PORTFOLIO2007-2013

ACADEMIC

Jewel

Varying Repetition

Bukit Brown : Reconnection, Recollection, Reflection

WORKING

/WY-TO Architects, singapore

Entry Arc and Lounge for Art Stage 2013

Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb 2013

/Stapati Architects, India

Tony’s Residence

Clubhouse at Panangad

Cinty’s Residence

Content

CVEducation

National University of SingaporeB.A. Architecture (hons)2008-2011

National University of Singapore2011-2012M.Arch Specialization in Design Technology & Sustainability

AIJ International Architectural & Urban Design Workshop in Takahashi, Japan 2011

Work Experience

K2LDAugust 2008-Intern

Tan + Tsakonas ArchitectsMay-July 2010-Intern

Tovya Kohtovyakoh@gmail.com

Colin K. Okashimo and AssociatesFeb-March 2012-Part-time Model Maker

WY-TO Architects Pte LtdOctober 2012-Feb 2013-Architectural Designer

Stapati Architects, Calicut, Kerala, IndiaMarch - Nov 2013-Junior Architect

Skills

High Proficiency: AutoCAD, Indesign, Sketchup

Med Proficiency: Physical Modelling, Photoshop, Ecotect

Basic Proficiency: Excel, Illustrator, Vray, Rhino

Patterns in nature, such as a snake’s skin, are often modular while varying according to function. This project takes this as an inspiration, exploring a range of lighting qualities using modular variation, as well as the fusion of both skin and structure.

JewelA Light and Shadow Pavilion

Side View

Top View

Multiplication First Accepted Prototype

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Supporting the outer skin with an interior core with floors acting as bracing

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tubes at right angles before slicing

Rotation of tubes of hexagons Slicing to achieve different patterns on each face

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Jewel: Light & Shadow PavilionModule Manipulation: Variation:Skin/Structure PatternsThe Brief was to design a light and shadow pavilion to be built in the the Shanghai Expo. The design approach was to design a structure which would also act as the skin, serving lighting and ventilation purposes. Inspired by modular patterns in nature which vary according to function or the form under a skin.

The above study tests the effect of varying structural thickness on the light intensity and shadow patterns inside the interior core. The result of the study led to the determination of the circulation direction, facade and interior core thickness, and the number of intersecting tubes.

Effect of Intersecting tubes and Facade thickness on Shadow patterns

No. Hours Interior faces act as Shadow Screens

The table above shows the faces which act as shadow screens for the most times of the day.Circulation is then placed at areas to have the best view of the shadow patterns.

Structurally weak areas outlined in blue are reinforced with extra structural members or thicker sections of aluminium.

View inside interior core

View of Interior Core

The basic cube is used as a building block and its volume is used to contain functions and form spaces. Cubes form partitions; form walls; form configurable space.

Varying RepetitionRest Stops along the Singapore River

A series of structures act as rest stops along the river promenade, an area which hosts a number of eateries, clubs, pubs, highrise residential estates, and schools. Due to the diversity of usages over time, Users include cyclists, joggers, families, dog-walkers, students, and fun-seekers.

The river route culminates in a hub which signifies the start and end of the route. Turning an existing leftover green space into a public space, serving the needs of both the commercial and residential areas at different times of the day and week.

Foldable Marine Ply Table and Chair PanelsMarine Ply for 2D graphic

Clear PEP® Stage Polycarbonate Flooring

Cold Formed Sliding Aluminium ChannelsStyle Line Bamboo Decking 1860mm x 137mm x 18mm

Marine Ply Shelving

Marine Plywood

Polycarbonate Panels mounted on Aluminium Frame

LED strip lighting

Aluminium Modular Frame

Varying RepetitionModular Systems

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1. Main Entry2. Information Kiosk3. Flea market + Indoor Seating + Art Gallery4. Cafe5. Toilets

6. Outdoor Movie Screening7. Playground Area8. Bicycle Lockers + Parking9. Kitchen

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1 Rest Shelter

Vertical Bike ParkingMarine Ply ShelvesFoldable Tables & Chairs

2 Rest Station

1. Rest Shelter : bicycle parking + shelter + indoor seating

2. Rest Station : shelter + indoor seating + information kiosk + toilets + bicycle parking + outdoor seating + outdoor life size chess set

