David Wong M.Arch Portfolio of Works

David Wong Ka Wai M.Arch Graduate University of Pennsylvania Portfolio of works

To understand a community, and to intimately know its local ways of living - It is through this that great design is born.

Contents Governor’s Island The Cultural Axis Exchange

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Callowhill 12 Drunk and Carbloaded Mount Beacon Reservoir 18 Beacon Retreat Central Park 26 Rock Pile The Swept Away Table 32 Professional Work

The Cultural Exchange Conservatory Studio: Marion Weiss Site: Governor’s Island Date: May 2024 Governor’s island is a 172 acre island located in New York’s Buttermilk Channel. It has a history that dates back to as far as the 17th Century, and was named after the colonial governors of New York. While being largely unoccupied for a long time, it has in recent years become a popular destination for recreation.

This is especially after the transfer of ownership from the federal government to the city and state of New York. This has resulted in increased efforts to transform the island into a vibrant public space.

Interestingly, Governor’s island has always had a long history of farming and agriculture, with its conveniant location making it an ideal place to ship agricultural goods and livestock to and from Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Contrastingly, Red Hook today is a popular destination for a different sort of production, namely arts organizations, galleries and grassroots startups.

This project seeks to reconnect Governor’s island’s history as a production center with Red Hook’s growing modern art presence, all while introducing the typology of a conservatory as means of researching for a greener tomorrow in an increasingly warming world.

Site Plan 4

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A Cultural Axis Exchange Taking advantage of the largely underdeveloped Governor’s island, this project aims to revitalize the Buttermilk Channel through drawing upon Governor’s island’s agricultural past and Brooklyn’s modern arts scene. Extending the “urban block” of Brooklyn into a literal axis that stretches from Brooklyn to Governor’s island, a new “cultural exchange” conservatory is proposed.

of conservatories becomes a visual spectacle as much as arts are artefacts.

Beyond the multiple cores of art and conservatories, the project is also full of free autonomous spaces, platforms and parks where individuals can freely laze around and enjoy their day, whether that’s on grass or a beach as they approach the waterside.

Along this “axis” and campus, multiple nodes of conservatories are dispersed along with arts centres that local galleries can use to display art. Effectively, the research of botanics and different climates in the form THE CULTURAL AXIS EXCHANGE

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Celebrating local artists and galleries On the Brooklyn wing, the project has many spaces that can function as galleries that display local artwork.

Local galleries and institutions from Red Hook can use these spaces to show their work to the public. The Cultural Axis effectively absorbs these existing arts businesses and showcases them on a larger scale, while offering new galleries that host art too. Users are able to thread in and out of these conservatories through platforms that connect them from one art room to another for a varied journey and viewing experience.

Conservatories weaved throughout Similar to the art spaces that are dispersed throughout the Brooklyn wing, conservatories are also placed throughout the platforms. As such, there are many instances where users will go from one art space to another conservatory space. This creates a fascinating experience and walking journey where both art and vegetation from different climates are seen as artefacts and sculptures of their own. The journey through the cultural axis becomes one of exchange between visual culture and understanding environmental climates from different regions.

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Brooklyn Wing

Pier 12 International Pier Local Art Exhibit Spaces

Conservatory x Sculpture Room

Existing Museum “Pioneer Works”

Reclaimed Park

Tropical Climate Conservatory

Gondola Mediterranean Climate Conservatory

` Brooklyn Wing: Pier 12’s introduction to Red Hook

Beach Marine Ecocenter Docking area Cycling path

As noted in the axonometric drawing is pier 12. Pier 12 is an international terminal which takes people to and from New York to as far as Canada and the Carribean Islands. As such, the Brooklyn wing of The Cultural Axis Exchange holds an imoprtant position as it is the first experience many individuals will have of Red Hook.

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Governor’s Island Wing

Sunken Courtyard

Frigid Zone Conservatory

Governor’s island wing: Research and Production As seen in the sectional drawing above, there are multiple cores that operate as Botanical research centres and conservatories that house vegetation and different climates. These zones range from frigid zones to temperate zones. As such, the Governor’s island wing is more production and research orientated than the arts and culture celebrating Brooklyn wing.

