KAI HO
+65 9646 5795 kaihohekai@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kai-ho-aa9439264/ English (Written & Spoken)
PROFILE
My name is Kai Ho and I am studying Architecture at Nanyang Polytechnic. From a young age, exploration & creativity has been my passion. I enjoyed playing LEGO bricks and reading history books & the latest news articles around the world. Through my travels, I love admiring and snapping pictures of the cities and daily activities I come across. I enrolled in this diploma to expand my exploration of architecture and develop my passion in the built environment.
EDUCATION
2022 - PRESENT
2018 - 2021
AWARDS
Diploma in Architecture, Nanyang Polytechnic GPA: 4.0
O Level, Xinmin Secondary School L1R4: 5
WorldSkills Lyon 2024 Competition
- Digital Construction
Second Belt and Road International Skills Competition
- Digital Construction
WorldSkills Singapore 2023 Competition
- Digital Construction
SDM Director’s List, Nanyang Polytechnic
MOE Edusave Scholarship Award 2021, Xinmin Secondary School
MOE EAGLES Award 2021, Xinmin Secondary School
MOE Edusave Character Award 2021, Xinmin Secondary School
EXPERIENCE
Architectural Trainee - DP Architects
MEDALLION FOR EXCELLENCE
MEDALLION FOR EXCELLENCE
2024/2025 S1 2023/2024 S1 2022/2023 S1 2023/2024 S2 2022/2023 S2
Mar 2024 - Aug 2024
Worked in BIM Team of Middle-Eastern High-Rise Residential Project. Amended BIM Models and Drawing Sheets for IFC Submissions using Revit and AutoCAD.
PROGRAMMES
Polytechnic Forum (PolyForum)
Singapore Young Leaders Programme (SYLP)
- National Youth Council Leaders Course
URA CUBE 2022
SKILLS
15 Sep 2023 - 22 Sep 2023
24 Jun 2023 - 26 Jun 2023
21 Nov 2022 - 25 Nov 2022
01 FINAL YEAR PROJECT
YEAR: Year 3 Semester 2
TYPOLOGY: Skills Integration Hub
LOCATION: Kampong Bugis, Singapore
AREA: ~10,000 sqm
THE HIERARCHICAL REFUGE FOR UPSKILLING CONFLUENCE
In the Year 2080, with rising sea levels, an increasing number of climate migrants in maritime Southeast Asia have fled their homes to seek a better life.
Like the Buginese before them, they are determined to rebuild their lives by taking on higher paid jobs, while preserving their culture and craftsmanship.
The proposed skills integration hub in Kampong Bugis aims to upskill climate migrants and enable them to forge mutual bonds with Singaporeans through work, live & play.
SOUTH PERSPECTIVE
SKILLS WORKSHOP SECTION
A PILOT SKILLS INTEGRATION DISTRICT
Climate migrants (from Maritime Southeast Asia) fleeing from rising sea levels are able to move to Kampong Bugis to live, work and play with locals. After obtaining the necessary skills to go into more advanced jobs, migrants would integrate into Singapore society and move to other parts of Singapore several years later.
PROPOSED KAMPONG BUGIS MASTERPLAN LEGEND:
PROPOSED PROGRAMMES
1. Public Classrooms: (GROUND FLOOR)
2. Skills Workshops: (GROUND - FIRST FLOOR)
3. Computer Labs: (SECOND FLOOR)
4. Hawker Centre: (THIRD - FOURTH FLOOR)
Climate refugees acquire basic knowledge on Mathematics, English, Sciences and more.
Climate refugees can apply what they have learnt by doing hands-on activities,like crafting. It encourages interactions between the learners in the classrooms and computer labs as they walk up the same circulation to and from the hawker centre regularly.
Climate refugees can upgrade their skills further by learning digital literacy skills and essential workplace software like Office 365.
Residents and learners from the refugee community and nearby HDB neighbourhoods can enjoy a wide range of cuisines from the refugee community in Maritime Southeast Asia and Singapore’s races, learning more about each other’s cultures.
SECTIONAL PERSEPCTIVE
SMALL SKILLS WORKSHOPS
02 GENIUS IN NATURE
YEAR: Year 2 Semester 1
TYPOLOGY: Green Agricultural School
LOCATION: Bedok Reservoir, Singapore
AREA: ~4,000 sqm
Therapeutic FarmVentures
The goal of this Studio project - ‘Genius in Nature’ was to study an animal or plant and to design a green school based on its ingenious characteristics. From the study, I designed a sustainable agriculture school along Bedok Reservoir which focuses on learning through senses, drawing inspiration from the leafcutter ant’s sensitive antenna.
GURU ABSTRACTIONLEAFCUTTER
ANT
The antenna of the Leafcutter Ant is very sensitive and is able to detect changes in its environmental conditions (Due to its Large Exposed Surface Area)
It is also used to detect volatile chemicals that endanger its fungal gardens
The ant produces its own chemicals to communicate with other ants, combined with its sensitive antenna.