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1. Main Entry2. Information Kiosk3. Flea market + Indoor Seating + Art Gallery4. Cafe5. Toilets6. Outdoor Movie Screening

7. Playground Area8. Bicycle Lockers + Parking

Exhibition (Top), Flea Market + Exhibition (Centre), Flea Market + Seating (Bottom)

The scheme presents the highly contested space, Bukit Brown cemetery, as a park, as a place for recollection, reconnection and reflection. People only conserve things that they care about. One way to introduce Bukit Brown to Singaporeans as a part of daily life is to promote it as part of the park network. A series of follies provide basic facilities, and mark entry points to the cemetery, and provide places of respite. In this project, the landscape is the master, and the architecture is the servant; the architecture ensures views from and of graves, respects the distinctive topography, existing vegetation and vistas.

Bukit BrownReconnection, Recollection, Reflection

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1 Central Reservoir Catchment System2 Botanic Gardens3 Outer Ring Road System

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Timber was chosen as a main material for several reasons1. Its lightness and relative ease of construction compared to concrete and steel. No heavy machinery is required on site and thus the existing flora on site will be less disturbed.

2. Bukit Brown has an extremely rich material culture. The tombstones are made out of brick, stone, concrete, elaborate ornamental tiles, and stone statuettes. In order not to compete with that, a light natural material was chosen.

3. Timber structures can be kept in good condition for a very long time so long as it is maintained. As timber weathers and rots, its members can be replaced. This idea of caring and conservation is a continuation of the idea that people only conserve what they care about.

It seems apt for a temporal structure to exist in such a place. It is people’s sentiments that make the structure permanent. And last but not least, it is a place which reminds us that life on earth is temporal.

Lighting studies were done to ensure that there was a minium of 1000 lux below the structure, enough to be conducive for shade-loving plants.

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1. Office2. Store3. Story Gallery

4. Cafe5. Outdoor Viewing Deck6. Meeting Room

7. Toilets8. Bird Watching Hut9. Stone Path

10. Landscaping

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Entrance along Kheam Hock Road

Connection to Bukit Brown Mrt and Researcher’s Centre

Chinese Opera Stage at Raintree Intersection

Working Projects2012-2013

Inspired by the textile industry of Southeast Asia, Yann Follain, co-founder of WY-TO Architects, designed a Floating Skeleton at Art Stage Singapore to greet the fair’s visitors. The wire-framed floating structure acted as a gateway to Asia’s global art fair. The over-sized loom theme follows through into the new VIP area – The Whirl. Follain has deliberately used lines (representing thread), color, light and textures to represent the diverse and differentiating cultural influences on the established textile industry of Southeast Asia.

The Parisian / Singaporean founded architecture firm specializing in art installation and exhibition design,

ensured that VIP visitors to the exhibition feel both a heightened sense of drama and privacy.

Representing Follain’s take on a traditional textile loom from which cloth is woven, the Floating Skeleton structure’s meticulous lines represent the diverse techniques and patterns of Southeast Asian textiles. The lines also reinforce the thread that connects people and civilizations through time. The Skeleton is a sculpture in motion, providing a different perspective from every angle.

Art Stage Singapore Installation & Lounge/ WY-TO Architects Pte. Ltd.

From 27 April - 4 November 2013, Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb exhibition was held at the ArtScience Museum.

The exhibition revealed the secrets of the mysterious Egyptian burial practices and mummification process.

The experience included a 3D film screening that captured the “virtual unwrapping” of the 3,000-year old mummy of Egyptian temple priest Nesperennub to unveil the story of his life and death, complete with a digital reconstruction of his facial appearance.

Over 100 artefacts, including six exceptionally preserved mummies from the extensive and famed Egyptian collection of the British Museum were on display. The exhibition explored the mysterious rituals of life, death and the afterlife in ancient Egypt.

This exhibition was presented through the collaboration of The British Museum and ArtScience Museum.

The concept of the exhibition was based on the Egyptian cyclical concept of life and the afterlife.

Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb/ WY-TO Architects Pte. Ltd.

