Tan Yun Ru: Selected architectural works

Tan Yun Ru (Andrea)

Architectural Portfolio 2007 - 2014

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bath house on glasgow green

Contents

year 4 architecture 2012 architectural design, construction + environmental technology

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bedroom study for a hospice

urban housing

year 4 architecture 2011 architectural design + construction technology

year 3 architecture 2010 architectural design + technology

04 house for a pianist

Diploma in architecural technology Jun 2007 architectural design

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Cumnock for learning: a new narrative year 5 architecture (post graduate) 2013 detailed urban analysis + intervention, architectural design

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3 stories of space

Master of Architecture thesis 2013 cultural research, architectural reflections + discourse

07 chair for one

Diploma in architecural technology April 2007 furniture design

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story repository for an exhibition

physical installation for Fabled Structures: An art exhbition exploring the allegory of form Group exhibition in Minut Init Galleria

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Bath house on the Green integrated project Tutors: Alistair Forbes, Colin McNeish 2012 Year 4

brief The design of a large (approx. 3000 sqm) programatically simple, multi-functional urban building. The building is required to be set within a specific urban character, and developed to a detailed level sufficient to demonstrate the relationship between their overall architectural concept, spatial quality and related technical and environmental considerations.

existing and new (in dotted lines) planting

landscaping

rivers

existing axis of Glasgow Green

paths

surrounding urban fabric

site and approach Glasgow Green is dominated by straight, geometrically-arranged paths and regular landscaping, a legacy of Victorian planning. However, the border of the park is poorly defined.

The first move was to nestle the bath house into a grove of trees, in deliberate contrast to the regular planting around the Green. This serves two functions: a softer definition of the boundary between park and city, and a visual backdrop for the bath house.

central path + articulation of spaces

The building punctuates an axis formed by one of the paths in Glasgow Green, with significant features at either end.

1 McLellan’s Arch An artefact of historical significance that achors the axis from the end of the city centre.

2 Straight pathway A legacy of the victorian planning, which established regular, geometrical pathways and formal landscaping 3 Stone-flecked paving The red stone flecks echo the colour of the commonly-used red sandstone in Glasgow

4 Iron Inspired by the Pedra Tosca Park landscaping, the feature announces the approach of the building 5 Straight pathway Right after the building is the side entrance to Glasgow Green, and the other end of the axis

form and fenestration

landscaping and approach

ground floor plan

section AA’

section BB’

left to right: construction detail of skylight, early sketch of path, rendered persepctive

cafe terrace

section CC’

waiting area restaurant

administration

plant

gift shop

salon

Exterior wall construction (from outside to inside) 19 x 60 mm larch board cladding 25 x 50 mm softwood battens 50 x 50 mm softwood counterbattens steel angle with rockwool insulation packed into hollow space 120 x 240 mm timber stud fixed to column 240 mm rockwool insulation vapour barrier 12.5 mm OSB 25 x 25 mm battens 12.5 mm moisture-proof plasterboard Roof construction (from top to bottom) 80 mm substrate soil layer filter mat 70 mm water retaining drainage layer plastic roof sealing layer 240 mm rockwool insulation profiled metal sheeting with 220 mm reinforced concrete topping softwood bearers plasterboard ceiling, metal frame suspended

Vertical planting (from inside to outside) 50 x 50mm softwood battens 50 x 50 mm softwood counterbattens 1200 mm deep glulam beam 130 x 600 mm glulam column behind ecosheet used as backing board for vertical planting (plywood alternative made from recycled plastics) steel bolts fixing galvanised steel frame back to timber studs glavanised steel frame 600 x 450 mm hydroponic panel with 40mm soil substitute Ground floor construction (from top to bottom) 601 x 601 x 20 mm limestone tile 50 mm screed 50 x 75 mm battens 50 mm rockwool insulation around underfloor heating 350 mm structural concrete slab 200 mm rockwool insulation above unheat-

model model board in antique white, balsa wood, tracing paper

at year-end exhibition

Bath house on Glasgow Green Tan Yun Ru 2012 Year 4 Architecture Integrated Design

roof construction

partition wall

50mm gravel layer roof membrane oriented strand board 200mm rigid insulation 250mm hollowcore slab steel beam 356 x 171mm

