YEAR 4 OPTIONS STUDIO COMPILATION OF SAMPLES
M.ARCH 1, STUDIO CJ LIM (ONG SIEW MAY VISITING PROF)
VIRTUES OF URBAN RESILIENCE
IMAGE CREDIT: CHEN CANDICE
MASTERS DESIGN PROJECTS
INTERESTS
PROJECT ATTRIBUTES
Masters Design Projects include those explored in two Options Design Research Studios (M.Arch 1), the Advanced Architecture Studio and the Thesis project in M.Arch 2. All studios may explore issues relevant to the interests of the Research Clusters, adjunct teachers and professors in practice. Students are encouraged to capitalise on faculty expertise in widening the scope of investigations which collectively strengthen the Thesis Project in M.Arch 2.
A good Masters project is one where:
Essential and Elective modules are useful in underpinning your Masters studio investigations. Although Options Design Research studios may be varied in content and method, students are advised to be selective and to use them as ‘learning runways’ to identify a Thesis topic and to apply accumulated knowledge there. The Advanced Architecture Studio preceding the Thesis may be used to explore thesis drivers in greater detail and focus. It is expected that the Thesis project will be the most comprehensive and extensive study of all the Masters Design Projects. _______________________________________________________________________________________
• the research process informs design strategy which can be followed through a coherent sequential process of explorations or iterations • the research generates an underlying order giving rise to a number of architectural or urban propositions • the research or issues engaged with, give rise to new solutions through design, some of which are singular, permutable or recombinant • it addresses the contextual specificities of site, material, spatial, culture and program and all of the above are communicated through architectural drawings, well-crafted models and annotations which curate a design process and outcome(s) that can be understood without a verbal presentation by the author Beyond a commitment to individual academic portfolios, Masters projects play an important role in characterising the discursive ethos of a design school. It is important that you do your best.
DESIGN AS INQUIRY Masters projects can be research investigations where design forms a principal mode of inquiry. Methods can be heuristic or empirical or in mixed modes of inquiry. There are a number of research methods in design investigations leading to different outcomes but they are by no means exhaustive: • textual/graphic analysis of theoretical concepts with investigations drawn from critical discourse using text references, works of art/representation • quantitative analysis to verify qualitative hypotheses with simulation, physical experiment, prototype testing and mixed methods • scenario-driven speculative design to suggest solutions to emergent need. The process in itself is a new way of seeing/thinking which generates many solutions. One version of a solution may be articulated spatially and in full materiality • new research knowledge is interpreted in architecture as a new way of thinking/making/experiencing • existing practices, processes or existing technologies are applied to design and which produce ‘unprecedented’ outcomes
_______________________________________________________________________________________
MASTERS DESIGN PROJECTS
INTERESTS
PROJECT ATTRIBUTES
Masters Design Projects include those explored in two Options Design Research Studios (M.Arch 1), the Advanced Architecture Studio and the Thesis project in M.Arch 2. All studios may explore issues relevant to the interests of the Research Clusters, adjunct teachers and professors in practice. Students are encouraged to capitalise on faculty expertise in widening the scope of investigations which collectively strengthen the Thesis Project in M.Arch 2.
A good Masters project is one where:
Essential and Elective modules are useful in underpinning your Masters studio investigations. Although Options Design Research studios may be varied in content and method, students are advised to be selective and to use them as ‘learning runways’ to identify a Thesis topic and to apply accumulated knowledge there. The Advanced Architecture Studio preceding the Thesis may be used to explore thesis drivers in greater detail and focus. It is expected that the Thesis project will be the most comprehensive and extensive study of all the Masters Design Projects. _______________________________________________________________________________________
• the research process informs design strategy which can be followed through a coherent sequential process of explorations or iterations • the research generates an underlying order giving rise to a number of architectural or urban propositions • the research or issues engaged with, give rise to new solutions through design, some of which are singular, permutable or recombinant • it addresses the contextual specificities of site, material, spatial, culture and program and all of the above are communicated through architectural drawings, well-crafted models and annotations which curate a design process and outcome(s) that can be understood without a verbal presentation by the author Beyond a commitment to individual academic portfolios, Masters projects play an important role in characterising the discursive ethos of a design school. It is important that you do your best.
