Personal Statement Name of applicant: WONG, Ka Yiu, Osone Architects are often considered egotistical who act based upon their own desire. However, a quote from Ernest Dimnet that I quite agrees with says, “Architecture, of all the arts, is the one which acts the most slowly, but the most surely, on the soul”. As such, I believed that architecture can affect people's emotion and habitat. Well- planned architecture would enhance people's life and vice versa poor architecture would cause uncomforting to user. This issue occurred especially in civic architecture, where the usage demand is not to serve a small group of tenants but thousand. This shaped my view of seeking perfection, continuously fine tuning my design not to express my own will, but to enhance the living quality that integrates with the environment. I had always believed in architecture should served the public, and providing quality public spaces is one of the ways to achieve it. During my undergraduate studies, I had dealt with project like community center, youth hostel, urban planning project etc. for massive crowd. Apart from the required program, I always think on integrating public realm with the projects, all to do with providing a program that served the public mass. Hence, this led me to a particular interest in designing public spaces that are adaptable for different usages. The relationship between building function, circulation and social spaces should co-exist with one another; it encourages the sharing of spaces and interaction amongst different users. This implied the social role of the building to create environments that people want to live and work in harmoniously. During my time working for the Architectural Service Department, I participated in few design projects for two design teams; these included the Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Leisure & Cultural Building and the Open bazaar in TSW. For the Ping Shan project, it is interesting to experiment the methodologies to blend modern and traditional element in the spatial configuration and façade design while preserving local cultural heritage. Traditional design elements of Chinese garden are implemented in the bazaar layout in order to deal with overcrowding issues while maintaining a sense of vibrancy. Beside the design skill or methodology, “Crack until the nut open.” Could be the most valuable spirit I had learnt in ASD. At different phases of the design, there would be technical constraints that would affect the design outcome. But through perseverance and an active mindset, these constraints would be compromised in advance that would integrate as part of the design whole. Concept, schematic design process and building construction from inception to completion phase have altogether helped me developed more mature and solid design skills. I am sure these practical experiences will enable me to add more diversity in my architectural discourse. My passion in architecture, my particular interest in the studies of public spaces, and my aspiration of blending architecture into daily life will no doubt make me a valuable asset to your school. The design studio provided by Edinburgh has spent a lot of effort to create people oriented space with stunning form. Different design projects are trying to tackle the contemporary issues we faced in everyday life with groundbreaking architectural ideas and designs. This point of departure that Edinburgh implements actually intrigues me, as I am aware that there are further potentials to design a people-oriented space. Therefore further studies at Edinburgh will encourage me to design with reference to the ever-changing socio-economic circumstances and work to fulfill my role as an architect. The diversity of the courses and the comprehensive training offered by Edinburgh will continuously inspired me to find new directions in design.
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