ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PROJECT
Project 1A was a group assignment where we had to to investigate, study and analyze the site of Sia Boey to understand valuable components before designing the urban room. Among the tasks were to formulate a comprehensive study and pre-design analysis on site, involving identification of relevant issues that can be addressed through architectural design interventions in a form of design position and programmatic responses. A full understanding of the site in different layers and dimensions of the urban context is essential in establishing the connection of the proposed project to it. From this project, each group will formulate an architectural position or intention to address the needs of the site. This capstone project is based on the theme ‘architecture with an impact’ and the formulation of an architectural intervention that embodies sensitivity in the meditation between architecture and socio-cultural needs, the designs of internal spaces, and the demands of the external constraints. This will all lead to the next project where we would design an urban room which will function as ‘third place' or a mediating space between our home (first place) and our work or school (second place). The final outcome was 1 A0 board, a physical site model of 1:500 scale, presentation slides and a short video of a comprehensive study and analysis of the four components.
For project 1B, we were tasked to progress by exploring the project proposal presented by the group in Project 1a, individually. The Project emphasized on ‘Sensing the City’ by immersing to the people’s and place’s needs and aspirations as we had to design an Urban Room/City Hub which will become the city’s ‘Third Place’. As our proposal for Project 1 was to have our urban room serve as a gateway to the UNESCO Heritage Site of Georgetown, we had to explore our design ideas that are within the scope of the proposal and look carefully into the functionality, effectiveness, spatial quality, and form composition of the building. A full exploration of the design had to be presented and represented in a series of sketches, study models, diagrams, conceptual/schematic 2D Drawings (floor plans, sections, and elevations) and conceptual 3D drawings. At the end of the project, we would have to pin-up and present both the full exploration and final scheme with evidence of design explorations.
Subsequent to Project 1b Schematic Design phase, we were required to further develop and finalize the scheme for the Urban Room project. The main task was to further explore our design through tectonics, poetics and also environmental strategies while resolving further issues regarding our designs. All of our findings were to be presented in a comprehensive, systematic, creative, and comprehendible manner in the form of creative and effective architectural visualization, modelling, and report. The final outcome of the project would be 6 A0 presentation panels, a 1:200 physical model and an A3 design report that would showcase a documentation of our journey in this final studio.