THE PROJECTIVE ARCHIVE

Hong Kong exemplifies a city that affords the contemporaneous coexistence of multiplicities, constraints, liberation and contradictions; it is a place for the weaving of dreams regardless of where one is from.  But, it is also at the same time a place highly conformative and pressurised with both externally imposed and internally self-bounded social practices. We are intrigued by these conflicting qualities and hope to seek understanding through these questions: Does conformity willfully occur through implicit social practices, or enforced by explicit rules? Is there a concord between those who define the rules and those who are being ruled? Or is the relationship antagonistic? Is conformity a form of expression for harmony? Or a disguise for latent distress instead? What role does the built environment play in this narrative? Is the standardization of architecture the cause or the effect of conformity? Do we really shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us? If so, are we satisfied with how we are being shaped? The questions posed constitute the conceptual grounding of our tower construct. It reflects our observation, critique and reaction to one of the contemporary Hong Kong state of being and the role architecture played in the process.

Terraces by the Bay is formed by 5 volumes to echo the shape and size of the buildings across the Laivasillankatu road.  By gently shifting the volumes, each block fits comfortably with the geometry of the site while remain in line with the urban fabric.  The first block is rotated and symbolically reaches out to the city at large; the longer side of the block naturally forming a civic square nested between the museum and the sea. The second block is a tower that acts as a beacon signifying entrance of Helsinki, and upon this tower stands proudly the guardians of this city –its people.  The top of the tower can be accessed by an outdoor staircase, is completely free for the public.  This aims to create a linkage between the sky and the sea but more importantly providing them a view of the city they may not have appropriate before, we aim to deepen the relationship between the people and their home, Helsinki through this design intention.  

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Location
Helsinki Finland

Size
10000 sqm

Client
Guggenheim Helsinki Museum Authority

Project Team
Larry Liu, Cherry Lam, Alison Cheng, Marco Law, Judy Lee, Kee Chan with SKY Yutaka LTD

Status
Competition

As digital technology facilitates more and more decentralized forms of network communication, the role of library to serve as a centralized public space for physical interface and social interaction becomes ever more critical. In designing Helsinki Central Library we ask ourselves three fundamental questions. What is a library? What warrants its relevance in today's rapid access to information? What unique contextual characteristics of this site should be reflected in the new central library? These three questions led a broad range of responses and observations. We believe a contemporary library is a spatial vehicle that allows users to travel back in time to reclaim the accumulative knowledge and enables them for the future journey; It is a space that gathers people from different social and income strata; It is both casual and formal; It is a repository for all things different; It is both quiet and loud; It is both active and passive; It is both individual and collective, spatially both large and small; We believe a library is not an ivory tower of knowledge and authority, but instead a place of horizontal access; It is a place for discovery in knowledge and human socialization. We believe sustainability does not start and end with the latest technologies, but instead the most primitive principles of site orientation, day-lighting, natural ventilation and ultimately anti-passe to withstand the challenge of time. In response to our observations, we propose Seeds of Intelligence as our design concept. It is a place where synergy is created between knowledge and experience with spectacular spaces that promotes interaction, communication, and multitudes of social and cultural exchange. It will make Helsinki Central Library a mesmerizing place to be. In formalizing the Seeds of Intelligence, we utilized the entire site boundary to extrude a rectangular massing at 30 meters by 150 meters and 23 meters high. The linear proportion of the site is parcelled down into humanizing scales by the introduction of the crystalline vessels, creating spaces that are layered and textured North and south ends of the building massing is slightly chamfered and elevated to welcome visitor's arrival and enhance the feel of free access and movement. Within the rectangular volume, three crystalline vessels are hollowed out to create outside-in spaces. The crystalline vessels are the physical embodiment of Seeds of Intelligence. It is a meeting place, where conversations takes place, spontaneous acts occurs and ideas blossom. In addition to the spatial dynamism it provides, the glass crystallines are also functional elements intending to address sustainable issues by providing deep solar penetration during winter seasons and provide outside-in garden spaces during spring and summer seasons. It allows for natural ventilation deep inside the 150 meters long massing and provide unique interactive spaces within the library. Within the library, spaces are choreographed to promote visual interaction, allowing the library to be used in unexpected ways. We believe captivating spaces that promote unconventional interactions and events is the ultimate answer for keeping the library as a relevant building typology. With that fundamental belief we believe Seeds of Intelligence is the most appropriate and the best solution as defined by the competition brief.

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Location
Helsinki Finland

Size
10000sqm

Client
Helsinki Central Library

Project Team
Amy Tan, Vincent Kwok, Mike Kwok, Rauli Ilmari Lehtinen

Status
Competition

Location
Toronto Canada

Size
15000 sqm new construction & 25000 sqm renovation

Client
Art Gallery of Ontario

Project Team

Status
Built

Affiliation
Gehry Partners, Job Captain, BIM Manager

All photographs © by Patrick Hwang except otherwise noted

Location
Hong Kong

Size
4500 sqm

Client
Swire Properties

Status
Built

Affiliation
Gehry Partners, Project Architect

Project documentation via

https://issuu.com/officehl/docs/05500

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Location
Pittsburgh USA

Size
150000 sqm

Client
Pittsburgh Sports and Exhibition Authority

Status
Built

Affiliation
Rafel Viñoly Architects, Project Architect

As social media facilitates more decentralized forms of human interface, the role of the communal facility to serve as a centralized public space for physical and social interaction becomes ever more important.  In designing the Gunyama Park and Aquatic Centre we ask ourselves a set of questions to provoke and stimulate our design intention.  What is the purpose of a communal facility in today's connected world through social media? What experiences could we provide in the Gunyama Park and Aquatic Centre that can reach beyond the limits of social media?  What are the ways in which architecture could play in shaping these experiences?