DESIGN AS INQUIRY Masters projects can be research investigations where design forms a principal mode of inquiry. Methods can be heuristic or empirical or in mixed modes of inquiry. There are a number of research methods in design investigations leading to different outcomes but they are by no means exhaustive: • textual/graphic analysis of theoretical concepts with investigations drawn from critical discourse using text references, works of art/representation • quantitative analysis to verify qualitative hypotheses with simulation, physical experiment, prototype testing and mixed methods • scenario-driven speculative design to suggest solutions to emergent need. The process in itself is a new way of seeing/thinking which generates many solutions. One version of a solution may be articulated spatially and in full materiality • new research knowledge is interpreted in architecture as a new way of thinking/making/experiencing • existing practices, processes or existing technologies are applied to design and which produce ‘unprecedented’ outcomes
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RESEARCH CLUSTERS
ASIA RESEARCH FOCUS
III. TECHNOLOGIES
The Department positions itself as a design and research think-tank for architectural and urban development issues emerging in South Asia and SE Asia contexts. Graduate coursework in design engages with key challenges in population growth, industry, infrastructure, housing and environment, climate change and rapid economic change with disruptive technologies. In engaging with trans-boundary economies and technological change, the Department addresses concerns with the environmental impact of new settlements and cities on the natural environment in the light of climate change and on the threat to heritage and cultural presentation. MArch studios anticipate planning solutions through design explorations at various scales of intervention. The Master’s coursework are thus aligned to a core of five teaching groups viz. History Theory Criticism, Research by Design, Design Technologies, Urbanism and Landscape Studies. _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Technologies cluster investigates environmentally performative/sustainable building forms and systems,and generative-evaluative processes for designing liveable environments. Its research employs traditional and emerging technologies contributing to a new understanding of the human ecosystem, and emerging computational methods and techniques for discovering the relationships between form and performance. It researches on the relationship between human and natural landscapes, at every scale, from the building component scale to the urban scale. Special emphasis is placed on the context of high density Asian cities and the context of the Tropics.
I. HISTORY THEORY CRITICISM The History Theory Criticism cluster develops critical capacities to examine questions of architectural production, representation and agency within historical and contemporary milieu. Taking architecture and urbanism in Asia as its primary focus, members work in interdisciplinary and transnational modes. We explore a range of topics relating to colonial/postcolonial and modern/ postmodern Asian cities; aesthetics and technopolitics of tropical climate and the built environment; affective media including film, contemporary art and exhibitionary modes; heritage politics and emergent conservation practices. We develop discursive fronts through a variety of media and scales. The cluster research encompasses scholarly, creative and advocacy activities. Output includes monographs, edited volumes, research papers, architectural reviews in professional journals, curatorial practice, conservation work, film and photography, object-making, and policy-influencing advocacy work.
II. RESEARCH BY DESIGN The Research by Design cluster performs translational research through the practices of making as research rather than through traditional forms academic research. It links the importance of creating, drawing, and building with rigor, originality, and significance to produce innovative and creative designs that shape the built environment. Located strategically between the NorthSouth axis of rapidly urbanizing Asia and the East -West line of the tropical equator, the Research by Design cluster performs research through practice in three main themes: • Novel aesthetics of climatic calibration and performance; • Contemporary architectonics of fabrication, material, and resources contingent on South East Asia; and • Emergent spaces of inhabitation and production surrounding the equator.
IV. URBANISM With a comprehensive understanding of the complexity and distinctive characters of emerging urbanism in Asia, the vision is to develop sustainable models and innovative urban strategies to cope with various environmental, social, economic and technological challenges that Asian cities face today and in the future. Emergent urban issues related to community & participation, conservation & regeneration, ageing & healthcare, built form, modelling & big data, and resilience & informality are investigated from multiple perspectives and inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations to question conventional norms and conceptions and establish new visions for a sustainable urban future.
