The Omitted Void / an architectural manifesto

THE OMITTED VOID

ARCHITECTURE OF THE IN-BETWEEN A M A N I F E S TO Qingchen Meng / 531549 submitted on 14 November 2018 for ABPL90117 Twenty-first Century Architecture (Tutor: Renée Miller-Yeaman)

The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Contents Page

03.

Introduction

09.

M u s i n g s o n Vo i d

19.

Intangible Element of Architecture

31.

Vo i d a n d H u m a n E x p e r i e n c e s

47.

Notes

List of Figures

Bibliography

Steve Qingchen Meng / 531549

03

Introduction

Architecture is the thoughtful making of void.

This manifesto outlines what I, as a designer and student, believe to be the central quest for my architectural designs.

Although this will surely evolve and change as I progress in my career, at this point in time, this manifesto captures what I think is central to architectural endeavours, especially in the context of a growing interests in robotics design and parametricism1.

Inspired by the musings that “Music is the space between the notes, or the dividing of the tones.2” What makes the music is not the actual playing of the notes, rather, it’s the brief interval between notes that gives the music its melodic progression, structure, dynamic and rhythm; and it is through the ‘space in-between’ that the composer expresses his or her musical intentions. Without clearly defining the space between notes, music would become an indistinguishable jumble of chaos.

Just like music, this manifesto is a contemplation that architecture is, in its essence, the space in-between the walls, floors and ceilings. Architecture is not the aggregation of solid objects, rather, it is the void space shaped by the objects, it is in the fenestrations, the corridors, the courtyards and the rooms.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

“Music is the space between the notes...�

left: fig.1. Rene Burri, Spanish Cellist Pablo Casals, 1960. right: fig.2. Herbert List, German composer, Carl Orff, 1955.

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fig.3.

Pieter Neeffs II, Interior of Antwerp Cathedral, c. 1750.

06

The Omitted Void - a manifesto

fig.4.

Yan Chongnian, A doorway of a Beijing courtyard house showing the screen wall, 1987.

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Introduction (continued...)

This manifesto aims to put forward ‘void’ as a fundamental architectural element; void is the instrument that enables architecture to converse with human experience. Void is what makes architecture breathe and invite human inhabitation, it activates a special relationship between the object and the observer that no other art form can. However, in practice void is often the overlooked, omitted and leftover space.

Void is central to the utility of an architectural space, it allows transmission of certain senses and merging of programmes.

This manifesto will examine the notions of void, its philosophical importance and the expressions of void in architecture. At the end, this manifesto looks at six ways void is used in architecture, and how they translate experientially.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

M u s i n g s o n Vo i d

Steve Qingchen Meng / 531549

09

M u s i n g s o n Vo i d

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word VOID as:

Void, noun.

1. A completely empty space;

2. An emptiness caused by the loss of something3.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ‘void’, when used as a noun:

1. Opening, gap; empty space; vacuum.

2. The quality or state of being without something: lack, absence.

3. A feeling of want or hollowness4.

Synonyms of void: Blankness, nullity, gap, vacuum, nothingness.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

fig.5. & 6.

Ben Waechter, Tower House models, 2014.

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The notion of void or emptiness has long been apprehended in Eastern philosophy, and is regarded as an important lens through which the universe may be understood.

6th century BC Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, in his collection of proverbs Tao Te Ching, praised the usefulness of ‘nothingness’, he uses three metaphors to say that the void of an object is what makes it useful.

(Verse 11) “Wu (無) is nothingness, emptiness, non-existence Thirty spokes of a wheel all join at a common hub Yet only the hole at the centre Allows the wheel to spin Clay is molded to form a cup Yet only the space within Allows the cup to hold water Walls are joined to make a room Yet only by cutting out a door and a window Can one enter the room and live there Thus, when a thing has existence alone It is mere dead-weight Only when it has wu (無), does it have life.5”

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

"Presence gives things value, but absence makes them work."

left: fig.7. Unknown artist, Lao Tzu riding on water buffalo, year unknown. right: fig.8. Prasun Sanyal, Pottery, 2012.