In response, we propose a spatial framework that allows for the discovery of human senses through quality of space and enhanced hybridization of programs.  The “L” shape aquatic center is proposed to sit along Joynton Avenue with entrance located on Zetland Avenue. Primary leisure activities of swimming pools, hydrotherapy, health and fitness center are placed within the long wing, while administration, changing rooms and support functions are stacked within three floors in the short wing.  In the ground floor, pools of different shapes and sizes are composed playfully to provide memorable experience for visitor of different ages.  Two featured pools are elevated three meters above ground to provide an unique swim experience with visual connection to swimmers in the lower level. Up in first level, health and fitness centers are positioned to take advantage of the views into the swim hall, creating a seen and be-seen relationship.

Structure of aquatic center is formed by rippled geometry spanning across the site longitudinally to create both a semi-enclosed and covered experience for the visitors.  Under the curvaceous roof light is filtered through series of troughs. A triple height triangular foyer forming a view of forced perspective directs visitors into the different functional spaces within the aquatic center.  By the south end of foyer is the grand step serving both as connection to the upper level and spectator seatings for the outdoor pool.

Rippled geometry is deployed to organize the park activity through contoured surfaces with hard and soft scapes to promote mixtures of simultaneous events, while serving as spectator stand. Permanent programs for the park are located on the southeast corner, leaving stage two site area for softscape and lightweight temporary elements.  Field change rooms and toilets are located in a simple structure with articulations that resembles the aquatic center.
Rippled geometry is permeated in both the park and aquatic center as an organizational frame.  It is a place where synergy is created through leisure and sport experience with spectacular spaces that promotes interaction, communication, and multitudes of social and physical exchange.  It will make Gunyama Park and Aquatic Centre a celebrated place to be.

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Location
Sydney Australia

Size
10000 sqm

Client
City of Sydney

Project Team
Marco Tang, Kee Chan

Status
Competition

Location
Tai-O, Hong Kong

Size
50 Meter span

Client
CEDD

Project Team
Jade Chan with Bruce Lonnman

Status
Competition

Location
New Taipei City, Taiwan

Size
40000 sqm

Client
Government of New Taipei City

Project Team
with Keisuke Nibe

Status
Competition

Location
Hong Kong

Size
450 sqm

Client
Maggie Cancel Care Centre

Status
Built

Affiliation
Gehry Partners, Project Architect

The ideal city is, and has always been about the weaving of dreams.  Whether it is within the urban center or its edges; to its experienced inhabitants or innocent migrants who are chasing the dreams of desire; for the affluent or the impoverished, the ideal city provides the space to enable the knitting of dreams.   It is utopian in the sense that “With cities, it is as with dreams: everything imaginable can be dreamed” as told by Italo Calvino from fables in Invisible Cities.

We now know that the image of a perfect city in form, such as Renaissance’s Sforzinda or early twentieth century Garden City conceived by Ebenezer Howard, will not lead to a perfect society, rather such planning enforces a hierarchical order that is rigid, segregated and centralized, which limits the social movement of its people.  Thus the ideal city cannot be identified by a perfect image, a balanced geometry or stable system fixed in time.  Rather it should contain different forms and shapes allowing interactions that are mobile and interpretative based upon individual’s experience.  The ideal city is simply complex.  

The ideal city is designed by planning and chance, distorted through time by additions and erasures.   The alleyways, arcades, market squares, water’s edge, bridges, houses, factories, libraries and towers collectively forms the situations, allowing the dreams to transpire.  The ideal city is like a big room where confluence of people with different lineage, beliefs and ideals are met, producing and exchanging cultures, commerce, knowledge and stories.  Timeless essence that will sustain the ideal city.  It is also a place where multiplicities become visible, where differences are juxtaposed, allowing individuals to find what they love and discover what defines them.   

The ideal city is heterogeneous in its forms, with events happening in different scales and speeds, moving in parallel and intersecting.  It is vast as a city should be, yet small as it could be experienced from an individual.  The ideal city provides the fertile ground for sowing the seeds of dreams, and growing to its full fruition.  The question is, who among us are fortunate to discover their true self and imagine the dream filled with surprises of joy and fear?

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Location
Hong Kong

Size
50 sqm

Client
Withheld

Project Team
Larry Liu

Status
Project

Location
Fresno, USA

Client
Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Arts and Science

Size
75,000 SF

Affiliation
Michael Maltzan Architecture, Project Architect (Concept Phase)

Location
Los Angeles, USA

Client
Skid Row Housing Trust

Size
43,000 SF/ 87 single resident occupancy units

Affiliation Michael Maltzan Architecture, Project Architect (Concept Phase)

Location
Hollywood, Los Angeles

Client
The Country School

Size
9,000 SF

Affiliation
Michael Maltzan Architecture, Project Architect (Concept Phase)

Location
Pittsburgh, USA

Size
16,600 SF

Client
Withheld

Status
Project

Project
MTA6 Development Study

Location
Lianyungang, China

Client
Withheld

Size 36,600 Sqm

Project Team
Michael Ritzenthaler

Affiliation

Kohn Pedersen Fox

A 70 sq. meter apartment renovation designed to suit the client's need of large cubic area of storage.  Simple material selection of micro-plywood, cork and black chalk board was sourced and detailed to create an uniform design sensibility through out the entire apartment. BIM was utilized to manage over 800 linear feet of micro-ply wood custom built in cabinetry work to ensure on time and on budget construction.

 Design consultant on this remote beach front bed and breakfast.  Simple layout with sea view for all guest rooms to maximize the potential of the property.

Location
Los Angeles, USA

Client
LAPD

Size
30,000 SF

Affiliation
John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects, Facade Consultant (Construction Document Phase)

Affiliation

John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects.

Facade consultant