Architectural Portfolio 2021 by shaunsng

Shaun Matthias Sng Selected Works | 2017 - 2021

Table of Contents

About Me

01 | Towards an Inclusive Architecture Architecture and Society

02 | The Local Food Collective Architecture and Food Resilience

03 | The Art Space Architecture and Culture

04 | Erasure Architecture and Mental Health

05 | Ripples In Time Architecture and Climate Change

06 | Seep Architecture and Nature

shaunmattsng@gmail.com +65 83229433

About Me Highly driven and passionate about all things Art and Design, I am deeply intrigued by the potential Architecture has in impacting communities and shaping societies. I believe that well crafted spaces that consider the many facets of socio-environmental and political conditions present in today’s cities have the power to be both empowering and meaningful. My time in architecture school has led me to develop a greater awareness of the impact of the architecture industry, be it on the environment, on our health, or on societies as whole. I believe that the knowledge I walk away with from my academic journey will allow me to begin to make more informed analyses and design decisions in the industry that could help in the development of more meaningful and healthier environments, sensitive not only to the clients’ needs and demands, but to the wellbeing of the greater community as well. I am passionate about social equity and empowerment and believe that architecture can potentially be a tool used to work towards more equitable and sustainable societies and am hoping to be able to approach my career in architecture embodying this ideology. Outside of Architecture, I enjoy reading, writing and capturing photos on film. Having been photographing people as they engage with the city, I believe, has lead me to develop a better understanding of the relationships between people and the built environment.

Work Experience Apr 2019 - Jul 2019 Architectural Assistant P&T Architects and Engineers Ltd Worked closely with Directors and Architects on the design and submission processes of several Mixed Use Development and Private Residential projects. Involved in the production of technical drawings for authority and tender submissions, 3D visualization for design concept presentations, development stages and commercial advertising and spatial planning for design concept and development stages. Jan 2019 - Apr 2019 Teaching Assistant National University of Singapore, Department of Architecture Assisted in lectures and in charge of weekly tutorials for the AR2524 Spatial Computational Thinking module. Aided in guiding students and troubleshooting problems faced when approaching parametric modelling and logic learning, Involved in marking of parametric models and overall grading. Apr 2018 - Jul 2018 Architectural Assistant P&T Architects and Engineers Ltd Worked closely with Directors and Architects on the design and submission processes of several Mixed Use Development and Private Residential projects. Involved in the production of technical drawings for authority and tender submissions, 3D visualization for design concept presentations, development stages and commercial advertising and spatial planning for design concept and development stages. Sep 2017 - Jan 2018 Part Time Architectural Assistant SAA Architects Pte Ltd Assisted in the production of technical drawings for Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) projects and aided in the modelling and drawings of BIM models for Land Transport Authority (LTA) Submissions,. Mar 2014 - Jun 2014 Architectural Intern Aamer Architects Singapore Assisted in the design and production of design proposals, authority and tender submissions, technical drawings, 3D software modelling and rendering of boutique housing projects. Involved in site visits from design to construction stages and meetings with contractors, suppliers and clients. 6

Education 2020 - 2021 Master of Architecture National University of Singapore 2019 Semester Exchange Programme Ecole Speciale D’Architecture 2017 - 2020 Bachelor of Architecture National University of Singapore 2012 - 2015 Diploma in Architecture Singapore Polytechnic

Skills Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Archicad, AutoCAD, Blender, Excel, GIS, Grasshopper, Photography, Rhino 3D, Revit, SketchUp, V-Ray

Languages English | Native Proficiency Chinese | Limited Working Proficiency French | Elementary Proficiency

Honors & Awards 2019 NASA Exchange Scholarship National University of Singapore 2018 - 2019 Dean’s List Academic Year 2018/19 National University of Singapore

Architecture and Society

01. Towards an Inclusive Architecture

A Toolkit for the Dilution, Divergence and Manipulation of Power M.Arch Year 2 Thesis Studio