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Like the metaphors written by the ancient Chinese sage, the void space in architecture is what makes it useful and habitable, it is what gives architecture its utilitas. The Chinese word for ‘space’ (空間) is written as two characters: void (空) + between (間). In other words, space is genetically the absence of building, the void in-between.

One classical example of using void in Asian architecture is the central courtyard. Unlike western estate mansions where the house is surrounded by landscapes, the Chinese garden sits in the middle void space, surrounded by walls, like an inverted mansion.

The void space in the middle of a Courtyard House plays the important functions of a family gathering space, separating generations, and distinguishing the space from the masters to the servants. The central court is where everyone moves through to get in or out, it also helps the parents of the family to keep an eye on their children and grandchildren’s activities.6

fig.9.

Chinese script for 'space'.

Space = Void + Between.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

fig.10. Unknown photographer, Bird's eye view of courtyard house in Beijing, 1959.

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fig.11. The 'void' in the courtyard house acts as the central gathering place for families, as well as dividing masters' space from servants' space.

Unknown artist, Typical Beijing courtyard house, year unknown.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

A similar concept is seen in the Korean courtyard – madang. Korean architect Seung H-Sang, a famous advocate for modernising traditional Korean architectural values, sees madang as an undefined communal space, or ‘useless space’, which is, in a Buddhist understanding, useful just for that reason.7

This resonates with Lao Tzu’s praise of saying, “Uselessness is, in effect, great Utility, and only Uselessness can be Great Utility.8”

fig.12. The Korean 'madang' is the central courtyard that is an undefined communal space.

Project by IROJE KHM, Ga On Jai, 2013.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Vo i d - T h e Intangible Element of Architecture

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Vo i d - t h e I n t a n g i b l e E l e m e n t o f A r c h i t e c t u r e

Vitruvius, Semper, Le Corbusier, Koolhaas

Many architects and theorists have summarised what they believed to be the fundamentals of architecture, the very core qualities of all architectural endeavours, whether they are physical or immaterial.

Vitruvius of 1st century BC Rome asserted the three qualities of architecture, namely, firmitas, utilitas and venustasis, which means stability, utility and beauty respectively. German architect Gottfried Semper in his book Four Elements of Architecture and Other Writings, deciphered architecture to consist of basic elements of hearth, roof, enclosure and mound.

In the modernist movement, there is Le Corbusier’s Five Points of a New Architecture, which points to the direction for architecture of the modern times, namely, pilotis, free plan, free façade, ribbon window and roof garden.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

fig.13.

16th century Manuscript of Vitruvius Ten Books on Architecture.

Sangallo, Recto: Temple Types: in Antis and Prostyle, c.153045.

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fig.14.

Chad Farley, Illustration of Corbusian five points of a new architecture, year unknown.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

The most contemporary case of a systematic analysis of architectural elements is seen in OMA’s 15 Books on the Elements of Architecture, presented at the 2014 Venice Biennale.

The fifteen elements are: floor, wall, ceiling, roof, door, window, façade, balcony, corridor, fireplace, toilet, stair, escalator, elevator and ramp9.

From the above-mentioned examples, we see an emphasis on the visible attributes of architecture, based on what we can see and touch. These visible objects are used to shape the invisible space, in other words, the tangible informs the intangible.

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fig.15.

OMA's Elements of Architecture at 2014 Venice Biennale.

"Room Ten: Door... a traditional element once invested with physical heft and iconography has turned into a dematerialised zone, a gradual transition between conditions registered by ephemeral technologies (biometric detectors, body scanners) rather than physical barriers.10" Giorgio de Vecchi, 2014.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Figure-Ground Theory

The figure-ground (or solid-void) theory looks at the form-space relationship in a different perspective: “the volumetric spaces shaped or implied by the placement of solid objects are as important as, or more important than, the objects themselves.11�

In other words, the void are as important as what is enclosing it. Not only does the solid shapes the void, the void should also inform how the solid is made.

fig.16.