V. LANDSCAPE STUDIES The Landscape Studies cluster undertakes research to generate new knowledge of landscapes as socio-ecological systems and promotes the use of knowledge in governance systems and landscape design that improve the well-being of humans and the ecological integrity of the environment. The geographic focus is primarily high-density urban regions in Asia, but members of cluster also work in the transitional zones within the rural-urban continuum, where urban regions are expanding at a rapid rate into rural landscapes. The overall research approach is both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary — we are concerned with not just advancing theoretical concepts and knowledge, but also applying the knowledge in practice and public policy to shape the environment. Our research areas cover a wide spectrum of socio-ecological dimensions of landscape, from landscape science, landscape management, to design research and socio-behavioural studies.
RESEARCH CLUSTERS
ASIA RESEARCH FOCUS
III. TECHNOLOGIES
The Department positions itself as a design and research think-tank for architectural and urban development issues emerging in South Asia and SE Asia contexts. Graduate coursework in design engages with key challenges in population growth, industry, infrastructure, housing and environment, climate change and rapid economic change with disruptive technologies. In engaging with trans-boundary economies and technological change, the Department addresses concerns with the environmental impact of new settlements and cities on the natural environment in the light of climate change and on the threat to heritage and cultural presentation. MArch studios anticipate planning solutions through design explorations at various scales of intervention. The Master’s coursework are thus aligned to a core of five teaching groups viz. History Theory Criticism, Research by Design, Design Technologies, Urbanism and Landscape Studies. _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Technologies cluster investigates environmentally performative/sustainable building forms and systems,and generative-evaluative processes for designing liveable environments. Its research employs traditional and emerging technologies contributing to a new understanding of the human ecosystem, and emerging computational methods and techniques for discovering the relationships between form and performance. It researches on the relationship between human and natural landscapes, at every scale, from the building component scale to the urban scale. Special emphasis is placed on the context of high density Asian cities and the context of the Tropics.
I. HISTORY THEORY CRITICISM The History Theory Criticism cluster develops critical capacities to examine questions of architectural production, representation and agency within historical and contemporary milieu. Taking architecture and urbanism in Asia as its primary focus, members work in interdisciplinary and transnational modes. We explore a range of topics relating to colonial/postcolonial and modern/ postmodern Asian cities; aesthetics and technopolitics of tropical climate and the built environment; affective media including film, contemporary art and exhibitionary modes; heritage politics and emergent conservation practices. We develop discursive fronts through a variety of media and scales. The cluster research encompasses scholarly, creative and advocacy activities. Output includes monographs, edited volumes, research papers, architectural reviews in professional journals, curatorial practice, conservation work, film and photography, object-making, and policy-influencing advocacy work.
II. RESEARCH BY DESIGN The Research by Design cluster performs translational research through the practices of making as research rather than through traditional forms academic research. It links the importance of creating, drawing, and building with rigor, originality, and significance to produce innovative and creative designs that shape the built environment. Located strategically between the NorthSouth axis of rapidly urbanizing Asia and the East -West line of the tropical equator, the Research by Design cluster performs research through practice in three main themes: • Novel aesthetics of climatic calibration and performance; • Contemporary architectonics of fabrication, material, and resources contingent on South East Asia; and • Emergent spaces of inhabitation and production surrounding the equator.
IV. URBANISM With a comprehensive understanding of the complexity and distinctive characters of emerging urbanism in Asia, the vision is to develop sustainable models and innovative urban strategies to cope with various environmental, social, economic and technological challenges that Asian cities face today and in the future. Emergent urban issues related to community & participation, conservation & regeneration, ageing & healthcare, built form, modelling & big data, and resilience & informality are investigated from multiple perspectives and inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations to question conventional norms and conceptions and establish new visions for a sustainable urban future.
