Sweet of The Forgetfulness

A story about a boy and his mysterious encounter with a MAMA Shop in Singapore, that give him a chance to reset his life. This project deals with discontentment we have in our daily life, always never satisfied with the life have, instead we are always searching for that reset button in life.

EVERYTHING IS LOVE

This is an alphabet book about a love that was really something and not just the idea of something. Reimagining Bonnie and Clyde relationship in the 21th century.

EVERYTHING IS LOVE

This is an alphabet book about a love that was really something and not just the idea of something. Reimagining Bonnie and Clyde relationship in the 21th century.

RE:Singapore

Little Red Dot, known as home for majority of the Singaporeans ; whom many assume had explore and seen everything but not yet literally everything to this date. In these series of photographs which depicts the interior, artefact and the women of Imperial Harem ( hou gong ) serves the purpose of leading back in time through the Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle which is also known for its famous Dragon Kiln. Delving back into the Imperial Harem of the Qing Dynasty where the Emperor, Empresses, Consorts and Concubines live. Many of these women who were at the age between 13-17 years old when they married the Emperor of China. Thus with this little collection and series of photographs it serves a meaning deeper to know that there’s after all light and hope to explore further and leave no stone unturned.

#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.

HUMPUMP

HUMPUMP is a branding/social campaign that promotes safe sex to protect children from being products of unintended pregnancy. A sex-friendly initiative that provides free condoms for anyone who wants it and invites them to have fun safely. Targeted at young adults who actively participates in the hookup culture, the dispensers are located inside bars and clubs where these demographics often frequent. Inspired by the designs of safety signs around us, it employs a straight forward message with a touch of millennial humor to reach its audiences.

The Ego

The Ego is an illustrated publication that attempts to prompt its audience to acknowledge the need to reconcile with oneself for conscious growth. A healthy personality, based on Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality, results from a balance in the dynamic interaction of three elements — id, ego, superego.

SPARK

This is a magazine design project. SPARK focuses on topics about personal development. In this edition, it discusses about how and why we fall in love, in hopes to being more familiar with this great mystery.

Grow

Grow is an A1 poster based on my experience during my Overseas Immersion Programme to Scotland. All of a sudden in a foreign land, I became fully responsible and in control of all my thoughts and actions. Having the power to act, speak, and think without externally imposed restraints. This unforeseen liberation felt conflicting. Why was I feeling burdened for being me? This labyrinth that I struggled to get out of sparked Grow, a maze designed as a visual reminder to prompt these thoughts I had on independence. (Text messages used were authentic conversations.)

Threshold

Threshold focuses on Westernization in Japan and it’s impact which lasts even ‘till today. Since this is the first issue, the main article is about life in post-WWII Japan. After Japan’s surrender to the United States and its allies at the end of World War II, the Western influence took a great turn on Japanese culture, incorporated even during the rebuilding of the nuclear-levelled nation. Now, Japan is notably among the most Westernized countries in Asia. However, in contrast, despite many advances in industrial efficiency, Japan has managed to sustain a culture of strict social hierarchy and limited individualization. With heavy western influence, particularly that of the USA, Japanese life in almost all areas have evolved to what they feel suit them personally. Therein lies the root of many subcultures particularly in art, popular culture and music movements with the Japanese nation. These subcultures are heavily western-inspired yet show a significant difference on how they are practice in the Western world.

Revival of Thieves Market

With the rapid industrialization of Singapore, iconic places with historical backgrounds tend to be neglected in this pursuit of rapid economic growth, efficiency and a certain enforced uniformity. Sungai Road Thieves Market is one such district, and that district has been around since the 1930s. Thieves Market was put to a halt due the development of the MRT’s Downtown Line. The said peddlers have since migrated from their space in Sungai Road to having their own stalls at Chinatown Market Place. They brought back what was lost.

Camjutits

Camjutitis, as known as Cerebrano Socijustitis, is a disorder when an individual has difficulty regulating their emotions and it becomes a danger to themselves or other people. It is both relatively common and very serious in today’s society. An individual who is suffering from this disease has extremist viewpoint of overblown political correctness, often without a clear base of knowledge on the issue but instead relying on personal opinion. Camjutitis is a 3-stages disease that becomes more deadly to an individual’s mental health if it not treated at the initial stage.

