“a room is empty until someone enters.”

Henk Oosterling, Philosopher.

project brief:

“The project sites are located within buildings in the center of Sheffield. All of the buildings have a relationship to an external space that can be utilized as part of your design proposals. You are to gain an understanding of your chosen site and the surrounding context through a variety of methods and media in order to develop a proposal that is a unique response to the constraints and potentials of the place.”

constraints:

The constraints I have made are as follows:

1. The site is preferably on the smaller side

2. The site should be relatively easy to redesign or change its purpose

3. Avoid purpose-built sites (example: offices, schools, existing spaces with a predetermined layout to function properly)

4. The site should have good reason for redesigning

5. The site should be open for monetization

6. The site should interest me

These constraints help me pick and decide a site that is suitable for consideration. Arguments and reports made along the way will refer back to these constraints reference purposes. In keeping with the spirit of my previous works, I will approach this brief as realistically as possible. Keeping it grounded in reality helps me make crucial design decisions and should in theory, increase the project’s overall feasibility to be considered by a real client, whoever it may be.

PROJECT OASIS:

AUTHENTIC SEAFOOD REASTAURANT & LIVE FISH MARKET

Creating a new experience that captures the essence of authentic Indonesian-style seafood, never before seen in the West. A restaurant that takes users on a journey through the interior & architecture inspired by the beautiful sandy beaches and tropical rain forests of North Sulawesi.

About me, Indonesian in the United Kingdom

As specified by the brief, we are tasked to create a design project that is based on a specific culture and then create our own brief as a response. The brief I decided to go with will reference how my Indonesian heritage is of mixed descent, having parents from different islands in Indonesia. I have decided to side with my mother as I believe her background has more interesting elements that will benefit the ideas I have for my proposed project.

My mother comes from a city called Manado in the island of North Sulawesi. Being a capital, Manado is a small but beautiful city that is famous for its oceans and underwater tourism, as well as its lush rainforests. It is located in the northern peninsula of Sulawesi Island, south of the Philippines, and southeast of Sabah, Malaysia. Just like most South East Asian countries, Indonesia is located in the equator line giving it a tropical climate all year round. Very ideal for agriculture. The placement of the Sulawesi islands gives it a geographical advantage for sea trade and exports. (Chinese Merchants. The. (2023) North Sulawesi - Wikiwand. Retrieved April 07, 2023, from https://www.wikiwand.com/en/North_Sulawesi ).

Architecture wise, Sulawesi has a unique traditional house called “Rumah Walewangko” and its designed to be propped up on stilts. Made primarily out of wood. These types of houses are known as “Rumah Panggung”, which translates to “stage house”. Guests would have to go up a flight of stairs to get in. (Kompas Cyber Media. (2023) Rumah Walewangko, Rumah Adat Minahasa Halaman all - Kompas.com. Retrieved April 07, 2023, from https:// www.kompas.com/skola/read/2021/01/22/140000669/rumahwalewangko-rumah-adat-minahasa-?page=all ).

I wanted to use this to create a seafood restaurant that captures the essence of this island living experience. A key experience I would like to capitalize on for this project is to mimic the feeling of going underwater. Thematically this makes sense as Indonesia is known for its underwater tourism as mentioned previously. An ideal layout would have the ground level be lowered as if stepping into the sea. Rainforests, just like the ocean, are also a big contributor to Indonesia’s identity. Having indoor plants will be a quick and effective way to reference this. The dishes itself will be served like they would be in Asia, a full lengthy process showing how it is prepared, cooked, and eventually served on a plate. Something that is rarely seen in the UK. I find that it would be great opportunity to bring the Indonesian seafood culture seeing how prominent it is back home. Something different, not like the usual fish and chips joint. It would be interesting to see how the western world would react to how fish is served in Asia, and can hopefully create a unique experience out of sheer novelty alone. Attracting locals but also catering to Indonesian students in the UK, making it a place they go to should they ever miss home.

Existing Site

The existing site is made up of steel construction to create the bicycle storage racks. access to the top floors are achieved through strairs, ramps, and a small lift. Due to simple construction, tear down should be not too difficult a task.

Existing Site

With the constraints I have made for myself, the best option to go for is the train station. In terms of location, The train station is at a strategic location right in the heart of Sheffield, and within walking distance to most places of interest. There is not a lot of food options in the train station at the moment that serves heavy meals. Having a restaurant there is only logical as there is high foot traffic which will generate income. With people from different cultures crossing paths on a daily basis, the exotic feeling alone should entice them guests to visit. In addition, the part of the train station is detached from the main building. It is in front of the taxi bays. Hypothetically speaking, the proposed restaurant can be open till late, despite most stores closing at 6PM. While there is a plethora of restaurants to choose from, most if not all of Sheffield’s restaurants are located in town. One of the main issues users may face is the distance to get to the heart of the city. Another point of contingent might be Sheffield’s daunting hill right in front the train station. In addition, most of the restaurants found in town are fast food brands, not representative of Sheffield. This creates an opportunity to capitalize on late night train passengers by creating scarcity. (Sumo Group, Inc. (2023) 9 Scarcity Marketing Tactics (Proven Methods Inside). Retrieved April 07, 2023, from https://sumo.com/stories/scarcity-marketing).

The existing facade in the train station is decorated with prominent and recognizable arches that has been retained over the years. This shows respect of the artistry that went into the construction of the train station. The facade will be kept in the proposed design. From a size perspective, the train station is quite sizable which contradicts one of my personal constraints. However, looking at it from plan view, it is evident that the current site is only used as a shell. This gives me an empty canvas that I could easily rework.