Brooklyn Wing: Beach and lazing around As seen on the right is an illustration that one sees as they approach the water on the Brooklyn wing. The planes open up to the ocean for people to freely enjoy the sun and socialize.

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Botanical Research Centre

Production and Market

Gondola

Temperate Zone Conservatory

Salt Water Filter

A Play on Planes Rather than resembling traditional building architecture, the campus was conceptualized as a series of planes that floated on top of one another. As such, users are able to playfully navigate up and down different elevations. The entire project reads as a journey

through art galleries, research conservatories, and outdoor spaces that users are encouraged to socialize in. As individuals traverse from Brooklyn towards the Ocean, they are greeted with a soft sandy beach that further emphasizes the edge of the project’s urban

block formation. Additionally, while users can move upwards from platform to platform, the groundscape is free for all to wander.

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Drunk and Carb-loaded Studio: Maya Alam Site: Callowhill, Philadelphia Date: May 2020 Callowhill which borders on Chinatown is a place of nostalgia and hybrid identities. Many individuals flock to both these towns to seek ethnically tied pastries, pastries which evoke feelings of nostalgia .

Like the bakeries in the area which embody multiple nationalities, the people of Chinatown are just as multifaceted with many Asians now embodying modern day American values.

Despite this romantic ideal, Callowhill is a classic example of one of America’s primary problems – food and specifically bread waste. Channeling Philadelphia’s celebrated drinking culture, this project seeks to explore the notion of the hybrid, as a means of utilizing the existing bread wastage in order to create a new “community” brewery. In spirit of its identity as a melting pot, the very act of converting bread into beer acts as a cultural incubator of different types of ethnic bakeries in Chinatown and Callowhill.

Still Life

Repurposing waste food as a means of cultural incubation

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Channeling Philadelphia’s celebrated drinking culture, this project seeks to explore the notion of the hybrid, as a means of utilizing existing bread wastage to create a new “community” brewery. This still life (left) acts a

celebration of the channeling of waste bread into beer.

Atop a table, the still life frames these objects as a platform of community gathering.

Formal Experiments: The Hybrid In anticipation of exploring the hybrid nature of the town’s people and of shifting identities, formal experiments were conducted to explore different spatial gestures that could start to create new spatial moments and strategies – strategies which can become ways of creating spaces on the site.

In particular, simple geometric shapes like cubes and spheres were placed together, shifted, sliced, and shifted again in order to create new readings. Many play on assumption – a sphere that peels away, a cube that doesn’t entirely finish the silhouette of a cube… a series of curves that are superimposed by a rectilinear shape. In particular, the large render (right) is chosen because of its statement about the “seam”, or perhaps a “lack of” it, as a gesture used to generate space.

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Broken Masses creating “Seams” of playscapes Broken into masses that are scattered on a field, this brewery challenges the traditional factory typology, instead becoming a space where people can freely wander, relax and dwell in, and where brewery processes are exposed and integrated into the beer tasting experience. An amalgamation of shifting planes and overhanging masses, the brewery challenges the notion of the “seam”, interpreting the “seams” (or lack of it), as free-flowing voids where social activities and programs start to leak and flow into one another, acting as both glue and catalyst for social intervention, effortlessly threading people in and out of the project.

In particular, similar to the ever-shifting identities of many Asian Americans and artists in the area, the brewery’s appearance and experience is always changing. From its façade which reflects the everchanging surroundings to the shifting masses, and the flow between interior and exterior, this brewery is a collage of spaces and mediums which shifts and pulls, reflecting its inhabitants and surrounding community.

Leaking into the context The patterns of textures that emerge in plan are derived from the project’s conceptual massing stage.

Here, textures and colours of the project start to leak into the surrounding context.

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Autonomous Social Spaces 1. Bread Donation Room 2. Bread redistribution 3. Reception 4. Open Brewery and Restaurant 5. Open Brewery 6. Public Fermentation Room 7. Mexican Shop 8. Performance Space

Masses that create a playscape for autonomous social activtiies.

The plan of the project views the entire project as a landscape to play in. The resulting spaces from the shifted masses and their projection onto the rest of the project creates a series of interesting alleyways. The project’s planes start to shift and collide into one another, as they take on the invisible geometry that define the masses.

