2012First Year | Second Semester

Phang Hui Ling

Nature | Urban

A Retreat In NatureMacRitchie Nature Reserve

Undulating Floor

Undulating surface provides a stronger presence to the person experiencing the space. Forces are applied differently on changing surface. Hence, the awareness of the contact between the skin and the ground is heighten.

Separation of Volumes

The functional rooms of the retreat are separated into two volumes in order to inject a part of nature in between them. Therefore, it became inevitable that the inhabitant has to go out to be in contact with the nature while staying in the retreat. The open area is shaded but open to the sides to allow two way entries at the front and the back. An acute angle exists between the two openings to provide a sense of surprise to the sudden opening up to natural space upon arrival to the centre.

Sense of Touch

The natural landscape at MacRitchie Reservoir provides a unique sense of touch such as soft soil that sinks gently as you step on it, hydrillas that tickle and carpet grass that gives rich textures. These are uncommon in our everyday life and thus, are an ideal trait to be highlighted in a retreat away from the city.

Varying Water Margin

During the low water margin period, the ground is exposed in front of the retreat. The gentle slope that opens in between the volumes of space serves as an integration of the natural landscape to the retreat. When the water margin increases, the shoreline moves towards the ramp, which becomes an extension of the shore. The borrowed space expands the limit of a restricted space and blurred the boundary of inside and outside. The experience of staying in the retreat varies according to its immediate surroundings because it is designed to be responsive to the site.

A Shophouse in Urban ContextKampong Glam

Objective

To design a working (café) cum living space for a family with maximum four persons in the assigned site in Kampong Glam that is one of the conservation areas in Singapore.

Shared Volumes

The shophouse consists of an art gallery cafe and a residential unit for a family of four. The central focus of the design is to create shared space between the functions, i.e. dining and viewing of artwork within the same space. The approaches taken to achieve this are utilising vertical volume and diminish the visual boundary within space. Bounda-ries between spaces are implied with change in volumes and floor levels. Separation walls are removed from main functions to achieve visual connection throughout the whole level, so that one could view the artworks from any point in the art gallery cafe. The same approach is applied in the shared living space where the living room, study and bal-cony are directly connected to each other over two levels.

Light Works

The facade of the shophouse expresses the inside. Second level is made of double wall to produce exhibition lighting from top and bottom of the wall intended for art works. Small slits are cut open through the wall to allow penetration of small light rays, yet remaining secondary to the art works at the same time. Large windows highlight the shared space of the household on the exterior.