CALVIN SUAH JAKE GINN
"life isn't about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself"
1. To introduce aspects of the city and urbanity in relation to architectural design
2. To develop an awareness and application of legislative requrements and socio-behavioural patterns of urban environments and communities in architectural design
3. To explore key stages involved in architectural design development.
Project 1: Preliminary Studies
The Preliminary Studies is a preparatory assignment that focuses on investigating basic notions of the city, and learning from examples of community library around the world. This assignment aims to firstly introduce students to the basics in urban design and its relation to architecture, and secondly, studying and determining the programmatic function, society role and spatial layout of a community library and architectural responses for urban infills.
The Preliminary Studies also comprises of three components: Site Documentation, Site Analysis and Precedent Studies of Urban Infills and Community Library. The Site Documentation and Site Analysis will enable a firm understanding of the site they will be working with this semester, while the Precedent Studies will provide an insight into architectural responses for designing an urban infill community library. The outcome of the Preliminary Studies will include the production of site documentation materials (drawings and models in both digital and physical copy for further use), a comprehensive analysis of the site, and a detailed case study of a relevant urban infill and community library.
Task
Each group is required to study and analyse one example of an urban infill that is a community library. In analysing this example, an understanding and awareness of the following should be developed:-
1. What is an Urban Infill?
This investigation is to help you understand what an urban infill is, and what are the architectural strategies (massing, spatial planning, facade design, etc.) adopted that are necessary in response to its physical context and functional programme. Investigate what were the regulatory laws that architects were required to comply to as well.
2. What is a Community Library?
In this module, we shall define the community library as a "place which provides public with access to books and periodicals acts as social meeting grounds for an urban/suburban community". This part of the Precedent Study entails an investigation into a relevant example of a community library and inquiry into establishing its role within its specific context and community.
Project 1 Outcome
Learning Outcome
Based on the site analysis, I have a clearer better understanding of the site by conducting case studies and site analysis to get generate an understanding of the physical and cultural context and development of urban environments. On top of that, I learnt to determine and describe the role of a community library in a contemporary urban setting as well as examine and establish appropriate architectural responses and strategies for designing within an urban infill site. Besides that, I can produce necessary documentation (dragrams, mappings, photographic images, orthographic drawings and models) to record a nd communicate site analysis findings, and for further use in the coming design stages.
Project 1 Part 2: Community Library
For the rest of the semester, students will concentrate designing a community library within an urban infill site. The design of the building is to consist of appropriate architectural responses that address the aspects of the uruban street context and user behavioural patterns as discerned and analysed in the Preliminary Studies.
Apart from developing an appropriate formal and elevational strategy in response to the character of the street, the design should take into consideration a holistic application of structural, spatial, functional and environmental requirements to address the user needs for a community library. The design development of this project will include an introduction to the legislative restrictions that impact an architectural scheme, the integration of lighting and acoustic design, as well as the design exploration and detailing of the facade and building envelopes that is coherent with the architectural language of the overall design project.
Learning Outcome
After this design studio, I am able to produce a design outcome for a community library that is site-specific through its formal, cultural, legislative, structural and environmental design responses while applying basic knowledge of urban architectural typologies, infill design strategies, an d community library programming. Through the esign, I learnt to demonstrate fundamental knowledge and awareness of local design codes and regulations and design within the constraints of feasibility and in response to basic design codes and statutory requirements. On top of that, utilise study models, diagramming, mapping, orthographic plan-section and elevational studies to explore and resolve relevant spatial, structural, functional and environmental issues in the design development phase.
Design Studio 5
Module Introduction
Architecture Design Studio 5 focuses on the theme of place-making for the urban street. It aims to explore and provide appropriate architectural solutions in designing a community library for the city's inhabitants. The project beins by conducting a preliminary study in that introduces the studies and the context of urbanity through the analysis and documentation of the current urban infill a nd community library precedents. By the end of the module, an appropriate scheme for an urban contemporary community library within a dense inner-city street environment that takes into consideration an understanding of applicable current legislations, building technologies and cultural imperatives of the site and its surrounding.