Exit Blog

To start off my exit blog for this subject, i would to summarize the journey of this semester where this is the semester i repeated my design subject as i failed it last term. During this semester i have taken 3 subjects including Theories of Architecture, Design Studio 3(repeated) and Minor 3. First, lets talk about design class. Our class has made a boom to our design class where we as a whole has make a complaint to the DEAN of the faculty, Mr Jimmy about our lecturer's problem and act, the outcomes of the complaint is the school have decided to change the lecturer and it is good to the class where we can totally focus to the class without other obstruction.

Let move to the second subject, Minor 3, in this semester, i have learnt about advertising in this subject. Ya, i'm saying that advertising class in interior architecture course. For me, its kinda of out of the title coz i think there are nothing relate between advertising and interior architecture course. Overall this subject, its more like do the assignment and pass up, and that is. You know what i mean? Its like.......i feel i don't gain much from this subject.

Next, Theories of Architecture, i have read some articles which hardly for me to understand what is it about and i have to write about the article and find reference. But there is a problem at the beginning which i don't even understand the articles and i have to write about it. Luckily, our lecturer has explain about the articles that been given to us after we read and blog about it. Ya, explanation after i wrote about it. The explanation is quite understandable and still the articles that i studied is only for my own information and knowledge coz i can never apply it in my design class. Overall, this subject has teach me that architecture is more than just architecture where we can see and explore it in so many perspective.

The best moment of my semester is when the school has take immediate action after our class make a complaint about our design studio class and the worst moment of my semester is i attended so many tutorial which is not helping me much in my assignments.

My philosophy in future? Architecturally, i think my philosophy will be simple is perfect because our Mother natural is already the best decoration to the world, as a son of Her, we should appreciate Her beauty by doing and design less decorative structure.

Taboo and Transgression : Architecture and Desire

According the article, the writer, Bernard Tshumi has talk about the pleasure of Architecture where how we related our architecture design toward our sensual, desire and feeling. In my opinion, our desire and feeling is definitely in a important position when we are designing something or a structure where they are those element which influence in the way of designing and also leading us toward the style of particular design. This is because we, as a designer will alway design something that which is what we wanted the most and which is that can be easily accepted by our own.

In this case, the writer has separate those elements into several fragments which related to the pleasure and desire in architecture.

1. A Double Pleasure - The pleasure of a space cannot be written in word where it is a form of experience. Those experience are including the pleasure of the space and the pleasure of the geometry/form/orders. It is an experience of sensuality and feeling.

2. Gardens Of Pleasure - Garden is one of the part in pleasure where it is built in a useless manner, but still is has a pleasure of space with its surround agriculture planting which bringing the sensuality feeling or delight.

3. Pleasure and Necessity - The pleasure and necessity of an architecture should in balance where we cannot just consider on the pleasure of the space. The necessity of the space are also important such the cost and the utility inside the building which is important in providing a good order of life.

4. Metaphor of Order-Bondage - there rule and regulation in the game of architecture where these kind of rule or what we called as bondage will bring a greater pleasure of architecture.

5. Rationality - The irrationality in architecture design will carry it to the extreme of pleasure.

6. Eroticism - Eroticism id not the excess of pleasure but the pleasure of excess where architecture is not only about the sensuality, but it contain both of mental construct and sensuality.

7. Metaphor of Seduction-The Mask - There is alway a meaning behind an architecture design, its is only how we understanding its meaning.

8. Excess - Exceeding is not a matter of subversion but is to preserving the the eroticism of architecture.

9. Architecture of Pleasure - By achieving the concept and the experience of architecture as well as transgressing the rules of the games will bring the pleasure of architecture.

10. Advertising for Architecture

11. Desire/Fragment - Desire of an architecture is like a meaning or an objective toward an architecture design whereas fragment is like a tool to express the appearance of the design.

Apparently, to achieving the maximum of pleasure in architecture in term of sensuality and senses, we have to push architecture to its limits or even transgressing its limits. In my opinion, the best way to experiencing ones architecture is through our sense like visual, taste, smell and hearing where all this element will actually influence or even encouraging in our sexual desire.

In conclusion, the taboo and transgress of architecture are definitely making an impact toward architecture design and experience which its affecting the capacity of pleasure and desire in a place.

Field Trip to Kellie's Castle : Asthetics, Ruin & Space

Kellie Castle, a mansion that been designed and built to show how wealthy an estate owner and administrator are. William Kellie-Smith was the owner of the mansion. Architecturally, the mansion is influenced by the moghul style of architectural with brick finishing where the style getting popular in local architectural during that particular period especially in Kuala Lumpur.

