The Notion of Exchange and Redefining the Idea of ‘Polyport’

Lau, C. 2013. The Notion of Exchange and Redefining the Idea of ‘Polyport’. Rome Tre University, Rome 23 - 26 Oct 2013

CreatorsLau, C.
Description

The suggestion of a Polyport is argued and interpreted in close relation to the notion of ‘exchange’. Set at Kew Gardens, the aspect calling for ‘A Royal Botanical Pop-up Garden’ explored the main themes of nature and trade. These design proposals were used to link London and Singapore through the exchange of knowledge and products between the botanical gardens of both countries. This ethos is further enhanced by the notion of Polyport, and most notably the exchange of interpretative documents governing the choices of site in London (and Singapore).

The main narrative sees the design work produced for Kew Gardens in London relocating to Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. This allows for the contrasting differences between Kew Garden’s royal and historical lineage and Gardens by the Bay as a twenty-first century botanical garden to be examined. While the first is read as a separate collection of buildings and experiences, the latter serves as an example of mega-scaled architecture which relies on both nature and technology to perform as a sustainable organism.

Hence the ‘Pop-up Garden’ is a displaced garden with the capability to ‘pop up’ on both sites, and is able to adapt to suit specific geographical, topographical, climatic and/ or programmatic features as appropriate.

The ranges of ideas in the projects presented demonstrate an exceeding wide approach to addressing contextual relationships in the design process. There are proposals which directly reference Kew such as ‘The Wandering Garden’, which concerns the modern picturesque; ‘An Esoteric History of English Landscape’, which explores the notion of palimpsest; and ‘The Imperial Botanist Folly’ which dwells on colonial nostalgia. In contrast, there are proposals that choose to use the futuristic quality of Gardens by the Bay as a starting point for their narratives. ‘The Floating Archive’ is an utopian proposal; ‘The Water Temple’ has an ecological agenda; and ‘Breeding Chambers: A Living Fungarium’ is best described as sustainable science-fiction. These ‘pop-up’ gardens all result from different readings of Kew Gardens, as well as Gardens by the Bay and more importantly, reflect the diversity of the students’ own research.

KeywordsPolyarc, Polyport, Exchange, Displacement, Kew Gardens, Singapore
Year2013
Files
Files
Files
Web address (URL)https://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Becomeanarchitect/Oureducationalactivities/Polyark.aspx
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/introducing-polyport-(polyark-iii)/5045016.article
https://www.westminster.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2013/westminster%E2%80%99s-architecture-students-take-part-in-polyport-in-rome

Related outputs

Rethinking the Sites of the Ditchley Portrait through Notions of Polyvocality: Drawing upon narratives of place, time and medium
Lau, C. 2023. Rethinking the Sites of the Ditchley Portrait through Notions of Polyvocality: Drawing upon narratives of place, time and medium. AMPS Proceedings Journal Series: Representing Pasts - Visioning Futures. 32, pp. 207-219.

Montage and Dialectical History: The Accession Day Tilts, Whitehall and Embodied Participation
Lau, C. 2023. Montage and Dialectical History: The Accession Day Tilts, Whitehall and Embodied Participation. AMPS Proceedings Journal Series: (In)Tangible Heritage(s). 29.2, pp. 376-384.

Rethinking the Sites of the Ditchley Portrait Through Polyvocality: Representations of place, time, scale, medium and narrative
Lau, C. 2022. Rethinking the Sites of the Ditchley Portrait Through Polyvocality: Representations of place, time, scale, medium and narrative. Architecture, Media, Polities Society (AMPS): Lived Space, Past and Present, part of the conference series on Representing Pasts-Visioning Futures. Queens University Belfast 01 - 03 Dec 2022

Montage and Dialectical History: The Accession Day Tilts, Whitehall and Embodied Participation
Lau, C. 2022. Montage and Dialectical History: The Accession Day Tilts, Whitehall and Embodied Participation. Architecture, Media, Polities Society (AMPS): (In)Tangible Heritage(s): A conference on design, culture and technology – past, present, and future. Canterbury, Kent, UK 15 - 17 Jun 2022

Architecture and Allegory, A Tale of Three Sites
Lau, C. 2021. Architecture and Allegory, A Tale of Three Sites. 15th European Architectural Envisioning Association (EAEA) International Conference, Envisioning Architectural Narratives . Online, organised by the University of Huddersfield 01 - 03 Oct 2021 University of Huddersfield.

