Hey! I'm Sam and I'm from Hong Kong.

I have lived in England, Hong Kong and Germany and speak English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and German.

Prior to moving to Manchester for my masters, I achieved my undergraduate degree at London Metropolitan University and completed my Part 1 experience at the award winning Rivington Street Studio in London.🏛️🎓

I am currently in Atelier PRAXXIS, and my hobbies include football and travelling!⚽️✈️

A fun fact about me is that I am a black belt in Taekwondo!🥋

First meeting to kick start the project!

Today marked an exciting beginning to the Merseyway Shopping Centre project in Stockport. Our initial meeting wasn’t just a formal introduction but a dynamic session filled with energy and enthusiasm as each team member brought unique ideas and perspectives to the table.

Our group quickly bonded over shared interests and a collective vision for what we hope to achieve with this project. We understood the importance of setting a strong foundation, and so we meticulously outlined our action plan. This included establishing specific tasks, mini-deadlines, and regular checkpoints to keep our project on a clear and steady path.

This blog will serve as our digital diary, capturing every step of our journey, from brainstorming sessions to the execution of our ideas.

Stay tuned!

DAY 3 - Concept Developments

Today we developed sketch floor plans and elevation details. Students began to think about assembly of the facade structure and tested the choice of material, balancing cost with environmental impacts became a crucial part of the conversation.

Naturally each pair chose different locations of the site, the entrance or the façade circulation to the walkway and walkway use. These choices prompted us to consider about integrating these elements together to create one succinct strategy proposal for the shopping centre.

However, today’s progress was met with a challenge: Our inability to establish communication with our collaborator. From someone who works for Stockport Council, and specifically on this project, his insights would’ve been crucial to defining the projects broader outputs. This absence has therefore left a gap in our planning.

Understandably, this led to some confusion among the students about the expected final outcomes but also led us, the project leaders, to realise we were somewhat uncertain about the specifics we should aim for.

Recognising the need for clarity and direction, we decided to create and communicate a new set of feasible outputs. This adaptation was crucial in keeping the project on track and ensuring that all team members remained on the same page and productive.

Reflecting on this, it’s evident that collaboration is both dynamic and at times, challenging. Our tutor advised us to view this difficulty as a learning opportunity. This situation has taught us the importance of flexibility and ability to adapt in managing a project.

Tomorrow, we plan to specify a detailed list of outcomes to meet by end of next week, hoping to establish a clear path forward and continuing to adapt our strategies to meet the project goals.

(Posted 9 May 2024 15:51)

DAY 4 - Finalising The Design & Clarifying Final Outcomes

Today we refined our list of final outputs, further integrating the groundwork laid during yesterday's session. The student pairs have consolidated into two main groups to focus on specific elements of the shopping centre: one group on the facade, and another on the walkway.
This reorganisation not only invigorated our studio space but also significantly enhanced collaboration, producing more substantial outputs.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of what each group is working on:

Facade Group:

• Elevation Drawings: Detailed at a scale of 1:200
• Perspective Views: These will provide a visual representation of how the facade integrates with the landscape and users.
• Structural and Materiality Details: Focusing on sustainable and cost-effective materials that align with the project goals.

Walkway Group:

• Plan: Detailed at a scale of 1:200, this includes callouts to highlight interaction points within the space.
• Section: Also scaled at 1:200, showing vertical relationships and connectivity.
• Perspective View: Illustrates how different users interact with the space, emphasising accessibility and user engagement.
• Circulation Details: At a scale of 1:50, with callouts where necessary, including improvements to the existing central stair to enhance flow.

These outputs have grown more ambitious compared to our initial goals. Initially aiming to generate broad ideas, we now have a more consolidated and elaborate project that considers a wider array of factors such as stakeholder needs, programmatic requirements, landscaping, circulation patterns, material choices, and assembly methods. This comprehensive approach was made possible by the exceptional engagement and high skill levels of the team members.

Today's progress, considerably more pronounced than yesterday's, has us confident that the final results will be ready for presentation by Thursday evening. As we prepare for the final push, our focus will remain on ensuring that these detailed plans are fully realised and that all elements work cohesively. The energy and creativity observed today are exactly what we need to see this project through to a successful completion.

(Posted 10 May 2024 15:51)

DAY 5 - Progressing with technical drawings

During a productive morning we developed technical drawings specified in the output list. Students made a good start on elevation and plan drawings, in which we provided feedback. These require minor adjustments like line weights, adding scale bars, north points and annotations.

Tomorrow we aim to have these completed and continue working towards the final drawings. Despite the rocky start, we now have a clear goal and everyone knows what their contribution is and what they are responsible for. So far we are very happy with the turnout and engagement from everyone on the team.