visualized to fit in the very heart of the building, rexkl’s latest proposal repurpose an elevated space for a concept bookstore, occupying voids on the 2nd and 3rd level; and co-working spaces including new platforms for offices of several architecture and design firms : mentahmatter, ideaworkshop and rexkl sdn. bhd. on the said floors. the design approach of this project is to create open spaces that avoid spatial confinement as much as possible with a sense of exploration for the bookstore + cafe, while still being able to preserve privacy for the offices and co-working spaces. this project proposal requires the understanding of the spatial experience intended for the bookstore and office through 3d modelling, therefore a simple artist rendition of the spaces to be produced before presented to the client. layout of spaces is planned initially in cad by incorporating rough footprint spaces into the existing cad layout of the building, before erecting the masses and incorporating the company’s custom furniture into said spaces. due to the nature of the company’s working style, a simple sketchup render and basic schematic layout is only required.
site photos and initial 3d rendition
bookstore + vertical cafe
co-working space
proposed spaces mezzanine (platform) office
ground (level 2) floor layout scale n/a
mezzanine (level 2-3) floor layout scale n/a
perspectives
ground floor spaces
perspectives
mezzanine spaces
perspectives
concept bookstore
perspectives
furniture + bookstore cafe
isometric layout
isometric layout
the project is a mixed development architecture, consisting of commercial lots, sohos, low cost residentials, f&bs, medical, hospitality and a recreational park on a proposed site in mainland penang. the site is sandwiched between the perai river and the north-south expressway, proving to be a challenging design for such uninviting location. currently, the project is under the schematic design phase. tasked to handle the schematic design phase of this proposal, this assignment is divided into two subprojects - pre-massing/post-massing, and a facade design scheme. the first project is rather simple but often times require amendments after every meeting with clients, while the latter is rather interesting but time consuming due to the much needed research and feedbacks from supervisors. prior to the two subprojects, research tasks of the project’s site analysis and precedents for building typologies were carried out to further justify the proposals. [note there is a 3rd sub-project that falls under this main proposal, only to be assigned after a late confirmation by the clientele, which is the the following project proposal of landscape design]
land ownership
ingress-egress
site, location & key
parcel demarcation
site & vicinity
zoning
building layout
layout scheme 01
layout scheme 02
semi-detached shoplot a new design approach to modern retail, where leasing of space are sold through each floor of each unit.
street retail
also a rather modern approach to commercial-retail, where rows of shoplots exploit boulevards and shaded canopy walks as part of the retail experience for customers.
strata shoplots
exploring other alternatives to incorporate modern design into strata-titled shoplots.
waterfront
a precedent required for the concept proposal of riverfront retail/commercial at ampang jajar. from left to right: desa parkcity waterfront retail, silverlakes kinta brand village outlet, gamuda gardens.
townhouse precedents for modern townhouse proposal at ampang jajar.
y dar oun b e sit
p r o p o s a l
T S
0 1 A
basic site massing ampang jajar mixed development
ry nda bou e t si
p r o p o s a l
this pilot task of the rpoject requires basic massing of building typologies to be erected on site, then to be presented to clients and involved consultants. massing on site is to be built from scratch with the provided approved bp plan. at this phase, buildings do not contain any detailing nor design language, instead colour indication is provided to demarcate each parcel of land lot.
S
T S
0 2 A
as the project was currently handled by previous interns and left on hold till recently, only the cad drawings were complete - where the lack of 3d is not enough for presentations during meetings. upon receiving the task. the 3d massing assignment was provided with two new schematic layouts to be proposed to clientele, showcasing the approximate building layout and its coverage on site. hence, the not required detailing of the massing has made the exercise a much simple execution within 1-2 days, but with constant amendments applied to suit updated scheme as mentioned before.
high rise residential
mid rise residential
high rise commercial
medical
retail apartment
affordable resdidential
hospitality
commercial
massing components
exploded isometric
facade | form
ampang jajar mixed development
with the massing proposal completed, the next phase was to provide a design language for the buildings of the mixed development. to begin of with, buildings of less than 5 storeys were decided to be the prototype of facade treatment and form features proposal - in which this case, the 3 storey commercial lots and 3.5 storey semi-detached retail lots. as mentioned that the site proves to be a challenging situation where the intention was to attract visitors and drivers’ attention from the north-south highway, this design proposal is also about producing an intriguing form that can be applied into the shoplot design - due to the fact the retail and commercial lots are closely located to the main ingress/egress. a massive, curvilinear roof form was thus a solution by incorporating in onto the row of commercial lots, while a more subtle yet clean design for the semi-detached units that speak a sense of class and modern approach for the higher end properties. a common similarity of both typical shoplots and semi-detached retails is the use of a minimal yet contrasting colour scheme, which is further accentuated with dominant facade treatment and geometrical features.
