ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN V
ARC60608/60306
PHASE 2
PHASE 2
Design Strategies
(15% Individual)
PROJECT BRIEF
INTRODUCTION
Students will focus on designing a Learning Center in Brickfields, situated within its urban context. The building design should provide thoughtful architectural responses that address the characteristics of the surrounding streets and the behavioral patterns of its users, as identified through the Preliminary Studies.
In addition to developing a narrative that explains the architectural strategy in relation to the local community and urban environment, the design must consider a comprehensive approach to structural, spatial, functional, and environmental requirements to create a Learning Center that serves the community effectively.
The design development will also introduce students to relevant legislative restrictions affecting architectural projects, along with the integration of lighting and acoustic considerations. Students are expected to explore and detail the building’s façade and envelope in a manner that aligns with the overall architectural language of the project. The final design outcome should demonstrate a strong connection between construction and theory within the Studio, while also coordinating with the Module on Building Services.
TASKS
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Aim & Focus: Develop an architectural strategy for a Learning Centre in Brickfields, reflecting Phase 1 insights on community, movement, and public realm.
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Form & Design Exploration: Use 1:200 models to explore massing and form-typologies (linear, perimeter, diffused) with layering, subtraction, and overlapping.
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Precedent Studies: Analyze one international and one tropical example to understand urban learning, heritage context, and tropical design elements.
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Design Strategy: Include site analysis, sense of place, target users, urban plaza, responsive architecture, and structural/formal ideas.
Deliverables
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1:200 form/massing models with urban plaza studies
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Pin-up boards: site analysis, design objectives, precedent studies, strategies, sketches, and development diagrams
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1000-word design manifesto essay
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Process folder documenting weekly sketches, readings, and evidence
MODEL
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Investigate and analyze the key conditions of the urban context to develop architectural strategies that engage with the community while adhering to relevant design codes and regulations.
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Create an architectural solution that responds appropriately to the site, addressing formal, cultural, legislative, structural, and environmental aspects specific to the urban setting.
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Develop a strong understanding of materials and detailing to enhance the experiential and innovative qualities of the design.
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Communicate the design concept effectively through drawings (2D and 3D), models, and presentations, conveying the architectural outcome both visually and verbally.
4.0 Communication Skills
7.0 Citizenship And Global Perspective
This project improved my communication skills by training me to clearly translate complex design ideas into diagrams, models, and concise narratives that could be easily understood during pin-ups and discussions. Through iterative presentations and critiques, I learned to articulate my design intentions more confidently, verbally and visually, while responding constructively to feedback.
This project enhanced my awareness of citizenship and global perspective by encouraging me to design architecture that responds sensitively to local community needs while drawing lessons from international and tropical precedents. It reinforced the responsibility of architects to create inclusive, context-aware spaces that respect cultural identity, urban heritage, and environmental conditions within a global architectural discourse.
REFLECTION
This project allowed me to reposition the Learning Centre as an urban architectural response rather than a standalone object. Through site analysis and massing exploration, I focused on how Brickfields’ street rhythm, building heights, and movement patterns could inform architectural form. The concept of a “vertical street” emerged as a key strategy, translating the social intensity of the ground plane into a layered sequence of public, semi-public, and private spaces. Solid–void relationships, courtyards, and interstitial zones were explored to create moments of pause and interaction within the dense urban context, reinforcing the idea of architecture as place-making.
The design strategy was developed through an iterative model-making process that emphasized circulation, spatial rhythm, and human movement. Rather than prioritizing a fixed formal outcome, the project explored fragmentation, layering, and diagonal connections to choreograph experiential transitions through the building. Precedent studies such as Carlo Scarpa’s Castelvecchio Museum and adaptive reuse projects by Neri & Hu informed my understanding of sequencing, thresholds, and architectural restraint, while tropical precedents highlighted the role of courtyards and semi-open spaces as social and environmental devices. These references helped ground the design in both theoretical and contextual relevance.
Reflecting on the project, a key strength lies in its process-driven approach and strong integration of urban theory, movement, and spatial experience. However, the project also revealed areas for improvement, particularly in clarifying programmatic relationships and further integrating environmental and structural strategies. Overall, this phase strengthened my ability to design architecture as a responsive urban framework—one that balances form, movement, and community needs—while providing a solid foundation for further development in subsequent design phases.