Architecture and Allegory, A Tale of Three Sites
Lau, C. 2021. Architecture and Allegory, A Tale of Three Sites. Monograph European Architecture Envisioning Association (EAEA)15. Envisioning Architectural Narratives. pp. 50-60. https://doi.org/10.34696/xc3n-d030

Learning from World Architecture Festival 2015: Transitional opportunities and teaching in the new normal
Lau, C. 2021. Learning from World Architecture Festival 2015: Transitional opportunities and teaching in the new normal. Charrette. 7 (1), pp. 99-124.

Archiving the Barcelona Pavilion and the Cumulative Tale
Lau, C. 2020. Archiving the Barcelona Pavilion and the Cumulative Tale. Society of the Architectural Historians of Great Britain (SAHGB) Annual Symposium. online 17 Jul 2020

On-site as an Interdisciplinary Practice
Lau, C. 2020. On-site as an Interdisciplinary Practice. Il Quaderno: #ONSITE. Spring, pp. 50-57.

A contemporary reading of the Accession Day Tilts in relation to festival and the Elizabethan notion of ‘lost sense of sight’
Lau, C. 2019. A contemporary reading of the Accession Day Tilts in relation to festival and the Elizabethan notion of ‘lost sense of sight’. in: Brown, J., Frost, C. and Lucas, R. (ed.) Architecture, Festival and the City Abingdon, Oxon Routledge. pp. 35-48

Site and Science-Fiction
Lau, C. 2018. Site and Science-Fiction. 'Here East', London 10 Jul 2018

Recontextualising the Practices of Action, Wisdom and Devotion in Relation to Dialogue in Design
Lau, C. 2018. Recontextualising the Practices of Action, Wisdom and Devotion in Relation to Dialogue in Design. Il Quaderno: #MAESTRO. Spring (3), pp. 18-23.

Reading the Accession Day Tilts in relation to Festival and the Elizabethan Notion of ‘Lost Sense of Sight’
Lau, C. 2017. Reading the Accession Day Tilts in relation to Festival and the Elizabethan Notion of ‘Lost Sense of Sight’. Architecture, Festival and the City. Birmingham City University, UK 16 - 18 Nov 2017

Singapore Pte. Ltd. : A Question of Limits
Lau, C. 2017. Singapore Pte. Ltd. : A Question of Limits. Postcards from the Anthropocene . Edinburgh, Scotland 22 - 24 Jun 2017

Reading Architecture and Elizabethan Allegory in Portraiture
Lau, C. 2015. Reading Architecture and Elizabethan Allegory in Portraiture. Reading Architecture Across the Arts and Humanities (AHRC). Stirling, Scotland 05 - 06 Dec 2015

Anticipating the Unexpected - 50:50, Looking Forward, Looking Back
Lau, C. and Chee, L 2015. Anticipating the Unexpected - 50:50, Looking Forward, Looking Back. Singapore 04 - 06 Nov 2015

Design by means of archival research : exploring the notion of multiple interpretations and the proposal for another Ditchley Portrait
Lau, C. 2014. Design by means of archival research : exploring the notion of multiple interpretations and the proposal for another Ditchley Portrait. PhD thesis The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL Architecture

The Reading of Landscape Narratives by means of Allegory and Elizabethan Vision
Lau, C. 2010. The Reading of Landscape Narratives by means of Allegory and Elizabethan Vision. Emerging Landscapes: Between Production and Representation: An International and Interdisciplinary Conference. School of Architecture and the Built Environment / School of Media, Arts and Design University of Westminster, London, UK 25 - 27 Jun 2010

The Tactile Window
Lau, C. 2008. The Tactile Window. Research Projects 2008. London 04 - 04 Mar 2008 The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL.

Archivist, Archaeologist, Author and the Tactile Window
Lau, C. 2007. Archivist, Archaeologist, Author and the Tactile Window. Telling Places: Narrative and Identity in Art and Architecture. London 04 - 05 Dec 2007

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/q0111/the-notion-of-exchange-and-redefining-the-idea-of-polyport


Share this

Usage statistics

207 total views
253 total downloads
These values cover views and downloads from WestminsterResearch and are for the period from September 2nd 2018, when this repository was created.