YEAR 4 OPTIONS STUDIO COMPILATION OF SELECTED WORKS
2020/2021 M.ARCH 1 STUDIO ONG KER SHING
DIRTY ARCHITECTS
IMAGE CREDIT: JOANNE WONG
MASTERS DESIGN PROJECTS INTERESTS Masters Design Projects include those explored in two Options Design Research Studios (M.Arch 1), the Advanced Architecture Studio and the Thesis project in M.Arch 2. All studios may explore issues relevant to the interests of the Research Clusters, adjunct teachers and professors in practice. Students are encouraged to capitalise on faculty expertise in widening the scope of investigations which collectively strengthen the Thesis Project in M.Arch 2. Essential and Elective modules are useful in underpinning your Masters studio investigations. Although Options Design Research studios may be varied in content and method, students are advised to be selective and to use them as ‘learning runways’ to identify a Thesis topic and to apply accumulated knowledge there. The Advanced Architecture Studio preceding the Thesis may be used to explore thesis drivers in greater detail and focus. It is expected that the Thesis project will be the most comprehensive and extensive study of all the Masters Design Projects. _______________________________________________________________________________________
DESIGN AS INQUIRY Masters projects can be research investigations where design forms a principal mode of inquiry. Methods can be heuristic or empirical or in mixed modes of inquiry. There are a number of research methods in design investigations leading to different outcomes but they are by no means exhaustive: • • • • •
textual/graphic analysis of theoretical concepts with investigations drawn from critical discourse using text references, works of art/representation quantitative analysis to verify qualitative hypotheses with simulation, physical experiment, prototype testing and mixed methods scenario-driven speculative design to suggest solutions to emergent need. The process in itself is a new way of seeing/thinking which generates many solutions. One version of a solution may be articulated spatially and in full materiality new research knowledge is interpreted in architecture as a new way of thinking/making/ experiencing existing practices, processes or existing technologies are applied to design and which produce ‘unprecedented’ outcomes
PROJECT ATTRIBUTES A good Masters project is one where: • • • •
the research process informs design strategy which can be followed through a coherent sequential process of explorations or iterations the research generates an underlying order giving rise to a number of architectural or urban propositions the research or issues engaged with, give rise to new solutions through design, some of which are singular, permutable or recombinant it addresses the contextual specificities of site, material, spatial, culture and program
and all of the above are communicated through architectural drawings, well-crafted models and annotations which curate a design process and outcome(s) that can be understood without a verbal presentation by the author Beyond a commitment to individual academic portfolios, Masters projects play an important role in characterising the discursive ethos of a design school. It is important that you do your best. _______________________________________________________________________________________
RESEARCH CLUSTERS RESEARCH FOCUS At DOA, our advanced research delves into critical issues of architecture today and tomorrow. In particular, we anticipate and observe new demands and novel forms of buildings, cities, environments, and nature that are emergingthroughout Asia and the equatorial region. DOA research clusters coalesce creative practice, technology, urbanism, landscape, preservation, and the specific expertise of our faculty members into a productive synergy and alignment between teaching and research. The following five clusters drive the M Arch I Design Research Studio Options sequence, the M Arch II Design Thesis and the graduate level elective offering across our Master of Architecture programme. These are nonetheless included in the BA Arch programme booklet so that students may understand the various research interests of their faculty. _______________________________________________________________________________________
I. RESEARCH BY DESIGN The Research by Design (RxD) cluster develops translational research approaches through creative practice. It emphasises the importance of rigorously engaging critical and creative practice in making, writing, and thinking in architecture. RxD strives for innovation and influence in the built environment through its research outcomes. To date, a number of these outcomes have won awards and made considerable impact. RxD focuses on design in Asia and around the equator, and on research into contemporary concerns as well as the identification of speculative future directions. Members work in a range of design modes from sole authorships to collaborative and interdisciplinary configurations. As a group, RxD leverages its combined creative expertise, teaching within design studios and graduate elective modules. Research outcomes include leading buildings, texts, exhibitions, installations, films, drawings, photographs, and object-making, alongside design monographs, edited volumes, and research papers. RxD’s commitment towards integrative and translational creative practices empowers design research with intellectual and critical bearings, for a discipline in transformation.