The Hard Truth

Constant complaining. It is attention-seeking. Avoiding possible solutions. With these in place, it rewires the brain to promote negativity in the brain. In the long run, it becomes a habit. The Hard Truth is meant for the whiners out there. The publication gives a perspective of the person who listens to those complaints. Social issue is something that we cannot see. Thus, the visuals used in this publication turn the unseen into something tangible.

It's Killing Us Slowly

The vast majority of us have known that plastic has always been a problem. A plastic bag takes about 500 years to fully degrade. However, it breaks into smaller pieces, which is called micro-plastic. An average, a human consumes about 74000 particles of micro-plastic. It enters out bloodstream and possibly contains cancerous compounds. It’s Killing Us Slowly is a campaign that shares the danger of micro-plastics. Now, I raise this question. If animals can die from consuming plastic, how are we so special?

This is a man

Have you ever watched a movie, completely and utterly immersed in the story, infatuated with the characters and their perfect lives? Then the movie ends and your phone turns dark, and you see your reflection in the smoky mirror of your screen. Wouldn’t you want to be the person you see on those screens as well? This project visualises this pursuit and mindset vicariously, specifically the pursuit of traditional masculinity.

From watching tons of these films, reading studies on them, my design journal was filled with toxic masculinity in classic or dated films, from that era, but also their context in current times. Together with my own interviews, it became clear why and what led to this desperate need to be ‘masculine’, or 'a man’. Eventually, it became a recognition of how absurd it was to have an idea of a 'perfect man'.

This made me curious what a pursuit of the idea of traditional masculinity was, what would it look like. Shaped by my findings and insights from my journal, led me to create an extreme narrative or a trope. Discussing not only what I found in the films but real contributing factors that leads to a fragile form of masculinity, the archaic need to be a ‘man’.

‘This is a man’ illustrates what it means to be ’truly masculine' in these western films. This is one of the illustrated pages of the book.

Found Art

Using the imagery of the streets from the UK and Europe to reflect the idea that memories will either fade or be replaced with new ones. A visual metaphor as well as a capture of the visual depiction of design and thought. Begun as a personal collection of found ‘art’ from the street walls of Glasgow, its underlying meaning continued to evolve because of the beauty and story each piece tells. The novelty of this is the idea that it was a joint unintentional effort of many strangers.

Offscreen

It’s rare to see people actually sit through the end credits of a film; it’s boring in comparison to the movie you just watched. The hard work that goes behind the screen frequently goes unappreciated. This magazine focuses on appreciating the ‘drier’ off-screen elements while creating a visually interesting tilt. This magazine aims to create a visual appeal that reflects the emotion of the film without showing stills, simultaneously sharing the different elements and techniques that make the film. For the first issue, the magazine discusses psychological thrillers.

The magazine begins with an introduction to the genre, mentioning common conventions of psychological thriller films, such as misdirection and breaking of the film’s equilibrium. It continues niche-themed articles.

YYENO

YYENO is a card game designed for people pleasers to practice saying no. Saying no is a difficult task for people pleasers as they see it as a trigger to all their fears becoming a reality. However, although intimidating, it is a necessary step to take back their lives. This game aims to ease them into this new normal by providing them with a safe space to practice saying no, while having fun.

YYENO

Unfiltered

In a world where people prefer to hide their struggles, Unfiltered explores the thoughts many wrestle with. Created using various works from my first 100 days of studying in GSA, it seeks to communicate the rawness of human emotions and thoughts.

Unfiltered

Unfiltered

Portrait of a Feather

Feathers are typically viewed as a collective– be it as a covering for birds, in accessories, or even in household items. These objects are taken for granted and not given much attention or appreciation. This exploratory project seeks to bring attention to an everyday, overlooked object by isolating it– making each feather the focus instead of the supporting character. Drawing attention to the individual feather brings intimacy, and highlights its usually unnoticed beauty.

Portrait of a Feather

Portrait of a Feather

The Perfect Life?

