AR1102 DESIGN YEAR 1 SEMESTER 2 AY 2016/2017
CHUI YEE CHIN
CIT Y
ARCH IT ECT U RE
MAN
01 02 03
CITY
In this exercise, a site in Clementi West, 500 metres in diameter, was chosen to embody a complete redesign of the neighbourhood’s planning and building morphology. By analysing the site’s initial statistics, a new neighbourhood of exactly the same density yet with improved quality of life was to designed. The goal: to design a residential estate with quality public spaces, instilling a greater sense of community amongst its residents to improve the liveability of the estate.
ARCHITECTURE Through the synthesis of the essence of a house designed by a master architect and the needs of one’s client, a dwelling on a site of 19m by 10m was to be designed. In this exercise, the key characteristics of the Silver Hut designed by Toyo Ito were analysed and informed the form and spatial volume of the dwelling a fashion designer resides in.
MAN
In the words of Walter Benjamin, “The horror that stirs deep in man is an obscure awareness that in him something lives so akin to the animal that it might be recognized”. In this exercise, a garden installation no more than 2m x 2m x 2m inspired by the biblical tale of Adam, Eve and the Serpent was designed.
i t y
CITY
RE-CONNECTING CLEMENTI WEST:
KAMPonG clementi Upon studying precedent case studies, we have established that it is the quality of public spaces which brings about the strong sense of community within a neighbourhood. For example, in a regular block of HDB flats, the public spaces are usually located on the ground floors; residents in high rise HDBs feel a disconnect from these spaces. This is unlike a kampong where social spaces are directly outside houses, which can help to foster community by giving people a shared place to gather and take part in communal activities. A stronger connection between the people and the public spaces is established in the community. Newer residential projects also explore the different opportunities to bring public spaces closer to the residents. For example, Skyville@Dawson segmented blocks into distinct “villages � with 20-50 residential units in each block to allow for greater intimacy and daily interaction with others in a public space. Another example is Sky Habitat, where the public spaces at the ground level were brought up to the intermediate levels or rooftops of the block so residents are closer to these spaces In both the traditional kampongs and new housing estates, residents feel a physical and visual connection with the public spaces that they utilise. The use of such spaces with other residents on a regular basis helps to establish a strong sense of community in the neighbourhood.
Kampong Buangkok
Clementi West
Skyville@Dawson
Sky Habitat
PRECEDENCE STUDIES
CITY
CLEMENTI WEST:
site analysis TOTAL BUILDING VOLUME: 940 300 CUM vIEWS & vENTILATION iNDEX (vv): 0.49 pERCENTAGE OF nORTH- sOUTH FACING UNITS: 60% gREEN AREA COVERAGE OF ENTIRE SITE: 19% The site analysis was broken down into two parts: the area within the 500m diameter and the area surrounding the 500 m diameter. From the site analysis, certain characteristics of the existing Clementi West estate were preserved in the redesigning process. For example, the locations of the commercial areas as they serve the residents who live beyond the 500m diameter. The access to the park connector on the left of the site. The site analysis also highlighted two key issues. Firstly, there was a lack of quality public spaces, and secondly, there was a lack of visual and physical connection to said public spaces. Both issues had to be addressed, and proved to be the key direction for the redesigning process.
LEGEND Commercial Residential with 1st Storey Commercial Residential Green Spaces
PROGRAM
LEGEND LEGEND
1 storey 2 storeys
Green Spaces
12 storeys
Recreational Spaces
25 storeys
Public Plazas
BUILDING HEIGHT
PUBLIC SPACES
LEGEND LEGEND
Residential Residential with 1st Storey Commercial
Lowest Human Density
LEGEND
Commercial
Residential with 1st Storey Commercial
Industrial
Commercial
COMMERCIAL CLUSTER
Institution
Highest Human Density
NODES
SURROUNDING CONTEXT
CITY
building morphology
experimentation process Different modular arrangements were created and ranked according to the area of public space per person it provides, View and Ventilation Index (VVI) and the number of units it can hold. Eventually, the three permuations shaded in grey showed the highest scores. Three different city morphologies were developed through the expansion of the chosen modular arrangements.
CITY
building morphology
experimentation process The morphologies were designed with the site context in mind - larger public spaces at areas with larger nodes and building blocks of lower height at the area near the park connector. The 3 permuations were assessed according to the percentage of buildings in the north-south orientation, area of public space per person and VVI each permuation offered. Eventually, the permutation in the middle was selected.