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Within these planes and their collisions, a spatial hierarchy is created. Some resulting corners are intimate and grassy, whereas others which meet in large spaces become places to gather. The masses themselves also become extremely porous allowing their interior programs to leak out into the shared spaces.

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G/F PLAN (1/8” = 1’0”)

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PLAn

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EL 60’

EL 30’

EL 0’

SECTION CUT (1/8” = 1’0”) Exposuring Core Functions The project seeks to build masses and activities around the cores of the brewery. This means that the brewery’s core functions are the essential heart of the project. In their big figures, the two masses that protrude in section, house core functions and machines in their centres, which are exposed to the public. While people can enter and see the machines, the rooms which spiral up the massings are also positioned in a way that pull and push away from the cores as a gesture of revealing and hiding. The remaining voids or “residual spaces” act as outdoor environments citydwellers can mingle throughout.

Waste Transforming machines as monument

Merging the Hybrid into the city

The chunk taken out from the project aims to explore the specifics of the circulation within these cores. Acting as a system of machines, the core’s machines are to be engaging with the public. Rooms that spiral up the mass jut in and out of the central void, wavering between being observers to the machines and being introverted and introspective. The skylight punctures into the bottom tasting rooms and into the basement where beer begins its fermentation process.

The elevations of the project show the way the project tries to “hide in the context of the city”. Drawing upon the imagery of the neighborhood of Callowhill, the project uses medium as a means to embody the urban context literally. In particular, the project explores how mediums can be a tool to blend into urban context as well as create coherence in a project. The masses can read as separate or intertwined. The mediums and colours projected onto them which project onto the floors and walls in the same logic bind the masses together with the floor and the viaduct.

EL 60’

EL 30’

EL 0’

BACK ELEVATION (1/16” = 1’0”)

FRONT ELEVATION (1/16” = 1’0”)

A Refuge between 2 Summits Studio: Homa Farjadi Site: Mount Beacon Reservoir, New York Date: Dec 2023 The site of Mount Beacon is located just south of the city of Beacon and is the highest peak of the Hudson Highlands. It consists of 2 summits which rise above the Hudson river, forming a topography that undulates into a series of valleys.

This project proposes a wellness retreat nestled into the mountain valley between the two summits, sat by the Beacon Reservoir. The reservoir is inward facing and introverted, a quiet presence against the grandiosity of the Hudson River. As such, the site presents itself as a tranquil place for individuals who seek refuge or a means of recharging oneself. Adopting the growing grassroots arts presence in the neighboring city of Bea-

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con, the project simultaneously offers spaces to exhibit art in line with wellness.

The natural slope from the summit to the reservoir presents an interesting opportunity to negotiate elements of infrastructure and topography. Consequently, the project consists of a single massing which folds and undulates above and into the slope, all while being composed of three types of bridging structures, or three different modes of “structure as space”. The resulting infrastructure is one that uniquely incorporates these different structures in order to create a wellness center that is intimately nestled within the idyllic sloping valley of Mount Beacon’s reservoir.

truss as bridge

single core wall as bridge

bearing wall as bridge

Structure as Space The “refuge” which is a building situated at the reservoir atop Beacon Mountain is one that is essentially an infrastructure project.

The project is a singular massing composed from 3 types of bridges, each maintaining themselves as seperate structural motifs: 1. a long span platform as a truss 2. a single core wall supported apartment 3. bearing walls that carve out underground spaces innovative reticence...

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Deck Plan

SCALE 1/8” = 1-0” A Free Field Dictated by Columns The refuge centre is one that is deeply nestled within Beacon’s environment, and often accessed through hiking trails. As such, the project celebrates the idea of freedom of movement. Here, structure dictates space, The columns are all designed with differing shapes and geometries to imply certain placement of programs.

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DECK WELLNESS AND EXHIBITION PLAN This platform, a ground floor plan which is accessible from the outside terrain, is one where programs such as therapy art exhibits, collaborative spaces, or wellness classes such as pilates are widely held. The individual columns create multiple zones and in some cases, become furniture or enclosed spaces themselves. The

furniture of the floor plan also follows the metaphor of the “fold” as seen in the massing of the project at large.