The Perfect Life seeks to educate and highlight the plight and the atrocities committed against the Rohingya– a persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar. The satirical approach adopted in the book stems from the apathy of the majority, whose ignorance is equivalent to saying that everything is perfectly fine. By adopting this approach, the book shows how twisted this mindset is and seeks to wake people up to the reality in front of them.

The Perfect Life?

Mr Nobody

Mr Nobody is a short film follows a lonely phantom who lives in a deserted city. Consumed by loneliness and desire to connect he spends his days collecting ‘friends’. His quiet days soon changed when an unfamiliar sound resonates through the city.

Mr Nobody Still

A screen capture from the film, when Mr. Nobody was distracted while looking for a ‘friend’.

Mr Nobody Environment Paintings

The environment in the film was painted in watercolour. Using grey tones express how the Phantoms view life, devoid of anything, dreary.

Mr Nobody Development

These are some development sketches for the film.The phantom’s walk pattern is not expressive, hearkening back to how his character view his life; a lack of excitement, mundane and repetitive.

Mr Nobody Storyboard

Storyboards for the film.

The Cost of Love

The Cost of Love is a spin on an old story by Oscar Wilde. It speaks of the woes of love and the idea that everyone has a different perception of love, shining a light inside us and causing us to ask if we truly know what love is.

The Cost of Love Key Image

One of the key images of the story, it symbolizes how sacrifice can lead to another’s happiness, but is it worth it?

The Cost of Love Storyboard

The final storyboard for the storybook.

Booker Book Jacket

“What these three stories have a common?” was the challenge this brief presented. Underlying in all three narratives is a recurring theme that ties these narratives together; Deterioration. Each story tells a different tale about the deterioration of a certain aspect; Sense of Self, Memory and Acceptance

Booker Book Jacket Original Paintings

The original artwork for each cover.

Booker Prize Collection

An unraveling of the plot and characters as the story is revealed stems as my main inspiration for the redesigns of these Booker Prize winners. Readers can interpret their favourite stories through these covers, using the foldable segments to change the image on the front. This lets them continue engaging with the story even after finishing the book and create a memorable experience for the reader.

Booker Prize Collection

Extraterrestrial

'Extraterrestrial' explores the relationship between human behaviour and the mobile phone. How does it affect the way we see things and how do we act in these times when a video can spread across the world with a single click? The hand-drawn animation is used to create an ominous, almost horror-like tone, to drive a stronger message.

Anomiedia

The word anomie is a term used to describe a condition where society provides little moral guidance to individuals. And when the actions of certain social media ‘influencers’ are used as guidance for impressionable teenagers, what becomes of their own actions? Anomiedia is an image series that explores the link between the reality of social media and the facades clouding the true nature of these posts.

Anomiedia

The Epic of Gilgamesh

An adaptation of the historical 'Epic of Gilgamesh' based from the BBC podcast 'In Our Time', this version is retold from the point-of-view of the demigod Gilgamesh himself. The illustrations and typography evoke a more personal story than the original text which lets the reader relate to this larger than life character and even possibly see parallels in his situation to stories told in modern day.

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Real Plastic Love

The Fisherman and His Soul

The Fisherman and His Soul is a short story (6209 words) written by Oscar Wilde. It features a young fisherman and his yearning for a mermaid, his obsession drove him to commit unholy and unthinkable actions. Upon reading the story, it is apparent that the main cause of the story’s tragedy was due to the actions of the stubborn priest in the story. The priest then is one of the core parts of the story. In this revised version, I attempted to retell the story in the point of view of the priest, the story accompanied by a set of hand-drawn illustrations.

Phase Plastic Out

A habit becomes an addiction when we continue to engage in an activity despite knowing the adverse consequences of it. Comparably, people are using plastic whilst understanding the impact of plastic usage on the world and themselves. The difference, however, is that they don’t recognise their plastic dependence as a form of addiction, but rather a necessity. In my research and observation, I came across a few uncles carrying a newspaper roll in a single plastic bag. I found that they do so as to not dirty their hands. If only plastic leaves a mark as a newspaper does, it would be less popular. I then connected these with self-abuse, abuse, then addiction - all of which is obvious visually, and heavily stigmatised by society. My project, therefore, aims to liken our plastic reliance to other severe forms of addiction such as drugs, in the form of a campaign to stop plastic use.

