Saturday, 11 December 2010

Finally, An Oppoturnity! Structural Design Inspiration

I finally have the chance to put a real stamp on a project in my hometown, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. It may be a small project, a gate entrance statement for KKIP, but it is nonetheless interesting due to the size of the monumental entrance. There would be 4 similar entrances which would be occupied by a dual carriageway with a median, hence the width could reach 30 metres. There is a need for it to become a focal point, a monument that is inviting and intruging for the new hub itself. It is exciting because I can practically do anything with it, but my aim is to design something that would hopefully influence the design around the city. The pictures gathered here are just some structural design featured in the World Archtiecture Festival for inspiration.

Selected projects from 2009

Entrance Square, Iran, Naqshyad Architect
This is a project that seems to fit most of the criteria, a literal entrance monument. This monument is designed as the symbol of harbors and seamanship and intends to convey a feeling of the sea elements without directly referring to any of them. A vivid contrast between the severity of metal structure and plasticity of the tensile structure displays an endless encounter which is emphasized in the collision of cycloid and straight lines in the monument structure.


Arena Zangreb, Croatia, UPI-2M [2009 Winner]
Mode-Gakuen Spiral Towers, Japan, Nikken Sekkei Ltd
Road Bridge, Netherland, OAK

Selected projects from 2010

AAMI Park, Australia, Cox Architects and Planners Buttressed Core Structural System for Burj Khalifa, UAE, Skidmore Kish Ladies Sea Coast Complex, Iran, Noandish Sakhteman Consulting Engineers Main Entrance Facade & Vestibule, Colchester UK, Rafael Vinoly Architects Mediacite Retail Centre, Liege Belgium, Ron Arad Architects

Monday, 6 December 2010

The Indicator: 101 Things I Didn't Learn in Architecture School


This list was uploaded in Archdaily and its a list I would like to share with everyone. It was written by Guy Horton and this list is strictly based on his expression alone, it is still none the less interesting. I highlighted some of the points cause I like them, its self preference.

1] Even if your boss is your friend he may have to axe you to save his business.

2] Read the book, On Bullshit, by Harry G. Frankfurt. Carry it with you. It’s pocket-sized.

3] Do not drink at work and especially do not get toasted around your colleagues under any circumstances.

4] No matter how highly you may think of yourself you may still be a minion in the eyes of others who hold more power than you.

5] Once you leave architecture school not everybody cares about architecture or wants to talk about it.

6] All eating habits and diets acquired during school should be jettisoned.

7] The hygiene habits you kept in architecture school are inappropriate for real life; bathe regularly and change your underwear.

8] The rush and exhilaration you experience in studio may be inversely proportional to how much you will enjoy working for a firm.

9] It’s architecture, not medicine. You can take a break and no one will die.

10] Significant others are more important than architecture; they are the ones who will pull you through in the end. See 49.

11] Being smart and having advanced degrees can make you a better designer.

12] The industry underpays. Push for what you are worth.

13] Mind your internet traffic at work unless you are certain your office does not have someone monitoring. Of course you should be working every minute, so this goes without saying.

14] Go home to your family.

15] Call your loved one’s frequently.

16] If you are working overtime, the firm buys dinner.*
*Contingent on office policies, of course.

17] Don’t keep a mayline screwed to your desk. They are not cool and they date you. The same goes for colored pencils.

18] Get the biggest monitor you can.

19] Do not, however, ask for two monitors. Even though it makes you look like a bad-ass you will be expected to do twice the amount of work.

20] Make sure team roles are clearly defined.

21] Know what your role is.

22] Be careful with emails. If in doubt, don’t send.

23] At times respect and civility seem to be scarce commodities in architecture.

24] Be cautious of “opportunities” that do not pay.

25] Sometimes the most critical person on your jury might actually be right.

26] Understand how your office is run as a business and how they go after projects.

27] It is best to keep your outside activities quiet.

28] Your boss reads your blog.

29] Pyromania, car soccer, and other antics you made up to amuse yourself at 3 am are not actually normal. See 49.