William Kellie-Smith live in his 1st mansion named Kellas House - a symbol of his wealthy before he decided to built the Kellie Castle beside to the Kellas House after his son and daughter born which express more of his richness.Kellie Castle have never be completed due to the disease happened among the workers and a sudden death of William Kellie-Smith on way to Portugal to bring the 1st ever elevator in Malaya due to pneumonia.

After the tragedy happened, his heartbroken wife decided to go back to his hometown in Scotland by selling the estate to a British Company.

The reason that Kellie's Castle has restored to his original state, in my opinion, i think is because of the story and the tragedy happened behind the building where has make it a heritages to the local area.There are a lot of weird things happened in the mansion although the building have be ruins by time. Rumors saying that Smith's spirit are still in the building and his daughter too.

The exterior view of the building show the beauty of the brick finishing which the textures of the brick naturally becomes the decoration to the mansion.

These are the window opening on the roof top which served as a ventilation to the interior space and it is beautifully decorated with the brick finishes.

This is the small opening at the exterior of the main hall which using the moghul sytle of decoration, a flower shaped. It has enhance the beauty of building by such decoration.

This is the shelf in the store room where Smith's familly planned to store their things here.. The simple design of the shelf have balance back the decorative exterior outlook.

The wall inside the bed room have been decorated by carved sculpture which enhancing the grandness of the mansion and show the wealthiness of the family.

An architecture of Seven Senses

After reading the article, i found that myself are having/using some of the senses when i experiencing a structure or building. When i first visit a place or space or building which i never been there before, i will feel the environment through my ear by hearing, eye by seeing and my hand by touching frequently. By doing this, i can experience and appreciate more the art of work of the structure or the building.

The body senses help me a lot in better experiencing a building where i not only can see the beauty the building design but also i can feel the space psychologically through my senses. When i experiencing a building, i'm alway look into its detail such as the structure details, joints and etc.where i may use it as a reference into my own design.

There are some other authors have wrote the same similar topic.Laura Hollengreen, Georgia Insitute of Technology has wrote “Jewish Bodies, Christian Senses, Urban Spaces” where she related architecture structure and material with the religion senses in he space. Nina Ergin, Koc University has wrote“Olfactory Aspects of Ottoman Mosque Architecture” which about how Muslims feel the senses of architecture of Mosque when they are praying. Jack Quinan, State University of New York at Buffalo has wrote “The Soundscapes of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Larkin Building” which experiencing the building by senses of listening.

The Momument, Testimony & Memory

After i read through the article, i can say that the Jewish Museum Berlin by Daniel Libeskind is successful in commemorating the dead. Daniel Libeskind has use 2 different kind f line which is including a straight line, but broken into many fragment, and the other is a tortuous line, but continuing indefinitely"The design is based on a rather involved process of connecting lines between locations of historic events and locations of Jewish culture in Berlin. These lines form a basic outline and structure for the building. Libeskind also has used the concepts of absence, emptiness, and the invisible—expressions of the disappearance of Jewish culture in the city—to design the building. This concept takes form in a kinked and angled sequence through the building, orchestrated to allow the visitor to see (but not to enter) certain empty rooms, which Libeskind terms ‘voided voids.’ The ideas which generate the plan of the building repeat themselves on the surface of the building, where voids, windows, and perforations form a sort of cosmological composition on an otherwise undifferentiated, zig-zagging zinc surface." (quote from http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/jewishmuseum/).

He use this kind of line as his design concept into the museum to present or mirror the history between the Jew and German in the past. The museum itself has been designed in such way where visitor are not just getting know about the history/the dead physically but also spiritually when their experience inside the museum.Daniel Libeskind has divided the interior space of the museum into separate space such as the Void which all connected by the 3 underground 'roads' which representing 3 separate stories.This will maximize the feeling of the visitors.

Else, the National Museum in Malaysia has been designed and built more look like cultural-influenced design where the architect have put the local culture elements into the building interior and exterior. With this, i can say that, although the National Museum have the same intention and usage like the Jewish Museum in Berlin, but the design of the building is less spiritual and psychological effect on the visitors.

Remembering The Home

When i was young, i has been moving my house for three times. So i can say that i have 3 homes. In he early age, i live with my parents in my grandfather's house where my uncles and aunties were stay together with us. In my grandfather's house, what have influenced my was the surrounding landscape where my grandpa's house was surrounding by tree and plant. This have inspired me where green plants will bring us fresher air and cooler environment.

Besides, my grandpa's house were the place where i getting know about architecture planning for the first time in my life where my family have be place to live and stay in a private room for us same like my other uncles and aunties whereas we having other family's activities together in a space such as dinner and watching tv. From this i know that a house should be divides into different partition for different activities and different priority level.

