“MARSHALL ROAD” CYANOTYPE ON WATERCOLOUR PAPER WITH INK AND ACRYLIC SEE YONG FENG (2011)
See Yong Feng
University of Pennsylvania B.A. in Architecture
3802 Ludlow St Philadelphia PA 19104 seeyongfeng@gmail.com | +1 (215) 908-0901
CONTENTS
PROPOSED INSTALLATION AT THE ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION SCHOOL, LONDON MODEL BY ME; PHOTOGRAPH ON ACTUAL SITE BY YONATHAN MOORE.
1
INHABITING GEOMETRY: AN ICE FISHING HUT
2
BIOMIMICRY: THE MOON JELLYFISH
3
MOSCOW: MICRORAYONS
4
NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE ART CONNECTOR
5
PINE STREET ROW HOUSE ADDITION
6
INHABITING GEOMETRY: ANNE TYNG ARCHIVE
My very first architecture studio started with measuring a part of my body, and it strongly impressed onto me that architecture is ultimately not about buildings, but about people. In a time with an exponentially increasing field of available data and highly customisable fabrication through parametric software, how can architects design in a way that improves peoples’ relationships to their environments, rather than simply creating new and varied forms? And how can the greater involvement of non-professionals due to these new tools be harnessed to make the urban landscape more individualised and relatable, yet remain cost-eective and high-performance?
1 INHABITING GEOMETRY: AN ICE FISHING HUT Mille Lacs Lake, MN, USA year 4 studio (Fall 2014 #1, individual work)
advisors Richard Wesley (rwesley@design.upenn.edu) Scott Aker (akerscot@design.upenn.edu) The brief was to design an ice fishing hut in wood construction for two people, based on triangulated geometry as an exploration in the possibilities of inhabiting such a space. I began by researching the geodesic domes of Buckminster Fuller, and different ways of joining the pentagon to create space. As the floor surface was limited to a 6x8 foot rectangle, my design expands upwards and sideways to create differentiated spaces for living and working: the stove, fishing holes, dining table and sleeping platform. The furniture comprises of triangles that form naturally when their horizontal planes intersect the hut’s envelope. The result is a selfcontained hut that asserts its non-orthogonality over the flat ice but also submits to the wide openness of nature.
GEOMETRIC HEXAGONAL STUDIES
BACKGROUND: DRAWINGS FROM THE ARTIFACTS OF R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER
A stove heats water for radiant floor heating and also ventilation through the chimney. The compact envelope also minimises heat loss.
CHIMNEY
1/2” PLYWOOD SHEATHING 2X4 WALL STUDS FIBREGLASS BATT INSULATION 1/2” INTERIOR FINISH GYPSUM BOARD
STOVE WITH HEAT SHIELD
3/4” WOOD FLOORING 2X6 FLOOR JOISTS RADIANT HEATING PIPES 3” RIGID INSULATION 3/4” PLYWOOD SHEATHING
The hut folds into a compact dodecahedronlike shape for easy transportation.
2 BIOMIMICRY: THE MOON JELLYFISH
Philadelphia, PA, USA year 3 studio (Fall 2013, individual work) advisors Halee Bouchehrian (hbouchehrian@gmail.com) The first part of this project involved detailed research on an animal and its movements to create a physical analog, and then developing it into a piece of urban furniture for the Quain Courtyard of the Engineering School. Through analyzing physical properties that result in the jellyfish’s simple body motion, an analog is created. Diameter ribs attached to a variable-size wire ring reference the circular muscles and spring-like ability of the body, while origami folds are used to simulate the muscle folding in the butresses of the mesoglea.
Anatomy diagrams from W.B. Gladfelter, “Structure and function of the locomotory system of the Seyphomedusa Cyaneacapillata.” Physical analog models by me.
As the analog transforms into its dome form, the paper folds help the surface navigate from planar to spherical geometry.
points taken at intervals
solid lofted from contour curves
curve simplified and extended to widen seating edge
tapered for seating
The biomimicry studies inspired a design comprising a bench and adjustable shade. The shape of the bench was informed by an analysis of the multiple configurations of the shade, from open to closed (shown in plan view diagrams).
The designated site was the Quain Courtyard of the Penn Engineering School, by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. As an individual module, the design can be installed in multiple locations and invites people to customize their chosen seat and make the place their own.
4 Moscow: Microrayons
Moscow, Russia Spring Semester Programme at The Architectural Association School, London (Spring 2014, individual work) advisors Naiara Vegara (naiaravegara@aaschool.ac.uk)
The microrayon is a housing estate bounded by highways and characterized by high-rise prefabricated blocks and large open spaces, a manifestation of Soviet Modernist planning principles that have turned into “sleeping districts� with poor community interaction. The brief was to research an aspect of the Izmailovo microrayon, located on the outer ring of Moscow, and design an architectural solution. I started looking at pedestrian and vehicular infrastructure and how they could be better integrated.
