See-long Fan: HM of the Cyclist House

+ See-long Fan 🇭🇰

Honourable Mention of the Cyclist House

Portfolio: https://www.non-a.com/members/seelongf/

1) Could you briefly introduce yourself?

I’m currently in my final year of undergraduate. While I very much enjoy the work I am doing at school, I felt that I could explore a bit more of my abilities and interests beyond the boundaries of the school, usually I feel like competitions are a good way to challenge myself without any academic pressure.

2) What inspired you for the Cyclist House?

Being a student that cycles to school, I would say the process of cycling is the most important to me. Being able to get a breath of fresh air and connect with the surrounding context refreshes my mind, it is my favourite way of transport within the city compared to the tube, the bus and taxi. If peddling is what transports the cyclist to one destination to the other, in my design I was attempting to imagine what if cycling could be more than travelling but essential to the function of a house? Inspired by bike docking stations, what if the bike itself could be a key to open doors? Or the battery of the bike could be detached and supplement electricity to save cost? While these ideas are not ground-breaking but I believe the habit of cycling has helped me see it from an everyday perspective.

3) Can you describe any particular challenges you faced during the design process and how
you overcame them?

I wanted the bike to be part of the functioning house. The wasn’t a lot of reference, if any, that sit well with me so there are a few ideas that I have to design that may not be feasible. But for me these are interesting enough that I should find a way to communicate them easily through the perspective of the cyclist.

4) How do you think your educational background or professional experiences influenced your winning design?

Having both practical experience and studied in a school with some of the wildest projects helped ground these ideas in a more sensible way.

5) What advice would you give to students or young professionals looking to excel in architecture competitions?

Not to expect anything while trying your best. For me the most important thing about competitions is that I can try whatever I want, whether it is the media used or having the weirdest ideas. It is some of the rare situations I could do something outside of my comfort zone to improve myself without worrying the results. Of course, winning is nice but that’s more of a bonus than a goal. 

6) What are your future aspirations in the field of architecture?

While it is not related to cycling. But currently I’m interested in how architecture could be an interface for us to experience deep time. Or something related to heritage design at the moment.

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