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LAU _AARONa cata log of works

5 HARCOURT STREETHAWTHORN EAST 3123VICTORIA AUSTRALIA

P: + 6 1 4 3 0 4 7 7 8 5 0

E: aalau7690@gmail.com

SKYPE: aaron.lau.yee.yin

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The wall as a mediator to the randomness and unpredictability ofgraffiti placement and delineation

_border as enclosure

_border as interface

Special thanks to Dr. Andrew Saniga and Mr. Danius Kesminas for your guid-ance and supervision on this amazing trip. Biggest congratulations to my fellow colleagues and friends for a successful semester as well as all the help and en-

couragementLast but not least, a shout-out to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

[year 4 fall 2011] STUDIO SYNECDOCHE‘SUSPENDED BY HISTORY’ - memorial/museum/park

[year 4 spring 2011] STUDIO PLATFORM‘INVERTED COURTYARDS’ - living platform/(s) for living

[Year 3 fall 2009] ‘HOLO-MINANCE’ SKINenvironmental systems; sustainable facade panel

[Year 5 winter 2012 ] LITHUANIA STUDIO DISPLACEMENT‘MEMORY & NOSTALGIA’ - cinema/memorial hybrid

[year 5 spring 2012] STUDIO CODING‘TEARING DOWN THE WALL’ - a prison hybrid

[Year 2 2008] NIKE SPORTSWEAR INSTALLATIONPavilion, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

_CONTENT

[year 5 spring 2012] THESIS ‘the FOLDED MAT’Speculations of a new city typology at Melbourne’s edge

[Year 3 fall 2009 ] STUDIO INFILL‘MEDIASPACE’ - infilling the heritage void

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[year 4 fall 2011] STUDIO SYNECDOCHE‘SUSPENDED BY HISTORY’ - memorial/museum/park

tutor: Billy Kavellaris[exhibited in ‘Synecdoche’, The Hon. evan Walker design Studio 2011 exhibition]

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3“The dead and the unborn are as much members of society as the living. To dishonour the dead is to reject the relation on which so-ciety is built – the relation of obligation between generations. Those who have lost respect for their dead have ceased to be trus-tees of their inheritance. inevitably, they lose the sense of obligation to future generations. The web of obligations sinks to the present tense”

- Douglas Kelbaugh

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sectional perspective

1. MEMORIAL PARK2. VERTICAL CEMETERY

3. ABORIGINAL MUSEUM4. HISTORICAL SPACE

5. GREEN ROOF6. ART SPACE

7. PERFORMANCE SPACE

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M E M O R I A L /MUSEUM/PARK-QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET _ R E C O N C E P T U A L I Z -ING THE MEMORIAL

A vacant carpark of the existing Victoria market-place was the site for intervention. Initial research indicates the presence of a ‘forgotten’ cemetery be-neath, causing a reluctance to develop the site. My proposal hinged to expose the particular history of the site, rendering visible its specific memories and acknowledging its significance with the hope of ad-dressing both past and present to affect positive fu-ture outcomes for the city.

The Synecdoche is derived through a narrative, where history acts literally as structure that supports and suspends programme in a linear motion of time; this drives both the visual, programmatic and conceptual premise of the proposal.

Essentially, through the synecdoche, the museum resolves itself into three parts, museum as archive, monument and memorial. The fact that it is a mu-seum, rather than a freestanding monolithic com-memorative object, already suggests an active and meaningful engagement with history, rather then the passive contemplation implied by the traditional monument.

Together with the injection of culture and new pub-lic space, these programs have the ability to regener-ate imagination of the city.

The Synecdoche design studio is under-pinned by interdisiplinary speculations which recognize that architectural out-comes are directly influenced by dynamic socioeconomic, political; and technological forces where culture plays the mediating role.

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primary axis

SHED typologyqueen st.

CBD

flagstaffgreenery

neglected space used as carpark

secondary axis

The site’s former history as a cemetery was overwrit-ten. Layers of history lie neglected as the site is cur-rently utilized as a carpark

SITE RESPONSE

reconnection

Victoria Market in itself is a diverse ‘city within a city’. Standing out within the ur-ban map as an edge of an incomplete grid system.

Urban gesture no.1 - to complete the urban edge by reconnecting Dudley & Therry streets.

permeable

Urban gesture no.2 - Sec-ondary axis connects pe-destrian movement from Franklin and Queen streets.

program is chosen to acti-vate the surrounding area.

