Y3S1//CHRISTOPHER CHUA NUS ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO//

EVOLUTION ENTROPY

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO nus year 1 ~ 3 christopher chua

“Also marvelous in a room is the light that comes through the windows of a room and that belongs to the room. The sun does not realize how beautiful it is until after a room is made. A man’s creation, the making of a room, is nothing short of a miracle. Just think, that a man can claim a slice of the sun.”

- Louis Kahn

NUS School of Design and Environment Christopher Chua A0183499J

1

Bespoke Connection

2

HE[x]AL

3

Tangled Together Now

4

Runway House

5

Tapestry

indices

PROJECT 1 l URBAN INTERVENTION

BESPOKE CONNECTION

_THE FRAGMENTATION OF EXCLUSIVITY Bespoke Connection creatively reinterpreted the back alleyways of Singapore’s historical shophouses as spaces that support a wide variety of activities at the street and over multiple levels. The project brings an active, social life to a much-neglected space used primarily for services. The intervention introduces a new urban space and presents a novel back alley urbanism that re-defines publicness which has traditionally been focused on the five-foot way at the front of the shophouse. Bespoke connection was inspired by Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love, where the use of film frames hides and reveals fragments and hints of the protagonist’s lifestyles. The project entails the use of prefabricated pods managed by shophouse owners who then rent them out to various tenants. The arrangement of the pods presents a juxtoposition of exclusive and inclusive spaces within the compound of the backalley whereby pods arranged parallel to the backalley or east-west facing. The former pods are accessible via the ground level and host programmes such as thrift shops and food retailers, performing its role as a public community node in Whampoa; a hub for collecting once-loved products and an alternative street-dining experience. The latter can only be accessed via the entry to the back-door of the shophouses where exclusive pathways have been installed within the hidden spaces available in the courtyard spaces within the compounds of the shophouse itself. These exclusive pods host bespoke personal programmes such as tailors, hairdressers and tattoo artists who charge a premium on their services and are appointment-only service providers. The sense of exclusivity is hence heightened further with each bespoke pod requiring a specific circulation path.

PROJECT 2 l THE SAFEHOUSE

HE[x]AL

_BUILDING TRUST, DIGNITY AND ABILITY The concept HE[x]AL lies in our vision of providing a safe, secure and transitionary home for homeless teenagers in Jackson, Mississippi. Our design aims to build Trust, Dignity and Ability, a consideration that stemmed from combining Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and a reinterpretation of the brief’s three principles. Building Trust - HE[x]AL attempts to address deep-seated physical and mental issues in teenagers such as abuse, trauma, and abandonment by housing them in secure homes where they can be given time and space to find their grounding.

Through provision of single private rooms, HE[x]AL aims to restore a sense of decency and order to homeless teenagers where they have easy access to necessities such as a place to rest, wash up, study, and eat. Restoring Dignity - HE[x]AL then provides a means to restore identity and sense of empowerment in teenagers to bring awareness to their strengths and weaknesses with ample opportunities and avenues of help. HE[x]AL aims to provide spaces that express one’s individuality through personal ownership and responsibility in a small community.

This is done through the design of spaces for discrete and small group interaction like corridors, pocket-breakout spaces and common study areas. Discovering Ability - HE[x]AL lastly provides a means for teenagers to develop the physical, emotional, and social capacity to upskill themselves and be independent in facing their personal challenges. HE[x]AL seeks to provide facilities and teaching programmes located at the ground level that also cater to a wide variety of skills beyond studies such as carpentry, cooking and pottery. Larger gathering spaces like the dining hall and sports courts could be used to reintegrate teenagers into large group settings. HE[x]AL aims to also to facilitate monthly night-festivals where sheltered teenagers can test their skills in public.

PROJECT 3 l URBANISM

TANGLED TOGETHER NOW

_A PLUG-IN PARKING CITY? ‘Tangled Together Now’ arose from initial studies at the public spaces surrounding Blk 103 Jln Rajah and the pedestrian bridge across Whampoa River leading to Jln Ampas. The key observation on site was the presence of BlueSG electric car charging points at the carpark. The introduction of the charging points resulted in 4 car park lots removed from public use, and a diversion in pedestrian traffic. This scenario gave hints of the effects of introducing emergent technologies into urban spaces, and its opportunities for public utility and perception.

Our prototype was inspired by the works of Archigram and aims to reimagine carparks as an urban infrastructure by combining deeper automation with fresh functionalities missing at the site. The reimagined carpark is conceived as a “system of events” that offers improved functionality and efficiency for storage, and more importantly, acts as a catalyst for the exchange of goods and people. The events within the system are functions that are organized around a common structure, with infinite possibilities of modification based on the needs of the residents. Ultimately, automation will be further normalized into the public’s lifestyles without preconceived notions of invasiveness and being inhumane.

The events are fluid and together with moving mechanisms, are connected to a permanent steel frame structure that is anchored to the ground. The main steel structure frames the spatial boundaries, while an interior substructure exists to create partitions and to facilitate movement. A sliding mechanism and a pulley mechanism are embedded into the substructure, which facilitates the movement of event loads, similarly to automated car lift systems. Similar to the “Plug-in City”, there is a divide in lifespan between the events (components), and the structure. The permanent structure can be constantly maintained over the lifespan, while programmatic blocks can be removed and replaced based on their fluid wear and tear. This increases the overall lifespan of the main infrastructure and opens up new opportunities for modification in the future due to community needs or technological advancements.

