THE SPIRIT HOME

- Martial Art Training Village - 

Location : Chiyoda District, Japan

Social Group: Martial Artist

Located in the Chiyoda district of Japan, the ultimate goal of the spirit home is to provide the living spaces and training spaces for the martial artists especially for the participants of the competition in Martial Art Hall(Budokan). In every weeks or month (or months), there would be different categories of martial art tournament where the practitioners and professionals come together to perform or compete in this specific hall. This implies that the time period of stay in this training village of each individual would rely primarily on the schedule of tournament and thus most of them would generally stay for about a month (or even months). By providing the athletes with specific living spaces and training spaces, this project seeks to promote mental and spiritual development as well as to stimulate both the mental and physical development of each individuals or even as a team. 

The notion of 'concentration' and 'privacy' are the main keywords that influenced the spatial experiences of each spaces throughout the building.The overall strategy of the training village considered on the aspects such as the different circulation which would be used in dissimilar occasion of daily use and monthly use (use on the day of the tournament),  the arrangement of each unit to allow the team to stay next to each other, and the consideration of different program within the building to have the common training space (9mx18m), fitness, meditation rooms, the common dining space and the outdoor balcony.

Figure 1: Aggregation and Organization

This shows the final arrangement and organization of the building in which the different colors indicated different program and use of the space. 

Figure 2: Instance Contextual Plan

The drawing indicate the position of the spirit and shows the connection to the martial art hall. The building sits quite close to the Martial Art Hall to give easier access on the day of the tournament. The district was already quite dense with several commercial and residential buildings, so the location of the spirit home should be the leftover space but yet still close to the martial art hall. Therefore, the building located in car park space of the museum which then can use more space efficiently in more vertical sense. 

Figure 3: Contextual Axonomeric

The axonometric drawing indicated the connection of the car park space at the ground of the building to the road. The rendered circle indicated the activities of the dwellers in which it depicted the dining scenes at the common dining space of the building.

Figure 4: Instance Typical Plan

The typical plan shows 4 different plan of the living floor level (top-left), the common training floor level (top-right), the balcony floor level (bottom-left), and the car park level (bottom-right). 

Figure 5: Instance Section

The instance section indicated the idea of light and contrast of each spaces along with the activities that takes place in each different space to give better understanding of the use of each spaces. This highlight the arrangement of each floor as the floor is shifted outward in order to create the communal dining space at the middle of every three floors which would have high ceiling and five a sense of monumental like space. 

Figure 6: Perspective 

The perspective drawing indicate the repetitive geometry of octagon as an expression of form and shows the training scene of the martial artist ( in this case the Karate players). 

Figure 7; Synthetic Manifesto

The spatial quality of each different spaces are arranged in an abstract and speculative sense to give an idea of the different use of the space within each modular unit. Starting with the daily circulation (common circulation) which give an idea of connection to the outside from the shadow of the natural light while the next room is the individual cell which more artificial light is highlighted. This two spaces are in contrast to one another not only with the lighting condition but also with the level of privacy as well. The followed by the private circulation in which the individual unit is connected to this circulation that can be used on monthly basis. The light source that come from the far-most one indicated the connection to the context of Chiyoda district, especially of the martial art hall (Budokan). 

PHASE 4 l DEFINING TERRITORIES

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The feeling of being in “Hutong” or what the locals refer to as “slum”, a traditional area of the city which have not been torn down to build huge, glass skyscrapers, wide multi-laned roads or flashy shopping centres. Small street with tiny houses showing the consistency of style used in material, detail, and form is what define “Hutong”. Nevertheless, this traditional area has strong visual impact in  landscape which shape the uniqueness of  social and cultural  texture unlike any place else in the world. Although Chinese people look at Hutong as a slum due to the fact that these areas doesn’t reach the standard of basic living condition and people there clearly living in very difficult camped space but there was a tangible feeling of community which has rich and long-established history and culture that should be keep for other generations to experience this atmosphere. Tracing back to the previous phase about the site conditions that have been mentioning shown clearly that the renew of courtyard and interior spaces are too small to accommodate the daily needs of residents so what they do is building additional structures that destroyed the original form and aesthetic qualities of the traditional Siheyuan courtyard, one of the most visually powerful urban fabric not to mention infrastructures and construction quality issues that are out of system since many people in this area couldn’t afford the expense of maintaining the houses in its original form leading to a new proposal of "Life in Hutong". 

The  idea of designing for a decade is aiming  to facilitate the basic living condition (eating, sleeping, working, interacting) while provided an extra space for performing and expanding of the residents in Baitasi. But the question is How would you act on a site that has such a strong historical value ? How would you preserve yet allowing the development to take place ? is a challenging points that initiated my project.

