Architecture Portfolio

j a s o n t a n BA(Arch) National University of Singapore 2010

-

2014

d e s i g n p o r t fo l i o

s e l e c t e d

w o r k s

01

T HE

V EI L E D

C H A N DE L IE R

a hot & wet transformation 02

REL ENT L E S S

R E SP ON SE

a hot & wet representation 03

D I AGRI D

CI T Y

an urban intervention 04

V ENT I L ATI O N a construction in concrete

05

D O M E a construction in bamboo

06

I NHABI T a shophouse typology

07

F I S HI NG

BI NA RY

a kelong project 08

INDETERMINATE a bungalow revival

09

HAPT I C

D UAL IT Y

a material pavilion 10

C O M P E T I TI O N a solar decathlon

THRESHOLDS

T H E

V E I L E D

C H A N D E L I E R

a hot & wet transformation M r E r i k L’ H e u r e u x 2014

01

Th e t ran s form at ion of J ohn Graham’s AIA B uild ing is one of a climactic exterior as w ell a s a c o n t ra s t i n g i n t e r i o r.

Th e gradat ed s t ret ch and tw ist of the envelop e reacts to the solar path re sulting in an Eas t-Wes t im p enetrability and a North- S outh p orosity. This grad ient mitigates the towers overall solar exp osure by densely shading the upp er levels that receive m o re s o l a r ra d i a t i o n . T h e re l e n t l e s s n e s s o f i t s e m p l o y m e n t g o e s t o t h e ex t e n t o f c o n c e a l i n g t h e e n t ra n c e, t h e re i n c re a t i n g t h e e f fe c t o f t h e v e i l .

I n t e r i o r a i r- c o n d i t i o n e d s p a c e s a re i n c re m e n t a l l y re c e s s e d t o w a rd s t h e l o w e r l e v e l s t o f u r t h e r m i t i g a t e s p a t i a l h e a t g a i n - n a t u ra l l y v e n t i l a t e d s p a c e s c o n s e q u e n t i a l l y i n c re a s e. T h e g l a s s e d v o l u m e s a re h u n g f ro m p r i m a r y f l o o r s l a b s a n d s e e m t o d e s c e n d f ro m a b o v e c re a t i n g t h e e f fe c t o f t h e c h a n d e l i e r.

M O D E L ( c o m b i n e d ) t h e t o w e r ’s g ro u n d - l e v e l c o m p a r t m e n t w h e re t h e a i r- c o n d i t i o n e d v o l u m e s t e r m i n a t e

i n s o la t i o n

c o n t ex t

Unconventional mo des of representation drove t h e d e sig n m e t h o d . B y sup e rim p o s in g t h e b irds eye to gether with the worms eye axonometric, the a rc h i t e c t t ra n s fo r m s h i s p erc e p t i o n o f t h e b u i l d i n g and its site through visual hierarchy

b re e z e

TH E VEIL th e to wer ’s No rt h -S o ut h p o ro sit y re c e iv e s lig h t an d air w h ile t h e E as t-We s t imp enetra bility rep ells insola tion

ra i n

ex p l o d e d

c o m p o s i t e

I n s p i re d b y M .C. E s c h e r, t h e s e d ra w i n g s ex p l o re d t h e im p lic at io n s o f p e rc e iv in g arc h it e c t ure w it h in a new m o d e o f i n q u i r y. T h e c o n t i n u o u s re p re s e n t a t i o n a l c y c l e f ro m d ra w i n g t o m o d e l m a k i n g e n a b l e d t h e g e n e ra t i o n o f s t r u c t u re a n d s p a c e i n a s t r i c t fo r m a l o rd e r t h a t w a s h i g h l y d i s c i p l i n e d .

i n s o l a t i o n

TH E CH AN DELIER g l a s s e d v o l u m e s t h a t s e e m i n g l y d e s c e n e d f ro m a b o v e c re a t e t h e e f fe c t o f the chand elier

R E L E N T L E S S

R E S P O N S E

a hot & wet representation M r E r i k L’ H e u r e u x 2014

B u i l t i n t h e l a t e 1 9 5 0 ’s w i t h i n c o l o n i a l - S i n g a p o re’s C B D, t h e A I A b u i l d i n g d e s i g n e d b y J o h n G rah am s t an ds out am on gs t an array of t wo t o t h ree s t orey shophouses. At 37 m t a l l , t h i s 1 2 s t o re y b u i l d i n g w o u l d h a v e b e e n a b e a c o n o f m o d e r n i t y t h a t c o n t r i b u t e d to a new urban scale exp erienced by viewers in the city.