The vastness of space The columns are shaped to create filtered views and enclosures, all while maintaining a sense of vastness and distance about the platform. The deck becomes a place for socializing and for people to enjoy massive expansive framed views of nature, all while engaging in social and wellness based activities.

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Free Field Dictated by Walls and Masses, Underground Carving Embedded into the mountain, and beneath the central deck, is a deeply carved bathhouse and wellness centre. The geometry of the plan follows the core structural elements supporting the deck above, leading to an interesting experience that propells people to traverse from “dry” zones to more wet zones as they go (from left to right). Like the deck above, the plan celebrates free movement and autonomous zones, all while creating specific zones for these things to happen.

U/G Bathhouse plan 22

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3/F UNITS

2/F SHARED LIVING

1/F UNITS Apartment Plans

Programs Embedded into Core, Shared Space between Apartments.

The upper segment of the project, seemingly floating or folded into a vertical tower above the main deck, is one where accomodation is found. Here, the units are arranged along a central thick core, where centralized programs such as toilets are embedded. The 1st and 3rd floors are predominently apartment units, where some units are holed out for shared communal rooms. The middle floor is where these units are accessed, through vertical circulation.

Shared autonomous activities and socializing occurs, with people practicing yoga, or studying on tables that are embedded into the core walls and free platform spaces.

The middle floor is very much a “public living room”.

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As seen in the models, the project as a piece of massing appears to be a sheet that folds and undulates into itself and into the ground. However, upon further inspection, this is a carefully curated project that combines three structural elements into one building, for three seperate communal and living experiences.

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Rock Pile Studio: Simon Kim Site: Central Park, New York Date: May 2021 The iconic Central Park was once the site of Seneca Village, a community often dubbed as “outcasts”, isolated away from the rest of modern Manhattan. It was the forced removal of this community that was necessary for Central Park to be born in the first place.

As such, this shadowy past of Central Park has been a narrative that has recently come to light. Which begs the question: If one was to create a new intervention on site, what could one do to make Central Park even more equitable, in response to its oppressive past?

In spirit of bringing back equality onto the site, this project proposes a series of “rock formations” that help bring equity and environmental justice to the park.

Central Park has its own ecosystem with many native New York animals and organisms, many of which are endangered. Similarly, organic and inorganic trash can be found all over the park on a daily basis, due to its high foot traffic.

This project proposes a “rockpile” theatre for creative enthusiasts, one that is able to take inorganic waste and convert it into energy. At the same time, this project also implements passive environmental systems to help the local endangered species thrive.

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Blurred masses within boxes The project was conceived as a series of rocks that are piled up within cages. While the rocks hold programs within them, sometimes puncturing inside and out, their relative distances inside the glass boxes create different readings of “blurred” masses versus clear masses.

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World within Worlds

A Composting and Recycled Core

4 volumes are piled on top of one another, revealing worlds within themselves. Each volume has a different world and function, with their walls directly embedding environments or program specific functions.

Two programs of composting and recycling inorganic matter are framed as central “worlds”. The worlds are a mixture of recycling inorganic compounds, in an environment that is both for theatre enthusiasts and a place that mimicks natural systems for incorporating local ecosystems.

Endangered mammals

Indiana bat

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Atlantis Sturgeon

Endangered insects

rusty patched bumble bee

rayed bean

Shortnose sturgeon

Endangered birds

karner blue bu�erfly

Endangered shellfish

clubshell mussel

Endangered fish

Northern riffleshell

piping plover

Roseate tern (seagull)

Endangered plants/flora

northeastern bulrush

sandplain gerardia

Embedding nature into the facade

Glass Panel Joint Glass Panels Steel Mullion Steel Frame (Beams)

Bird cavities Bird bath Engineered soil

Vegetation Soil module Insulation Layer Non-Moisture Barrier Steel membrane

Floorslab offset from wall

Corner Beam

I beam Suspended Floor slabs

Glass panels Glass panel joint Steel Mullion

detailed wall section 1

detailed wall section 2

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G/F Plan

Natural Systems bodering Theatre Enthusiasts Taking a look at the ground floor plan of the project, one can see that the different rocks are packed with classrooms, theatres and practice spaces. However, closer inspection at the systems embedded into the rocks and their walls show that intri-

cate systems of implenting natural elements such as “cliffs” for birds or planters for flora and fauna are present. A passive natural environment is encouraged alongside creativity.

