Vince Choi Architectural Portfolio

V i n c e

C h o i

A r c h i t e c t u r a l

K i a n

L e k

P o r t f o l i o

About Me ///

蔡健力 / Vince Choi Aug 07 / 1993 Malaysian Pahang / Malaysia vince93ck@live.com.my +6010 917 0825

Languages Mandarin / English / Malay / Cantonese

Education

Experience

Skills Autocad Photoshop Indesign Illustrator Lumion Google Sketch Up Microsoft Office

Team members : Laura Le Gal Vince Choi Kian Lek

Ground floor plan proposal design :

Roof plan proposal design :

CURRENT DESIGN | MACARANGA

Ground floor plan :

Level 1 floor plan :

Car park section study :

Car park green wall elevation study :

ECO WORLD | MACARANGA OFFICE DESIGN

Team member : Vince Choi Kian Lek Lily Foong Li Yuan Anthony Fook Mun Hoe

T

his is a proposal for 2 residential blocks of 38 storeys, 1 residential block of 35 storeys, and 1 residential blocks of 32 storeys that include: 1 facility level on podium, 1 ground level on podium, 2 lower ground levels on podium, mechanical rooms, main lobby on ground and mezzanine level, i row of retail unis, management office, 2095 parking bays, and 698 motorcycle units.

The development boasts three unique features not tenable in other projects: vis a vis elevated gardens generally shared under common property or accessory to selected apartments, vertical planting podium and brick facing facades. The geneology of the projects embraces and celebrates natural materials. It also reflects philosopy to eliminate long term maintainance issues with regards uncessasry water features, extensive external works and costly building envelope.

Architecture Facade / The apartments are designed to offer views across all sides of the project, without compromising to privacy. In addition to using natural materials, the facade has 30 percent perimeter glazing, also from which in each floor plan there are at least two units with 100 percent perimeter glazing. This creates a very modern and lucurious design not readily available in Asian markets except sea-front and exotic locations. Window are primilary anodised aluminium framing with safety and tempered lightli tinted bronze glass to ease heat gain problems associated with glass in the tropics.

Team members : Vince Choi Kian Lek Alicea Chia Anthony Fook Mun Hoe Minakshi Srivastava Lau Zhen Kai Thian Soo Ying

T

radeWind City was developed with the view that many towers can be built to nearly any height and density without co mpromising the street experience.

The raised podium which has an elevated park and ground to serve the lobbies to each high rise precinct emulate the earlier park and sea front beaches of old malacca. The introduction of a breezeway at this level will promote visibility along the east west direction, encouraging pedestrian to walk across the many vistas and squares offered at the base of each residence, hotel and commercial block.

Marina and public square are elements which demarcate locality and identity to each parcel and precinct. To each we develop value and address and orientation. To each will be a unique experience lending the property to investments from banking to fine arts and culture.

TradeWind City will not reduce porosity of the old town to the new island development to the south of the site. We envisage a lot of traffic which will arrive at the north edge but they are arrested at least two streets away from the Marina edges. In essence the city will also reflect on the scale and pattern of the existing town, the proportions and the scale, and the rhythm.

Further up the towers remain expressive, always different depending on choices of materiality and always able to reflect investors brand or objective and program.

1

2 1 Physical Model - Presentation Preparation.

2 Aerial View of Physical Model

TradeWind City Masterplan

The myriad changes to the town plan by far is a tremendous damage to the seafront, the urbane fabric and

colonial architecture, much of which has seen renovations which do not entirely reflect the character or scale of the original. The land reclamation projects allow for high density development in the less critical regions,

fronting Pulau Melaka. An opportunity is presented here to reintroduce high street styled shopping, and elevated parks and gardens and ample parking. Water taxis and Marina facilities can bring about the modernity that all clients wish for, except we add stratified hospitality and residential towers atop green rooftops. The transition will take several years, great master plans allow for investments to be managed effectively and market to drive the economy whilst faithfully preserving the urban design guidelines (UDG).

In drafting the protocols we have emphasised three fundamentals, open space and public realms, infrastructure for bicycles and walkways, and a water taxi system to support marine activities and facility along the water edge. 20-30 storey urban blocks sitting atop a podium offers tower residents and hotel guests walkable space and clusters of public realm uninterrupted by traffic. Long views through 27 m gaps promises a massing strategy that does not belittle or compromise porosity that is often lost in large mixed developments such as TWC. Firebreaks of 9 m widths allows for demarcation and phasing of each precinct and parcel, each warranting an identifiable ground plan and facade design. These hollowed streets allow for cross ventilation and orientation toward the ocean (straits) fronting the man made islands. Access from old town and heritage districts of malacca is picked up by a long avenue and tree lined boulevards on the north edge. Ingress into the podiums is easily managed by introducing one way vehicular traffic into the elevated car parks, all naturally ventilated.

