design lifermit school of architecture and design

29 June - 1 July 2012

thai creative and design center

bangkok thailand

alumni reunion exhibition

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It really took time and energy for us to organise such a significant event, especially with our one year old daughter who screams for our attention 24/7, but as we treasure the importance of the event and to reconnect with friends and be inspired by each other’s experiences, we have tried our best to make it happen.

Design Life can’t possibly come alive without tremendous help, support and encouragement from many parties. A big thank you to our sponsors for their generosity and financial support as well as all Thai friends who contributed what they can for the event particularly Dzovinar Bassil, Thitima Chirapanidchakul, Tanakorn Kaocharoenpng and Taak Akrasanee. These people gave it all to help with every detail of the event. Thanks to Sand Helsel, Ross McLeod and Michelle Lim from RMIT, Jindee Chua and Suriawati Qui who sparked with the idea and made it happen in Bali. We would also like to express our great gratitude to our guest speakers; Chatree Ladalalitsakul, Pok Kobkongsanti and Boonlert Hemvijitraphan who have dedicated their time to take part in our event. And most of all, the exhibitors and participants who acknowledge the value of Design Life, your enthusiasm and effort are treasured.

Even though organising the event under our circumstances is such a challenging task, it has been a pleasant experience. As Jindee and Suriawati (organiser of Design Life Bali 2009) once said ‘it’s well worth many late nights and delayed meals’ plus in our case, questioning looks from our beloved daughter. We believe the efforts that all of us put into the Design Life BKK will not be put to waste. Nothing could have meant more to us than knowing that people are interested in our endeavours. Design Life deserves continuing support from all of us.

Xutibhong Wichaidit and Saguna SaelimEvent Coordinators

DESIGN LIFE BKK 2012

We gather again to celebrate DesignLife, an appropriate name given by RMIT School of Architecture and Design alumni to their international gatherings. Design and life become inextricably linked: our hosts for this second event, Xutibhong Wichaidit and Saguna Saelim, graciously share the best of contemporary Thai design in their home city of Bangkok with participating alumni from across Asia and Australia. The event is crowned by an exhibition in the TCDC (Thailand Creative and Design Center), Thailand’s prestigious design hub. Thirtytwo of our alumni from the disciplines of Fashion Design, Interior Design, Furniture Design, Industrial Design, Architecture and Landscape Architecture reciprocate the Thai hospitality by offering their work from China, Malaysia, Singapore, Uganda, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Thailand and Australia. It highlights the international community and camaraderie that design can create.

The life of these designers reflects the different phases in their careers – from well established practitioners such as Richard Hassell of WOHA through to those just starting out with their first commissions from friends and family, as in Charles Dewanto’s case. Those individuals who lie between these poles demonstrate an increasing maturity with avenues of research evident through their design practices, a cause which RMIT has been championing through its undergraduate and PhD by Project programs.

Several contemporary issues are addressed in this selection of projects. Different approaches to environmental sustainability are manifest in Dale Hardiman’s oven-baked biodegradable stools to Leah Heiss’ elegant receptacles for water purification potions. Social sustainability is manifested at a series of scales from Jindee Chua and Suriawati Qiu’s extensive explorations of Balinese village life through domestic scale pieces to Raphael Kilpatrick’s work with the refugee community in Melbourne and Khalilah Zakariya’s desire to maintain a thriving street market culture in Kuala Lumpur. Although these issues resonate internationally, what is evident here is the considered response to local conditions, as opposed to the imposition of a model from another, often distant, context. Perhaps this sensitivity to the local is a product of returning with fresh eyes to practice in one’s homeland after studying overseas. The work reflects the School’s commitment to tri-polar scholarship. Roland Snooks sophisticated speculations in the digital realm and Ivan Hermijanto’s dust printed ‘Ming Vases’ sit comfortably next to Campbell Drake’s African interiors produced with local technologies. The fashion collections bracket the minimum and the theatrical maximum, with furniture designers borrowing techniques such as pleating and folding. Xutibhong Wichaidit and Saguna Saelim ‘use’ basket weaving techniques in their hotel design thereby juxtaposing technologies and scale. What is reflected, despite the medium and technique is a commitment to making and to pushing the boundaries of the disciplines.

There is the celebration of the event in Diane Durongpisitkul’s photographic journeys, Millie Cattlin’s urban light installation, and the major urban public spaces produced by Landscape Architecture alumni in Melbourne and at the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania. And then there is celebration of celebration within Tanakorn Kaojareonpong’s exuberant nightclubs, where we will convene in one of the DesignLife Bangkok 2012’s events.

The continuing event, or value of DesignLife is the network it creates for our graduates designing and living across the world. RMIT University promotes itself as an international university of design and technology. This is evident here in this small sample of work, but more importantly by the significant contributions that international students have brought to RMIT for more than twenty years. We foresee the possibilities arising for valuable pan-Asian collaborations and consultancies, and mentoring of our younger graduates. DesignLife Bali 2009 inspired local and international students currently within the course, and provoked Professor Peter Corrigan to remark: “it is about time! This should have happened years ago”. And now the tradition has begun we trust it will continue for many years to come.

Sand Helsel and Ross McLeodExhibition Curators

exhibitorsrmit architecture and design alumni

design life bangkok 2012

ivan adhitejataak akrasanee

millie cattlincassandra chilton

jindee chuasacha coles

charles dewantocampbell drake

diane durongpisitkuldale hardimanrichard hassell

leah heissdamon hills

tanakorn kaocharoenpongraphael kilpatrick

jiyoon kimtaek soo kim

meyliza b. kotamakarn kulla-ark

prateep laoteppitakclaire martin

johan mermijantoryan moroney

suriawati qiuingrid rhule

saguna saelimtiarma sirait

roland snooksxutibhong wichaidit

nic wongselene wong

ho tzu yinkhalilah zakariya

SHIMA

SHIMA is a modular coffee table designed to fit small living areas. It is built from layers of flat pack stools which are linked together using magnets. These stools are intended as seating elements which would only be used occasionally yet still play a functional role when they are flat. Inspired by the simple folding method employed in the manufacturing of fruit juice boxes, each layer can be easily disassembled and folded into a stool.

After successfully exhibiting SHIMA at Salone Internazionale Del Mobile 2011, Ivan is currently engaged in refining the designs folding method and streamlining it’s manufacturing processes. The new SHIMA is to be launched at the Casa by Bravacasa product and interior exhibition in Jakarta, 2012. Ivan is currently developing new product and establishing his own brand specialising in innovation and furniture design.

ivan adhitejafurniture designer

jakarta, indonesia

industrial design 2010

RAMA VI ROAD RESIDENCE Bangkok, Thailand

The one and half storey house and separate single storey building have been designed with all of their living spaces facing inward towards the eastern direction to avoid the afternoon heat. It was designed to serve two different purposes. The large building is for the owner himself and the lesser is served as a guest quarter. The client is very energetic and loves entertaining his friends so the house was designed to especially accommodate those aspects and incorporated a large pool, terraces, and open plan living/dining/entertaining spaces. Consideration of Bangkok’s tropical weather was a key influence on the house’s architecture. A large overhanging metal roof covers and drains the heavy downpour efficiently while the ventilating louvered slats under the roof draw out the heat accumulated above the ceiling. Water features such as the pond wrap around the building and help reduce the reflection of the daytime heat from the ground.