Gravity's Spiral - One and the same

To point a finger at the self (myself) - to uncomfortably yet essentially deny denial, I believe, is a step closer towards human flourishing. This is a personal project aimed at visualising and reflecting and interpreting my daily occurrence. One and the same: Someone preached that the problem with social media and the digital world is that it creates an antisocial world. Well, for me, I rate his statement a “maybe, but not really”. Regardless of device or tech, we still tend to be immersed in the self a lot. We are normally anti-social. However, biology states that we are normally social too. Maybe, momentary isolation is just a way of coping with the constant noise and stresses of our environments - perfectly fine, really. In his defence, he might be referring to the overindulgence of media - how normal consumption easily becomes an addiction.

Gravity's Spiral - The Assembly Men

I was watching a trending video of a man listlessly working at his customer service job., a fake smile plastered onto his face. This man me think about how manufactured the actions of people have become. How different are we from mass-produced items?

Gravity's Spiral - Curled up. (Acrylic paint on cardboard.)

I was watching a trending video of a man listlessly working at his customer service job., a fake smile plastered onto his face. This man me think about how manufactured the actions of people have become. How different are we from mass-produced items?

Wayfinding Project at SIT@Dover

This project aims to make SIT@DOVER a place of effortless navigation through wayfinding signages without compromising the appearance of its “SIT-DNA”. The signages have been designed to mimic the patterns of polarising light, which migratory birds depend on for a correct orientation towards their destination - it is a symbolism for SIT’s guidance of students that have travelled great lengths to get and complete their degree.

MIMICREE (MIMICRY)

Presented with a magazine brief, I was tasked to write the copy and design its graphics of a random topic. The topic I went for was about “mimicry”, the imitation of someone or something. The content is written about different subjects that touch on different aspects of copying, and I have illustrated and collaged visuals according to the written content, stringing them into a proper magazine.

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

Re-Imagined Spaces: The play of light and shadow in our everyday life

This project started with questions of how the duality of light and shadow, that is so significant in our lives, impact us on a daily basis. I believe that light and shadow has the ability to evoke one’s emotions in a space even in very mundane spaces. 'Re-imagined Spaces' aims to investigate the notion of light and shadow and how it can affect in representing a space. Through a selection of ordinary and common spaces, the projects questions the possibilities of how these spaces can be re-imagined when light and shadow is used as the driving force of the space.

Part One: Exploration of light and shadow

The documentation covers 8 various sites in Singapore to explore the existence of light and shadow in our daily life. Ideas from the collection of photographs from the site visits are translated into simple study models. Through it, making discoveries on how light and shadow can affect our spatial experience.

Part Two: The Rhythm of Shadows

Looking into the play of light and shadow in everyday spaces, a transitional space was chosen as the typology of this project. A hospital can be a very anxiety charged place for some visitors. Thus, this project aims to target users from the hospital and explore how light and shadow can momentarily evoke a sense of calmness through the transition. The idea of rhythm and intensity of light and shadow was explored. Darkness evokes a form of mysteriousness and portrays silence. The forms of shadow becomes more rigid and darker when reaching the middle of the transition walkway. The idea of darkness, minimal light and stillness evoke silence in the space and aims to create a contemplative atmosphere.

At the darkest and most still point of the walkway, a slit allows a ray of light to enter the space. The only benches are placed here to encourage one to momentarily remain at this place.

Part Three: Sanctuary Café

This part looks into the typology of an ordinary food court. The project aims to create a relaxing space for people to dine in, contrasting to the surrounding fast paced and crowded environment. It will explore how the interplay of light and shadow create a comfortable experience in such a setting. The project explores calmness through the use of water. In particular, the experience is catered for solo diners.

Moving forward, the glass floor is removed and replaced with glass steps, revealing the texture of the water. The light strips aims to entice people to continue walking forward, while the black tiles gives a sense of depth.

