The Sacred Act of Eating, Y3S2 (Design Journal)

THE SACRED ACT OF EATING

DESIGN 6: SYSTEMS, COMPREHENSIVENESS, INTEGRATION UNIT 3: ELEMENTAL SYSTEMS DESIGN JOURNAL

DESIGN WORKFLOW:

PART ONE: MARKET STUDY

Market Operations and Organization

Unique Moments (Key Space Identifiers)

PART TWO: SPATIAL STUDY

Truth of Tectonic Elements

Dare Models (Light, Sound, Ventilation)

Market Models (Deriving Key Spaces)

PART THREE: SITE ANALYSIS

General Site Context

Identifying Site Key Spaces

PART FOUR: SPACE AND PROGRAM

Deriving key spaces and program

Programmatic Allocation (Conceptual)

PART FIVE: ARCHITECTURAL TECTONICS

Light and Ventilation Considerations

Designing Core Structure

Material Considerations

PART ONE: MARKET STUDY

CHINATOWN COMPLEX

CHINATOWN COMPLEX: MARKET ANALYSIS

YANG YUJIE ZHANG YUAN

ANALYSIS

HISTORY

Lack of main dishwashing station, stall ownders had to find own space to wash --> takes up corridor space.

1. Limited stall space, owners have to use nearby tables to prepare food.

2. Space taken up makes it more crowded and narrow for passerbys.

UNIQUE MOMENTS:

Pedestrian axis brings in the street market experience inside. Openness is portrayed by light frame structure with special decorations continued from the outside.

CONSTRAINTS:

OBJECTIVES OF MARKET STUDY:

1. Limited stall space, owners have to use nearby tables to prepare food.

1. To look beyond the visible, understand notions of organization, planning, circulation and site placement for the market studies.

Lack of main dishwashing station, stall ownders had to find own space to wash --> takes up corridor space.

2. Uncover invisible mechanisms taking place at any time of the day - for stall owners to patrons, from cleaners to hawkers.

Well-connected to nearby HDB flat.

SERVICEROUTE W.C. W.C. OVERALL

3. To identify tectonic elements that are perceivable, vital and contribute significantly to the market’s operations.

RETAIL EXPERIENCE:

FROM MARKET STUDY, IDENTIFY THREE PROGRAMMATIC KEY SPACES.

Dawn - 7am: Unload, prepare and set up Market opens Peak Hours Market close Packing up and preparing for next day 7am: 11am-12pm: 2pm: Less people 4pm: Trash Collection

SPIRITUAL SPACES WITHIN: ALTARS

PART TWO:

TECTONIC ELEMENTS AND TRUTHS

- Assigned elements: Wall, Staircase, Window, Floor

- Combination choice: Wall + Stair, Window + Floor

- Research on truths of individual elements.*

- Document in sketch diagrams.

ELEMENTAL PROBES / DARE MODELS

- Apply combination choice into 8m x 8m Dare Model.

- Each combination choice to fulfil performative functions of Light, Sound and Ventilation.

- Models to be volumetric and reflective of Truth research.

- Document in key sections and other drawings.

* Reference: “Archetypes in Architecture” by Thomas Thiss-Evensen

THE WALL

DEFINING ATMOSPHERE, MOVEMENT AND EXPERIENCE WITHIN ITS DIVISIONS

THE STAIRCASE

FRAMING VERTICAL SPACE TO ESTABLISH A SENSE OF PLACE

The wall can be firstly defined as a device that primarily divides or demarcates a space. The wall can direct movements through openings or it serve as a barrier among users. The first few explorations investigate how openings are forged within a single wall that elicit the user’s motion or gaze across the plane.

These sets explore how movement can be directed through the arrangement of the walls. Walls can either be continuous and bent to signal flow and constrain space. Or they can be staggered across for more open and sporadic spaces, while dilineating volumes within. Overall arrangement and composition of the walls will thus depend on the nature of the space and program the user seeks to create.

Beyond serving its functions of ascending and descending, the stairs are pivotal in composing three-dimensional space. Like a vertical line connecting various points in a volume, the stairs aids in orienting and breaking down the scale of the building into conceivable parts. A narrow stairs, constrained in a thinner volume, can easily propel forward motion. While broader stairs within a larger volume invite the user to pause her passage and appreciate its surroundings.