While simple in its totality, the refinement b ehind its overall prop ortion and e n v i ron m en t al s t rat egies us h ered in a n ew s t an dard in re gion al ism . Despite the inf lux o f t e mp erat e s en s ib ilit ies - es p e cially t owards h igh -ris e b uildi ngs at the time - J ohn G ra h a m d e c i s i v e l y re a c t e d w i t h a fo c u s o n a c l i m a t e re s p o n s i v e d e s i g n s t ra t e g y.

T h e A I A B u i l d i n g t h e re fo re, a l s o s t o o d a s a b e a c o n o f H o t & We t a rc h i t e c t u re w i t h mo dernism at the do orstep of Singap ore’s urbanism .

02

T h i s p ro j e c t d i s s e c t s t h e e f fe c t i v e n e s s of t h e b uildin g wit h un c onventional means of re p re s e n t a t i o n a n d m o d e l m a k i n g .

WS

EN

i n so l ati o n

c o n t ex t

b re e z e

T h ro u g h t h e u s e o f s i m u l a t i o n s, p e r fo r m a t i v e d a t a i s t ra n s l a t e d i n t o a rc h i t e c t u ra l c o n v en t ion s t o in form t h e lin e drawin gs of en v iron m en t al im p lic ations. The insolation a n d w in d t un n el readin gs are read t h rough t h e op en in g s ize of representational fa c a d e - i n c re a s i n g t o re c e i v e m o re l i g h t a n d w i n d a n d d e c re a s i n g t o rep e l .

T H E I N V E R S E M O D E L s e e n f ro m t h e b o t t o m , t h e p l a n i s c u t o n c e a l o n g t h e b u i l d i n g a x i s a s w e l l a s t w i c e a l o n g t h e E a s t-We s t a x i s

D I AG R I D

C I T Y

an urban intervention Mr Bobby Wong 2013

03

I n a n a t t e m p t t o i m p l e m e n t a n u r b a n s t ra t e g y o f d e n s i f i c a t i o n i n a n a re a t h a t h a d con v en t ion ally reached its maximum capacity, a structural d iagrid that circumnavigates t h ro u g h t h e a i r s p a c e w a s e m p l o y e d . S i n g a p o re’s C B D a n d f i n a n c i a l c e n t e r e m b o d i e s a g e n e r i c t y p o l o g y o f u r b a n i t y l e s s a c o n s i d e ra b l e re s i d e n t i a l c o m p o n e n t . I t s u s e i s predominantly commercial and is left devoid of o c cupiers after working hours. The intervention is therefore one of intensification and diversity.

Mas s iv e t rap ezoidal blo ck s of re sid ential, retail, and re creational pro gram negotiate b e t w e e n t h e p re - ex i s t i n g h i g h - r i s e b u i l d i n g s. T h e d e s i g n s t ra t e g y a l s o a i m s t o c h a n g e t h e way in wh ich t h e public navigate to and around the city through an architecture of escalators and moving walkways.

MODEL the structural diagrid is informe d by circulation through escalators and moving walkways

g ro u n d

o n e

gro un d

ze ro

G ro u n d o n e i s a p ro p o s e d n e w s t re e t l e v e l w h e re u r b a n p u b l i c i t y a n d s p e c t a c l e i s e l e va t e d t o a h e i g h t n e v e r- b e fo re s e e n o r exp e r i e n c e d .

I t p e rfo rm s as t ran sit io n as w e ll as t e rm in us - w h e re p e o ple exercise, c i rc u l a t e, a n d c o m m u n e. G ro u n d z e ro c o n s i s t s o f v e h i c u l a r t ra f f i c ( w h i c h i s m i n i m i s e d d u e t o t h e re s i d e n t i a l c o m p o n e n t a s w e l l a s a c c o m m o d a t i o n fo r t h e s t r u c t u ra l d i a g r i d ) a n d p e d e s t r i a n t ra f f i c ( m o s t o f w h i c h w i l l a s c e n d t o g ro u n d o n e.

