Hi I'm David Nee and
now I'll start my thesis presentation,
with the topics of "The Circular Economy
of Architecture",
followed by the proposal of "META-Rig".
Meta means the metabolic change in
social environment that influences the architecture.
Rig means vessel, material component
that used to form the space.
So what it emphasizes here is an independent
life-cycle of the material that is
divided from the building life-cycle.
Building life-cycle begins the moment
construction starts while material life-cycle
started long before we extract it
from the earth. But often,
building and material are perceived as one.
And because of that, when the building
hits the end cycle,
so does the material
and eventually, both end up in the landfill.
That is just one example of the linear economy system.
Packaging turns into waste
after the product is consumed
because no one holds the responsibility to own it.
And built environment alone has contributed to a tremendous amount of waste.
Because often we tend to change new packaging
when the product is not
satisfied.
And in this case, the product is our space.
The linear system has existed
for century
but was ignored until the waste
and carbon emission has become
a noticeable threat to the environment.
And there is where a new mindset kicks in.
A different way to approach
earth resources,
through rethink a system of
package design that can be reused over time.
Unlike recycle, it is designed to be
repaired easily and redistribute
without involved high energy
to process the recycled waste.
The final goal is simple,
to remove disposal phase from the supply
and demand chain.
So that opens up a new possibility to
think
how circular economy can influence architecture.
Often we thought buildings are eternal
so it is designed that way.
But many didn't realize that
building has a lifespan too.
End-cycle of the building isn't always because of the structural failure
but also because of the paradigm shift
of demands,
due to the changes in social
environment.
The building that was built on the same
year, might not result in the same value.
But the value is justified by the need
and sometimes,
it is just because the content is
less favored to the demand of its area.
And all it needs is to move on and find
a demand that adores it.
But how can the building find its value
if it is tied to the ground.
So that inspired the idea of breaking
building into small parts through,
Small enough to be relocated easily
according to demands.
Then invest on small component will be more worthy
because the value is maintained with a
constant demand chain
compared to a solid building
that might degrade over time.
The building, however,
is non-existent without material
so it is just land or the material bank,
for the investor to park their
properties, to generate profit
and everything will operate as a form of
rental because at the end of the day,
users just need the space but
not to own material.
Gradually, this practice could generate a
network of supply chain
through small component trading.
And that brings out another challenge.
The first design of Lego brick
molded in 1949,
still fits fine with any new Lego
brick design today.
It is made possible because of the consistency
in grids and rules behind the interlocking systems.
So we adopt this idea into the component
design of the building,
Through a three-dimensional recursion rule,
to set a common scale and size to all components with a compatible joint.
So the column can be used as beam, 
floor as well or the window as railing.
Additional attachment can also
be equipped on certain components
to enhance the strength for loads.
So that component will have
more than one function to increase
the chance for demands.
And the beauty of it,
is the efficiency of mass production,
of a single design, a single jointing
but for many purposes.
Then we bring this concept into the
design of an office.
We combine the typology
of the co-working
with the conventional office block.
For the small-scale pioneers
that are collaboration-based.
So they are more receptive
to the idea of space sharing.
You can choose between making your
office public or private,
or you can have both.
All within a single set of recursion grid.
The site is located in urban settings of
Medini,
facing to the lake and adjacent to the commercial lots.
The intention is to maximize public space and interaction.
So we divide the movement between pedestrian and vehicle into two zones.
The circular office and warehouse
will be located
adjacent to the access road,
so it functions like a custom checkpoint
for the material before they
assembled on site.
Then we connect the site to the
surrounding
to enhance its exposure, physically and visually.
And adding more
value to the urban oasis,
by bringing out all the service area to
the first floor,
to create a seamless connection from 
one end to the other end on the ground.
The forms are defined through the
hierarchy of scale
that seemingly ascend from the lake
and allowing more views
from every tower to the north.
A single unit is adequate for a micro-enterprise
and can stacks up to
a maximum of 8 units,
to the size of a medium enterprise.
Expansion can either be done separately
or they can negotiate
with the adjacent unit if it is occupied.
If the agreement is accepted,
unit swapping can be done in just 2 days over the weekend.
However, each enterprise can only expand
up to two units on a single level
to maintain diversity and
the welfare of each party.
So in order to achieve rapid relocation
of two offices in two days,
every component are designed to be
assembled and disassembled easily.
The time frame will be determined
by the workforce
and installation time of each component.
Since the nature of the building is
designed to change constantly,
supportive mechanism will also
be the part of building utility,
to ease the work.
Each unit will be granted a maximum
of 6 grid to be expanded.
Installation will start from inner parts to the facades,
so to avoid damage to
components during installation.
Heavier components such as structural
grid or hollow slab will be assisted by
attachment that mounts on
the upper structure frame.
Every component are designed to be
mechanically jointed instead of chemical joint.
So dismantle and relocation process will be made
easier when the demand shift,
without causing damage to the material,
therefore no disposal.
Smaller component will have a simpler connection
that can be assembled by the
user when it is just a minor alteration.
Circuit system is also designed into
series of module that can be connected
in the form of grids to simplify and
shorten the wiring work too.
And in total, it will take approximately
8 hours to complete the installation.
With three workforces and a conversion
of 520 to the largest of 775 square feet.
Office swapping involves two units.
That means everything will be duplicated
including disassemble process.
But if we divide the task into two days
within a week, the work schedule of each
day will roll back to
8 hours.
From the look of it, you won't notice the
boundary of offices,
because expansions are interlocked in all directions.
But what we can notice is the
social culture of working environment,
that is different throughout the impression of unit layout.
Some are more substance where the others are more receptive.
So the architecture impression could also somehow represent the company image
to attract opportunity and collaboration
with like-minded parties.
But that results in the complexity of variations.
So a component database will be developed
to record the quantity
of components installed on each unit.
This database could also integrate with
software for the user to test and
visualize the layout on the screen,
before they send the order to the
management warehouse.
Units with the same owner will have
the option to link to office,
through a set of personal
staircase module.
Small enough to fit
into a unit upon installation.
As for the service system, riser will
channel directly into the unit
from the outmost layer of the building 
rather than
the horizontal distribution
from the inside
so to maximize the flexibility for future changes.
Layout of service system are also rearranged
to have as minimal contact as
possible to every floor.
The riser will be designed in the form
of module as well.
So that it can be disassembled
during the extraction of structural
component on the event of
building shrinking in future.
In other words, it could also be the
event of structural maintenance,
in case we have new upgrades
in the future too.
And after all, the lifecycle of the
material will have a more defined purpose,
that only cross paths with the building
cycle. So when the building cycle ends,
it will continue its journey with limitless
possibility.
Not only to modern buildings but also
applicable to conservations,
adaptive use or rapid transformation for
demands during the pandemic outbreak.
And the best of all, the more often a
material is reused,
the more embodied energy it could recover
every time it
completes a cycle.
And suddenly material will be so
valuable that everyone wants
to take good care for its reusability.
Until that point, people will no longer
associate property to just
area or volume but also preservation of
earth resources that are limited and valuable.