CITY
kampong clementi
final design In the final design, more cantilevers were added to increase the area of public spaces and to ensure consistency of form with the tower block. Although it is a high density layout, there is a mixture of public spaces both on the ground floor and on the upper floors of the blocks which is more optimal as compared to a low density layout with only a few public spaces on the ground floor. The final design also shows improved figures for the percentage of buildings facing north-south, public space per person and VVI from the existing building morphology in Clementi West.
CITY
kampong clementi
HIERArCHY OF PUBLIC SPACES
Smallest Unit
Block Level
Block Cluster Level
Gardens
Block Cluster Level
A small community is formed by the residents staying in 3 floors.
Each block comprises 36 units on average, similar to the 20-50 units per village in Sky Habitat.
Three blocks comprising of approximately 108 units frame a shared courtyard space.
Gardens are designed such that they are integrated with the existing park connector.
At the largest scale, these big ‘Z’s frame the plaza, which are lined by commercial spaces.
Residents of each block share a common community farm on the rooftop of their block. This helps to foster a sense of ownership of the farm, increasing one’s connection to the public space.
It can be used as a social space for gathering and block-centric community events.
They provide a semi-public space for residents to share with the larger community beyond their cluster, and a place for all to relax in.
The commercial spaces help to draw people to the plaza, and they form the most public area of the site, serving all residents in the site.
They have their own shared space in the form of cantilevered terraces, which are in close proximity to the units they serve. This is similar to how shared spaces are right outside people’s houses in kampongs.
Additionally, the garden blocks are capped at 5 storeys to ensure that the garden and its surrounding area is less monumental and more human scale. Large garden rooftops also open up a possibility of larger scale farming.
kampo ng c le menti
de tai l s
arch i t ec tur e
architecture
understanding topology
quilt house Drawing inspiration from Toyo Ito’s Silver Hut, the Quilt House aims to emulate the defining of spatial volume through its vault-like roofs and its transient nature. The Quilt House subtly defines the spatial volume through inverted roofs of varied sizes and blurs the interior and exterior of the house through the use of light metal chains that wrap the entire house.
qui lt house
architecture
understanding topology
SILVER HUT (1984) TOYO ITO LOCATION: NAKANO WARD, TOKYO, JAPAN SCALE 2 STORIES SITE AREA: 403.46M2 BUILDINGS AREA: 119.99M2 TOTAL FLOOR AREA: 138.81M2
SITE MAP 1:1000
ROOF PLAN 1:200
NORTH ELEVATION 1:50
SOUTH ELEVATION 1:50
PLAN 1:50
SECTION A-A’ 1:50
architecture
understanding topology
SILVER HUT ANALYSIS Unlike conventional houses where spaces are demarcated by walls, spatial volume in the Silver Hut was subtly defined through the use of vault-shaped roofs. The vaults in each room vary in size, with more intimate rooms designed with smaller vaults while larger, more public areas such as the living room were designed with larger vaults.
living room
tatami room
studio
The presence of skylights on some of the roofs provide another layer of differentiation between the rooms. By controlling the amount of light entering a space, the atmosphere of the room changes from a reflective area (Tatami Room) to a more vibrant area (Living Room). Additionally, the reticular structure of the courtyard roof creates a permeable opening right in the heart of the house. This strong connection between the interior and the exterior of the house was in line with Toyo Ito’s vision in the 1980s to create “architecture akin to the wind” - architecture which was light and transient, reflecting the ever-changing built environment of Tokyo, Japan.
silver hut parti diagram
architecture
application of the essence
conceptual phase Extracting the essence from the Silver Hut, there was a need to synthesise the essence of the Master Architect’s house with the needs of the client, which in the case of the Quilt House is a young avant garde fashion designer who works on his collections from home instead of an office.
spatial volume defined by roofs
master architect silver hut toyo ito
transience & open architecture that resembles air and wind
client
avant garde fashion designer works from home lives with three cats
integrated work & living space
architecture
application of the essence
development phase Taking the tropical climate of the site into consideration, various vernacular pitched roofs were studied. Sloped roofs are important in a tropical climate to ensure that rainwater is able to runoff and not act as an additional load on the roof of the house. Eventually, inverted roofs were chosen because of their interesting form, which creates pockets of space or internal courtyards. These internal courtyards are similar to the open courtyard roof in the Silver Hut. However, not only do the internal courtyards blur the lines between the interior and exterior of the house, they do aid in demarcating of functions and programs in the house subtly.
pitched roof
inverted roof
badak heuay roof
julang ngapak roof
pockets of spaces created
layering space and function
Allocation of Functions
Pockets of Courtyards to Differentiate Spaces
Connected yet Differentiated
The functions of the house were arranged according to the level of privacy needed.
