Contestation // Student Lounge Design Voting

Recently concluded, Phase 1 consisted of a 3-day design workshop, culminating in a review session (panel: Mr Cheah KM, Mr Richard Ho, Mr Yang Pow Sing). Mr Yang and Mr Cheah acted as design advisors. The students are allowed to develop further their schemes (throughout the duration of Phase 2, deadline: 17 Jan).

1. The lounge should be able to fit at least 14 adult persons (1 studio) at any one time

2. The lounge should be sheltered

3. Noise pollution from surrounding workshop programmes should be addressed.

4. The lounge is to be naturally-ventilated

5. There should be multiple layering of programmes

6. While no lock/key are to be provided, the lounge should be secure/private

In addition, the lounge should address the need for a student workshop/assembly area.

Cast your Votes Here! Poll ends on 19th February 2011.<a href="https://polldaddy.com/p/4546489" target="_blank">Take Our Poll</a>

TEAM 1

CONCEPTUAL IDEA

The design proposes the revival of ‘outdoor culture’ through the introduction of several activities, for example, movie-watching. The proposed lounge consist of 3 parts; a semi-outdoor area, a sheltered space and an outdoor space around the nearby tree to be enveloped by a wall.

STRUCTURAL IDEA

The walls are proposed to be made of recyclable materials such as paper tubes.

TEAM 2

CONCEPTUAL IDEA

The design proposes the idea of ‘customisable’ spaces – spaces which will allows students to feel comfortable, which also respond to the students’ temporal use of space or rapid changes in programmes. Through the use of screens, students are able to alter the dimensions of the spaces which they inhabit, while at the same time these spaces are ‘zoned’ to allow similar/related programmes to develop in close proximity.

STRUCTURAL IDEA

Flexibility is expressed through the provision of customisable spaces, housed in a steel frame structure, arranged to a modular grid. The spaces are tailored through the movement of walls (partitions), hung like curtains from an overhead network of tracks. Some parts of the roof may be movable to accommodate other programmes.

TEAM 3

CONCEPTUAL IDEA

The design revolves around the idea of ‘freedom’ – the expression of freedom on the students’ part and the production of a space that would allow such freedom. A large envelope is derived, allowing activities to occur within the perimeters while allowing several programmes to occur on walls of the envelopes.

STRUCTURAL IDEA

The proposal involved timbre-frame construction, cladded or infilled using recyclable materials gathered. New spaces are created on the walls, which instead of remaining as a static, 2-dimensional plane, could be installed with hinged ‘shelves’ allowing objects / activities or even individual users to be stacked on top of one another.