Established by Taak Akrasanee in 2002, TAIA is a design studio with a love of simple, sensible, unique, timeless and subtly sophisticated design. The heart and soul of all our designs are the inspiration drawn from the human, cultural, historical elements with a respect for the existing environmental context. TAIA strives to provide a wide array of versatile designs that ultimately results in an architecture that is in harmony with its surroundings. TAIA’s services have covered residential projects, hotel, and a large scale condominium. TAIA provides all aspects of the built environment, comprising of master planning, architectural, interior, landscaping and furniture design.

taak akrasaneeinterior designer

bangkok, thailand

interior design 1997

200 DOLPHIN TORCHESFederation Square, Melbourne

A lighting installation over the month long festival at Federation Square – Light in Winter 2011. The Projects brought 200 rechargeable dolphin torches into the square three nights a week and encouraged the general public to pick up and engage with the torches directly. Patterns, both planned and spontaneous revealed themselves and continuously changed shape over the course of each night. The Light in Winter program is both a celebration of the power of light and illumination in the darkest month of the year in Melbourne and also a celebration of the diverse communities that go into making Melbourne a vibrant city. 200 Dolphin torches successfully worked into the festival program by allowing different community groups to engage with and customise the 200 Dolphin Torches project. Reflecting on this project, what is most interesting to us is the connection made between people and the spaces that they inhabit through the ritual and activity of the 200 Dolphin Torches project.

‘These are THE PROJECTS we do together’ is a design practice conducted by Millie Cattlin and Joseph Norster who combine experience in a variety of design fields including lighting, installation, interiors and architecture. Based in Melbourne, we have successfully worked with various organisations including: Melbourne’s Federation Square, Sydney Festival, The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne City Council, Fitzroy Primary School (Melbourne), Melbourne Bike Fest, Sunshine Coast Council (Queensland) and Whittlsea City Council (Victoria).

millie cattlincollaborative practice/social activities

melbourne, australia

interior design 2005 architecture 2009

HELMETMelbourne, Australia

Helmet is a new gateway between Melbourne’s northern and eastern suburbs and entry marker for the Museum of Modern Art at Heide. It is a synthesis of landscape and sculpture that attempts to engage with its physical site, cultural context and other theoretical concerns. It takes the form of a faceted landform, unfolding out of which are black steel and rubber elements; sculptural abstractions of Sidney Nolan’s abstracted pictorial treatment of Ned Kelly’s headpiece and armour. In Nolan’s paintings the iconic flat black abstracted helmet generates a dramatic presence that contrasts with the surrounding landscape. Our design process translated these two-dimensional visual devices into a three-dimensional experience of place, marking the space of transition that is the function of the gateway. The long, thin, proportions of the slot deny the conventional landscape framing device and invites the viewer to reconsider their position within the landscape.

Designers: Cassandra Chilton + Tanya CourtPhotography Credit: John Gollings courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art at Heide

Cassandra Chilton is a landscape architect and jewellery maker. She is a Senior Associate at HASSELL and has over fourteen years’ experience as a Landscape Architect, working on a diverse range of public, streetscape, commercial, residential and urban design projects and has delivered a number of award winning projects. Her art practice is split between contemporary jewellery and public installation/site specific landscape installations that mediate between the scale of landscape and jewellery, focusing on issues of context, embodiment, occupation and materiality.

cassandra chiltonlandscape architect / jewellery maker

melbourne, australia

landscape architecture 1997

A SIMPLE LIFE

The limited edition series of plates and bowls are made from ancient lesung of the Java and Bali archipelago. A lesung is a tool traditionally used for processing of paddy into rice in most villages in Java, Bali and other Indonesian islands for centuries. The lesung is typically made from a whole hard wood that is carved on the inside to form a centre hole, in which the paddy is placed. The paddy is then crushed with a pestle, a thick stick of wood, over and over again, until the rice is separated from the chaff. The lesung is an important artefact as it was traditionally the essential tool that brought to us rice, and thus our livelihood, the lesung in my work are turned into modern day wooden plates and bowls.

A question was posed to Dalai Lama: “What is the thing about humanity that surprises you the most?” His answer was as follows: “Man” - Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he doesn’t enjoy the present. And as a result he doesn’t live in the present or the future. And he lives as if he’s never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived. These words from Dalai Lama describe so well the reason I moved to Bali in search of a simple life back in 2002. Nine years had passed and I am reminded again of his words when I visited the village of Tenganan or Bali Aga – the ‘Original’ Bali. A simple life has different meaning and value for every person. For me it is doing things close to my heart, and spending time with people I love. My work tries to connect the past with the present, tradition with modernity, the old with the new.

jindee chuainterior objects

denpasar, bali

architecture 1999

URBAN PLAY SPACEDarling Harbour, Sydney

ASPECT Studios has designed a new public domain precinct and urban play space in Sydney’s Darling Harbour. Commissioned by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) and Lend Lease, the project now known as Darling Quarter is a 1.5 hectare place-making project for Sydney with a public park, new cafés, restaurants, bars, 6 star green star commercial buildings (Commonwealth Bank Place), and an innovative children’s playground as its centre piece. Darling Quarter builds a strong pedestrian link to the city and reinforces the movement between the Entertainment Centre, Cockle Bay and beyond. The new project reconnects the western edge of the city and revitalises Darling Harbour by upgrading ground plane materials, lighting, furniture and planting, and setting a new benchmark with an emphasis on premium quality and highly sustainable initiatives. It provides a family focused core both for city dwellers, particularly those in neighbouring Pyrmont and Chinatown, and for tourists and visitors alike. In addition to an extensively redesigned playground, it provides generous grassed community areas and planting, civic water features and a children’s theatre.

