Project 03: Haven In The Forest
This final project calls for a site-specific design that corresponds to the site context and user requirements. Through the process of site analysis together with the understanding of architectural principles and materiality, students were tasked to design a solitary haven at Wawasan Recreational Park, Puchong. The structure is to accommodate 2 people which include the students themselves and any one of their family members to spend a short comfortable solitary time.
The structure contains distinctive spaces, each with its own environment that is defined by the constantly alive and changing movement of the trees of the site, which is embraced by the structure through its openness towards the site. By having spaces that connect the user with the community, and also spaces that bring people to nature, the structure provides users with unique spaces to retreat to according to the mood and situation. An intimate discussion space that weaved the two living modules together forms the central core of the structure where it brings both users of the structure in one place.
This experience has allowed me to practically apply my site analysis skills and diagram simple site context. For the first time, I was challenged to design a structure that is not only relevant to the user requirements but also should correspond to the site context in a way that leverage the natural sense and enhance the existing context. With the help of my tutor, I was able to develop my design over the weeks with the application of architectural principles. There is ample room for improvements, however, it was a good learning experience to be able to demonstrate and deepen my understanding of context, user, principles, and materiality.
"We borrow from nature the space upon which we build, therefore architecture should attempt to bring nature, houses, & human beings together in a higher unity."
-Tadao Ando & Ludwig Mies van der Rohe