1. Continuing the historical market language and typol-ogy

2. Greenery from Flagstaff to inform and locate the memorial park

3. Museum and theatre en-trances located along the Queen street periphery

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past

?presentfuture

remembrancememorializing

watchinglearningmaking

performing

tim

e

remembrancememorializing

watchinglearning

makingperforming

t im

e

peel

st.

quee

n st

.

franklin st.dudley st.

therry st.

urban intervention

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performances t a g e

roots of history

h i s t o r ya r t

mem

oria

l

‘suspended (literally) by history’

pa

stp

rese

ntf

utu

re

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quee

n st

.

peel

st.

therry st.

franklin st.dudley st.

franklin st.

1. Aboriginal2. Monument Core3. Follies - unprogrammed sheds4. Theatre spillout5. History6. Green Roofscape7. Art8. Viewing platform9. Performance10. Stage & back of house

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masterplan

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exploded axonometric of volumes

H I S T O R YM A C H I N E

A R TM A C H I N Ecity axis histo

rical axis

historical axisf l a g s t a f f

g a r d e n s

p e e l s t r e e t

q u e e n s t r e e t

f r a nk l i n

s t r e e t

d u d l e y s t r e e t

therr y st reet

T H E A T R E M A C H I N E

A B O R I G I N A L L A N D S C A P E

1. RepResenTing & RemembeR-ing The 9000 unnamed bodies ThaT weRe neglecTed through a picturesque imagery of a cemetery landscape.

LANDSCAPE & TREES - greenery to represent life

FOLLIES - unprogrammed shelters, rest &event generators

Concrete FRAMES - juxtaposed with the landscape attempts to evoke tensions between life an death

2. VeRTical gRaVe / liVing m o n u m e n T

Challenging the typical flat graveyard typology. Implying a future pos-sibility of building ver-tically to prevent over-running the ground. A living, event-filled core.

8 columns represent-ing 8 groups buried at the cemetery, holding up the & suspending the stacked programs

= + +

vs

q u e e n

v i c t o r i a m

a r k e t

3. museum JouRneY - pasT. pResenT. FuTuRe.

“past” - experiencing aboriginal culture at ground level through the

museum embeded in landscape, acknowledging their connection with the land. History machine facing Vic-

toria market.

“present” - journey upwards through the vertical memorial, to-

wards the present, the contemporary art museum

“future” - art and theatre as an ever-evolving program

PEELING AWAY THELAYERS OF THE MEMORIAL

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new programs to activating the site at night

view from peel street

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“...Challenging the typical flat topography of thegraveyard, a living vertical monument insteadof the traditional contemplative monolith.”

vertical cemetery

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“...Two cantilever bridges, suspended from the memo-rial core provide instruments for experimentation, both visually and physically, with the landscape. Thewalk from the core to the roof garden, opens his-torical views towards the market & subsequently to-wards Flagstaff gardens without ever losing connectionwith the geography and events tran-spiring around the memorial park”

machinary for the senses

A public space that is also spiritual in nature

Memorials and pause spaces for contemplation & reflection “in the midst of ongoing living history” better suits the ever-changing outdoor streetscape, serving as a catalyst for infect-ing change and urban regeneration of urbanity and the city.

Eisenman’s Berlin memorial -representing the unnamed

Concrete block juxtaposed with a the living object

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[year 4 spring 2011] STUDIO PLATFORM‘INVERTED COURTYARDS’ - living platform/(s) for living

tutor: MARJAN CERHOVIN[distinction; exhibited in University of Melbourne eYeS exhibition]

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“the conflict between downtown and the suburbs is a phony, the two are complementary parts of a whole”Victor Gruen, 1954

“There is a contradic-tory desire in our utopia” We want two extremes, the intensive meet-ing plavce, the urban environment, the meeting place; and we want the secluded open spce where we are alone in nature, the “Australian Dream”. Suburbia is an expression of those desires - needing the city and wanting the country - but it provides neither. A ‘para-dox of suburbia’ emerges from this conflict.

s u b -u r b a n l i v i n g

isolated u r b a n sprawl

community blockstypical city highrise

platform housing

no interactionno sense of communityno green space

some visual interaction,no personal garden

social interaction,personal garden,high density com-munity living

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I N V E R T E D C O U R T Y A R D SMACAULAY ROAD, NORTH MELBOURNE _RETHINKING MID-DENSITY HOUSING

The proposal challenges typical notions of homogenous and indistinguishible social housing, and their place in Melbourne’s inner suburbs. How then can a proposal for medium density housing integrate these ideals when site con-straints, solar gain and overshadowing have dictated an opti-mal mass that is as slim as possible?