ASPECT Studios is a group of design studios united through a philosophy that delivers innovative landscape architecture, urban design and digital technologies. We have established a reputation as an ideas based Landscape Architectural practice with a strong capability of delivering innovative, environmentally sustainable, award winning projects. We have grown on the strength of our reputation for design-led solutions and we are recognised as a company with the capability to deliver creative and sustainable urban and regional projects. As a group, ASPECT Studios has seen its projects realised with award winning results throughout Australia and internationally.

sacha coleslandscape architect

melbourne, australia

landscape architecture 1998

DAD’S CAVE: AN OFFICE ADDITIONMalang, Indonesia

The new office addition is situated in a typical industrial estate in Indonesia. Industrial buildings in this estate are defined by practicality and an obscure sense of scale which tends to neglect their surrounding context. The design of this office building extension is a reaction to the daily routines enacted within it. The design seeks to frame the firm’s activities by tracing the existing conditions of the site and preserving a residual trace of the building’s past and the construction process. The result is a monolithic volume in which different surfaces have their own specific definitions and practicality. At ground floor, a row of deep windows has been introduced that provides a space for the truck drivers to rest between their assignments. On the first floor facade a muted concrete render finish was used to reveal the spacing of scaffolding and structural set-out employed during construction process. The rendered treatment of this wall acted as an economical sound buffer solution for the meeting room behind. Within the building, the discovery of a brickwork wall that was exposed from the demolished existing building’s roofline inspired the decision to setback the new office wall, preserving the brickwork as an outdoor feature. As a result, the gap between exposed brickwork and office wall became a refuge space from the surrounding industrial estate.

Charles Dewanto is a graduate architect from Indonesia who currently lives and works in Melbourne. He graduated from RMIT in 2009 and has been part of the architecture studio, Katsieris Origami since its establishment. His skills are applied in various scales of projects although the focus on urban design and place making architecture has been a particular focus in his young career. Besides collaborating in competitions, he is also developing his own design studio called A-R-C-C which is mainly operating in Indonesia. Charles is also actively involved with the educational programs at RMIT in which his connection to institutions in Asia is helping to bridge relationships between countries and cultures.

charles dewantoarchitect

melbourne, australia

architecture 2009

KYAMBURA LODGE Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

Focusing on wildlife conservation, wetlands restoration and community engagement, ‘Kyambura Lodge’ is a newly completed eco tourism venture situated in South Western Uganda. The banda’s (rooms) adopt contemporary adaptations of traditional construction techniques, prescribing a regionally specific architectural language that performs to equatorial climatic conditions and seasonal variation. In varied composition, the banda’s consist of a covered entrance deck, breezeway, bedroom, balcony and bathroom. Drawing on local village typology, the spatial composition of each banda is articulated through varied materiality and form; roofs are covered with alternate combinations of grass, papyrus and rusty corrugated iron, whilst exterior walls are clad in ship lap timber, reclaimed sheet metal or constructed from locally fired bricks. Within the interiors, context driven material selection attempts to pay homage to history and site; hessian from recycled coffee sacks is re-introduced as feature lighting and hanging curtains. Decorative elements celebrate African creativity with a collection of ‘up cycled’ sculptures including birds made from petrol filters and butterflies with tattered wings of rusty iron.

Decentralised, flexible and highly mobile, Regional Associates operate from no fixed address. Directors Ross Langdon, Campbell Drake and Ben Milbourne abide in three continents including Africa, Europe and Australia and share a common goal in developing new models for environmental, social and economically sustainable projects. Derived from cultural mapping and the specifics of research conducted for each site and project the practice produces design solutions responsive to the availability of local materials and skills, ensuring sensitivity to social and environmental conditions. Each project and built outcome is derived from the specifics of research and analysis conducted for each site. The intent is to produce unique design solutions directly informed by the availability of local materials and skills, ensuring a sensitivity to both climatic conditions and local communities.

campbell drakearchitect

melbourne, australia

architecture 2003

PHOTOWALKINGPhuket + Bangladesh

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival. No meat here, only the piercing and slicing of human flesh. This annual event is held in the belief that by partaking in spiritual cleansing will bring good fortune for the future. During the ten day festival vegetarian diets are observed, and it is common to encounter heavily pierced faces, syringe threaded skin and sword-cut flesh parading the streets all in the means for good-merit making.

Bangla Days. Crumbling walls, colourfully painted concrete facades and women who can float down the street with everything bar the kitchen sink on their heads. Cars honking, tea brewing, rickshaws buzzing past, train jumping, incense burning, vendors screaming & fragrant aromas tickling the nostrils, dodging and weaving is the only way to navigate the rhythm of Bangladesh.

Studying at RMIT allowed me all the creative freedom in the world, but landing a job in Melbourne after graduating during the GFC was not only slightly soul-destroying, but in practice went against every design ethic I had. So, I left in search of something more engaging, something to which I could apply my design thoughts and creativity, and I happened to buy a camera along the way. After running dry of cash from extended travel, I arrived in Bangkok in hope of being able to sustain a life of wandering, balanced with work to support my growing photowalking addiction. Nowadays I work as an Interior Designer for Pace Development, a Thai developer with big visions for Thailand’s property future. Projects include MahaNakhon, soon to be Bangkok’s tallest building, which will house the Bangkok Ritz Carlton Edition Hotel exclusive private residences and an adjacent seven story shopping mall. In addition to property, I am responsible of the expansion of Dean & Deluca Cafés across Thailand, completing two stores in 2011 and working on a further two – one being a 700sqm flagship store in Bangkok.

durongpisitkulphotographer/ interior designer

bangkok, thailand

interior design 2008diane

KID’S STRAW STOOL

Cook, Sit, Bio-Degrade, Grow. The Kids Straw Stool is made from a completely biodegradable material. Once it reaches end of life, it can be placed into nature and bio-degrade, and not only bio-degrade but also being made from Pea Straw and grass seeds, it will grow and help to promote health in the land, biodegrading in six weeks. As population increases, children’s furniture will also increase, by being able to use standard cooking utensils and cook your children’s furniture in the house removes all transport, waste material, and the entire life-cycle of the product will stay within the single location. The user itself would need to cook and create the stool themselves, building a relationship with the product, hopefully promoting longevity until it’s intended life-span and also involving the child from a very young age at creating something and also teaching them about awareness of the environment around them.

Dale Hardiman is a contemporary Melbourne based furniture designer who is interested in producing furniture that not only is minimally impactful to the environment throughout the production stage, but also contributes to sustainable living through intelligent design. Dale applies a strict work ethic to his work and fuses his love for fine art, furniture and an environmentally conscious approach to generate products from using post-industrial waste, or materials that can be sourced, and allow the users to create themselves. In the past two years he has won various awards for his work, including Vivid Green Award in 2011, Fringe Furniture Sustainable and Waste-wise Design Award 2011, was runner-up in the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award 2011, was the winner of The Green Inventors this year, and received a Special Mention recently for ‘A Designer A Day’ competition run by Design Hub/ Department INDACO at the Polytechnic of Milan.

dale hardimanfurniture designer

melbourne, australia

diploma furniture 2007

SOTA - SCHOOL OF THE ARTS Singapore

This project is a hybrid between a specialist arts high school and performing arts centre, and is a machine for breezes, located in dense, tropical inner city Singapore. The School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA) is thoughtfully designed not only to provide a safe and stimulating environment for learning, but also places of delight for the public. The podium contains a music auditorium, drama theatre, black box theatre and several informal performing spaces. To enhance the vibrancy of the city, shops are provided along the external covered walkway and a large civic amphitheatre is created under the canopy of conserved trees. The sectional relationship between gathering spaces on different levels allows for easy ventilation and a comfortable microclimate, with barrier free access incorporated throughout the building. The academic blocks are designed for natural ventilation with breezeways in-between the blocks. Gardens on the top of decks cut out heat gain, absorb carbon, and provide shady outdoor break-out spaces and play areas, while green facades cut out glare and dust, keep classrooms cool and dampen traffic noise. These seamless indoor-outdoor spaces with comfortable microclimates allow different sized groups to interact and relax without leaving the secure environment of the school.

