(in)visible city: remembering and forgetting macau
DESCRIPTION
HKU_Year 4_Semester 2_Supervisor: Wang WeijenTRANSCRIPT
(in)Visible City: Remembering and Forgetting Macau
Ung Wai Lun Norman 2006600369
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Prologue
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PROLOGUE
Macau was the last European territory in continental Asia until its hando-ver to China in 1999. After 442 years as a Portuguese colony, Macau’s drastic changes are evidential from aerial view. As with the city of Ma-cau, Portuguese had brought into Coloane village European urban spaces of Church, largo and public building, which overlapped the traditional village structure of Chinese houses and temples and created places of rich cul-tural and spatial layering. Other than the obvious evolution of Macau’s ter-ritory, subtle transformations over time in small villages like Coloane are also noticeable. Unexpected events and activities are triggered by the Por-tuguese planning unintentionally. What can we learn from the precedence example of urban transformation? This is the starting point of the project.
Prologue
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Site
Int
repreta
tion
Site
as B
lock
s Pub
lic B
uild
ing+
Spac
e
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Site Intrepretation: Site as Blocks
Public Building+Space
Coloane village can be understood as a combination of blocks divided up by a network of roads and alleyways. Each of these blocks undergo a unique transformation that varies depending on their location and the influ-ence of their neighbouring blocks and open spaces. The most significant transformation can be found sur-rounding the public buildings. The Portuguese authori-ties established institutional buildings, such as military barracks, police station, church, marketplace and med-ical centre, upon their arrival to Macau. Surrounding these landmarks of Coloane, transformation occurred most vigorously. This happened due to the Portuguese planning strategy, where a sufficient area of open space next to each public building. This open space is often the catalyse of the continuous transformation.
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Trans
form
atio
nEg
g Ta
rts C
afe’
s Hid
den
Cou
rtyar
d
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Transformation Case 1: Egg Tarts Cafe’s Hidden Courtyard
Egg tart is no doubt one of the most famous attraction one can find in Coloane. The success of egg tart allow Lord Stow’s Bakery to expand its originally one store in Coloane into 3 stores. The lat-est store is a cafe, namely Lord Stow’s Garden Cafe, located next to a hiddened courtyard(Garden), enclosed by old and new build-ings, which is semi-private and yet accessible only from the cafe.
Kun
Iam
Temp
le
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Transformation Case 2: Kun Iam Temple
Kun Iam Temple is being built in the 5th year of Jiaqing Reign (in 1880), the Temple was built in the 19th year of Daoguang Reign. It is one of the oldest temples in Coloane, secondary to the Tem-ple of Tin Hau of Coloane. It is one of the 2 anchoring temples on the both sides of the coastal front which marks the coastline before any reclaimation has taken place. Overtime it is now hidden among newly built structure, and the circular opening provides a visual cor-ridor from the pedestrian walkway to mark its remaining significance.
Trans
form
atio
n
Trans
form
atio
nSm
all P
atio
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Transformation Case 3: Small Patio
Trans
form
atio
n
Smal
l Pat
io
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Trans
form
atio
nC
hape
l Pla
za
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Transformation Case 4: Chapel Plaza
Chapel of St. Francis Xavier, of the São Fran-cisco Xavier Parish. The chapel, built in 1928, is located on the southern coast of the island and stands near a monument commemorat-ing a victory over pirates in 1910. The plaza in front of the chapel triggers a continu-ous transformation to the old chinese houses over time. Originally residencial houses have been turned into shophouses and resturants.
Trans
form
atio
n
Cha
pel P
laza
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Desig
n Inte
ntAn
Invit
ing
Entra
nce
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Design Intent: An Inviting Entrance
Despite the cultural and spatial richness embedded in the village of Coloane, the peripheral the tourist and visitor approaches is the newly developed residential block, which lacks of any identity or char-acter of the village itself. This design would like to start off from this problem by providing a more welcoming entrance for visitors. One thing I noticed in the village is how a piece lightweight over-hanging translucent fabric, is able to alter the atmosphere, program and events of space beneath it, pedestrian much prefer shop under shades. Taking the idea and essence of the lightweight structure and learning from the structural system of the Coloane library takes the project to the next phase.
Desig
n Inte
nt
An In
vitin
g En
tranc
e
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Design Intent: New Urban Corridor
Applying the system on 3 sites allows the forming of a new urban corridor that could guide vis-itor from the visitor center to the waterfront. Providing alternatives route for visitor to expore.
Desig
n Inte
ntN
ew U
rban
Cor
ridor
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Desig
n Inte
nt
New
Urb
an C
orrid
or
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Desig
n Inte
ntN
ew U
rban
Cor
ridor
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Desig
n Inte
nt
New
Urb
an C
orrid
or
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Desig
n O
pera
tion
Trac
es o
f Old
Fab
ric
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Des
ign O
pera
tion
#1: T
race
s of
Old
Fabr
ic
Revita
lising
the
unde
ruse
d va
cant
la
nd,
the
design
ta
ke fo
rm ad
-dr
essing
th
e di
men
sion
an
d pr
opor
tion
of
old
chines
e ho
uses
.
Desig
n O
pera
tion
Trac
es o
f Old
Fab
ric
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Desig
n O
pera
tion
Visit
or C
ente
r + E
xistin
g Eg
g Ta
rt C
afe
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Des
ign O
pera
tion
#2:
Visit
or C
ente
r + E
xistin
g Eg
g Ta
rt C
afe
The
existin
g ph
amar
cy
will
be
dem
olishe
d to
m
ake
way
fo
r th
e ne
w
visito
r ce
n-tre.
Th
e visito
r ce
ntre
w
ill
take
up
th
e sp
ace
and
conn
ecte
d to
th
e Lo
rd
Stow
’s
Caf
e w
hich
fo
rms
a re
crea
tiona
l co
mpl
ex
that
of
fers
ca
terin
g,
serv
ice
and
info
rmat
ion.
Desig
n O
pera
tion
Visit
or C
ente
r + E
xistin
g Eg
g Ta
rt C
afe
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Details
Inte
rlock
ing
Shin
gle
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Detail: Interlocking Shingle
INTERLOCK - Each acrylic shingle will inter-lock with the adjacent one. Leaving differ-ent degree of aperture according to differ-ent tangent of the particular point on a surface
Details
Inte
rlock
ing
Shin
gle
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UP
UP
UP
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