B.A. (ARCH) LEVEL 3: AGGREGATION | STRUCTURE| SPACE. SELECTED WORKS.

YEAR 2 LEVEL 3 COMPILATION OF SELECTED WORKS

2020/2021 B.A. (ARCH) 2

AGGREGATION

STRUCTURE SPACE

IMAGE CREDIT: XU RUITING

LEVEL 3: Aggregation, Structure, Space Design 3 focuses on structure and form made from component elements. But architecture is more than a collection of forms sitting on landscape. It is about the aspirations of people in a particular point in time.

When Fumihiko Maki believed that ‘architecture must not only express its time but survive it’, he was concerned with the rigid outcomes of modernist urban planning epitomised by the PruittIgoe failure in the history of housing. The interest for alternative urban forms better suited to evolving societies is an ongoing experiment in the relationship between form and its context and the connection between architecture and the city. In his ‘Notes on Collective Form’ Maki valued not the stylistic aspect of form itself but its ability to accommodate spontaneity and growth and to move to new states of equilibrium while maintaining visual consistency and order over time.

Because the outdoor spaces in between a building and the city are thresholds of experience, they are as important as the spaces inside built form. So compositions do not focus on form alone but in the spaces between forms, the nature of their linkages and in the interior spaces of each form.

The idea of group form cannot be simplified into ‘singles and multiples‘ as elements of replication. To avoid arbitrariness in compositions, studios should not look at shapes alone but seek to understand an ordering principle or a ‘schema’ with which to establish connections with component forms. Such a schema is a geometric framework with which to generate form, space and structure in meaningful site relationships.

Components of form can be ‘grown’ and altered to fit into a changing context (viz. site topography/ occupancy/decay and renewal). An urban environment as a whole can be assembled from numerous individual elements which are connected or grouped in different forms of structures.

Because structure can provide legibility and coherence to space and form, collective forms can be composed with schemas which relate structural order to spatial hierarchy and vice versa.

Joseph Lim Level 3 Studio Leader

2020/2021 B.A. (ARCH) 2

Unit 1:

Dr. Joseph Lim (Level 3 Studio Leader, Unit 1 Leader)

Adjunct Tutor Randy Chan

Dr. Shin Yokoo

Ar. Chaw Chih Wen

Adjunct Assistant Professor Adrian Lai

Unit 2:

A/P Ruzica Bozovic Stamenovic (Unit 2 Leader)

Ar. Neo Sei Hwa

Adjunct Assistant Professor Tiah Nan Chyuan

Ar. Daniel Pillai

Unit 3:

Ar. Victor Lee (Unit 3 Leader)

Adjunct Assistant Professor Peter Sim

Ar. Federico Ruberto

Ar. Pan Yi Cheng

Mr. Lip Chiong

Unit 1: Fashion Design House Ideas in Architecture, Art and Fashion Design have inspired each other historically and each discipline has forms of creative expression explored through divergent media and processes.

While fashion and architecture involve the human body and the embodiment of craft in creative pursuit, designers push the limits in expressing material culture of a particular time. In an interview with Joseph Kosuth Studio on 29 Nov 2008, Maison Martin Margiela2 cited their comparison between art and philosophy in responding to a question on fashion and architecture.

‘Art both questions signification itself and does so as a signifying activity. It posits apparent limits, which, by the nature of its activity, then vanish. Within the space of those transitory points, we find a lot to do, and some of it (momentarily) defines reality, but it can do so in a transformatory way. The relative fixity of (a limit set by designers) is also its (potential) and its importance. The shelter that it provides us as it also locates us within our culture means that, not unlike for any artist, you defineyourself by how you play with you limit. And that’s just as it is for architecture.’

The design ideation and design processes of designers are not in isolation but in collaboration with material manufacturers. The design communication between the expert domains overlap in the area of geometry, pattern, structure and overall configuration. Studios will explore these relationships relative to space and place making in the context of a home-based creative enterprise that is set up as a studio showroom and master-class studio.