A staircase can be broken down into stair, railings and landings. As the stair guides motion, the landing becomes a stopping point for rest and the railing provides anchor and support. Views and perspectives can be offered across landings, creating a more desirable passage. Stairs can be further expanded as a series of stacked terraces offering platforms for human activity and placemaking within. Unequivocally shared among others, the stairs can form sites for social performance.

Loosely Enclosed Partially Enclosed

Fully Enclosed

Different levels of enclosure are created as multiple walls join one another. Depending on the context and the user, levels of enclosure can allow a space to be perceived differently. A fully enclosed wall, though constraining in nature, can serve to protect the individuals within, ensuring privacy. The fully enclosed a wall can also create a new domain that liberates the user from the chaotic surroundings.

The wall can also be read as a vertidal surface that folds and modulates to further demarcate habitable spaces. More continuous and joined walls can invite a sense of journey and passage through the space, while their various folds and bents can offer points of contemplation.

Implementing solid railings along the stairs situates the user within the volumetric matrix of the staircase. As railings open up and designed lighter, the user is freed from the boundary of the stairs as she becomes exposed to exterior elements. The design of the railing thus plays a role in the user's experience while circulating.

The nature of the space and program can contribute in how the staircase will be designed and approached. The expression of the stairs thus become critical in communicating the programmatic intention. This can be seen in how the stairs are steeped, sloped and whether they are attached to the floor or independent from it.

THE WINDOW

FRAMING VIEWS AND PROSPECTING WHAT IS SEEN

The window is akin to the eye of a three-dimensional object. Through its opening, the user becomes aware of what lies outside and where she is located inside. The window thus serves as an interface framing the inside and outside. The exterior can be framed by orienting the window with regards to the user’s body. A continuous, horizontal strip provides an expansive view of the landscape, while a vertical window frames the user’s standing body in relation to the exterior.

Read as an aperture, different levels of opacity and transparency can be controlled in a window to portray varying visibility. This can be achieved layering multiple screens of varied materials and texture to shape the user’s perception of what lies outside. The result of this is a pictorial snapshot of what lies outside, which some parts of it may be obscured in the viewer’s eye.

THE FLOOR GUIDING AND LIMITING SPACE THROUGH ITS EXPRESSION

Beyond a planar interface, layers of depth can exist in a window, where it may be protruded or sunken out from the envelope. In the case of a protruded window, the in-between spaces can be designed or assembled with multiple elements to serve the user in terms of light, ventilation and thermal comfort.

Depending on the context, a window can be oriented and distorted from its usual linearity to capture desirable views and conditions from the exterior to the interior. The user is thus able to prospect these attributes and be exposed to the exterior conditions unfolding within the interior.

A floor can be broken down into two layers - surface and mass. The surface above serves as the actual plane for the user to walk and a part guiding movement. While the mass below is firm and solid, where it can provide an overall feeling of security. Qualities of mass can be expressed through how its weight, motion (rise and sink) and its own constituent substance. The surface above is thus affected by how the mass is expressed.

The floor firstly provides directional qualities, where its form emphasizes certain motions and connect one place to another. Slopes, steps and landings can frame and guide movement along the floor. Movements on a floor can be registered within the space and outside the space either as a path or as a surface.

The floor also offers delimiting qualities in how the user is centralized and contained in a position. A small portion may be separated from the floor by rising, sinking or have the portion accented differently from the rest if lying on the same level. The result of this is a demarcation of a significant space within the boundary.

Expression of weight and substance plays a role in how the entire floor is supported. Besides the usual floor firmly attached to the ground, the floor can respond differently from the ground by either being detached, sunken or layered in various operations. These expressions implicate the sense of security one feels when anchored onto the floor.

