Folding

This is my very last project during my final semester in college. Since I finished the assigned project earlier than everyone else in class, I decided to spend the rest of my time in school doing something of my choosing (usually the professor decides on the project and programs).

I grew up in a crowded city on a small island. Space was scarce. Mixed use midrise was the most common building typology. Often the basement and ground floor of a building were used as retail spaces while people lived on the floors above. All kinds of stores could be found within the neighborhood. It was very different from the sprawling city where I am living now.

For this project I decided to design a small mixed use building that serves both as commercial and residential space. The site is a small lot flanked by two midrises in a densely populated city (sorry I never got to render the surroundings so you have to use your imagination).

For privacy reasons, there are no large window openings since buildings are built right up against each other (again use your imagination).As a result, the building is very inward focused.

You might already have realized by looking at the animation at the top of the page. The building is composed of a series of "folds" that wraps around and defines the inside space. The layering of the enclosing folds is to reflect the introverted nature of the site.

A large lightwell is introduced through the center of the building as a mean to bring in natural light as well as a glimpse of the sky.

Unfortunately I graduated before I could finished the design. However, it is definitely one of the projects I will continue to refine in the future.