12.5mm plasterboard oriented strand board 110 x 50mm timber studs with insulation in between

external wall construction 60 x 40mm vertical larch boards 40 x 20mm abttens vapourproof membrane 12.5mm OSB 240 x 120mm timber studs with sheep wool in between as insulation oriented strand board vapour barrier 30 x 50mm battens 12.5mm plasterboard

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Bedroom study for a hospice Bedroom study and construction technology for youth hospice on Glasgow Green Tutors: Colin McNeish, Alistair Forbes 2011

intermediate floor construction 22mm solid oak flooring underfloor heating system 250mm hollowcore slab with 50mm screed steel beam 356 x 171mm

ground floor construction 22mm solid oak flooring underfloor heating system 250mm hollowcore slab with 50mm screed vapourproof membrane 120mm rigid insulation

left: configuration of rooms on upper floors 1 east-facing fenestration (for morning light) 2 daybed 3 private patio 4 1500 mm clearance 5 storage 6 linked visitng area all bedrooms are visible from nurses’ station all rooms adaptable for single or double bed

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corner linked bedroom 1:50 with visiting room and south-east facing

typical private bedroom 1:50 with east facing patio

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The third-year project is an exercise of building for the city: higher densities, with the added complications of an urban environment. Students were given a plot of land in Dennistoun, Glasgow, to masterplan it in groups, and then parcel out the developments to each student to develop into an architectural project. The housing should suit a broad range of user demographics, and to take into account the surrounding urban context.

Dennistoun has the advantage of having a strong urban character of its own, with well-designed tenement housing, and the defining Glaswegian building material, red sandstone.

In site itself stands the former meat market (pictured above). Its industrial character still rings loud and clear, and together with the hospital at the opposite end of the site, gives a clear direction for the masterplan and buildings.

Urban housing architectural design and technology tutors: Gordon Fleming, Chris Stewart 2010 (Year 3)

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Neighbouring Duke Street, and the axis between the hospital and meat market determined the orientation of the site. In the masterplan, a wide boulevard runs through, and the resulting two halves are allocated specific functions by block. True to the tenement-heavy surroundings, gathering squares and allotments for the family housing is provided for.

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Lot allocated for further architectural development

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Masterplan of the Dennistoun site

day night Objects of cultural significance on site

Gathering sites

Day/night activities

Study of apartment types The proximity of the site to a train station and the city centre allowed much greater flexibility in terms of user demographics. As there was already provision for elderly and family housing in other areas of the masterplan, the apartment types were designed with the following in mind: students, young commuting professionals, and/or young families with one/two commuting parents.

The resulting brief, therefore, called for the following: one or two bedrooms in each flat, and provisions for studio apartments. A shared workspace and community room for general meeting purposes was allowed for at each floor.

Site identified for further development

work living community

commercial

Arrangement of spaces by function in block (long section view)

studio studio shared space

maisonette 1 bed

maisonette 1 bed

2 bed

Arrangement of apartments types in block (long section view)

2 bed Maisonette, upper floor internal floor area for whole maisonette: 126.4 sqm

Maisonette, lower floor

Two-bedroom apartment internal floor area:91.5 sqm

One-bedroom apartment internal floor area: 43.9 sqm

Studio apartment internal floor area: 39.2 sqm

4 1 3 2 Location of apartment block within site

N Significant objects of context 1 Main boulevard through masterplan 2 Train station 3 Public building 4 Meat market

First floor plan

Section of apartment block shown in detail (on the right)

Second floor plan

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Ground floor plan

The individual apartments were designed to fit along a narrow slab, to allow for better cross-ventilation and lighting. The blocks were oriented so that flats faced either south or west, catching the afternoon’s sun for maximum solar gain (main fenestration along these facades).

The ground floor was given to commercial activity, with general stores and a nursery in mind, while the shared spaces of the building are placed at the intersection of the two blocks.

Third floor plan

The narrowness and length of the slab lent itself well to a facade that allowed the materials to shine. Each apartment became the basic unit of the block--the arrangement of the windows and terraces of the units created a “barcode� facade with the use of three materials: precast concrete panels stained a dark grey, which will fade unevenly as the building ages, copper wire mesh along the terraces, and glazing coupled with exposed concrete beams, as a reference to the adjacent meat market and its industrial past.