shoplot typology 3-storey 22’x70’ typical shoplot commercial
3-storey 22’x70’ corner shoplot commercial
3.5-storey 26’x60’ semi-d lot retail
frontage
rear isometric corner shoplot
isometric semi-d lot
elevation typical shoplot
elevation semi-d lot
model unit perspective
typical unit
corner unit
semi-detached unit
shoplot canopy
isometric, section & elevation
perspectives
brainstorm sketches
following the mixed development project, a certain amount of land was reserved for a cycling park-cum-riverfront the project is a mixed development architecture, consisting of commercial lots, sohos, low cost residentials, f&bs, medical, hospitality and a recreational park on a proposed site in mainland penang. the site is sandwiched between the perai river and the north-south expressway, proving to be a challenging design for such uninviting location. currently, the project is under the schematic design phase.
with the transition of building design to landscape scheme proposal, a lot of research and precedents were required to understand the spatial quality of erecting parks that suit the targeted community of users. However, not a very dertailed research that included tree types due to the fact this proposal was suppose to only be an artist’s imppression.
an artistic impression of the curvilinear park layout as part of ampang jajar mixed development.
recreation-attraction excess rainwater mixed development drainage surface water
retention lake as advised by supervisor following the certain by-laws, the coverage of water body shall not excedd 25 % of the total area of land parcel. in addition of that, the area required for parking spaces have not been certain, nevertheless an approximate 10% of the space is also allocated,situated at both ends of the park for conveninent ingress /egress.
interactive landscape | jogging/strolling | cycling
programme integration through understanding of zoning public zone
programme zoning while designing routes and hardscapes of the park layout, an important aspect that was always to be concerned was the programme that responds to the nearby context.
residential focus
main public zones, such as the main pavilion, parking spaces and gazebo zone are placed closer to the central zone and parallel ends of the park as that is where the main circulation and vista is located at. a bigger portion of water body further accentuate the main plaza of the park. while at the vicinity of the residential zones, less interactive spaces and smaller bodies creates a more subtle and less eye-catching. an exception for playgrounds to be placed at the said area (partly shared facility of the residential property) to cater the needs of those residing at
low-cost high rise residential
layout sketch
curvilinear approach the idea behind invoking a sense of organic design within the elements of the park was to break the rigidity of the linear boundary and layout of the riverfront. folowing that, the incorporation of circular semi-shaded pavilions, bridges and custom landscape contours defines the park’s identity, depicting the site’s existing synergy, continuous flow and limitless boundary of exploring the park. the jogging route and cycling track runs along the outline of the park’s water body, which was designed seemingly that creates an experience of “motion above water surface” when seen from the opposing side of the park. at the same time, the presence of large water body(not exceeding allowance) serves as a visual enhancement for nearby programmes such as commercial lots, high rises and retail avenues.
residential soho retail
interactive hardscape while the park was targeted for avid cyclists and active visitors from nearby residences, a design strategy of building hardscapes in a “playful� manner was to get people to explore the pocket spaces of the park while enjoying the lush surrounding. bridges are built on top of garden and water bodies are connected to the main grounds of the park through islands to allow conveninece of ciculation and unique space for recreation, designed for adventurous visitors. the raised contours and sunken plazas aid in building an interesting profile of the park’s elevation, while islands and installations invites visitors to interact with the props and .besides typical playgrounds and rest huts located around the park, the riverside is built with a retaining wall that serves as a strolling walkway for visitors to enjoy the scenery of along the perai river.
curvilinear lake layout
gazebo-pathway-island view
park profile variation
the curvilinear layout not only influences the cycling route and jogging track of the park, it also brings a certain identity to the supporting elements such as the built-in structures and brdidges that adapt to the organic style. the idea was to break the paradigm of linear design that has often seen parallel lines rather than curvature characters.
semi-shaded pavilion
overheard ring bridge
bridge-island view
instead of only creating slopes and terrain hardscapes on typical ground, islands are introduced onto the streams that invites park visitorsto explore the spaces beyond conventional exploration, while making use of spaces that can be potentially improvise the water retention area limit, besides building new landscape topographies.
playground-island view
riverfront esplanade
main pavilion
esplanades and pavilions serve as important spaces in enhancing landscapes and provide a certain space for housing activites of the communities. in this project, the esplanade forms the barrier between the riverside and park to prevent erosion, while the pavilion plays an important role as a public node as the main entrance is situated at the central location of this park.
