved through the cubic form of building in bringing natural light into the library. Visual connection between levels is enhanced through the fluid void.

B Cologne Oval Office,

Sauerbruch Hutton

Courtyard with open ground floor space and green roof contribute to the composition of the office building.

Precedent Studies- Preliminary massing strategies

Original

A Increase Courtyard + Liberater G/F

Street Level Opening (Ventilation + access)

Set Back Balcony (Thermal Insulation)

Precedent Studies- Adaptive Reuse C FAHLEHouse, KOKO Architects

Additional new block with a new program as an extension of the existing building. The old cellulous factory becomes loft, restaurants, galleries and clubs, while the new addition is for apartment uses.

D Extension and renovation of

the Ljubljana City Museum, OHIS arhitekti

Additional ramp as circulation space to connected the fragmented blocks of palace remains to suit the new museum program.

C Floor Area Compensate

B Skylight

D Additional Circulation (Public + Private access)

FIELD STUDY & ANALYSIS Site condition, wind & IEQ studies

Site Condition The existing government and NGO offce building sits along the Bo Gyoke Road in Yangon downtown. With St. Mary Church opposite to the site, preserving the colonial facade appears a sensible approach in matching the adjacent streetscape.

Wind Speed & Direction (L)

Courtyard Wind Analysis Wind speed, wind direction, temperature and relative humidity are being recorded on the ground floor entrance, first floor lift lobby and third floor lift lobby to access the thermal comfort of the existing building. The data shows a lack of cross-ventilation and wind flow entering courtyard on lower level, and the wind flow only limits to prevailing wind. Contrary, the spots nearer to openings and with higher wind speed suffer from higher temperature

Bioclimatic Chart (L)

IEQ Analysis Indoor environmental quality is quantified by degree of discomfort in terms of PMV(predicted mean vote) and PPD(predicted % of dissatisfied) from 4 spots of the AMA offcie on third floor of the building. The result shows a high percentage of user feeling discomfort despite an air-conditioned environment. Environmental strategy is concluded to add shading device and large openings to improve ventilation, reduce single room depth to facilitate ventilation and to adopt light roof in avoiding heat storage.

Psychometric Chart (L)

Existing Sustainable Design Element Some vernacular architectural feature is found to tactle climatic issue which should be kept in the design. These include pitch roof to shade heavy afternoon rain in monsoon season, shading device to provide shading and allows ventilation, and the set back ground floor corridor to provide shading for pedestrians.

Existing Circulation The existing circulation includes an entrance from the pedestrian corridor, a central lift core with staircase, a secondary back stair and additional bridges linking the 2 wings.

Programmatic Distribution The existing building composes of a bank on ground floor, government office from ground floor to second floor, a research centre on first floor, a prayer room and NGO office on top floor.

Additional mid level in government office

Government Office

Prayer room

Workshop Space in government office

NGO office

Library and resource centre

DESIGN & SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT

Existing building

Scheme 1- street penetration & split levels

Scheme 2- extended street & covered courtyard

Design Rationale -Socializing at work & within the neighbourhood

Scheme 3- shifted core & platformed courtyard

Scheme 4- retractable roof & added level

The project aim is to create a sustainable community complex within the neighbourhood through adaptive reuse of the existing building. Re-programming is the main design strategy to introduce a new training center in relation to the original government and NGO office, in which social and economic sustainability is achieved. The architectural approach is closely related to optimizing social and environmental consideration, with share spaces acting as micro-climate mediator including breezeway, double-height semi-open space, verandah space and courtyard.

Programmatic Distribution In relation to the programmes, social spaces of 3 levels, public/inter-program/intra-program, are linked with an additional circulation corridor highlighted with folding element, so as to facilitate the flow of inter-program communication and social activities. Circulation Ground floor circulation is manipulated to welcome street and neighbourhood crossing and access to the public courtyard, which can cater both indoor and outdoor events with the retractable roof to shade sun and rain in the Myanmar climate. Sustainable Element Sun/rain shading, rainwater recycling, ventilation and green element are integrated into the design to improve the thermal comfort of the building.

