DESIGN STUDIO V | e-portfolio

PROJECT 1 | PRELIMINARY STUDIES : CHINATOWN KUALA LUMPUR

The Preliminary Studies comprises of two components: urban study through site documentation and analysis, and Precedent Studies of Urban Infills and Community Library. The urban study will equip students with 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 site is at Jalan Sultan in Kuala Lumpur. The study has to be done in two levels of complexity, namely, the macro and micro contexts. Whilst the macro study is about the role and how the location fits into the city. In micro study the students are to make a comprehensive study on urban form, activity and movement-pattern.

LEARNING OUTCOME

1. Conduct case studies and site analysis to generate an understanding of the physical and cultural context and development of urban environments

2. Determine and describe the role of a community library in a contemporary urban setting

3. Examine and establish appropriate architectural responses and strategies for designing within an urban infill site

4. Produce necessary documentation (diagrams, mappings, photographic images, orthographic drawings and models) to record and communicate site analysis findings, and for further use in the coming design stages

SITE ANALYSIS BOARD

PROJECT 2 | CHINATOWN COMMUNITY LIBRARY

Students will concentrate on 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 urban street context and user behavioral 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 façade and building envelopes that is coherent with the architectural language of the overall design project.

LEARNING OUTCOME

1. Produce a design outcome for a community library that is site-specific through its formal, cultural, legislative, structural and environmental design responses.

2. Apply basic knowledge of urban architectural typologies, infill design strategies, and community library programming

3. Demonstrate fundamental knowledge and awareness of local design codes and regulations

4. Design within the constraints of feasibility and in response to basic design codes and statutory requirements

5. 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

6. Produce drawings (both 2D and 3D), models and presentations to verbally and visually communicate architectural ideas and scheme.