Nearest to the kitchen is the short-term dining area. The curved seating is intended to break the linear geometry and also make it harder for users to communicate, giving more privacy to solo diners. Sounds from the cascading water fountain behind the panels can be heard to create the calming sound.

For the private pods, shoji screens are used as the materials for the partitions to keep it less rigid yet maintain the level of privacy. The screens will also reveal the shadows of people. As it is a really long corridor, the alcove will give depth to the shadows and users will be drawn towards that as they walk through.

The visual and audio aspects of water is strategically integrated into the design of each space to help create the calming experience.

The norm of working

This is so apt in this moment of a worldwide pandemic where we are all forced to stay home, work from home and work from our limited desk. Humans are the most adaptable creature in the world, we went from agriculture to a capitalist society in such immense speed. What lies in the future of work?

Adaptive Living

Most of us are comfortable in our homes because it is a place to unwind after a full day out. It is a place where our true character unveils itself. Walter Benjamin famous phrase “to dwell is to leave traces” applies to most spaces, but especially in our dwelling, our home.

Spatial Use

When we micro-analyse our space usage, the original intent of the space ended up suiting our needs instead. A room turns into a workspace or a store. A dining table turns into a study table. A coffee table turns into a dining table. How users define the use of these objects and spaces are different in every household.

Embracing the mess

A collaged utopian world of what embracing all our assumed flaws and mess could be. A messy table with a conveyor belt of endless items. A house filled with surveillance cameras. A living room with clothes piled up. The lounging seat with extension plug becomes one with the wall filled without enough socket to charge all the devices at home. A balcony filled with cigarette butts that must be cleared away every day.

Life vs. Play

In the functional bus interchange, what difference does it make when life gets injected into the space. Through play elements, biophilia elements, art installations or localized bustling coffeeshop? The robotic-like functionality of the space was disturbing. The fact that we are all part of the system of dropping off and picking up points made the idea of this standard bus interchange boring and monotonous.

Interventions

A myriad of intervention designed for a functional bus interchange. It aimed to diminish the efficiency of the space by injecting elements of life, fun and play. Where kids can play, where adults can sit.

Elemental Examination

If interventions are placed in a non-obstructive manner to ensure the efficiency of the space, is that how we can celebrate pluralism? If the intervention lies within a commuter’s walking area, how would the commuter adapt? Take a longer path? Possibly.

Life

The act of playfulness in a bus interchange does not align with the stringent requirements of what a bus interchange should be. But why should bus interchanges all look the same?

Creativity in Everyday Life

Project: Creativity in Everyday Life. The project intention is to allow the user to unveil their own sense of creativity. The project aim is to build an awareness that creativity is present in everyday life. Designing the circumstances for creativity to arise.

Creativity in Everyday Life

Conceptual models and sketches done to interpret the frameworks by practitioners (Bruno Munari, Johannes Itten and Tim Ingold) that motivated the study of Creativity in Everyday Life.

Creativity in Everyday Life

An exhibition showcasing the subtle presence of creativity in everyday life at home. Site: HDB Estate (Hougang Street 91 Block 909 Singapore) Taxonomy Poster: Exhibits of everyday household items in their settings and their multiple uses as created by the user.

Creativity in Everyday Life

Initial exploration of the exhibition - circulation and spatial planning. The site of the exhibition was suppose to be at Gilmann Barrack AFA Block 28.

Creativity in Everyday Life

The circulation and spatial planning were reorganised to the new site, the HDB Estate. A sense of unveiling in an inconvenient setting that allows the user a greater sense of curiosity in stimulation. A spontaneous reaction between the user and the exhibition. Evoke a higher catalyst for awareness.

Creativity in Everyday Life

Exhibition Design. Modules of the various different settings in a Home. The modules are fully interactive. Users may inhabit the space and interact with everything in the module. The interaction between the user, object and the space is a key part in evoking the sense of awareness in the presence of creativity in everyday life.

Creativity in Everyday Life

Exhibition Design. Highlighting the placement of the exhibits within the module space.

Creativity in Everyday Life

Creating from imagination rather than following instructions. This gives users the tools to create. Users are free to imagine, explore ideas and invent new things. Site: Kallang Rivergreen Building - Singapore. Taxonomy Poster: Understanding creativity in everyday life in the context of the workplace.

