architectural portfolio
Leon Cheng
Architectural Portfolio email : Leonchengsr@gmail.com Mobile : +61 (0) 449 958 983 +65 81028983
Contents Introduction
Annex Archive
Outre Gallery
Kinloch Cluster Housing
Plasticity
Volatile Melbourne
Resin in Motion
Eat. Sleep. Tech. Repeat
Fields of Inflection
Introduction As I reflect on the architectural projects that I’ve done over the years, I find myself questioning the norms of our world. These curated projects that I’ve done across my architectural education in the University of Melbourne. Each of these projects put certain aspects of societal norms in question; From the Western and Eastern standards of living (Kinloch Cluster Housing) to the use of Plastics as a form of structure for buildings (Plasticity) and to the questioning of the purpose of a brick (Outre Gallery). These projects have set within themselves a common theme that I often go back to when approaching a particular brief during academic learning and it would be interesting to see how these questions can be weaved into projects in the professional world.
Annex Archive
2014 - Year 3 // Semester 2 I see an archive to be similar to that of a tomb. A place where memories are kept, stories are told and whatever that was left is kept. Bricks are the main building material, drawing on the ancient egyptian mastaba tombs as well as connecting to the site, Brunswick. Bricks are constructed in an unorthodox matter, supported by steel structures within, to represent the graffiti nature of Melbourne as well. 8
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Annex Archive
2014 - Year 3 / Semester 2 A University of Melbourne Archives project brief focusing on the internal function of spaces where 50,000m2 of archival storage space must be accomodated along with public and private functions. The idea of a tomb is adopted here emulating the local culture of Brunswick as well as the monumental scale of Louis Kahn.
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FRONT ELEVATION
SECTION AA
SIDE ELEVATION
SECTION BB
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Annex Archive
Ground Floor Plan
1. Entrance 2. Cloak Room 3. Reception 4. Classroom 5. Conference Room 6. Corridor 7. Reading Room 8. Retrieval and Return 9. Digital Curatorial & Research 10. Digital Processing & Storage 11. Archival Processing 12. Quarantine Area
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13. Loading Bay 14. Director’s Office 15. Outdoor Seating 16. Staff Room 17. Pantry 18. Locker Room 19. Scholar’s Aparment 20. Outdoor Succulent Garden 21. Exhibition // Gallery 22. Archival Storage 23. Carpark 24. Bicycle Park 25. Equipment Storage
Basement 1 Plan
Basement 2 Plan
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Outre Gallery
Breaking away from the notion of bricks being a simple building material to a material with expression.
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Outre Gallery
2014 - Year 3 // Semester 2 Design for a retail gallery in the streets of Brunswick, the OutrĂŠ Gallery is contemporary art gallery which houses a myraid of indie artists works. In this project, I explored the idea of vertical connection between floors as well as the movement of bricks as a form of graffiti instead of a typical building material.
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Outre Gallery
Ground Floor Plan
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First Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan 19
Outre Gallery
Section AA
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Section BB
Front Elevation
Side Elevation
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Kinloch Cluster Housing
2015 - Year 4 // Semester 1 Having to increase density on a heritage listed site, this project aims to tackle on the growing significance of our world being more connected to one another - race diversification. We all know that there is the Western ways of living and also the Asian ways of living. When these two methods of living amalgamates, how can architecture help to break these two different life styles? The social stigma of having to live with your parents by the Western society is what this project is trying to abolish. Having a common area in the middle within the heritage listed building creates a focal point within the cluster development. This would maintain privacy whilst keeping the family connected physically.