On the north and east facade, where the common access deck is, copper mesh provides privacy while allowing the elements behind it to break up the massiveness of a blank face.

For the first studio project, students were asked to design a house with a specific user in mind.

The site given was a forest reserve in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia.

This is a house for a pianist: Claude Debussy, born 1862, who is as influential today as he was in his time. Debussy’s work is notable by jarring contrasts: most of his well-known compositions shimmer and whisper seductively, while others are loud, brash and dynamic.

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House for a pianist iarchitectural design Tutor: Edward Chew

2007 (Year 1)

The clearing in which the house sits is small and sunny, dominated by a dead tree. Its willowy branches reach out gracefully, and the spatial volumes composed around the tree itself play against its slenderness in contrast.

The surrounding trees shield the building’s glazing from the morning and evening sun.

The form was developed through the use of sketch models, and the initial sinuous quality of the models eventually expressed themselves in the composition of the spatial volumes --upwards and around.

Eventually, the upper and lower floors of the building developed into corresponding geometrical shapes, with generous and regular fenestration creating visual lightness.

The dedicated circulation spaces (staircases) retain their more fluid form. In the final design, the user moves through the house in a simple but coherent movement upwards and around, from the public to the private spaces of the home.

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1 Entrace 2 Living room 3 Dining

Ground floor plan

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The staircase, as the circulation route that takes the user through the house, is given prominence in terms of placement and architectural treatment--enclosed with bamboo as opposed to the airiness the fenestration gives the rest of the house.

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4 Working space 5 Balcony 6 Bedroom 7 Bathroom 8 Staircase to roof

First floor plan

Section A-A

model of house for a pianist: balsa wood, perspex with mdf base

Section A-A

Back elevation

3 5

Cumnock for Learning: A new narrative Detailed urban intervention for a small town Tutors: Ombretta Romice, Sergio Porta 2013 Year 5 preceding urban analysis available at tanyunru.com

2013 re-defining Cumnock in a post-industrial world

1500’s - 1800’s 1 Cumnock the market town

activities: trade, weaving, snuff-box making, pottery, leather tanning, limited farming dominant identities: merchants, craftsmen

1800’s - 1900’s 2 Cumnock the mining town

activities: mining dominant identities: miners

1960’s-1970’s

1980’s - 2012

activites: mass-manufacturing dominant identities: manufacturers, factory workers

mining activity: declined in 1960‘s and ended 1980’s manufacturing activity: ended late 1980’s

3 Cumnock the manufacturing town 4 The decline of Cumnock

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Re-organisation of spatial form: In search of a new narrative

The thesis details appropriate urban strategies at varying scales at different points along Glaisnock street, including regeneration of old fabric, replacing or removing buildings, and infilling the interior of blocks that have been hollowed out by parking.

The result is a series of public and private spaces in the town centre of Cumnock, linked by a socially viable main street.

The functional programme is one that presents a new narrative for Cumnock: by relocating and expanding Cumnock Community College, an overlooked local asset.

Town Centre Good mix of functions, land use and accessibility of functions, as expected of the historic centre of a town. Pedestrian accessibility is somewhat compromised by the river.

The network connectivity scores reasonably well but the number of cul-de-sacs is quite high for a central area. Reconnecting them to other streets will improve the connectivity of the area.

Comparitive analysis was conduced in selected study areas to provide a quantitative evaluation of the physical fabric of the town.

A sample of two key areas relevant to the masterplan is presented here for further understanding of the current conditions.

Caponacre Industrial Estate Performs poorly all around: few building types and land uses present, and extremely low walkability. The network connectivity is deceptively high due to the number of pathways in the cemetery which is included in the study area but this can safely be ignored since there are no accessible functions.

A New Narrative for Cumnock Through time Cumnock has been reliant on production of physical goods. Although this has failed the town in context of a recent world, “production” can be in a different manner: from physical capital dependent to intellectual capital dependent, and tangible product (physical product) dependent to intangible product (services) dependent.