Creativity in Everyday Life

Perspective of intended spatial design - I. Building the workstation is intuitive and fun and resembles the direct creative output of work (precedent studies that were referenced are the Caroline Pratt Unit Blocks and Interslot by Rodger Limbrick).

Creativity in Everyday Life

Perspective of intended spatial design - II

Introducing the Outdoor Experience

There used to be a “Gulong Gulong park” that was famous as a gathering spot to the community back in the 1980s, however, it was taken away for the development of Orchard road. This project aims to design spaces to evoke the outdoor experience of rolling in the park and improve the quality of community life through the play of leveling and staggered platform that is ideal for a wide range of events from performances to community gathering.

Redefining Spaces

To counter the struggles of overcrowding issue, retractable seating that resembles the picnic experience is introduced to periphery spaces around the shopping mall to aid crowd control and improve the quality of life to the community.

Light and Shadow

The overall ambience of the park experience is enhanced by the shadow cast of the perforated plates through the natural lighting. Creating a dappled light effect that mimics the layer of leaves in a tree canopy, visitors sit under the ceiling feature feeling calm and cozy.

Interactive Design

With the strong influence of The High Line project, this project seeks to transform a neglected corner into an inviting picnic garden space for people to enjoy. The project seeks to explore an approach to design in which walls, floors and ceilings function as permeable membranes to allow shoppers to dwell in the space,

Addressing the overcrowding Issue in Lucky Plaza

The drive of this project started from an empathetic approach towards the needs of foreign workers based here who seek a sense of community and understandably crave a connection to home. The space is relatively hectic weekly (Sunday), there was not much space to hang out with restrictions everywhere. People are struggling to look for a place to interact comfortably without getting chased away.

Interior Spaces

The language is kept continuous, and occur at every level, in every possible space with the play of lighting, surroundings, materiality and forms into the building.

The Community Retreat

This project puts focus on reclaiming existing space, readapting a disused atrium, bringing it to life as a community meeting and event space for people to connect. Each level forms an intimate yet connective space for small groups to gather and at the same time provides a public frontage and awareness of the ongoing cultural regeneration.

Dwelling in the Retreat

Housed in the Level 2 Plaza, the large, stacking freeform pavilion shapes took reference to the square forms tiling of the existing building. Leaving no definitive lines between each of the structure’s components, thus blending the entire interior of the space together, as well as, forming furniture, walls and ceiling to function as a retreat for the community.

Design Ideation

Inspired by the versatility to endless possibilities by Bruno Munari “ a low wall becomes a seat, the church steps become a living room in which to meet, the open area behind the house hosts infinite soccer games in his hot playground project and the Storefront for Art and Architecture project by Steven Holl that introduces improbability and punctures the façade. The space is designed to bring harmony between the environment and the way the human body behaves within the space.

Versatility Design

The versatility of the design is expressed around the periphery spaces in the mall, making subtle design implementation into elements such as the floors, ceiling, walls and built-in elements, also creating moments of pauses in which one can rest and enjoy the serenity of their surroundings.

LUSH Flagship Store (retail)

This project analyses how existing shopper’s habits in LUSH could be adapted and triggered in a flagship store by tapping into the sensorial aspects of a consumer. The project taps onto the existing senses of shoppers that makes them move and react in a certain manner within the store itself. 3 senses, “See, Touch and Smell” are observed, thus these senses are being used to develop deeper into the flagship store experience tapping onto these sensorial aspects, allowing shoppers to wander into the space, finding their own preferences. ​

Layout Plan: Proposed Zoning, Circulation and Material

The flagship store is separated into different zones which consists of different scents. These zones are separated based on the experience and scent. The proposed zoning, circulation and material provides an overall view of the space as well as the possible journey that could take place within the store.

Red Experiential Zone

Shoppers could place their head into the opening to get closer and feel the texture of the wall. LED strips from the bottom would shine in enhancement of the experience. The experiential wall (scratch and sniff wall) are used to contain the smell within the space instead of having it diffuse around the store, overwhelming the senses of shoppers. Upon scratching onto the experiential wall, it releases the scent of roses allowing shoppers to get a preview of the smell.

