Alisa Wang - Selected Works

P OR T FO L I O

SELECTED WORKS

ALISA WANG RIBA Part I - University of Edinburgh MA (Hons) Architecture Graduate

CONTENTS 2022 Renovation of a Cowshed | Neumünster, Germany Emden Hotel & Student Accommodation | Emden, Germany 2021 Women’s House | Baghere, Senegal Annandale International Islamic Center | Edinburgh, Scotland 2020 Teglgårdsparken Museum | Middelfart, Denmark Line of Goodwill | Auroville, India 2019 Nordvest Residence | Copenhagen, Denmark 2018 Design Thinking & Digital Crafting | Edinburgh, Scotland

Model (Exhibited at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art) Line Of Goodwill Workshop with Anupama Kundoo Architects

RENOVATION OF A COWSHED

2022 | KÖRNER SCHMINCK ARCHITEKTEN | NEUMÜNSTER, GERMANY

Elevation A-A

Section B-B An Old Cowshed The cowshed, one of many buildings within the client’s private property, was built in the early 1900s on historic farmland. Situated in northern Germany near the metropolitan city of Hamburg, the shed will be transformed into an event space and hunting lodge. For this project, a new structural system and building program had to be considered, whilst aiming to preserve the building’s traditional style of farmhouses in the area.

(Due to privacy reasons requested by the client, the site’s location may not be illustrated.)

Current Site

Elevation C-C

Renovation and Reuse Working at Körner Schminck Architekten (KSA), I have absorbed both the advantages and challenges which come with the strategy of refurbishment as an alternative to demolition and building anew. Sustainability and retaining the history of a building are some of the main reasons to use this approachsomething I have become more and more convinced by working at KSA. The cowshed has been one of my favourite projects in which I have been involved, with its barrel-vaulted ceilings and humble agricultural architecture. Adding a new division with a timber platform helped create two contrastive atmospheres within the open-plan event space— one warm lounge with an inbuilt fireplace, whilst the concrete-floored area marks the dining and bar space.

N Plan

Interior Visualisations

EMDEN HOTEL & STUDENT ACCOMMODATION

2022 | FREELANCE PROJECT - MAIGLÜCKCHEN HAMBURG | EMDEN, GERMANY

Current Site Hotel & Student Accomodation For a property proposal presented to the Emden city hall, the client required the first draft of a cost-effective, highly functional and environmentally-conscious hotel, restaurant and student accommodation. The site is situated on the Hinter Tief channel in Emden, across the cultural institution Kunsthalle Emden and within walking distance of the town’s centre.

Studying the city’s historical architecture and the vernacular of Northern Germany, the design tries to incorporate predominantly brick, whilst satisfying the client’s request for a modern building style, consistent with the firm’s corporate identity and existing businesses.

Site Map

Exterior Visualisations

WOMEN’S HOUSE

2021 | KAIRA LOORO COMPETITION | BAGHERE, SENEGAL

B

Watercollection Tanks

Temporary Accomodation

Kitchen

Lavatory Farm Storage

Multi-Purpose Meeting Room

A

A Administration Office

B

GF Plan

Green Sanctuary The Women’s House in Baghere village is designed to welcome women into a sanctuary of greenery, dedicated to sustainable agricultural development and ultimately, the financial independence of women in Senegal. Drawing inspiration from weaving techniques used in traditional Senegalese basket making, the building facades incorporate both the aesthetic concept of the weave and the functionality of the farm, in which planter boxes of herbs and vegetables form a checkered pattern. The building program is divided into two main volumes, to the west functioning as the main multi-purpose space, in which community events, skill-building workshops and seminars on gender equality are to be held, whilst the east encompasses an administrative reception, lavatory, two temporary accommodations and small storage for farming equipment. The design is centred around a central farm, which expands towards the broader site, all of which is enveloped in a perimeter of fruit trees, to achieve a feeling of safety and security within the site.