Matthew Frederick, illustration for Solid-Void Theory, 2007.

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fig.17.

Bramante, Michelangelo & Maderno, Plans of St Peter's Basilica, 1506, 1546-64 & 1607-12.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Architecture of Void

The terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre on 11 September 2001 left indescribable deep scars in the lives of many, as well as imposing a solemn question: what to do with the ruined site?

Amongst many proposals, Daniel Libeskind’s entry– 9/11 Memorial Museum – has been selected12. Instead of constructing a memorial piece that stands above the ground, Libeskind’s solution is to leave the hollow foundations of the twin towers, exposing the retaining walls, creating two massive ‘voids’ in the ground. The museum itself is buried beneath the void.

Here, the voids in the ground become the centre piece of the memorial. The grave hollowness becomes a sharp reminder for the tragedy that took place. Although this void is inhabitable, it demands attention, and it informs how the surroundings are made.

fig.18.

Studio Libeskind, 9/11 Memorial Museum, 2003.

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fig.19 & 20.

Studio Libeskind, 9/11 Memorial Museum, 2003.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

OMA’s proposal for Très Grande Bibliothèque is a radical attempt to construct the voids, rather than the solids.13 One of the final models show voids as gravity-defying floating objects, unlike most architectural models showing façades as the main elements, this proposal seems disinterested in creating a solid façade.

Here, architecture has become ‘void-making’, rather than ‘form-finding’. If I could slightly alter what Louis Khan famously said, architecture is the thoughtful making of void.

"The Very Big Library is interpreted as a solid block of information, a repository of all forms of memory – books, laser disks, microfiche, computers, databases. In this block, the major public spaces are defined as absences of building, voids carved out of the information solid. Floating in memory, they are multiple embryos, each with its own technological placenta.14"

fig.21.

OMA, Très Grande Bibliothèque, 1989.

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top: fig.22. OMA, Très Grande Bibliothèque, 1989.

Bottom: fig.23. OMA, Strategy of the Void page excerpt, 1989.

"The creation of difference, the unbearable task, becomes pleasure. Easy, too. Forms only have to be 'left out', not constructed.15"

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Ty p e s o f Vo i d and Human Experiences

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Ty p e s o f Vo i d a n d H u m a n E x p e r i e n c e s

Although we have established from former discourse that void is the absence of building, we can still categorise different types of void, depending on its relationship to the solids. The six types of void are: Fenestration Door

Wall Opening

Court

Floor Opening

Skylight

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Fenestration (light-borrowing/ framing/ enlightenment/ conversation)

Fenestrations in the building invite a mergence with the external environment. It does not only bring in light, it also frames what you see outside.

Windows are comforting, as it satisfies our need to feel connected to the outside world.

Irregularly arranged windows tend to make us feel restless, as our minds are constantly making up the missing pieces in between the windows.

fig.25.

Fenestration void invites and frames the external.

Jim Goldberg, Greece Athens, 2004.

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fig.26.

Rene Burri, Notre-Dame du Haut, 1955.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Door (path, unknown, transition, directional)

Doors inform a path to the unknown. The opening actions of different doors reveal a space in different manners. Swing doors, French doors, sliding doors, pivot doors, vault doors.

A door is a void in disguise. A closed door forms part of the solid wall, whereas a half-shut door forms a fan-shaped gap, controlling what the outsiders can see without being totally rejective.

fig.27.

Chris Steele-Perkins, Prisoner at Wormwood Scrubs, 1991.

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fig.28.

Thomas Mayer, Bruder Klaus Field Chapel by Peter Zumthor, 2011.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Wall Opening (hidden, half-revealed, transition, unknown, invitation) Wall openings are gentle invitations, a half-revealing into the space behind. Unlike fenestrations that forbid one to trespass.

Wall openings have no thresholds, it frames a pathway that signifies the transitioning of space.

fig.29.

Bruno Barbey, Moulay Ismael Mausoleum (Muslim Shrine), 1985.

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fig.30.

