Screenzino

Screenzino is an imaginary illness where a new kind of tumour grows due to a lot of exposure to digital screens, in particularly our phones and desktops. The tumour would then cause us to lose our 5 humane senses. There is no definite cure but there are some medications which would slow down the growth and some people even cured themselves with the assistance of these cures. This is a pamphlet to raise awareness of this sickness.

Screenzino

Following up with the awareness of the Screenzino, here is the collection of the medication to help aid the loses and antibodies. The pastels to counter the bright hypnotic lights from the screens as pastels are softer on the eyes. Each of the items are for specific senses.

Let's Meet Halfway

Let’s Meet Halfway is a social awareness campaign to encourage people to learn some basic sign language to make the society a more inclusive place. If some of the deaf people are learning to lip read to understand us, what is stopping us from learning a little bit of signing to understand them? The idea for this poster was to make the audience feel what it was similar to what a deaf would have to encounter when they rely on the visuals or lip reading. Hence I used the fact that most people could see and set them a challenge to try reading with half the typographies cut off. This is to further support the idea of trying to meet halfway.

Let's Meet Halfway

These are additional marketing flyers for the households and the Deaf Associations which could be used when there is an event or simply just to spread the awareness.

Let's Meet Halfway

Part of the solution to encourage people to learn more sign language is to make interesting and eye catching visuals so that it looks more exciting and easy to learn. Faster as well since in the present time we have lesser attention span. The feed is designed to have one column for the finger spelling and the other two for short conversational tutorials and the some of the benefits and fun facts or even sharing the people's experiences.

Let's Meet Halfway

These are the screen captures of the video to promote the awareness of deaf and to encourage people to learn some basic sign language.

Let's Meet Halfway

This was a marketing video to promote the idea of learning the basic sign languages to communicate with our deaf community. It was a "good to know" kind of design problem and the solution for myself was to help create some awareness with the blessing of the perspective of the hearing world.

The Search for Immortality

The Search for Immortality tells a story to raise awareness of our ignorant excessive usage of single use plastics and our human greed. The storybook is meant to be read to children by parents and hopefully they would realise that the morale of the story is about how plastics have conquered the world and one day it might possibly, and literally cause the end of humans if we do not stop this.

Sorry for your Loss

Native languages find themselves slowly being replaced by hegemonic languages as globalisation and rapid migration have contributed to chronic attrition. If there are approximately 6,000 languages in the world, only a mere 4% of these languages are used by the majority of the global population. As a result, half of these 6,000 dialects are headed for extinction. Sorry for your Loss is an initiative which seeks to address and bring awareness to a global epidemic of losing one’s native tongue. The initiative is formatted into an exhibition where visitors can reminisce and reconnect with their lost language through various interactive displays; a space then becomes a cure. Each edition will explore different indigenous languages from around the world. This edition shines the light on Burmese Language – a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in officially by Burmese nationals in an attempt to reconnect the language with its native speakers.

Sorry for your Loss

Sorry for your Loss

Compound Interest

In the society of precarious, financial instability remains the primary source of anxiety and constraint for families from lower income households. Lacking adequate financial literacy, these households struggle to maintain a decent quality of life while battling through the imposed stigma of being branded as social deviants. These public interventions are promoted as ‘exceptional’ rather than ‘universal’ and often comes with a hefty consequence of a laborious application process only to be compensated with short-term monetary reliefs. Therefore, the chronic and unfulfilled needs of marginalised households are rarely resolved in a sustainable way. Compound Interest is an alternative educational programme designed to empower and refine financial literacy among youths from marginalised families. Adapting a non-hierarchical mode of learning, youths can choose to customise and stack their own curriculum. The programme dispenses personalised educational content to its subscribers through various platforms. In this self-sustaining model, the knowledge that youths have acquired through the programme can be redistributed back into their respective households. Accomplishment is therefore measured through cycles of intention, creation, reflection and sharing. The programme aims to rethink the experiences of low-income families as people with the capacity to learn and change, not as clients and recipients in dire need of help and charity.

Compound Interest

Compound Interest

The Hidden Cost

Plastic wastage is the responsibility of many. There are a lot of stakeholders involved: from consumers who mindlessly consume and hoard plastic bags to corporations who leverage on the cheap production of the plastic bags. Lured by its modest pricing and short-lived convenience, we have failed to account for the hidden cost of plastic bags: one that inflicts irreversible damage to our environment and wildlife. The Hidden Cost is a project which aims to expose the implications of plastic consumption by redesigning the current display of plastic bags. The project seeks to purpose an alternative approach to curb consumption through the alternation of everyday products – in this case, it is the appearance of the plastic bags. The design of the bag is kept minimal with a series of typographic messages which displays a “cost” upfront. These costs are derived from the pressing environmental and societal side effects of plastic wastage. The messages will claim the space previously occupied by the oversized logos of household brands. The newly designed plastic bags act as a visual reminder, projecting cumulative casualties of plastic waste driven by mass consumption. The projection will hopefully trigger consumer behaviour and provoke change.

