The project aspires to shelter and aid wildlife photographers in their journeys of capturing the most intrinsic ecosystems. The process began by interviewing photographers to develop a comprehensive design brief. Due to the abundant variety of animals living in a wet biome climate, mangroves create great potential for photographers to capture the perfect moment. Assuming Pasir Ris Mangrove Park as the site for design, site analysis is conducted to explore the potentials in relation to objectives of assimilation, ergonomics and thermal comfort.
Plants and trees in the wetlands and mangroves tend to adopt traits of the drip tip at their leaves. This is to encourage water to fall off the leaves to keep it dry. This is crucial due to the high levels of humidity in the wet biome climate, as moisture could cause bacteria growth on the leaves. Similar concept is adapted to reduce water retention in the design structure. The various drip tips are mimicked by melting PVC sheets with a heat gun. The models are then tested with water to find out which drip tip best directed water away from the surface. To mimic the effect of rain interception, the modules are arranged in an overlapping manner to prevent rain from entering the structure.
To improve camouflage, the modules are micmicked in the shape of a leaf, in terms of its overall form and the membrane within. To improve the snapping mechanism, authors designed a pivot joinery. The module’s band component is constructed using steel measuring tape. Two pieces of bands are connected by a pivot ending – with one band held in place and the other rotatable by the pivot, allowing it to open and close. Double membrane facade works most effectively in snapping mechanism, allowing it to open and close more smoothly due to the gap that accomodates bending.
Structure follows the shape and form of the mangrove roots to aid in the camouflage objective. It also allows for the accomodation of various photography stances and room for comfort during long hours of waiting during documentation sessions.