The largest component of the new town plan is hospitality and recreation. Residential towers and offices are captured in between hotels to enable a balanced distribution of facilities and public spaces, some shared and others assigned directly to profit and benefit private owners. TradeWind City was developed with the view that many towers can be built to nearly any height and density without compromising the street experience.

The raised podium which has an elevated park and ground to serve the lobbies to each high rise precinct emulate the earlier park and sea front beaches of old malacca. The introduction of a breezeway at this level will promote visibility along the east west direction, encouraging pedestrian to walk across the many vistas and squares offered at the base of each residence, hotel and commercial block. Marina and public square are elements which demarcate locality and identity to each parcel and precinct. To each we develop value and address and orientation. To each will be a unique experience lending the property to investments from banking to fine arts and culture. TradeWind City will not reduce porosity of the old town to the new island development to the south of the site. We envisage a lot of traffic which will arrive at the north edge but they are arrested at least two streets away from the Marina edges. In essence the city will also reflect on the scale and pattern of the existing town, the proportions and the scale, and the rhythm. Further up the towers remain expressive, always different depending on choices of materiality and always able to reflect investors brand or objective and program.

ABOUT PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY

ABOUT PSYCHO

Guy Debord, Guide PychogĂŠographique de Paris

OGEOGRAPHY

“Let the nature draw you before you draw them.”

“U

nfold a street map… place a glass, rim down, anywhere on the map, and draw round its edge. Pick up the map, go out in the city, and walk the circle, keeping as close as you can to the curve. Record the experience as you go, in whatever medium you favour.” Robert MacFarlane, Psychogeography: A Beginner’s Guide.

They drift and explore city with a different yet interesting way. People called them psychogeographers or artist-explorers.

But why called psychogeography? Break it down into two parts. It’s the psychological and the geographical. “The study of precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organised or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals." Says Guy Debord. It’s all about how we’re affected by being in certain places — architecture, weather, who you’re with. Basically it’s just a general sense of excitement about a place. This special group of people are serious about fun, they derive from the predictable pathways. Somehow you will realise they are aimless, unplanned, and start their journey without any purpose.But this brings them into a new awareness of the urban landscape.

Generative psychogeography or algorithmic walking is one of varies type of psychogeography. People who practice that they will walk an algorithm or fixed pattern, such as first red handbag, second blue shirt, third follow a guy and repeat as you like. In other words, you head in any direction, first follow a way which you can see a red handbag and go straight, turn again into another street when you first see a blue shirt and you can repeat the patterns or specific ways which can design by yourself. And you will find out how surprising and remarkable your journey is after the structured yet random drifting in a city.

IPOH ODLTOW

WN | MALAYSIA

Ipoh is the capital city of the state of Perak and is one of the biggest cities in Malaysia with over 750.000 inhabitants. 70% of Ipoh's population is of Chinese origin. The city is located at a distance of approximately 200 kilometers to the north of Kuala Lumpur. From the North-South Expressway you can reach Ipoh within 2 hours by car. From Ipoh you can reach the island of Penang in 1,5 hours (150km). The city used to be the center of the tin industry (in the world); but those days are long gone. Nowadays the city still recovers from the important role it used to play; but it has much to offer to tourists.

Ipoh is surrounded by beautiful limestone outcrops with wonderful cave temples; some of Malaysia's biggest attractions are only a couple of hours away by car. Today's Ipoh is well known for its excellent restaurants, hawkers, and famous local dishes. Because of this you will find famous 'Ipoh cuisine' hawkers at many places throughout Malaysia.

IPOH ODLTOW

WN | ROUTE MAP

This map shows the way i practiced my 1st time of psychogeography. Ipoh Oldtown used to be a place where i will visit several times in a year. But normally i’m going for local food so there is already one specific route map for me. However, i decided to ask my friend to drop me in the middle of nowhere of the oldtown and i will walk by myself. 10 stops i stopped around the Ipoh Oldtown and the duration is from three to four hours to complete.

It will surprised yourself how the urban led you during the wander. wande Some specific elements or some thoughts will just come out suddenly and you will follow them, by no purpose.

Walk, walk, walk, slow down and see what is surrounding you and get inspired from there.

Let’s bring you experience the Ipoh Oldtown stop by stop!

MAPPING WEIRD STUFF

“Unfold a street map… place a glass, rim down, anywhere on the map, and draw round its edge. Pick up the map, go out in the city, and walk the circle, keeping as close as you can to the curve. Record the experience as you go, in whatever medium you favour.” Robert MacFarlane, Psychogeography: A Beginner’s Guide.

HOW DID YOU CONNECT TO THE SITE ?

