Portfolio_Leng Yan Chow

PORTFOLIO leng yan chow

Selection of projects. Academic/Professional.

leng yan chow

Part II Architectural Assistant

Part III Candidate

M y architectural journey evolved from a design-centered approach backed by strong technical skills and effective communication. I am passionate about crafting socially and culturally relevant spaces, prioritising purposeful design. I advocate for architecture that goes beyond aesthetics, acting as a catalyst for positive social change. In my spare time, I enjoy making pottery and traveling. I am currently in the process of obtaining my Architect (Part III) license and aim to use both my passion and skillset to make a meaningful impact in the architecture field.

KOTA KEMUNING CHURCH

A community anchor for the church community in Kota Kemuning

Phase Involved: Stage 0-4

Software: ArchiCAD, AutoCAD, Sketchup, Twinmotion, Enscape

Main Responsibilities:

Preliminary design, Brief Development, Design Development drawings, Facade design, Massing tests, Town planning application, Building control drawings, General arrangement drawings, Interior space studies

Massing & Facade Tests

-taking insipiration from a rock in terms of form and textures-

HENGROVE PARK BLOCK E2

mixed-used residential block (53 flats + 5 commercial units) - 1st phase of the wider Hengrove Park masterplan of 1400 units in Bristol.

General Arrangement Drawings

Main Responsibilities:

Design audit, General arrangement drawings, Technical details, Building control submission, Warranty provider subission, Door & Window Schedules, Design risk register, Ensure compliance with approved documents, local authority requirements, NDSS and employer’s Requirements.

YELLOWHAMMER

timber-frame modular house type range

Project Location:

Across England.

Project Description:

Modular house type range of closed panel timber frames (35 house types) that will be used by a national house builder throughout England.

Phase Involved:

Stage 4

Software:

Revit (BIM level 2)

Main Responsibilities:

General arrangement drawings, Technical details, Door & Window Schedules, Ensure compliance with approved documents and NDSS.

SAIKRIS ROBOTIC FARM CREAMERY & VISITOR

Eco-tourism park (4.09ha.), set to showcase cutting-edge robotic milking processes.

Project Location: Kampar, Perak, Malaysia.

Project Description: Robotic Farm & Visitor Centre ( 4.09ha. )

Phase Involved: Stage 0-2

Software: Sketchup,

VISITOR CENTRE

-An opportunity for visitors to make a connection between the food on their plates and the story behind it-

The visitor center re-imagines the essence of a barn, presenting it as a practical and inviting design, with an exposed structure and a high degree of transparency throughout. The aim is to provide visitors with an insight into Saikris’s innovative processes and products through interactive and educational exhibits, The milk appreciation area is a key attraction within the center, offering a space for visitors to gather and enjoy the surrounding landscape.

Main Responsibilities:

Brief development, Precedent studies, Scale studies, Site analysis, Massing, Masterplannng, Design intent presentation package, Visualisations

Project Location: Penang, Malaysia.

Software: Rhino, Grasshopper, Enscape, Indesign, Photoshop

INTERNATIONAL IDEAS COMPETITION

between the old and new towns of Penang’s waterfront

Main Responsibilities:

Preliminary design, Design development drawings, Visualisation, Brief development, 3D modeling, Presentation Posters

COMMON

RETHINKING THE BACK

Project: Residential (Street Scale)

Location: Grangetown, Refurbished co-housing

Connection to Gardens

Green Wall System

Outdoor Seating

Drainage Groove

Affordable Transitional Housing (HMO)

Unexpected Encounters

Rain Garden

Play Area

Mirror Ponds

Communal Bikes

Mixture of Various Housing Sizes for to Allow Intergenerational Co-living

SPACES:

BACK LANE TYPOLOGY

Grangetown, Cardiff co-housing block.

Communal

Softwares: AutoCAD, Sketchup, Enscape, Photoshop, Indesign

FEATURED THESIS -2022-

SHORTLISTED

Arts Thread

Global Design Graduate Show -2022-

What if we reinterpreted the back lanes that currently hinder interaction between neighbors as a civic place? This thesis explores the potential of back lanes as a natural connecting element within a residential block. The boundaries of the lanes may freely respond to the uniqueness, constraints, opportunities of the site, and the needs of local residents. The project aims to create a low-carbon co-living scheme with flexible spaces and interventions along the lanes that promote the idea of common spaces.