DARE MODEL ITERATIONS

KEY DARE MODELS:

TECTONIC PROBES (DARE)

TECTONIC PROBES (DARE)

TECTONIC PROBES (DARE)

YANG YUJIE A0225619B

YANG YUJIE A0225619B

PROBE 1: WINDOW + FLOOR (LIGHT)

PROBE 1: WINDOW + FLOOR (LIGHT)

PROBE 1: WINDOW + FLOOR (LIGHT)

VARYING LIGHT APERTURES (SPATIAL CONNECTIONS)

VARYING LIGHT APERTURES (SPATIAL CONNECTIONS)

VARYING LIGHT APERTURES (SPATIAL CONNECTIONS)

PROBE 2: WALL + STAIRS (SOUND)

PROBE 2: WALL + STAIRS (SOUND)

YANG YUJIE A0225619B

VARYING LIGHT APERTURES (SPATIAL CONNECTIONS)

PROBE 2: WALL + STAIRS (SOUND)

PROBE 2: WALL + STAIRS (SOUND)

PROBE 2: WALL + STAIRS (SOUND)

Oblique volumes are carved to create interesting geometrical result, where leftover spaces serve as additional social spaces.

CONTRASTING SOUNDS (PUBLIC AND PRIVATE)

CONTRASTING SOUNDS (PUBLIC AND PRIVATE)

CONTRASTING SOUNDS (PUBLIC AND PRIVATE)

PROBE 3: WALL + STAIRS (VENTILATION)

PROBE 3: WALL + STAIRS (VENTILATION)

A void is placed at the centre to create a central lightwell where light penetrates through the overall volume and at the same time facilitates vertical connections.

Horizontal slits of varying sizes are also carved out for lateral connections and light. There is thus an interplay of vertical and horizontal lights illuminating the overall micro design.

CONTRASTING SOUNDS (PUBLIC AND PRIVATE)

PROBE 3: WALL + STAIRS (VENTILATION)

EFFECT (VISUAL POROSITY)

A volume is carved to create a main courtyard, where there is graduation in the two opposing volumes. The courtyard will become a main public space, framed by central steps and terraces, where this space spatially wraps and connects around the courtyard.

These spaces will be contrasted by a side stairwell, where additional volume is added on top to create a transitional quiet space. The room beside the terraced platform will also be a more private space through concealment by the wall.

Central

Central Lightwell Horizontal slits

Central Lightwell Horizontal slits Excavated Space

CONTRASTING SOUNDS (PUBLIC AND PRIVATE)

PROBE 3: WALL + STAIRS (VENTILATION)

PROBE 3: WALL + STAIRS (VENTILATION)

STACKED VENTILATION EFFECT (VISUAL POROSITY)

STACKED VENTILATION EFFECT (VISUAL POROSITY) Staggered

A volume is carved to create a staggered void, where air will be ventilated via a stack ventilation effect. The leftover space is then transformed into a courtyard.

Further volumes are subtracted to form circulation spaces surrounding the courtyard. As the volumes wrap around the void, vertical connections are enhanced by the surrounding circulation spaces.

STACKED VENTILATION EFFECT (VISUAL POROSITY)

PROGRAM:

KEY SPACES (FROM MARKET STUDY)

- Interested in prayer spaces and how they can impact the layout of food centre and market (spaces organized around prayer and ritual)

- Food stall as another space for communal food serving instead of traditional mode of purchase

- Courtyard as another space for ad-hoc social activities.

MARKET MODELS

- Translation of key spaces into 8m x 8m models

- To be done by combinations / modifications to Dare Models.

- Document in sketch drawings.

MARKET MODEL 1

“PRAY, GRAB AND GO” - DARE MODEL 3.2 & 4.2

KEY SPACE 1: THRESHOLD BETWEEN FOOD STALL AND VISITOR

MARKET MODEL 2

“PRAY, SHOP AND SING” - DARE MODEL 2.2 & 5.2

KEY SPACE 2: GROCERY SPACE WITH COURTYARD FOR RITUALS AND CEREMONIES

-Reimagining convention food stalls transformed to community food servers where food is served similar to meal services after worship in churches or temples.

-Food serving transformed into a social ritual instead of simply being an economic transaction.

-Allocation of stall to include a deity to bless the visitor as they get the food and prepare to commence their meal.

-A key void/courtyard for performance rituals with a surrounding grocery space/retail upstairs

-Visitors shopping experience enhanced by an eclectic mix of activities taking place down the void.

