Hongkong 3: The streets within

To experience Hongkong means getting acquainted with the structures, both the buildings, and the space (streets and gangs) between them. Hongkong has one of the crowded yet comfortable pedestrians in the world, just like Singapore, whereas their width equals the streets. With such proportions, we wonder how the traffic would go without any significant jams where we can easily find here in Jakarta. Though the pedestrian was quite pleasing, Hongkong still shares the untouched urban structures above the pedestrian levels, where we constantly had to cover our heads from the dripping window air conditioners.

When we arrived at the plaza in front of HB, we noticed that similar urban crowd we have in Singapore or even in SCBD Kuningan has come to the surface, except with different settings or backgrounds. But after a short Tram ride, when we stepped our feet on North Hollywood Road in Hongkong along the way to the southern part (SOHO), we were amazed by how they managed to have both traditional yet modern society living on such tight and multi layered space (or perhaps storeys).

To get to the southern part (which is on a higher grounds), we must take like hundreds of climbing steps, where these stalls, kiosks, and even cafe are located on each side. Fortunately, we came to a connecting mid level elevators where we can reach the highest part of the town, near the Peak Tram. This mid level elevator has the width of the streets below, except it's intended only for people, thus many advertising boards/boxes were placed at the same level as the elevator as building facades. Considering the miles and terrain we have encountered that day, we decided to take a raincheck for the Peak:). Instead we walked downhill, across another kiosks and grilled-pork canteen again, towards the IFC Mall near the harbour.

Once, we saw this signage that says "open public park ahead" that we easily refered to our common parks in Jakarta, instead there were only smaller gardens with ramps and stairs downward, where we finally realized that the park was actually placed in levels below us with some stairs and a glass-paneled lift to access.

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Hongkong 2: Foster's and the rest

First thing that came into our minds about Hongkong to visit were Norman Foster's Hongkong Bank and IM Pei's Bank of China. And the simple way to access Hongkong island where they located from our hotel in Kowloon was via MTR subway. The station, as well as the train cabin was designed to be simple, clean, and very functional, as people tends to go very fast and in a large numbers to the business district. With hidden indirect lightings reflected from the curved metal ceiling, the station was lit sufficiently along with many other advertising neon-boxes that ends at medium speed escalator to the surface.

As we came out from Central station, whereas those two icons are closely located, we've been struck by how those highrise buildings arises from the crowded streets and multi level contours. The shocking feeling was slightly reduced by the open plaza in front of the giant structures of Foster's Hongkong Bank (HB). But the urge for getting to the office in time would lead people to cross the streets, stay at the bus/tram stops, and even run to the nearest escalators or building entrances. Unless we pause, sit and look up, we wouldn't be able to sense the height and the whole structure of all the surrounding highrises....luckily we were tourists.

The HB's ground level is slightly sloped and open for public access, where they can easily cross the other streets through the building to another staircases and buildings. This open area is guarded by the 2 lions at the entrance, accented by the presence of 2 escalators toward the office above with real security guards. We really enjoyed the airflow there, before we continue to the other side of the street where the highrise shades most of these areas. After some shots, we finally realize how photogenic this HB was, as we didn't need to take difficult angles to get a perfect shot of this building.

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Hongkong 1: The Arrival

After an early morning hustle, and having a quick transit at Changi, with a sip of Gordon Ramsay's lunch set at SQ, we finally arrived at Chek Lap Kok international Airport in Hongkong at 2pm. Surprisingly, we travelled together with our fellow engineers and officers from FTUI, departed for Changi where we splitted to each other destination. Again, surprisingly, another fellow UI architect and talented actor, Nicholas Saputra, joined the gang to depart for Hongkong.

It was a lucky coinsident for us, since he is a regular traveller to Hongkong for a VH1 conference, thus helped us through initial encounter with local transportation:). It was a 'heaven and earth' comparison for people (well, at least for us) to travel from Cengkareng to Chek Lap Kok, where simplicity, accessibility, and tourist comfort are the priority as well as the ambiance for the modern airport....we can easily access Hongkong downtown along with our belongings through an airport express train. This fast, clean, and comforting train goes straight to 3 checkpoints, where then people may checking in/out from/to the airport easily....this has been proven to actually help us at our last day in Hongkong when the Feng Shen storm strikes!

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forestation: h3llo university

"Afforestation is process of establishing a forest on land that is not a forest, or has not been a forest for a long time, by planting trees or their seeds."
A railway station is a very functional facility that needs almost similar regulations and codes, especially for a transit station in suburban Jakarta, such as Depok. The competition focused on the design of 2 related stations as entry gates to the university (UI), one functions as transit only (UI one) and the other functions both as transit station as well as train depo for yellow line (UI two). Therefore, this time we proposed a rather evoking experience of how people travels to,across,from,and passes by the university in such way that they could grasp this campus identity or character, during few minutes of traveling. UI is known for its forest as green campus, and that's the way it should stick on one's mind when they arrive at the campus by cars, trains, or bikes.

After the first round, we made it to the big 3 finalist, which we proposed almost different approach than the other two that offers big coccoon-like structures. We tend to propose the spatial experience of moving towards/inside/outside the campus which will occur only in few minutes of traveling. ForestationOne, emerge as one simple linear tree-like structures that opens many view to the forest accross, and provides meeting mall on the underground level that leads people to reach a forest access point. ForestationTwo that has larger area offers many access points towards one large open courtyard on upper level that opens views to the campus' greenery, as it will become the future meeting points between campus, apartements,shopping mall, and public amenities.

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Plaza Quantum Elektro

Inspired by the movement of electrons in atom (as in quantum mechanics) and its relation as part of a single entity, this Electrical Department's Quantum Plaza in Engineering Faculty should reflect the dynamic movement inside,toward,and through the new building and plaza which is located between two similar buildings of Electrical and Mechanical Department. The new additional building should also stands as a compliment, not monument, to the adjacent vernacular buildings that would not obstruct the original concept of Kampong settlement in the faculty, yet maintains its contemporary looks. This building was designed in accordance to the LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) codes that would state its presence as one of the environmentally oriented campus.

Though we got into a shortlisted finalists, we feel sorry that Jury has finally picked contestants that may obstruct the original design guidelines of a 'unity in diversity' looks with its monumentally reason for such additional facility.

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