Richard Hassell is the co-founding director of the Singapore-based WOHA, one of Southeast Asia’s best known and most awarded architectural practices. WOHA’s projects are located throughout Asia, and range from private houses to apartment towers, luxury resorts, mass-transit stations, and large-scale public buildings. WOHA’s architecture is notable for its constant evolution: no two buildings adopt the same ‘style’, as each project constitutes a specific response to the potential of the program and the site. The architecture demonstrates a profound awareness of local context and tradition, as well as an ongoing exploration of contemporary architectural forms and ideas, thus creating a unique fusion of practicality and invention.

richard hassellarchitect

singapore

architecture 2011

ARSENIC JEWELLERY AND WATER VESSELS

The Arsenic project involved the creation of a range of arsenic purification jewellery and vessels. The neckpieces act as receptacles for mesoporous iron oxide (Fe2O3) which removes arsenic from water. The water vessels incorporate fine membrane filters for removing toxins before drinking. The vessel and neckpiece are designed for use by people in transit in areas such as India and Bangladesh where arsenic is prevalent in well water. The Arsenic project was developed while Leah was artist in residence with Nanotechnology Victoria between 2007 and 2008. The development process for the Arsenic project incorporated extensive use of 3D printing as an iterative prototyping tool. Early concept ideas were 3D modelled and printed to aid in conversations with key stakeholders. The final design for the Arsenic Water Vessel was printed using a stereo-lithography process while the Arsenic Jewellery was 3D modelled and printed then cast in silver.

Leah Heiss is a Melbourne-based artist and designer whose practice is located at the nexus of art, design and science - utilising advanced technologies to develop potent human scale projects. Her process is deeply collaborative and involves working with experts from nanotechnology through to fashion design. The outcomes include therapeutic jewellery, electronic garments, hand-held devices and large scale installations. Her Diabetes Jewellery, developed in collaboration with Nanotechnology Victoria, received wide international media exposure and was featured on Australian television, radio, and in print. Leah has extensive knowledge of next-generation materials and processes and an arts practice approach to the making of work, particularly an emphasis on communicating work through exhibition and discussion in the public realm. Her research, practice and teaching are transdisciplinary and her work has been exhibited and presented both locally and globally.

leah heissartist/ designer

melbourne, australia

interior design 2002master of design 2006

Project supported by Arts Victoria in association with The Australian Network for Art and Technology and Nanotechnology Victoria.

YWCA RICHMOND HOUSE Melbourne, Australia

YWCA Victoria is an organisation involved in improving the lives of women by ending inequality. They do this through the provision of exceptional services delivered through three priority areas – community strengthening, mentoring and housing. Richmond House opened in nineteen seventy three and was originally conceived to ensure the continuity of the YWCA’s traditional function of providing accommodation for young women who had to live away from home. Over the years, Richmond House has come to be home to a wide ranging population of women such as low-income workers, older and disabled women, and women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. In two thousand and ten, the YWCA received $6.3 million from the Victorian State Government to undertake major redevelopment and improvement works at Richmond House. The building was completely refurbished, including an essential services upgrade of all utilities as well as the inclusion of six disability-compliant rooms, and individual en suites in each of the 69 rooms. The development has exceeded the targets for environmentally sustainable design requirements, with 9.9% of the total budget spent on these initiatives, including a geothermal hot water booster, sunscreens on external windows and energy efficient fittings and fixtures.

Damon Hills is an Associate Director of Finnis Architect, a small practice of ten to twelve staff which has a particular focus on residential architecture, whether that is commercial multi-residential projects, bespoke individual homes or social housing projects. Damon studied Interior Design and Architecture at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, which included an exchange to SCIARC in Los Angeles. While in the USA he completed a two month internship at Landon Bone Baker in Chicago, a large firm at the forefront of social and low income housing. Following graduation, Damon combined his expertise in both architecture and interior design, enabling start-to-finish involvement from concept design to town planning through to documentation, administration and fit-out.

damon hillsarchitect

melbourne, australia

architecture 2007interior design 2001

SLIM/ FLIX CLUBBangkok, Thailand

Slim/Flix is an immense three-in-one complex dominating one end of RCA, the district devoted to nightclubbing in Bangkok. Behind the sweeping exterior Slim/Flix consists of three major rooms. On one side, Flix plays chilled house music and features a giant chandelier suspended from the ceiling. On the other side, Slim has two sections, a Hip Hop Zone and Live Zone, which are connected to each other. The Hip Hop Zone features a warehouse styled dancing room with DJs playing R&B and Hip Hop for energetic crowd who enjoy dancing and drinking. The Live Zone is suitable for dinner party and social function and features a comfortable room with dining tables, which plays mostly Thai music and live band performances. Stylistically cast in modernist steel and glass with interiors ranging from plush decorative intimate spaces to cavernous dance floor spaces, the club works as a stunning backdrop for a fashionable local crowd.

Tanakorn Kaocharoenpong has been a licensed architect in Bangkok for over ten years. His design firm, Ixoneone is a commercial design and consulting company emphasizing in themed interiors. The firm established in 2000 and is based in Thailand with clients in many countries including Singapore, Indonesia and China. The firm has extensive experience and active business ventures in creating and operating trend setting nightlife entertainment spaces. Company activities include traditional architectural services with a specialization in the creation of interior atmosphere for post internet socializing enhanced by audio/visual and fashionable music for target demographics. Tanakorn has designed and overseen construction on numerous residential, commercial and institutional projects across Asia. He is an active member of the Association of Siamese Architects Under Royal Patronage (ASA).

kaocharoenpong architect

bangkok, thailand

architecture 1996

tanakorn

THE SOCIAL STUDIOMelbourne, Australia

The Social Studio is a not-for-profit fashion school and a designer clothing label with a café and community space created from the style and skills of the young refugee community. It is a social enterprise that champions the values of diversity, community, education, environmentally sustainable design and ethical business practices. The Social Studio helps to foster projects that provide social support, including legal advice, counselling, tutelage, and formal training in clothing production, retail and hospitality. The project has grown substantially since it started in 2009; doubling the size of it’s premises to include a restaurant, dedicated manufacturing area, digital fabric printing workshop and design school all of which provide supportive training and employment for those who have experienced being a refugee.