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Kinloch Cluster Housing
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Kinloch Cluster Housing
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Site Section - East-West
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Kinloch Cluster Housing Plans
Dwelling 1 Plan
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Dwelling 3 Plan
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Kinloch Cluster Housing Plans
Ground Floor Plan
First Floor Plan
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Dwelling 2 Front Elevation
Dwelling 2 Long Secgtion
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Kinloch Cluster Housing Model
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Kinloch Cluster Housing Render
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Plasticity
Design Hub Exterior Render
A material system as Architecture
Introduction
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The ambition of Plasticity is to create a space where people with interests in making can come together to a place that provides the three main resource for making; information/knowledge, equipment and materials. Technology has played a big part the way we live our lives and Plasticity aims to construct a system that adds a new system within its hierarchy of spaces. The future of making in the year 2050 holds many uncertainties. This project looks at the existing methods of making and manufacturing practices to develop a sense of direction of what the future might be. Anchoring on the Central Beheer Office Complex by Hermann Hertzberger, experiments have been conducted to develop ways to assist in the conceptualisation of spaces in different scales. Through the process of making, new forms were discovered and explored. The use of parametric programs such as grasshopper accelerated the exploration of natural forms of aggregation with the use of ‘cellula automata’, conway’s game of life. Formulas were mapped out and added into the equation to develop natural forms of aggregation according to the precedent study. This resulted in complex aggregation of spaces and clusters, forming an intriguing and spatial conundrums. The complex forms were distilled into its simplest form to discover the ‘dom-ino’ moment of the project. This is where the spatial conceptualisation would start to take its shape as a potential architectural space. The first signs of Plasticity started to emerge from the site analysis. A plastic factory which introduced proto-typing and computer numerical control (CNC) machines proved to be a transition from analog to digital method of manufacturing. This is where the narrative solidifies and ties in with the on-going projections of the industry and also, the future of making. Circling around the material capabilities of plastics and its growing usage in architecture, it is apparent that the possibility for plastics to be introduced as structure for buildings is inevitable. The aesthetics as such was heavily influenced by the material. Plastics will be used as a form of currency, measured in volumes which can be formed into products for usage such as furniture or even homes. After which, these plastics then can be 100% recycled to form other products when it is no longer needed. This creates a closed loop system where these plastics would circulate within the system without having to depreciate. With plastics and automation potentially playing a major role in 2050, Plasticity will introduce sustainable systems within the building; Design, Production, Economic and Automation. The amalgamation of these systems within a building will provide a holistic sustainable ecosystem for the future.
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Precedent: Hermann Hertzberger Central Beheer Office Complex
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Possible Iterations from a basic unit structure is developed further by using L-system aggreation to examine the possible types of architectural spaces. 39
Diagrams of Concept
Seed points identified for the plastics factory to begin development.
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More residential clusters introduced along Albert Street to the West as population start to increase. Development of a public library in conjunction with adjacent site’s university.
Circulation paths determined by the various Fully developed site projected to year 2050. point of interests across the site.
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Design Hub
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Makers Museum
Robots Operating in Service Ducts
Consumers
Recycling Truck
Sorting Out
Recycling Plant
Plastic Grinder
Delivery Truck Design Hub Home Product
Product
Design Hub
Closed Loop Thermoplastic System 41
Ground Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
Long Section
Exploded Axonometric
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Multi-system Building
Design & Innovation
Production
Economy
Robots
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Design Hub Interior Render
Model Photo - 1:50 Design Hub
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Model Photo - 1:500 Urban Distribution
Residential
Makers’ Museum // Design Hub 54
Plastics Factory
Residential
Market Place 55
Resin in Motion
Resin in Motion
2016 - Year 5 // Semester 1 A Resin table that is formed without the use of a mould; breaking away from common conception of the need to cast resin in moulds.
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Volatile Melbourne
Volatile Melbourne is a city where the urban fabric is able to reconfigure itself according to information gathered by sensors powered by pedestrians. As in Ernest Fooks’ work, accessibility is defined by 20 minute walk focusing on the destination. In Volatile Melbourne, the experience for pedestrians between destinations are significantly increased within the 20 minute walk as the urban fabric responds to pedestrian information in real-time to reconfigure itself physically to the population demands.
