architecture design studio IV
project one
RE:PLAY - CHILDREN'S OUTDOOR PLAYSCAPE
Project 1 deals with the understanding of repurposed materials and their relationship to the crafting of spaces for user experience. Students will be required to design an OUTDOOR PLAYSCAPE for children, which is intended to showcase specific material(s) for a proposed set of activities. It is to develop awareness of environmental sustainability through the responsible and innovative use of reclaimable and repurposed materials in relation to user needs. Project 1 will prepare students for the programmatic requirements in Project 2
“While traditional play equipment is designed to evoke physical activity, this bigger environment can also incorporate mental stimulation and development by promoting imagination and creativity, challenge and competition, and bringing in basic skills related to color, shapes, and time that children learn at early ages.” Project description of Rural Studio’s Lion’s Park Playscape. http://lionsparkplayscape.ruralstudioblogs.org/projectdesign In this introductory exercise, students are to design within a given area of area of 5m(l) x 5m(w) x 3m(ht), an OUTDOOR PLAYSCAPE for children that is modular, lightweight as well as safe with all mechanisms being simple and easy to operate. The main materials for its construction are reclaimable/repurposed materials and reasonably weather proof. It must be able to accommodate/support a set of proposed activities designed to instill among children not only a sense of play or exploration but also the appreciation of sustainability through the application of reusable materials. Students must be able to demonstrate its ability to function in a real world situation.
project two
COMMUNITY RECYCLING, REPURPOSING & RECLAIMING CENTER
The project calls for a design of a COMMUNITY RECYCLING, REPURPOSING AND RECLAIMING CENTER in a suburban park area with some complexity that includes the complexity of site topography and vegetation and existing activities. Students are required to provide full design proposal incorporating precedent study and site analysis at appropriate level of presentation. It explores design solution that responds to the program, context of the site and conditions for human and environment sustainability. Students explore design solutions that reduce environmental impact utilizing clustered spatial typology and passive energy. The design should contribute to and merge harmoniously with nature and the site, and provide the best of experiences for the users.
The proposed Recyling, Repurposing and Reclaiming Center will be located within a small neighborhood park in the Taman Desa, a mature neighborhood which built in the 1970s. The site sits within the vicinity of commercial developments, residential areas and the local High School; all the generic components of a typical Klang Valley suburb. A small recycling center operated by the Tzu Chi Foundation and a small playground set are the only facilities in the park. How can the proposed Center rejuvenate and reanimate the park and its surroundings through the acts of Recycling, Repurposing and Reclaiming? Can building and park be woven into one? The proposed center would not only have to address the physical conditions of the site (topography, vegetation etc.), but also contribute to existing activities and enhance the surrounding context.
part 1: Site Analysis
part 2: Design of Community Recycling, Repurposing and Reclaiming Centre