The design brief is a project housing the studio and home of a principal designer. In addition to a design studio with a small team of assistants and apprentices, there are fitting rooms for special clients. Project components of different dimensions and contrasting demands of privacy or public access can be grouped into different “addresses”.

Unit 2: Sports Center Historically, physical activities were never perceived as separate from people who took part and spaces where they took place. In western ancient cultures god of healing Asclepius and his father Apollo, god of beauty, were represented as handsome young men with beautiful bodies, indulging in physical activities, arts and healthy lifestyle. In Eastern cultures the trinity of body, mind and spirit was considered as the “three treasures of life”. In modern architecture, the noteworthy sports facilities always aspired to reach beyond the fulfilment of functional requirements and bring to life the holistic idea of wellbeing achieved through coordination with both pragmatic and representational spatial qualities. Chris Bosse, author of the Beijing National Aquatics Centre built for the 2008 Olympics puts as his top influences for the Water Cube: mankind, nature and technology. Steven Holl, author of the Campbell Sports Center on Columbia University campus reveals in his very initial and conceptual free-hand sketches the connection of volumes, their character addressing body and mind, and the views and landscape surrounding the center.

Bjarke Ingels and his BIG office designed the Gammel Hellerup Gymnasium as a synergy of outdoors and indoors, public and private, exposed and enclosed and engaged in developing the distinct language of forms, patterns and orders.

Therefore, as much as our program for Sports centre is a sum of functions and respective spaces it is even more an aggregation of issues, spatial relations and characters conceived upon clear intent, tested and probed with rigor and built following a knowledgeable enquiry into the richness of architectural language, morphology and structure.

The design brief is a project housing the amenities of a small sports center dedicated to wellbeing of multi-generation local community. Although dedicated to sports and strength exercises, this center is also a place of encounters with characteristics that induce eustress. Spaces of the center are to express support for both physical and psychological wellness and close contact with natural environment. Total GFA should not exceed 1500 sqm and up to four storeys.

Unit 3: Redefining the Apartment Block The Unit is interested in the emergent spatial and structural organisations that arise from the aggregation of dwelling spaces, connective circulation systems and other building components related to the design of an Apartment Block. Using the Apartment Block as the mode of investigation, the Unit will posit new possibilities for aggregation as a tool in building a collective formal language, and in doing so, deliberate on its impact to the immediate environment and that of the city.

The Apartment Block The meaning of the word derives from “apart” - to separate - premised from a state of being together. It expresses the desire to be a part of, suggesting notions of the individual - a form of singularity that exists within some form of collectivity - a part of a whole.

In Singapore, the dwelling form originally started with the Shophouse, but has expanded to form larger urban structures such as the multi- block, high-rise public housing estates, as well as private low-rise landed housing. Within these are usually communal spaces allowing the social relations between people and the activities of daily life to take place.

Today, the individual dwelling units that make up the Apartment Block, housed within the overall (builtup) image of its collective form - has evolved to become one of the most ubiquitous forms for housing in our architectural built environment. The agglomeration of units within a physical structure - served by vertical and horizontal connective circulation systems and services, ventilated and lit by airwells and internal voids - has become the typological imprint for many a home. This comes naturally due to the advent of modernity - with industrialisation and progress brings ease of repetition, constructional productivity reaping economies of scale.

PATTERNS IN LIGHT CHOY RUI ZHI STUDIO JOSEPH LIM

ARCHITECTURE AS INSTRUMENT FOR FASHION TEXTILE MAKING The design is conceived as an instrument to study pattern shadow in light for the fashion designers to utilise. It achieves this by introducing a series of fabric walls that fragments under the light, developing each its own structural system, to create an abstract and open environment for fashion designers to study shadow patterns.

This project is an investigation into designing programmes, space, structure and form for light.