STRUCTURE
Located along Bedok Reservoir lies the Therapeutic FarmVentures, a botanical-education centre for the youth. Inspired by the tessellating pockets on the leafcutter ant’s antenna, the school’s roof consists of repetitive triangular apertures that filter adequate sunlight, rainwater and wind into its farming spaces. Encompassing each crevice is an ETFE canopy that acts as a sunshade, helping to reflect soft sunlight into the building while channeling rainwater down into its myriad of gardens.
While basking in the sea of perforated lights and shadows, students rely on their senses to guide their experience around the school’s 5 gardens. With the wind’s aid, savoury, earthy scents navigate themselves down the school and its surroundings, attracting insects and curious youths to venture into a never-ending maze of smells. As they explore and forage, they are able to feel upclose the plants and produce that invoke their inner nerves and interest through textures, tastes and feelings. From this, their senses and perspectives of the natural world and beyond expand further to match the hypersensitive powers of leafcutter ants.
While basking in the sea of perforated lights and shadows, students rely on their senses to guide their experience around the school’s 5 gardens. With the wind’s aid, savoury, earthy scents navigate themselves down the school and its surroundings, attracting insects and curious youths to venture into a never-ending maze of smells. As they explore and forage, they are able to feel upclose the plants and produce that invoke their inner nerves and interest through textures, tastes and feelings. From this, their senses and perspectives of the natural world and beyond expand further to match the hypersensitive powers of leafcutter ants. EAST ENTRANCE
SPATIAL EXPERIENCE
CENTRAL ZONE
SCAN FOR VIDEO WALKTHROUGH
03 DESIGN IN CONTEXT
YEAR: Year 2 Semester 2
TYPOLOGY: Collaborative Youth Hub
LOCATION: Dhoby Ghaut, Singapore
AREA: ~10,000 sqm
You-th-Spectives!
Members of the Arts, Business and SMU communities are able to gather to collaborate and assist each other in multi-disciplinary projects in a dedicated space at Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station.
INITIAL SKETCHES OF SPATIAL QUALITIES
DERIVED FROM YMCA ART CLUB
SITE PLAN
THE PAST
Dhoby Ghaut was once the gateway spot for many Singaporeans and foreigners. Numerous forms of entertainment and recreation could be found in the area as far back as the late 1800s. Back then, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Singapore was home to several sports and arts clubs. There, people of all backgrounds volunteered and came together to pursue their interests in a free, informal manner.
The YMCA Art Club in particular organised art classes led by artists of different styles and held art exhibitions for the public, being one of the key partners of the Singapore Art Society. On what is today’s Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station was Amber Mansions, a major shopping centre for the Europeans and locals to shop, dine and and party.
To reinvigorate this creative, colourful spirit of the past, the Youth Imagineer is designed to be an arts and business incubator hub for aspiring youths to explore and express.
AXONOMETRIC DIAGRAM OF LEVELS
ROOF FLOOR PLAN
COWORKING SPACE
SCAN FOR VIDEO WALKTHROUGH
04 INDUSTRY PROJECT
YEAR: Year 3 Semester 2
TYPOLOGY: Secondary School
LOCATION: Jurong West, Singapore
AREA: ~1,500 sqm
CLIENT: Hua Yi Secondary School
BLOSSOMING BONSAI OF HUA YI
In Groups of 7, we were tasked to propose refreshed interior designs for Hua Yi Secondary School’s Administrative Block. Consisting of a school library, heritage gallery and admin staff office, my group’s concept is based on a Bonsai garden, hinting to the school’s rich history as a Chinese-medium school.
My main contributions are in the school library in Level 4, where I worked with my 2 peers to develop the overall design and programme layout of the library. I helped to create the overall 3D model for the library in Revit, several furniture like bookshelves and tables in Rhino and produce its technical drawings in Revit and AutoCAD.
OVERALL CONCEPT
Our overall Bonsai graden concept integrates the staff, heritage, and students of Hua Yi into a cohesive growth metaphor inspired by nature. As the “gardeners”, the staff nurture growth and ignite the students’ potential to blossom into lifelong learners. With Hua Yi’s rich eritage and alumni, they act as the “roots” which provide a stable foundation and guiding wisdom. The current and future generations of students represent the “branches, leaves, and flowers,” symbolising achievements, efforts, and contributions to society.
To turn it into a tranquil garden of knowledge, the proposed school library features multiple reading and study areas that have ample access to daylight and indoor greenery, where students can learn individually and in small groups in a cosy, warm environment. Design motifs found in traditional Chinese gardens are incorporated into the interior design.