Therefore it is proposed that Cumnock Community College, a draw for students in the area, be expanded and relocated. The college currently offers courses including computing, vocational training, and routes to higher healthcare, offering potential employment.

current base of cumnock college 0

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The College is currently located in Caponacre Industrial Estate. The masterplan proposes to remove the big boxes currently in the industrial park and replace them with fabric that interacts and contributes to the public sphere rather than insulates human activities inside.

It includes provisions for a series of plot-based buildings that are adaptable but mainly purposed for teaching and learning. The spaces will focus on the “production” of human capital with skills to succeed in a post-industrial, services-based economy.

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legend public paved area public green space rough grassland river

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old figure ground

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high density/aggregated in row/court medium density/aggregated in row/court low density/aggregated in row/court low density/isolated in field/allotment new specialist building (college use) existing specialist building

abbreviations th town hall da dumfries arms ch. church fs fire station po post office ba. bank

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of the town of

HIGH STREET

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historic squarefront

new squarefront (not shown) high street of mid-sized town

frontage type 1 historic high street

residential street (med. density)

frontage type 2 old squarefront (precedent for new squarefront)

residential street (low density)

historic street

high street of mid-sized town

begins at: Lugar Water ends at: Glaisnock Square length: 180 m 3-min walk

begins at: junction of ayr rd ends at: junction of greenholm st length: 350 m 5-min walk

purpose: movement, commerce, interaction traffic speed: slow to moderate pedestrian movement: high

purpose: movement, commerce, interaction traffic speed: slow to moderate pedestrian movement: moderate

Coding values Frontage type Building height Plot width (typical) Plot depth (typical) Front setback Active streetfront (%) Built front (ratio) Average distance between accesses

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frontage type 4 small town high street

Coding values high density, aggregated in row 3 storey 12 m 12 m 0m 100 1.0 4m

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Frontage type Building height Plot width (typical) Plot depth (typical) Front setback Active streetfront (%) Built front (ratio) Average distance between accesses

medium density aggregated in row 2-storey 11 m 28 m 0m 100% 1.0 11 m

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tree-lined road

Public pavement width 2 m Street width 5m Street type primary road transition between ground floor active use public/private Access traffic, pedestrian

street Public pavement width 2.4 m Street width 8m Street type secondary road transition between ground floor active use public/private Access traffic, pedestrian

frontage type 6 low density housing

frontage type 5 medium density housing

residential street (med. density)

residential street (low density)

tree-lined road

begins at: junction of greenholm st ends at: cumnock new cemetery length: 420 m 6-min walk

begins at: cumnock new cemetery, fire station ends at: thistle inn (netherthird) length: 330 m 4-min walk, 30-second drive

begins at: cumnock new cemetery, fire station ends at: thistle inn (netherthird) length: 330 m 4-min walk, 30-second drive

purpose: movement, residential traffic speed: moderate pedestrian movement: low

purpose: movement traffic speed: fast pedestrian movement: very low

purpose: movement traffic speed: fast pedestrian movement: very low

Coding values

Coding values

Coding values

Frontage type Building height Plot width (typical) Plot depth (typical) Front setback Active streetfront (%) Built front (ratio) Average distance between accesses

low density, isolated in plot 2-storey 9m 30 m 2.5 m 0 0.0 9

Frontage type Building height Plot width (typical) Plot depth (typical) Front setback Active streetfront (%) Built front (ratio) Average distance between accesses

street

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Public pavement width 2.1 m Street width 8m Street type secondary road transition between 2m setback/ public/private small garden Access traffic, pedestrian

Public pavement width Street width Street type transition between public/private Access

low density, isolated in plot/ allotment 1.5 storey 12 m 45 m 5m 0 0.0 12 m

Frontage type Building height Plot width (typical) Plot depth (typical) Front setback Active streetfront (%) Built front (ratio) Average distance between accesses

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street 2m 6.5 m local street fence, private garden traffic, pedestrian

Public pavement width Street width Street type Access transition between public/private

2m 10 m main urban road traffic, pedestrian fence, private garden

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old square frontage old cumnock church

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new square frontage cumnock a-frame

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college building-- teaching/ learning spaces college building-- workshop

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river lane

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cumnock town hall dumfries arms

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outdoor performance pavillion college building-- library indoor performance/rehearsal

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residential square frontage greenholm street frontage

Interventions

In addition to the masterplan, six small objects were design as interventions in the spaces along the street. These are much smaller in scale than the masterplan: a bridge linking the spaces across the river, a library for the college, and a performance pavillion, among others.