The design starts by understanding the textile fashion making process of Ong Shunmugam. It dwells into the lace making technique to develop a textile pattern fabric type that sets the starting point for the architectural schema.

After the schema is developed, a series of daylight and shadow analysis is made to study the design of the program, space and structure with light to design an optimal condition for the fashion design house.

Process By extracting the idea of the pins as point attractors on a pattern grid to help weave patterns, a novel type of pattern using a computer algorithm is generated that serves as the spark for the design.

The schema starts with the development of a 1 m by 1.5m textile pattern fabric wall. The walls are placed together to form space and grouped together based on programs. It is then fragmented to create spaces for shadow studies.

Main Renders and Interior Space During the day, the fashion design house is an instrument for the designers to study shadow patterns. An atrium provides an abstract space for the designers to configure and hang cut pattern panels to cast shadows for studies.

Main Renders and Interior Space During the evening when the fashion designers have ended their day of shadow study, the atrium space is reconfigured into an open fashion show space where the designers invite exclusive cilents and the media to showcase her new fashion apparel collection.

Main Renders and Interior Space The following are the key interior spaces.

Gallery

Textile Research

Workshop

Detail Resolution The design of the atrium structure is developed to minimise the shadow casted from the structure to interfere with the shadows of the cut pattern panels. Below are images of the space with the shadows cast predominantly by the cut pattern panels.

A HOLLOW CLEAR CONCRETE CORE YEE YOOK MUN STUDIO SHIN YOKOO

Iris Van Herpen is an iconic fashion designer that showcases the metaphysical experiences of life in her couture lines.

Architecture inspired by her philosophy should exude emotions the same way her clothes do.

How does architecture move its users? This is approached in its components; structure, circulation and space. These components should individually form an intimate relationship with its users before it congregates as a collective.

Space is studied in the Tenkei studies to create an interesting experience for users at a human scale, before these gestures are applied in the final project.

The building form is symmetrical and split wholly in the centre, creating an empty “core” exhibition space. Cantilevered rooms alongside the main floors branch out from hosting the most private programs that diffuse to public spaces near the façade. Empty spaces, glass facades are juxtaposed with intimate spaces within these walls. Successive arches in perimeter corridors are juxtaposed with high, heavy concrete walls within it.

The East face of the building is most public, and its structure system consists of 45 degree concrete walls that hide parts of the building from the other while allowing a free circulation.

The West face of the building is held up by short walls that form a porous, hollow core that offers intimate spaces for lavatories and vertical circulation. At the top floor, a private garden is elevated within it.

Each circulation tells a different story. The most important ones ( designer and shopper) do not cross. They both experience a vertical and horizontal circulation, moving from intimate to open spaces.

Each floor is hidden from the other, maintaining the mystery of each programme in each segment.

Tenkei studies

Volume studies

Circulation Hierarchy

Blue- Designer Orange- shopper Light green- Employee

Circulation

BURKE’S PLAYGROUND MATTHEW GOH STUDIO CHAW CHIH WEN

AN INQUIRY TO UNA BURKE’S FASHION SCHEMA AGAINST THE SUBURBAN RITUAL. Burke, a humble fashion designer experimetns with sculputral fashion pieces through the medium of leather strips, weaving them together through rivet joineries. By juxtaposing this against Burke’s suburban lifestyle placed in a new urban setting, an architecture responsive to technique and site is formulated. Strips that emulate the schema manipulated in response to the structure, akin to the leather strips response to rivets.

Site Analysis

Conceptual Diagram 1

Conceptual Diagram 2

3D Ritual Diagram

Probe Exploration

Schema Model

Scheme Models

ATRIA KELLY WONG STUDIO DANIEL PILLAI

INVOKING CURIOSITY THROUGH AMBIGUITY An atrium inspired space inhabited by lush greenery, a series of walkways & stairs challenging the norms, lies an architecture that seeks to encourage interaction in the vivid areas bathed in soft natural skylight through an ambiguous facade. Situated at Macrichie Reservoir; a water pump station with no distinct site identity and underutilized opportunities connected with the surrounding natural and urban footprint created the perfect canvas to design a sports centre that aims to be seamlessly integrated with the nearby reservoir & mushroom cafe. This was achieved by blurring the boundaries between the given plot and its surrounding site context, bridging a connection between them to attract various target users into a common node.