When i was age of 10, i have been more out from my grandpa's house because of too crowded in my grandpa's house. My 1st new house was a ordinary double storey cheap housing besides the planting forest. The house was very small but surrounded with different races of people where my neighbor was an Indian family. Here, i found out that landscape are really important in architecture where the the planting forest beside my house not just serve as planting forest but it also serve as a cooling plant for the surrounding area where it could bring wind to us and blocking the hot and shinning sunshine from the houses.

Whereas i move to my current home when i was age of 13 where it is just another ordinary terrace house like other. This house didn't inspired me at all in architecture way because it was a very normal house for me. After that, I get to know more about architecture through out my experience in my life such as by reading, studies and information for the internet.

Heidegger's Thinking on Architecture

The article is about Heidegger's thinking on architecture from a philosophical view. He see that architecture did not portray anything but is presenting the environment or the surrounding, it make the surrounding visible to people. Heidegger use a Greek temple as example where the God are not inside the temple, whereas the architecture or the building itself make people feel like the God are inside.I agree in this, because in my opinion, architecture itself is a 'tool' for an architect or builder to visualize the environment or the surrounding landscape with a design or construction of work. The building standing within a space or an environment will bend with the surrounding and at the same time bring the nature environment close to human.

Heidegger also said that architecture is an art of work. Ya, for me, its true that architecture is a work of art and where it is a combination of design and work / construction. As an architect, we have to study not only the requirement of an space, but we also need to study about the nature of the surrounding space where we to consider whether our design will bend with the environment or not. In this point, for me, a concept of a building is not abstract, design itself is abstract by mean of, when we design a building / an architecture work in a area or site, we need something to be our inspiration, that what i mean as concept because we cannot simply design something which is not suitable to our site. But, we can show our concept by abstracting it in our design.

Next, Heidegger said that architecture is a 'bridge' or an 'equipment' which visualize the man environment, for example, 'a bridge gathers the earth as landscape around the stream.' i agree with him because an architecture's work will bring the surrounding environment come into presence to the people. for example, the Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright, the building at the falling water had increase the presence of the surrounding environment where the building had match with the surrounding.

The next thing is language. Heidegger see that language actually is 'tool' or way to express the sense of art or architecture. In my opinion, language is a way for us, as human besides to communicate with each other, its also a tool for us get to learn and to know things, the things here is architecture. If without language, we wouldn't know the important parts of a buildings, the relationship between the joints, and also the materials been used. Language have opened up our knowledge and understanding of not just architecture. but also the world.In simple, architecture bring the landscape out.

On the other hands, Heidegger also saying that architecture bring the landscape to man where an architecture will make the surrounding landscape to be realized. In my opinion, architecture makes human life takes places in an inhabited area or environment where the landscape comes into the vision of human. Architecture are also creating a place out of a space at the same time creating a space out of a place for human to dwell in. For example, architecture created a temple in a space for human to pray to the God whereas the space enclose inside serve as a space for God and human to communicate with.

In conclusion, architecture is a 'tool' or 'equipment' for human to realize or visualize the nature environment where these two elements rely to each other.

"The Concept of Place"

"The Concept of Place" is the topic for us to study and critique as this week tutorial's issue. There are so many argument being discuss in the essay from different view of different experts in their field, not just in psychologically but also in architecturally. Place, in my view, its mean to describe the human environment such as their house, cities and country which is somethings that we can see through our eye, its a physical things. From Edward Relph (1976: 30) "asserts that place has a physical form, i.e. landscape"(https://oa.doria.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/2804/033.html) and also "The concept of 'place' as approached by a strictly scientific manner could be reduced to a mere spatial concept. It would thus mean 'a location in space'" (https://oa.doria.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/2804/032.html).

In the essay there're been said that now we can lives in a more mobile life with some fantasy project such as Walking City by Ron Herron(1964) and the New Babylon by Dutch utopian Constant Nieuwenhuis which will maximize the human contact and interaction. They claimed that the essence of the city is not place but interaction. These mean that the importance in a place is the interaction between the people which stay inside it not the place which they live in. But in my view, as human, we need a stable place to live because human being are emotional where our frame of mind will alway change from time to time and it will affect our behavior. Human behavior is the population of behaviors exhibited by humans and influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics.According to Humanism, each human has a different behavior.(From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_behavior).

Next, how to we get to know place? In the essay saying that, as summarize from the

psychological view, human get to a place when they are in young age, which mean by

perception of image into their memory(conservation) and start to adapt new place through out life

experience. And, concept of space not just affected by human's behavior / actions, but its controlled

/ conquered by human action. I'm agree with this term / thesis because human are the decision

maker to a place by what he want / need and how he want the place to looking like because the

place he planned / arranged will affect his action in the place.