Mimicking Nature: seaside cliffs In some specific instances, there are “worlds” that are dedicated to immersing users into the natural ecosystem of Central Park.

In this specific case, cliff faces were looked at as inspiration for housing the local bird species, the Piping Plover.

Alongside planting natural flora and fauna, a thriving ecosystem is created where individuals can go to for tranquility or rest.

ROCK PILE

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Mimicking Nature: seaside cliffs Each “world” is characterized by its own ambience and mood. In some cases, specific zones take on different climates as they cater to different flora and animals. As seen in this image, some areas account for flora and fauna that require a more humid, tropical environment.

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The Swept Away Table Studio: Brad Ascalon and Mike Avery Date: May 2024 One of the key issues faced by many architecture students and creative professionals alike, is the constant clutter around desks. Yet when we look at solutions such as those found at the UPenn Architecture studios, we can see attempts, albeit rather unsuccessful ones, at creating “storage” spaces. These storage spaces are far too deep and narrow, such that once an item becomes lodged inside, its likely lost forever.

As such, we decided to embrace the spirit of sorting works out into piles. We wanted to allow users a means of “sorting” or “sweeping” their items into piles of work in a way that created a sense of order and “decluttering” without explicitly needing a storage that hid items away. Instead, we propose a simple solution of displacing work temporarily as part of one’s work process. The “swept away” Table became that very solution.

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Sweeping work into the “Declutter Shelf” Users are able to work on their assignments, and simply slide their items down into what we deem the “declutter shelf”, a place where items can go and be “dealt with later”. This space is a semi-storage of sorts, allowing users to feel a sense of organisation while still having their assignments on the desk.

Celebrating user autonomy The geometries of the furniture are designed to be graceful and elegant, all while being general enough that users can interact with the furniture however they like.

For instance, the foot rest is a long slab of wood, allowing users freedom of deciding how they would lilke to straddle their feet for maximum comfort.

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Unifying colour palette A palette of color tones is created for the backing of this desk. When desks come together on a larger scale, they will unify through a colour scheme while having seperate individual colour profiles.

Felt acoustic boards are used for the backing while oak and pine wood boards with a linear grain texture are used for the main table. surface.

THE SWEPT AWAY TABLE

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The NBA Macau Flagship Store Firm: Woods Bagot Site: The Londoner Macao Client: Sands China Date: 2025 During my time at Woods Bagot, I was heavily involved in multiple facets of the design and execution of the NBA Flagship store at The Londoner Macao. This included the designing and modelling of the facade and interior fixtures, coordination of materials, and confidential delivery and handling of documents under tight time constraints.

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The project is 900 square metres, designed in conjunction with the NBA China Games in 2025. This features 2 exciting preseason matchups between the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns. The store is designed to embed local Macau iconic features and host official NBA players upon their arrival to the city for the official games.

Retail

Arcade

Shopfront Design Our client desired a shopfront design that reflected the brand identity of the NBA. The shopfront is designed as layered pipes that frame the entrace. They are proportioned to be larger relative to the surrounding mall. I worked with clients on materiality and form.

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User Controlled RGBW coloured light Hanging Hooks LED RGBW Ceiling Lighting Control Panel Backlit Mirror Reconstituted Stone Floor Silver Plastic Lamininate with seasonal stickers

Fitting Room Design One of my designs was the fitting room of the store and its integration of fixtures and furniture. I stuck to forms and shapes that would reflect the store’s formal language with curved pieces that came together. Ceiling light troughs, walls and mirrors seemingly levitate off surfaces giving the room a lightweight feel. Initially, we tested projecting NBA patterns onto the wood panels, but chose to stick to a cleaner, more muted look.

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Material Palette and client Interfacing One of my key responsibilities was coordinating material choices between suppliers and client. The process of contacting multiple contractors and checking their product quality was eye opening. This back and forth culminated in creating material boards which I hand delivered to the client.