park’s facilities
“motion above water”
interactive installation park
when designing the park, essential facilities such as seating, lighting and shelter huts are placed at every certain interval to accommodate the public’s convenience. installations on the other hand serve as an alternative to typical playgrounds, inviting curious visitors to interact with a variety of intriguing structures and art sculptures.
aata has been renowned for one of their award-winning project, a concept house built using recycled shippinhg containers. clientele has been interested and hence the company has plans to further change the paradigm of living in modern compact housing. this proposal is currently in schematic design phase, with plans of building a cluster of integrated living container homes beginning with the first phase of land plot acquired. with compact living design in mind, this project kicks off with crutial spatial planning and efficient yet convenient construction basis, drafted out in cad. to further understand the spatial experiece of the layout, the cad layout is then translated into a basic schematic model. precedents of container homes are well derived from the company’s previous success while modular components for a container home, including washrooms and facade treatment have been sought after through several meetings between supervisors and suppliers. at this phase, emphasis of the layout and spatial integration to form shared living space is priority. [ note that interior perspectives are not built out due to the fact the project is later put on hold by the client, for further budget revisions. ]
phase 2
phase 1
future development
phases of container homes planned to acquire based on ongoing schematic design
container homes : future of modern compact living?
compact living
cluster form the proposal of container homes are divided into a few phases, where each phase represents a cluster of containers demarcated by a certain area of land parcel. the reason of such cluster formation is due to the proposal’s aim of building low-cost living houses; where living spaces including the kitchen and dining lounge are to be shared among other dwellers of these compact homes which further reduce construction costs.
integrated commune living through stack/cluster arrangement of container homes
typical residential neighbourhood
site context
40‘ container 2.4m (w) x 6.1m (l) x 2.6m (h)
20‘ container 2.4m (w) x 12.2m (l) x 2.6m (h)
container dimensions
combined container section
typical container section
located at kayu ara district, this relatively small vicinity north of petaling jaya is growing with the presence of new developments coming into this sleepy village. that being said, the site to house these compact homes are located within a quiet housing neighbourhood, with the idea of targetting small modern families to embrace a new concept of compact living through container homes - as owning homes and properties these days costs are higher than ever.
public/shared spaces at ground level
outdoor seating for container home
common workspace / open lounge
in addition of giving cluster container homes a sense of form and shorter construction time, the method of stacking creates additional spaces below that can be utilised for other uses, including storage and resting spaces. the intention of space zoning is indirectly achieved when also stacking these units, where public/shared spaces are at ground level while private living are directly above.
private living at level above
shared wet kitchen at ground level
facade treatment and opening design
an often neglected challenge in designing container homes is providing the users a sense of spaciousness within such compact living conditions. openings, furniture arrangement and container combinations are a few aspects that has to be taken into great consideration to allow dwellers still be able to enjoy movement within spaces without feeling restricted, while embracing natural elements such as daylight and ventilation.
schematic layout proposal
ground floor layout scale n/a
first floor layout scale n/a
as part of the bigger vision of introducing a new masterplan in hulu langat, the meditation centre would serve as a retreat space for visitors to appreciate and enjoy the scenic setting. this design exercise-cum-proposal also aims to promote the importance of mental health and lifestyle through meditation, at the same introducing a new conceptual use of space that attracts locals and visitors to the lush greenscapes of outskirts tekali area. taking precedence once again from the use of container as building blocks, the proposal is targeted to have 3 important aspects ; green design, lightweight construction and context-responsive. with all the design strategies ad direction laid out, spatial planning of adapting a smaller footprint on site allows spaces to exploit the conditions of the interesting geographical location. contradicting the nature of site, the layout of the building is designed in a linear and symmetrical form which creates a sense of statement on site, while the building volumes are penetrated with voids and open spaces to create spatial experiences of being connected to the existing surrounding. this retreat centre also supposingly serves as one of the focal point for the container eco resorts, homestays and concept art gallery around the large coverage of the masterplan. at this stage of the proposal, constant revisions of design were carried out to ensure the proposal works coherently with the eco resort schematic designs carried out by other teammates.
precedent studies dramatic void for scenic meditation
meditation pavilion
tradtional & elegant design
the deck house
voids for skylight
women’s dormitory & meditation building
concept sketches & diagrams
tekali, hulu langat
site conditions
tekali meditation & retreat centre : the above image is the finalised schematic design after several revisions, adopting a more straightforward yet construction-efficient design approach before further developed.
subtle design
symmetrical-asymmetrical although the current mass and form have actually deviated a lot from my initial proposal, this design approach is able to understand and responsd critically to its surrounding context, while preserving subtle characteristics and building features that reflects the sole purpose of this building.