30] There are no architectural emergencies that should make you completely give up your life on the outside. That may have been the ethos in studio, but don’t carry it into the office.

31] Be suspicious if your firm expects you to work long hours of overtime for no compensation. Be doubly suspicious if they justify it by saying things like, “It’s just part of the learning curve” or “We had to go through this, too.”

32] If a police officer pulls you over on the freeway for doing 90 mph on a Sunday morning while heading into the office, it’s time to re-evaluate your priorities.

33] Know who the decision-makers are.

34] Don’t dress like an intern. See 72.

35] Read Dana Cuff’s Architecture: The Story of Practice.

36] Expect to be regarded with suspicion if your undergraduate degree is not in architecture.

37] Don’t be seduced by mere appearances.

38] If your firm is outsourcing work to save money, be concerned.

39] Architecture firms can have multiple glass ceilings. Be aware of them all.

40] If a principal of a firm sees making coffee or moving boxes as beneath him/her, consider looking for another office.

41] If a principal doesn’t say good morning when you say good morning to him/her, consider looking for another office.

42] When firms advertise themselves as think tanks or research labs, ask them specifically what it is that they do. And most importantly, make sure they pay. Well.

43] If you are invited to be on a jury, don’t trash the student just to make yourself look good or to contradict a rival on the jury. Be constructive and try to help the student. This is the point.

44] Subvert the signature of the software, unless you consciously want the architecture to convey this signature.

45] Architects are in a service industry. They provide services to clients.

46] In proportion to their pay, architects require the most education, most training, and the most exams to become licensed professionals.

47] Don’t be a Typhoid Mary. When sick, stay home.

48] Embrace the business-side of architecture.

49] If you are an architect you should automatically qualify for psychotherapy and medication. [LOLOLOL]

50] Most architects believe they were destined to become architects because of their early childhood experiences. They showed signs of architectural greatness at a very young age. This is a myth that reinforces an unhealthy hero complex. See 49.

51] Architecture in the academy is completely removed from the profession. Likewise, the values within the academy are radically different from the values within a firm.

52] Be cautious about applying theory to space.

53] Do not take design strategies or operations learned in studio too seriously.

54] Know the difference between architectural celebrity and actual worth.

55] Read books with words, not just pictures.

56] All firms are different. Shop.

57] To save time, assume your wife is right.

58] Do not date an architect unless you are certain he/she is able to maintain a healthy life outside of architecture. See 49. [LOLOLOL]

59] Architects should not intermarry. Inbreeding is not good for the gene pool. See 49.

60] If you are married when you go to architecture school, studio ends at 7:00.

61] Do not buy into the fashion of the moment and simply dismiss certain architects without examining them for yourself.

62] Architects who do not build things also have important things to say and should be listened to.

63] If your studio instructor is a recent graduate, be alarmed.

64] Do not obsess about sustainability to the exclusion of other factors.

65] Renderings done in China are so last year.

66] If you start a think tank make sure you have some thoughts to put in it.

67] Read Rem Koolhaas, but do not obsess and fantasize about being him. Delirious New York is still relevant.

68] Archi-babble does not make you sound cool.

69] Keep in touch with everyone you know, especially if they aren’t in architecture.

70] In fact, make friends who are not architects.

71] Do not wear the same shoes every day, They will start to smell.

72] Make sure your jeans are up-to-date. No acid-wash. No baggy.

73] The economically distressed urban zones you can afford while in school are not gentrified just because you and your friends have moved in.

74] If you must read Italo Calvino, read more than just Invisible Cities.

75] Expect a period of post-traumatic stress disorder after you graduate. Do not make any important decisions during this time. [Really? LOL I need a check up]

76] Don’t get a dog just because you are lonely.

77] Architecture is fueled by fetishes—rectilinear designer eyewear, for instance.

78] When trying to decide if a theory book is good, check the bibliography first.

79] Listen to your elders. They are wise.

80] FAIA can mean different things to different people.

81] If you already have a B.Arch, consider further education in a different field. Your M.Arch. can’t make a real contribution to the field if you’re just showing off software skills.