II. HISTORY, THEORY AND CRITICISM The History, Theory and Criticism cluster develops critical capacities to examine questions of built environmental production and consumption within the historical and contemporary milieu. Taking architecture and urbanism in Asia as a primary focus, members work in interdisciplinary and transnational modes. Our members conduct research into a wide range of topics against the context of colonial/postcolonial and modern/postmodern Asian contexts, teaching these with the aim of encouraging historical literacy and consciousness in students, to enable them to understand how the present is historically sedimented. Besides teaching, members also publish widely and in diverse forms, organise and participate in major conferences and workshops, curate key exhibitions, and advise both governmental and non-governmental organisations in related fields around the world.
III. TECHNOLOGIES The Technologies cluster investigates environmentally performative or sustainable building forms and systems, and generative-evaluative processes for designing liveable environments. It employs traditional and emerging technologies that contribute to a new understanding of the human ecosystem, and emerging computational methods and techniques for discovering the relationships betweenform and performance. Members investigate the relationship between human and natural landscapes, at every scale, from the building component scale to the urban scale. Special emphasis is placed on the examination of high-density Asian cities, and on application of design and building technologies in a tropical context.
IV. URBANISM The Urbanism cluster aims to contribute towards development of sustainable resilient models and innovative advanced urban strategies to cope with various environmental, social, economic and technological challenges facing Asian cities today and in the future. The starting point for this research is a comprehensive understanding of the complexity and distinctive characters of emerging urbanism in the region. Against this backdrop, members investigate emergent urban design issues related to community and participation; conservation and regeneration; ageing and healthcare; well-being and built form; modelling and big data; and resilience and informality. These issues are examined from multiple perspectives and through both inter-disciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations, in order to question conventional norms and conceptions and establish new visions for a progressive and human-centric sustainable urban future.
V. LANDSCAPE STUDIES The Landscape Studies cluster undertakes research to generate new knowledge of landscapes as socio-ecological systems, and promotes the use of knowledge in governance systems and landscape design to improve the well-being of humans and enhance the ecological integrity of the environment. The geographic focus is primarily high-density urban regions in Asia; however members of the cluster also work in the transitional zones within the rural-urban continuum, where urban regions are expanding at a rapid rate and encroaching into rural landscapes. The overall research approach is both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary. The cluster looks not only at advancing theoretical concepts and knowledge, but also applying the knowledge in practice and public policy, to shape the environment. Areas of research span a wide spectrum of the socioecological dimensions of landscape: from landscape science and landscape management, to design research and sociobehavioural studies.
STUDIO ONG KER-SHING
DIRTY ARCHITECTS “Dirt is good.”- Jack Gilbert and Rob Knight Singapore is famously known as a “clean” city. It is a germophobic utopia, in which the best class of buildings are made of glass and metal— inert materials that will not stain or weather or submit in any way to the penetrations of climate. Interestingly, this occurs in a climate that quickly accumulates layers of other matter, through the intense energies of its global position. Patinas and moulds are driven by solar gain and moisture. At the same time, surfaces are dirtied via the contemporary escalation of oxidation, carbon dioxide, aerosols and acidic rainfall. This attempt to construct a resilient cleanliness occurs against a public health crisis of inflammatory diseases—one which seems to be due, ironically, to the eradication of dirt from our everyday lives. Medical research increasingly argues that the increase in inflammatory “modern” diseases, from cancer to autism and autoimmune dysfunction, is directly related to the rise of antibacterial cleaners and pesticides which remove much of the organic micro-biome of both soil and the built environment. The rise of heavy duty detergents and anti-microbial agents such as Roundup presages a world of 2050 in which, by some estimates, half of children will be born with autism and 115 million people will live with dementia.
