BLUR THE BOUNDARIES

Typology: Single-Parent Community Center

Location: Kinta River, Ipoh Perak, Malaysia

Status: Proposal

Year: 2018

Blurring the boundaries ...

... integrating different user groups together through architectural spaces that extend beyond itself for a social developmental programme.

Fragmentation as Metaphor

Fragmentation can be seen in the site through an absence of overlap between the residential, commercial and recreational zones. The zones cater only to user groups exclusive to each other, drawing a boundary between them. Likewise, singleparent family groups are often singled out of society due to negative preconceptions about them. How then does the center take leverage on the close proximity between the zones on site to create an open and safe environment for these single-parent families?

Programmatic Blurring

Studies show that a healthy work-life balance results in improved productivity through having a flexible schedule to better organizational commitment. By blurring the boundaries between the programmes on site, both the user group and community will mutually benefit and in the process assimilate together.

Spatial Blurring

The concept thus brings forth ideas of opening up the architecture to the public and the single-parent user group through a language that “extends outwards”. A subtracted horizontal plane was first considered to open up visual connection between floors but maintaining privacy and outward-looking views. A transitional quality was then formed through the permeability of space that allows for fluidity on the ground level.

When considering walls, the aim was to limit the confinement of “rooms” and allow the interlock of planes to form the spaces. These planes also “stretch out” to the surrounding context of the zones through a progressive blur from the landscape towards hardscape, planes then volumes. This bleeding of exterior into interior spaces forms a contextual response to the natural context – developing courtyard spaces in between.

The goal is to blur the boundaries between the fragmentation on site to aid these fragmented families find order and acceptance in their lives.

Sharing Smart Cities

Typology: Urban Masterplan

Location: Shangdi Hi-Tech District, Beijing, China

Status: Proposal

Year: 2021

Sharing Smart Cities

In the 21st century, as cities continue to become further densified and commodities become limited due to climate change, an apparent trend of “sharing” has become ubiquitous among city dwellers found in apps such as Uber or Airbnb. Similarly, with the rise of 5g and the Internet of Things, Covid-19 has expedited the decline of brick and mortar and brought forth a new hybrid of physical and virtual spaces in the public realm. This studio conducted virtually among 20 students internationally from over 8 different countries tests the limits of the hypothesis brought up by the project brief.

A Hi-Tech District

Situated in the Silicon Valley of China, Shangdi District is one of the fastest growing tech playgrounds of the new era. With companies such as Tencent having their own tech campuses with a complete hybrid of living, working and leisure, the site presents an opportunity to explore a new smart city masterplan. The project was divided into 7 categories to explore the implications of sharing through green infrastructure, mobility, living, working, public service, commerce and leisure. Guided by a new initiative by local government to leave 10% of each new development as wild area – a green spine was first established on site to connect to the surrounding habitat network of wetlands. Then, a futuristic mobility network that relies on big data and smart systems helps establish a hierarchy of roads from a main circulation loop offset from the boundaries of site, a path through the green spine and smaller branching “woonerfs” – which are streets that can be cohabitated by people and vehicles.

With the concept of a 5,10 and 15-minute city, the placement of public services, commerce and leisure become integrated into a lifestyle-development model. We foresee the integration of apps and the further hybridization of online and offline spaces through AR or VR technology to usher in flexible public spaces that can adapt to market seasons and the changing Beijing climate.

Finally, living and working will be more integrated than ever as evidenced by the pandemic. In a highly innovative environment such as Shangdi, the convenience of the route between working and living should be prioritized. A hierarchy from the outer layer to the inner layer is formed through a gradient of working to living. Towards the boundary, a podium is used as a buffer zone for tech startups as it slowly breaks down into finer urban grains for living spaces towards the center – where residents will be able to enjoy the privacy of the green spine.

Behind the Walls

The wall has always been seen as delimiter, almost not traversable. However, with Beijing’s history of being a walled city, the project aims to reclaim the oppressiveness of walls and reinterpret it as a connective border between the existing and the proposal. Its porosity in fact will lead visitors and inhabitants from the chaotic environment of the outer ring to the more private center through a series of open gathering spaces.

Rings Of Unity

Typology: Sculpture

Location: KWSP Headquarters, Malaysia

Status: Constructed

Year: 2021

The Rings of Unity sculpture sits on the reflective pool of the new KWSP complex. Derived from the logo of EPF, a dynamic metallic sculpture was designed to represent the brighter future that results from the close relationship between EPF and its members.

Construction

The base of the structure is bolted to a podium that sits just above the surface of water. It supports the spirals made of a rebar cage that is then cladded with steel sheets. Its surface is treated with weather resistant chrome paint.

Sculptural Narrative

Composed of the simple geometry of lines and circles, 2 spirals rise upwards in synchrony - representing the mutualistic growth journey between EPF and its members. The gold and silver spiral both originate and end at the top and bottom of the sculpture respectively, forming only one continuous loop. It signifies the established trust between EPF and its members throughout their partnership. The spherical orbs found on the individual rods represent the prospective financial future where everyone receives returns of their investment. Ultimately, the iconic sculpture becomes a statement of trusted partnership and smart financial investment akin to the idea of “sikit-sikit lama jadi bukit”.

HOW TRUSTING ARE WE?

Typology: Urban Analytical Tool

Location: Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Status: Proposal

Year: 2021

Quantifying Goodness

“How Good Are We?” is a joint studio between Tsinghua and MVRDV Next that explores the quantification of goodness and the methods to assess parameters through computational means. It is done through a 4-week workshop measuring the context and impact of a design proposal of varying scales (from a room to a city). The project entails usage of basic scripting tools (Rhino & Grasshopper) in order to articulate a personal vision of a digital design tool.

How Close Are We?

In a group of 4, students select a key parameter that matters to them and would like to further explore upon. My chosen parameter was the question of “closeness”, an idea first introduced by Edward Hall in the term he coined “proxemics”. I wanted to explore the correlation of proxemics and different cultures as they express different preferences to what each perceive as their “social distances”. Together in a group, closeness became a key parameter to observe the bigger topic of “trust” expressed within an urban street environment.

How Trusting Are We?

As a group, we developed a computational tool to measure the chosen parameter of trust by developing an early metagram. The key topic of trust can be derived from the parameters of closeness, equity, accessibility and visibility. The goal of the tool was to measure the trust of a 1sqkm neighborhood. The main project statement was “a trusting neighborhood is a vibrant and active one that supports all kinds of users to foster different kinds of interactions through the physical and visual connection of a variety of spaces”.

We then enlisted a domain under the 4 parameters of specific measurable items such as dimensions of space, porosity of streets, proximity to third places or the presence of street lights. These different dimensions helped us quantify a heat map that could be projected unto the site as well as provide an overall score for the trust of a neighborhood. The locality was also considered to determine the variations of culture and density.

Generative Design

The projected heat map helped us identify problematic areas on site to be addressed with a catalogue of an urban tool kit. We proposed 3 levels of design (humble, comprehensive, radical) that ranges based on project budget, speed and degree of change. The corresponding design changes were then fed back into the measurement tool to reevaluate a site’s trust score.