The Hidden Cost

Generis

Generis is a hybrid font created by combining two the unlikely typefaces – Futura and Kleist-fraktur. Futura is a geometric sans-serif typeface widely used during the Bauhaus movement while Kleist-fraktur is a blackletter typeface. Generis attempts to confront the tension between two distinct families of typeface by recreating a less rigid type in which the geometric contours meet the sharp display curves. It incorporates the geometric base of the Latin letterforms while preserving the calligraphic strokes of blackletter types. The integration of the san-serif softens the sharp edges and tones down the highly ornamented details of the blackletter. Generis is, therefore, a blend of Latin and German typestyles – two conflicting letterforms, culturally, politically and aesthetically. The result is a pleasing hybrid which inhabits the qualities of order and expression.

Generis

Project 1: The Plastic Problem - WE ARE AT WAR

The Plastic Problem - WE ARE AT WAR I had to frame a new narrative to approach this as the overuse of plastic is still prevalent, despite many efforts to help reduce the use of it. My target audience were the Singaporean men as they are the ones who seem the most indifferent about any type of situation. Singaporeans tend to like marketed messages that were more locally relatable and also things that had more comedic value. The use of social media is the go-to for social cause these days. Keeping the video under one-minute to fit the restrictions of Instagram and still be able to post on Facebook. Drawing similarities to that of a Singaporean Man(Target audience) who has completed National Service but fighting a different enemy- plastic. Continuing the connection with the Singaporean context of post #OperationReadyDate #ORDLO on social media and changing it to fit my narrative. Caption: It is a battle against convenience. They know our weaknesses, They know our strengths. We know they are bad for us, But they know we need them. We need to fight back, We need to protect our land. Help us fight against the use of plastic bags and spread the cause. #OperationReusableBag #ORBLO #ShoppingBagOrder #SBO . . "Got my new tote bag, gonna use it tomorrow #ORBLO"

Project 2: Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide - Dimensions

I used this project to push the orthodox boundaries of image-making relevant to Architecture and space photography. I wanted to combine the photography of the image on different canvas to create a new and different image, as there are a lot of ways we can see how “add subtract, multiply, divide” can be translated into photography and image making. I found that origami also expressed certain aspects of what the buildings and architecture represented; a structured and geometrical medium. It demands precision, intricate construction and attention to detail. I experimented with different forms and shapes with origami from polyhedral shapes like diamonds, prisms, pyramids and cubes to tessellated design, where we also see much of what inspired modern architecture. In my experimentation, I used base origami patterns and experimented with different ratios and forms.

Project 2: Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide - Dimensions

Experimentation with printed images. The printed images on the origami created different intersecting lines and divisions that relate back to the brief. This still felt rather stagnant and dead as i wanted to disrupt the symbolism of the structured and rigid idea of what the architecture and origami is. I decided to experiment with projecting onto an origami installation instead. The projection consists of video and stills onto the installation. The moving images over the origami created a more organic and lively feel compared to the structured and rigidity of the elements individually. The elements of the installation were also interactive, such as the kaleidocycles and tessellated objects. This allows the viewer to distort and disrupt the image in different ways and by doing so, creating a new image in the process.

Project 3: Self-initiated - Aiwa

While doing my project, I chanced upon this old lady still using and listening to her 20 year old Aiwa radio. It gave me the inspiration to do the video advertisement with Henry Heng. The video production was directed towards going onto social media, as marketing and digital appliances purchases are mainly done online.

Human

Maybe we should see life with an open mind of what can be, instead of through the narrow lens of what should be. Part 1: ‘Human’ is a reflection of my biggest takeaway studying abroad for the first time. I realised how we humans subject ourselves to preconceived notions and perspectives instead of cherishing the freedom of what could be and are often disappointed if not achieved. With this poster as the base design, I continue by physically adding things on, to create an interactive experience for my audience. "A human is only a human because we have an image of it”

Human

Part 2: Attached are needles to create a string play board to encourage audiences in creating their own image of a human. With every unique interaction, I am hoping to break boundaries of what should be and reinforce the concept of what could be.

Perception of Peace

Living in a fast-paced city-state, it comes as second nature to find peace away from the hustle and bustle. Albeit often associated with vast spaces and tranquility, this publication hopes to bring awareness to another perspective of peace by documenting the raw emotion of the things that make our city-state fast moving :- The People

Perception of Peace

Several spreads of the publication

Lunching with Lunch-in'

Facing the issue regarding our over usage of plastic, Lunching with Lunch-in’ aims to tackle a habit with a matter of convenience by pitching to companies in the Central Business District, an idea of creating a more bonded company culture through the usage of a more convenient and sustainable take away container amongst themselves during their lunchtime.

Lunching with Lunch-in'

An improved version of the well known, Ting Kat! Not only does it have individual layer lids for separate take aways, one of these containers, can save 3 take away boxes! Leave the office with 1 container, come back with three meals!

Lunching with Lunch-in'

Every Lunch-in’ comes with a one page zine as an instruction manual and an informative sheet! Open it all up and turn it around to double it up as a poster to spice up your pantry as both a reminder to save the Earth and a decoration.

Lunching with Lunch-in'

Three possible designs behind the zine.

Unveiled

Context in the form of assumptions leads to mental bias. My project is about how the media frames the truth in a political context. I used a colour-based illusion designed to trick the brain into thinking the same colour is two different ones. Colour acts as a metaphor for context and the media and the optical illusions is essentially a parallel for the illusion you are put under by the media.

Utopia Is Death 01

Utopia is Death is a series of photographs exploring the change of what we deem a ‘Landscape’ and how that change affects us as a species. The first image details the classic definition of a landscape; pristine nature untouched by man. Or so it seems. Unfortunately such a location does not exist within Singapore. This is a man-made quarry and is a pristine as nature gets here.