V. LANDSCAPE STUDIES The Landscape Studies cluster undertakes research to generate new knowledge of landscapes as socio-ecological systems and promotes the use of knowledge in governance systems and landscape design that improve the well-being of humans and the ecological integrity of the environment. The geographic focus is primarily high-density urban regions in Asia, but members of cluster also work in the transitional zones within the rural-urban continuum, where urban regions are expanding at a rapid rate into rural landscapes. The overall research approach is both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary — we are concerned with not just advancing theoretical concepts and knowledge, but also applying the knowledge in practice and public policy to shape the environment. Our research areas cover a wide spectrum of socio-ecological dimensions of landscape, from landscape science, landscape management, to design research and socio-behavioural studies.
Acknowledgements: (1) Studio Tutor: - Prof CJ Lim (Ong Siew May Visiting Professor) (2) Guest Critics: - Cheah Kok Ming - Dr Lilian Chee - Prof Christine Hawley - Prof Ho Puay-peng - Khoo Peng Beng - Adrian Lai - Dr Junko Tamura - Tham Wai Hon (3) External Reviewers: - John Lin (Hong Kong University) - Sandra Loschke (University of Sydney) - Sim Boon Yang (ECO.ID) - Tan Kay Ngee (Kay Ngee Tan Architects) (4) Workshop Mentors (London): - Ivan Chan - Marcin Chmura - Alexandra Dumitras - Jason Ho - Vilius Vizgaudis - Eric Wong (5) Special thanks and gratitude to Mr Ong Tze Boon for sponsoring the Ong Siew May Visiting Professorship
Virtues of Urban Resilience - CJ Lim Studio
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DR. CJ LIM Ong Siew May Visiting Professor (NUS) Professor of Architecture & Urbanism (The Bartlett, UCL) c.j.lim@ucl.ac.uk
THE VIRTUES OF URBAN RESILIENCE ‘Faith, hope and charity are the theological virtues, but they functioned as supremely civic virtues during government. This is because love of the city one calls home has its roots in charity, and the actions of justice are animated by faith and by hope for divine guidance.’ – Chiara Frugoni, ‘A Day in a Medieval City’, 2005 For millions of dispossessed Americans of the Great Depression, the Hoover Dam and Boulder City came to symbolize hope. President Hoover feared public dependency on the federal government, and realized the dam can unite public works and private enterprise, improve mass employment and the quality of life of communities, and simultaneously invest in the American economy. Henri Lefebvre, the French sociologist and author of the seminal ‘Critique of Everyday Life’, argued that every society produces its own spatial practice – at every critical juncture, the shape of the space that will help us contest climate
It is certainly true that faith builds – whether the holy cities of Mecca and Varanasi, or the hubris skyscrapers of Dubai that are propped-up by belief in the oil economy. Walt Disney’s EPCOT sold short-term fantasy and happiness; Disneyland and Disneyworld are similar corporate heterotopias of timeless pleasure
Haussmann is celebrated and despised for much that is loved about Paris. By driving sweeping wide boulevards through the urban slums barricaded by the city of light and trees. Whether by bold gestures or by subtle attrition, cities are constantly re-written. Faith, hope and charity offer new imaginative lens for social change, resilience and established dogma. PROJECT ONE: Fiction is most valuable in its speculative function to inform the built environment. By employing narratives, students will prioritize and
water and energy has to be re-imagined. Le Corbusier lamented that ‘the world is sick. A
speculative programmatic framework for the semester. PROJECT TWO: Students are required to identify the
No, that is too tame. It is the possibility of a great adventure that lies before mankind: the building of a whole new world.’ His commentary from 1967 might appear prescient, but could have been written at any time in the history of the city. In the age of Trump and Brexit, the three virtues must play a key role
‘undesired’, be it the weather, economy, geography, lack of inhabitation or indifferent. The symbiosis between place and narrative, through expressions of personal ideology, scale and working methods, informs the visionary urban design and innovative architectural proposals. What will a built environment metaphorically
citizenship – not only access to the rights guaranteed by the nation-state, but to more active and pluralistic forms of participation to promote resilience. Instead of relocating, the Karakalpak people of Uzbekistan are hoping to restore life to the Aral Sea by covering the entire former sea bed with a forest, despite it is anticipated to take at least 150 years.