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Accessibility
Density
2D
3D
4D
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Volatile Melbourne
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Volatile Melbourne
The City of Today Cities today operate like a machine. In the morning, the population starts to flock into the city to begin their day at work and leave for home in the evening. This creates a large influx of traffic movement from pedestrians to vehicular (also known as peak hour). Communication is a vital part of our psychological well-being and the social realm is of the most important factor when we start to live in cities where densities are high. However, cars and private transportation has brought about social isolation and that one has the opportunity to not speak to anyone as you are confined within the vehicle.
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Volatile Melbourne
The City of Tomorrow The cities of tomorrow will indefinitely be denser. Automation begins to take over our jobs where robots will be able to complete tasks without error and with efficiency. What will be left of us human beings is our ability to adapt and innovate. Innovation will be the key to our progress as a human race and the streets will be a place where innovation takes place because of the myriad of activities and stimulus.
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2016 Motorised transport dominates the urban fabric. Everyone is in their own respective private bubble within cars. Pedestrian pathways are restricted to the road infrastructure. The high amount of traffic during peak hours cause significant delays and thus decrease the quality of spaces around it. Buildings rise up vertically but are confined to their respective horizontal bounds.
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2026 The inefficiency of the tram system prompts for a change in the way it is utilised. The extensive infrastructure starts to hybridise and offer alternative. Drones start to deliver packages by air and can be powered from the existing tram lines that dominate the space above the pedestrians. Roads start to close with the introduction of travelators and quality of spaces are improved. However, the amount of vehicles on the road constantly increases.
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2036 The travelator network extends further within the urban fabric, increasing the accessibility and promoting innovation and interaction. Innovative initiatives such as crowd funding brings about inventions from the public that improves the way of life around the urban fabric. Drones will be integrated into the prefabrication system which enables the buildings to reconfigure by lifting individual modules and flying them around.
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2046 Accessibility increases as the entire system spreads across the urban fabric along with the rise in population. People would be standing on drones, flying across from building to building. Specific functions adjust and move readily across the urban fabric based on data collected from the population. The ground level is dominated by beautiful landscape and interactive space. What initially were roads are now spaces where innovation and interaction will take place. A place where one’s psychological well-being is taken care of.
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Eat. Sleep. Tech. Repeat Architecture Association Visiting School: Melbourne
Programmatic Functions
Health Services
Leisure
University Buildings
Retail
Commercial
Low Rise Residential
High Rise Residential
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Potential Development Zones
Building Envelope Above Avg. Height
Building Cores
Access Vehicle Pedestrain
Negative Space
Vegetation
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Circulation Concept // Spatial Organisation
Vertical Organisation
+ Horizontal Organisation
= Oblique Organisation
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Design Approach
We identified a diagonal axis which would cut across the site to break away from the rigidity of the site. The axis was determined by the seed point of the student accommodation and the intersection of the laneways as the areas to be focused upon.
A cone is then applied onto the axis. This form of the cone was selected as it tapers and creates a zoomed in view towards the intended focus, which would be the student apartment building. This cone also has a rounded end which would create a space within the negative areas identified where a series of addition and subtraction was conducted across the existing buildings to create three different conditions.
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The first condition developed is the plaza. This area is expanded from the existing laneway to create a plaza area where support amenities such as restaurants and pubs are situated. This space would draw people from the surrounding vicinity to the space where the public and the employees can interact and gather. This plaza also frames the view towards the focal point of the apartment block.
The second condition is the terrace. Here, offices and residential apartments would be introduced to the negative cone, offering visual connection between spaces. These spaces that are visually connected also introduces an intermediate space where it would be situated in between the floors of the old structure and connect these space with the oblique strategy developed. These new spaces developed shows the juxtaposition between new and old and show how ideas and company organizational structures have changed over time.