amp hit heat re

R OBIN S ON RD the structural diagrid is informe d by circulation through escalators and moving walkways

re s ide n t i a l

o f f i c e

T h e d iag rid as a st ruc t ure p uc n t ure s t h ro ug h t h e large blo ck s of re s i d e n t i a l , re t a i l a n d o f f i c e. T h e s e i n t e r s e c t i o n s c re a t e n o t e s a n d c ro ss - c irc ulat io n w h ile b e in g t h e p rim ary s t ruc t ure fo r su sp ension of t h e m as s iv e b lo c k s. T h e lan g uag e o f t h e d iag rid is ap p l ied to ev er y s c a l e o f d e t a i l i n g fo r s t r u c t u ra l a s w e l l a s fo r m a l c o h e re n c e.

o f f i c e

s p a c e

CUTOUT t h e i n t e r fa c e b e t w e e n i n t e r v e n t i o n a n d c o n t ex t c re a t e s a n o p p o r t u n i t y fo r p u b l i c n o d e s w h e re p e o p l e c o m m u n e a n d c i rc u l a t e

V E N T I L AT I O N a construction in concrete Mr Florian Schaetz 2012

04

0 1

02

0 5

06 c a s t i n g

Th e ‘jali’ wall is a comp onent of light, ventilation and rain as m u c h a s i t i s o f c o n c re t e a n d m o r t a r. T h e s t ra t e g y t h e re fo re w a s a n a r t i c u l a t e d p e r m e a b i l i t y t o g e t h e r w i t h m a x i m u m s t r u c t u ra l s t ab ilit y wh ile ach i eving a unique and mo d ern aesthetic. The module is based on the incomplete triangulation of one brick t h a t , w h e n s t a c k e d , c o m p l e t e s a t h re e d i m e n s i o n a l t r i a n g u l a t i o n w i t h i t s a d j a c e n t b r i c k s. T h i s m i n i m i z e s t h e s u r fa c e c o n t a c t o f t h e s t acked m o dul es w hile maximizing the w all’s rigid ity. The re s u l t i n g a e s t h e t i c re f l e c t s t h i s s u c c e s s.

p ro c e s s

03

04

07

08

D O M E a construction in bamboo Mr Sven Schichor 2011

05

0 1

02

0 5

06 c o n s t r u c t i o n

Th e dom e s ugges t s re gularity and structural rigid ity. Bamb o o is t h e lat t er b ut n ot t he former therefore the strategy w as to re solve t h is dich ot om y - t o re gulate that w hich is inherently irregular.

T h i s c re a t e d a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o fo r m a l i s e a v e r n a c u l a r ex p re s s i o n wit h arch it ect ural ref inement. The d esign employs the rotational array of an arc t h at d ecreases in rad ius to achieve a spiral. This d e c re m e n t e n s u re s t h a t e v e r y m e m b e r i s o f d i f fe re n t d i m e n s i o n t h e re b y e l i m i n a t i n g c o n s t r u c t i o n a l c o n fo r m i t y.

&

a s s e m b l y

03

04

07

08

I N H A B I T a shophouse typology Mr Pan Yicheng 2012

06

A high-rise building was to o c cupy an empty site w i t h i n a n a re a o f c o n s e r va t i o n . W h i l e t h e s e b u i l d i n g s are m ain ly low-ris e s h op h ous es b uilt durin g colonial S in gap ore, t h e in t erv en t ion s ough t t o ap propriate this typ olo gy with its parameters of circulation and p u b l i c s p a c e. T h ro u g h v e r t i c a l m u l t i p l i c a t i o n a s e r i e s o f c o n f i g u ra t i o n s w e re t e s t e d t o a c h i e v e c o n n e c t i v i t y a n d p u b l i c i t y. T h e f i n a l p ro d u c t c o n s i s t e d o f a rot at ion al arran gem en t wit h in a s t ackab le m o dule that allowed multiple and diverse ownership and exchange b e t w e e n o c c u p a n t s.

u r b a n a n d fo r m a l c o n f i g u ra t i o n s, s t r u c t u ra l z o n i n g , & ex p l o d e d d i a g ra m s

F I S H I N G

B I N A RY

a kelong project Mr Pan Yicheng 2011

07

The vernacular typ olo gy of the S outheast-Asian ‘kelong’ (offshore platform) was m e c h a n i s e d t o e n h a n c e t h e w o r k / l i v e re l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n i t s i n h a b i t a n t s a n d t h e i r dwellin gs. Mov in g arch it ect ure was exp lored t h rough t h e automation of a tid al i n d i c at or.