First stop, Dato Sagor Road. I remembered i had my lunch around this place before i start my walking. This place consider as center of the oldtown. Surrounded by a lots of tall buidlings, old and new.

di Mixture and different of architecture of the place won my fisrt glance as i am an architecture lover. Turned into backlane of those shop lots and discoverd the shapes they used for buidlings. For me the buildings tells time flies by itself. As you can see from the photo series from the left there are Islamic buidling, British buidling, and normal building that you can see wherever you are in Malaysia. It recorded the colonization period of Ipoh.

“The sudden change of ambiance in a street within the space of a few meters; the evident division of a city into zones of distinct psychic atmospheres; the path of least resistance which is automatically followed in aimless strolls (and which has no relation to the physical contour of the ground); the appealing or repelling character of certain places–all this seems to be neglected.” Debord, Introduction to a Critique of Urban Geography

WHAT IS IN YOUR EYES DURING THE WANDER?

I saw some rock pieces on my right side. I walked right. I walked into another street that i never been.There are several impressive historical buildings from the British Colonial era such as the Railway Station, the Town Hall and the Court House.

But i was attracted by green here. I saw colourful things stand out from all those white colour historical buildings.

“There’s a difference between knowing the Path and walking the Path.” The Matrix.Critique of Urban Geography.

WHAT MAKES YOU PRESS DOWN THE CAMERA BUTTON ?

T

he impact of architecture. People in Malaysia loves colours. They applied colour to buildings everywhere. Sometimes even can tell what is the races of the ownder based on the colour scheme they used since Malaysia is a multi-races country. Chinese favourite colour is red, Malay favourite colour is green and Indian is purple or pink.

I would love to recorded how is the city formed by this interesting way.

“One or more persons committed to the derive abandon, for an undefined period of time, the motives generally admitted for action and movement, their relations, their labor and leisure activities, abandoning themselves to the attractions of the terrain and the encounters proper to it.� McDonough, “Situationist Space.

WHAT IS IN YOUR EYES DURING THE WANDER?

Illegal parking is everywhere in Malaysia, no matter which states. There are rules to follow and people who follow rules in a good country. Obviously Malaysia is working out on it.As myself is a driver, i know how important is to follow the rules on the roadway. You can just accidently or unpurposely harm others but you will never know.

And the first photo on the left side it actually brings out a rude message among chinese. It is unrespectful to sleeping or resting in front of a place where we normally pray. So i find it interesting why the family allowed their cat to do that.

“The sudden change of ambiance in a street within the space of a few meters; the evident division of a city into zones of distinct psychic atmospheres; the path of least resistance which is automatically followed in aimless strolls (and which has no relation to the physical contour of the ground); the appealing or repelling character of certain places–all this seems to be neglected.” Debord, Introduction to a Critique of Urban Geography

WHAT IS IN YOUR EYES DURING THE WANDER?

T

he sudden change of a ambience . I walked into a area which filled up by secondary school and some offices. The most interesting within this area i think it would be some few words wrote on the wall outside the secondary school. Male prostitute wanted, please call 016-541 2285. I feel shameful to look at this while i was walking along the streets.Somemore this wrote on the wall outside a school? I can’t imagine what is the student responds and react when they see this.

Another issue around this place is building maintainance. Just like the roof of link bridges for school use and also the columns tiles started to peel off in main entrance for the school.

It shows that how people dont appreciate buildings.

MAPPING WEIRD STUFF - 6TH ST

“The production of psychogeographic maps, or even the introduction of alterations such as more or less arbitrarily transposing maps of two different regions, can contribute to … complete insubordination of habitual influences. A friend recently told me that he had just wandered through the Harz region of Germany while blindly following the directions of a map of London.” Debord, Introduction to a Critique of Urban Geography

TOP - SULTAN IDRIS SHAH ROAD

WHAT IS IN YOUR EYES DURING THE WANDER?

Old is gold, old is new. This stop recall my childhood memories. I saw old things like the colourful soda tray. I used to see it everyday because my old neighbour is a owner of a convenience store. Besides that, i saw also the old school style exhausted fan. I really wonder since when they use it or is it still functioning. I felt childhood in this specific streets.

MAPPING WEIRD STUFF - 7TH

“One or more persons committed to the derive abandon, for an undefined period of time, the motives generally admitted for action and movement, their relations, their labor and leisure activities, abandoning themselves to the attractions of the terrain and the encounters proper to it.” McDonough, “Situationist Space.”Critique of Urban Geography

STOP - BANDAR TIMAH ROAD

WHAT IS IN YOUR EYES DURING THE WANDER?

I turned into the street by following an arrow under a big tree. I saw a lot of non-local people gather there and some of them are working there. No matter old shouses or new buildings, places filled up non-local people like Blangdesh and Myanmar.

MAPPING WEIRD STUFF - 8T

“To derive was to notice the way in which certain areas, streets, or buildings resonate with states of mind, inclinations, and desires, and to seek out reasons for movement other than those for which an environment was designed.� Sadie Plant, The Most Radical Gesture.