Transitional Space

The transitional space serves as a preview of the overall flagship store before shoppers enters. Different coloured pod gives a sneak preview of the senses that will be tapped into as well as associating the specific colours that matches with the scent and senses.

Yellow Experiential Zone

The texture wall for the yellow zone is left exposed in comparison to the other zones as the zone tapped onto its texture such as its smooth, citrus surfaces to provide a different experience to shoppers.

Passage Way

The passage(way) shows how shoppers can walk through the store by their senses through visuals and scents. Certain zones are placed closely to allow shoppers to follow the type of scent they prefer as they can smell 2 different scents while walking through the space

Inhabitation (Installation)

Inhabitation is an experimentation on multiple design concepts by studying the existing habits within the site, thus creating an installation which enhances and invites the existing habits to take place within the installation. Habits in this project pertain to the routine of people. This project is an installation, a temporary feature on site for a 3 – 6 months duration.

Portal of Memories

Modular cubes that are hollow serve as a portal of memories to users. These boxes are like a frame captured in one’s mind, creating memories. What one sees in each box may not be what others see, hence the “memories” captured in these modular cubes differ for each individual.

Reflective Memories

Mirrors trigger a form of reflected memories such that when one peers into a mirror, what they are seeing is being reflected. This reflection alters memory, as what lies before their eyes will eventually become a memory of the past. What one sees today will become a memory tomorrow. The mirrors reflect what users see, turning it into the past.

Inhabitation

This installation allows users to identify and interact with the modular cubes such that the big modular cubes can be used as a space where one sits to read. The smaller cube serves as a step to get from one space to another. It also provides users use it as a sitting or discussion spot.

The Irreversible Cycle: Life and Death (Exhibition)

The Manifesto project is a curation of an exhibition which consists of a constructed narrative that ties the selected collection of installations and art pieces together as a coherent whole, creating a themed exhibition space. A life cycle is defined as the developmental stages that occur during an organism’s lifetime. A life cycle ends when an organism dies. Life and death are a continuous cycle, making birth and death different ends of the same spectrum of existence. This continuing loop of life, death, and rebirth is at the heart of everyday living.

The Irreversible Cycle: Life and Death (Exhibition)

Spatial context of the exhibition which includes a summarised overview of the exhibition’s narrative and its journey from the beginning to the end.

Floating Time (Mid Life Cycle)

In the dark space where lights emitting are mainly from the exhibited pieces, a black curtain is used to separate the artworks so that the lights and its effect does not seep through the spaces, allowing visitors to immerse each space fully.

Decomposition (Dying/Decomposing Cycle)

The decomposition space consists of artworks which represents death and how it can also be in the form of decaying.

Corridor Transition (Death Cycle)

Leading to the next exhibited object, mirrors are placed with the intention of providing a preview of the next artwork, Archive of Deathclock, as well as having the visitors to be a part of the artwork.

A collage that shows the overall aim of the project which is to understand the sensorial needs of hypersensitive individuals with autism and support them in spaces where they transit into an existing community.

Exploration of the spatial qualities of the communal garden by thinking through making.

In case of sensory overload within the community centre, hypersensitive individuals with autism could use the lounge, which is designed as a therapeutic healing space with interior elements that promote mental curiosity and stimulate the desire of experiencing the space.

The second part of the project is a redesigned hawker centre. The food stalls are placed within the high-stress areas while the seating area is placed nearer to the low-stress areas. The two areas are separated with the main circulation path. This redefines a spatial hierarchy which would help hypersensitive individuals with autism.

Seats that allows configuration are integrated with the redesigned hawker centre. The seats can be converted into booth seating if hypersensitive individuals with autism require a space of a sense of enclosure.

Pause spaces with seating are added into the hawker centre to provide opportunities for prospect while consuming meals. These pause spaces are clearly distinguished with a ring of landscape design which also helps with odour abatement.

The third part of the project is a community library. The library cantilevers above the communal garden, blurs the transition of exterior spaces into interior spaces and creates an inclusive environment for the local community.

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.

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.