The Cave for a Customs Inspector

Based on Hejduk’s “customs inspector” character in his book titled “Berlin Night”, the design of the residence for the character is devised from three of his traits:

1. 1. Materials of high solidity.
2. 2. Vast open spaces.
3. 3. Smooth flowing motion.

Using those traits, the design phase begins with the splitting of the spaces into three major zones then divided into private and public spaces. Spaces are laid out in an almost open-plan style with no major structural elements showing (columns) to affect the aesthetics as well as the flow of the traffic.

Clad in raw concrete, glass and steel elements, one enters the house through a monolithic wall structure with minimal decoration and a small entrance on the lower-right corner of the wall. Once inside, a double-height ceiling with a window basks the lounge area with daylight.

Continuing to the second zone of the house one will encounter an open atrium (“tower”) that provides main ventilation as well as stairs that leads to the second level of spaces. The mirror is located on wall where one will encounter it prior taking the stairs up to the second level.

The bedroom is located in an enclosed room with strips of windows running vertically from one side of the room to the other through the roof, allowing indirect light to brighten up the room. The roof level for the room had also been lowered to give a sense of coziness.

Moving to the final (3rd zone) of the house, one will have the water closet and kitchen on the ground floor and the study up on the second level. The water closet is able to have sunlight due the slanting wall that allows light to enter via the atrium.

Onto the study (at the second level), it joins with the open atrium and opens up to the outside scenery at the far end of the house, allowing plenty of indirect sunlight into the space while maintaining good ventilation.

On the whole, the house resembles a large block of solid that had been carved out to reveal crevices that shines lights into the house to foster life. The open-plan styled layout promotes continuity of traffic and theme.

the residence

Playing with initial design - repetitive cubes spread out on a floor plate at 1:3 (width x length).


3D sketch model #1. Division of semi-public and personal spaces.


Semi-working model. Lights, effect + affect, aesthetics.

Final 3D sketch model.

At the receiving station..

image: hejduk's berlin night

He believes her body to be like the rocks at Cape Anne. Polished to a smoothness - yet hard. He searches its surface and crevices for new discoveries. It is like putting his hand into the shallow tidal pools along the New England coast.

The sun warms him as the sea recedes. He imagines her in the water and is jealous of the ocean's fluidity and its ability to cover all - at once.

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image: wikipedia, halibut point state park

The Gatekeeper of National Borders

Baggage’s big and small; all he can see is clothes, clothes, clothes;
Peeping into your bags and stuffs, hoping to find some.. dope?
(I don’t know what I just did, but I did it..)

Anyway, this is the story of a middle-aged senior customs officer working at the London Heathrow Airport.

He sees faces of young and old, passing by him with joys and tears; traveling all around the world, be it pleasure or business. Sifting through thousands of people at the gateway that links to another place, his job description was clear: keep the bad guys out, and the good guys in.

Stationed at the international arrival lounge, he works out his daily routine of checking through passenger’s items. Seeing items of the exotic coming from far corners of the earth, people of different culture and ethnicity, as if they were bringing with them a piece of their own into the country. Loving to travel to the far corners of the world himself one day, it kept him reminded of fulfilling his one dream of going somewhere.

When duty calls, he tries not to fall short from his own expectations, serving and protecting the nation with a smile.

While security is the utmost thing on his list, he wouldn’t miss a session with the boys down at the local bar. After his shift, he would usually be seen going out with his old buddies enjoying a fresh brew over a discussion of a day’s work.

Due to the nature of his work, he had a hard time maintaining a steady relationship. Numerous relationships ended up in divorce and tears, reminding himself that his time is yet to come.

When he’s free, he enjoys the quietness of the beach to avoid being saturated by the noise and pressure of his working days. Standing on the deserted stretch of white sand, he finds himself in his inner sanctum.

Deep down inside, this is a man that had been worn out by time and pressure, wondering in shadows of ghosts, unable to escape from his 'routine'.

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Meet the client

Who?

Title: customs inspector
Location: at the receiving station

"The gatekeepers"

While working to secure national borders and securing illegal aliens from entering into a country, customs inspectors are somehow misunderstood as fascist thugs that thrives on your taxes. There are more than that meets the eye as they strive to work out the who gets in and who gets out of the country.

Yes, there are a few bad batches of eggs in the basket, but count not on the whole but rather what's inside. Right? (I can't do philosophical rhyming)

Anyway, the term "customs inspectors" could be referred to one of the following:

• traveler inspectors
• postal inspectors
• commercial inspectors

Assuming that my brain hasn't got a tumor in it, the Average Joe would associate the term "customs inspector" to "the guy that went through my luggage at the airport".
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hello world

to be updated..