Utopia Is Death 02

The purpose of the second image is to portray what mankind has done with nature. Our industrialization and almost automation of it. Which begets the question; is a tree planted by man part of nature or is it man made?

Utopia Is Death 03

Working in conjunction with image 3, these two images are a modernization of John B. Calhoun’s behavioral sink theory; as we continue to shape our landscape for efficiency, its utilitarian appearance is a breeding ground for socio-cultural chaos.

Utopia Is Death 04

I photographed and processed both images to make them look as though they are both the same place; however they are taken in different countries. Through the use of colour, my intention is evoke a pretense of harmony between these two images because of their colour and likeness while at the same thing creating dissonance because of their subject matter; one being geometrically ordered and the other a chaotic sprawl.

Utopia Is Death 05

A common sight and landscape of modern day Singapore. High rise flats built for space-efficiency is how majority of the population here lives. I composed the image ‘tightly’ in such a way so that the individual apartments appear as prison cells; uniform and almost voyeuristic.

Utopia Is Death 06

Construction and its instruments are often used to depict progress. I took this image from a low angle at a crane yard to show the monstrous scale of our industrialization of the world. The photo was framed in a way to have a visible sky but blocked out and almost offensively obscured by the cranes. Reminiscent of how nature is still visible to us but only through a machine lens.

Utopia Is Death 07

My aim was to shoot tombstones to look like the typical close-up facade of a building. Bringing home the point that the continued mechanization of our landscape to construct a utopia will figuratively and literally result in death. Printed out and framed in A1, it has an effect of looking like something else completely from far and only from a close distance do viewers realize it is a graveyard.

#endthecommitment

#endthecommitment is an initiative to end the toxic commitment we have with single-use plastic bags and opt for greener alternatives while doing our daily shopping.

The Bees are Coming (Back)

The Bees are Coming (Back) is a travel scrapbook of my experience in Glasgow and these are a few selected spreads from it that I really enjoy. This was also my first attempt at creating a travel log and I assure you it looks a lot better in real life.

Thank You and Goodbye

Thank You and Goodbye can be seen as the unofficial Part Two of The Bees are Coming (Back). This travel log documents my experiences in London, Paris, Brussels, Cologne and other parts of Germany. Once again, I assure you it looks a lot better in real life.

Blue Alert

Climate change holds true as one of the important issues of our generation but why aren’t Singaporeans doing much about it? I discovered that Singapore could be in a state of denial towards climate change as we are neither directly affected nor witnessing the catastrophes first hand. By incorporating climate change with something familiar that hints at an emergency, Blue Alert brings climate change to its audience through virtual reality while educating them about the severity of their actions through a scenario-driven card game.

Blue Alert

Blue Alert is an educational card game based on things that Singaporean enjoys (Blue card) but prompts you to destroy it (Alert card) due to our behaviour and climate change - talking about reverse psychology. This in hopes to influence the players lifestyle and decision making when it comes to climate issues - which we are late to act upon.

Blue Alert

Blue Alert

Blue Alert

Check out this project and many more through my online portfolio. Thanks for viewing.

Realitea

Existing in our twenties, I feel that some form of Quarter-Life Crisis lives in each of us, and it's perfectly normal. Some have it harder than others, but I wish to look at this 'condition' light-heartedly, and try to have fun with it.

Realitea

Identity.

Realitea

The menu features various flavours that customers get to choose what they feel they need in their day.

Realitea

A 3D rendering of envisioned bottle

Unappreciated Maps

Maps have become more than just a tool for us when we’re lost or when we have places to go. However, it remains something quite a niche topic or subject. I believe that maps are also narratives. The goal is to provide a new way of looking at maps and building a sense of appreciation of maps in people.

They See U

Imitation is a key in any child's learning and development. Hence the idea that parents need to lead by example is crucial, and most parents recognize that. Most.

They See U

However, I'm not convinced that ALL parents are actively aware of it. As such, this publication servers as a reinforcement or reminder. The aim is to cultivate the habit of recycling and to reduce the use of plastics. Having said that, parents have to sacrifice a degree of convenience that they once had, to give their child a foreseeably better world to live in the future.

Travel Receipt

With the influence of fast and suggestive figure drawing techniques and compilation of photos of my adventures in Glasgow, I illustrated my journey with a continuous line drawing on a receipt roll. My aim for this project is to merchandise it like a gift in a museum shop where it could be more relatable to the public.

Travel Receipt

An object of nostalgia and remembrance of places of interest.

Arsenal Football Club Official Magazine - Feb Issue

Me being a huge Arsenal fan, I did not want to have football players on the cover page as most designers would, instead I used their mascots to portray the clubs, Arsenal (Cannon) and Tottenham Hotspur (Blue Chicken) respectively. The main attraction is in the centre, The cannon is ready to blast the chicken to outer-space. This way I could add some fun to the cover page design.

It was quite a challenge to design this page. This was my first time doing a “print design” as I’ve been designing for the screen (digital) my whole life. Layout placements in print design can be very important, but I didn’t want to compromise on my digital skillset for this particular page. Therefore I fused both styles. Now read the RED letters from top to bottom. What do you get?