-Void / courtyard serves as an opportunity and a legitimate platform for these ritualistic performances to be exhibited to the public eye, together with a shrine space

1.Stairway to stall; 2. Kitchen; 3. Ticket Kiosk for food collection; 4. Communal Meal Service Area; 5. Deity Shrine

Market;

Shrine Space;

Worship Courtyard; 4. Supplies Storage

MARKET MODEL 3

“PRAY,

REFINED MODELS:

This key space incorporates both light and ventilation properties. The open cavity created in the key ventilation probe is translated into the oblique geometry in the light probe. The result of this is a creation of a compositional void combining the oblique and the rectilinear.

An overall visual porosity is evoked around the void where dining and serving areas coexist. While vertical connections are facilitated by the second level that is wrapped around the void.

REST AND RECHARGE” - DARE MODEL 1.2 & 4.2

-A safe refuge space within the secular food market for those who need it.

-More private space with praying hall and offices run by religious associations and merchants.

-Workshop spaces upstairs for community activities like baking, calligraphy, gardening workshops and many more. Encouraging residential or inter-generational bonding.

KEY SPACE 3: REFUGE AREA FOR PRAYER, COMMUNITY CLUBS AND OFFICES

The diagonal geometry is transformed into a lightwell, where the leftover spaces from the geometry are manipulated to craft public (workshop) and private (prayer) spaces.

The geometry of the void creates opportunities for two contrasting axes (rectilinear and oblique) to direct the workshop and prayer circulations respectively, where they will meet along the central lightwell as a shared space. Volumes are sunken down at one side to craft more public workshop spaces on the upper level, while the taller volumes evoke the internal and quiet nature of the prayer hall.

WALL + STAIR // LIGHT

WINDOW + FLOOR // VENTILATION

WALL + STAIR // SOUND

WINDOW + FLOOR // LIGHT

WALL + STAIR // VENTILATION

FOOD HALL // V.1

WORKSHOP AND PRAYER // V.1

ATRIUM AND COURTYARD

FOOD HALL // V.2 (REFINED)

WORKSHOP AND PRAYER // V.2 (REFINED)

PART THREE: SITE ANALYSIS

LING MARKET AND FOOD CENTRE

DEMOGRAPHICS AND LAND USE:

DEMOGRAPHICS AND LAND USE:

QUEENSTOWN PLANNING SUBZONE: MEI CHIN

MEI LING MARKET AND FOOD CENTRE

Key features include mature and new HDB estates, community clubs, stadium and worship places with well-connected transport network.

Key features include mature and new HDB estates, community clubs, stadium and worship places with well-connected transport network.

IMMEDIATE

SITE ECOSYSTEM

HEIGHTS

INSIDE

INSIDE MEI

MEI LING MARKET

MEI

AND

GUIDING THROUGH MEI LING HEIGHTS KEY SPACES AND ORGANIZATIONAL ELEMENTS

OVERALL

MEI LING MARKET

ROUTES

DEMOGRAPHICS AND LAND USE:

DEMOGRAPHICS AND LAND USE:

AND ORGANIZATIONAL ELEMENTS

PLANNING AREA: QUEENSTOWN

PLANNING SUBZONE:

PLANNING SUBZONE: MEI CHIN

Key features include mature and new HDB estates, community clubs, stadium and worship places with well-connected transport network.

Key features include mature and new HDB estates, community clubs, stadium and worship places with well-connected

MEI LING MARKET AND FOOD CENTRE

MEI LING MARKET AND FOOD CENTRE

(MIXED USE)

(MIXED USE)

TIMELINE AT MEI LING:

ACTIVITY TIMELINE AT MEI LING:

DEMOGRAPHICS AND LAND USE:

ACTIVITY TIMELINE AT MEI LING:

ACTIVITY TIMELINE AT MEI LING:

(MIXED USE)

ACTIVITY TIMELINE AT MEI LING:

ACTIVITY TIMELINE AT MEI LING:

1.

MEI LING MARKET AND FOOD CENTRE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT

QUEENSTOWN PLANNING SUBZONE: MEI CHIN

PLANNING AREA:

PLANNING AREA: QUEENSTOWN PLANNING SUBZONE: MEI CHIN

Key features include mature and new HDB estates, community clubs, stadium and worship places with well-connected transport network.

Key features include mature and new HDB estates, community clubs, stadium and worship places with well-connected transport network.