HMO¹

Houses with shared back lanes

10% Most Deprived Area for Physical Environment Quality

50m radius area³

Greener Grangetown⁴

CHOSEN SITE

A Site for Change_ Due to the increased use of cars and alley-gating, the lanes have become places that are neglected and rather unused. Chosen street falls within the top 10% most deprived area for physical environment quality in Wales with a >10% concentration of Houses in Multiple Occupation.

Past VS Present_Lively streets VS ill-maintained lanes in Grangetown

Proposed: a network of civic spaces at the back of everyone’s houses

What Is Valued By The Community?

Bubble diagram shows: Key Findings

From Safe Play Lanes Residents Feedback

_Information obtained from unpublished work of Hester Buck (Safe Play Lanes

Project funded by UNICEF UK for Child Friendly City)

bird boxes

insect boxes introducing wildlife into the lanes

NATURE

planting vegetables/ flowers

herb garden

greening the lanes

composting

green wall

planter boxes

Access to nature

lighting when dark lanes as a safer place to play Peoplewantedto have

noise

people jumping over gates

drugs

ACTIVITIES

Current Use

Future Suggested Use

“MORE SHARED SPACE IS GAINED FROM GIVING AWAY PART OF THE GARDEN”

Elements For Flexibility & Enhanced Interaction

Lower New Fence Height

Extended Width for Personalisation (Privacy Control)

Low Walls as Benches

Unit-Scale

Carving Out Common Spaces_ Carved out spaces provide a series of platforms and levels, open spaces and botanical entanglements that invite new ways of living. The staggered boundaries create playfull spaces and pauses along the lane to host various types of activities.

Block-Scale

67%

of houses in Grangetown are underoccupied, people are living in the wrong houses.

DEMOLISHING EXISTING STORAGES, REPLACE WITH ALLOTMENTS Existing

Household Sizes: Need & Expectation_

Source: 2011 Census

allotments

EQUAL REACH FOR LARGER COMMUNAL FACILITIES FOR WHOLE BLOCK WITH 2 COMMON HOUSES

UNIT WITH

staggered open space (varying privacy levels)

+ 4 bd room

Reconfiguring to Realign to Current Needs_

KITCHEN+DINING

When refurbishing a housing block, it’s important to consider and consensus data findings, the housing layout was redesigned the block. This involved improving garden spaces and boundaries, lanes, and reconfiguring the bed units of each house to better

RECOGNISING NEIGHBOURS

shared small communal facilities increase chance of knowing your neighbours, as they are more likely to meet each other frequently when doing day-to day chores.

WITH EXISTING EXTENSION

space creates niches levels)

central area

+ 5 bd rooms

play zone (safer due to approx. to central high traffic area}

shared facilities for cluster1

shared facilities for cluster2

consider the needs of its inhabitants. Based on surveys redesigned while staying within the original footprint of boundaries, creating more common areas along the back better accommodate the changing neighborhood.

units to host extra beds during refurbishment of terraces

KITCHEN+DINING (6ppl)

KITCHEN+DINING (2ppl)

An affordable transitional shared

COMMON HOUSE

Combining G floor of 2 units as a public space open to all residents of the block.

G

INTERNAL INSULATION - AEROGEL (FRONT FACADE)

30mm Hemp Lime

15mm Woodfibre Board

65mm Aerogel between C-channels

Existing wall

0.15 W/m²K 1:25

25mm Existing Slate Roofing on 50x50mm battens

Breatheable Windtight Membrane

250mm Thermafleece Wool

Insulation between joist (250x45mm)

2x15mm Woodfibre Boards

30mm Hemp Lime

0.12 W/m²K

EXTERNAL INSULATION - WOOL (OTHERS)

9mm plaster levelling coat

15mm Woodfibre Board

25mm Service Cavity

Existing/New wall

100mm Thermafleece btw

wooden studs

8x15mm Woodfibre Boards

30mm Hemp Lime

0.15 W/m²K

MODULAR GREEN WALL FENCING

Plants may take time to grow, wall can still function as a privacy screen when the plant has not grown fully in the cavity.

Replacement of ill-maintained existing fences and replaced with a green wall system. Vegetation also function as a noise buffer and air purifier.

View/sunlight

View/sunlight

Growth tray connected to an Ebb-flow hydroponic system.

Water pump with timer

Brick anchor

Water supply from communal rain water harvest tank

Lower wall functon as table top and seatng

Private entrance only accessible for residents of HMOs.

