THE/05
INTENCITY
Benjamin Lau
Studio Description
Rapid urbanisation is a global phenomenon. Around 7 billion people, or two-thirds of the world population, will be living in cities by 2050. In 1990, there were just 10 urban centres with over 10 million inhabitants worldwide. Today, we have 33 megacities, which will rise to 43 by 2030. Densification in our cities is inevitable.
Cities are the greatest collective creations of mankind. Architecture not only shapes our cities but also creates stories and memories far beyond physical boundaries. Today, many cities are gentrified and have lost their local identities.
What makes a city a place? As part of the urban narrative series, the objective of this studio is to intensify our cities while enhancing a place’s identity through storytelling and phenomenological approach. This studio will explore how architecture can create a better connection with the natural world, our community, and the existing urban environment.
Studio Outcomes
The structure of this studio will be in two parts: masterplan and architecture, with an emphasis on concept creation, design narrative, and the storytelling of a place. Here, students will design a building complex with a minimum FAR (floor area ratio) of 5:1. Students can determine the place (project location), the audience (target users), and the functional brief (program) of their projects to suit their proposed research topics.
Students will develop their projects’ design narratives through qualitative research and morphological mapping. Exploration of design through conceptual models (physical) is an essential part of this studio. The fundamental outcomes of this studio are creative, provocative, yet poetic responses to the urban environment through architecture and space.
Studio Leaders
Benjamin Lau is an architect-urbanist and a former director of Farrells. Working between Terry Farrell’s offices in London and Hong Kong for over twenty years, he has led many award-winning masterplans and architectural projects in the Asia Pacific region. With sensitivity to the public realm and culture, his approach to urban design and architecture is rooted in the local context of a particular project. He is specialized in place-making, mixed-use urban design, transport-integrated complexes, and tall buildings.
Benjamin is passionate about art and architecture and is a tireless advocate for a sustainable urban environment.
Readings & References
Nigel Coates, Narrative Architecture, John Wiley & Sons, 2012
Terry Farrell, The City as a Tangled Bank, John Wiley & Sons, 2014
Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Richard Kdek, FARMAX: Excursions on Density, 010 Publishers, 1998
Schedule:
Monday 9am-12pm in MSD 227
Thursday 9am-12pm in MSD 240
Off-Site Activities: