Broadmeadows 2032 Exhibition as part of the State of Design Festival

My work

Well, the long awaited exhibition was finally launched . The exhibition showcased a whole range of ideas by designers across the industry, from architects, landscape architects, industrial and communication designers.

The exhibition was well worth hopping on to an overly crowded and delayed train from the city to Broadmeadows and then finding the bus stop at the station to get to the Ericsson Building, where the exhibition was held. I have to thank my 3 bestest mates for their efforts to get there with me!

The launch started with a really good Turkish food refreshment, served by the local business owners. I have to say, the baklava was to die for! I digress.

Anyways, coming back to the exhibition, it was very nicely put together by the Victorian Eco-Innovation Laboratory (VEIL) team and it was definitely great seeing works by other designers from other universities. The launch then proceeded with a string of talks by a few who's who of the VEIL team, Hume City Council, and a few architects.




I also met a couple of good friends there as well as my Studio leader, Simon Cookes. The crowd was a good size better than I would have thought and the use of the old Ericsson Building as an exhibition space was also done really well. All in all, it was a great experience. (well, mainly because my work was exhibited! )

As usual, I'll leave you with a few images to end the post.

My Posters

Wei -out-

An homage to Louis Kahn

Images of Pei Wei Lai's models by photographer Yong Tze Tan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/yongtze/)

So, I've talked about visiting Kahn's work in India and sitting in hours and hours of lectures about Kahn. Part of the travelling studio's work is to design a boutique architecture school in Ahmedabad in the eyes of Kahn or Corbusier or even both. You can bet my design would be heavily inspired by Kahn! (although we all know I won't even get close to designing anywhere like him but I try)

The other requirement of the studio was really to get back to the basics, to get back in touch with pencils, graphic pens and paper. (You've guessed it right, we had to hand draft!) We even brought our drafting tools all the way to India (to later discover that you can get all of those in India for a fraction of the price!!) We also made endless amounts of physical model, which ensured that by the end of the semester, our model making skills were top-notch.

So, we applied whatever we've learnt about Kahn from our studio leader Prof. Haig Beck to our designs. We've also had to incorporate a low-tech environmental sustainable design into our project. We looked at old precedents from the hot-arid climate and examined how the locals incorporated wind towers, courtyards, materials, water and openings into the old courtyard houses to maximize sun light and natural ventilation into the building but also controlling direct sun light and solar radiation into rooms. These were some of the low tech sustainable designs that we took into consideration in our projects.

It was a battle trying to get most of it right especially when the context was the major issue, as we had to design for an earthquake prone zone.

However, in the end all the hard work paid off with great results!

Here are some images of the final model.

Emphasis on geometry and courtyard



Solid continuous columns as structural members and wind towers for natural ventilation

The partis



The wind channeling stairs

India for further studies on Louis Kahn and Corbusier

Images by Pei Wei Lai

People always ask, "Who's your favourite architect?" and there would always be a million images of works by many architects running through my brains in a milisecond! (If that's even possible) I could never come up with an answer that would satisfy myself. If I say, "I don't really have one" many would think that I'm such a snob that I could not be bothered to look up works of architects, be they classical or contemporary or that I do not know much about architecture at all.

I have always felt like I should have one fixed answer just in case someone asked, especially coming from an architect or an architecture academic. But going to India with Prof. Haig Beck had opened my eyes and made me realise that the one architect that had always inspired me and will continue to leave me in an awe everytime I look at his work is Louis Kahn.

I remember the first ever lecture in university, I was bombarded with images after images of works by a long list of architects, of which some names I could not even pronounce. But the one name that had resonated and stay with me throughout my entire academic endeavour was Louis Kahn. I remember falling in deep love with his work in first year but had slowly forgotten what his work has meant to me throughout the years.

In the final year of my studies, I have rediscovered what had gotten me so excited about architecture in the early years. It was the image of pure geometrical form. It was the power of the 'served' and 'servant' spaces. It was light and shade. It was the partis and most of all, it was the respect for materials and that was staying true to the nature of materials.