Raphael Kilpatrick is a dedicated and creative individual who brings multi-disciplinary skills to his practice as a designer. He likes to think of himself as multi-disciplined and sees his approach to design as a mad hunger for new skills and the acquisition of experiences. This outlook has allowed him to go from studying Interior Design at RMIT into film production, graphic design, art direction for publishing, travel photography, building construction, interiors, teaching and video production. He enjoys working with his hands and at a grassroots level to achieve big things. The Social Studio is testament to an inspired group of people who share a passion for working collaboratively in this way.

raphael kilpatrickmutli-disciplinary design

melbourne, australia

interior design 2005

TWIST WALL PANELS

Twist Wall Panels are interactive wall panels made out of folded rice paper, designed for sound diffusion and absorption. The folding patterns are derived from three-dimensional tessellation origami. The folded lines of the panels act to break down the echoes bouncing off a wall, by diffusing the sound waves within the gaps between the folded surfaces. The transition of the wall panels allows various surface volumes to form on a flat wall, using a relatively light weight material. The panels are hand made from eco-friendly materials. Korean traditional rice paper, Han-ji, was used to utilize its resilience, beautiful texture as well as the sound absorption quality. The white coloured Han-ji was hand dyed with natural ingredients such as fruits and vegetable, and the vibrant yet unique colours are used to set the desired mood. The units are attached together using stud clips to connect the edges so that when the user transforms one unit, it triggers a transition in all the units that are connected to it. Up to five units are assembled in any configuration to create an interactive moving module and different modules are arranged to create patterns on the wall.

Jiyoon Kim graduated from Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) with First Class Honours in 2011. Her fourth year majored in furniture design that integrated craft techniques, especially paper folding. Many of the projects produced during the years at RMIT explored ways to incorporate craft materials and fabrication methods into furniture applications. Her interest lies in the potential use of different types of paper in creative and innovative designs. The Twist Wall Panels project was selected as ’10 Top Design Graduates’ in April 2012 issue of Design Quarterly magazine in Australia and was exhibited at Salone Satellite 2012. Jiyoon is currently located in South Korea working as a freelance designer, designing and producing furniture pieces for interior decoration in Korean movies.

jiyoon kimfurniture designer

seoul, south korea

industrial design 2011

H-56 CONTAINER HOUSESeoul, South Korea

The H-56 Container House Project is located at Heyri art village, Kyunggido, Korea. Heyri Art Village brings together Korea’s most esteemed writers, artists, musicians and cineastes and is the heart of an architectural testing lab for leading Korean local architects. The building consists of a café, a living space and a small broadcast station for introducing Heyri Art Village to visitors. The concept was motivated by interlocking volumes made of metal container boxes as the brief called for a fast construction time within an affordable budget. The design addressed sustainable design issues through the reuse of shipping containers in its construction and the integration of a ‘green wall’ intertwined within metal screens mounted on the façade to reduce heat gain.

Ver-TEX Design Studio was founded in 2003 and has become one of the Korea’s outstanding design-oriented architecture firms, providing architecture and interior design services for clients from various of different fields. The firm is led by two principals and consists of eight architectural and interior design based staff members. Ver-TEX Design Studio diverse portfolio comprises commercial, residential, academic, and mixed-use in architectural and interior design located in Seoul metropolitan area as well as in the other major cities in Korea.

taek soo kimarchitect

seoul, south korea

interior design 1999

THE BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Bogor, Indonesia

Derived from the passion of a Harley Davidson lover, this little informal space is dedicated for the community to meet up and hang out. The Harley Davidson inspired design is noticeable with a monochromatic acrylic replica of the well-known bike welcomes in the front foyer. The space itself is loosely divided into three areas; the casual lounge, the hip bar and the cosy terrace. The manly essence of the established brand was carried throughout the space, through the use of raw and rough textured materials in most areas of the cafe, such as oxidised iron, bronze and metal plates to recycled wooden bar with exposed bolts. Despite the strong masculine characteristic, the design has incorporated a luxurious feature to the overall ambiance through the use of transparent and gloss materials, such as molten glass and bronze mirror, as well as vintage photographs and antique furniture, while The Bohemian Rhapsody name was deliberately chosen to ultimately compliment the overall design.

Since graduating from RMIT, Meyliza has had the opportunity to collaborate with talented professionals in many industries and engage in a varied cross-section of design projects. Her work spans many design streams and has included work ranging from architectural and interior design, furniture, signage and graphics to theme-parks, fashion runways, business cards and books. Meyliza believes that interior design is a complex spatial experience which requires passionate thought and attention to excellent detail in every aspect and feature.

meyliza kotamainterior designer

jakarta, indonesia

interior design 2005

CONTRA / ASSET

For Karn Kulla-Ark, his label contra/asset is the archive of all the things that inspire him as a designer and as a person, from Japanese designs and oriental philosophy, cultural movements, Buddhism and the madness of contemporary art. The contra/asset aesthetic is derived from experimentation and the mixture of bold tailoring and the use of unconventional fabric to achieve designs that are fresh but yet refined. Contra/asset clothing is “silent” but never ordinary. For the first season of contra/asset, Karn Kulla-Ark chose to work with the concept of emptiness, reduction and removal. In the collection, parts or seams of the garments are reduced or removed entirely to direct the focus of the wearers and viewers to the garment as a whole. Some garments are entirely constructed from sheer fabric so the actual dimension and construction of the garment can be observed. The collections design is based on his personal interpretation of modern tailoring.

Karn Kulla-Ark was born in Bangkok in 1986 to a family which owns a garment production business. After his education in Assumption College, he decided to continue his study in St. Andrew’s college, Christchurch where he was introduced to garment and fashion design. To continue his passion in the field, Karn enrolled and earned a placement in Bachelor of Design (Fashion), RMIT University in 2006 and then graduated in 2009. After completing many of his personal projects, Karn started contra/asset in 2011. contra/asset had its debut as a part of MSFF (Melbourne Spring Fashion Week) in the same year.

karn kulla-arkfashion designer

bangkok, thailand

fashion 2009

2D-3D SPRING/SUMMER 2012

The inspiration for the 2D-3D collection came from a synthesis of three-dimensional complexity and the simplicity and beauty of two-dimensional plane geometry. This collection explored the experimental transformation of classic silhouettes through the addition, rearrangement and subtraction of geometric shapes. Simple and generic shapes of the garments were given a new dimension with the inclusion of geometric tromp l’oeil treatments and revealing cut-out details. These manipulations were done to enhance a kind of wearer who is strong and independent on the outside yet accentuated with intellect and softness at the core. The distinctive phenomenon of the collection forms optical wonderments, paying an ultimate tribute to the human body.