It was determined that to blur the boundaries between spaces, the design would have to be ambiguous to invoke a sense of curiosity which in turn can allow for sports users to ‘wonder’ through visual connections to other activities while also allowing for visitors to ‘wander’ into space upon chancing on it. Leveraging on a thesis ‘Blurring Boundaries: Strategies for the Creation of Ambiguity in Architecture’ by Alejandro Beals, the definitions of Ambiguity in Meaning, Programme & Context laid the design foundation for various spatial strategies to be developed into an ambiguous architectural built form that serves as more than a sports centre, but a central node that a diverse group of users can share.

01 Offset Boundary

02 Voids

05 Entrance

06 Atrium

Diagrams

03 Connection with Reservoir

04 Cross Ventilation

07 Trees

08 Skylight

Basement 1

Level 2

Level 1

Roof

Long Section

Short Section

BALANCE ASHLEY TAY STUDIO NEO SEI HWA

It is common for us to use nature as a form of escape from the stresses of urban life. However,in the case of the site at MacRitchie, it is in close proximity to urbanism. Therefore, sport and exercise become a means of restoring balance in life, rather than a means of escape from the urban world.

My project reflects this association between the nature and urban, by taking advantage of the site’s quality of having both nature and urban views. By developing an architectural and spatial configuration of alternating views using circulation, the experience aims remind users about the balance in city life, through exercise as they move through the sports centre.

Gaps and openings are formed in between the programs, facing either a nature or an urban view. Different layers of opacity and transparency are applied to the entire building, to further accentuate the experience of looking at views through gaps. This includes using different planes such as trelis plants, glass planes and open voids to give the idea of a room without having to form a complete volume of the space.

In essence, Balance is sports centre that provides a rhythmic circulation experience with alternating nature and urban views. It reflects the relationship between urban and nature with sports and exercise to remind users to achieve a balance between urban life and wellbeing, instead of completely escaping from the urban world.

Massing Diagrams

YOGA STUDIO

CAFE

OFFICE MULTIMEDIA CLASSROOM

TOILET

CIRCUIT TRAINING ROOM

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

BASKETBALL

ROCK CLIMBING WALL

SWIMMING POOL TOILET

CIRCULATION BASKETBALL

Exploded Axonometric

CANOE STORE

First Floor

Second Floor

Third Floor

Fourth Floor

North Elevation

South Elevation

East Elevation

West Elevation

Sectional Perspective

Swimming Pool and Grandstand

Rock Climbing Wall

FUNACT CHEN QIAOLING STUDIO TIAH NAN CHYUAN

THE ADRENALINE THRILL TO MOTIVATE YOU Why are people not motivated to exercise? Despite the increasing obesity rate, people are still making excuses to exercise. One particular reason being that workouts are always the same, boring and lack of varieties. Inducing fun into exercises allow users to experience fun challenges which not only induce stress but also improve one’s cognitive performance, improve overall physical & emotional thinking. The strategy is to break down the types of workouts specifically & merge a variety of relevant exercises/sports together. So people can experience the fun in exercising through a new & fun type of exercise. Through the interrogation of programs, the new programs informs a new type of spatial configuration. To enable the users to experience the varieties of exercises, the programs are arranged in varying cores which consists of programs from fun to less fun. Intertwined circulation routes allow users to navigate through the cores, experiencing the varying intensity & excitement of the sports center.

Entering the center of the ground floor from the basketball trampoline core, one is welcomed by the existence of nature, lit upon by skylight from above.