Lastly, the apartment building with a hole penetrated through is the focus of the project tying the different conditions developed by the cone. The penetration of the apartment building would show to the public the people within the building working. The cores of the building in the middle remains, removing the focus of whatever that is behind the hole generated. As a result, the focus point is not what is behind the building, it is what is around the penetration that is the focus. This would show to the users and employees the work being done to produce products for the people. 83
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Fields of Inflection
Design Thesis
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Development Time Line
1856 Feburary 11
1859 May 24
1864 December 24
Melbourne Public Library Opened
The Queen’s Reading Room Opened: Southern Portion of Swanston Street Frontage
Northern Portion of Swanston Street Frontage Opened
1866 Exhibition Buildings
1870 Portico (Swonston Street Front) Built
1884 Iron Annexe Demolished
May: Rotunda and Great Hall September: Iron Anneexe, running East-West in the eastern half of the block October: North and South Wings finished.
1875 McArthur Gallery Opened
1886 September 2 Barry Hall Opened - Upper Level of South Wing in Little lonsdale Street Verdon Gallery - Ground Level
1887 August 23 October - Bubelot Gallery (Swinburne Hall) Opened
1906 April 21 Baldwin Spencer Hall Opened
1913 November 14
1892 McCoy Hall (Now Redmond Barry) Stawell Gallery (Now Cowen) La Trobe Gallery
1908 Rotunda Demolished to make way for the new Dome
1899 South-west Pavilion on Swanston Street Completed
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Dome Reading Room Opened (Formerly Rotunda)
1928 October 22 Buvelot Gallery (Bindon Hall) opened
1928 Stawell Gallery Extension
1928 October 29 Upper Level opened as Print Room (later Thorpe Hall) Blue Rotunda Completed
1965 September 6 La Trobe Library (La Touche Armstrong Building) 1967-1968 National Gallery of Victoria relocated to St Kilda Road
1932 May 3 McAllan Gallery Opened 1940 North Rotunda (Red Rotunda) Built
1992 - 1998 North East and South East Wings on Russell Street Completed Pitt Building Opened
2000 Melbourne Museum moved to Carlton Gardens 2003 South Link Completed South East Couryard Enclosed South West Couryard Enclosed Dome Skylights Restored
2009 The Wheeler Centre External Lift Lobby Completed The Wheeler Centre Main Entrance Completed
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Programmatic Analysis
Level 7
Level 6
Level 5
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2A
Public Access (37.3%) Private Access (62.7%) Specific Functions Others
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Level 2 (Ground)
Level 7
Level 6
Level 5
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2A
Level 2 (Ground)
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Spatial Mapping
Depth 5 Heritage Collections Reading Room
Depth 4 Australian Manuscripts
Red Rotunda
Pictures Collection
Maps
Blue Rotunda
Depth 3 Catabombs
Cowen Gallery
Redmond Barry Reading Room
La Trobe Reading Room
Chess Room
Arts
Family History and Newspaper
The Courtyard (Children’s Area)
Experimedia
Depth 2 Keith Murdoch Book Store Gallery
Conference Centre
Journals and Magazine
Queen’s Hall
Dome Gallery
Information Dome Viewing Balcony Centre
Depth 1 Front Foyer
Mr Tulk
Theatrette
Staff Room
Despatch
Service
Depth 0 External Public
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Depth 4 Red Rotunda
Depth 3 Blue Rotunda
Maps Catabombs Australian Manuscripts
Pictures Collection
Cowen Gallery
The Courtyard (Children’s Area)
Chess Room La Trobe Reading Room
Arts
Family History and Newspaper
Experimedia
Depth 2 Keith Murdoch Gallery
Book Store
Conference Centre
Journals and Magazine
Dome Gallery
Queen’s Hall Heritage Collections Reading Room
Redmond Barry Reading Room
Dome Viewing Balcony
Information Centre
Depth 1 Front Foyer
Mr Tulk
Theatrette
Staff Room
Despatch
Service
Depth 0 External Public
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