I thought it would be quite interesting to show all the French players who have played for Arsenal Football Club during it’s 134 year old history. As such this would be the complete list of French players from the year 1886 - 2019.

I had a lot of flexibility and fun working on the design on this page in particular because of how I managed to cleverly merged 2 different Arsenal Third Kits (Pink & Cyan) into 1 page. By doing so, not only does it not look regular and dull anymore… It also looks energetic and youthful!

The last one would be a collage of many more different page layouts and designs that are featured in my own edition of the Arsenal Magazine. 

For more information, visit https://www.behance.net/gallery/96609881/Arsenal-Magazine-Design.

Incuba - Luxury Healthcare Packaging

INCUBA is a microchip that is inserted and incubates in the human body which reverses the effects of procrastination by monitoring and re-balancing the different levels of hormonal and negative chemicals changes in the human body.

This is my design process where I came out with some rough sketches digitally with pin-point accuracy and measurements done to scale for the development stage for product prototyping. I also made a breakdown of the different parts needed to put the prototype together to finalise the design.

This is the “Chip base Plate” where the placement of INCUBA chip will be for display.

Once the top half of the packaging is opened and remove, underneath this is what you will see. The Emblem of the INCUBA chip design (hexagon-shaped) and a Manual for the user to know how the product functions.

The last one would be a collage of many more different page layouts and designs that are featured during the Product shot on INCUBA.

For more information, visit https://kingkumarart.myportfolio.com/incuba

It's Not Okay

In Singapore, about 700 million kg of plastic waste is discarded every year. Less than 10% of the plastic usage were being recycled (WWF). Plastic was the largest category of waste disposed of in Singapore last year — 763,400 tons. Reality perception — “When truth is blurred by lies and misinformation, perception becomes reality and all is lost.” What people perceive is usually what they believe, and this is based on what they hear, see and think. The government in Singapore has yet to take serious action in reducing the Plastic usage in Singapore. However, I believe that the consumption of bubble tea is one of the culprit that contributes to this issue. Yet, Singaporeans fail to see / experience the fact that the usage of plastic is a factor to the environment. I’ve created a series of illustration that could be potential posters, as a reminder / awareness to Singaporeans that there is always an alternative. By bringing their personal mugs or bags could help to save lives.

It's Not Okay

It's Not Okay

Place-Non-Place

Introduction This exploratory painting represents the contrast in culture between Singapore and Glasgow in which I have experienced through this study exchange. This painting was inspired by a Scottish poem (Auld Lang Syne) written by Robert Burns.

Place-Non-Place

Concept - Chaos is a definition of what the world is today, and being a part of this world, we are often blinded by the hiccup that is placed right in front of us. How often can we acknowledge that we are conscious of our actions all the time, namely our experiences, the things we purchase and consume? In this project of Place – Non-Place, it’s a creation of my experience in Glasgow, the visual comprises of parts taken from the poem of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and the words were assembled in an unsystematic order. I have come to realise that, chaos itself, might not actually be what we think it is. Being in a state of chaos is a feeling that one may feel perpetually under certain circumstances. It is not an unfamiliar feeling yet we still let ourselves immerse into that state. As I was sitting by the ledge in Glasgow, I’ve came to an understanding that, the unknown always appears to be LOUDER compared to my ordinary, that might be where the feeling of chaos is found.

Place-Non-Place

The Ways of Seeing

This project was created with a combination of Spark AR (Augmented Reality) and Cinema 4D. The concept is a reaction to how society has advanced into something so absurd with the use of the mechanical eye. Everything that can be seen on the internet in this day and age, might not be the actual truth. In fact, a captured moment by an individual could easily be manipulated. Hence, I’ve chosen the use of Augmented Reality and a metaphorical theme (alienation) to explain the message of what we see from our phones, does not always represent reality.

The Ways of Seeing

Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa, a publication that speaks of the imperfections of the world that can’t always be seen with the naked eye. Mona Lisa embraces the imperfections using art and literature from the history and the present times to disclose a positive spirit for its readers. In the first issue of Mona Lisa, it has discussed the different viewpoints and ideas about the nature of love by Plato (The Symposium).

Pareidolia

A psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus (an image or a sound) where in the mind perceives a familiar pattern where none exists called Pareidolia that allows human to perceive faces in places where they do not exist. These images have been taken around Chinatown, Singapore and it forms a similar style and colour to create a typeface.

Urban Mobility in Singapore

It seems that vehicles take precedence and acquire privileges in the form of transportation in Singapore. However, a far more affordable and environmentally friendly mode of transport like bicycles and PMDs has insufficient opportunities and relevance in our country. Singapore is still lacking in offering traveling alternatives for car-less commuters other than its existing high standard of public transport.

Urban Mobility Devices

Over the years, bicycles, PMDs (personal mobility devices) and e-scooters have been a new mode of transportation for a handful of individuals in Singapore. It does not merely serve as a form of transportation but also as an important asset for some users to perform their daily jobs. However, pedestrians are anxious and unpleased as how these devices cause public alarm over the risk that it put to others.

Reactions From The PMD Ban

A large number of individuals were upset after being informed of the PMD ban on shared pathways in Singapore. It seems that these users are not given the rights and access in moving around the city freely. Besides, there are plenty of solutions that can be executed to facilitate them. Thus, banning of the PMDs is not a final resolution.

