2017
PORTFOLIO SAMANTHA
CHONG
samanthachl@hotmail.com
+61 425 206 913
2nd Year Student at The University of Melbourne Urban Planning & Landscape Architecture Major
EDUCATION THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
BOX HILL SENIOR SECONDARY
EMMAUS COLLEGE
Weighted Average Mark: 77.00
ATAR: 88.20
2012 - 2014
Bachelor of Environments
Graduated VCE in 2015
Year 7 - Year 9
WORK EXPERIENCE
SKILLS
InDesign Photoshop AutoCAD Rhino
CERTIFICATIONS RESPONSIBLE SERVICE OF ALCOHOL 2015
WOOLWORTHS, FOREST HILL Deli & Customer Service Team Member | Since Sept 2015
Responsible for providing excellent customer service, advising customers on store products, handling financial transactions and stock presentation.
JOHN SUGDEN SWIMMING SCHOOL Swim Teacher | Since Sept 2016
Teacher for children aged from 4 - 16 years of age.
HAHNDORF’S FINE CHOCOLATES, DONCASTER Waitress | Oct 2014 - Nov 2015
Responsible for serving customers, handling financial transactions and customer enquiries about store products.
KATE HILL, DONCASTER Sales Assistant | Oct 2013 - Sept 2014
Responsible for opening and closing the store by myself, including handling the store banking and calculating the end of day reports (KPI’s and budgets).
GRILL’D BURGERS, DONCASTER Team Member | July 2013 - Feb 2014
AUSTSWIM
Responsible for serving customers, advising customers with dietary requirements and assist with ingredient prep for store opening and assisting with store procedures for closing.
CERT II BUSINESS
MCDONALD’S, VERMONT SOUTH Front Of House Team Member | June 2012 - Feb 2013
2017 2012
CERT III HOSPITALITY 2012
INTERESTS Fashion Design
Responsible for serving customers and taking orders on front counter and drive thru.
DESIGN EXPERIENCE FUTURE RUNWAY, VAMFF Fashion Designer Finalist | 2015
One of 20 finalists to have designed and created a hand-made fashion capsule collection, of 3 garments, for the runway.
Fashion Photography
VOLUNTEER WORK
Graphic Design
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY FOOD CO-OP Volunteer | 2016
LANGUAGE Indonesian
Clocked in 20+ hours cooking food for lunch service, cleaning and idea contribution for the direction of the business.
RELAY FOR LIFE, CANCER COUNCIL VICTORIA Committee Member | June 2013 - Jan 2014
Responsbile for organising and co-ordinating the facilities and catering for the VIP’s of the event.
EPICURE CATERING, MELBOURNE TOWN HALL Work Experience as Cook | Sept 2013
Back of House: Ingredient prep, making sandwhiches, pies and wraps for catering orders.
1ST YEAR DESIGN STUDIO PROJECT
This conceptual design is focused on creating an experience based on my spatio-temporal narrative through abstract forms. The mind is challenged by the undulating structural forms, the lighting installation and the contrast between nature and the built form.
section a-a NTS
Abstract lamp posts with blue frosted glass
Colour co-ordinated flower beds
Small meeting spaces to cater for different needs
White concrete moulded structure
Stainless steel structure
Moulded pink frosted glass lighting with inground light bulbs
plan drawing NTS
This model focuses on the concept of extruding the ground plane. Inspired by organic folds and the natural waves created by curvilinear manipulation.
plan NTS
section NTS
An exploration of the ‘grafting’ technique, particular emphasis was placed in balancing cohesion and contrast. Cohesion is created in the intersecting flow of lines while contrast is built through the different aesthetic qualities of the material, smooth and rough.
section
plan model
NTS
NTS
CONCRETE LAWN PLAN
9PM M O V E M E N T M A P
ASSEMBLAGE MODEL
COLLAGE
plan drawing 1: 2
SITE ANALYSIS: Mapping of movement through the site using data from site visits. Documentation of high-use routes and typical circulation patterns that influenced the structural placement in final design.
circulation
Program: Illustrator + Photoshop
9AM 1:2000
LOW PEDESTRIAN COUNT
3PM 1:2000
CYCLIST COUNT
9PM
1:2000
2ND YEAR URBAN PLANNING RESEARCH PROJECT
Repair Cafe
Combating a throw-away society and fostering social inclusion in Moonee Valley through collective repair.
BOTTOM-UP
Individuals and communities work together on a local level A grassroots social activism for the everyday person leading a normal life, it is a practical, hands-on and rewarding way to live more sustainably and provide a valuable service to the community (McGraine, 2012).
e ar
rn
sh
l ea
soc ia
e lis
free neighbourhood meeting place for people to bring broken products and work together with volunteer fixers to repair them Repair Café’s offer a
PLACEMAKING
Build valuable relationships within the community (“About Repair Cafe,” 2016)
A place to meet people from the neighbourhood and have fun which allows for the exploration and crafting of identity through encounter with strangers (Fincher & Iveson, 2008). Visitos with nothing to repair can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, lend a hand with repair jobs or get inspired at the reading table (“About Repair Cafe,” 2016).
a global repair network
29
SUSTAINABLE
COUNTRIES
Reduce landfill waste by fixing broken items rather than throwing them away
1150
Restorative by nature, the focus on repair closes the ‘material loop’. It reduces embodied energy and materials at manufacture, and is a key element for sustainable local consumption and production models (Charter & Keiller, 2014). Facilitating localism is also an important strategic step towards building a Resilient City (Newman, Beatley, & Boyer, 2009).