TH STOP - LAXAMANA ROAD

COINCIDENCE

W

hy no three? I realized after i checked my camera photos on spot. I decided to walk to 3 o’clock direction after this. I am really in love with this kind of way to explore a place or a city even a small town, Nature led you to more things, at least i believed.

MAPPING WEIRD STUFF - 9TH ST

“The unities of ambiance appeared on the map as fragments of commercial street maps carefully cut out to indicate each unity’s defenses and exits. The psychogeographic slopes were symbolized by red arrows indicating the forces the city exerted on drifters freed from other motivations for moving: drifters would be pulled in the direction of the arrows from one unity of ambiance to another. The weight, shape, and patterning of the arrows indicated the lengths and psy strengths of the psychogeographic slopes.” Wood “Lynch Debord.“

TOP - DATUK ONN JAAFAR ROAD

EXPRESSIONS OF COLOUR

Almost the end of my trip, still, i don’t know where am I. Surrounded by colourful wall,

awful yet artistic paint and sketch on wall. I guess a place where the local designers gather?

They designed their own furniture and bar, very impressing place.

They inspired me of designer shouldn’t focus only on their own proffesional but also design their own life, sketch their life.

MAPPING OF OLDTO

A

collage of buildings in Ipoh Oldtown, Malaysia where a place comprises different styles, cultures, and influences of architecture around the world. The architectural influences of Ipoh Oldtown mostly is from the colonization period. It surprised me when i was wandering in the town because i found out that how many little things i missed even i used to visit this place several times a year. Especially the buildings, i started to redefine this place after this drifting.

OWN ARCHITECTURE

MAPPING OF TIME

Outline was traced out from the previous collage. It represents the timeline of Ipoh

Oldtown, Malaysia. The line-work intergrated the transformation of local architecture from different ages. Apart from that, the photo series that I captured from the impromptu field trip in the town tell different stories from the past. For instance, Ipoh was colonized by Dutch, British and Japan. The blending of these colonial consequences reflects on the local buildings in this area.

E - HAND SKETCH

I decided to use repetation and curvy lines to conclude my 1st time of psychogeography

practice. Why repetation and curvy lines? Fisrtly, i found out there are big trees cut down along the streets in Ipoh Oldtown. No one cares and nobody mentioned. I kept looking and take photo of those tree trunks. Walked around it and something just clicked me! Those prints on the section of the tree trunks recoreded time, with curvy lines and repetation of the shape of the trunks.

Same goes to architecture, it change by time. There are star achitecture in the world but they are also architects with no buildings build up in their whole life.Architecture should be all appreciated. Ipoh is a place which comprises differenct architecture influence around the world. So that i applied the trunk prints method into the outline from the collage to remember or ‘map’ the memories and time of architecture of Ipoh Oldtown.

ABOUT CLAY | ABOUT PLAY

POTTERY SERIES

DREAMING IN CREAMY CLAY

MADE BY VINCE CHOI & PHOTOGRAPHYS BY VINCE CHOI

POTTERY SERIES

THE BAMBOO MAKER

MADE BY VINCE CHOI & PHOTOGRAPHYS BY VINCE CHOI

POTTERY SERIES

LIVING WITH A FEW OF RANDOM

MADE BY VINCE CHOI & PHOTOGRAPHYS BY VINCE CHOI

ABOUT BAKE | ABOUT FOOD

THE HOME C

CONCEPT - FOOD

THE TABLE.

Everyone know i’m in love with cooking and bakery.

This breakfast happened in the early morning of a normal working day. Architects and graphic designers gathered to share about little things of life, share about inspiration. Start a working day or normal day in such a lovely morning breakfast, why not?!

So i believed designers always love to design things but most of them time only focus on their own professional. But for a better lifesstyle, we should design our own life too.

THE HOME C

CONCEPT - FOOD

LIVING FOR ONE : VITAMIN LIFE

I was medical leave that day. I was thinking i should do something rather than just lay on bed and do nothing. So I texted my colleagues again for invinting them for lunch at my place.

Thinking of prepare something tasty but also with vitamin. So i prepared fresh juices, fruits and also some salads. Hopes the lunch heals people busy days.

THE HOME C

CONCEPT - FOOD

BERRIES OVERLOAD

It was a cake for my boss’s birthday. She is a german and migrated to Malaysia more than 20 years. She and her husband own an architect firm in Malaysia.

She told me that she love berries. So i prepared this giant cake for her and also the office during the birthday celebration. I’m happy that eveyone love the cake.

“You should go and open a bakery or a cake shop.” Says by a Spanish colleague. I’m still going to chase my architecture dream before i own a shop. But i’m hoping i will own a shop beside my atchitecture career, in someday in the future. I answered.

THE HOME C

CONCEPT - FOOD