architecture enlightens life

I think I need a proper post to describe my 102 (2008) project instead of just a simple portfolio write-up. basically, our brief was to design a residence for a chosen figure; and I’ve got Carlo Scarpa in ballot.

I did some research on Scarpa himself; and summed up that his works reigned on craftsmanship and water elements, from the fact that he’s a venetian. a summary of my analysis on carlo scarpa here.

we were sent to malacca for a site visit; and we have this flexibility to choose our site for our design. and I’ve set my decision on this area.

p/s: we visited malacca gallery of architecture; check out my findings here.

A1 board representation of my site. the site is the throat of malacca river, and between two bodies of water. and below are the contextual images which I did later during the design process.

inspired from brion cemetery; my initial idea is to carve canals over the site; inviting river water from the site instead of keeping it out. and the project will be composed of a public park and several pavilions where the pedestrians will have to walk through the park to reach the southern tip.

“Scarpa Canals will be proposed as a semi-public garden lined with series of watercourses linked from both sides of the Malacca river.”

“Concept for Scarpa’s dweilling is derived from his personality as a Venetian. A city above the rivers, the play of water has been seen as one of his prime inspirations. Hence, the Scarpa Canals. Water brings dynamicism into static architecture, as it continously flow from one space to another, subtle yet beautiful.

Scarpa’s work is often described as rustic, archaic or in my own perception runic. So forth runic letters were taken as pattern generation for the design of Scarpa Canals.”

relating contextually to the site.

I’ve planned the park and pavilions  according to three privacy levels; public, semi-public and private; waterfall gazebo, small gallery and a residential house.

the waterfall gazebo incorporates an intricate sculpture; that features water flowing from the roof cascading down into the canals while being a space where pedestrians would rest from walking.

the small gallery is where some drawings and models done by scarpa are shown. the interesting part of this semi-public gallery is that the platform is suspended over a pond; giving a full view of the whole park being the showcase of carlo scarpa’s influence.

the most interesting pavilion is of course the residence itself.

“Interior design of Scarpa Canal’s Studio Residence is derived from Scarpa’s affection of details. Most of the furnitures inside are custom made and integrated into the building, diffusing the border between interior and structure.”

“The cupboard of the living room is a recessed concrete slab hanging from the ceiling while the base of the coffee table is extruded from the floor.”

“A suspended pathway linked the living quarter to the bedroom quarter, allowing brief view to the outside.”

“The residence boasted an Italian kitchenette and granite finished bathroom.”

“For the bedroom, the working desk is incorporated into the L-shaped glazing windows.”

“The most impressive feature of the living quarter would be the subtle waterways inside the residence, with streams slowly flowing from the rooftop throughout the living room and staircase, finally leading to the canals. Anyone cannot help but be bothered with the water cascades step by step along the slight of stairs, bringing the sound of river all over the house.”

model photos.

my final review. you may want to check my presentation board below.

you can always view better images from my portfolio set below;

client house - scarpa canals. A public park that houses both a gallery and the studio residence of the Italian architect Carlo Scarpa. Site is throughoutly carved with canals of water streams from Malacca river, fulfilling Scarpa’s fond of water. Water brings dynamicism into static architecture , as it continously flow from one space to another, subtly yet delightful.

[presentation] [siteanalysis]
models; [1] [2] [3] context; [1] [2] photos; [1] [2] [3] [4]
exterior renders; [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
interior renders;  [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

or from the overall design 102 portfolio pages;
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]
[16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]