Removal of part of wall makes entrance of HMO more spacious.

Meeting room with direct

Public entrance into the common house, accessible to all residents of the block.

Kitchenette with basic fittings access to food and water travel to the outside shared

Skylight above at central breakout space of common house

Added surveillance room that centre.

Rentable rooms be separated with partitions.

access to office.

Foyer

Event Room

The Common House

Incidental room that can be used as a home office or study room.

fittings allows residents to have water without always needing to shared kitchen.

Sideboard table with views towards the lanes.

opening to ensure passive surveillance from the office into the that could be used as a day care

rooms that can with movable

Enlarged rear opening with bi-fold door to enhance connection with the gardens.

Shared drying space for residents living on upper floors with flexible drying racks.

Communal kitchen for residents of HMOs.

EXISTING CONDITION

GREENER

GRANGETOWN

BURNING

OVERGROWN WEEDS, FLYTIPPING ISSUES

EXHAUST GASES FROM MAIN STREET

FLOOD RISK FROM SURFACE WATER

SUDS

OF FOSSIL FUELS

harvested water water pumped to houses collected organic wastes renewable biogas to houses

A Sustainable Co-living Scheme_

RAIN GARDENS

LOW IMPACT REFURBISHMENT

GREEN WALL SYSTEM REPLACE EXISTING FENCES, ENHANCES AIR QUALITY

PV PANELS

COMMUNITYWIDE FOOD WASTE COLLECTION

FOOD WASTE - ENERGY FOR COOKING

LOCALLY GROWN FOOD

COMMUNITY SURFACE WATER COLLECTION FOR ALLOTMENTS & GREEN WALL FENCES

RAINWATER HARVESTING

PROPOSED SCHEME

BETWEEN PAST AND FUTURE

Intergenerational Garden -Arts and Cultural Centre -

Project: Location: Softwares:

Cultural & Education

Llandaff Bishop’s Palace, Cardiff AutoCAD, Sketchup, Enscape, Photoshop, Indesign

elderly from nearby care homes

PROPOSAL: An Intergenerational Garden

elderly from nearby care homes

children from the school

A Continuous Conversation Between Past and Future_

The Bishop’s Palace is a 13th century fortified residence of the Bishop of Llandaff. The site fell into ruins when its use became redundant before being transformed into a public garden in the 1900s.

Current use of site as a public garden is an important cultural use that is retained in the project. Scheme proposed to rewild the existing garden, which will eventually become a collective horticultural project. It aims to nourish community bonds through bringing people together to plant, maintain and enjoy, forming an intergenerational garden which promotes bonding between the Cathedral school children and elderly from the several care homes nearby of the site.

We have to retain the character of the Bishop’s Palace as a public garden.

Involving local community could significantly reduce project cost, it will make the project more implementable.

Besides restoring the architecture of Bishop’s Palace, why not we propose to restore nature back to the site?

The local community would also gain a sense of pride and ownership in shaping the place.

Adapting the current garden to attract more wildlife is a great idea, but we need to consider more about cost, the site for replanting is quite huge.

We could suggest a grass-root appoach, it will enable school kids and the local community to reconnect to nature while fostering opportunities for intergenerational interactions.

Discussion of Stakeholders on Rewilding Strategy

green roof: 160mm growth medium, filter fabric, 30mm, drainage layer, root-proof EDPM sealing membrane, 120mm rigid thermal insulation, vapour barrier, 300mm concrete slab

insulated triple glazing (3 x 10mm laminated glass)

existing stone wall

100mm acoustic insulation, 2x25mm gypsum board on steel hanger, 600mm service void, acoustic ceiling panel

acoustic panel, 90mm facing brick, moisture barrier, 100mm rigid thermal insulation, 100mm cavity fill acoustic insulation, 90mm facing brick

6mm steel sheet on bracings, balustrade: 30x3mm steel hollow section

20mm veneered OSB board, 12mm plywood subfloor, shock/vibration absorbing panels, 300mm timber battens, moisture barrier, concrete slab,

Technical Section

Process Sketches

The Bishop’s Palace is a significant cultural symbol for Llandaff. Demolishing it would result in a loss of cultural and historical value. The new proposal incorporates the site’s history and architecture to create a dialogue between the past and present.

The page demonstrates the process of exploring possible Old-New connections t o create a space where users can to observe the relationship between the old and new fabric.

Explorations with technical, lighting,

MODELLING

with Modelling: lighting, materiality