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Virtues of Urban Resilience - CJ Lim Studio
*Throughout the semester, there will be three intensive workshops in addition to weekly tutorials. Eligible students should apply for NASA funding. Instagram: @bartlettunit10
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Content
Acknowledgments
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Foreword
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Proposals Arcadia: Community for The Third Age by Chen Candice
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Water: Hope for Good Governance by John Kevin Chandra
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Faith: A Cautionary Tale by JiangWenhuan
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Highway of Love and Tears by Gabrielle Liew
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The California Dream by Li Meihui
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The Liberated Nation by Ian Mun
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The Environmental Gift: Love Thy Neighbour by Su Myat Noe Naing
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Kitchen of Cultures by Sharne Sulaiman
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The Sun City by Samuel Ow
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Flow-Ark by Zhang Zeqing Zen
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ARCADIA: COMMUNITY FOR THE THIRD AGE CHEN CANDICE
ARCADIA: COMMUNITY FOR THE THIRD AGE CHEN CANDICE
The Virtues of Urban Resilience
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Arcadia: Community for The Third Age by Chen Candice Virtue: Hope
Nature
Tradition
Peace & Humanity
New Technology
Migration
Painting: Guernica (1937)
Artist: Pablo Picasso This painting depicts glimpses of Hope despite time of war. The poppy flower represents Hope in nature, oil lamp represents Hope in tradition and dove represents Hope in peace and humanity. Despite the Nazi bombing Guernica, represented by the electric light, the people of Guernica chose Hope and did not abandon their homeland, demonstrating community resilience.
Critical Thinking: Community resilience through nature and tradition to achieve peace and humanity.
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The Virtues of Urban Resilience Virtues of Urban Resilience - CJ Lim Studio
Arcadia s masterplan is a retirement community for elderly Singaporeans – a re-imagination of the currently forsaken Forest City in Johor as a series of sustainable floating islands that initiate community cohesion between Malaysia and Singapore. Arcadia is also a commentary towards the Malaysia government, which had previously surrendered to capitalism by giving away the location of Forest City to the Chinese government. The thesis focuses on nature where the Singaporean elderly are given roles to overcome loneliness and to participate through cultivation of vegetable and herbs. The focus is also on tradition where the elderlies pass down life skills and re-cultivate relationships with the younger generation through mentorship program of urban agriculture. According to the Lancet paper Healthy Cities , a 10x10 meter plot and a 130-day temperate growing season can sustain a family annually with fruit and vegetables and a nutritional intake of vitamins A, C, and half of the vitamin B complex and iron. For young gardeners, it has been described as a foundation for efficacy, pride, self-esteem and personal satisfaction. Researchers have identified gardening as a viable form of exercise, capable of reducing the risk of coronary heart disease for men and women, obesity, diabetes and improving glycemic control in adults. The WHO Healthy Cities programme has recognised the benefits of urban agriculture and has appealed to cities and their governments to incorporate food policies into urban plans. While Arcadia, funded by Singapore s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Community Care, strives to encourage participation, empowerment and improve quality of life of elderly Singaporeans, the hope of the proposal is peace for Malaysia boosting their economy with new jobs opportunities, reduce political threats and lighten tension caused by social inequalities. Currently, the weak Malaysia ringgit had driven Malaysians to shuttle in and out of Singapore for work every day in hopes for a higher standard of living, has resulted in much economic, social and political friction.