Proposed Scheme (L)

October simulation

Design Strategies

Existing building (L)

April simulation

Wind Rose Diagram

Wind Simulation Diagrams of regular and angular layout (L)

Sustainable Element

Circulation & Social Space

Program Distribution

View point A, day view of courtyard and teahouse from street entrance East (L)

Vernacular Streetscape Instead of a shaded pedestrian walkway, the new design direct the flow into the sunken courtyard, in which passersby will enter the open social space as a new experience. The original pedestrian path will become a teahouse as a continuous part of vernacular streetscape. Wooden door and panels, together with weaving bamboo as ventilation louvre is designed to trigger sense of place. An additional entrance towards the back connects the adjacent neighbourhood to utilize the courtyard as a community space. The ground floor semiar and amphitheatre space welcomes public access for exhibition, educational and leisure purposes.

View point B, night view of courtyard and folding feature from street entrance West (L)

G/F Verandah & Sunken Courtyard

G/F to 1/F Amphitheatre

Training Center/ Library First floor is divided into 2 main parts, including classrooms and library for the training centre, which are connected with pockets of social spaces along the circulation. Workshop and computer rooms are designed as shared resources, whereas the couryard act as a focal point and surrounded by circulation space and seating area.

View point C, day view of courtyard and teahouse from street entrance North (L)

Government office Second floor consist of a number of offices with shared printing room and leisure corner near the lift lobby. Pockets of meeting place are found along the circulation with a double height strategy to over see the social space beneath. An additional circulation featured with folding element connects the large lounge area of different floors. Balcony space are found by the front facade to act as a thermal buffer zone in enhancing the comfortability of the working environment, and provide leisure area within office space.

Upper floor set back balcony

Double height space shared by 2 programme

View point D, day view of double height social space from government office (L)

NGO office Third floor compose of various flexible office layout, including regular rooms, open plan with cubicles and mini meeting space defined by fixtures separating working and circulation space. Prayer room exist along the additional circulation and the folding feature turns into furniture along the circulation space looking towards the courtyard.

Office space with common area

View point E, day view of double height social space and courtyard from NGO office (L)

NGO office Roof floor is an additional floor to compensate the loss of floor area due to enlarged courtyard space. It mainly consists of small offices and meeting rooms overlooking the social space or courtyard beneath. Openings are designed on the inward side of the pitch roof to optimize natural lighting.

Roof floor overlook offce below

Roof openings as natural lighting

Lift core with folding element

Longitudinal Section

Double height Social space within same programme

Double height social space b/w 2 programmes

Library & seminar space

Office space with fold inner facade

LEED Assessment A LEED Assessment is conducted according to the following aspects, location and transportation, site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resource, IEQ, innovation and regional policy. The building has met the Silver Award level with the adoption of rainwater collection system for irrigation and flush water, improved ventilation and thermal comfort with layout arrangement, sun and rain shading with the retractable roof above courtyard, and recycle of sustainable and local materials. In addition to the above tangible measures to achieve environmental sustinability, the sense of place is preserved through the design of verandah space, use of traditional materials and textures, and preserving the old lift core and staircase to achieve socio-cultural sustainability.

Folding feature in roof, facade & lift core Library & seminar space

Lateral Section

1:100 Sectional Full Model

Scheme 1-Inner side of pitch roof open

Scheme 3-V-shape canopy to provide ventilation

Scheme 2-Canopy to cover the courtyard

Scheme 5-Retractable canopy

Scheme 4-V-shape canopy to colllect rainwater

Testing models for the retractable mechanism

Retractable Roof system Since Myanmar is under subtropical humid climate, seasonal rain and direct sun affect the thermal comfort of the building a lot. This system allows a btter control of microclimate within the building and allows the collection of rainwater and ventilation even at an enclosed state. Penetration of daylight is possible with the alternate transparent and translucent panels on the structure.

Folding Feature The folding feature consist of 3 main parts of sustainable element within the building, including the retractable roof, the inner facade and the lift core outer facade. The inner facade is a combination of panels composed of shading louvres, acoustic panels, planters, interior ceiling and lighting feature. A rainwater and irrigation system is hidden along the inner facade fold feature, and drain the water collected from roof to the water tank at ground floor. The green mesh and ventilation louvres at lift core highlight the building from afar, and serve as a point of attraction from the pedestrian point of view. It aims to celebrate the vernacular staircase with a high degree of transparency.

Design Vision The design aims to create a new typology of live/work space which encourage socializing at work and within the neighbourhood. It is hoped that by integrating the communal and street activities into the government office building, the sense of community and livelihood can be upgraded through public engagement to activate the neighbourhood.

Unrolled Elevation showing folding feature (L)

Presentation in Yangon

Final Presentation