Collage of Site Settings

Collage of different site settings – hawker centre, market, MRT station and cinema.

Diagram of Hawker Centre

Diagram of inhabitation – hawker centre

Visual 1

To make use of the double volume space in the existing site, a second level was designed to particularly accommodate cyclists who prefer dining in the hawker centre. It also includes a parking space for users to park their bicycles safely while they enjoy their meal.

Visual 2

Food stalls were designed with double openings so that one of each can be used to facilitate customers on foot and the other for cyclists or delivery riders. This will allow a better interaction between hawkers, customers and cyclists as it avoids the intersection of purchasing and collecting of food within one another.

Visual 3

To avoid any collision between a pedestrian and a cyclist, the implementation of zebra crossings can alert both individuals. Hence, arrows and signages on the double bicycle lanes play a major role in creating a safe and comprehensive pedestrian-cycling network. So do the choice of colours used to differentiate between various zones respectively.

Visual 4

Cyclists can utilize the ramp that brings them to their dedicated eating space while non-cyclists have the entire ground level to dine in the hawker centre comfortably.

Visual 5

Food stalls were also designed in a fluid form as to display the flexibility of movement and interaction between pedestrians and cyclists in the hawker centre. Thus, each stall owns a distinct form of space.

Wandering to Dwell

The Dwelling - Located at 8b Canton St above the convenience store, Seven Eleven, the living room was designed accordingly to the preferences of eating instant foods that both inhabitants cultivated whilst they were wandering in Glasgow. For example, the living room boasts of an unconventional kitchen with a sit-down hotpot experience. This is so that the inhabitants would be able to get their instant food from Seven Eleven.

An elaborate floor plan recalling the activities that happened in Ada and Kelly’s accommodation in Glasgow. The map revealed certain habits cultivated from their wandering in Glasgow. For example, the kitchen was always in use as the food in Glasgow was expensive. This resulted in both the inhabitants going to TESCO supermarket frequently to purchase instant foods.

This section is a work in progress to translate these wandering experiences into a dwelling. According to Witold Rybczynski’s ‘The Most Beautiful House’ in the world, the entrance is a key component in setting the tone of the dwelling. Hence it was considered that the inhabitants can enter their dwelling through Seven Eleven to create a certain porosity to the living arrangement.

The wandering experience also extends beyond Glasgow. Based on the experience of a visit to St. Andrew’s Cathedral, the bathroom was designed in a way to facilitate reflection and pondering by including a prayer area as well as a shelf for scripture to encourage the meditation of the psalms. Meditation and prayer are acts that allow the inhabitant to truly dwell.

Based on wandering through the magazine Apartmento issue #24, it was realised that a house is a collection of all things and experiences. Hence, the bedroom was designed for the many items and clothes that were collected as a result of travelling. There is also a seat by the window to allow the inhabitant to look out onto the streets and wander vicariously.

Ada was inspired by Japan’s tiny homes where a young couple bathed under the sunlight. She also loved how the layout of the couple’s tiny home was open. There is also a ladder incorporated for Ada to climb up to the roof and wander visually through the scenery of the Singapore River. An opening on the wall beside her bed was designed to allow both Ada and Kelly to interact whilst still having the privacy of their own rooms.

So Close but So Far

SO CLOSE BUT SO FAR - This project is a speed dating laundromat and bar that is a continuation of the dwelling. It was found that wandering continues as we meet new people - we are the vessels in which our experiences are contained.  However, in light of the COVID 19 pandemic, this response looks at how people might still love without touching each other.

Inspired largely by Hippie Modernism, collages were made in an attempt to translate the visual aesthetic that closely simulated one on drugs, as well as the concept of not being able to touch each other.

The participant will first: 1) Order a drink from the enclosed bar at a safe distance from each other. 2) Proceed to engage in the different systems that would allow interaction without physical touch. 3) Couples can proceed to the enclosed kissing booths. 4) Designated areas for the speed dating hosts to have a view of the entire bar to facilitate the rotation of couples.

First impressions count. Inspired by the fish tank scene in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as well as ‘A Minute of Silence’ by Marina Abramovic, the aquarium seats offer speed dating participants to interact without touching. It does this through a visually heightened experience.

The region rich in history and culture

Illustration of project site, Waterloo Centre, which sits amongst different building typologies, surrounded by rich Singapore culture and visited by people of different race and religion.

Map of intervention

Three interventions, each with different agenda, to sieve out the idea of Ornamentation that may happen at Waterloo Centre.

Sketched elements

Documenting distinct visual elements at site.

Taxonomy of elements

Taxonomy of visual elements extracted from site to speak of the lifestyle of the people, and the mix of old and new architecture.

Overwhelmed with ornaments

Section of Waterloo Centre that identifies existing and new ornamentation that introduce new functions.

The Jungle

Residents transform the site into a jungle where they grow plants and enjoy the sight of greenery outside their windows.

Iconic shop fronts

Part I: Each is a 3D collage of possible shop front design created by isolating the most iconic shapes and textures found at site.

Conceptualising new coffee shop

Part I: Iconic shapes and colours are employed to a busy coffee shop at Waterloo Centre to make it more memorable.

Model of intervention

Part II: Model of intervention outside a junior arts school located at a corner of third floor.

Glass blocks pods

Part II: Exterior view of intervention which shows the prominent material seen at site – glass blocks. The pods with varying heights and dimensions encourage exploration.