Aside from repairing the fabric of the town, these objects find their form from the main events, places and needs of the town and its people.

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Intervention: Cumnock A-Frame “In one sense it seems like only yesterday we were in the throes of the Miners Strike, yet in so many other ways it seems light years away. Council houses weren’t for sale, call centres hadn’t been invented and credit cards were a novelty for the few. The Strike may still be a vivid memory for many of us but for a whole new generation it is only a piece of our history. All the more reason why we should strive to keep the memory alive.”

S. Osborne, 25 Years since the Miners’ Strike The boom of the mining industry, in Cumnock’s heyday, are still a fond memory of the townspeople’s collective consciousness. For the new square, the intervention proposed is a large A-frame in the middle that answers the church in the old square.

frontage of old and new squarefront where road runs through (with parking)

Intervention: new squarefront The building fronting New Glaisnock Square is intended to be the quarters of the (expanded) Cumnock Community College. However, allowances are made for changes in size of the college, which called for a flexible approach to the building.

The plot-based approached had worked well in the old square, and allows for the easy adaptation of the squarefront as the needs of the college change.

frontage of old squarefront (precedent for new squarefront)

college expansion: teaching and learning use occupies entire plot space

old square

college moves away: broken down into discrete plots for mixed use units

new square

normal use: narrow shopfronts on ground floor while college occupies upper floors for specialist use

Intervention: performance pavilion The site of the old Cumnock Picture House, where the community used to congregate, sits empty today save for a few cars. It is a conspicuous gap in the streetscape, and a displacement of place strongly tied to social activities.

Christine Leith, in a letter to the Cumnock Chronicle: “only in Cumnock can demolition be reconstitued as regeneration. Many other local authorities would be mortified at the thought of knocking down such an iconic building.”

The performance pavillion seeks to introduce a point of interest along the high street, and the new building behind acts as a base for the East Ayrshire Youth Theatre.

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1913 silent film shows with occasional stage plays 1960-1980 sound pictures 1980-1990’s bingo hall

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Car park for adjacent town hall and Dumfries Arms (hotel)

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Outdoor performances East Ayrshire Youth Theatre base

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detail of civic axis

Nothing happens but a series of interpretations and points of view which shed light on a past, absent or unknown event. [...] There are only points of view, perspectives, masks and roles. Truth is draped in veils; it can be defined only by an endless succession of points of view.

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Lefebvre, 1947

3 Stories of Space : A new narrative Master of Architecture thesis Supervisor: Jonathan Charley, David Hasson 2013 Year 5 The M Arch project presents, in graphic and narrative format, experiences of human living in the town and the city. The author compares her most recent experiences of the city with that of her parents’ and grandparents’, whether with the identity of a small town or city-dweller. Within each generation a trend in the usage of space is immediately obvious, illustrating the impact of socio-economic realities such as the regional and global occupational structure have on the way humans and space interact—within the conained geographical region of Malaysia.

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Early history

1860-1930 Immigration

1940-1960

War and Independence

historically significant events social, economic and political context

The following timeline briefly describes the social and economic context specific to the experience of a first, second and third generation Chinese immigrant in Malaysia. As the storeis are presented with limited comment from the author, it is hoped that the reader can draw their own conclusion, with some knowledge of historical context, of how these events and legacies affect the production and consumption of space.

1824 Britain establishes its influence over the Malay states and Sabah and Sarawak (Borneo) through treaties and taking advantage of social instability. By 1910 the Malay states are a crown colony.

1869 Yap Ah Loy becomes Chinese Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur, by then a Chinese-majority city, and establishes order.

Late 1800’s — Early 1900’s Third wave of Chinese migrants arrive in Malaysia, mostly displaced from the southern region of China riddled with hardship. This coincides with the discovery of large deposits of tin, and subsequently encouraged migration from the British, who set up Chinese workers in the tin mines and rubber plantations.