(COLLABORATORS: H. MARRERO, M. YAMAGUCHI, P. PEREIRA)

CROPS

ORCHARD

Section A-A CORRUGATED STEEL SHEET 2000 x 800 mm

TIMBER BEAM 8500 x 100 x 100 mm

TIMBER TRUSS 1800 x 100 x 50 mm

STEEL BOLTED JOINT 120 x 150 x 100 mm

OFF-SEASON PLANTING HARVESTING

PLANTER BOXES

RAMMED EARTH BLOCK WALL 300 x 150 x 80 mm

CEMENT FOUNDATION Planter Boxes

Mixed Crops

Mint Tomato Cowpea

Watermelon Peanut Lady’s Finger

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Crop Rotation

Orchard

Pineapple Eggplant Cabbage

Papaya Mango Banana

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

300 x 400 mm Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Agricultural Strategy

CYCLOPEAN CONCRETE FOOTING 600 x 500 mm

Structural Detail

Atmospheric Visualisations Multipurpose Room

MONOPITCHED ROOF CORRUGATED METAL SHEET

TIMBER PURLIN RAIN WATER GUTTER

Outdoor Entrance

TIMBER TRUSS

GREEN FACADE TIMBER COLUMN PLANTER BOX

RAIN WATER HARVEST CERAMIC BASIN HARVESTING TANK

WALL TIMBER BEAM TIMBER LOUVERED DOOR COMPRESSED EARTH BLOCK (CEB) WALL

FOOTING CEMENT FLOOR

CYCLOPEAN CONCRETE FOUNDATION

Exploded Axonometric Construction Strategy

ANNANDALE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC CENTER

2021 | UOE - UNDERGRADUATE STUDIO | EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND Invitation For Dialogue TThe “Edinburgh International Islamic Community Center” is a project focused on cultural, social, historical and environmental factors, envisioning a space for Edinburgh’s Muslim community to gather and socialise, hold events and integrate easily in the high-density Leith Walk area of the capital. The project thus aims to bring the local community together, specifically to fight the rising hate crimes and discriminations the Muslim minority faces in the UK daily with an invitation for new, previously unlikely conversations between Muslims and non-Muslims.

Perspectival Section

Ablution Area (female) Exhibition Space Ablution Area (male)

Kitchen Garden

Prayer Space (female)

Prayer Space (male)

Bathrooms Rooftop Garden Reception

Viewing Space

Multi-Purpose Space

Reception Waiting Area

GF

Site + GF Plan

F1

F2

Programme Diagram

Material Strategy Utilising upcycling strategies was a main focus throughout the project, to limit the amount of waste produced during the envisioned construction process.

120,000,000 tons of waste was generated from construction, demolition and excavation, making up 60% of the UK’s total in 2014. Taking advantage of materials provided on-site tries to avoid this common practice of complete demolition. This commitment brought its own challenges, yet also provided for innovative ideas to incorporate otherwise wasted materials and textures to the building.

Additionally, the importance of incorporating new sustainable materials throughout the project meant researching material benefits and disadvantages concerning reuse, recyclability and decomposition at the end of their life cycles. Considering this also meant ensuring components to be easily dismantled for further reuse.

Structural Strategy

Interior Visualisations

The ground floor building structure consists of the exterior cavity brick walls and brick columns from the existing building. Interior brick walls and glulam columns are added here for support of F1. I-Beams and Angle-beams are taken from the entrances are re-used as structural supports for the prayer rooms’ upper floors, which are strengthened with glulam beams and joists for wall and flooring support.

Structural Elements Exploded Axonometric

1 18mm Corrugated Roof Sheet Vapour Retarding Layer 10mm Ply Wood 238mm Wool Insulation around 200x80mm Glulam Beams 10mm Ply Wood 2 40mm Polycarbonate Multi-Wall Sheets 240x40mm Glulam Column

3 15mm Finished Plywood Vapour Retarding Layer 200mm Wool Insulation around Glulam Joists 10mm Plywood 90mm Wool Insulation around 90x60mm Steel Box Beams 15mm Plywood 4 225x112.5x75mm Brick 30mm Cavity 150mm Insulation 225x112.5x75mm Brick 215mm Brick Column

Detail Drawing

TEGLGÅRDSPARKEN MUSEUM

2020 | KADK - EXCHANGE YEAR STUDIO | MIDDELFART, DENMARK The House Of Diagnosis The House of Diagnosis, situated on the historical psychiatric hospital grounds of Middelfart, aims to house artist-led and informative exhibitions themed around psychiatric disorders and mental health.

Taking inspiration from Bethlem Gallery, the museum encourages audiences to learn and ask questions around the subject, normalising a public discussion.