CAFE’S
MOONEE VALLEY AGE PROFILE Source: created by author, data from ABS (2011)
27
CHANGING MINDSET
Raising awareness for the value of objects (McGraine, 2012)
The REPAIR CAFE FOUNDATION (est. 2011) is a not-forprofit organisation that provides professional support to people that wish to start a repair cafe. A handbook is available for purchase on thier website which outlines how to find local repair experts, tool supply resources and funding advice. It will also advertise your cafe on their network and connect you with other interested parties in the area (“About Repair Cafe,” 2016). This is a valuable tool that makes this idea very feasible.
L O C A T I O N ? The Wingate Avenue Community Centre
A fight against the current linear economy of ‘Take-MakeDispose’ and ‘in-built obscolesence’ fuelled by cheap credit and low-cost products (Charter & Keiller, 2014). Products are systematically designed to have a short lifespan and the ‘Right to Repair’ is important because “If you can’t fix it, you don’t really own it” (O’Neill, 2017).
78
55 years and over
54 years and under
TIME COMMITMENT, EFFORT & RESOURCES required to set up are significant and research has shown that the age profile of volunteers is skewed to ‘time-rich’ older generations with a high number of volunteers approaching retirement or already retired (Charter & Keiller, 2014).
REFERENCE LIST Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). 2011 Census Basic Community Profile. Retreved from, http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/communityprofile/LGA25060?opendocument&navpos=230 Charter, M., & Keiller, S. (2014). Grassroots Innovation and the Circular Economy. The Centre for Sustainable Design, 4-9. Retrieved from http://www.research.ucreative.ac.uk/2722/1/Survey-of-Repair-Cafes-and-Hackerspaces.pdf Fincher, R., & Iveson, K. (2008). Conceptualizing Encounter in Cities,. In Planning and diversity in the city: Redistribution, recognition and encounter (pp. 145–170). New York: Palgrave. McGraine, S. (2012, May 8). An Effort to Bury a Throwaway Culture One Repair at a Time. The New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/world/europe/amsterdam-tries-to-change-culture-with-repair-cafes.html Newman, P., Beatley, T., & Boyer, H. (2009). Conclusion: Ten Strategic Steps toward a Resilient City. In Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change (pp. 112–148). Washington: Island Press. O’Neill, M. (2017, March 7). Can pop-up ‘repair cafes’ save broken gadgets and solve growing waste levels?. ABC News, Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-07/can-pop-up-repair-cafes-solve-growing-waste-levels/8329836 About Repair Cafe. (2016). Retrieved https://repaircafe.org/en/about/
EMPOWER
Building resourcefulness and skill within the community Volunteers are strongly motivated by what they can do for others (Charter & Keiller, 2014) by sharing their practical knowledge and experience. Knowing how to repair is a valuable but quickly lost skill (“About Repair Cafe, 2011) which encourages ownership and responsibility.
2ND YEAR PLANTING DESIGN PROJECT
BOUNDARY
1000
FENCE
N
2000
G A R D E N A T: City of Boroondara D A T E : 21 May 2017 C L I E N T: Residential Garden
P L A N T IN G S C H E D U L E & QUANTITIES Structural Plants
Qty
Spacing
4
1200mm
10
600mm
Alchemilla mollis
16
450mm
Geranium ‘Ann Folkard’
5
900mm
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Tuscan Blue’
Kniphofia ‘Winter Cheer’
Evergreen Groundcovers
Seasonal Interest Plants Pervoskia atriplicifolia
9
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
7
400mm
Zantedeschia aethiopica
4
450mm
Allium tuberosum
5
400mm
700mm
2ND YEAR LANDSCAPE STUDIO PROJECT
graduates GARDEN PARKVILLE’S BACKYARD GARDEN FOR ALL SCALE: NTS
N
BRIDGE VIEW SCALE: N T S
N
SEATING A
SPACE
DESIGN
DESIGNED
Rai sed pl a n t e r be ds Moul ded wh it e c o n c re t e blo c k s
Rai sed pla t f o rm u s e d a s a s te p and seat i n g
C ornered s pa c e s a llo w f o r and enco u ra ge c o n gre ga t io n
100mm thick wall 300mm seating
100mm step
60mm tall planater
150mm
BUNKER SCALE: 1 - 75 @ A3
N
SCALE: N T S
N
loamy, clay soil
FOR
PEOPLE
PLANT SITE
SCHEDULE
CONDITION
An east-facing abstract-shaped raised planting bed that is built on the rooftop of the bunker. It is located at ground level and faces the street. It can be seen from ground level by pedestrians, the cafe patrons, the opposite street as well as from the top-down from the balcony of the physics building and the bridge. The soil is 600mm deep and is a high quality, sandy clay loam and well prepared with 20mm of organic matter. Irrigated with a sprinkler system and will be supplied twice weekly in summer. 75mm thick coarse mulch will also be installed after planting. Plant selection needs to be hardy and suitable for human interaction as the site will recieve high traffic flow.
