53_Andre Lim: Continuum

Andre Lim

I am a 3rd year student currently at the National University of Singapore. My approach centres on architecture as an art, portraying its culture, activities and values of the site. The challenge to design a space or building that encompasses the different aspects of life that stands the test of time really spurs me on.

Continuum

Concept Statement: This project aims to rediscover the idea of a roof, its construction techniques, materiality and overarching purpose. Relooking at the university’s existing cafeteria serves as a good medium to push the boundaries of what a roof has to offer.

Tucked on a drastically sloping terrain, Continuum is enfolded by the Faculty of Engineering and School of Design and Environment. Serving as the only canteen for both faculties, overcrowding plagues the canteen on a daily basis due to the mashing of two very distinct human flow patterns; queues from the stalls and those passing by.

Etched within a forest of lightweight scaffolding-like structures, this vertical canteen graces the undulating topography with differing floor slabs bringing users a step closer to their intended destinations. Enveloping the roof and external skin with bi-thermal metal fins that warp when in contact with heat, permits natural daylight throughout the day, while blocking off solar radiation during the afternoon heat.

Where conventional roofs merely shelter their occupants, Continuum’s roof drapes down Techno like a curtain that “opens and closes” according to the ever-changing conditions of the site. It becomes an indicator, an informant, casting various lighting qualities onto the different usability of this canteen.