Drawing from art and architectural precedents, the building acts as a spatial expression of how we may perceive and experience mental illnesses. Through exploring historical treatments of the mentally ill and the ICD-10 categorizations used today by the WHO, a series of research and developmental phases shaped the project’s final design. The museum thus aims to challenge common stigmas around psychological disorders.

Developmental Sketch

Site Analysis & Plan

MIND With its fragmented and complex geometries creating interjoining pockets and irregular spaces, the exterior facades address the complexity and wide spectrum of psychiatric diagnoses. Its circular programme creates a flexible yet clear movement, guiding visitors through exhibition spaces. Choreographing a journey from the underground tunnel of Teglgardsparken, all around through the main gallery and down into the central courtyard establishes a transition from disorientation to enlightenment.

Furthermore, the courtyard provides glimpses to the outside natural environment from the galleries-- a nod to the use of courtyards and the importance of nature in Middle Eastern madrasas and early treatment theories.

Model 1:100

Collage

GF Plan

Concept Visualisation

Section A-A

Elevation B-B

Teglgårdsparken Historical Site Within a landscape of greenery and classical yellow-brick buildings, the red hue of terracotta brick and rusted corten steel instantly stands out to visitors, however trying to implement elements from the surrounding buildings to create harmony with the existing architecture. The building naturally guides visitors towards its centre, with radial brick flooring fading towards the outside and into the building itself- a hint at the aspiration for the fading of stigma surrounding mental illness.

Axonometric Drawing

LINE OF GOODWILL

2019 | ANUPAMA KUNDOO ARCHITECTS - WORKSHOP AT KADK EXCHANGE | AUROVILLE, INDIA SWAG ATA N

UNITY PAVI L I O N BH A RAT NI VAS

S AWC H U

I

SAV RI T I BHAVA N

ZON E

MATRIMANDIR

K

CITY LIMIT

IN TERN ATION AL

A

Plot A

T I BETAN PAVI L I O N

M

A

H

E

S

H

W

A

R

I

P

A

R

E LAK

K

FOOTPRINT OF HIGH-RISE MASS

IN

D

PLOT AREA

E

R

G

A

R

T

E

N

S

AU RO VI L L E VI SI TO RS C EN T ER

CULTURAL

ZONE

NANDANAM SCHOOL

R A V I NE

I X M ALA MAH

R K PA

AUR O V IL L E CE N T E R GU E S T H OU S E

VI SI TO R PARKI N G

PTDC

RESIDENTIAL

S OL AR K IT CHE N

CR OW N B UIL DIN G

ZONE

A

P RO P O S E D V I S I TO R PARKING

PROPOSED VISITOR PARKING

SECTIONS

18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

AA’

BB’ Paramboke 167.8

SECTION

N

1:2000

75

CC’ Crown Road 158.6

146.7

28

1

DD’ 189.1

173.8

E

D

C

B

A

18 storeys

16 - 13 storeys

12 - 11 storeys

8-6 storeys

4-2 storeys

Proposed Lake 30

110

Matrimandir Garden

Matrimandir

244.5

Site Map (courtesy of Anupama Kundoo Architects) Location of Assigned Plot Co-Housing Project in the Line of Goodwill In a workshop in collaboration with Anupama Kundoo, our group of KADK exchange students volunteered to design a co-housing project within a larger mega-structure proposed by Anupama Kundoo Architects. This project was exhibited in the Louisiana MoMA in October 2020 until January 2021. Although uncompleted due to COVID-19, our proposal was still able to be displayed, and even though we were not able to attend the exhibition personally, the learning outcomes of the project were tremendous.

First Proposal Concept Visualisation

Auroville Auroville is a utopian autonomous city, first planned by Roger Anger, embracing harmonic living together and collaboration. The “Line Of Goodwill” is a conceptual large urban complex featured in the West of the spiritual heart of Auroville, the Matrimandir, and provokes questions around the future of architecture. and its role to shape the future of humanity.

Urban Site Concept Model Plot A: Programme Proposal (COLLABORATORS: K. QI, Y. GO, A. ORBANIC, A. KELDERER, R. DMITRI, P. BRÜCKNER, M. GABRIEL )

Development: Work in Progress Model 1:50

Intergenerational Architecture The segregation of generational groups has become the norm in modern life, leading certain age groups to perceive others as unapproachable, making intergenerational relationships and interactions outside of family relations rarer.