Au-dela is a Thai fashion brand that was founded by Prateep Laoteppitak in 2010. It was developed to deliver fashion in a contemporary and realistic way. The clothes may appear experimental and fashion-forward but they are adherent to the necessity of wearability and reality of modern life. It is idiosyncratic but not incomprehensible. Au-dela is minimalistic and architecturally driven. Every component of the garment is carefully thought out in which ornamentation is intrinsic. The overall look is simplified yet closer inspections will reveal the intricacy of constructions and meticulous details of the garments. Au-dela does not dictate style but works instead to reflect the individuality of the wearer.

prateepfashion designer

bangkok, thailand

fashion 1999

laoteppitak

MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART (MONA)Hobart, Tasmania

MONA, located on the side of a peninsular on the banks of Derwent River in Tasmania, is Australia’s largest privately owned museum. The museum accommodates extraordinary and rare art collections from Egyptian antiquities, ancient Greek and Roman artefacts, to sensational contemporary Australian and international art. In collaboration with Fender Katsalidis Architects, the master plan for the sixteen hectare estate attempted to satisfy two main objectives: the first was the need to create a spatial logic out of the existing accreted site development, connecting inherited ‘events’ including a winery, function centre, and brewery, two heritage listed houses by Roy Grounds, and an antiquities museum; the second was the need to site a major new museum as well as a number of luxury accommodation units, outdoor performance spaces and ferry stop. The generating idea used the site’s existing condition of spatial compression followed by spatial opening, to structure new events and provide connections between existing ones

Claire Martin is a Senior Associate, Landscape Architect with the Melbourne studio of OCULUS Landscape Architecture, Urban Design & Environmental Planning. She was co-editor of the award winning landscape architecture journal Kerb 15 - Landscape Urbanism Issue, with contributions from Charles Waldheim, Mohsen Mostafavi, Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Kongjian Yu, Kathryn Gustafson and Bart Brands. Claire is a regular contributor to the Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture’s national magazine Landscape Architecture Australia her articles include the ‘Creation of place in the experience economy’, ‘“I like movement, I like life” – a conversation with Teresa Moller’ and ‘Hyper Resilience’. Claire teaches design in the School of Architecture & Design, RMIT University and is the Chair of the Landscape Architecture Program Advisory Committee. Her research interests include spatial intelligence and haptic design, memorial landscapes and transdisciplinary practice. Claire is passionate about design research and education and was the recipient of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) 2011 Jim Sinatra National Future Leaders Award.

claire martinlandscape architect

melbourne, australia

landscape 2007

L’ABATTOIR de PLASTIQUE

These objects are the result of an exploration in Chinese antiquities, notably ceramic vases. My interest in vases came from how they are used as an indicator of a civilization’s technological advancement, based on their material, colour and form. Using three dimensional modelling software new forms were generated by combining and morphing archetypal vase profiles from vastly different periods of Chinese civilization, from the Neolithic period through to the later dynasties of the Ming and Qing. The aim was to create a variety of expressive forms that had their own individual character. The vases are made of polylactic acid (PLA), which is a robust and biodegradable thermoplastic primarily derived from cornstarch or other renewable resources. Most of the vases are made in bright yellow, homage to the Imperial yellow or the forbidden colour of the Qing Dynasty. Other pieces use a translucent white PLA which refers to the fine translucent porcelain Chinese ceramics. These objects realisation was made possible due to advancements in affordable 3D printing technology, allowing the prototyping and modifying of numerous designs rapidly without expensive tooling costs. This additive manufacturing technology, which lays thin lines of molten plastic over hundreds of layers, gives each vase its own unique fingerprint and character; an unbreakable ‘Ming’ vase lovingly made by machine.

L’abattoir de Plastique is a micro design manufacturing company based in Melbourne Australia by Johan Hermijanto. The practice is concerned with the intersection between technology and design, exploring the possibilities of this intersection to elevate and create value to otherwise disposable materials such as plastic.

johan mermijantohomeware designer

jakarta, indonesia

architecture 2008

MONACO PROJECTMonte Carlo, Monaco

This is a proposal for twelve boutique apartments, penthouse and mixed use commercial in the illustrious Monte Carlo, Monaco. The 1000m2 site provides sweeping south facing views of the Monte Carlo Casino and Mediterranean Sea. The extruded volume is carefully twisted, tapered and pulled, directing the buildings energy towards this main view. Juxtaposed against the context of heritage Beaux Arts, Mediterranean influenced and late twentieth century in situ concrete buildings, timber louvers and triangulated glass panels are used to carefully articulate the volumes movement and operate with varied planes of transparency based on privacy needs and admission of light. Each apartment has equal north views onto Boulevard des Moulins and South facing views towards the park and ocean. A reinterpreted fishbone plan was adopted to achieve this which therefore created dynamic internal and external spaces. The plan is separated into night and day zones with the focus on the living, dining and main terrace to be spatially generous and awash with ambient light. Linked by a passageway and restaurant terrace, the ground level lobby, mezzanine office space and first level retail areas are accessed on both Boulevard des Moulins and Avenue de la Madone.

Ryan Moroney worked as an intern for Professor Kengo Kuma and Associate Professors Ko Nakamura and Mikako Koike who headed up the Monaco project team which consisted of Bojan Koncarevic, Tomoyo Sakane, Nikola Nikolovski and Chen Yao. Over a two month period the team worked through an intense design process involving many digital and analogue processes. Ryan was personally responsible for the fundamental apartment planning and later devised the twisting concept for the form. Kengo Kuma and Associates, in association with the Kuma Laboratory at the University of Tokyo is a large scale practice involving more than 150 personnel. Through his early experiences with Japanese craftsman in the countryside, Kuma applies traditional materials and sentiment to contemporary design problems – often resulting in delicate, textural and multilayered works that harmoniously respond to the atmosphere of its place.

ryan moroneyintern architect

tokyo, japan

architectural design 2010

LONGING LOVE

Everyone in Tenganan has a story to tell. After many visits I learnt of the more intimate stories of the women and their families. Trisna is a great natural storyteller. Once, Trisna showed me the most original house of the Tenganan people, belonging to her distant great aunt, Ibu tua Semer. It was a basic house, complete with an old wooden lesung for pounding paddy into rice, and a wood fire cooking stove still in use. The elderly woman had forgotten her own age, but Trisna told me she is probably more than a hundred years old. Ibu Tua Semer has aged graciously. Her movement is slow, but she has her long white hair all tied up in a bun neatly, and there is a certain quiet charisma about her that draws me towards her. When we entered the house, Ibu Tua Semer was chewing on her betel nut, with her betel nut case lying nearby. Apparently she spends her days chewing betel nut, as she finds it comforting. Later I learnt of her story of her longing for her son, who is reluctant to come home. The story of the longing mother is especially dear to me. The longing mother had reminded me of my mother who worked hard all of her life and sacrificed her youth to provide for us. The story also reminded me of my own root, of who I am, and being a mother of two young daughters, of who I want to be. Longing Love reflects a Mother’s pure love.