Entry

Hypostyle Hall

Forever Living

Mummy Nesperennub

Reflecting on Kerala

From the period of March - November 2013, I worked at Stapati Architects at Kerala, India, as a Junior Architect.

Being in a different environment made me realize that there are different rules for every place.

The ‘right and wrong’ in each place is probably never the same; this seems to be not just for social norms, but architecture as well. It was difficult at first, to unlearn the ideas that I had learnt

in Architecture school in Singapore, and to consider the validity of applying those ideas in such a different place.

Passing by the discrete, simple Kerala houses which line the railway near towns, the houses flash by in their common lush green setting, it struck me how they all seemed to belong together- the houses, the sky and the tall signature coconut trees of Kerala. The houses seemed to be part of a forest; they each have an inherent

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1. Granary, Cowshed/ Kennel, Guest Bedroom2. Treasury, Study Room3. Entrance & Porch, Pooja room, Meditation room

4. Dining Hall, Study room, Additional Bedroom5. Courtyard6. Bathroom, Guestroom, Living Room, Study Room

7.Master Bedroom, Wardrobe, Dressing room, Water Tank, Store room8. Bedroom9. Kitchen, Garage

Typical plan of a Nalukettu House

common genetic similarity, developed from the necessity to deal with the high rainfall during monsoon seasons.

Apart from physical climate suitability, houses in Kerala follow ‘Vastu Shastra’, which summarily, is an Indian version of ‘Fengshui’. It is an extremely complex doctrine, based on the mandala, which was applied to temple architecture but later to applied to houses as well. Certain corners of the house are imbued with meaning, often borne out of practical concerns.

For example, the wind in Kerala comes primarily from the Southwest, and consequently, the kitchen should be located in the Southeast. The central courtyard that is a major feature of ‘nalukettu’, the traditional courtyard house in Kerala, brings in light and air.

Ideal proportions of rooms can be

precisely calculated according to this system (whether they are followed is another thing altogether). The plans of houses are passed to a carpenter, who is usually also the Vastu specialist. He then checks the proportions and layout of the rooms. Due to this adherence to the vastu, the houses have an innate genetic similarity.

The vernacular architectural style of Kerala thrives, also due to the prevalence of skilled craftsman. Craftsman can be given leeway in the design of certain elements. Architects give craftsmen basic ideas and consult the craftsmen as to whether those ideas can be executed, and in turn, the architects allow craftsmen to contribute to the process with their expertise knowledge. This dialogue between the architects and craftsmen helps to keep the traditional crafts of Kerala alive, and keeps craftsmen in work.

Tony Joseph’s HouseKuttikkattoor,Kerala, India

The house is located on a steeply sloping site with magnificent views.

Similarly to Cinty’s house, the roof is a signature and stands out as a main feature upon a visitor’s ascent to the hilly retreat. Meant as a holiday home, this home has a generous party area which opens up to the swimming pool and surrounding views. The air-conditioning units, and water tank are concealed under the large roof.

Laterite bricks are cut from the hill on site to construct the house.

1st Floor

Ground Floor

2nd Floor

Clubhouseat Panangad,Kerala, India

The clubhouse is situated between a large body of water and a beautiful backwater. Due to statutory requirement, the clubhouse occupies 10,000 sq. ft and is situated 50m away from the backwater. The clubhouse faces the beautiful backwaters to the east and a deck over the water provides views of the sunset.

Process

Process

Cinty’s houseThamassery, Kerala, IndiaIn response to the client’s love for green outdoor spaces, the footprint of the building was minimised.To save cost on building walls and openings, the roof is made as efficient as possible, and the floor plan is compact.

Random Time-WastingThings that I don’t earn money for

Taken in Mumbai and Bhopal.

PhotographsTravel

SewingThings that I will never wear.

Tulle (left), Dress (right) with mid-section made from scraps

Materials: Recycled T-Shirts, Muslin, Tulle, Thread

Cloth version of Spaghetti MonsterRecycled Thing

Wall mural

Emo RoseThings that should never see the light of day except through my bedroom window.

Embarrassingly jumbled unfinished thoughts. ‘Stories’ are layers of maps...?

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