A Story of Opportunistic Architecture

• Proeksa Meas
• 31 December 2015
• Construction Focus
• 1492 Views

Architects are known to create buildings and spaces inside them. Providing a story behind the design concept is an opportunity to explore constraints and tactics for an architectural intervention. Examples of constraints are the restriction of the site and operational requirements as unavoidable limitations, whereas, the site movement, environmental factors, local context and economic use of space can be viewed as a catalyst for an opportunistic architecture. Directing an architectural story can bring the unexpected discovery of the architect’s role in shaping the built environment.

REEDGE

ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN

HUN CHANSAN. PRINCIPAL

In order to engage with the unavoidable constraints we look at them as a series of diagrams that introduce the overall story. Before the introduction ends we offer scenarios through a series of speculative diagrams. These speculations will provide solutions to the constraints by offering various tactics for the design.

In Cambodia, we look at constraints as site boundary walls, ratio of built versus un-built areas, building heights and number of parking spaces etc. Other constraints would be the operational boundaries that define the functions, sizes and requirements of each space inside the building. Speculations suggest opportunities for design and enhancing the users ‘experience by looking at the environment surrounding it such as traffic movement, sun movement, views, natural light, natural ventilation and efficiency of the space, and what would make it distinctively memorable.

The series of diagrams tell stories of various projects that explore constraints and generate tactics for an architectural intervention. One tactic in the design gesture can often solve a few constraints. For instance, adding a courtyard in between buildings can allow more natural light into the space; this light can indirectly enter and reduce the use of electricity while also transforming the interior spaces.

This courtyard offers internal views that externally might be limited due to its neighbour and, at the same time, encouraging natural ventilation that happens only through design intervention. This move also transforms the architectural form into opportunities to intermix between the built form and nature which might result in a cantilevered structure, a big balcony and internal voids.

In another instance, maximising daylight into deep spaces such as an underground passage, garage room, or basement spaces can involve the exchange of dialogue between structure, level changes, materials, forms and the façade of the architecture. For example, the use of glass will allow natural light to seep into deep spaces but the set back and the large overhang control the amount of light and heat that might be conducted into the building.

The obligation to provide a spatially efficient plan means that the focus of design prioritises the maximising of the economical and contextual symbol of the site. In this case, the most important programmatic requirements of the plan are shifted towards the most marketable location; the corner end of the block or the end where views are maximised and its formal expression is vital. By treating this corner differently from its adjacent spaces, a new volume is created thus intensifying the architectural opportunity for exploring other means of design such as materials, light, and colour.

Telling a story through architectural moments in a space, a site and an environment is a critical matter in dissecting the constraints and arriving at a design invention. In a bigger moment for opportunistic architecture, we can look at constraints with a bigger impact on society such as global warming, rising urban population, infrastructure, rapid development and urban patterns etc.

In this case, speculations, tactics and opportunities have to tell stories of a built environment that impact on society at large.