VOID POTENTIAL: Through an exercise in composition, the articulation of two unit types carved dynamic voids that create an architecture of permeability while addressing formal and so-cial juxtapositions. Voids act as interfaces, entrances, commu-nal spaces, private spaces, even public spaces, the possibilities of in-fill or out-fill are tremendous. In hindsight, voids allow for the injection of both private “back/front/court-yards”as well as common spaces that provide elevated greenspaces. Also, they allow for neighbourly ‘confrontations’, occasions that rarely hap-pen in typical density housing configurations.

Encased in a logical structural system, the void extends its role of forming private/semiprivate open space further as it also ex-tends the possibilities of future transformation as per current condition of the owner.

Finally, an injection of identity and a sense of belonging is achieved not only through the ability of the owner to congure a specific kit of parts, the use of the symbolic silhouette of a ‘mo-nopoly house’, hopes to not only create a unique roofscsape but act as an element of identication as well as literally denote an architectural platform.

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existing site conditions

typical block layout

capturing the northern sun

optimizing diagonal flow

optimizing formnode proximity in north melbourne

negotiating the slope

permeability through blocks

micro unit optimization for communal spaces and

private gardens

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2

3

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programmatic density

site conditions

urban intent

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urban design proposal

north melbourne figure ground

section B-B

section A-A

B

A

B’

A’

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11 894 sq moptimised plot area

28 962 sq mGross Floor Area

2.4�oor ratio area

58%covered area69.5%built open area

73.9%8784.7 sq m

residential housing

133 lots5560 sq mresidents

16-20 lots978 sq mvisitors & public

29%3452 sq m

residential communal areas

13.7%1626 sq m

commercial & retail

1.5% 423.4 sq m

health & child carekindergarten

44.5% 5299 sq m

Public open space

82units

42 units4551 sq mApt block 1

20 units2116.8 sq mApt block 2

20 units2116.8 sq mApt block 3

94 282/ha/ha

block 3type 1 single - 10unitstype 2 duplex - 8 unitstype 3 duplex - 2 units

block 2type 1 single - 10 unitstype 2 duplex - 8 unitstype 3 duplex - 2 units

block 1type 1 single - 36 unitstype 2 duplex - 4 unitstype 3 duplex - 2 units

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urban design proposal

priv

ate

gree

n te

rrac

esci

rcul

atio

nga

lleri

es &

bri

dges

resi

dent

ial b

lock

spu

blic

par

kco

mm

erci

al p

odiu

mca

rpar

king

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type composition diagram

architectural intent

DUPLEX/TRI-PLEX + PITCH ROOF EXTENSION

SINGLE UNIT + COURTYARD

SINGLE UNIT (12X8)

permeable block- elevated bridges and voids

private void- breaking typical single unit configurations

semi-private void- inverted courtyard for 4 neighbours

vertical relationship & identity

TYPE STUDIES AND VOID POTENTIAL - interaction/expansion possibilities

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unit configurations

single

duplex/tri-plex

a c c o m o d a t i n g G R O W T H

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COMMERCIAL PROGRAMS1. garage/verhicular + bike services

2. supermarket3. retail4. lobby

5. childcare6. eateries

7. management offices

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1

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44667

c o m m e r c i a l s p i n e

e l e v a t e d p a r k

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plans + elevations

DUPLEX

SINGLE

PRIVATE GARDEN

COMMERCIAL

PUBLIC

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public spine

C O M M E R C I A L

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elevated links

“living platform denotes an archi-tecture of flexibility and adaptabil-ity that supports everyday living”

COM-M E R-C I A L

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kit of partssectional detail

+21.8 platform

+17.9

+14.6 duplex

+11.3 residential + communal

+8.0 residential

+4.0 commercial

+0.0 commercial + carpark

DUPLEX UNIT WITH PITCH-ROOF OPTION1. timber pergola

2. timber backyard patio3. north-face horizontal timber louvres

4. glass handrail5. balcony extension

6. steel tension cable attached to slab7. aluminium frame window (top hung)

8. aluminium sliding door9. perforated steel-alloy mesh attached to structure

10. loft floor addition

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neighbouring void

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physical model

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“man may readily identify with his owb hearth, but not easily with the town in which it is placed. Belong-ing is a basic emotional need - its associations are of the simplest order” (Alison & Peter Smithson)...

only then can we call a place home

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[year 5 spring 2012] STUDIO CODING‘TEARING DOWN THE WALL’ - a prison hybrid

tutor: JUSTYNA KARAKIEWICZ, STEVE HATZELIS[distinction]

The wall as a mediator to the randomness and unpredictability ofgraffiti placement and delineation

_border as enclosure

_border as interface

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increase in prison population the last 10 years. (Source: Department of Justice Corrections Statistics, Victoria)

of the prisoners return to prison within two years of release.(Source: Report on Government Services 2012 - Council of Australian Governments (COAG))

_Despite prison population and recidivism significantly increasing over the last decade, the incarceration structure in Australia has failed to see advancements throughout the past century and desperately requires innovation and reimagination.This debate creates an opportunity to rethink the future of prison designs. Adding to this debate are the locations of prisons at the fringes, away from the city, framing a negative perception that prisoners are transported away akin to garbage.