THE NBA FLAGSHIP STORE

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Wall Fixtures After compiling detailed specifications from fixture suppliers, I helped model and design specific wall fixtures for NBA products tailored to specific quotas and requirements for store-specific products.

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Fixtures and Installations We wanted to create different zones within the store.

Consequently, larger installations were created to have people try on products as well as sit back and take in the space. It was important to create a sense of dwelling as much of the NBA iconography is embedded into the surfaces of the store.

Shootout Area In order to make shopping a dwelling and tactile experience, an interactive basketball court is placed at the end of the store where customers can actively play in. This engaging feature promotes longer use of time in the store and promotes virality on social media.

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Sipit Retail Firm: Woods Bagot Site: Bucal Bypass Rd, Calamba, 4027 Laguna, Philipinnes Client: Ayala Malls Group Date: 2025 At Woods Bagot I helped with Ayala Mall’s Sipit Retail project, a landmark shopping center integrated into the landscape, primed as a destination hub. The project is located in Calamba, Laguna, less than 50km from Philippines capital Manila. The shopping center (marked yellow), will be the first phase of a larger development, with new developments occuring in adjacent lots (marked purple). This includes schools, churches and housing, creating a fully integrated community. The site is by the Bucal Bypass Road, a major highway into the urban center and is near natural attractions such as shrines and mountain trails. As the only development in its vicinity, Sipit Retail is a community centric destination entrenched in nature.

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Importantly, I utilized Revit as a tool in this project to create families, modify the model in 3d, and output drawings. We worked between Rhino and Revit, experimenting in Rhino and importing them into Revit for exporting drawings.

Learning from Local Vernacular Fundemental to the philosophy of the project, the local vernacular will be referenced. As the project is located on a mountaineous region, it was only natural to learn from local terraced stilt houses in the Philippines.

Terrace Adapted Community Centre The building’s design language was founded on principles of local terraced stilt houses. The final design cascades down the terrain with the upper portion exposed to views and wind, and the lower portion engaging with nature and steeper topography.

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G/F Plan Children’s playgruond as driver

Existing trees retained in courtyard

Restaurants with Al Fresco Terraces

Legend Legend Retail Retail Food Food Kiosk Kiosk Anchor Anchor Alfresco Lease Alfresco Lease Exterior Walkway Walkway Exterior BOH/Utilities BOH/Utilities Carpark Carpark FireExit Exit Fire Drop-off Drop-off Curb Side Side Pick-up Curb Pick-up Parking Access Access Parking Loading Dock Loading Dock Escalator Escalator Customer Elevator Customer Elevator Service Elevator Service Elevator Restroom Restroom

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Atrium with moveable planter seats

12-15m wide corridors with kiosks

Indoor and Outdoor

Permeable Deck

During the day time, the shopping mall opens up and users can flow freely between open courtyard space and the indoor retail corridors. There is a drop off zone to the south fo the mall. The deck that supporting the courtyard space accomodates existing trees from the mountain. Consequently, users enjoy a well lit interior space while being surrounded by nature when they step out into the courtyard.

A lightweight deck makes up the courtyard platform for social activity. It is permeable allowing airflow and rainfall for surrounding mountaineous surfaces. This ensures that there is a comfortable breeze throughout the mall, important for the region’s tropical climate.

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3/F Plan

3/F Plan

Anchor F&B

Dining Terrace

Legend Legend Retail Retail Food Food Kiosk Kiosk Anchor Anchor Alfresco Lease Alfresco Lease Exterior Walkway Walkway Exterior BOH/Utilities BOH/Utilities Carpark Carpark FireExit Exit Fire Drop-off Drop-off Curb Side Side Pick-up Curb Pick-up Parking Access Access Parking Loading Dock Loading Dock Escalator Escalator Customer Elevator Customer Elevator Service Elevator Service Elevator Restroom Restroom

Food Hall

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Al Fresco Terrace

The Night Lives On The advantage of being built on a terrace means that the upper floors of the shopping center are elevated and can operate at a different time of day.

Consequently, the 3rd floor of the shopping center remains open after the main ground floor of the mall closes, creating an enjoyable nightscape environment, where users can come for al fersco bars and movies.