Going for a swim or aqua yoga class, one is able to pass by the in-between space between the Sports core and the Fun core. The continuous dynamics carry through the center as kids can be seen running in these pockets of spaces, enjoying the architecture of the center.

Entering the Fun core, the main gathering space of the center, once could see the mingling of groups, children having fun running around, playing with water and the dynamism of a new sport called bicycle climbing.

Sectional Isometric

First Floor Plan

Sectional Detail

4 X 4 TOWERS VIKRAM KASI KANNAPPAN STUDIO VICTOR LEE

The project started of with the exploration of fundamental concepts on an operated cube.

Emphasis was placed on using floors and ceiling to create gradients of open and close, and the façade to create different levels of seen and unseen. This experimentation led to the development of a framework which dictated thedesign of the final proposal.

The chosen apartment analogue, derived from the combined cubes, has a very strong vertical language. Given the height of each analogue, each unit can only be stacked on top of another unit once. To further strengthen the verticality of the unit type, an aggregation where each unit was placed directly on top of the other was explored.

4x4 towers demonstrates the versatility of a 4x4 metre base apartment module aggregated within a gridconsisting of 4x4 metre squares. By placing each square one metre apart, all four walls along the perimeterof each unit belong to that unit alone, maximising the breathability of each unit and allowing for an effectively 360 degree view out of each unit. The alternating of squares on which units are placed creates a layout consisting of 13 apartment blocks and 12 communal spaces. The final outcome is an interesting design that exhibits the ability of floors and ceilings to effectively delineate space both within and outside the unit.

Cube B1 Cube C2 Floor/Ceiling x Open/Close

Facade/Appendage x Seen/Unseen

Assuming the minimum operational space for the average human is 2x2 meters, a four-meter cube can be subdivided into 8 cubes. By varying the distance between the floor and ceiling within each cube, until a ceiling is no longer present, spaces embodying varying degrees of ‘openness’ can be achieved.

Terraces are typically a more visible part of an apartment. This cube explores the possibility of creating varying degrees of ‘unseen’ private spaces in a terrace. By using ‘caves’ of decreasing height and increasing depth, and hence decreasing angle of visibility, intimate pockets of spaces are created along the terrace.

Axonometric Drawing

Horizontal Section

Oblique Drawing

Vertical Section

Horizontal Section

Vertical Section

Combined Cubes Floor/Ceiling x Open/Close + Facade/Appendage x Seen/Unseen Cube C2 sits on top of B1, leveraging on the upwards spiralling momentum generated by the latter. The core of C2 contains voids of varying heights, an extension of the 2nd floor of cube B1.

During the journey up, spaces get more open and ‘public’, peaking at the first cave in C1 which is the most ‘seen’ part of the structure, following which spaces become more intimate once again as caves get narrower and deeper.

2

1

Iteration 1

Vertical Section

Axonometric Drawing

Iteration 2

Axonometric Drawing

Horizontal Section 1

Horizontal Section 2

Primer 01 & 02 Operated Cubes | Combined Cubes

0 0.5 1

2

3

5m

Scale 1:50

3

2

Level 3 Plan

1

Level 2 Plan

Standard Units (40sqm)

Level 1 Plan

Close

Open

‘Unwrapped’ Cube - Gradient of spaces

Level 3 Plan 3

2

Level 2 Plan

1

Corner Units (50sqm)

Analogue Apartment Unit Types

Level 1 Plan 0 0.5 1

2

3

5m

Scale 1:50

Rowell Road

Kampong Kapor Road

Baboo Lane

4x4 towers demonstrates the versatility of a 4x4 metre base apartment module aggregated within a grid consisting of 4x4 metre squares. By placing each square one metre apart, all four walls along the perimeter of each unit belong to that unit alone, maximising the breathability of each unit and allowing for an effectively 360 degree view out of each unit. The alternating of squares on which units are placed creates a layout consisting of 13 apartment blocks and 12 communal spaces. Apart from the orthogonal walkways created by the one meter gaps, a diagonal circulation system is also made available through the spaces between the corners of each unit.