Project Typology: Master Planning, Architecture Location: Jurong Lake District Abstract: The neoliberal system operates on a highly hierarchical and striated structure to facilitate the accumulation of wealth and power at the very top through the exploitation of human capital. Architecture has become complicit in institutionalizing this hegemonic structure in Singapore that has given rise to social imbalances, spatial injustices and divisions across the city. This thesis project investigates how architecture has been utilised as a product and a medium to assert power and control to fully exploit the labourer. It delves deeper into the inequalities that have developed with regards to the work permit holder community, such as poor living conditions, degradation of identity and exclusion from society, to better unpack the principles of power and control that have been embedded in architecture. In the same way that architecture has become a tool of power and control over, the premise of this project is that architecture also has the capabilities to empower and emancipate. It explores this hypothesis through the re-examination of an intervention into the proposed masterplan for the Jurong Lake District that has been projected to be the second Central Business District in Singapore. The initial design intervention has two facets. It first takes form as a reinterpretation of the civic space, empowering the diverse groups of people operating in and around the site, through a curation of programmes, innovative technology and engagements between various stakeholders. The next aspect requires the development of a toolkit of design principles to dilute, diverge and manipulate the neoliberal structure and power. Through this, nuances across the intervention are crafted, creating a range of conditions that have the potential to facilitate new engagements, challenging the segregation and prescriptions embedded in the power structures of the city Full Thesis: https://issuu.com/shaunsng/docs/towards_an_inclusive_architecture

Initial Design Vision

Architecture and Food Resilience

02. The Local Food Collective M.Arch Year 1 Sem 2 Studio

Project Typology: Master Planning, Architecture Location: Kallang Bahru / Bendemeer Abstract: The Local Food Collective investigates the current state of Singapore’s agricultural situation. Persisting issues in local food security have led to the adoption of denser vertical farming infrastructures, to increase crop yield efficiencies with what little land is allocated for agriculture. These universal infrastructures, being driven solely by the pursuit for efficiency and production, may negatively impact the urban realm and could potentially cause significant disruption to the urban fabric and its communities, when the city eventually grows into the outskirts. This, along with rapid growth of Singapore’s urban sprawl, has heightened the conflict between the growth of the city and the need for more agricultural infrastructures. If Singapore’s response to mitigating this is through the myopic adoption of more introverted agriculture infrastructures, the increased production will only be sufficient to temporarily appease demands before the city outgrows it and these infrastructures have to be intensified once again. Due to the disproportion between demand and production space, the vertical growth of agricultural instructures will be far quicker than that of the city, ever heightening this conflict. This proposal presents a more sensitive approach to future agricultural infrastructures, with the Kallang Bahru/ Bendemeer community as a model that investigates the integration of agricultural infrastructures into the heart of the city through careful contextual response and community participation through a 3 phase implementation.

Phase 1

Phase 3

Phase 2 4. Collaboration 1. Exposure

2. Experience

3. Empowerment

1. Exposure

2. Experience 3. Empowerment

4. Collaboration

Distributing and Integrating Agricultural Infrastructures Into the City Fabric Phase 1 Distribution and establishment of agricultural infrastructures in neighborhoods and communities with higher consumption demands, utilizing derelict and underused existing structures if available Phase 2 Pedagogy for the Advocacy for Urban Farming Phase 3 After successful adoption of urban farming by surrounding communities, dependence on agricultural infrastructures will be lessened and these agricultural infrastructures can support more distant communities or be repurposed.

Pedagogy: 1. Exposure - brings public into close proximity with forms of urban agriculture that would otherwise not be seen. 2. Experience - Creates new experiences by integrating agriculture into architecture. Allows public to experience agriculture differently and change traditional perceptions of it, advocating for agricultural integration into city spaces as a new normal. 3. Empowerment - Workshops will educate users on agricultural and food related skills, equipping them with sufficient knowledge to participate and adopt urban farming in their households and communities 4. Collaborations - Collaborative spaces allow users to utilize and hone agriculture skills and interact with industry players.