In Sept 2009, I enrolled myself in a travelling studio to Ahmedabad ('ahm'-'da'-'vad'), India. The studio was about studying the works of Kahn and Corbusier in India and we got to experience first hand what it was like to be in the buildings by possibly two of the greatest architects, ever.

Being in the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) made me realise the power of architecture, the power it has on not only the user but also its context. Words can only merely described the experience but perhaps here, in this context, images would do it more justice.

Geometry

Light and shade

Perhaps now, if someone had asked me "Who's your favourite architect?", I would have an answer.

Thesis Work Published

What would be better than having your work published? At the moment? Because of all my excitement, I would say nothing!

My work was recently published in the Local News under the Hume Leader website in conjuction with the effort to publicize the upcoming Vision Broadmeadows 2032 exhibition, which will be held from July 19-25 at the Ericsson Administration building, corner Blair and Riggall streets, Broadmeadows.

What was the article about? I think Andre Andawalla summed it up best in his article entitled, 'HAVE YOUR SAY: Future Broady'. Below is the link to the publication.

http://hume-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/have-your-say-future-broady/

I am ecstatic and lost for words. (I shall let the publication do the talking)

Wei -out-

More images from my thesis project...

Southern End illustrating civic space for community gathering

Street view of building

Northern End illustrating market strip

Reminiscing Time...(would probably need more full stops than that =) Luna Park

Looking back at the very first year I started my Masters degree, which was in mid 2008, I really felt 'refreshed' and 'ready for it' as I'd just returned to uni from an 8 months' work experience.

I picked a studio, which promised fun but with a whole lot of work that came along with it. Well, what could be better than having fun designing if you have to do the work anyways? So yeah, the studio that I picked was called, Luna Park. (didn't the name just capture you? how many chances do you get, as an architect to design a theme park?) If you were a lunatic like me who goes for all the craziest, scariest and tallest rides, you'd be sucked into it, instantly!

Well, getting into the studio's brief, we were actually asked to revamp Luna Park in Melbourne, as they needed to remarket themselves or even to recapture the local's imagery of Luna Park's old self. This was the main brief of the studio and the rest was really up to our own imagination. (which means you can go wild! well, minus building regulations, codes, standards, town planning, heritage overlay, etc etc etc!)

The studio was held in a way that it was not only fun (because they provided us with 2 daily tickets to Luna Park) but it was also very real, in that we were actually let into all of the back of house areas. We actually got to see how the Scenic Rail worked, how the Ghost Ride was set up as well as how they maintain all the rides. It was such an eye-opener!

Well, anyways, we went through a series of esquisse just to get the ball rolling. They ranged from looking at designs of theatrical stages, play with illusion, concept collages etc, and they were all really quite intellectually stimulating.



So, my final concept was really about developing on the idea behind one of the historical rides that had played a major role in the old Luna Park, which was the Jack and Jill ride. Jack and Jill being nursery rhyme was translated literally into a ride. It was a ride where people get onto a bucket and they actually 'went up the hill' (a slope) and they fall from the peak into a puddle of water. (how literal can you get?) Although kind of corny, I actually thought having that as a basis for a ride, is kinda cool!

So, I looked more into nursery rhymes and discovered that they actually have a meaning behind them. So then my concept has developed from the idea that nursery rhymes actually have dual meanings, in that behind the childish nursery rhyme is a reflection of history (mostly dark history). The juxtaposition here is what has interested me.

So, the theme of Luna Park will be based on nursery rhymes. The incorporation of new rides would be interpreted in that way. The concept would also be married with the existing heritage rides as well as the architecture. An example of this concept applied to an existing ride is the use of the nursery rhyme called Ring O' Rosies where one would walk into a dark tunnel with scary sounds and acts reflecting the Great Plague and slowly walking to the light at the end of the tunnel that brings one out to a beautiful English garden with arbours and vines, with a faint sound of the rhyme playing as one approaches the Merry-Go-Round. Then, one will be directed to the entrance of the Merry-Go-Round and can opt to get on the ride with the nursery rhyme playing as the background music. This is the kind of experience and relationship that the concept would like to introduce.