David Grandorge, Raven Row Spitalfields by 6a Architects, 2009.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Court (spaciousness, definitive, useable, territorial) A court is an enclosed room, either with or without a roof. A court enables human to dwell in. The size of the court affects how one feels inside: cosy, cold, open, serene, awe-some or lonely.

fig.31.

Eric Reinholdt, 30X40 Long Studio, 2016.

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fig.32.

Darren Bradley, Walsh Street House by Robin Boyd, 2015.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Floor Opening (height, volumetric, extended, voyeurism, impression) Floor openings form double height spaces. Floor opening transmits atmospheres vertically, and merges different levels into one cohesive space.

Trafficable floor openings are subtle acknowledgements of the other parallel spaces

fig.33.

Roland Halbe, Melbourne School of Design by John Wardle Architects, 2014.

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fig.34.

Tadao Ando, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, 2001.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Skylight (tranquil, unreachable, brightness, heavenly, retrospective) Skylights sometimes are only discovered later, after one has immersed himself into the light and wondered where the light comes from. Skylight allows one to see straight into the sky and not to be seen by anyone. It invites in lights and it is void of distractions of people walking pass.

fig.35.

Johan Dehlin, Juergen Teller Studio London by 6a Architects, 2016.

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fig.36.

Peter Zumthor, Bruder Klaus Kapelle, 2007.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

In Conclusion

The six types of void mentioned above only serve as a sketch for what I believe are the intangible foundations of architecture. This manifesto does not intend to refute or nullify the solid elements, without which we cannot form any ‘intentional voids’.

Void is a fundamental element of architecture, on par with the other physical elements. Without void, architecture divides rather than connects. Without void, architecture becomes a sculptural piece that can merely be observed but not inhabited, revered but not loved.

Going back to the musical metaphor at the beginning, as the breaks between musical notes manifest the ingenuity of the composer, void space is an architect’s most versatile device to construct his or her creative vision. Void-making is central to all sensible architectural endeavours.

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fig.37.

Nick Stephenson, Doncaster House by Inbetween Architecture, 2015.

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The Omitted Void - a manifesto

Notes List of Figures Bibliography

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Notes 1 The term ‘paramatricism’ is first coined

by Patrik Schumacher in his Parametricist Manifesto in 2008.

2 The accurate source of this quote is uncertain, however, most attribute it to French impressionist composer Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918).

3 Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “void,” accessed October 4, 2018, https:// en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/void.

5.

12 Michael F Lewis, "Into the Void with Daniel Libeskind," Commentary 5 (2003): 40-44.

13 OMA, Rem Koolhaas, and Bruce Mau, "Strategy of the Void" in S,M,L,XL (New York: Monacelli Press, 1998), 602-661.

14 Ibid, 616.

15 Ibid, 632.

4 Merriam-Webster Dictionary, s.v. “void,” accessed November 8, 2018, https://www. merriam-webster.com/dictionary/void.

5 Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 2001), 24.

6 Qi-Jun, Wang, Tu Jie Zhong Guo Min Ju [Illustrated Chinese Vernacular Architecture ](New Taipei: Feng Shu Fang Publishing, 2015), 54.

7 Thorsten Botz-Bornstein, “H-Sang Seung: Design Is Not Design,” Journal of Aesthetic Education 48 (2014).

8 Seock-Jae Yim, Stone, Walls and Paths: A Study of Korean Architecture (Seoul: Ewha Woman’s University Press, 2005), 22.

9 “Elements,” OMA, publications/elements.

http://oma.eu/

10 "2014 Venice Biennale: Elements of Architecture," OMA, http://oma.eu/projects/ elements-of-architecture.

11 Matthew Frederick, 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2007), unmarked page number, Section 48

The Omitted Void - a manifesto

List of Figures Cover Image: Ă–nder, Tuna. The Stairs, 2013, photograph. 500PX. Accessed November 10, 2018. https://500px.com/photo/23612971/thestairs-by-tuna-%C3%96nder Back Cover Image: van Shelten, John. Fiore-rosso, year unknown, photograph. Accessed November 10, 2018. https://theartstack.com/ artist/john-van-shelten/architecture-16.

fig.1. Burri, Rene. Spanish Cellist Pablo Casals, 1960, photograph. Magnum Photos. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://pro.magnumphotos.com/Asset/2TYRYDYRYV7Q.html

fig.2. List, Herbert. German composer, Carl Orff, 1955, photograph.

