PLACELESSNESS OR PLACE-BASED
I would like to bring my current studio 04 designs to discuss the topic that we discussed this week. In this semester, the theme for our design is about adaptive reuse. What is adaptive reuse is about? Adaptive reuse deals with the issues of conservation and heritage policies. So, let’s start discuss. The site is located at the Balik Pulau of Balik Kampong in Penang. It has the name that suggested to ‘returning home’ means back to the back of floating mountain. It is a place that has a restaurant and gathering place for people to have party. During the final developing process, we are required to design an art village for artists to gather together to expand and exchange art culture. It also acts as a public place to contain rich of site context.
 |  |
|---|---|
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Based on my idea, I try to remain my existing building but change the context in it. Before that, the existing building acts as store room, toilets and bedroom. It considered as a more private area but I rebuild the context in it by make these place into public spaces such as gallery and exhibition area. Furthermore, I try to bring back my concept on my project 1 in Changkat which is the fencing concept to separate the public and private area. I design another dwell for my artist in a more private area that is separated from the public area. I design a residential area for them which contains bedroom, living area, kitchen and their workshop as well. I would like to share that I try to protect my artists privacy by design own spaces for them then keep them from chaotic public area. I also design pool surrounds my building to act as cooling effect since Penang is a tropical area.
I classify my design as a place-based design with spatiality, connectivity and materiality and individually to enhance the idea of my design. As in spatiality, I define my public and private area by placing the public area nearer to the entrance but create a sense of boundary to give the public users a sense of not entering the private area by separated the private area in some distance from the public area. Furthermore, to best suit the place-based design I reuse the old material from the abandoned house for building and remain the existing building exterior wall. By using the materials from the abandoned houses surrounding can bring back the site context as well as showing the local identity. I also use the materials of the old boat to build my building since the boat might have reaction with the sea and have a nice corroded surface. It also brings back the context of the local villagers which are working as the fishermen. The site also facing a small sea that boats will pass by when the sea level raised. I try to reuse the context of water by having water in my design to allow the users to embrace with the environment.
To sum up, we need to know each spatial prerequisite, study and research before improving comprehension of space. We need to dependably remember this since it will at exactly that point push our outline assist more to bolster the groups in their mission to make puts that are agreeable, places where the group individuals and clients have a feeling of genuine possession and the capacity to adjust people in general boulevards and spots to their extraordinary yearnings and personality. As E. Ralph’s text, “to be human is to live in a world that is filled with significant places: to be human is to have and to know your place”.