280km

40%36%

pRison hYbRid- QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET _a new uRban peneTenTiaRY TYpologY

The thesis attempts to challenge negative precon-ceived notions of “PRISONS” to reinstil an urban penitentiary type into the city fabric that is desirable, focusing on the prison wall and what it means to be in the city? This occurs primarily with the prison wall.

A ‘Wall’ is defined as ‘a continuous structure that en-closes or divides an area of land’. The wall defines the ‘social physic that two bodies cannot share the same place at the same time’. This forces people to remain on their side, primarily for their well-being, similar to the main scenario of having a prison wall.

_‘TEARING DOWN THE WALL’The core concept was a redefinition of the wall, manifest-ing in a narrative coined ‘walls as enclosure’ and ‘walls as interface’. By intersecting these two wall definitions, the conditions generate a level of permeability and ac-ceptance to happen between the city and the prison.

_The wall as architecture;Through a rigorous process of diagramming, the new typology becomes catalytic for the emergence of programmatic hybrids such as places for liv-ing, education, art and agriculture. Art-centric pro-grams become priority as they gradually increase the scope of prisoner-societal interaction. This is cru-cial as only via a state of trust can the intervention start to merge a symbiosis with the city morphology. Where the re-defined ground plane and wall meet, social connectivity and networks are forged that en-gages its contextual adjacencies, becoming the hid-den gem that actually increases its value; breaking a deadly cycle of recidivism and negative stereotypes.

_Site as ‘terrain vague’Strategically located at the north-west edge of the Hoddle grid, the site currently functions as a car park and is under-utlized. Despite being surrounded by the mar-ket, residential, office towers, and education institutions, the lack of a public presence renders the site a ‘terrain vague’. This generates great potential for a significant so-cial and architectural intervention.

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graffiti and privatization of public space - laneway privatization diagram

Through a process of data collection, image averaging and pix-ellation, the influences of graffiti on the privatization of Un-ion Lane was visualized. The investigations on graffiti and street art reveals its potential as means of education as well as a me-dium of social blurring and breaking of social hierarchies.

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site flows and intensities

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program generator

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urban intent

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PROGRAM BASED ON POTENTIAL OF

PRISONER-SOCIETY INTERACTION

ATTRACTION VALUE: 1ONE ON ONE, CLASSROOM STYLE

ATTRACTION VALUE: 3VISUAL, PERFORMANCE

ATTRACTION VALUE: 5INDIRECT

PROGRAM PARAMETERSinteraction + attraction + security

interaction distance from core

interaction attractiveness

interaction security

perform

ance

(theat

re)

galler

y (gra

�ti/art g

arden

)

studios

lear

ning space

s

g

arden

spris

on core

FLAGSTAFF

QVM

DISTANCE

INTERACTION

STRATEGY OF THE WALLWALL AS ARCHITECTUREHORIZONTAL PROGRAMMING

“The wall as architecture” was basically an ordinary strip of space delineated by a minimal architectural intervention, a space waiting to accommodate program.”

interaction distance from core

interaction attractiveness

interaction security

PROGRAM BASED ON POTENTIAL OF

PRISONER-SOCIETY INTERACTION

ATTRACTION VALUE: 1ONE ON ONE, CLASSROOM STYLE

ATTRACTION VALUE: 3VISUAL, PERFORMANCE

ATTRACTION VALUE: 5INDIRECT

URBAN WALLS

potential pedestrial �ow

PRISON WALL

GREENGRAFFITI

FORUM

TRIANGLE

strategy of the wall“the wall as architecture”horizontal programming - a strip of space delineated by minimal architectural intervention, a space wait-ing to accomodate program

program parametersinteraction + attraction + security

program based on potential for prisoner-societal interaction

distance from core

i n t e r a c t i o n a t t r a c t i v e n e s s

s e c u r i t y

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programmatic and formal parameters

transforming opaque walls into interfaces with transparency, allowing varying degrees of information exchange and potential interactions

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1. By extruding the site, the prison becomes an impermeable wall...this is not ideal