(MIXED USE)

(MIXED USE)

1. Roof Structure

ROUTES PROGRAM AND SOCIAL SPACES

YANG YUJIE, ZHANG YUAN

YANG YUJIE, ZHANG YUAN

IMMEDIATE CONTEXT

IMMEDIATE CONTEXT

INSIDE MEI LING MARKET

MARKET

INSIDE MEI LING MARKET

YANG

YANG YUJIE, ZHANG YUAN

YUJIE, ZHANG YUAN

SCHEME Extended pavilion from level 1 beside prayer space Columns to hang PEDESTRIAN ROUTES PROGRAM AND SOCIAL SPACES

OVERALL SCHEME Extended pavilion from level 1 beside prayer space Columns to hang

YANG YUJIE, ZHANG YUAN

PLANNING AREA:

PLANNING AREA: QUEENSTOWN PLANNING SUBZONE: MEI CHIN

RELIEF SPACES – Extended Green Spaces from Circulation Areas

RELIEF SPACES – Extended Green Spaces from Circulation Areas

LandscapedGarden along

linkway betweenMei Ling

LandscapedGarden along

Market and Blk 158

linkway betweenMei Ling

Market and Blk 158

SOCIAL LANDSCAPED AREAS CIRCULATION

SOCIAL LANDSCAPED AREAS CIRCULATION

Recreational space (playground) atadjacent landscape areafrom walkway

Recreational space (playground) atadjacent landscape areafrom walkway

RELIEF SPACES – Framing entry to Mei Ling Market

RELIEF SPACES – Framing entry to Mei Ling Market

South entrance with ascending greenery

South entrance with ascending greenery

SOCIAL LANDSCAPED AREAS CIRCULATION

SOCIAL LANDSCAPED AREAS CIRCULATION

North entrance with extended walking deck from staircase and greenery

North entrance with extended walking deck from staircase and greenery

RELIEF SPACES – Within Mei Ling, the Everyday Market

RELIEF SPACES – Within Mei Ling, the Everyday Market

RELIEF SPACES – Within Mei Ling, the Everyday Market

AREAS OF PHYSICAL COMFORT

AREAS OF PHYSICAL COMFORT

AREAS OF PHYSICAL COMFORT

E a s t B a l c o n y : Outdoor Dining with natural light

IN-BETWEEN SOCIAL SPACES

S o u t h B a l c o n y : Central Dining withventilation

E a s t B a l c o n y : Outdoor Dining with natural light

E a s t B a l c o n y : Outdoor Dining with natural light

IN-BETWEEN SOCIAL SPACES

IN-BETWEEN SOCIAL SPACES

Eve n t S p a c e : Internal and immersive with various activities generating sound

S o u t h B a l c o n y : Central Dining withventilation

S o u t h B a l c o n y : Central Dining withventilation

Pr a ye r : Extended social space fromeveryday food market

Eve n t S p a c e : Internal and immersive with various activities generating sound.

Eve n t S p a c e : Internal and immersive with various activities generating sound.

P Pr a ye r : Extended social space fromeveryday food market

Pr a ye r : Extended social space fromeveryday food market

INCORPORATING PRAYER INTO THE SECULAR

INCORPORATING PRAYER INTO THE SECULAR

INCORPORATING PRAYER INTO THE SECULAR

MACRO MICRO

MACRO MICRO

MACRO MICRO

Plan Layout Relief Areas

Plan Layout Relief Areas

Plan Layout Relief Areas

Sectional Distribution

Sectional Distribution

Sectional Distribution

Entry to Prayer Adjacent Pavilion

Entry to Prayer Adjacent Pavilion

Entry to Prayer Adjacent Pavilion

Looking at Singapore’s land planning, there is less priority in land allocation for religious structures “compared to collective secular concerns relating to household, education and health needs of citizenry.”

Reference: Vineeta Sina, “Marking Spaces as ‘sacred’: Infusing Singapore’s Urban Landscape with Sacrality

Entry to Prayer via Connecting Pavilion

Entry to Prayer via Connecting Pavilion

Entry to Prayer via Connecting Pavilion

There is thus more frequent emergence of prayer spaces and altars within the hawker centre, yet these spaces are usually tucked at the rear ends. In the case of Mei Ling, this prayer is crafted from connecting pavilion at external parts of the hawker centre.