Context Plan ( Intervening urban fabric of Baitasi)

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Typical Plan ( Intervening urban fabric of Baitasi)

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Instance Axonometric ( Intervening urban fabric of Baitasi)

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GENERAL APPROACH : By demolishing structures and stuffs that doesn’t belong to the preserve area and revitalize  the courtyard space by moving people and their belongings  up to the tower. Making an urban a public space that work well as both private and semi public by opening up the community to potential visitors and houses could change use from residential purpose could transform into a business.  These method would made possible by introducing these  two main strategies;

Instance Section ( Intervening urban fabric of Baitasi)

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Vertical Unit Construction ( Intervening urban fabric of Baitasi)

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1. Bottom Up + Top Down  This strategy is related more on the construction approach that regulated by  two different entities, one is planned (government) another one is unplanned (dwellers) by cooperating this two entities will allow the inhabitants to design their own space according to their needs. In this case for possible example the “Top Down” would refers to Government which will provide the main structures (slabs, beams, and column) to control some aspect of visibilities that would affect living condition while Residents can be refered to “Bottom Up” , they have the freedom of using material as well as form which create the variety of the facade appearance and be able to construct their own homes.  On the vertical tower for example, column and slabs is provided with extra joints along the column which will allow users to adjust their floor or storage at various height given. While typical dovetails joints made out of wood will be mainly used in horizontal building extension so that dwellers can construct their own home and further extend the units according to the needs.

Chosen Aggregation ( Intervening urban fabric of Baitasi)

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2. Public + Private Intervening in urban level that some of the area will be keep private some will be opened for public using  vertical and horizontal approach to regenerate the old urban fabric to become more liveable

Vertical Distribution : The first level of vertical tower will stay as a public space and host public events connected with the cover bridges while higher part of the building will be for housing , both for evicted people and for people who want to turn their courtyard house into business. 

Horizontal Distribution : The horizontal aggregation will use different system of circulation, the bridge will be uncovered that will just connect the private courtyard, mainly use for crossing roads. In this scheme the level of privacy of the courtyard house is maintained. The bridges are for private used only, and the additional buildings and platforms are meant to be used only by the resident of the community, being private house or shared spaces.

Synthetic Manifesto ( Intervening urban fabric of Baitasi)

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Phase 4

"From Template to Instance"

Underworld - The Mirrored Polarity

The Underworld is a space designed to accommodate one of the most well connected and international community, the new nomads. They leans toward international cities, a contemporary setting for maximum interaction. The challenge is to insert an contemporary human into a traditional world. This should be done by retaining the proximity to the tradition of while providing a space that allow the occupant to carry out their immediate creative operation. The housing retains the original footprint of a typical courtyard house found in a typical Beijing’s Hutong and take whatever left to generate a void which will then serve as a director of the space below.

Contextual Plan

Light becomes less accommodating as we go deeper into the ground. Specific program, some will need more light that other, appropriating that then a hierarchy is created. Sound produced in each space then serve as the secondary criteria to how the building is organise.

‘Light determine its vertical loci, and sound organise its the adjacency.’

A simple light analysis is done to the space voided out, estimating amount of light that each locus would provide if the soil around it were to be removed. Explosive are then put in strategic location within the underground space, referring its position to the criteria of each program - Create, Leisure, Spectacle, Reside. In theory explosive should detonate around itself producing a spherical form. Using computerise calculation as a mode of creating form. The Metaballs refers points as explosive - resulting in a continuous container of fluid space underground.

Construction System

The volume generated by controlled explosive is line with a layer geotextile covering steel arches acts as retaining structure to support the soil around the volume. Layers of steel mesh lies below the supporting structure, covered by a layer of shotcrete. To ensure the continuity in the space, the stairs and slab are constructed in the similarly, shot crete on to a metal mesh. The space where the volume intersect the void, the volume is trimmed off and a glass panel is inserted  hold by steel frame extruded out of the shotcrete layer.

Synthetic Manifesto

On Ground-Underground Interaction

The act of sharing a central space provide the dwellers access to all the elements required in their daily routine while exploiting less resources and at the same time encourages greater social interaction. The concept of the monthly housing complies to the new nomads as it allow a deeper interaction to the ever changing community; that resulting in activities associated with the share space provided in the community to grow, and in a sense become more permanent than the dwellers themselves.

Interior Renderings

Now a subtle insertion of an foreign community is then accomplished allowing the underworld to exist as a opposition to the space above - becoming a ‘Mirrored Polarity’

Phase 4: From Template to instance

Beyond Boundary

By studying the behavior pattern of Hikikomori as being a social group who turn their back from the society. They tend to shut themselves from any social interaction, and they are always in their own room, which imply the limitation of their spatial experience. Hikikomori, then, become a trigger to challenging the idea of boundary. Boundary or enclosure are commonly perceived as a solid object that separate different space. By exploring the idea of non-limit boundary, this design proposal aim to promote social interaction in between the inhabitants to help them engage back to the society. The investigation of non-limit enclosure was exploring into the special quality of materiality as a way to define the level of interaction.