feature : roof
the introduction of extensive roof awnings creates a longer span of shading that is useful during the afternoon, and portrays a sense of hierarchy of building of spaces as that is also the main roof that shelters the main programme-meditation hall.
large projection
building’s wings the ‘wings’ of the building protrudes outward from the main wall and forms an extension of space, which can either be used for circulation or to form extra functional rooms. this extension also naturally bring great views and ventilation as openings now face outwards to its surroundings. wings, if built correctly can also serve as detachable compartments that can be easily rearranged to form other spaces.
eco-resort proposal
duplex 20’ container resort tekali masterplan
meditation-retreat centre
after 2 weeks of revisions, the above image is the developed schematic design based on the previous form, with every spaces refined, reconfigured or replaced with a better component e.g. large extensive roof that now covers both wings instead ofseparated. “floating roof”
concept
malay traditional house the revised building form takes precedent from traditional malay houses : tall roof structures, stilts, large openings and screens for dividing spaces, shading and efficient ventilation across the building. the building itself has its very own ‘anjung’, a porch used for reception before entering the main spaces of the building which can be found widely in typical traditional malay houses. containers on the other serve as rooms for educational programmes, private meditation and also accommodation.
datum | axis | orientation
the building has established a strnog sense of datum and axis through its corridors and symmetry layout. its roof is also positioned directly facing north to maximise the solar intake as it relies majority of electrical usage from harvested solar energy.
private
public
zoning
40‘ container 20‘ container
aluminium frame
timber clad
components after reviewing my proposal with the principal of this project, we finally agreed that the building will be built with containers serving as main spaces, steel and aluminium frames to form walls and columns, timber as cladding and flooring, and concrete as the main of the ground floor. the high usage of containers also portray a similar theme to the eco-resort design, while construction can be done quicker. zoning, on the other hand is demarcated well with corridors serving as buffer space between different areas.
anjung
side classroom seen from main meditation hall
floating classroom
open layout
a spatial strategy of creating spaces that achieves high volumes, floating and also open - minimal walls, foldable/sliding doors replace partitions to allow versatility and space efficiency. columns and stilts balances the horizontal building elements and fabric, while the glass box of the floating classroom creates a sense of lightness of it in the building, and as if the space itself is floating towards the greenery.
a series of openings for fenestration
courtyard in main hall
fenestration
foldable doors of floating classroom
the permeability of this building is priority to ensure an even distribution of cooling without usage of much mechanical cooling. louvered windows, vent blocks and slit screens forms the somewhat facade of this bare building, accentuated with the soft touch of timber cladding. a courtyard is punctuated in the main hall that creates cross ventilation, while tall roofs again decrease transfer rate of heat to spaces.
main corridor to dining hall
courtyard-styled passageway
the open space dining hall
corridor chapter I
the walkways of this architecture play an important role to connect people from spaces to spaces, while serving as a unique space itself. from the anjung, the screens of the corridor creates a sense of calmness as if one is walking within the woods. the small passageway that links the main corridor to the office and toilet is designed in a courtyard setting which enables visitors to feel like the building embraced the nature of the very site it was built on.
first floor ‘wing’ corridor
corridor directly above main corridor of ground floor
the corridor that leads to the open corridor of nature
corridor chapter II
walking from spaces to spaces tend to create/recall certain memories. thus, an important aspect of good circulation allows visitors who come to meditate be able to recollect calm thoughts and embrace new memories when isolated into open spaces of nature. the building itself is portrayed to be one large corridor of connecting people throughout the open layout of the building, functioning as a medium for rejuvenating the mind before continue meditating with calm thoughts.
schematic layout
ground floor layout scale n/a
first floor layout scale n/a
exploded isometric
front elevation scale n/a
rear elevation scale n/a
right elevation scale n/a
left elevation scale n/a
section x-x scale n/a
section y-y scale n/a
atelier alan teh architect renowned for emerging as one of malaysia’s top leading architects, it was a great opportunity to be able to work under his firm, together of passionate and enthusiastic team of designers. “atelier alan teh architect (aata) is studio-orientated, emphasising design, research and architectural discourse in line with commercial viability. atelier art space and gallery however, allows teh to collaborate with artists and art communities. moreover, aata’s univ360 sofo Suites received awards at pam awards 2016, starproperty awards 2017 and malaysia landscape architecture awards 2017.”
mentah matter design a young yet adventurous firm, project works from this company has shown me a different yet intriguing point of view on architecture. it was a great experience to be able to handle one of their projects and learn the most about it in just within a month. “we are multi discipline design firm; we appreciate architecture, space, green, art and humanity; as unify, as basic approach, as mentahmatter” http://www.mentahmatter.com/index.html