Architecture and Culture

03. The Art Space

A Cohesive Art Community for All B.Arch Year 3 Sem 1 Studio Project Typology: Master Planning, Architecture Location:Waterloo Centre Abstract: As established by the National Arts Council, a cohesive arts ecology is needed for the growth of the arts scene as the artist needs the support of the community and likewise the community needs the inspiration and leadership of the artist figure. A cohesive art ecology sees the manifestation of a wide spectrum of engagements that mediates the distinctions between the “high” and “low” arts that vary from famed works by artists to community driven initiatives. The Intervention at Waterloo Centre seeks to develop a cohesive art ecology and proposes a more diverse range of engagements between the artist and community and between the community and art spaces. Art does not solely manifest in manicured and curated galleries and studio spaces and its creation may sometimes require messier informal spaces to support the spontaneity and dynamisms of its creative nature. Furthermore, the stigma’s of “high art” that come along with more formal spaces may sometimes intimidate the community and even hinder the creation of art or the participation of its audience. As such, informal spaces were introduced on the lower floors to support these messier aspects of art. The intervention materializes as an undulating terrain that implies various uses and activities that may be defined by its users. Though the intervention reveals a strong desire to open up art spaces to the public, it is undeniable that some formal spaces are needed to support the creation and exhibition of art. This manifests as an extension of the modular grid of the existing building and support the programs of the informal spaces. Negotiations between the dynamic form of the informal spaces and the regularity of the formal seeks to reveal the current segregations within the art ecology, proposing a symbiosis of the two to achieve a cohesive art ecology. This however, can only materialize when there is an understanding that while art must not only manifest in formal art galleries, studios and institutions, these formalities are vital in providing support and spearheading the advancement of art in the community.

THE ART ECOLOGY HIGH ARTS

PRODUCTION

LOW ARTS

GENERALLY KNOWN TO INVOLVE “AESTHETIC CONTEMPLATION” AND A MORE CULTIVATED TASTE OF APPRECIATION. ARTWORKS OFTEN DRAW A MORE ART LITERATE AND EXCLUSIVE CROWD.

GENERALLY KNOWN TO BE STRONGLY INTERTWINED WITH SOCIETAL CULTURES AND THE COMMUNITY, LOW ART IS OFTEN CONSIDERED TO BE MADE FOR THE MASSES AND AS SUCH LESS REFINED.

LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT ARTIST COMMUNITY

WHY THE NEED FOR ARTS ADVOCACY?

INCREASED CHANCES TO ENGAGING IN ARTS

ARTS ADVOCACY

GREATER SUPPORT FOR EVENTS AND PROGRAMMES

CONSUMPTION

NICHE ARTS

PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS

ART

WHERE NICHE ART IS CREATED BY ARTISTS., IN TERMS OF THE CREATION OF AN ARTWORK OR A REHEARSEL OR RECORDING OF AN ARTPIECE.

AUDIENCE

ARTIST + AUDIENCE

COMMUNITY ARTS ART

NICHE ART CREATED IN STUDIO SPACES ARE OFTEN EXHIBITED OR PERFORMED HERE FOR MORE LITERATE ART ENTHUSIASTS TO VIEW

PUBLIC INSTALLATIONS OR FESTIVALS LIKE ILIGHTS OFTEN PROMOTE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE ARTIST AND AUDIENCE TO CREATE ART

ACCESSIBILITY OF THESE SPACES ARE CONTROLLED BY OPERATING HOURS OR EVENTS

ACCESSIBLE TO PUBLIC (ALBEIT FOR THE DURATION OF THE INSTALLATION)

AUDIENCE

ART

ART CLASSES AND COMMUNITY INITIATED ARTS OCCUR WHEN THE ARTIST TAKES THE BASIC SEAT AS A THE GUIDANCE / AUDIENCE ROLE WHILE THE AUDIENCE BECOMES THE CREATOR ACCESSIBILITY IS DEFINED BY AUDIENCE

VISUAL ARTS

OFTEN ONLY INVOLVES THE ARTIST.