Coast fishing is ideal when the tide moves in and out - the moments b etween high t i d e an d low t ide. W it h t h is t ran s it ory p aram et er, a s y s t em was d evised to output a t maxim um wh en t h e in p ut is b et ween m in im um ( low) an d maximum (high). The ro o f p i t c h w o u l d b e d i re c t l y a f fe c t e d b y t h i s b r i g h t e n i n g t h e w o r k s p a c e w h e n i t i s t h e i d eal t im e t o fis h an d v is e v ers a . Th is s y s t em is elab orated and expressed to d e f i n e t h e ov erall lan guage of t h e s t ruct ure. I t s rep et it ion and linear comp onents a re c on s is t en t t o t h at of t h e t radit ion al kelon g t h ereb y ret ain in g a cultural sensibility.

high tide

ideal time for fishing low tide

01 m o ti o n

d i agram

m e c h a n i c a l

m o d e l

INDETERMINATE

THRESHOLDS a bungalow revival Ms Darlene Smyth 2011

08

I n an at t em p t t o re d ef ine the tropical d w elling w hile b ein g m in im ally invasive, the pitched ro of and f lo or construction was left to define the confines of in t erv en t ion . Th e spirit of the bungalow w as retained i n i t s p ro p o r t i o n a n d s p a t i a l p l a n n i n g b u t w a s re v i v e d t h ro u g h b l u r re d t h re s h o l d s. T h e s t ra t e g y w a s t o elim in at e t h e dis t i nction b etw een w all, w ind ow and do or. Th e re s ult of w hich w ould also blur the b ound aries b e t w e e n i n t e r i o r a n d ex t e r i o r.

internal

p ersp e ctive

01

external

p ersep ctive

m o d e l

mo del

H A P T I C

D UA L I T Y

a material pavilion Mr Alan Woo 2010

09

Th ree p av ilion s d emonstrate materiality, formalism , a n d s p a t i a l t e c t o n i c s w i t h i n a c o n s i s t e n t l a n g u a g e.

T h e s t ra t e g y i n v o v l e d t h e u s e o f c o n c re t e a n d t i m b e r i n juxt ap os it ion of their material quality. With timb er b eing a s o f t a n d w a r m s u r fa c e, a n d c o n c re t e a h a rd a n d c o l d , t h e i n t e r fa c e b e t w e e n u s e r, s u r fa c e, a n d s t r u c t u re w a s carefully craft ed to to evok e the senses

c i rc u la t i o n

m o d ul ar i ty

t e c t o n i c

C O M P E T I T I O N a solar decathlon Te a m N U S 2013

10

T h e c o m p e t i t i o n e n t a i l e d t h e d e s i g n , t e s t i n g , c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d d e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a z e ro - e n e rg y b u i l d i n g that was to be fully furnished and functional. The house had to be assembled at the competition site in ten days, and all teams were to comp ete for an additional ten days. Architecturally, the strategy was t h a t o f a s e c o n d s kin t h at would s h ield t h e m as s of t h e b uildin g from the harsh sunlight, and p erform a s t h e pr i ma r y m ean s of en ergy gen erat ion t h rough s olar h arv es t in g. The north and south elevations w e re s h a d e d b y a n a r ra y o f o p e ra b l e s c re e n s t o c o m p l e t e t h e e n v e l o p e. Du e t o t h e u n i q u e c o n s t r u c t i o n s e q u e n c e o f t h e e n t i re p ro c e s s ( t e s t i n g i n S i n g a p o re, b u i l d i n g /a s s e m b l i n g /d i s a s s e m b l i n g i n C h i n a , re b u i l d i n g i n Sin gap ore for exh ib it ion ) , det ailin g was t o b e des ign ed- for- d isassembly. it also had to a c c o m m o d a t e fo r a n e n t i re l y s t u d e n t b a s e d c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d t h e re fo re p re c i s i o n h a d t o b e a c h i e v e d t h ro u g h m u c h t o l e ra n c e. T h e o v e ra l l h a n d s - o n exp e r i e n c e p ro v i d e d a n i n va l u a b l e e d u c a t i o n b ey o n d pa p e r a rc h i t e ct ure t h rough t h e p h y s ical in t eract ion wit h m at erials, t h eir w eight, and sp ecif ic character.

C OMPLETION photo graph taken on the evening of completion , after a day of rain

c o n s t r u c t i o n

s e q u e n c e

i n

p ro gre s s

c o m p e t i t i o n

s i t e

ext erior

int erior

t h e end