Magnum Photos. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://pro.magnumphotos.com/Asset/2S5RYD11H9F8.html

fig.3. Neeffs II, Pieter. Interior of Antwerp Cathedral, c.1750, oil on copper paining. Wikimedia Commons. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://www.lempertz. com/en/catalogues/lot/1002-1/1182-peeterneeffs-the-younger.html.

fig.4. Yan, Chongnian. "A doorway of a Beijing courtyard house showing the screen wall." In Beijing: The Treasures of an Ancient Capital, Yan Chongnian ed, 247.

Beijing: Morning Glory Press, 1987.

thephilosophersmail.com/perspective/thegreat-eastern-philosophers-lao-tzu/.

fig.8. Sanyal, Prasun. Pottery, 2012, photograph. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://flic.kr/p/bUA4KV.

fig.10. Unknown photographer.

Bird's eye view of courtyard house in Beijing, 1959, photograph. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://depts.washington.edu/ chinaciv/3intrhme.htm.

fig.11. Unknown artist. Typical Beijing courtyard house, year unknown, drawing. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://greenbuildingelements.com.

fig.12. Jong Oh, Kim. Ga On Jai by IROJE KHM, 2013. IROJE KHM Architects.

Accessed November 11, 2018. https://www. archdaily.com/463492/ga-on-jai-iroje-khmarchitects.

fig.13. da Sangallo, Giovanni Battista. Manuscript of Vitruvius Ten Book on Architecture, c.1530-45, paper. MET Museum. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-ofart/2008.105.2/

fig.5 & 6. Waechter, Ben. Tower House models, 2014, photograph. Waechter Architecture. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://waechterarchitecture.com/TOWERHOUSE/1.

fig.14. Farley, Chad. Illustration of Corbusian five points of a new architecture, year unknown. Les Couleurs. Accessed November 11, 2018. http://www.lescouleurs. ch.

fig.15. de Vecchi, Giorgio. OMA Elements of Architecture at Venice Biennale.

Accessed November 11, 2018. http://oma.eu/ projects/elements-of-architecture.

fig.7. Unknown artist. Lao Tzu riding on water buffalo, year unknown, ink painting. Accessed November 11, 2018. http://

fig.16.

Frederick, Matthew.

"Illustration for solid-void theory." in 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School,

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List of Figures (continued...)

Matthew Frederick, page number unmarked (section 5). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2007.

fig.17. Bramante, Michelangelo & Maderno. Plans of St Peter's Basilica, 1617th century. Accessed November 11, 2018. http://nyitarch161.blogspot.com/2016/12/stpeters-basilica-steve-moran.html

fig.18. Studio Libeskind, 9/11 Memorial Museum, 2003, photograph. Studio Libeskind. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://libeskind.com/work/ground-zeromaster-plan/

fig.19 & 20. Studio Libeskind, 9/11 Memorial Museum, 2003, photograph. Studio Libeskind. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://libeskind.com/work/ground-zeromaster-plan/

fig.21. OMA. Très Grande Bibliothèque, 1989, drawing. OMA. Accessed November 11, 2018. http://oma.eu/projects/ tres-grande-bibliotheque.

fig.22. OMA. Très Grande Bibliothèque, 1989, photograph. OMA. Accessed November 11, 2018. http://oma.eu/ projects/tres-grande-bibliotheque.

50

du Haut, 1955, photograph. Magnum Photos. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://pro.magnumphotos.com/Asset/2S5RYDYFHT0C.html.

fig.27.

Steele-Perkins, Chris. Prisoner at Wormwood Scrubs, 1991, photograph. Magnum Photos.