2. Imagining the site as a field of horizontal strips or walls) for horizontal pemeability, making it accessible to the city

3. Maximum clashing between ‘walls’, generating two potential cirrculationary types: an enfilade (a suite of rooms formally aligned with each other)

4. ...and Serendipity (a meander-ing, spontaneous route in which one finds their own paths)

5. Reorient the prison stripto reconnect the grid

6. Lifting the prison strips for security

7. Gradual bleeding ofwalls - bringing the prisoner back to the ground plane through ART as a first step to the process of ‘reintegra-tion into society’ as well as creating a public loop through the building

8. inserting catalyst program into strips to activate walls, functions which encourage interaction. For example: performance spaces, art facilities

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activated ‘laneways’

spatial vignettes

in-between outdoor public art installations triple-volume plaza

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an urban wall

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site activation around a 24 hour lifecycle

a public forum

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tearing down the wall - a prison hybrid

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[Year 5 winter 2012 ] LITHUANIA TRAVELLING STUDIO DISPLACEMENT‘MEMORY & NOSTALGIA’ - cinema/memorial hybrid

tutor: Dr. ANDREW SANIGA[distinction; exhibited in ‘Lithuania Travelling Studio 2012 exhibition]

Special thanks to Dr. Andrew Saniga and Mr. Danius Kesminas for your guid-ance and supervision on this amazing trip. Biggest congratulations to my fellow colleagues and friends for a successful semester as well as all the help and en-

couragementLast but not least, a shout-out to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

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‘MEMORY’ - REfOR-MATION sQUARE, VILNIUs_INTERVENTIONS ON A FORGOTTEN LANDSCAPE.

Studio Displacement calls for the design of a ‘space’ that recalls the displaced person/people of Lithuania. My approach questions what Lithuania should preserve from the Soviet era and can preservation in turn be a catalyst that recalls the displaced? _‘Memory’ celebrates the idea of heritage not in the form of an object, but through a memorialization of memories, collected, stored and then projected.

The paradox of preservationThere has been an escalation of nostalgia, but also a decay of memory.‘Memory’ draws on this paradox, utilizing nos-talgia as a vehicle for recall.

Current preoccupations of heritage calls for the preservations of what is beautiful, old and has significance; however my opinion denotes that it should also be about keeping what is ugly, nor-mal, mundane and absurd..only through the preservation of these layers can one truly under-stand a city’s past and periods it went through.

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“the repackaging of history for tourists masks the truth that the city struggles to come out from under the shadow of its history”Harnessing simple technologies like the qr code as an education-al tool and convenient way to distribute information and knowl-edge of Lithuania’s past. Only through knowledge can one act.

SCAN THE QR CODE FOR THE UNALTERED TRUTH

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Instead of the monument, ‘memory’ is immaterial, reflecting the space that it inhabits and ren-dering its signinficance nil; people (literally) become part of the object, people become the object, that

regenerate the square to perform its duty as a public space;a space by Lithuanians, for Lithuanians

56

“i attempt to initiate a dialogue with the viewer that could instigate transformation, one person at a time...”Jonas Mekas - displaced Lithuanian cinematographer

57

sections

“you dont see how Lithuania is today: you see it through the memories of a Displace Person...”Jonas Mekas - displaced Lithuanian cinematographer

58

59

60

Memory seeks to create the inverse condition that the Soviet rule had in Lithuania; reliving memories not of fear and displacement but of at-

traction, communion and a nostalgic longing for RE-placement

‘in our land there is still big heat’- A satirical drawing showing Lithuanians feeling Stalin’s rays

61

‘Memory’ - public space for cinema

62

63

[year 5 spring 2012] THESIS ‘the FOLDED MAT’speculations of a new city at Melbourne’s edge

supervisor: Corbett Lyon[exhibited in ‘GRAdeX’ - Final Year Graduates exhibition]

64

“Cities are plugged into the globe of history like capacitors: they condense and conduct the currents of social time."

(James Holston, Cities and citizenship, 1995: 35)

33km

melbourne

melton

65

THE FOLDED MAT - M E L T O N , V I CA N E W C I T Y T Y P O L O G Y at the EGDE

“Recent changes to Melbourne’s UGB (urban growth bound-ary) relinquishes Melton’s satellite city status as it is planned to become a part of Melbourne’s future conurbation”

. . .

Melbourne is a city sprawling out of control.

. . .

The Folded Mat is a speculative exercise in transplanting the familiar ‘Hoddle Grid’ onto an everchanging landscape at Melbourne’s edge. Melton is the site of experimenta-tion, a growing suburb 33kms away from Melbourne city.