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The Virtues of Urban Resilience
THE ENVIRONMENTAL GIFT: LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR SU MYAT NOE NAING
THE ENVIRONMENTAL GIFT: LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR SU MYAT NOE NAING
The Gift : Infrastructure The Virtues of Urban Resilience
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The Environmental Gift : Love Thy Neighbour by Su Myat Noe Naing Virtue: Love
Alice’s Journey
Painting: Alice’s Journey [1957] Artist: Charles Blackman
The painter would not use his sight to read but rather sit together with his blind wife to listen to audio books of Lewis Carroll’s extraordinary tales of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Blackman’s selfless love for his wife, empowered and inspired him to create this celebrated painting – a blend of amusing and sometimes irrational motifs from Alice’s journey. The painting is forever remembered for their stronger bond. Critical Thinking: Love to empower humanity Title: The Environmental Gift: Love thy neigh-
bour
Location: The eastern coastline of Sumatra, Indonesia Function: Reforestation, farming, seed nursery, seed bank and communal housing. Alice’s Tear Masterplan
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The Virtues of Urban Resilience Virtues of Urban Resilience - CJ Lim Studio
Project Description:
‘The Environmental Gift: Love thy neighbour’ is premised on the serious issue of air pollution in the South-east Asia region, caused by ‘environmental blindness’: the illegal burning of forest fires by landless farmers, ignorance and hubris of palm oil production companies, and lastly accidental forest fires during dry seasons in Indonesia. At the same time, the project is a speculative exercise of narrative and the metaphors. Through neighbourly love, Singapore develops a series of infrastructure to help restore the near depleted forest of Sumatra – just as Blackman created the painting of love for his wife, and Alice liberation of Wonderland from the clutches of the Queen (palm oil production companies). The thesis focuses on providing opportunities in cultivation (farming), restoration, and conservation of the Sumatra forest, and includes the empowerment of the landless farmers. The infrastructure is a blend of rational, and sometimes amusing characters and motifs from Alice’s wonderland. The act of love begins with an old recycled ship from Singapore brings the flat-packed gift to the coast of Sumatra, and upon arrival unpacks into an inhabitable garden with vertical aeroponics farming. The aim is to prevent landless farmers from clearing the forest illegally, hence preventing forest fires and improving their livelihood.
Unpacking of the Gift: Flat-packed Structure & Construction Sequence
The characters from the painting/book inform the tectonic and programs of the architecture. The White Rabbit’s trumpet is the main entrance, transport linkage and food market. The Cheshire Cat is the research laboratory, seed processing and all things curious relating to flora and the environment. The Caterpillar is the education centre, tree nursery and conservatory. The voluptuous and environmentally controlled Tea-pot banks and protects the seeds, while the Door Knob communal housing has a system of drifting ‘dandelions’ as carbon catchers. The infrastructure is self-stainable with various environmental strategies such as solar panels and bio-digestors for electricity generation, and rainwater collection. Lastly, Singapore leases the forest with the agreement that Indonesian government will be not using the forest land for the use of commercial palm oil production. The depleted forest will be restored, conserved and becomes an environmental gift for future generations of South-east Asians. The gift does not just benefit Indonesian farmers, it also can help with Singapore’s food security and improve its environmental philanthropic standing. Crucially, the project is a demonstration of neighborly love in the face of climate change that challenges the mindset of ‘not on my patch, so it is not my problem’. We must love thy neighbour to love ourself! White Rabbit’s Trumpet Main Entrance, Transport Linkage, Food Market
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Caterpillar: “One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow shorter...� Education Centre, Tree Nursery & Conservatory The Virtues of Urban Resilience
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Garden of Living Flowers & Dandelions Door Knob: Aerophonic Farming & Communal Housing with Carbon Catchers The Virtues of Urban Resilience
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Cheshire Cat: “ Curiouser and curiouser... You may have noticed I am not all here! “ Research Laboratory, seed processing & tea pot seed banksv The Virtues of Urban Resilience
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Wonderland: Plan
Wonderland: Longitudinal section
Wonderland: Cross section at Trumpet The Virtues of Urban Resilience Virtues of Urban Resilience - CJ Lim Studio
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YEAR 4 OPTIONS STUDIO COMPILATION OF SAMPLES
M.ARCH 1, STUDIO CJ LIM (ONG SIEW MAY VISITING PROF)
IMAGE CREDIT: GABRIELLE LIEW