Using the internal courtyards formed by the inverted roofs, the start and end of each function or space in the house is demarcated. This is a subtle yet important point as unlike a conventional house, there are no walls to clearly define the volumes in the house.
Lastly, while taking into consideration the circulation within the house, more adjustments were made to better connect the studio with the entrance as the studio is occasionally transformed from a private workspace to a public one when the client holds meetings.
For example, the bedroom was placed at the end of the house while the living area was placed at the front of the house.
architecture
quilt house
final design
permeable skin To give an impression of lightness and to blur the boundaries of the house, light metal chains are attached around the house. Its fabriclike appearance is also a nod to the client’s occupation as a fashion designer. To accentuate this lightness, the metal bar and space ring holding each metal chain will be countersunk into the precast concrete. Keeping it out of sight will give rise to the effect that the building looks like it is floating.
spatial volume The final design of the Quilt House, like the Silver Hut, shows how different programs in the house have different spatial volumes defined by the shape of the roof. The steepness of the slope varies throughout the house, creating a dyanamic and playful atmosphere.
dining area
living room
studio
entrance
w e st el evat ion
no rth ele vati o n
e ast el evat ion
south e levati o n
QUILT HOUSE
DETAILS
MAN
MAN BECOMING THE ANIMAL
ADAM, EVE & THE SERPENT The biblical tale of Adam, Eve and the Serpent tells the story of the fall of man and his banishment from the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve’s change in behaviour from a state of innocence behaviour to guilty disobedience towards God was catalyzed by the serpent who had tempted them with fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, the eating of which God had strictly forbidden.
Drawing inspiration from how the serpent had tempted Adam and Eve, this installation also aims to “tempt” the user into taking a seat or relaxing on it. The installation’s curvature of balau wood around a tree seeks to intrige the user into inspecting the seat closely and upon sitting on the seat, its ergonomic nature aims to make the seat comfortable for the user - making him or her rest comfortably on the chair and sink into a state of bliss.
rectilinear
man
snake research
concertina
movement The initial focus of the design was based of the movement of snakes. Being limbless, snakes have adopted a number of interesting and unique ways to move around quickly and smoothly.
serpentine
sidewinding
man
translation of design
process stage 1
In the intial stages of design, the sidewinding motion of the snake served as the primary source of inspiration. Imprinting the unique tracks form the frame of an opening for people to sit in. Concealing the opening with a piece of stretchy fabric creates a sense of mystery and awe at the solid, white object. It intrigues the user to sit on the opening, and when he or she does so, the fabric follows the contours of the imprinted snake track. The man has created a snake print with his or her body. However, in order to preserve the form of the snake track, the seat would not be very ergnomic. Hence, this idea was not pursued.
The goal of creating something ergonomic and comfortable for the user in a garden setting shifted the research of snakes to a more mythlogical focus. A famous story where snakes are present in a garden setting is the story of Adam ad Eve, and many references are still made to the story of Adam and Eve and the serpent’s temptation. Hence, the snake’s temptation of mankind was translated into a seat which “tempts” people into sitting on it.
Peter Paul Reudens, Jan Brueghel the Elder The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man (1617) Oil on Panel 74.3 cm X 114 cm
man
translation of design
process stage 2
After the change in focus, the study of snake was shifted towards how snakes navigate on trees. Through drawings and observations, snakes usually coil themselves in intricate and tight curves for sufficient grip around the tree. The translation of this coiling motion of the snake was done through different permutations both in the form of sketches and in process models.
process sketches
stage 2
PROCESS MODELS
man
translation of design
process stage 3
Further modifications to the form saw the incorporation of ergonomics into the seat. Studies on ergonomics were conducted via visits to furniture shops to study the ergonomics of different chairs. Eventually, the most comfortable chair was selected and its curvature and dimensions were used as reference. Additionally, to remain true to the narrative of Adam, Eve and the Serpent, the form was also enhanced to allow two people to utilize the installation at the same time.
selected chair
stage 3
PROCESS MODELS
man
adam, eve & the serpent
final design In the final design, the curvature of the back rest has been modified from the wood protoype model as it was previously too curved. The curves of the chair at where it meets the tree have also been changed such that it now wraps around the tree - there is now a greater integration between the tree and the seats as compared to the wood prototype model.
ADAM, EVE & THE SERPENT
DETAILS
ADAM, EVE & THE SERPENT
final rendering
FIN.
thank you