Architectural
Studio IV

Project 1 is a group project (3 students per group). This project deals with the understanding of material poetics in relation to user experience. It is to showcase architectural design informed by material use, environmental sustainability awareness in relation to user needs and the activities involved. It is also to inculcate understanding of basic building construction; from how structural 3 Architectural Design IV (ARC60508): March 2022 design is a construct of architectural spatial design, to the tactile quality of materials and how they are put together to achieve spatial and formal quality.

Site Analysis & Design Response establishes an understanding of the context for Project 2. In assigned groups, students conduct a site visit where they record, observe, and gather data informing the physical and social dimensions of the context. Method used in data collection may include sketches, diagrams, photography, videography, audio recordings, secondary site data from various local authorities, and simple interviews focusing on but not limited to these said dimensions, as listed.

Furthering the thematic exploration of “engaging environment and community”, Project 2 calls for the design of a Wellness Center PLUS within the Kepong Botanical Gardens, bordering the suburban neighbourhood of Taman Ehsan. Students are required to provide full design proposals incorporating findings from precedent studies and site analysis. Students will generate narratives that respond to the environment and community as user group within the given context and explore environmental poetics of building enclosure’s design solutions that reduce environmental impact utilizing various complex typologies of spatial organisations and a variety of passive strategies for sustainable design.