The new city pulls the landscape onto the facade, si-multaneously addressing issues on two extremes, indeterminate ‘edge-conditions’ and ‘nimbyism’.From a distance, the ‘green wall’ retains characteristics of suburbia, while as an outcome generates this new & gener-ous public green space, allowing for the infiltration of realms normally associated only with the ground level of a city.

66

+ =

wall mat wall-mat

2.WALL_MAT HYBRID What type(ology) can act as a container of sprawl as well as a framework for sustainable city growth? By hybridizing a wall and mat urbanism, a new fold typology for the city is generated

1. MELTON’S UNDEFINED EDGE between the urban & countryside is the epitome of Melbourne’s inability in planning to control sprawl & accomodate growth.

With recent changes to the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), Melton’s projected growth is as visualized

2012 2020 2030

foldfold

67

70’s 80’s 90’s present

radial city

edge city

5. However, with suburbia prospering compared to in the city due to its open-ness and lush landscapes, can this two conditions be merged at an urban scale?

++

=

perimeter

urban

peri-urban

6.TRANSPLANTING THE HODDLE GRID ...it becomes a framework for placing an urban condition at the edge which is familiar to many, one way of meta-phorically proclaiming a returning of Melton to Melbourne

melbournemelton

7. SCALE AND DENSITYMelton grows annually at 5.1% annually, equating to 5000 new residents; Hence, the proposed density:Melton210/km²

Melbourne CBD8200/km²

the FOLD2500/km²

2.56mil SQM256 HA

3. THE FOLDED MAT..At a macro level, the fold could be understood liter-ally as both a container of sprawl as well one that has a tsunami effect..returning itself to Melbourne.

4.EDGE CITY It flips the typical radial city model, where the city has one centre and free to sprawl into an edge-city that radiates inwards

melbourne cbd

melbourne cbd

melton

sprawl

melton

68

5

2

13

4.

8.GRID DEFORMATIONThe new grid is adapted to the to-pography, neighbourhood proxim-ity, vehicular & pedestrian access.Program is placed like bands along the grid for maximum interaction

9.TRANSFORMATION FOR DIVERSITYIn section, program isn’t stacked and distributed like a typical radial city model, instead woven & merged

Transformation from domi-nant centre into a continuous mat; less car dependency + en-couraging vertical urban activity

mix-use 50%

housing 20%single/multi storey

commercial+offices 7%

open space (green)

infrastructure 15%roads,trams,parking

public facilities 8%

cbd

EXISTING URBAN TYPOLOGY

inner suburbsinner suburbs suburbiasuburbia

+0

+40

+0

11.PUBLIC ROOF & GREEN CONTINUITY...allows public life that normally occurs on ground level to gradually invade a different plane

12.EDGE DEFINITIONThe folded mat becomes a model not only to contain sprawl...

13.GROWTH...but one that sets a framework for growth and mutation that strength-ens and prospers the existing city

10.VALLEYS AND PEAKSThe city is lifted and sunken con-textually, in turn generating a diver-sity in building heights & volumes.

NEW CITY

69

1

(sub)-urban

1. PUBLIC SPHERES2. HOUSING/MIX-USE

3. UNIVERSITY4. EDUCATION STRIP

5. PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE6. PUBLIC

7. COMMERCIAL STRIP8. MARKET

9. FOREST STRIP10. SUBURBAN HOUSING

country-side

10

7

9

8

2

6

70

from a distance, the ‘green mountain’

retains the character-istics that has made

suburbia so desirable

71

As the building is located at the very

edge of Melbourne, interesting clashes of lifeforms may emerge over time

72

the perimeter urban-ism becomes a gate-way that identifies Melbourne’s edge; the city becomes

signage

73

the scale of the land-scape lends itself

as a contemplative monolith that can be experienced in the

automobile.

74

Program located on the wall’s periphery retain amazing views to the country-side horizon, greatly increasing its desirability

and value.

An edge condition that distinctly de-

marcates the coun-tryside and (sub)-urban is generated.

75

The roof gradually falls and rises at the

foot of the mountain as well as at public

spheres, which pro-vide surprising vistasand relief from the order of the grid.