Suriawati Qiu and Jindee Chua started Cush.Cush in 2002 with the idea of making unique things with unique materials. Having worked in design based architectural and design firms in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia, they moved to Bali to start their journey of learning and exploring a variety of traditional crafts, techniques and the abundance of indigenous natural materials in order to create things that are close to their hearts. Their clients include the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, W Retreat Maldives, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, The Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts and InterContinental Hotels & Resorts.

suriawati qiuinterior objectsdenpasar, bali

interior design 1999

WILD: AMAZING ANIMALS IN A CHANGING WORLD Melbourne, Australia

‘Wild: Amazing animals in a changing world’ was the second of four exhibition projects in the Science and Life gallery at Melbourne Museum. The exhibition aimed to immediately amaze visitors with the diversity of animals and create an awareness of the fragile state of our biodiversity, environment and climate. It allowed visitors to traverse between local issues and a larger global context and promote a holistic understanding of the competing pressures on animal diversity whilst inspiring people to value and nurture Victorian animals and environments. The content was organised in to three key layers – worldwide animals, Victorian animals and Victorian environments. The conceptual content pattern ‘amazing animal/changing world’ provided a consistent organising device throughout these layers and allowed visitors to engage firstly with the objects and the exhibition space, before choosing to delve deeper into more complex ecological stories. This core idea, in combination with the exhibition design, created a profound poetic space in which the visitor could dwell and be inspired before choosing to find out more.

Ingrid Rhule’s exhibition design practice currently sits within the specialist museum and gallery field. Drawing from experience in interior design, film and television and art practice, her primary focus as an exhibition designer is to develop innovative and exciting concept designs and to progress these ideas through to finished exhibitions. She is currently a lead exhibition designer for the new Asian galleries at the National Gallery of Victoria, part of a large scale redevelopment project and is also working with Museum Victoria, conceptualising a design for a new exhibition aimed at taking visitors ‘into the future’ with exciting interactive and immersive experiences. As a designer her key interest is in how the essence of the content and ideas, be it emotions, personal stories, historical periods or scientific thesis, can be translated into a visual language and/or experiences for audiences.

ingrid rhuleexhibition designer

melbourne, australia

interior design 2002

TRANSPORTER AND TRANSFORMER

Art and Design production exists in a dialectical relationship between a society and the culture, and also, between an artist and the viewers. We all exist within a social system, which is seemingly internally coherent, but may not be easily translated outside. Our interpretations of cultures help us to take possible actions to create changes towards a positive direction; to use our creative work to extend and identify important aspects of cultural experience and enhance these in terms of people’s experience. However, the situation changes as one moves from one geographic and cultural location to another. We live in a complex transnational and global meeting, mixings and clashing of different cultural perceptions at an increasing rate and pace as never seen before. The basis of this project is the process of cultural interaction, where I transport my culture and transform it in relation to other cultures that I meet in different countries and in different forms; I use clothing as my medium to express ideas. These costumes are based on a combination of the influence of Indonesian Batik (East), European Victorian Style (West) and my personal style of design (Individual Axis). The costumes are not prêt-a-porter, or haute couture, but rather, conceptual costumes for the stage. They are designed to create a special experience on the stage and as such function as both fashion objects and sculptural installations.

Tiarma Sirait was educated in the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and the University of Borås, Sweden (Master in Fashion & Textile Design). She has exhibited extensively throughout Indonesia and in countries around the world such as the UK, France, Japan, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Australia, China, Canada, Cuba and Malaysia, among others. She is a fashion artist, who aims to support diversity in Indonesian fashion through active participation in the local and international fashion scenes. Tiarma is passionate about developing the creativity of young Indonesian designers through workshops and internship programs and events. She sees her key role in the facilitation of fashion at Poleng Studio as a medium for expression and communication through various exhibitions, lectures, writing, performances and forums.

tiarma siraitfashion artist

bandung, indonesia

fashion 1996

BABIY YAR MEMORIAL Kiev, Ukraine

This speculative project reconsiders the monument as object, instead positing the formation of an immersive space of remembrance, a space that emerges from the landscape and is carved from within a sombre stone monolith – an inverted monument. Rather than the reductive, singular, top-down imposition of form, this project explores the emergence of a space, rich with intricate detail, reflecting the culmination of individual differences within a multitude. The memorial is designed through the use of complex non-linear systems in which coherent order and space emerge from interactions at a local scale. This project is part of Kokkugia’s ongoing research into Behavioural Design Methodologies. These methodologies operate through Multi-Agent algorithms, where it is the interaction of simple architectural decisions at a local scale that gives rise to the emergence of a self-organised design intent.

Roland Snooks is a partner of the experimental architecture practice Kokkugia, and is a lecturer in architecture at RMIT University. Roland has previously directed design studios and seminars at Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Pratt Institute, SCI-Arc, UCLA, USC and Victorian College of the Arts. Roland’s design research is focused on emergent design processes involving agent-based techniques. This research is the focus the forthcoming publication Swarm Intelligence: Architectures of Multi-Agent Systems. Roland holds a B.Arch with honours from RMIT University and a Master in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University where he studied on a Fulbright scholarship. Roland is currently a PhD candidate at RMIT University. He was named the Australian Curator for the 2008 and 2010 Beijing Architecture Biennials. Kokkugia is a experimental architecture design and research practice exploring generative methodologies developed from the complex self-organising behaviour of biological, social and material systems. It is a networked practice, with offices in New York, Melbourne and London, operating through design, research and teaching.

roland snooksarchitect

melbourne, australia

architecture 2003

KENSINGTON WEST HOTELBangkok, Thailand

The brief for a new branch of the British hotel called K (Kensington) WEST was to investigate the traditional eastern response in the quest for fresh character and identity. The two major programs of this project are guest rooms and long stay apartments. Thus, as well as designing the hotel a new ‘jacket’, the project must also stand as a single entity viewed by visitors, though they do not share entry, lobby and corridor. With this contradiction, we proposed applying the local technique of weaving. This technique not only offers a traditional appearance, but its pattern often changes throughout itself in corresponding to the different purposes it is created for. The density of the spine member used to weave as well as the different distances between each spine was applied as a strategy to create a variety of cavity sizes suitable for separate purposes behind. The two programs are now bound as a single pattern and can no longer be recognised as a separate entity. The distinct quality of the weaving technique also provides for better ventilated living spaces for the apartments. Derived from a local technique which was then specially tailored for the project, a new pattern was created and a new character and face of K WEST in Bangkok was established.