82] Always back up your hard drive.

83] Embrace social media, but don’t be its bitch. Only tweet/post when you have something important to say.

84] Architecture firms should consider forming economic alliances similar to OPEC.

85] Even if you don’t like the look of someone’s architecture they may have something valuable to teach you.

86] Great architecture, like great art, tends to arise from deep psychological issues. See 49.

87] The eighties and postmodernism were not all bad.

88] Being avant-garde is a choice that should be evaluated.

89] Architect’s web pages are often out of control and take too long to load.

90] In one’s life there are a finite number of all-nighters one can pull. You probably used them all up in school.

91] Understand the contexts from which modernism arose.

92] When the economy is good architects can rely on experience to run firms, but when the economy is bad they need advanced business skills they may not possess.

93] Architecture is dependent on boom and bust cycles.

94] Good design is not necessarily the most important factor in running a successful architecture firm.

95] Branding is important.

96] In a corporate firm, those at the top are not necessarily the best but they may have been there the longest.
97] Being good at software does not make you a good architect.

98] Architecture is cliquish.

99] Many architects do not live in houses designed by themselves or other architects.

100] Architecture office parking lots communicate success. There should be at least a couple high-end luxury cars. If there are a lot of beaters, be wary. If all cars are beaters, don’t go in.

101] Be concerned when you are too idle at work.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Indicator, a weekly column focusing on the culture, business and economics of architecture, is written by Guy Horton. The opinions expressed in The Indicator are Guy Horton’s alone and do not represent those of ArchDaily and it’s affiliates. Based in Los Angeles, he is a frequent contributor to Architectural Record, The Architect’s Newspaper and other publications. He also writes on architecture for The Huffington Post. Follow Guy on Twitter.

Tuesday, 23 November 2010

My visit to Prague

I went to Prague for the past few days to run away from the everyday chaos. It was smaller then I expected but nonetheless enjoyable and most of all, relaxing. I did find myself looking for architectural features, I know how building can be abit repetitive, but I am drawn to hierarchies, repetitions, seperations, etc in the form of things that sits around it like logs, alleyways and even pumpkin. I even manage to get a quick photo of the Dancing House which seems to sit alone by the riverside. I am going to start looking at competitions again, I know it is going to be tougher but that makes it even more challenging and fun. Here are some of the pictures I would like to share.

Monday, 15 November 2010

My passion for design still REIGNS within!

It is a time where recession is still hitting everyone everywhere, which includes me. I may not be working as a Part 2 Arch. Assistant, not because I stop, but to experience other opportunities which I may not ever experience next time. But the I am still involved with a design commision from back home which at least would not make my design skill go to rust. Anyways, desiging was becoming somewhat obsolete due to my current job until I saw the results for the World Architecture Festival, one of my favourite arch. firms, WOHA won the category for Completed Building Holiday, for Alila Villas Uluwatu which re-ignites my passion for design. For some reason, it reminded me of how much I used to like to create and present and make sure it gets recognised. Just had a quick look at my CV, its time to re-apply this bad boy.

Thursday, 15 July 2010

Pavilion Project - Final Sheet


This is the only perspective render view I did for this project. Enjoy.

Wednesday, 14 July 2010

Design and Presentation development

These are some of the picture renders I used for my final presentation sheet which will be uploaded soon. I have not uploaded the other renders because its I have forgotten to transfer it into my pendrive, as I am in the public library, the internet at home has been terrible. This is a competition called the Pavilion Project in Australia and the deadline is on the 16th.

Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Water as a Theme

Water as a design theme or a focal entity in a concept has been lingering in my head ever since I saw a design by WOHA for a underground train station in Singapore which they exhibit and won at the World Architecture Festival 2009, Barcelona. This theme was shortly forgotten due to my busy schedule for my thesis, but my interest has been triggered again after uploading my previous post, swimming 55 stories up.

Water seems to provide a certain tranquility that reflects and beautify a space with a very simplistic manner. The Infinity Pool at Alila Ubud (above) is an award winning pool, similar to the pool in Skypark, it also stretches towards the virgin jungle, sinking your senses with the surrounding.