76

77

[Year 3 fall 2009 ] STUDIO INFILL‘MEDIASPACE’ - infilling the heritage void

78

A “gathering” denotes a place where people meet, be it with similar intentions or not. Weaving

through a left-over void in Ipoh town’s urban con-text, the proposal intends to generate a contem-

porary piece of architecture, a dynamic infill that embraces technological innovation and serves as a

new public node for the society.

infill strategy

the frontage

79

carving public plazas

inside-outside connection

80

infill plans

ground

first

roof

courtyard plaza

interactive plaza

experiential

lobby

admin

meeting

lobby

cafe

entrance plazapublic plaza

art gallery

photographystudios

learning

81

unique but sensible - respecting the heritage row

82

83

[Year 3 fall 2009] ‘HOLO-MINANCE’ SKINenvironmental systems; sustainable facade panel

84

aaron lau yee yin I tham chee yeen0701P59724 I 0703P61805

holographic self-illuminating sun reflector cladding“holo-minance” skin

EC

OM

IMIC

RY - innovative nature inspired design

“...understa

nding human comfort w

hile

expounding with aesthetica

l possibili-

Morpho Butterfly

- Quantified interference & diffraction in butterfly scales

- Wavelength-selective & anisotropic light-diffusing through

the structural layering of the scales

- Anatomically diverse butterfly scales all produce structural

colours by coherent scattering, creating a dazzling, vivid visual of

colours

1. 2.

4.3.

THE BUTTERFLY’S WINGN A N O - S T R U C T U R E

light

solar cellsholographic film

holographic film

REFERENCES:1. Prism Solar Technologies. (2009). Prisms Unique HPC Film. Retrieved October 1, 2009 from http://www.prismsolar.com/?p=hpcfilm2. J. Horton. (2008). howstuffworks: Where do butterflies get their striking colors?. Retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/butterfly-colors.htm/printable3. Ask Nature Beta. (2009). Wing scales diffract and scatter light: Morpho Butterflies. Retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://asknature.org/strategy/1d00d97a206855365c038d57832ebafa4. TAMPL. (2007). MicroScale Reflectance Spectrometer Theory. Retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://www.tufts.edu/as/tampl/projects/micro_rs/theory.html5. J. Toon. (2006). Georgia Tech: Butterfly Wing is Template for Photonic Structures. Retrieved September 5, 2009 from h ttp://www.nano.gatech.edu/news/release.php?id=1215

reflective glass

phosphorescent

glass

Applying the principles & structural layering of the butterfly’s nano-structure, 2 layers of holographic film are applied to refract specific light wavelengths & reflect them to the solar cells. This keeps cells near peak efficiency over longer periods of the day.

The angular surfaces,

coated with reflective surfaces purpose to

reflect excessive sunlight and redirect

them to illuminate the streetscape

FLEXIBILITY OF APPLICATIONS

The panels are designed to be customised to adhere to various r e q u i r e m e n t s . Angles, aperture size, orientation & colour rendering can be suited individu-ally to site/building requirements for more efficient sunlight reflection, interior penetration & colour coherence.

The hexagonal opening was inspired

by the butterfly’s nano-structure. Besides

functioning to reflect light, it too focuses

usable wave-lenghts of sunlight to

increase solar-cell absorbtion efficiency

F O R M

sect

ion

colour diffraction diagram

mat

eria

l lay

erin

g di

agra

m

Layering Relationship Diagram

sunlightentering

red to yellow diffracted

green to blue & IR passed

sunlightentering

green to blue diffracted

red to yellow & IR passed

sunlightentering

visible light diffracted

IR passed

IR- Iridescence

INTENTIONS :1. To provide a sustainable means of illumination for streetscapes at low light conditions.2. Reinterprete the shading device, which acts to reduce excessive solar emittance while maintaining interior-exterior visibility.

THE CONCEPT : Ecomimicry - Mimicking the butterfly wing structure & it’s qualities of LIGHT REFLECTION & ILLUMINATION

The ‘vertical density’ often casts the street in shadows, leading to a theatrical and often dark nature of the streetscape. Hence, besides drawing inspira-tion from nature, we also explored the potential of harvesting nature’s gift of sunlight

DAYInsufficient daylight

NIGHTHeavy reliance on

artificial lighting

stre

etsc

ape

diag

ram

s

fa

ca

de

fa

ca

de

ISSUE : Illuminating the urban streetscape

sustainable street illumination scheme

DAYLIGHT

ILLUMINATING THE STREETSCAPE ALL DAY LONG,

WITH ZERO ENERGY, WHILE HARVESTING IT.

reflected lig

ht

INCORPORATING HI-TECH MATERIALS & SOLAR HARVEST-

ING TO CREATE TRULY

‘INTELLIGENT BUILDING SKIN’

Creating anevenly illumina-ted urban street-scape

1. butterfly scale2. scale nano-structure

3. nano-structure layering4. light refraction / reflection

diagram

85

aaron lau yee yin I tham chee yeen0701P59724 I 0703P61805

holographic self-illuminating sun reflector cladding“holo-minance” skin

EC

OM

IMIC

RY - innovative nature inspired design

“...understa

nding human comfort w

hile

expounding with aesthetica

l possibili-

Morpho Butterfly

- Quantified interference & diffraction in butterfly scales

- Wavelength-selective & anisotropic light-diffusing through

the structural layering of the scales

- Anatomically diverse butterfly scales all produce structural

colours by coherent scattering, creating a dazzling, vivid visual of

colours

1. 2.

