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Rico Kwok

Rico Kwok

Hong Kong, HK

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The Crevice- Hyperloop Desert Campus

The design aims to present a harmonious relationship between science and nature by the gesture in which Hyperloop Desert Campus form was inspired by rupture earth, illustrating its coherence with common desert landscape while suggesting a dynamic stage from the normal environment, that resonance edge-cutting technical nature of Hyperloop research. 

Initiated with independent masses of separate programs catering research, tourism, and education purpose, by setting continuous close end paths for target groups, spatial relation and tense have been established through site arrangement, the campus has been naturally divided into different yet interlocking compartments with their geological positions for visitors, trainees, and lodge researches.

A primary challenge to this campus design is the extreme desert climate. Rather than resorting to mechanic help, this project intended to incorporate idea of sustainability and climatic tactics into its design language. Undulating folded roof is adopted as a dynamic language for all sectors to not only accommodate programs with different height requirements in the same building, catering specific spatial requirements yet maintaining spatial continuity, but also minimizes the effect on wind flow by providing a smooth path for wind from unexpected direction to flow along, and protect the interior from solar radiation through thermal massing with its rammed earth roof. Through this design, it is hoped to show Ancient Nature and Innovative Technologies are not always in competition, instead there are possibilities to come to equilibrium through design.

 
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Status: Competition Entry
Location: Las Vegas, NV, US
My Role: Designer
Additional Credits: I would like to express my very great appreciation to my teammates, Yannie Ho, and Esther Wong.