Extended play zone

Part II: The malleable sheer wall lets people on either side to connect. It is also lowered to appeal to children.

Waterloo Centre reimagined

Reimagining an ornamented HDB with striking colour, pattern, signage and plants to draw attention of the crowd.

No ornamentation

Part III: Conceptual model of intervention at the ground floor intending to link two major staircases. The cocoon-like pods amplify and transfer sound via metal conduits (represented by the coloured straws). Sound can be an ornament in space.

ornaments

Part III: Sitting area with concrete pods and metal conduits that amplify the sound of wind.

Keeping it neutral

Part III: Pods elevated off the ground to suggest lightness. Plants can help to dampen sound and soften the hard-concrete materials.

A New Housing Typology for Rental Flats

Strong community ties is capable of providing a form of social support and resource network. Despite its importance, it rarely exists in HDB flats today. This project aims to investigate a new typology for rental flats that incorporates the notion of community within the housing estate. It sought to improve the standard of living for lower income families and strive towards achieving self-empowerment to break away from the cycle of poverty.

Utopian Vision

Le Corbusier’s idea of “vertical garden city” in Unite d’Habitation focused on communal living for residents to shop, eat, play, live and gather together outside their private dwelling space. This integration of communal service into the housing model has further encouraged interaction to take place among inhabitants. Drawing reference to Unite d’Habitation, a utopian vision on the future of a community orientated rental flat is being projected in the form of a sectional elevation collage.

Reconfigured Layout Plan

As compared to the void deck, the corridor has a greater possibility that residents would linger around as it is more accessible from their units. However, the linear and narrow nature of the corridor in block 1 Jalan Kukoh is not the most efficient space for residents to gather in. As an attempt to bring in communal spaces that encourage prolonged interaction, the linear walkway is transformed into an enclosed space by deconstructing and rearranging the layout plan, eventually coming up with multiple iterations.

Breaking Away from Standardization

Referencing Habitat 67 where the units are interconnected and stacked on one another, it allowed for a private garden terrace to every unit and play area throughout the building for children. By breaking away from the standardized design of HDB, new possibilities of interaction are introduced. Therefore, taking two reconstructed levels and stacking above each other turning it into a single floor increases the chance of interaction by half.

Eyes on the Street

The concept of "Eyes on the Street" as a form of surveillance provides a safety measure as residents help to keep a lookout for one another. Breaking up solid walls and having screens allow residents to have visual or verbal contact. These are explored with different degrees of privacy. With screens at the feet level, it provide clues on the safety of residents without taking away their privacy.

Persona: Single elderly living alone

With safety as the main priority, the unit is designed with a communal herb garden that allows residents to be involved in nurturing the plants. While doing so, residents are able to ensure the safety of the elderly through verbal contact. To a certain degree, it also allows a glimpse into a small area of the room such that the privacy of the elderly is still present.

Privacy is a common issue face in large family. Curtains fitted in bunk bed allow children to be entitled to a small personal space. By staggering the beds, these children get a private play corner of their own, accessible from all four beds. An opening is created at an eye level of a child for children outside to invite them out to play.

Persona: Single mother, 4 children, 1 baby

The vertical screen frames the amount of area to be seen in the room to retain privacy for the other family members. However, it is sufficient for the baby cot to be visible for residents to help keep an eye on the baby while the mother attends to her other children. When the sofa bed is folded, the space transforms into a living room.

Persona: Parents and a teenager

From the conceptual models, the idea of encouraging interaction to occur through close proximity by blurring the boundaries between the private units and communal space is executed in this unit. A cohesive language with the usage of panels are extruded from the steps of the stairs to seating in the living room and further extruded to form platforms for residents' use in the communal space.

Overview

The concept of interfaces as a form of threshold between public and private domain is explored through different implementation throughout the housing model. It is integrated to work as a system that encourages residents to not only interact but also to connect with one another.

HOME, TOO

Location: Interior design studio @ SIT, TP. When i first spoke to a group of migrant construction workers, it sparked off the idea of wanting to find out more about how one feels a sense of homeliness and how do one build their own home away from home. In his book titled "HOME: A SHORT HISTORY OF AN IDEA", Rybczynski compares the sense of homeliness to an onion. Onions are simple on the outside but complex on the inside, like homeliness, when dissected - it just does not make any sense and it cannot be measured. Anyone can recognise the sense of homeliness but have troubles explaining why they like it. However, he states that the Onion theory of comfort (domestic comfort) is essentially about convenience, efficiency, leisure, ease, pleasure, domesticity, intimacy and privacy. As my first project, i would want to find out how do one create a sense of home in the most minimal amount of space away from home. Everyone has a certain sense of attachment to a certain place, as for me, I decided to use my school's studio as my chosen site. The studio is where students spend most of their day there (design intervention can be used in offices and classrooms also) and my design intervention draws inspiration from our very own bedroom spaces. The way how i approached my intervention is based on these 4 main pointers: 1. the different degrees of private/ public spaces 2. the control over your own boundaries 3. the flexibility of space for interaction between people 4. the need for personalization of objects.This table shows the exploration of new materials in co-relation to the modules proposed.

HOME, TOO

In due respect to the current layout of the studio and not break the openness, I did a minor addition to the existing space. I implemented a grid ceiling that holds several elements in which the user can pull down/ take out to configure their own desired space and outcome. This current view shows the plastic netting (made out of deconstructed ziplock bags) acting as a form of partition when pulled down, hence the user can configure it based on their preferred privacy level.