ART

DEEPER UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION FOR ARTS

COMMUNITY DRIVEN ARTS

ART ENGAGEMENTS

HIGH ARTS ARTIST

ART CLASSES

DEMAN D

SUPPLY

INCREASED ACCESSIBILITY TO ARTS

MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

INTERACTIVE PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS

ART CLASSES

TICKETED PERFOMANCES

PUBLIC PERFORMANCES

PERFORMANCE CLASSES

PERFORMING ARTS

STUDIO SPACES

Architecture and Mental Health

04. Erasure

Aquatherapy for the Sensorially Overloaded B.Arch Year 3 Sem 2 Studio Project Typology: Architecture Location: Fort Canning Park Abstract: The initial phase of the design process saw the identification of the urban environment as a huge cataylyst to the high levels of stress faced in singapore. it presents a multitude of constant stimulus to the human body that results in a sensorial overload, leading to prolonged periods of stress. contrastingly, interacting with water and even being in close proximity to it aids in mediating the negative effects brought about by the urban environment Located in the heart of the city, the project appeals to office workers and residences who, due to their prolonged presence in the dense urban environment, face higher sensorial stimulus. The architecture seeks to mediate the multitude of overwhelming stimulus that the urban environment brings through an erasure of the urban environment, harsh distinctions and of the senses. It explores the idea of sensory deprivation to help treat the sensorially overloaded. Though an existing treatment, the isolation tank, does exist for a similar purpose it presents several side effects such as nausea and hallucinations, making it an unsuitable treatment for some. Additionally, the treatment sees sudden transitions between a the high stimulus of the urban environment and the sensory deprivation in the tank. This means that while effective, the treatment is only temporal as the completion of the treatment throws the user back out into the urban environment which he is no longer accustomed to. The proposed treatment seeks to create a similar sensory deprivation, but instead, staggers the reintroduction into the high level of stimulus in the urban environment. The treatment explores two phases: the first to facilitate the users’ recovery from a sensorial overload through a controlled sensorial deprivation experience; and the second to prime the users for the urban environment through a positive stimulation of the senses. With water as the treatment medium, the sensory stimulus then increases as users are increasingly immersed in water. The architecture sees an exploration of a cavernous architecture that creates meditative qualities of space. The catenoid was adopted to create seamless surfaces from ceiling to wall to floor that not only optimizes the acoustics and light qualities of the space but also allows for it’s initial phases to be devoid of lines and harsh distinctions, which allows the only visible edge to be where the water surface meets the architecture and directs users towards it.

Architecture and Climate Change

05. Ripples In Time

Integrating Water into Our Urban Fabrics B.Arch Year 2 Sem 2 Studio Project Typology: Architecture Location: Tanjong Rhu Abstract: Numerous measures and policies have been implemented in Singapore to tackle climate change, promote sustainability and manage storm water. However, even if these are effective in slowing down or even stopping climate change, its impacts are irreversible. Rising water levels globally pose an imminent threat to our many low lying regions. The measures currently taken to manage storm water and rising water levels involve strategies such as building higher dams and widening river banks. These however, will inevitably reach their limit. What happens then, when our cities start to flood? As city leaders start to turn their attention to climate change, and sustainability infiltrates our every policy, building and design, as we seek ways to promote sustainable technology and living, will this mere adoption of such jargon really be effective in pursuading the general public to change their ways? How do we incite the general public in such a way that they see the need to give up this bubble of comfort they have created within a built environment to save the natural environment that seemingly does not enrich their current lifestyles and experiences. My centre seeks to fill in the gaps in Singapore’s movement for climate change. A proposal as to how we could better integrate the waterways into our built infrastructures as a foresight of the increasing abundance of it embracing our island. It seeks to use this integration of water to re-engage the community in Tanjong rhu with the environment and acts a a medium to mediate the harsh disengagements the site has from its surrounding entities. The building offers several gallery spaces that take users through past, current and potential engagements and interactions with water, featuring interesting spaces that allow users to interact with water in a fun and hedonistic manner. In doing so, it hopes to create new enriching experiences for users who traverse the site, garnering appreciation for the environment, showing them how much embracing it could be beneficial to them, prompting them to, at the cost of some inconveniences, change their lifestyles to protect the environment they have now learnt to appreciate.

Architecture and Nature

06. Seep

B.Arch Year 2 Sem 1 Studio Project Typology: Architecture Location: Dairy Farm Abstract: Desgined as a meditative retreat focused on nature, the Ecolodge seeks to allow users to spatially experience the layers of dense vegetation enveloping the site,that act as systems of filters, crafting the tranquil quality of the site itself. These systems of filters were analysed and translated into planes of horizontal timber screens that act as visual filters of varying porosities. The arrangement of the planes were informed by the porosity of the layers of vegetation on either sides of the site to recreate the experience a hiker would have when traversing across the hiking trail prior to the intervention of the Ecolodge. They are designed to interact, intersecting and overlapping at different moments, to subtly imply the continuation or termination of spaces and create varying levels of meditativeness. The Ecolodge is split into two blocks with the hiking tril running throught the middle. Dwellings are broken down into individual bedrooms and distributed across the Ecolodge to reduce accidental interactions between glampers as they circulate between glampers as they circulate between spaces. Circulation between spaces are designed as meditative areas that bring users closes to nature. The arrangement of the programmes are informed by the placement of the planes and the porosity of the surrounding vegetation.