1941 Malay Peninsula invaded by Japanese troops from the north. The last British troops surrendered in February 1942. Japanese rule lasts for 3 years and 8 months, and similar to the British, establish a racial policy, further driving rifts.

1948 The Federation of Malaya is formed. Kuala Lumpur becomes the capital. 1957 The Malay states achieve independence from British rule, becoming Malaya. 1963 Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah join Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia.

1969-1990

Aggression and the New Economic Policy

1969 After decades of racial tension, violence erupts after an election.

After two days of violence the government declares a state of emergency and parliament is suspended.

1971 Parliament reconvenes and the New Economic Policy is introduced with the aim of eliminating poverty (particularly rural poverty) and to mitigate the discrepancy of wealth along racial lines.

1980-2000

Progress and the New Development Policy

1980's Mahathir Mohamad, then Prime Minister of Malaysia, actively implements liberal economic policies, such as privatisation of government enterprises in addition to affirmative action by the New Economic Policy.

1991 Mahathir introduces the National Development Policy to replace the NEP, aiming to transform Malaysia to a fully developed country within 30 years. Key moves include shifting from an agriculture-based to a manufacturing and industry-based economy, liberalising financial regulations to attract foreign investment, and massive infrastructure projects ie. the Petronas Twin Towers.

1997

Financial crisis

1997 Asian financial crisis affects Malaysia deeply. The main stock exchange index falls by over 75 percent, alleviated after Mahathir cuts spending and pegs the Malaysian Ringgit to the US Dollar. This pushes Malaysia to recover much faster than the surrounding countries, encouraging prosperity.

1980-2000 Today

2000's Malaysia experiences remarkable economic growth and a drastic increase in living standards. Unprecedented numbers of migrant workers from neighbouring countries enter the country to fill in low-skilled, low-paid jobs, leading to polarisation in the occupational and social structure.

2007 Under increasingly blatant corruption within the ruling coalition, the Bersih rally is organised and held in Kuala Lumpur to campaign for electoral refor--remarkable because mass protests and rallies are illegal in Malaysia unless with an official permit, and this is the first protest at this scale. Estimates of number of attendees: between 10,000 to 40,000.

work then and work now

places of life and work

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Life is Work

stories from a hawker’s family

My maternal great-grandfather and grandparents were hawkers in a small town in Malaysia. Similar to my paternal grandfather, who was a tailor, they went into a trade and remained there their whole lives. Their days were essentially fully occupied with labour and production as a means to a living. When I pressed for recollections of other activities and spaces, I was met with blank stares.

How much does your work define your life and the spaces you live in? This book is the culmination of a series of interviews I conducted with my family, in an attempt at understanding the way my grandparents worked and lived.

This is an excerpt. For the full stories go to: issuu.com/tanyunru

In those days we didn’t have this modern concept of work.

People’s concerns were focused on the basic necessities: clothes, food, a place to stay and [necessary] movement, the simplest things. Either you were a tailor, or a farmer, or a shopkeeper; just a simple job with a simple identity. There were hardly any 9 to 5 office jobs like today.

When I think back on my hometown, the places I think of are the school, our stall; these were our family places. And of course the house... the room in which all of us used to live, plus the road to school, the one I walked down everyday.

There is the house down the road, about 20 houses away I think—where we could get food sometimes. So our lives were very simple. Go to school, take our dinner afterwards, come back home, and study in our room.

bus journeys to the city

earning my right to the city

I remember sitting in the bus to go to the city. In the small town, I felt very relaxed, and as the bus neared Kuala Lumpur, I would naturally tense up—well, it wasn’t at all a nice feeling. In the small town you feel very relaxed, but to go to the city and you feel like it’s a very intense, high-pressured place, a fast-paced place—I just didn’t like going to the city. There was always this strong feeling of wanting to go back to the tranquil, peaceful hometown, where everything’s slow. And it took many years to overcome that feeling.

At this moment, I feel like I have a right to the city. This is to do with the sense of security, I think. If you feel secure, you will like the place, and feel like you belong. When I first came to work, from the town, I always felt so so insecure.

Even after I bought the first apartment, I still felt like—because we got it on a mortage—it felt like we hadn’t finished, and could lose it and become homeless. It was only after we bought the second house, and the apartment was fully paid out, that I felt like there was a backup plan. Then I felt more secure (with emphasis).