COEXISTING WITH MARKET SPACES

PART FOUR: SPACE & PROGRAM

CONCEPT ITERATION #1

INTERCONNECTIVITY OF VOIDS SPATIAL CONNECTIVITY CONTRASTING AXES (OBLIQUE VS LINEAR GEOMETRY)

INTERCONNECTIVITY OF VOIDS SPATIAL CONNECTIVITY CONTRASTING AXES (OBLIQUE VS LINEAR GEOMETRY)

KEY FEATURES FROM MARKET PROBES: 02 SKETCH MASSING

KEY FEATURES FROM MARKET PROBES: 02 SKETCH MASSING

03 PROGRAMMATIC STRATEGY

KEY FEATURES FROM MARKET PROBES:

KEY FEATURES FROM MARKET PROBES:

SPATIAL CONNECTIVITY

INTERCONNECTIVITY OF VOIDS CONTRASTING AXES (OBLIQUE VS LINEAR GEOMETRY)

PROGRAMMATIC STRATEGY

CONTRASTING AXES (OBLIQUE VS LINEAR GEOMETRY) LVL

INTERCONNECTIVITY OF VOIDS SPATIAL CONNECTIVITY CONTRASTING AXES (OBLIQUE VS LINEAR GEOMETRY)

SIGHT

02 SKETCH MASSING

FRESH FOOD

02 SKETCH MASSING

COURTYARD

PRAYER

PEDESTRIAN AXIS

SERVICE AXIS

DINING

COOKED FOOD

PRAYER

VIEWING GALLERY

03

-Movement and Circulation (Pedestrian / Vehicular)

-Sight Lines and Landmarks (Site sections)

-Sun and shadow across different times (Shade)

-Wind Flow (mapping out naturally ventilated spaces)

-Organizational mapping of prayer space (in relation

-

RETAIL

OPEN SHRINE

PRAYER

VIEWING GALLERY

-Terrain Mapping (Hatching terrain heights)

-Movement and Circulation (Pedestrian / Vehicular)

-Sight Lines and Landmarks (Site sections)

-Sun and shadow across different times (Shade)

LVL 3

-Wind Flow (mapping out naturally ventilated spaces)

-

INNER SHRINE

WORKSHOP SERVICE

CIRCULATION

MASSING SECTION BB

MASSING SECTION AA

LVL 2

BUS ROUTE

DINING COOKED FOOD PRAYER VIEWING GALLERY RETAIL

CONCEPT ITERATION #2

CONCEPT ITERATION #3

COMBINATION OF PROBES

COMBINATION OF PROBES

ACCUMULATING VOIDS

ACCUMULATING VOIDS INFORMING PERIPHERAL SPACES

SECTIONAL COMBINATION: SACRED AND SECULAR

SECTIONAL COMBINATION: SACRED AND SECULAR

Food Collection Prayer Areas Waste and Compost

Food Collection Prayer Areas Waste and Compost

SCHEMATIC SECTION

SCHEMATIC SECTION

Social Spaces (Internal)

Food Stalls (Overlook Food Collection below)

Food Stalls (Overlook Food Collection below)

Food Collection (External Facing)

Food Collection (External Facing)

Food Waste and Tray Return (overlook compost below)

Compost Area at Courtyard (Visible from above and sides)

PART FIVE: ARCHITECTURE TECTONICS

REFINING MICRO DESIGN OF KEY SPACES (ITERATION 1)

Sacred / Prayer Core Ventilation / Compost Stack

REFINING MICRO DESIGN OF KEY SPACES:

Locating structural walls at key spaces:

STEPS FROM INTERIM TWO FEEDBACK:

1. To refine hierarchy between relief spaces / in-between spaces. Re-examine relationship between prayer space and spaces like food stalls.

2. To make key spaces more evocative and return back to spatial qualities (light, ventilation, sound), with M&E and structural considerations.

3. To have more deliberate design of relief / in-between spaces within the building.

REFINING SECTIONAL DISTRIBUTION:

TECTONIC STUDY (TIONG GHEE TEMPLE):

Identifying key organizing elements in the temple that are atmospheric and evocative.

Skylight with service space Skylight with public space Truss at service corridor

Skylight with circulation

Pitched roof and ceiling Grand Entrance