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SECTION
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proposed pedestrian routes
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proposed vehicular routes
My research centered on circulation and infrastructure, and how the introduction of cars due to capitalism has disrupted walking patterns in the microrayon due to a haphazard adoption of unplanned parking spaces. Thus, I proposed an intervention at the block courtyard level that integrates car parking into a new landscape which gives primacy to the pedestrian.
LEGEND EXISTING BUILDING OFFICES SHOPPING CAR PATHS PEDESTRIAN (LVL1) PEDESTRIAN (LVL2) RECREATIONAL GREEN
LEVEL 1 PLAN (SHORT-TERM to LONG-TERM) Far left: A large part of the ground floor is used for parking lots, necessary as the population grows more affluent in the short term. However, pockets of green recreational spaces break the monotony of the standard parking lot. Left: To adapt to long term changes, the car park can be converted to expanded offices and retail areas for a more environmentally friendly, car-free future.
ROOF (+5.10M)
LEVEL 1 (+2.60M) N
GROUND LEVEL
WEST
CAFE
OUTDO
CAR PARK ENTRANCE
SEMI-PUBLIC
LEVEL 1 (+2.60M)
GROUND LEVEL
HIDDEN PARKING
SOUTH
MEETING RAMP ACCESS
OFFICES
SECTIONS (WEST-EAST and SOUTH-NORTH) Top: The design contains pockets of private areas directly adjacent to the housing blocks that serve as buямАer zones, gradually transitioning into the public shopping and business zones. Bottom: Programming is divided into a more introverted business area and an extroverted, open-air pedestrian mall that orients itself toward the public transport access points. PROGRAM
PRIVACY MAP SEMI-PUBLIC
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
PUBLIC
LEISURE
SHOPPING
HOUSING LEISURE HOUSING
OFFICES
OOR + INDOOR PLAYGROUND
HIDDEN PARKING
RAMP+SLIDE CONNECTOR
COMMUNITY GARDEN
EAST
SEATING STEPS
PUBLIC
SEMI-PUBLIC
G ROOM
OUTDOOR + INDOOR PLAYGROUND GREEN CORRIDOR
HIDDEN PARKING
RAMP ACCESS
LEISURE
BASKETBALL HALF-COURT
NORTH
SEATING STEPS
SHOPPING
LEISURE
5 PINE STREET ROW HOME ADDITION Philadelphia, PA, USA Construction I (Fall 2014, individual work)
advisors Franca Trubiano (trubiano@design.upenn.edu) Patrick Morgan (patrick.lp.morgan@gmail.com) This project involved the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) software to design and model an addition to an existing row home in Philadelphia. The design was to include modern materials and open space planning, and the program included a digital arts studio and a painting studio. The method of construction used was light wood framing with load bearing masonry walls, and a green roof system. Autodesk Green Building Studio and Tally were used to evaluate the building’s energy consumption and life cycle impact.
Base Model
East Wall Super Insulated
East Wall No Glazing
6 INHABITING GEOMETRY: ANNE TYNG ARCHIVE Philadelphia, PA, USA year 4 studio (Fall 2014 #2, individual work) advisors Richard Wesley (rwesley@design.upenn.edu) Scott Aker (akerscot@design.upenn.edu) This project aimed to create an archive for the work of Anne Tyng that would be inspired from her unique use of triangular geometry but also explore how to fit it into an existing urban context and the programmatic needs of a modern archive building. I started with the system of the octet truss, popularized by Buckminster Fuller and adopted by Tyng in the City Tower project she worked on with Louis Kahn. The design then grew organically from this basic form to suit the needs of the site and space, resulting in a proposal that recalls Tyng’s spirit of alternative building forms, but updated to a contemporary context.
The octet truss is formed by a regular 3-D lattice of octahedrons and tetrahedrons.
Services and circulation are housed in a block that relates to the existing brick-clad buildings on the site.
The open roof terrace creates a public space with wide panoramic views that adds to campus life.
A diagonal entrance allows for permeability and quick access.
electrochromic panels to control light levels
concrete and masonry circulation shaft
permanent exhibition
precast tetrahedral concrete floor slab
temporary exhibitions
archival storage & oďŹƒces
The floor plans adapt to the tetrahedral form. A suggested exhibition layout on the 3rd level is created by dividing the space naturally by its inherent triangular geometry. Basement
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Roof