The topic discussed in the PAM Public Lectures on the 20th of January 2016 is 'Hot and Wet' by Erik Gerard L'Heureux. L'Heureux is a Singapore-based American architect. He is currently an assistant professor at the National University of Singapore and leads his own practice, Pencil Office.
His winning proposal, "Hot and Wet: The Equatorial City and the Architectures of Atmosphere", focuses on the architecture of five dense cities in the equatorial zone which are Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Nigeria and Brazil. He examines traditional and modern building strategies that mediate extreme climate conditions while addressing the mounting pressures of rapid urbanization and climate change.
He had studied about the design of the traditional Malay house so that he could learn to know the way to reduce the temperature and increase the cooling effect of this kind of building design in a hot climate and high humidity area such as tropical country. Through this process, he is able to apply the knowledge about passive design strategies in his building design.
During the seminar, L'Heureux had emphasized the importance of lighting and ventilation throughout a building design too. Therefore, the projects which are done by him are mostly concerned about the lighting and ventilation designs. There are some projects which he had shared with us during the seminar such as Simple Factory Building and Stereoscopic House.
A Simple Factory Building which is completed in 2012 is a 10,625-square-foot structure wrapped in a geometrically sophisticated sun-shielding veil, earned top honors in the 2013 World Architecture Festival (WAF) Category Design Award.
The center of the interior has been hollowed out to generate a volumetric subtraction at the core of the plans to facilitate natural ventilation as well as to maximize on natural lighting. The multi-storey courtyard extends to an open-air roof level which is partially covered in the continuous trellis system. In addition, the porous pattern allows outward views of the neighbourhood from the interior to lending a distinct visual identity to the factory. To counteract the strong presence of the western sun, a service core is situated along the length of the building to act as a thermal mass.
Natural lighting and natural ventilation are provided throughout the entire building.
Stack effect.
The building design helps to bring the cold air from outside to inside the building. The hot air is then carried out from the building. Therefore, cooling effect is achieved.
Stereoscopic House
Another project which he had shared with us is Stereoscopic House. The building is a multi-storey private dwelling on the flat reclaimed landscape of Sentosa Island in Singapore. The design extends and distorts a tube-like volume to frame views of the ocean and adjacent golf course while remaining conscious of sustainable living by taking advantage of the plot’s ideal vantage point.
The language of the perforated screens is continued throughout the house to facilitate natural cross ventilation and daylighting. A series of angular skylights and organically-shaped openings in the ceiling create an ever-changing play of light and shadow.
The house opens up towards the front and the back with continuous spans of floor-to-ceiling glass. A series of perforated shutters on the street facade enable the inhabitants to control both privacy and level of sunlight entering the interior. In order to reduce energy demands, the house is equipped with rain harvesting systems, solar hot-water heating and low-e glazing to prevent overheating for the interior.
Filtered light through screen.
As a group, we have asked architect Erik L’Heureux a question during the Q&A session. The question is about who or what inspires him.
Architect Erik L'Heureux : "Elizabeth Diller of Diller Scofidio was inspired me, once. In 15 years, they grew from a small loft off with a handful of people trying to do challenging work, until now doing significant and public projects. Now, as I'm finding my own voice and direction, I'm not necessarily looking to people, but specific projects for inspiration. For instance, I look at the detailing of Louis Kahn or the formal virtuosity other architects. I seem to be going back to the masters."
L'Heureux is a phenomenal architect, educator and author. His research project which studies 'modes of atmospheric calibration at the urban scale' and architecture’s historic and potential response to a range of atmospheres (hot, wet, humid, breezy, artificial, hermetic, and more) while taking into account related social, political, and environmental concerns has gotten high praises from other parties.
Group photo with architect Erik Gerard L'Heureux.
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