sara's kitchen

JL House

A series of pencil sketches aimed at describing the 'journey' into the house; as one approaches the house from the foot of the hill.
From the drop off, there is little revealed in relation to the interior of the house.

Crossing the threshold, an open seating area and hall way - a semi-open space for informal gatherings and a quick chat.
The tropical lobby - a courtyard of existing trees with the rooms arranged to frame the space.

Ar Arl meets iPod in the middle

Arlene the architect and iPod the dog share a moment in the middle of the work day; iPod has only three legs. Her full name is tripod, but we felt the iPod is more 'current' and rolls off the tongue more easily. iPod shares her i-pad at DNAhouse with Toffee
Toffee attempting to blur the boundary between inside and outside.

architectural models

Architectural models are an important tool for the design process, it is a form of prototyping. This is especially true for sketch models, such as the ones shown here - they are made from simple materials, to scale and very quickly done.
Usually made using initial schematic drawings, as seen here - the house plans are glued onto the model board to create a base from which the plans are given a third dimension.
Sketch models should be easy to modify - because they are made at a stage when the design is still fluid.
This tiny model of a showroom in Kuching was made using manila card, cartridge paper and transparency film.

After several modifications, these models are not looking so pristine - but they serve their function well. Due to their three dimensional nature, they encourage discussion in the studio more readily than design drawings. People are always picking them up and looking at them; offering suggestions or asking questions which the designer has to provide in defence of the scheme.
This is a model for a garden structure, made using recycled mounting board and dress making pins - it is rudimentary yet not crude. It serves an important purpose when explaining the steel framing to the contractor
And the model makers do not have to be sophisticated either - anyone with a steady pair of hands will do well.

drive 2007

As a young boy, I spent a number of years at my grandma's place - an old bungalow with a forest of trees around it. The feature which I remember most is the gravel driveway leading to the house, flanked by tall lalang with two rutted tracks worn down by car tyres.
And in between the ruts, grass grew....
I used this childhood as a model for the driveway to my brother's new house - which we completed in 2007. The design enabled me to introduce greenery into this narrow strip of land, two concrete strips were laid with grass in between them, interspersed with timber sleepers as construction joints.
The timber sleepers were bought at 12-foot lengths, the driveway was 10 feet wide; the remaining 2 feet became stumps for mounting garden lights. I like the design for its economy, environmental sensitivity and pleasing visual rhythm.