4.3.

THE BUTTERFLY’S WINGN A N O - S T R U C T U R E

light

solar cellsholographic film

holographic film

REFERENCES:1. Prism Solar Technologies. (2009). Prisms Unique HPC Film. Retrieved October 1, 2009 from http://www.prismsolar.com/?p=hpcfilm2. J. Horton. (2008). howstuffworks: Where do butterflies get their striking colors?. Retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/butterfly-colors.htm/printable3. Ask Nature Beta. (2009). Wing scales diffract and scatter light: Morpho Butterflies. Retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://asknature.org/strategy/1d00d97a206855365c038d57832ebafa4. TAMPL. (2007). MicroScale Reflectance Spectrometer Theory. Retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://www.tufts.edu/as/tampl/projects/micro_rs/theory.html5. J. Toon. (2006). Georgia Tech: Butterfly Wing is Template for Photonic Structures. Retrieved September 5, 2009 from h ttp://www.nano.gatech.edu/news/release.php?id=1215

reflective glass

phosphorescent

glass

Applying the principles & structural layering of the butterfly’s nano-structure, 2 layers of holographic film are applied to refract specific light wavelengths & reflect them to the solar cells. This keeps cells near peak efficiency over longer periods of the day.

The angular surfaces,

coated with reflective surfaces purpose to

reflect excessive sunlight and redirect

them to illuminate the streetscape

FLEXIBILITY OF APPLICATIONS

The panels are designed to be customised to adhere to various r e q u i r e m e n t s . Angles, aperture size, orientation & colour rendering can be suited individu-ally to site/building requirements for more efficient sunlight reflection, interior penetration & colour coherence.

The hexagonal opening was inspired

by the butterfly’s nano-structure. Besides

functioning to reflect light, it too focuses

usable wave-lenghts of sunlight to

increase solar-cell absorbtion efficiency

F O R M

sect

ion

colour diffraction diagram

mat

eria

l lay

erin

g di

agra

m

Layering Relationship Diagram

sunlightentering

red to yellow diffracted

green to blue & IR passed

sunlightentering

green to blue diffracted

red to yellow & IR passed

sunlightentering

visible light diffracted

IR passed

IR- Iridescence

INTENTIONS :1. To provide a sustainable means of illumination for streetscapes at low light conditions.2. Reinterprete the shading device, which acts to reduce excessive solar emittance while maintaining interior-exterior visibility.

THE CONCEPT : Ecomimicry - Mimicking the butterfly wing structure & it’s qualities of LIGHT REFLECTION & ILLUMINATION

The ‘vertical density’ often casts the street in shadows, leading to a theatrical and often dark nature of the streetscape. Hence, besides drawing inspira-tion from nature, we also explored the potential of harvesting nature’s gift of sunlight

DAYInsufficient daylight

NIGHTHeavy reliance on

artificial lighting

stre

etsc

ape

diag

ram

s

fa

ca

de

fa

ca

de

ISSUE : Illuminating the urban streetscape

sustainable street illumination scheme

DAYLIGHT

ILLUMINATING THE STREETSCAPE ALL DAY LONG,

WITH ZERO ENERGY, WHILE HARVESTING IT.

reflected lig

ht

INCORPORATING HI-TECH MATERIALS & SOLAR HARVEST-

ING TO CREATE TRULY

‘INTELLIGENT BUILDING SKIN’

Creating anevenly illumina-ted urban street-scape

1. butterfly scale2. scale nano-structure

3. nano-structure layering4. light refraction / reflection

diagram

86

[Year 2 August 2008] NIKE SPORTSWEAR INSTALLATIONcollaboration with Architect Lisa Foo and Fabian Tan

Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

87

Together in collaboration, an art installation was created in conjunction with Nike’s new product launch. Mini rub-ber hand gloves were inflated and amalgamated to form the iconic, glowing NIKE swoosh.

88

89

AARON LAU5 HARCOURT STREET

HAWTHORN EAST 3123VIC, AUSTRALIAP: +6430477850

E: aalau7690@gmail.comayylau.tumblr.com