This studio proposes to imagine an architecture which embraces forms of dirtiness as a matter of urgent public necessity. We will imagine, in the Singapore context, a reversal of the tendencies and values of modern architecture leading to a strategic and designed uncleanliness. Solutions will expand upon historical modes of interaction between buildings and types of “dirt,” from premodern building practices, to modern ventilation systems, to domestic animals and other microbiotic vectors. These will attempt to restore, in part, a type and degree of organic waste in the spaces, surfaces, and systems of the building that will create—in essence—an architecture that is as hospitable at the micro-biotic scale as it is at the human one. Ong Ker-Shing Associate Professor in Practice
THE SYMBIOTIC DWELLING; A HOUSE FOR HUMANS & BEES WONG JINN YI, JOANNE
a. part 001: probes bees & our [human] constructed territories ___________________ Bees & Our [Human] Constructed Territories. Part 001: Probes | Duration: Weeks 001- 003 Vectors [Non-Human Animals -- Bees] Initial Research & Analysis A Collaborative Research & Analysis Exercise by Leong Lin Chin & Joanne Wong J.Y. [Individual Portion]
001: Introduction; On the Premise & Definiton of ‘dirt’| Derived from the observations of Hymenoptera (Bees & Wasps) species constructing their nesting habitats within the premises of our [human] living spaces, ‘Part 001: Probes - Bees & Our [Human] Constructed Territories’ features a series of analytical research & diagrammatic compositions on the exploration of the observed phenomenon and the establishment/ definition of ‘dirt’ in the context of defined & demarcated territories between Man & Nature. Through the lens of Non - Human Animal Vectors, the premise of the research presents a duality in questioning of the notion of the phenomenon (Dirt): “Is the phenomenon seen as ‘unwarranted invasion’/ ‘non- consensual entry’ of non-human animal species into the living spaces of Man OR an opportunity for the initiation of a symbiotic co-habitation between Humans & Non-Human Animals instead?” Where the constructed in deemed as ‘Clean & Complete’ in the eyes of Man, do insects like Bees & animals like Birds then question our definition of ‘Cleanliness & Completeness’ by finding opportunities in spaces like these (‘shadow spaces’) to further amass & ‘complete’ them in the eyes of Mother Nature?
On Shadow Spaces - Through the Eyes of Bees Diagrammatic Mapping | Identification of Shadow Spaces
As such, the conducted analysis therefore covers the following: 1. Explore, identify, determine & analyze existing ‘shadow spaces’ found within the constructed infrastructures of Man’s living environments. 2. Further amass opportunities in which Symbiotic Living & Co-habitation between Humans & Animals can be pursued through objective questioning & understanding of the chosen species asVectors.
looking at the underside of horizontal surfaces/ reading architecture from a bottom-up approach was seen as a new avenue of approach in the explorations & questioning o how basic fundamentals/ architecural elements & mediums can be captured, ‘exploited’ & dissected all at the same time.
The term ‘Shadow Spaces’, although not limited to the following, are therefore defined as spaces that are often: 1. Out- of – Sight 002: Initial Area of Focus; 2. Out – of – Reach On ‘Shadow Spaces’ | 3. Corners inhabitable to Man Inspired by the phenomenon, an initial interest was there4. Tucked Away/ ‘Neglected’ fore formulated on the visual approach to the placement 5. ‘Shaded’/ ‘Under a canopy’ – like expression and locations of the observed occurences. The idea of
b. part 002: design the symbiotic dwelling; a house for humans & bees ___________ The Symbiotic Dwelling; a house for humans & bees. Part 002: Design | Duration: Weeks 004 - 014 Thesis Proposition
In the physical realms and realities that we exist & live within, the proposition of spaces and the notion of territories is one that both engages in and reflects contrasts and contradictions in their relative consumptions between Man and Nature.While Man speaks of behaviors that thrives on & is seen to be on a constant pursuit for absolute values & quantitative figures that exudes control and induces perimeters that informs jurisdiction in the way they function, Nature on the other hand, engages in a rather dismissive and opposing operation - one that while has been encrypted and formulated with its own sets of behavioral methodologies and structures in place, is ultimately non-conforming and assumes ambiguity in the tangible definitions embraced by Man. Derived from an observation of a phenomenon that insinuates the notion of nature’s encroachment into the defined territories of man’s constructs, the notion of the project thus speaks of a simple gesture of invitation - one that not only attempts to rethink the established definitions in the physical formalities that we embrace and practice, but the advocacy of a synergetic relationship that dispels fortification and birth opportunities for symbiotic co-habitation to manifest. Encrypted with a series of ‘exposed’ & articulated cavity networks informed by the choreography of its architectural form and displacement of volumetric spaces, the project therefore postulates a dwelling that not only sees the residency of human occupants, but also the occupancy of bees and their habitats, and how it ultimately strives to be a house that functions as a collective living system and ecosystem that encourages the notion of symbiotic co-habitation between man and bees in our built environment.