Accessed November 11, 2018. https:// pro.magnumphotos.com/Asset/29YL53FJCKD3.html

fig.28. Mayer, Thomas. Bruder Klaus Field Chapel by Peter Zumthor, 2011, photograph. ArchDaily. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://www.archdaily.com/106352/ bruder-klaus-field-chapel-peter-zumthor.

fig.29. Barbey, Bruno. Moulay Ismael Mausoleum (Muslim Shrine), 1985, photograph. Magnum Photos.

Accessed November 11, 2018. https://pro. magnumphotos.com/Asset/-2S5RYDI8GJUI. html.

fig.30. Grandorge, David. Raven Row, Spitalfields, London, 2009, photograph.

6a Architects, London. Accessed November 11, 2018. http://www.6a.co.uk/projects/ selected/raven-row.

fig.23. OMA. Strategy of the Void, 1989, page excerpt. OMA. Accessed November 11, 2018. http://oma.eu/projects/ tres-grande-bibliotheque.

fig.31. Reinholdt, Eric. 30X40 Long Studio, 2016, photograph. 30X40 Design Workshop. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://thirtybyforty.com/portfolio/#/longstudio/

fig.25. Goldberg, Jim. Greece Athens, 2004, photograph. Magnum Photos. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://pro.magnumphotos.com/Asset/2K7O3R18AIVQ.html.

fig.32. Bradley, Darren. Walsh Street House by Robin Boyd, 2015, photograph.

Mid-Century Home. Accessed November 11, 2018. http://www.midcenturyhome.com/ robin-boyd-walsh-street-house-melbourne/

fig.26. Burri, Rene. Notre-Dame

fig.33. Halbe, Roland. Melbourne The Omitted Void - a manifesto

List of Figures (continued...)

School of Design, 2014, photograph. John Wardle Architects, Melbourne. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://www. johnwardlearchitects.com/projects/melbourneschool-of-design/

fig.34. Ando, Tadao.

Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, 2001, photograph.

Accessed November 11, 2018. http:// thequietwoods.com/new-blog/2014/5/18/mytenentsform-line-positivenegative-space.

fig.35. Dehlin, Johan. Juergen Teller Studio London by 6a Architects, photograph.

Accessed November 11, 2018. http://www.6a. co.uk/.

fig.36. Zumthor, Peter. Bruder Klaus Kapelle, 2007, photograph. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://www.flickr.com/ photos/seier/3151935486/in/photostream

fig.37. Stephenson, Nick. Doncaster House by Inbetween Architecture, 2015, photograph.

Inbetween Architecture, Melbourne. Accessed November 11, 2018. https://www.inbetweenarchitecture.com.au/ portfolio/doncaster-house.

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Bibliography

Botz-Bornstein, Thorsten. "H-Sang Seung: Design Is Not Design." Journal of Aesthetic Education 48 (a2014).

Frederick, Matthew. 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2007.

Lao Tzu. Tao Te Ching. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 2001.

Lewis, Michael F. "Into the Void with Daniel Libeskind." Commentary 5 (2003): 40-44.

O.M.A, Koolhaas, Rem, and Mau, Bruce. S,M,L,XL. New York: Monacelli Press, 1998.

Semper, Gottfried. The Four Elements of Architecture and Other Writings.

New York: Cambridge University Press, 1989.

Vitruvius Pollio. Ten Books on Architecture: the Corsini Incunabulum. Roma: Edizione dell'Elefante, 2003.

Wang, Qi-Jun. Tu Jie Zhong Guo Min Ju [Illustrated Chinese Vernacular Architecture]. New Taipei: Feng Shu Fang Publishing, 2015.

Yim, Seock-Jae. Stone, Walls and Paths: A Study of Korean Architecture. Seoul: Ewha Woman’s University Press, 2005.

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The Omitted Void: Architecture of the In-Between (A Manifesto) Qingchen Meng (531549) Submitted on 14 November 2018 (Tutor: RenĂŠe Miller-Yeaman) contact email: steve.qc.meng@gmail.com