HOME, TOO

The modular blocks are made out of material scraps found around the studio, all wrapped up inside a sewn-together ziplock bag. These blocks can be used however the user prefers - lying down, sitting, leaning, etc.

PLASTEAC

Location: Tekka centre Ultimately, to build the essence of home is about the people and I personally feel the need for not only the Migrant Workers, but also our own locals to not chase the papers but build communities instead. . I drew a parallel of our very own living and dining room where our families commune. Hence, I decided to use Tekka Market as my site as it is a public commune space. Having their vision as the "People’s Market" and a wide variety of audience, it made a good touch point to promote it as a space for interaction and communing there. Also,Tekka Market is home to the Migrant Workers during Sundays. My design intervention and program intends to push optimisation and promote this movement where we make use of things around us to build our own homes anywhere as a community. As there are several tea shops in the vicinity, I have chosen to promote tea culture into the space as tea is a common multi-cultural element and a good catalyst for conversation starters. The scattered layout contrasts with the traditional linear layout so as to give a sense of adventure to the patrons in the space to go around and attend different tea related workshops and source for the different flowers and herbs available for tea blending.

PLASTEAC

Plastic crates are readily available in the wet market and hawker centre. Inspired by the stacking of crates in the existing space, this terrain is where people can enjoy a different dining experience as compared to the original hawker seating. Patrons can also forage from the hanging down plants and from the crates.

PLASTEAC

This space holds the various workshops - tea-infused cooking workshop in the open kitchen, tea dye fabric and paper workshop. Also, this is where patrons blend their foraged herbs or flowers with tea here, This various workshops are marked out by the various coloured scrap fabrics canopy hanging down, In which, the fabrics are sourced from the 2nd storey retail area.

RE-KEA

The existing sewing service is instead, incorporated into the space to be used for sewing workshops. The exisiting walls separating the AS-IS section to the customer service area is removed so that the patrons do not have to walk through the whole of IKEA just to get to the exit.The netting on top acts a dumping ground of the unwanted furniture parts and celebrates the “unsightly” instead.

Location: IKEA (Tampines), AS-IS section To create a home away from home, one just requires a community and they would be resourceful to find what’s around them to build their own shelter. Applying what I have explored from my previous 2 projects, I chose IKEA as the first baby step to promote this movement for the masses to learn and apply it to their daily lives. IKEA pride themselves as a DIY company, however everything is still controlled based on what generates income - from their store layout that restricts consumers from walking around freely and the products flat-packed for one to build. People are drawn to IKEA’s products as when one DIYs, they build a stronger sense of accomplishment and attachment to the product. However, if one deconstructs IKEA’s furniture, you would realize that they actually use found materials, hidden beneath the mask of a capitalist / a major company supporting capitalism. Hence, i would want to further push the idea of DIY - just by being resourceful and make use of any found objects/ materials lying around your own and piece them yourself, you might even get a more durable furniture that you can personalize and feel a bigger sense of achievement. I would like patrons to find more value in the furnitures of IKEA's AS-IS section. That section is already strategically placed near the exit, with its main purpose is to sell rejected or defected goods from customers.Issues: underutilized recycling area, wrapping station and sewing service could serve more purpose, the as-is section is just not curated as compared to the self-serve furniture area. Materials I could consider to use: the IKEA catalogue, the FRAKTA shopping bags and the free pencils and rulers.

RE-KEA

The broken ‘frakta’ bags are repurposed by sewing them together to form a partition. It can even store the loose furniture parts for patrons to create our very own furniture by piecing them themselves. The Original MALM bed is placed beside the DIY bed to serve as inspiration for the patrons to configure their own furnitures. The exisiting underutilized wrapping station outside is instead, incoporated into the space and scattered around the whole area to be used for DIYfurniture and wrapping workshops.

RE-KEA

The wall is made of the scrap furniture parts, and the gaps creates a sense of semi-privacy between the as-is section and the staff area. With the power of repetition, even to the micro level - the free IKEA pencils, can be repurposed to form a ceiling feature for zoning, or a work mat or even a partition to give a little more privacy for the user using the sewing machine.

Environmental issues have been so much more important to me in recent years, and that has influenced the ways I approach the type of projects I want to do and how I want to execute them. For my Final Year Project, I wanted to explore the possibilities of how we can live with the least carbon footprint as possible. This will be done by tackling how HDBs can be reconfigured in order to be more self-reliant and self-sustainable. As we live through a strange time, through the COVID-19 pandemic, the notion of being more self-reliant and self-sustainable is more relevant than ever.

This collage was my way of expressing a ‘futuristic’ Singapore and how Archigram’s unbuilt projects could become a reality. My project was very inspired by Archigram and the theory of Rubanisation by Tay Kheng Soon. The idea of Plug-In City constantly evolving to meet the needs of people, and by having all the resources needed in one mega-machine – without harming the environment, was something that intrigued me. I wanted to combine those ideas, with the strategies of Rubanisation, to redefine how we live today so that we live with the least carbon footprint.