001
003
002
004
Left; 001 - Elevation (Front) _ 1:200 P. Model 002 - Close - Up Perspective 001 _ 1:200 P. Model Right; 003 - Elevation (Back) _ 1:200 P. Model 004 - Close - Up Perspective 002 _ 1:200 P. Model
BLURRING BOUNDARIES; A SEQUENCE OF GROWTH AND EXPOSURE ANDY MOK
Part 001: Envelope Initial Research & Analysis A Collaborative Research & Analysis Exercise by Andy Mok & Wong Tsz Ho [Individual Portion] Part 002: Design
BLURRING BOUNDARIES - A SEQUENCE OF GROWTH & EXPOSURE Modern construction reduced our connection to nature. Techniques to manipulate grounds with ease gave us unprecedented control of nature, turning exposures to greenery into a choice rather than the mandatory. Existing ground conditions became less relevant to us, as we now see them more often as blank canvases. Instead of being additions to nature, structures now come first while lushness became the final touch to constructions. Natural construction materials are replaced by engineered ones that eradicated natural growth, changing the healthy microbiotas that once resembled natural environments. Air-tight homes meant that our connections to nature within built spaces are often reduced to mere visual experiences. The lack of connection to natural elements forms a microbiota different from anything we have encountered in our evolutionary past, which is proven to be harmful by various researchers. Biophilia, a term coin by American Biologist Edward Osbourne Wilson suggests that humans have an innate attraction to nature. In hopes of increasing our connection to nature in modern built environments, forms of greenery are introduced to the same structures that eradicated natural growth, sometimes requiring complex systems to support them. Humans desire to be in proximity with nature, but we constantly build structural boundaries that inhibit their growth and our interaction with them. Capitalising on the spontaneous growth of wild plants, the project is set to blur the boundaries between nature and structure that comes with present-day construction, by increasing the interfaces to nature and providing ideal conditions for their growth within modern living spaces.
Growing Envelopes - Wild Plants Weeds thrive in the envelopes of structures, constantly attempting to expand their territories. After decades of living in sterile enclosures, humans now see these forms of nature as an invasion of our comfort zones. We categorise wild growing plants in our built environment as weeds, but we continue to introduce other forms of greeneries we deem ‘beautiful’ and ‘healthy’ into our interior spaces, often requiring addition forms of support – watering process, systems, UV lamps etc. What if the weeds that we so often associate as undesirable can be utilised in our chase for greener built spaces? What if we can purposefully provide conditions and space organisations to increase our exposure to nature within interior spaces? Afterall, most humans enjoy controlled exposures to nature, which explains why balconies are so valuable in housing developments.
Walls as a Network of Growth
Final Scheme
Growth Sequence
Exposure & Spatial Sequence
Roof Plan
Floor Plan
HUMID HOUSE; REVEALING POCHE SPACES THROUGH DECAY LEE ZHINING
TA X O N O M Y O F F U N G I
INDOOR COMMUNITY OF MICROBES
STACHYBOTRYS GROWTH
INDOOR COMMUNITY OF MICROBES
philades
d.
Rhodotorula
silverfish
Penicillin
b. c.
a.
b,c. Conidiophores with conidia e. conidiogenous cells
e.