This separation can be observed firsthand within the modern urban fabric.

Roof Garden

Residential Units Main Path to Matrimandir

We believe Auroville, being an international, inter-religious and therefore interconnected platform, has the potential to practice an intergenerational philosophy within this proposed co-housing complex.

1st Floor

Residential Units

Public Space

Circulation to Viewing Terrace Circulation to Viewing Terrace

To foster interaction across generations, public communal spaces are provided for those generally most neglected in urban planning: seniors and the young. These include spaces such as densely distributed community kitchens, a library, recreational centres, a daycare for children and seniors that practice intergenerational programs and events, and outdoor garden spaces spread throughout all tertiary veins. Additionally, housing units are designed intentionally minimally and compact, encouraging residents to use communal spaces.

Vein Circulation Structure

Ground Floor

To allow desirable circulation between each housing block the project uses primary, secondary and tertiary branches of paths, mirroring the vein structure of leaves observed in the local neem tree leaf with pinnate venation.

Environmental Factors

Massing Diagram

Site Concept Model Co-housing Project Programme

To address environmental factors, the building complex uses compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEB) as its main building material, as the components needed are largely available in the locality of Auroville. Additionally, the creation of shaded areas is considered in the design to address the tropical climate, with open vein areas to allow natural ventilation through the building complex.

(COLLABORATORS: K. QI)

NORDVEST RESIDENCE

2019 | KADK - EXCHANGE YEAR STUDIO | COPENHAGEN, DENMARK Site Embedded within the Nordvest district of Copenhagen, it was important to understand the urban fabric of the neighbourhood in the first stage of design. The municipality, Nordvest, is known for its population of different ethnic backgrounds and is locally associated with gentrification and higher crime rates within Copenhagen. However, with lower rent and a diverse population, this area has great potential for residential housing, whilst respecting and preserving its existing cultures.

Architecturally, the site is extremely diverse in its styles and functions.

The assignment to focus on “roof ” elements and analyse a specific plot within the larger site led to the team’s recognition of the site’s compact, puzzle-like assembly, inspiring to build upon the existing.

A Family Residency The proposed design of a residential apartment building is focused on housing families of between 3-5 people. The combined irregular floors form an abstracted terraced landscape towards the North-west, where views away from the street and towards trees and the cityscape can be enjoyed. A public playground landscape and open square by a planned communal art centre dominate the ground floor, therefore elevating all apartments to preserve privacy. These design choices are made to accommodate the needs of young adults starting families within the low-rent municipality of Copenhagen.

Climate Design The main facade slides into the street, providing weather protection for pedestrians, who can decide to walk under the provided canopy, as a response to harsh weather conditions with frequent wind and rain in Denmark.

Site Map 1:1000 Site Map

Nordvest Analysis Exploded Axonometric

Site Model 1:50

0 1

3

6

Elevation & Section

N

GF Plan

0 1

3

6

N

F3+4+5 Plan

[DESIGN THINKING & DIGITAL CRAFTING] 2018 | UOE | EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND Digital Crafting Having chosen the elective DT & DC, the course focused on developing skills in Rhino and Grasshopper whilst learning about digital fabrication, parametric structures and tensile structures.

I: Exquisite Towers “Exquisite Towers” explores waffling techniques and the creation of facade and interior blocks, through the theme of “a journey through densities”.The end design task was to create a towering structure made of individual cubes, creating a gradient of dense to less dense, heavy to light, macro to micro, interior and exterior.

1st+2nd Proposal Block A

The final interior waffling explores the idea of curvatures creating smooth surfaces. Initially, the design idea was to have the curvature on the ceiling of the block. However, realizing that the surface could also create an interesting floor surface with curved structural legs instead, the design was flipped. This gives the block above a more light feeling, therefore coinciding with the theme of dense to less dense from bottom to top.

1st Proposal Block B

The final facade unit incorporates the best of both first facade block attempts: the idea of a complex hexagon shape inspired by Aichi Spanish Pavilion, the creation of texture through triangular extrusions of lines and the simplification of texture to also allow for a more clean and 3D-printable design.