This is a series of materials made from waste. Gas, oil, consumerism, electricity, transportation and every other form of human activity, contributes to our carbon footprint. I asked myself, what if I could make my own spoon? Knowing that waste is a great carbon footprint contributor, I wanted to explore how household waste could be reused and made into something new, to kick-start the project. What if I made my own spoon using banana peels? That would mean I do not have to buy a new spoon - I do not contribute to consumerism and energy to produce a new spoon, and I get to reduce and reuse my waste, promoting a circular economy. 1. Milk + Vinegar 2. New-paper (made from waste paper) 3. New-clay (made from waste paper) 4. New-clay 5. Alternative Banana Peel Material 6. ABPM lamp shade 7. New-paper + ABPM 8. Slab of ABPM 9. New-paper 10. Weaving ABPM 11. New-paper + ABPM 12. Weaving ABPM with mesh

This neighbourhood is the site I chose as it already had a lot of existing amenities that I could work with to create a new masterplan. The analysis and masterplans done were based on the strategies of Rubanisation. My main objective was to ensure that no building was just purely residential, it had to be combined with another programming.

The diagrams of different configurations were a process of redistributing the existing amenities from the site, to one HDB building. Although this idea sounds like a Mixed Used Development, I was exploring an idea away from that typology, hence I decided on Diagram 6 as its configuration was most different from a MUD. I then translated this idea to a very draft collage to envision the type of spaces I wanted to have. To continue, I traced over the collages so that I could draw out how certain spaces could relate to one another. It was very important to sketch them so that they came together as one whole space. In order to redefine the way, we live, I chose to focus on a HDB building because it is the most common form of local housing.

What if HDB blocks had everything we needed? A pandemic-proof, zombie apocalypse-proof housing, because we would not need to leave our homes? My vision of a new HDB typology was to combine everything in a neighbourhood, into a singular block. Having urban farms are integral for residents to be able to grow their own food. This new typology is all about self-reliance, self-sustainability and a circular economy. This compilation shows the final iteration of the collage and how in reflects on a HDB from the site. The diagrams on the right show the circulation of the different spaces, programming and space planning.

To decrease carbon footprint, the principle of sharing is very important. For instance, not everyone cooks, hence, not everyone needs a kitchen. Layout explorations 1 and 2 were to explore the optimal potential of a HDB floor plate and how many bedrooms there could be by creating a central node of common areas. Traditional HDB units were eliminated for a floor to become one. With reference to my envisioned HDB typology, I decided to develop Level 9, which consisted of co-working spaces, farm, common areas and residential.

Inspired by Archigram’s Plug-In city and how it is able to adapt and change to the needs of its users, I wanted to incorporate this idea to the residential quarters by designing adaptable bedrooms. The bedrooms can be made bigger or smaller depending on the user. By having this flexibility, it lessens the likelihood of people having to move homes which in turn decreases the demand for new housing. Hence, this could possibly lessen buildings that need to be built and thus decreasing our carbon footprint.

This series of models is an ideation of furniture design. There is also potential to incorporate the earlier exploration of alternative materials, with the construction of the furniture.

This series of models is to explore the design of the common areas. I wanted to explore how people could come together, their co-existence in this new typology and their co-existence with nature. The idea was to create spaces without having to build solid walls, so that the spaces could be open and allow for natural ventilation to take place. By being more open, the common areas are also able to seamlessly connect with the other spaces.

Itten X Aēsop

Initial collage showcasing the synergy between Swiss Colour theorist Johannes Itten and Melbourne’s health and beauty franchise Aēsop. The bold contrasting colours of Itten’s art works complements the colour scheme used by Aēsop.

Aēsop X Itten

Window design grounded by the principles and theories of Swiss Painter and Colour theorist Johannes Itten designed for Aēsop’s stores.

Axonometric Study

Site study diagram of Golden Mile Complex The intention for the structure was to create a lively environment and a vertical city in contrast to the homogenized cities. Golden Mile Complex comes from the concepts of the Linear Cities of architect Le Corbusier.

Impressions

Artistic impression of envisioned design concept of play space located in Golden Mile Complex.

Play Space Perspective (East Lobby)

A new play space located in the Golden Mile Complex, focusing on the effects of light and shadow where sun shades rotate anti-clock wise throughout the day.

Play Space Perspective (West Lobby)

The play space focuses on generating a space that caters for relaxation enabling users of the space to experience Live, Work and Play in the same building.

Reclaiming Spaces

Typical shop in Golden Mile Complex where shop spills out beyond boundaries while the tenant place make shift markers defining their own boundaries. A lawless spillage of shops creating a reclamation of space demonstrates The Right to the City concept developed by French sociologist Henri Lefebvre in 1968.

Accentuated Pipelines

Unique pipelines that forms character, identity and uniqueness to the Golden Mile Complex.

Unique Characteristics

The image shows shops spilling out of their de-marketed zones and unique floor tile patterns in relation to the accentuated pipelines across the atrium of the Golden Mile Complex.

Lawlessness

The image shows the plan in relation to the pipes added years after original construction running above unique floor tile patterns that cover the ground floor. Further demonstrating how shops spill out.

The living room

Project 3: The mall is my living room (co-existing). Since Funan co-living is located in the mall, using the layout to allow the resident of the co-living to venture out and use the entire mall as its living room, wardrobegamesdining to workliveplay.

open living

project 3: Co-living- using the idea of IKEA showroom, as a living space for my co-living where everyone is able to mingle and live together and experience a different experience of co-living.