The overall space was divided into 3 level of interaction in an offset manner from the outer to the inner core where the third level of interaction occupy the central area. The 3 main material’s special quality that used to imply different level of privacy are concrete, translucent, and textile. From the most solid to the least defined definition of boundary, fabric is a source of material that redefine the definition of the wall to the whole new level, which the line that drawn between private and public space has been blurred. Other than this, to increase the spatial experience for Hikikomori, There are space in between that provide the variation within the space such as onsen, game zone, shared dining area, etc.

The idea of boundary also explore into the bigger scale. The outer boundary is the first line that separate inside and outside. The intervention into the site is approaching in a "camouflage" strategy, which the design proposal are melting and merging into the old urban fabric in order to destroy the strong boundary. 

The design proposal propose to create the interwoven interior space. There would be no strong boundary that separate each space. All of the space are connected and only have the translucent fabric as a wall that zoning different space.

The 3 level of interaction is not only confined to the floor or the level, but in the section you can see the interwoven between each floor.

“Beyond boundary” is a perfect description to conclude this project. Hikikomori are suffered from the unhealthy social condition which they confine themselves within the limited boundary of their own room. This is the key issue that set off the exploration of limitless boundary. By creating the space that is so interwoven with the notion of blurring boundary, the space aim to help people engage to one another more and more

With this manifesto, it suggest the sequence of the space which rely on the idea of materiality to differentiation different level of privacy. The color of the people also imply the level of interaction that as they move more to the inner core, they would be more engage to other dwellers.

“Cloud Territories”

              ‘Cloud Territories’ is a domestic proposal for immigrants, aiming to provide basic housing which allows for growth and facilitate interaction amongst inhabitants. The proposal includes a system which regulates and responds to living conditions along the ongoing mutation and change of its households. Being located in Kowloon district, considered an extremely dense metropolis, the project offers housing for 12 different ethnic groups of immigrants. The project ultimately offers dwellers the notion of choice within a framework of control and regulation along an inclusive hierarchy from city to domestic objects.

               The proposal offers a uniform grid system, specifically designed to encourage social engagement. This grid articulates urban elements along an incremental scale from 64 by 64 meter to 20 by a 20 centimetres. The design and regulation of the single unit originates from the intermediate scale of 8 by 8 meter. Towards its interior, the unit is organised along a scale factor of 20 by 20 centimetres according to generic measures of domestic objects. From the single unit, the city is organised towards a 64 by a 64 metre grid. The main purpose of creating unity among society corresponds to the study of social groups and their lack of interaction which is considered being significant to improved living conditions. The 64 by 64 metre frame serve as a new infrastructure to the main circulation of the Kowloon City district. This framework allows for inhabitation and mobility of all inhabitants from all layers, consisting of underground, ground and overground levels. The three-dimensional order of the grid allows for an intricate layering of values according to capital and lighting conditions. ‘Cloud System’ speculates on habitable conditions through notions of decades, integrated along Kowloon City district. The system allows for a optimal balance of density according to values of quantity and quality in which units would increase or decrease in number and size. 

SYNTHETIC MANIFESTO

INSTANCE CONTEXTUAL PLAN

INSTANCE TYPICAL PLAN

INSTANCE SECTION

INSTANCE AXONOMETRIC

PERSPECTIVE

PHASE 4: FINAL DWELLING

The concept of this design is to merge between flexibility and efficient use of space related to the business performance of the country. The economy in different time period formed the context, this context is then relating to number of inhabitants. The different number of inhabitant generate the way this building is organize. This flexibility is to be represent as relation to monthly period. All of this concept effect to the form of building that is varied in 4 different configuration. The form of this building is representation, symbolism or expression to the economy performance of the country. 

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This building is surrounded  by garden,this high-rise building is not block by another building and the view is leading to the iconic building of central Hong Kong. This perspective view inside each individual unit can also be change as the building change it's form, giving the inhabitant variety of perspective. 

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The concept of the individual unit of this residence is to suit to every type of workaholic. The program is consisted of communal working area which divided into individual working for antisocial, partner or group working for socialize person. As the site is surrounded by garden this also enhance their productivity.  

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Instance Section showing underground construction (machine)

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Typical plan showing the program inside this building consisted of individual private living, communal working area, private working area, storage, and working area on first floor.

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Instance Axonometric showing surrounding circulation and construction area

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