LIBRARY (L4)
HERITAGE GALLERY (L3)
ADMIN STAFF OFFICE (L1)
Before:
After:
CHILL SPACE
LIBRARY READING AREA
LIBRARY DISCUSSION SPACE
MAIN ENTRANCE
SELF-CHECKOUT KIOSKS
05 MAGIC AT LITTLE INDIA
YEAR: Year 1 Semester 2
TYPOLOGY: Restorative Alley
LOCATION: Little India, Singapore
AREA: ~150 sqm
The Villager and Their Dwelling of Magic
In this Studio project, I was to study an old part of Singapore, Little India and to develop a concept design for the villager. My “villagers” were the migrant workers and residents resting in an alleyway covered with greenery. From my investigations, I developed a design that recreates the luscious, paradisiacal atmosphere that my villagers experience in the site, incorporating stacking greenery, sheltered seating and irregular cantilevers as my reinterpretation of the site’s qualities. From it, I learnt to take into account the site context as well as the needs and routines of the target users, when developing an architectural design.
DESIGN CONCEPT
To residents and shop-owners, the back alley between Desker Rowell Roads is paradise. They each nurture a unique garden their own, whose flora grow freely to cover every corner of concrete jungle. There are several stacks of cantilevers at varying levels seem to mutate wildly, complementing the rugged walls of greenery. Combined, these layers direct water down into the drains and plants on the ground, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem. For reason, the proposed architectural intervention features multiple layers of sloped cantilevers that collects more water from the and dried clothes. They are then filtered through the canopies surrounding greenery at specific spots.
In addition, migrant workers heading to their workplace transit back alley instead of the two adjacent main streets. They typically walk nonchalantly alone or in small groups through the secluded alleyway, providing them the chance to be with themselves in another world, away from the packed streets.
Some choose to spend their break time in the back alley under several protruding cantilevers to use their phones, as they are adequately sheltered from the rain, sun, pigeons and strangers cost. The sight of greenery around them also improves their overall mood and health. This architecture affords to provide the workers a healthy amount of exposure to sunlight and shade throughout day, through seats with gaps. Surrounding the seats are poles potted plants can be hung to expose them more to nature
Desker and of concrete levels that greenery. potted For this multiple sky canopies to transit the typically secluded under are strangers at no overall workers throughout the poles where
COLLAGES OF THE ALLEY’S QUALITIES
SOUTHEAST PERSPECTIVE
TOP PERSPECTIVE
SITE PLAN AND ELEVATIONS
06 OTHER PROJECTS & EVENTS
WorldSkills CompetitionsDigital Construction
Internship Programme at DP Architects
Challenge for the Urban & Built Environment (CUBE) 2022 Competition And More...
WORLDSKILLS COMPETITIONS - DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION
I have participated in the WorldSkills competitions, competing in the Digital Construction skill area, which involves the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) software for a test project to be completed within 3-4 days.
Tasks include:
- modelling the architectural and structural models of a multistorey building (e.g. student housing, office) on Revit;
- setting up and managing information of a Common Data Environment (CDE) project on ACC;
- performing clash detection and model coordination on models of different disciplines on ACC and Navisworks;
- performing 2D and 3D quantity takeoff on ACC Takeoff;
- running environmental analysis (e.g. embodied carbon, daylight, solar) on Revit;
- creating codes to automatic basic tasks on Dynamo;
- generating renders and video walkthroughs for visualisation on Twinmotion
WORLDSKILLS LYON 2024 COMPETITION (FRANCE)
- Medallion for Excellence
SECOND BELT AND ROAD
INTERNATIONAL SKILLS
COMPETITION 2024 (CHINA)
- Medallion of Excellence
Key Software used:
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME AT DP ARCHITECTS (DPA)
I interned as an Architectural Trainee in DPA’s Singapore Office for 22 weeks, during which I was assigned to work in the Architectural BIM team of a high-rise residential project based in the Middle East.
I mainly worked on amending the architectural BIM models and preparing drawing sheets for Issued-for-Construction (IFC) submissions to other consultants and authorities.
Outside of work, I participated in a mass walk with the company around Marina Bay to commemorate DPA’s 57th Anniversary, getting to chat and know a few of my colleagues better.
I enjoyed attending the designSHARE sessions organised by DPA’s learning platform (DP Academy). They gave me fresh insights and perspectives of the industry’s trends and company’s projects & design-thinking processes, from external sessions with industry partners like Revizto and BioSEA to internal e-learning courses.
My Team
CHALLENGE FOR THE UBRAN & BUILT ENVIRONMENT (CUBE) 2022 COMPETITION
Team NYP
Proposed Masterplan for Jurong Lake District
CCA Performances I have participated in as a Bassoonist for 2 years in the Nanyang Polytechnic Symphony Orchestra (NYPSO)
PolyForum 2023 (as part of SYLP 2023)
- My Group
Pre-University Seminar 2023
- My Group
October 2024 Study Trip to Tokyo