Aside from designing some rides (we were told not to get carried away with it, because well, let's be honest, who wouldn't get carried away designing the sickest roller coaster or the most high tech virtual rides?) Anyways, the other requirement of the studio was also to redesign the castle while maintaining its heritage facade. Again, this idea of referencing the history was very much implemented into designing the castle. I have actually decided to double the castle and have extended the existing facade all the way to the top to maintain the looks of it. (Some would think that this is a cop out but all the comments I got from the tutors and other architects were that it was a fantastic idea. What would be more appropriate in trying to maintain the heritage facade but to copy it??? Does that justify it?) I could go into every detail of my design, which would be an essay worth more than 10,000 words but you should really look at the pictures to try and get a sense of what I was trying to achieve in the design.

So, the semester ended in a really positive note scoring me an awesome grade at the end. I reckon, this has been the most enjoyable and fulfilling studios I've ever done throughout my architecture studies.

I highly recommend taking up a theme park revamp or designing studio (if you EVER get the chance to. who would've thought architecture studios could be more than just plans and sections?)

Thesis Presentation Boards

Here's looking at the presentation boards.

Duckbuild Thesis Studio

This is looking at my thesis studio in more details.

This studio is about creating an environmentally sustainable design, in which it will not only contribute to the ecology but also to the community. The site is at Broadmeadows, a northern suburb in Victoria. Broadmeadows had been identified as one of the Central Activity District (CAD) in Melbourne 2030 and this studio aims to implement a sustainable design in a form of eco-acupuncture. The Victorian Ecological Innovation Laboratory(VEIL) has named this project 'Eco-acupuncture' as the sustainable design will be one element in the whole system to contribute to the better of our ecology. The design is projected as a Vision of Broadmeadows in 2032.

CONCEPT
So, my concept was to look at how we could tackle our ever escalating ecological footprint. The EPA had identified the food industry to be the main contributor to our ecological footprint. Therefore, I have decided to look at providing more efficient and sustainable food production to the Broadmeadows community.

SITE ANALYSIS
As the site is situated far from the port, the seafood or food needs to travel a significant amount of kilometres just to reach the locals or vice versa. This contributes to the high embodied energy in our food production. Broadmeadows had also been identified to have hydrophobic soil rendering it inappropriate for soil farming.

DESIGN idea
...... more explanation through images...

Masters of Architecture (Thesis)

FINALLY! i've reached the very end of my 5 and a half years journey of my architecture academic endeavours. I feel a sense of achievement, satisfaction, relief but also a sense of uncertainty. It would be absurd to think that 5 and a half years of architecture in uni is not draining enough. But the reason why I feel the uncertainty is that uni has been my life for the past years and all I did besides a full-time half year out working is just pretty much studying.(well and some casual and part time job here and there...)

The feeling of, 'where do you go from here?' is what is striking me now, more than ever. I mean, yeah I really need to get a job but like anyone who's been through this would know, getting a job is never easy because you want a job where you'd feel like waking up every morning and be happy to go into. I reckon, most of the employed don't actually feel that they are. So, what are we really battling with? Our 'desire' or our 'need'? It is one thing to need a job for its money but it is something else when you really desire a particular occupation. I mean, an "occupation", if you disect the word, it occupies your time and by saying that, it really takes up, well pretty much more than half your lifetime (minus sleep, makeup, shower, and all that she-bang), you'd have what? like only 2 weekend days and that's not even looking at doing grocery and all that shizz. So, I mean, if you don't enjoy your work, you're pretty much SADOCCUPIED, is the term I'd like to call it. (sad+occupied LOL =)

Just coming back to being uncertain, the reason why I feel so is because I didn't actually mind going to uni, doing research, handing in assignments (although final presentations were always nerve-wrecking) and if your hardwork is paid off by good results, it'd be a pat in the back. As opposed to work, I guess the biggest payoff would not only BE your paycheck but also the feeling of being able to enjoy your occupation. I reckon I really want to feel like these 5 and a half years of architecture course would be sufficient to score me a job I desire.

Well, so much for me rambling, I really wanted to post up my final Thesis design, which had made me quite proud of myself in that it has been a huge learning curve and I have come a long way. (LOL now you're just going to think that this project will be extraordinary and mind-blowing! haha well maybe not, I don't know, you be the judge.)