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A Town and Two Cities a story of place and movement

This book presents excerpts from an interview of an interview conducted by me to my father. The interview facilitated his personal reflections on the places of his everyday life, which began in a small town, and continued into the “big city”, which is the capital of Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, where he began his time in university. After he graduated, he married my mother and they lived in a small rented room close to the city while they both worked. As their financial situation improved, they bought a small flat, and eventually moved into a house in the suburbs,one of the many in the sprawling housing estates around the city. They live there now with their children.

This is an excerpt. For the full stories go to: issuu.com/tanyunru

photoshopping security in

people and place identification

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My City is Yours

stories of privatisation in Kuala Lumpur My City is Yours sounds genial enough. The natural implication is then, what is your city should be mine. But how willing are we to share what we perceive to be ‘our’ space? And what measures would we be willing to put in place, to ensure what is mine remains mine?

For that matter, who is ‘you’? The underprivileged citizens of the city, or the state with its near-omniscent power over spaces of the city?

This book is a collection of anecdotes from the author and her peers, all of whom witnessed their home city, Kuala Lumpur grow more hostile and exclusionary to the wrong type of person. These stories offer a peek into everyday life in a city in which space, initially public or otherwise, has been strictly delegated and enforced as private.

This is an excerpt. For the full stories go to: issuu.com/tanyunru

While working on a new housing development during my brief stint in an architecture office, I realised that “gated and guarded” had become a matter of course. Architects are asked to design a guard house together with the housing development. Some developers do not bother getting planning permission for a guard house and simply put one up after the building warrant is handed over, and almost all photoshop a guard in uniform into their promotional images as a necessary prop.

Strangely enough, people have begun to identify themselves in relation to places that cater specifically to their consumption: the public space of the city does not welcome me, so I shall go to a place which welcomes me. Someone recounts a workshop in which participants were asked to draw landmarks of their area, and a participant couldn’t think of anything significant except the Light Rail Transit station. In the end he drew the station and the motorway next to it—both routes of connection to these islands of consumption.

As an introduction to designing a habitable environment, students were asked to design a piece of furniture for the purpose of “resting� for one. This was the first exposure students had to designing in relation to the dimensions of the body, as well as an early attempt at manual orthographic drawing and model-making.

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Chair for one furniture design Tutor: Fabian Tan

2007 (Year 1)

While taking “resting� not just at the assumption of a body position, the chair for one also takes into account the need for distance from one’s immediate surroundings. The furniture is designed to be against the wall, instead of being exposed, and a screen visually and physically teases out an isolated space for the user.

The common wisdom is that every piece of historical record, biography or fiction has a coherent narrative. But real life is haphazard, chaotic, and often doesn’t make sense: random or unrelated incidents happen each day of our life.

Some make an entertaining tale over dinner, but others are simply lost to the wind.

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What better opportunity to build a story repository than an exhibition about Fabled Structures? Minut Init Studio Galleria held an exhibition in November, showcasing narratives through the media of paint and sculpture.

Having long toyed with the idea of a sculpture with the sole intent of collecting and containing stories, I designed a visually and structurally lightweight, modular-based structure that would play host to short stories by participants.

A Story Repository for Fabled Structures: an art exhibition Group exhibition in Minut Init Galleria 28 Nov- 05 Dec 2014 in collaboration with James Ly and May Chan

This installation is a physical record of these throwaway snippets. All participants wrote down a story in three sentences or less, which were inserted into the story repository, a structure of tetrahedrons. These basic tetrahedron units are organised into a structure much larger and complicated than the individual parts—just like human activity, and surround the viewer with scraps and fragments of everyday stories.

The installation began with the idea of collecting stories, and continued with a physical exploration of modular structures that would host the narratives. The need for speed of construction and accessibility of materials resulted in tetrahedrons constructed of satay sticks—lightweight from the bamboo, and from the visual transparency.

The tetrahedrons are relatively simple geometrically, but the possibility of constructing parabolas inside them and the myriad of more complex geometrical structures provided a fun process of exploration. The resulting matrix of tetrahedrons was suspended from the ceiling in a circle, encouraging the readers to linger inside and savour the stories.

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