Structural Plants
Qty
Spacing
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Tuscan Blue’
4
1200mm
Kniphofia ‘Winter Cheer’
9
600mm
Alchemilla mollis
13
450mm
Geranium ‘Ann Folkard’
6
900mm
Evergreen Groundcovers
Climbing Plants
5
Solanum laxum ‘Album’
1500mm
Seasonal Interest Plants
Pervoskia atriplicifolia
22
Achillea filipendulina
19
450mm
Santolina chamaecyparissus
7
600mm
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
20
400mm
Senecio linearifolius
8
400mm
Zantedeschia aethiopica
4
450mm
700mm
E
&
QUANTITIES
PHYSICS
BUILDING
SCALE: 1 - 100 @ A3
N
PLANT SELECTION
Achillea filependulina
Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Tuscan Blue’
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
Geranium ‘Ann Folkard’
Zantedeschia aethiopica
Kniphofia ‘Winter Cheer’
1ST YEAR LANDSCAPE HISTORY RESEARCH PROJECT
PRE-COLONIAL VEGETATION
Evidence of the Royal Botanic Garden’s Pre-Colonial Landscape and Heritage Before the land was cleared for the Botanic Gardens, it had steep slopes, was rocky with poor soil and flood prone areas but had an abundance of native plants. This ‘untamed’ indigenous landscape was cleared to allow for better views and the introduction of more ‘valuable’ plants - this resulted in the culling of many native plants but the Assistant Commissoner to Crown Lands insisted on the retention of some Australian plants and they now remain as symbols of the pre-colonial heritage1. John Arthur and William Guilfoyle, whom both oversaw the clearing of the land, took on the popular colonial stance of “obsession with Aboriginal backwardness” that resulted in the belief that Aborigines “made no use of their land”2 - as a result, the landscape was not appreciated and was subsequently cleared away.
The Separation Tree is a Eucalyptus tree and was the site of celebration for the news that Victoria was to become separate from NSW. Dating back to the 1850s, it symbolise the indigenous people who once occupied the land and of the pre-colonial landscape5. In 2010 and 2013, the tree was damaged by vandalism attacks and has resulted in the tree dying6. The canopy has now been removed despite the gardens’ staff’s efforts to ressusitate the iconic tree.
Fig. 4: Sketch of the Separation Tree canopy circa 2016. Source: Drawn on-site by author.
Fig. 5: Sketch of the seating and panelling in the Rest House. Source: Drawn on-site by author.
Guilfoyle used the wooden limbs from cleared indigenous vegetation for structures and ornamental pieces. The seating in the Rest House is one example as it is made of natural materials and the wood-working is finished by hand7. Fig. 3: Sketch of the Separation Tree and the Rest House, circa 1906. Source: Drawn by author, based on postcard from State Library of Victoria4.
Native Plants Found in The Botanic Gardens
Two examples of the remaining pre-colonial vegetation are the eucalyptus camaldulensis and the melaleuca ericifolia. Remnants of these species can be found scattered throughout the gardens and are symbols of the heritage of the Botanic Gardens and it’s pre-colonial landscape. 5 acres of land was fenced off and clearing of the indigenous landscape sought to remove all native vegetation due to them “obstructing scenic views” and “limiting opportunites to develop”3.
Melaleuca Ericifolia Eucalyptus camaldulensis
Fig. 1: Close up of Eucalyptus Camaldulensis fruit. Source: Drawn by author.
Fig. 2: Close up of Melaleuca Ericifolia flower. Source: Drawn by author.
Eucalyptus Camaldulensis Common Name: River Red Gwum. Medium sized tree that branches not far above the ground and grows 30-40 metres tall. Found over most watercourses in mainland Australia9.
Melaleuca Ericifolia Common Name: Swamp Papeback Small to medium-sized tree that grows up to 9m tall and native to eastern Australia10.
Fig. 6: Map of North-East Corner of the Royal Botanic Gardens showing location of the Separation Tree and distribution of native species. Source: Drawn by author, based on aerial view from Google Maps and data collected from Living Collections Census8.
Distribution of the Melaleuca Ericifolia & Eucalyptus Camaldulensis
The Gardens spans over 38 hectares and has more than 50,000 individual plants11. Of the 8,500 different species’, only 710 of them are native Australian which is only a meager 8%12. The total number of native plants is 8,850 which consists of 17.7% of all the plants and of those native plants, 22% are endangered13.
2015 CAPSULE COLLECTION FOR THE ‘FUTURE RUNWAY’ featured at the Virgin Australia Fashion Festival
samantha chong samanthachl@hotmail.com +61 425 206 913