Mucor
but possibly clothing
Aspergillus
5 10
01
SPECIES INFORMATION SOURCE (MUCOR MYCOLOGY ONLINE,2020) (FRISVAD,2015)(FIRRINCIELI ET AL.,2015)
LOCATION INDOOR ; COMMUNITY OF MICROBES
02
SPECIES
SPECIES INFORMATION SOURCE
LOCATION
INFORMATION SOURCE
LOCATION
(SAMSON, VARGA, J.,MEIJER,FRISVAD,2020)
INDOOR ; COMMUNITY OF MICROBES
(LU0,2019)
INDOOR ; COMMUNITY OF MICROBES
SOIL
S
I
(
LEPIOTA SP. 2
GAMMAPPROTEOBACTERIA
HABITAT
HOWEVER
07
SPECIES INFORMATION SOURCE
LOCATION
(Doughari HJ,2011)
OUTDOOR
08
SPECIES: Lepiota sp. 2(Persoon) Gray, 1821
SPECIES:
CLASSIFICATION:
INFORMATION SOURCE:
RESIDENCY STATUS: Native
https://singapore.biodiversity.online/
09
S
CLASSIFICATION:
INFORMATION SOURCE:
RESIDENCY STATUS: Native
https://singapore.biodiversity.online/
10
C
R N
STAGE 1 :
SPORE DISPERSAL / AIR MOVEMENT
FORAGING BEHAVIOUR
Linear growth (does not divide cells or
ANASTOMOSIS: fusing HOMING:
hyphae. Fine tubular structures that branch, fuse and tangle into the anarchic hyphal tips. electrical activity along hyphae
ability to attract itself to itself
STAGE STAGE 22 ::
basidiocarps
WITHERING
the fruiting
basidia
DISPERSAL: Carried upwards by a current of wind
cheilocystidia
Tiny spores can rise very high in the air, and collect water vapour on their surface. Those tiny water droplets on the spores
Dece
bigger droplets. Eventually these drops are large enough to trigger rainfall MISC,: spores each year (weight of 500,000 blue whales) They are the largest source of living particles in the air
how
they rapidly inflate with water, which they Fungi growth can generate an explosive force.
STEADY GROWTH REQUIREME:
LIFESPAN:
STRENTGH: Produces enough force to lift an object weighing asphalt
SPECIES: Lepiota rhodophylla CLASSIFICATION: RESIDENCY STATUS: Native
INFORMATION SOURCE:
(Velinga, 2006),(SHELDRAKE,2020)
15
SPECIES: Phanerochaete velutina (Wood rotting fungus) DESCRIPTION:
S INFORMATION SOURCE:
16
D
p
STACHYBOTRYS & TIMBER
NEOSARTORYA HIRATSUKAE WITHIN DRYWALLS
LIGNIN IN TIMBER
Tangential
COLONIES ON WOOD
Radial
conidia
Transverse
cellulose, but only fungi and a down lignin. The fungi Birgitte found
casses, lignin.”
COLONIES ON WOOD
SPECIES
S
ne/
INFORMATION SOURCE
LOCATION
(LU0,2019)
INDOOR ; COMMUNITY OF MICROBES
Wood is a porous hydroscopic, interconnecting
05
SPECIES
LEUCOAGARICUS AMERICANUS (REDDING LEPIOTA)
CLASSIFICATION: RESIDENCY STATUS: Native
INFORMATION SOURCE:
https://singapore.biodiversity.online/
LOCATION INDOOR ; COMMUNITY OF MICROBES
06
SPECIES INFORMATION SOURCE
LOCATION INDOOR ; COMMUNITY OF MICROBES
LEPIOTA SP. 1
SPECIES:
10
PINE WOOD (CELL STRUCTURE)
INFORMATION SOURCE (Rob Dunn,p102) (Hoadley, 2000, Understanding Wood, pp.20)
11
Decentralised control
SPECIES: Lepiota sp. 1(Persoon) Gray, 1821 CLASSIFICATION: RESIDENCY STATUS: Native
SPECIES: INFORMATION SOURCE:
https://singapore.biodiversity.online/
12
CLASSIFICATION: RESIDENCY STATUS: Native
INFORMATION SOURCE:
https://singapore.biodiversity.online/
Sensitivity
Mycelium has a directional memory
how to best distribute their bodies towards appealing prospects. Having a decentralised control,
16
SPECIES: Phanerochaete velutina (Wood rotting fungus) DESCRIPTION: proliferating in all directions.
INFORMATION SOURCE:
17
SPECIES: Phanerochaete velutina (Wood rotting fungus) DESCRIPTION:
the fungus discovers a food source
INFORMATION SOURCE:
18
SPECIES: Phanerochaete velutina (Wood rotting fungus) DESCRIPTION:
INFORMATION SOURCE:
Top left; Spatial quality study model Bottom Left; Top view model, with roofs removed Top Right; Living Room Bottom Right; Pool Deck
YEAR 4 OPTIONS STUDIO COMPILATION OF SELECTED WORKS
2020/2021 M.ARCH 1 STUDIO ONG KER SHING
IMAGE CREDIT: ANDY MOK