A Portfolio of Selected Work
Matthew Ho
Contents 01
Midori: The Tea House
12
St Judes: The Gallery
23
Construction Detail
25
Photography
Midori The Tea House
Introduction to Project One
Throughout many generations in Japan, traditions have been passed down from one to the next. However, as the world and society develop, these traditions have become an afterthought or worse; lost in time. The Tea House aims to address this problem; restoring the traditions of chanoyu, “the way of tea”. From growing tea leaves to the tea ceremony itself, the whole process from start to finish is celebrated with harmonious tranquility and order.
Tea Ceremony: A Study
Prior to the design process, I wanted to understand how traditional japanese tea was made, thus, I curated a piece to anaylse each object needed. 3
Chuo City
The site is located in Chuo City, Tokyo, which is situated beside a canal and Tsukudakobashi Bridge. Not far from the site lies a dual carriageway.
Site Location
Highlighted in red here, the site is surrounded by a lot of residential buildings as well as a traditional shrine to the right. 5
Site Axonometric
The project was always about creating a journey, whether it was a path leading back to previous traditions or one through the spaces. The sequential drawing is a path through the surrounding area.
Massing Studies
The form of the Tea House was directed from the traditional pitched-roof houses surrounded the site. I wanted to create a building which integrated into everyday life; building a community. 7
Developing the Structural Bones
Initially, the structural bones of the building was a steel frame. With environmental and construction considerations, this evolved into an exposed timber frame.
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htse u rtya ,cln iu b Itlia rolnhte bod sun fliw ga sre ftsm elW ee .htn ivo rinmea na n tcldonsu rto cictnonsdiea roe ih tn svisov,le na io d e tnxposm eitdb a rfe m re.
Photography is a form of exploration we use to express our own ideas and feelings; but also to capture moments and memories “frozen” in time. Architectural photographs therefore, can be seen as one’s expression and reaction towards a building; capturing the beauty and fabric of the architecture and sharing these emotions with viewers.
Views of the Internal
With visualisations, I really wanted to show how a traditional tea ceremony space would be performed in the celebration space. The delineated facade was inspired by the Kew House (Piercy&Company). 11
St Judes The Gallery
Introduction to Project Two
Photography is a form of exploration we use to express our own ideas and feelings; but also to capture moments and memories “frozen” in time. Architectural photographs therefore, can be seen as one’s expression and reaction towards a building; capturing the beauty and fabric of the architecture and sharing these emotions with viewers. Situated in Kelham Island, a newly revived area of Sheffield, St Judes dates back to the 1800s where it was first built as a church and later used as a school. The gallery first came about by studying the existing building but also the reasons and processes of photography through the work of Roland Barthes. Barthes describes that when taking a photo, there is a Punctum (the points which attract us) and Studium (the initial attraction). My proposal manifests and builds upon Barthes’ theories whilst aiming to be a subject of architectural photography itself.
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Understanding the Existing
Working with an existing building, before I started designing the spaces, I wanted to understand how it was constructed. At the beginning of the project, I knew I wanted the gallery space to be situated in the exisiting building.
Location of the Site
On Copper Street, the site sits perpendicular to a dual carriageway. The site is mainly surrounded by industrial warehouses as well as some residential buildings and independent shops. 15
The Journey of Photography (Abstract)
The process of taking a photo is a journey that is replicated in various attempts. Building upon Barthes’ theories of Punctum and Studium, here I visualised how taking a photo could be represented physically as a fluid form.
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Massing Models
In my initial massing studies, I tested the idea of a courtyard or having a stepped roof garden. Due to sunlight conditions, the roof garden became the outcome.
Abstract into Architecture
Here, I aimed to develop my abstract collage even further by thinking about how it could be transformed into architecture where the ‘Punctum’ entrance leads to a gallery space celebrating the repeated trusses in the existing building.
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Cutting through the Punctum
This sectional perspective cuts through the exposed timber structure of the ‘Punctum’ where the long staircase leads into the gallery space with the discussion space on the left.
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Photography is a form of exploration we use to express our own ideas and feelings; but also to capture moments and memories “frozen” in time. Architectural photographs therefore, can be seen as one’s expression and reaction towards a building; capturing the beauty and fabric of the architecture and sharing these emotions with viewers.
23
Inside the Gallery
This visual shows how the gallery space is used. I decided to use arched display ‘tunnels’ to reference the arched windows in the existing building.
Construction Detail
At Jestico + Whiles, I worked mainly on Coundon Court (a net-zero carbon school). This construction detail cuts through the Block 1 parapet. 23
Photography
Photography allows me to navigate and see the world in a different perspective. It also helps me to continue sharpening my creative eye. Here are some editorial photos I took. 25
Photography
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