Circulation possibilities

4x4 Towers Site plan

0 2 4

8

12

20m

Scale 1:200

Ground Level Plan Central Tower - Reception

The 12 ‘communal’ spaces created by the grid layout have varying degrees of privacy. The 8 spaces along the perimeter are open to public, while the four in the centre, defined by hedges, are for residents only. The resultant organisation of spaces is symmetrical along a diagonal axis.

The 4 spaces along the main roads experience high pedestrian traffic so they have larger walkways and concrete flooring. A large pathway connecting the pavements along Kampong Kapor Road and Rowell Road allow pedestriants to avoid the sharp corner, and is reminescent of the site’s original function.

The 4 spaces along the parti wall and baboo lane, whilst also accessible to the public, experience less human traffic. Hence, they feature grass patches and gardens for play, excercise or relaxation.

Rowell Road

Kampong Kapor Road

Privacy

Second Level Plan Central Tower - Lounge

Units are arranged in clusters of three, such that the entrances of these units face each other. A tree stands at the centre of each cluster, surrounded by a pathway through which the units are accessed. This zoning encourages a sense of community within each cluster, with a tree as its focal point.

The second level aligns with the foyers on the top floor of the bottom level units. This foyer serves as the entry points to the clusters along the main roads. These are the units in a darker shade of grey in the diagram below.

The entry points for the clusters along baboo lane and the parti wall are closer to the ground, in between the ground and second level. They access the middle floor of the bottom level units.

This arrangement allows each unit to be accessed with minimal staircase, while creating sufficient distance from the human traffic and noise at ground level.

Collective Form Plans

0 1 2

4

6

10m

Scale 1:100

Third Level Plan

Central Tower - Cardio Gym

The clusters that the upper units form differ from that of the bottom units, such that each empty square in the grid defined by a cluster of units belongs to that cluster alone.

The third level, which features a cardio gymn in the central tower, aligns to the bottom level of the top units. The clusters along Kampong Kapor Road and Baboo Lane, in the lighter shades of grey, are accessed from this floor.

This spiral circulation around the central tower continues to the fourth level, which aligns with the middle floor of the upper units.

Fourth Level Plan

Central Tower - Weights Gym

The fourth level features a weight gym in the central tower, and aligns with the middle floor of the upper units. The entry points on this floor are the highest in the apartment.

The diagram below highlights the possible entry points (on plan) with respect to the four levels. On levels 1.5 and 4, units are accessed from the middle floor, which is the living room, and can proceed up or down.

On level 2 the units are accessed from the top floor, the foyer, which leads to increasingly closed and private spaces as they descend.

On level 3, units are accessed from the bottom floor, which houses the study, toilet and bedroom. As they ascend, users will experience more openness and decreasingly private spaces.

Entry Points

Level 1.5

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Collective Form Plans

0 1 2

4

6

10m

Scale 1:100

Section A-A

Section B-B A

Rowell Road

B

B Kampong Kapor Road

Baboo Lane

Collective Form Sections

A

0 1 2

4

6

10m

Scale 1:100

Collective Form Exploded Axonometric

0 1 2

4

6

10m

Scale 1:100

Arrangement 1

Arrangement 2

Arrangement 3

RC Wall System Top Unit

Each unit has 5 structural walls; 4 on each side and one in the centre. There are two units in each tower. However, the walls of these units do not line up, so a series of beams under the ceiling of the bottom units are used to transfer the load from the structural walls of the top unit to the structural walls of the bottom unit.

RC Walls: 300mm Slabs: 250mm Transfer load beams: 600mm

Bottom Unit

Structural Details Sectional Perspective

Staircases are constructed out of folded steel and attached to the concrete walls. Perceived variation in ceiling and floor heights as part of the design is achieved through false ceilings and raised floors.

