Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to apply for the James Phillips Travel Prize 2016.
a proposal for
james phillips travel prize 2016
FLUIDITY for COMMON GROUND MArch Architecture (RIBA PART II) UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER
ZHINI POH W1563641
My interest in public space emerged from my undergraduate final year thesis; where I explored on how architecture should consider incorporation of the social freedom of common ground for social resilience. My exposure to parametric design in my Masters study this year has on the other hand introduced me to fluid and parametric design. I was critical of this unorthodox and slightly controversial typology in common ground. I also found out that many of these fluid models are social communicative designs aspire to augment the dynamism in common ground. Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI in Rome, BMW Central Building in Leipzig and SANAA’s EPFL Learning Centre would form the case studies in my investigation. I am therefore requesting for grants to visit these three cities: Rome, Lausanne and Leipzig at the span of 9 days. The visit would form a crucial body of my dissertation. I believe in experiencing and research at first hand. Data drawn from the visit would mainly be represented in the form of time-based photograph/videos and graphical mapping. They would be critically reflected alongside the onsite surveys/interviews, the architect’s build manifesto, crowd design simulations and literature reviews. I am committed to share the findings with James Philips Foundation and its fellows. I have also attached a copy of the extended abstract should you require additional reference. Your time and consideration is very much appreciated.
Best Regards,
DS 10 Zhini Poh
TUTOR: DOUGLAS SPENCER
MArch in Architecture, UNIVERISITY OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON UK
https://wewanttolearn.wordpress.com/10707-2/ http://zhinipoh.wix.com/portfolio
Fluid Architecture for Common Ground The emergence of fluid ideal was definitely a strong trend to have observed amidst the urban disarticulation of world’s built environment over the past few decades. The ideal shows elegance of ordered complexity and the sense seamlessness; and rejects both production as repetition or the drive towards predetermined ends. Idea of fluidity exhibits in both spatial diagram/imagery and materiality and form. Parametricism is one of the major enablers of the compositional versatility of the fluid model. Through continuous differentiation, deep layering, and simultaneity, fluid architecture often appear to be crafted for spectacle. The controlled visual language of seamlessness in MAXXI, Rome, for instance, is rather paradoxical to its cultural public dimension with the notion of social freedom. It suggests a cognitive revolution to the cultural and civic common ground; but its potential is unclear. Does the directional chanelling of circulatory flow in fluid models reject the bottom-up positive clashes of enclaves in the public domain? Could they be adapted as a global model considering the essense of ‘specificity’ of common ground?
Case Studies/Site Selections: The diagrams of both buildings are porous and can be liken to an immersive field condition: river-like in MAXXI and mountain-like in EPFL.
MAXXI Museum of Arts of the XXI century, Rome, Zaha Hadid
MAXXI, Museum of Arts of the XXI century, Rome utilises formalism of linear, streaming elements, such as parallel walls and spiralling ramps or stairs; augmented by branching and intersecting wall trajectories to create circulatory flow. EPFL, SANAA set out interior landscape to instigate relational opportunities. It is as a response to the notion of disintegration of several elements: the institution’s dissolved interdisciplinary boundaries; interactivity and human movement; and the disintegration of physical relationship caused by virtual information age. The idea of fluidity exhibited in the former appeared to be directional and top-down; and the latter to be non-hirarchical and passive. I am curious if these two distinct fluid models support the idea of common ground with regards to social freedom and specificity.
Academic Importance of the travel My interest in public space emerged from my undergraduate final year thesis; where I explored on how architecture should consider incorporation of the social freedom of common ground for social resilience. My exposure to parametric design in my Masters study this year on the other hand introduced me to fluid and parametric design. I am curious of the potential brought by clashes of the two. I believe in experiencing at first hand to be crucial for both the dissertation and in my architecture career in a long run. I also hope the field trip to inform my final year design thesis.
EPFL Learning Centre, SANAA
Graphical Plan, EPFL Learning Centre, SANAA
Project Schedule: July-August 2016: Literature Review, Site research and Study on Built manifesto September 2016: Field Study/Data Collation/Staff meeting/Crowd Modelling Simulation October-November 2016: Critical Reflection & Representation End of December 2016: Finding Publication on James Phillips Foundation web-site
MAXXI model; Hadid’s vector drawing
“Give me a Gun and I will Make All Buildings Move.” Bruno Latour and Albena Yaneva
methodology & representation: Time-based photographic and cinematic mapping to illustrate ‘ruses’ of the collective and individuals. Critical reflection in comparison with results generated by crowd modelling software, architect’s built manifesto and literature review. De Certeau refers to spaces as a series of trajectories, each of which are defined by the individual walker. The way that pedestrians walk and meander through an area delineates both their knowledge of a space and the interests they hold, “trace the ruses of other interests and desires that are neither determined nor captured by systems in which they develop”.
Travel Plan 9 days; 3 cities; 3 countries: 17/9/2016 - 20/9/2016
MAXXI, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy - Record use of fluid common ground; collect survey and interview with authority 1
Campo de’ Fiori, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy - Record and document use of traditional square typology Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy - Record and document use of traditional square typology
1
Piazza del Campo, Sienna - Record Relational behaviour on ‘mountain-like’ square typology 2
21/9/2016 - 24/9/2016
Rolex Learning Center, Ecublens, Switzerland - Record use of fluid cmoon ground; collect site survey 3
Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland - Meeting up with authority to understand client’s brief Place de la Palud, Lausanne, Switzerland - Record and document use of traditional square typology 25/9/2016 BMW Trainingszentrum Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany 4
2
Estimation of Cost Flight £500
3
Accommodation
(£40 x 8 nights) ~ £350
Miscellaneous(Meals, Visits, Transport)
(£40 x 9 days) ~ £360
Total Anticipated Expenditures
£1,210
Personal Contribution £210 Total requested Amount
4
£1,000
People’s Factory Year 3 final project, BA(Hons) Architecture
ZHINI POH UNIVERISITY OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON UK DS10 https://wewanttolearn.wordpress.com/10707-2/ http://zhinipoh.wix.com/portfolio