This is a recent project design by WOHA, Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali. It is an exquisite eco-resort design and this beautifully designed complex straddles a striking white limestone cliff and an arid savanna on the tropical island’s arid Bukit Pennisula. The Alilas Villas resort is the first of its kind to achieve the highest level of certification for Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD) and is designed for the Green Globes GG21 standard. The take-your-breath-away beauty of the resort and its sensitive placement on the delicate landscape is enough to set one’s mind at ease.

I will be designing a garden for my parents so this would be a very inspirational precedent. Water theme design does not have to be limited to just resorts. It can be used as an interface between two spaces. WOHA and Steven Holl had similar approach on different type of spaces.

This is the Bras Basah MRT Station which help WOHA scooped building of the year in Barcelona and also a RIBA award. The water acts as a layering between the outside and underground, an interface yet the transparency creates a connection between spaces. It sits quietly like a public pond from ground level, but the water glass roof is a huge skylight for the underground.

Steven Holl carpark design is similar in concept, different in material and context. The concrete roof is holding up a much deeper pond situated in front of the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art.

Now, time to think of something more innovative, if only I could. <_<>

Sunday, 4 July 2010

Swimming In the Sky

Would't it be interesting to be able to swim 55 storeys up? You would be able to do so in the infinity pool at Skypark that tops the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. I remember looking at this project a few years ago of a perspective render on the interweb. The hotel itself did not do anything for me, but it was the horizontal deck on top that interlinks all 3 buildings together that intrigued my curiousity. Bold ideas like this gets people thinking and ponder. I hate heights but even this pool which is design to stretch towards the horizon, would give me the courage to sit at the edge and enjoy the wondrous panoramic cityscape view.



Monday, 28 June 2010

Design Concept - Pavilion Project

This is a competition to design a pavilion that will serve as an emergency shelter in areas that has been affected by natural disaster etc. We need to design a shelter that would be able to accomodate about 100m sq in size. The winner gets to see their prototype being build and exhibit in Australia in the next few months.

Yet again, simplicity is what I have in mind. But this time, I want to design a product. I do not want to just design an architectural structure, but a structure that is simple, adaptable and functional. It literally has the same principal as my Flexi Garden. Whether it will the interest needed is yet to be seen. I am doing this competition based on an impulse idea. I tried to developed it further, but I am not sure now if has become a reliant product. There is always that voice at the back of my head that says, it looks rubbish now.

The shelter was designed to be portable, easy to be dismantled and put up without any aid from another person. [1] It started with a plank of wood, then both ends is fitted with holes for screws to interlock 2 planks together. [2] The middle section of the timber is fitted with metal to provide resistance againts bending. The upper bit is fixed with rubber guard to create resistance when wood or coconut leaves etc are placed on it for roofing. Detailed explanation will shown soon. [3] The metal is designed as a truss to create even more strength and resistance. [4] A coloured version of number 3. [5] The holes on the side for number 4 are created with a 45 degree angle interval, but it was changed to 30 degree interval.

This is the initial perspective on how it might look like. What worries me is that it looks like a 'breadstick' shelter. The planks are connected on the side, creating a shelter with ease by screwing nuts and bolt up.

These 2 are just a quick variant development work. I was trying to extend the space to allow more accomodation.

[1] A shelter needs a steady foundation, hence the end plank is designed with a slight variant to its surface, a horizontal line cutting across its center to allow adjustment according to the landscape. [2] Showing the extra stability the end plank can provide. [3] As mention, I wanted to design this shelter pavilion as a product. In a group of 12, 10 normal planks with 2 end planks, it is easily carried around and its size can be judged with the feet by the product. With just 2 of these, a shelter can be build.

This is the next perspective view with the end plank supporting the structure. The end plank as you can see, can be bend or move horizontally to fit the situation. Obviously the joist is yet to be put on but it has been designed and will be uplaoded soon. The great thing about this, is that it can be extended as much as you like. It can be shaped in many ways but that would be shown next.