Another thing is the way people plan the place is not done randomly or in a casual way, its

has a pattern which work with it. Ya, this is right because when we plan something on to a place, we

will take the possibilities of movement into our consideration. For example, we divided living room

and bathroom into 2 different space because we do different activities in it.

From architectural view, in my opinion, place actually is a "tool" for an architect or planner to

put in a structure to modify / make it into a useful layout / environment. Nature of a place may

satisfy our needs but its still up to our creativity and intelligence to develop it further which make

it useful to us. Architectural are also make use of a place to divide it into certain part which

differentiate it into exterior and interior part of the place. This will be served as a guid to the user /

human who using the place.

In conclusion, a place needed an image-able structure which will offer the identities of the

place and its have to be a valid house, cities or country (a stable place) for us which give structure

to our place and make us to be citizen of the world.

"Minority Report"

At the beginning of the movie, to be honest i really don't know what the movie is about as those actors are speaking too fast for me(maybe its because the movie is shown without the subtitle below). The movie started in the world in year 2054 (wow! its over 40 years from now). A world with full of superb-advanced technology surrounded where there is a government department so called Pre-crime(I called it PCD in short) department lead by the Chief John Anderson. In simple, the duty of the department is to catch or to arrest any criminal before they start off any crime in the city. It something like prevent crime before the crime is really happened.

The most impressive part of the movie is when the agent from the PCD looking for John in the apartments he was hiding. They check whole civilians's identity in the particular apartment by using their little tiny insect like agents (actually its a insect like machine). The insect like machine agents are so clever where they even can find an alternative way to check anyone who try to run away just like what John did. The technology used/created in such a way so that human can fully depends on robot / machine to do work for us and make our life easier.

On the other hand, the unimpressive part of the movie when John find himself in the Pre-Crime incidents where he saw himself in the killing scene at the monitor. There is not clear explanation why and how he will be set up by his boss. This part make me confused.

The film happened in the years of 2054 where the technology are becoming so so advanced where people are fully rely on machine / robots in their life. The main plot of the movie is to take control of the future or in other word is to prevent any bad incident before its really happened, so its needed such superb-advanced world to do that. In my opinion, i think they are definitely fit in such a way.

Next, the intention of the movie is to show that we can decide our future and make decision in our life, not try to control our future by overstep God's job. If we intends to do so and sure we can make it. For me the message / intention is only partly successful in this movie where there are still need some improvement where the story should be better and clearer explanation.

Finally, i think movie like these surely have an impact of design thinking where we know that we need to work according to the steps rather than hoping that we will get a great design easily.

My Story

The last time i wrote about myself or my story is when i still in my primary school. So when i want to start writing it again, it really taken some of my time to think how i get it started.Okay, let get it started now.

My name is Pang King Siang, you can call me King Siang or in simple just Alan is enough. I'm from Segamat, Johor. I finished my Diploma in Tunku Abdul Rahman College(I've taken Diploma in Building Architecture) in 2008 and worked in Singapore for 13 months before i continue my studies in UCSI. During my childhood, i like to draw and coloring so much as my mum even send me to the drawing class every weekend when i was 13 years old.The moment i get interested in architecture design was when i having my secondary school trip to UPM where i have visited their architecture course(forgotten it is architecture / landscape course). During the trip, i was so admire with the student's work and designs.

The reason why i choose the architecture as my field is because i think that this is a field with the combination of art and design(i LOVE art and design). For me, architecture is a place where we can express our aspiration of art into the buildings design and it can last forever just like the 7 wonders around the world which are still standing even after thousand of years. Another reason why i choose architecture as my field after i finished my secondary school is because it was 1 of the most important/popular jobs in 10 years times.

My best experience in studying architecture is i can do the things i like, design, drawing and coloring. While the bad experiences in studying architecture is my original design keep rejected and change by lecturer and i have to do a lot of alteration for every final design assignment.My best habit throughout my studies is i like to share my idea to my friends even though lecturer alway say that we are competitors among ourself. But i'll be very happy if my idea is helpful. While the bad habits in my studies is the last minutes works where i often do and finish my assignment at last minutes sometimes i finished it by doing it overnight without sleeping.

Last but not least, what really keep me going with this(failed my design last semester)? hmm...i really come out with this before...i think it probably is my persistent to art and design which keep my on with it....and of course the money i borrowed from PTPTN and my mum keep me going on with it until i finish my degree as soon as possible. :P