_Axonometric view of modular intervention around the site

_Section across intervenztion and HDB flats.

_Elevation across Whampoa River

_Axonometric Exploded Diagram The reimagined car storage facility looks beyond its previous single-purpose functionality.

Through automation, it is combined with new possibilities to become “fluid events” that may be plugged into the larger infrastructure. These events can be retrieved, returned, and have its proportions across uses dictated by the immediate neighbourhood. The events could range from bicycle storage, gym pods, and other small businesses desired by the community.

Spatially, the top levels contain a mixture of stored vehicles, with returned programmatic pods. Through artificial intelligence and automation, the vehicles could be lowered to the ground floor to be driven off.

Likewise, the programmatic spaces could be retrieved and placed in any of the bottom 4 floors, and be accessed by flanking staircases. The fluidity of events can constantly reflect the changes in activities for the community, and increase a “neighbourhood in flux”.

_Perspective from within the common space

_Perspective entering the programmatic pod

_Worm’s Eye Perspective from ground level

PROJECT 4 l DWELLING

THE RUNWAY HOUSE

_A FASHION DESIGNER’S REACTIVE HOME Client: Vanessa and fiance Age: 27 years old The approach to design was to incorporate the client’s philosophy of fashion being unique and adaptable, and the also in Iris Van Herpen’s words “fashion is the embodiment of entropy:. The runway house was designed to achieve the following objectives of distinguishing public and private spaces through the use of light and compartmentalisation as well as the house’s physical adaptability to the client’s fashion lifetstyle. The house features 3 main blocks; mainly service, personal and living. This separation of spaces allows light to play an important role in defining public and private spaces as well as redefining said spaces through physical spatial manipulation

_preliminary sketches

_exploded axonometric

_moving fashion Public and private circulation between the 3 blocks are constantly visible on all three elevations. Public circulation is viewed as approaching towards the elevation view while private circulation is viewed as horizontal movement across.

_front entrance

_front elevation

_street entrance

_street elevation

_rear elevation

_sections _separating spaces

_section A-A’ of service block

Enclosed and exposed spaces are clearly demarcated through the quality of natural sunlight exposed to each space. Enclosed spaces such as the individual blocks feature light-wels at places of interest. These lightwells allow natural sunlight to fill the spaces mentioned. Exposed spaces such as the balcony and runway are exposed to sunlight filtered through the pergola producing rhythmic pattens on exposed surfaces.

_section B-B’ of personal and living block

_light and separation

_service block entrance

_balcony view

_redefining private and public spaces _mechanism detailing

_bi-fold doors and gate closed _redefining spaces Bi-fold doors and mechanised gates can be pulled out from the living blocks to cordon off spaces in the public runway. This allows for private activities to spill out into the public space such as club parties or simply allowing a larger space for private events such as private fashion shows and runway shows. The redefinition of space gives the client a chance to reconfigure the house the way she wants to use it and blurrs the lines between private and public spaces.

_bi-fold doors and gate opened

_redefining private and public spaces

_form: dwelling private spaces separated by public space

_form: party integration of private into public space

_form: runway maximising private space

_no transforma-

_release of kitchen

_release of kitchen and studio spaces

PROJECT 5 l COMMUNITY MUSEUM

TAPESTRY

_weaving of shared memories _Overall brief The tapestry explores the anatomical meaning of city, architecture and culture of Tanglin Halt which was closely interrelated with the history of Singapore’s pre- and post-independence. The project aims to study and design a space for the new context and introduce contemporary architecture that respects and recognises the spirit of Tanglin Halt. Its urban identity and cultural heritage that passed down from generation to generation.

Tanglin Halt comprises of 32 residential blocks with 3480 flats which were amond the first blocks in Queenstown, Singapore’s first satellite new town for public housing completed more than 50 years ago. It has a neighbourhood centre comprising of a wet market. Two food centres and two storey shophouses that flank a community plaza.

_Window findings

_Flooring findings

_Tapestry design

_Preliminary Sketches

Physical manifestation and growth of memories through the upcycling of traditional grilles collected after demolishing of neighbouring blocks

_design process

_These following models try to accentuate the large public circulation space that spans almost the entire site. The massing surrounding the circulation space are made to further accentuate the directionality of the thoroughfare.

_Spatial patterns

_Thoroughfare separates the museum masses

_New circulation space integrating with existing

Thoroughfare spatial pattern takes after HDB blocks. HDB blocks punctuate the journey from 2 significant spaces. The visitor is introduced to exposed regular repeating public courtyard space and private HDB point blocks. In a similar fashion, the exhibition blocks introduce cavities of internal and external _Green Spaces surrounding Museums spaces for the holding of events and resting points for both residents and visitors to the museum.

_Event and activity spaces

NUS School of Design and Environment Christopher Chua A0183499J

I would like to extend my gratitude and thanks to my tutors Prof Richard Ho, Albert Liang, Dr Tan Beng Kiang and my studio mates. With their guidiance and support, I have observed myself grow as an individual as well as in the realms of architecture. For that, I am eternally grateful.