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Sanya Song of Youth Mall Firm: Woods Bagot Site: No. 2, Chuanbei Lane, Jiyang District, Sanya City Client: China Jinmao (Sinochem Group) Date: 2025 The Sanya Song of Youth Mall (Qing Chun Song) is a design competition entry I worked on during my time at Woods Bagot. The project proposal was to redevelop and old shopping mall into a an eco-friendly retail center and landscape that connects to the central business district. The project is located adjacent to the Sanya River connecting to the city’s central business district. The primary goal is to revitalize the dilapidated mall into one that embodies new age sustainable brands, with open aired spaces and proximity to nature. Additionally, the retail center will activate the waterside running tracks. This is as part of a larger initiative “Sanya Forest City”, with the project taking on an eco-friendly identity.

Roof Ridge

Step Column

The redesigning of the business center is primarily driven by the culture of the indigenous Hainan people and their dwellings. Consequently, this project takes influence from their natural settlements and patterned rattan weaving in order to generate the formal language of the retail center.

Rammed Earth Yue Chuan Eco-Greenway

中国 China

Project Location

海南 Hainan

Song of Youth Commercial Projects and Eco-city Construction

三亚 Sanya

3 Districts, 1 Center

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Larger Initiative: “Sanya Forest City”

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Project as eco-friendly business social hub

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Revitalized Street Life While the project is primarily a retail center upgrade, the project’s open al fresco spaces and increased greenery spaces encourage users to flow around the entire block. Pop up markets and new age sustainable wellness stores will be present outside the shopping center, encouraging users to socialize and mingle beyond the mall itself. Along with the high density of vegetation, the mall becomes a vibrant, sustainable open aired streetscape.

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Master Plan Development The Shopping Center is designed to flow along the edge of the block, with a mixture of restaurants and new-age sustainability themed tenants. Aside from the cluster of stores to the south of the mall, the rest of the mall is designed so that users walk parallel to the street, encouraging movement between inside and outside, where pop up markets are. Canopies added to the mall’s exterior also create plenty of shaded areas for users to relax in. The shopping center edge is pushed inwards to accomodate for increased carpark requirements and maximal street life.

The plan is designed so that there are pockets of green space for neighbouring residents to come and reside in. Water features are also proposed throughout the plan, interweaved with the green spaces. This creates an environment surrounded by nature as people move from the shopping center to the river. As seen, there is a large emphasis on outdoor natural spaces as drivers of community life.

Transitory Space to CBD

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Retail Open Retail F&B Open F&B Supermarket Community Landscape Arcade BOH

Pocket Green Spaces for Adjacent Residents

Water Park adjacent to river activates riverside

Creating a Facade The entry points of the project needed to be striking and bold. Consequently, the facade was designed as triagulated metal panels, with timber columns and roofs referencing geometries from the local vernacular. AI was a helpful tool in helping script a triagnulated facade.

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Semi-Outdoor Open Living The original shopping mall is entirely insulated with little semi-outdoor terraces.

As such, the new design adds semi-outdoor dining areas that are well exposed to sunlight. This emphasizes the textural timber and stone palettes that reflect the indigenous people’s materiality. Coupled with a visual connection to the vivid street life and lush trees below, dining and relaxing on the balconies becomes fundementally more enjoyable.

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DAVID WONG PORTFOLIO OF WORKS

Using AI for Concept Design In the early design development phase, I found AI to be particularly helpful in creating early generative renders that communicated mood and atmosphere. In particular, softwares like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Adobe Firefly.

During the earlier stages of the project, communicating project narrative and atmosphere was key.

Consequently, AI became an extremely helpful tool for transforming early sketches into atmospheric renders.

The goal wasn’t precise geometry or high fidelity design. Rather, it was to communicate the overall feel and tone of the project. The goal was to utilize new generation AI to generate a series of renders. In many ways, thie process helped facilitate brainstorming new ideas.

While still early in their own development, I beleive AI to be a useful tool in facilitating early stage processes where mood and feel of a place are to be communicated. The subsequent renders produced can be useful as indicators of how projects can develop further down the road.

SANYA SONG OF YOUTH MALL

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