Established by Xutibhong Wichaidit and Saguna Saelimin in 2002, wd is a design oriented practice and has completed a range of mostly residential projects. Our skill base includes urban design, architecture and interior design. The work of wd responds to client needs and issues of site through an engagement with a modernist vernacular which employs a combination of rigorous geometric and structural considerations. We challenge traditional concepts of design and intend to cross artificial boundaries of design convention. Though we provoke a new set of investigations and challenges in each project, it is our intention for the practice to be consistent in expressing the richness of local materials and the craft practices inherent to our native Thailand.

xutibhong wichaidit

architecture and interior designerbangkok, thailand

architecture + interior design 1997

saguna saelim

COLLAPSIBLE

In this Fall / Winter 2012 collection Nic Wong explores cutaway silhouettes that are layered, occasionally crisscrossing and draping in flaps. Coupled with oversized cut fine merino wool knit wear pieces, a combination of braiding weaves that are machine and hand knitted. The collection is a carefully arranged bouquet of moving structures and textures which experiments with woven fabrics resulting in a selection of tailored coats, jackets and pants. The selection of fabrics ranges from the signature rayon, modal and polyester mixed jersey fabrics, broken down into different shades and shapes, and reassembled to create a singular look.

Nic Wong is accredited for his meticulous attention to geometrically quirky details in his understated designs. The crisp cleanliness of his designs are typical of his sensitivity towards technical construction. In 2001, Nic bagged the Atelier East Design Excellence Award for Fashion Design and scored a scholarship to pursue his studies in Fashion Design with Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Upon graduation, Nic emerged winner of Mercedes Benz Asia Fashion Award (Singapore) in 2004. These achievements propelled the launch of his first fashion label NICHOLAS in 2005. The widely recognized label represents Nic’s unique aesthetics and impeccable workmanship. In 2009, the designer spearheaded SATURDAY that has risen to regional fame with its new take on fashion basics.

nic wongfashion designersingapore

fashion 2003

WOODS BAGOT DESIGN HOUSEBeijing, China

The ‘Beijing Design House’ was an office fit out project situated in the affluent Sanlitun Village in Beijing’s Chaoyang District. Occupying the upper floors of a reassigned apartment building, the space responds directly to the needs of Woods Bagot’s employees. The brief was to create a workplace that would sit as one of the key hubs in the company’s global studio and align the workplace with the vision and key workplace trends. Within the space, there’s a decided emphasis on connectivity and mobility. The environment embodies the key principles of activity based working and is tailored to match the unique diversity of tasks required in a multi-disciplined design practice. The office spaces are heralded by an expansive and vertically striated, timber-clad lobby, lit by a magnificent chandelier. In a nod to the aspirational nature of high-end architecture and design, the lobby is housed within a corner of floor-to-ceiling glass windows and is clearly visible from the street, particularly at night when it floats, rarefied and pristine. The timber used for the lobby is in the main locally sourced and recycled, as is most of the timber used throughout as blade features, cabinetry and furnishings. The main feature of the space is a vast cabinet containing storage, archives and air-conditioning, which provides the softening element that gives warmth and balance to the rougher elements and the chill of steel trussing.

Selene Wong’s main interests lie in research which satisfies an inquisitive mind and aids in innovations, inter-disciplinary architectural design, lifestyle interiors, and sustainable urban planning. Selene is the recipient of the inaugural AustCham scholarship 2011 which involved language training, industry development and residency in Beijing. During that time she was employed by the Woods Bagot, a global design studio, where she was fortunate to participate in a range of large scale mixed-use developments, resorts and retail spaces, and a series of built interior projects. She is currently working on two projects that will be exhibited at the 2012 Venice Biennale, in both the Australian and Slovenian Pavilions.

selene wonginterior designer

beijing, china

interior design 2008 architecture 2012

THE FULCRUM CONDOMINIUMSingapore

Located in the high-end, sea facing area of Fort Rd, the high-rise residential tower reinforces the character of the context and seeks to maximize the number of sea-facing units by a series of strategic architectural operations. The result is a collection of unique interlocking loft units with expansive unblocked views of the sea. Multiple common facilities located throughout the tower block, providing multiple possibilities from communal decks in the sky or solitary areas for individual meditation and relaxation.

LAUD Architects combines the latest design methodologies with pragmatic experience in proposing and realizing a wide range of projects including religious and institutional buildings, condominiums, shopping/office complexes, hotels and industrial buildings. The LAUD Team constantly seeks to push the boundaries of contemporary design; exploring both architectural and related disciplines to find new and innovative design solutions. Amidst these pursuits, emphasis is firmly placed upon the appropriate and creative use of technologies, materials, space and forms that run beyond fulfilling the client’s brief, creating an architecture that engages the senses and heightens the awareness of space, yet never losing sight of basic functional requirements. At LAUD, great emphasis is placed on the spirit of teamwork as we encourage the flow of ideas and opinions from clients and fellow consultants throughout the entire design and construction process.

ho tzu yinarchitect

singapore

architecture 1999

FLEETING FEAST

The images exhibited in this panel are extracted from a PhD by project entitled “Fleeting Feast: Mapping and Accommodating Temporary Markets”. Taken from Malaysian case studies of Lorong TAR Night Market in Kuala Lumpur and a newer night market in Putrajaya, these works demonstrate how night markets operate at multiple scales. Mapping speculations and experiments of design propositions revealed that the night markets rely on specific hard and soft infrastructures, and that they have flexible degrees of mobility and modularity. These qualities actually make the night markets adaptable to change spatially, physically and culturally, thus making them a rich and resilient form of temporary urban space. The works illustrate how an existing form of night market that appropriates a street in Kuala Lumpur could be transformed and adapted into a drive-through and walk-through night market that might appropriate a ceremonial boulevard in the new city of Putrajaya. Planning a night market becomes an act of choreographing the processions of vendors, visitors, supporting services and the larger market experience as a whole.

Karn Kulla-Ark was born in Bangkok in 1986 to a family which owns a garment production business. After his education in Assumption College, he decided to continue his study in St. Andrew’s college, Christchurch where he was introduced to garment and fashion design. To continue his passion in the field, Karn enrolled and earned a placement in Bachelor of Design (Fashion), RMIT University in 2006 and then graduated in 2009. After completing many of his personal projects, Karn started contra / asset in 2011. contra / asset had its debut as a part of MSFF (Melbourne Spring Fashion Week) in the same year.

khalilah zakariyalandscape architect

kuala lumpur, malaysia

doctor of philosophy 2012

DESIGN LIFE RMIT ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGNALUMNI REUNION EVENTTHAI CREATIVE AND DESIGN CENTERBANGKOK THAILAND29 JUNE - 1 JULY 2012

Event Coordinators: Xutibhong Wichaidit and Saguna Saelim

Exhibition Curators: Sand Helsel and Ross McLeod

Graphics Coordination:Michelle Lim

Sponsors:

RMIT UNIVERSITY 2012