2nd Trial Block A 3D Print

1st Trial Block B Waffling

Final Tower

(collaborators: A. Cameron, L. Yang, C. Ye, J. K.-Riley)

Final Block A 3D Print

Final Block B Waffling

II: Parametric Tiles The two tile designs focus on texture and light, aiming to create diversity in heights and shapes of particular extrusions, considering how those could potentially be applied in different climatic situations in architecture.

Tile 1’s design used a unified web of randomly extruded cylindrical shapes with varying levels of hollowed-out centres. For this tile it would be clear that light would only be able to pass through certain extrusions at certain times, making it fit for example in a hot and arid climate where sunlight is to be avoided.

Tile 2’s design and extrusions contrasted greatly with the first. Instead of a unified web of equal extrusions, she relied on a pseudo-pyramidal network of varying extrusions. Due to its more open and irregular texture, and areas of low extrusions, this design would not block out as much light as intensely as the previous tile, and thus would potentially be used in a climate where sunlight is encouraged.

Although both tiles vary immensely in design, both are centralised around an idea of either encouraging or blocking light from entering certain areas, and how these could be applied in the real world to varying climates, therefore simultaneously contrasting and complementing each other.

Final Tiles

(COLLABORATORS: A. CAMERON, L. YANG, C. YE, J. K.-RILEY)

III: Protostructures– Crafting the NonStandard This iteration of our underlying theme, Microscopic and Macroscopic, aims to isolate the relationships between individual molecules and the bonds that connect them, within a given frame, imagined as a hanging structure within a staircase in Minto House, a university building. One very important aspect of the Protostructure is its kinetic, or interactive attribute.Through many trials and errors, kinetic aspects were incorporated into the suspended Voronoi installation.

Precedents fell into two categories, those that have moveable elements, and those that have a rigid structure. Taking inspiration from the kinetic sculpture by Fibrelab Symphony Orchestra, molecular bonds, SOFTlab’s incredible installations and Bekkering Adams, the group decided to design an interactive chandelier that would hang in Minto House. The construction material, we thought, would be best done using ping pong balls and see-through string and perhaps straws to highlight the connections between points.

Materially, we came to the idea of the ping pong ball, a cheap and easily manipulated material that could act as our molecules. To increase the potential movability of the structure, we used string to join them together, and straws to act as the compression force, or the bond, in between two molecules. The entire structure would be suspended from a board with strategically punctured holes for a string from each of the suspended molecules. We thus created a relatively cheap and somewhat complex structure.

Process Sketches, Drafts, Prototypes

To create a digital logic behind the installation, we decided to use the Voronoi commands in Grasshopper to create a parametric hanging installation, isolating the corners of each mesh to be a point for a ping pong ball.

(COLLABORATORS: A. CAMER-

ON, L. YANG, C. YE, J. K.-RILEY)

Final Protostructure Design Perspective Drawing

Construction The final construction process the team decided on was to have 2-3 people working at once, one directing the process whilst cutting the needed lengths of star components, the rest sowing and poking holes into the ping pong balls. The board was first constructed with marking on top, then each Voronoi was constructed one by one, making a total of 5. In the end, all the vertical strings are tied together on top of the board and connected to 4 strings that reach each corner of the frame, which act as pulleys, which are the point of control, altering the neutral state of the Voronoi structure.

1- assembling (1 or 2) 2- director (1) selecting individual voronoi

vertical strings first attatched to board

Dynamic Protostructures Taking inspiration from the kinetic sculpture

by Fibrelab Symphony Orchestra, molecular bonds, SOFTlab’s incredible installations and Bekkering Adams, our group decided to design an interactive chandelier that would hang in Minto House. The construction material, we thought, would be best done using ping pong balls and see-through string and perhaps straws to highlight the connections between points.

Using Voronoi for our design, the main idea was to create a structure that would have the form of biological cells, however also being flexible, to allow kinetic movement when moving the top of the strings. This initial design however showed some problems, especially when it came to the construction process, as the Voronoi are made up of too many linear components.

1- measuring distance and cutting strings

2- attaching to top

spheres connected creating voronoi 1- connecting spheres together

2- straw cutting, orientating

next voronoi

connect vertical strings to make moveable handles on each corner

Final Protostructure 1mx1x2.4m

ALISA WANG

Tel: +44 7380 161416 Email: alisawang28@gmail.com