Architecture, Community & Memories
Poster
Shared Project: Seraph Awaken
Wah Yuen kopitiam (No.28, Jalan Stesen 1), built in 1928, was a traditional coffee shop that served the local community. To this date the function of the coffee shop as social gathering and meeting place is carried on by its current tenant Seraph Awaken who roast and serve great specialty coffee.
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The traditional shophouse displays Late Straits Eclectic architectural features through its facade and ornaments. Social memory was embodied through the tangible attributes of the building and intangible qualities of the old trade of traditional coffee making.
Photos
No 28, Nestled between two shophouses, Seraph Awaken is a coffeeshop.
Measured Drawing Team together with completed model.
During the Sharing
On 7th November 2018, there were 3 people that shared during the sharing session, namely Ng Pui Yan, Kalvin Bong and I. We each presented slides about Wah Sang Brothers, Seraph Awaken and the history and context of Jalan Stesen 1 respectively. After the presentation, there was an Q&A session where the visitors were invited to inquired about the presentation, in which will be directed to 3 of the presenters.
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The following 3 slides are those that we presented during the sharing session.
Site Context of Jalan Stesen 1 (Clara)
Syarikat Wah Sang Brothers (Pui Yan)
Seraph Awaken (Kalvin)
Photos of the Sharing Session
Seraph Awaken Interior
Models on display
Ng Pui Yan having a nice converstation with Mr Wah Sang.
Seraph Awaken Interior
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From this sharing session, I have learnt about spatial poetics, which the creation of feeling and emotion that the person will experience when travelling through a space. This is indeed is an important aspect of architecture and in my opinion, this aspects separates a building from architecture. Architecture can be all buildings, but not all buildings can be architecture. The quality of an architectural space is not merely a visual perception quality as it is usually assumed. The judgement of environmental character is a complex multi-sensory fusion of countless factors which are immediately and unconsciously interpreted and grasped as an overall atmosphere, ambience, feeling or mood. As Tony Hiss mentioned in his book, 'The experience of space', <<simultaneous perception, the system that we use to experience our surroundings>>. An architectural experience is multi-sensory in its essence. This interestingly, is the normal way we observe our surroundings, with all the senses at once. So thus, the need and importance of spatial poetics in architecture.
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Besides poetics, i guess this semester was mainly us students struggling to transition from manual work to digitalized submissions, i.e boards, renderings, models. It was fun and interesting learning new software and applying it here (though it involved a lot of exasperation due to computer crashing). But it was good (I guess). The final presentation was okay, just the accessor suggested to perhaps use an axonometric drawing instead to allow better understanding of spaces, instead of the sections. I agree with the accessor on that aspect. Well, what is done is done. Now the submission is over, time to hone my software skills and finding my presentation board and imagery style.
Reflection
