The First

The First

Macao, China

Instructor: Grace La

Urban Diagram

Macao, a tourist and gambling city on the south coast of China, is well known for different types of monuments, from the colonial temples in the 16th century to the duplicate monumental casino resort in the 21st century. Therefore, the site, located on the elevated highway that provides the people an expedient route to the downtown, has the potential to become the first monument the tourists can see when they enter from the HK - Zhuhai - Macao bridge station. Also, this project has to establish connections between the urban zone and the massive exhibition center on the other side.In the planning proposal, the government didn’t utilize the precious waterfront between the islands and the unique geographic location to endow a unique character to the new zone to attract new residents moving in. Hence, first, this project needs to mitigate the detachment of the elevated highway and the local urban activities and become a stunning point in the area so that it could attract newcomers.

Programs

Exhibition space

In order to provide the people in cars with the same experiences as the pedestrians on the bridge. An exhibition space was introduced into the project where it is not only designed for pedestrians but also for the tourists in the vehicles passing by. The paintings will be hanged from the top so that everyone underneath can experience the artwork by the students and local artists. It transforms the space into an assembly and exhibition hub.

Temple

This is a painting of Macau in the 15 century, it is obvious that the community in Macau was developed and expanded from a religious structure, a church. Since a new urban zone will be constructed on these islands, I envision this project as the first piece of the puzzle of the entire island development. So the temple tends to attract people to come and reside here. Thus, it is necessary to revive the inherent historic values embedded in the city of Macau. To enrich the historical qualities of the project, the arch system, which appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC, is chosen as the structural type.

On-boat restaurant

Macao is a fishery city of all ages, and these boat restaurants are one of the most unique domestic cultures. The customers could purchase the seafood directly from the fisherman for a lower price, and the food will be cooked and served on the boat as well. These restaurants could activate the waterfront and may stimulate other types of water activities later on.

Long Section

To create spaces that can be experienced both by walking and driving, the programs are located on top of the traffics so that everyone could see them. The utilization of the arch system, is a way to recall the inherent historical qualities of Macao.

There are two very diverse spaces, the exhibition space and the temple, which create very different vibes and spatial qualities. They are within two different structure types. The exhibition space is covered by the concrete thin shell structure, while the temple is enclosed by solid concrete structure.

The exhibition space is designed to be open, colorful and energetic, whereas the temple is enclosed, massive, mysterious and dignified. These two spaces are connected by a void space so that the people can experience the majesty as approaching the temple. Underneath the arches, there are a community center and a library for the residents in the neighborhood. Also the steps on the dock create a plaza that the people could exercise and enjoy the sunset there.

Dock Level

Highway Level


Temple Level