Vincent Man Cheng Tam

Architecture (MA)

About

ADS6 2023/24 – Guan Lee, Kate Darby, Gianni Botsford

ADS10 2022/23 – Davide Sacconi, Matteo Costanzo, Gianfranco Bombaci, Francesca Romana Dell’Aglio

 

Vincent is interested in the intersection of digital and analogue making, and how that influences our relationship with nature. His thesis project: Oasis Undergrowth looks at slowing the decline of Moroccan oases and capturing its memory by building in the oases, combining living and planting to prolong the lives of existing palm groves and grow new palms. 2/3 of Moroccan oasis were lost in the last century as Palm trees die from water scarcity. In the exposed arid climate of Morocco, oasis shade is essential to sustain life. The oasis is defined by 3 layers: Top Palm tree canopies, middle fruit trees, bottom staple crops growing in a mutually beneficial relationship. Palm trees are the anchor of the oasis, providing shade and consolidating soil, but they are dying out as it gets hotter and drier. An interlocking brick is designed to mimic palm trees in the oasis. Inspired by mechanical rotation, modulating opacity creates different shading conditions for different spaces. Vincent’s methodology is based on the methodical analysis of the contextual environment, the placement of walls wrap around existing palm trees to protect the roots, while the irrigation layout uses a 4m spacing that extends from the existing palm groves. The newly constructed oasis typology has 3 layers: Palm, wall and ground. Layers become the shade for the inhabitants of the oasis, which are: Water, tree, people, the three components sustaining oasis life.

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