0 0.5 1

2

3

5m

Scale 1:50

QUERENCIA JENCE HELIN CAPUNO CABALLA STUDIO PETER SIM

AN APARTMENT FOR THE WELLNESS COMMUNITY Querencia is an apartment space that allows it’s user to practice mindfulness through meditation.

Contemplative spaces are designed throughout all the apartment units through the addition of light wells and an open interior courtyard which is located at the back of each unit. The light coming in from the lightwell washes over the courtyard creating the perfect natural environment.

Together with the natural feature of either water or greens, this helps to create a very raw-like space - perfect to practice meditation. The current state of the site was not suitable for the conditions for meditation due to the lack of green spaces in Little India. Therefore, the decision to bring the necessary views into the unit by introducing an interior courtyard with a lightwell washing over the said courtyard. The addition of an interior courtyard create a green view of plants and trees, whereas the lightwell showcases the view of the sky creating multiple types of nature to the user. Contemplative spaces varies per floor depending on the light quality available per unit. Lower units which has the least light quality due to the deep depth features a sound pond with little plants, as we go up the floors, the bigger the plants and trees are added due to better light quality in the higher units.

The typical house consists of openings such as windows which are usually placed in the eyelevel are noticeably lacking in this apartment, this was to prevent distractions from the noisier and busier surrounding site. The stark contrast in the lighting levels between the interior living space and the courtyard. The lack of eye-level opening created a very dark and solemn interior living space, whereas the massive lightwell located in the interior courtyard created a very bright and majestic ambience in the said courtyards with the light washing over the towering walls and the natural features. To achieve a better light quality per unit, the height of the courtyard walls were lowered creating a terracing-like section. Additional openings positioned at a much higher level were also added to allow better ventilation and lighting in the space. The units at the first floor start at the ends of the site while the 2nd floor unit is placed at the middle creating the only double-loaded corridor throughout the building. The void created from the first and second floor units are then allocated for the 3rd floor units. A similar approach of having the courtyard for the upper levels through the voids created by the lightwell from the previous floors is seen for the coming floors. Therefore, the lower units start at the edge , and the higher the unit level are, the unit comes towards the middle, with the last floor (rooftop) being located in the middle space of the building with raised parapet from the walls of the lightwells.

During the process of strategizing, having a lightwell available for each room posed as a design challenge, having a lightwell would meant that there would need to be a void in each unit that would have to go through all the floors. This meant that no apartment unit would be able to stack directly on top edge to edge. This eventual challenge lead to many iterations which lead each unit to have a unique and special shape per floor and per corner.

The special shapes created a zig-zag like corridor creating a labyrinth-like circulation throughout the building. The section cuts shows the differing positions and alignment of the units, the idea of how openings allow light to enter the space.

In the interior living space of each unit, a feature of an elevation floor is seen. The sitting steps acts as a transition space between the living unit and courtyard giving the courtyard at the top of the hierarchy in the spatial zoning. The steps are elevated allowing to frame the view of the courtyard. the addition of the steps and elevated deck helps to narrow the framing view of the courtyard space. This action guides the user’s eye direction to the light of the courtyard once he enters the unit.

LIFE-SIZE BLOCK XU RUITING STUDIO PAN YI CHENG

“Life-sized building blocks” can be put together into various types of houses, accommodating even the smallest details of building plans and any number of inhabitants and their various needs.

Individual houses can thus be adapted to every need and allow infinite variations, while the construction itself, in spite of being made out of serialized elements, allows a rich diversity of appearance.

-Metropolis-Architecture,Ludwig Hilberseimer The monotony of the repetitive spaces in conventional housing needs to be changed to a more user-focused and adaptive building form that’s planned for the ever-changing programs and lifestyles of the city. Hence, the idea of a building planned by its dwellers and designed to function for its dwellers’ needs.

YEAR 2 LEVEL 3 COMPILATION OF SELECTED WORKS

2020/2021 B.A. (ARCH) 2

IMAGE CREDIT: JENCE HELIN CAPUNO CABALLA