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Architectural Studio 3: Designing a Shrine

The objective of this task if for students to investigate the origins of belief systems and to analyse their impact and validity as a means of generating architectural concepts.

Buddhism & Hinduism Shrine

Design concept: -A believers belief on the journey of life. Ultimately, it is the journey to enlightenment

The slanted exterior wall would raise the awareness of how small we are in the presence of God. This feeling can be related to how someone would feel when visiting a Hindu temple and a Buddhist temple where there would be various Gods sitting on the façade of the structure looking down upon the worshippers. This is an interpretation for it to be more accepted to the public who may not be Buddhists or Hindus to actually approach the shrine to better understand it.

The interior being partly visible from certain angles due to the slits aims to raise the curiousity of the public to approach it. When walking around it, the overpowering shadows being casted upon those who walk around it would also be a call to both the Buddhist and Hindu worshipper to leave the worldly belongings to seek the truth to the enlightenment.

The journey towards the centre of the shrine may not be as pleasant due to these feelings, this build up on such emotions will only help to enhance the feeling of satisfaction once passed this claustrophobic alley and into the structure where one can finally see the full picture inside.

The repetition of square symbolizes the rhythm which represents the cycle of life- Reincarnation. Square becomes bigger and bigger- represent the level of awakening/ self realization.

Four sides represent

• Buddhism- four Noble Truths- Suffering, Karma, Rebirth, Nirvana
• Hinduism- "Brahmacharya", "Grihastha", "Vanaprastha", "Sannyasa"

Plan view: rippling effect symbolizes the development a compassionate heart to help all beings (a Mahayana belief which has been practiced mostly by Malaysian, NOT Theravada)

Vary in riser- becomes easier and easier to step up to the nirvana- such act of walking up steps with higher riser would require one to slightly tilt one's head down (bowing) – be humble before one sees the enlightenment

The stained glass at the middle of the inverted pyramid enables the public to experience being floating in the middle of structure where there the ground level represents the earthly life- what they do at this stage decides their afterlife (nirvana & hell)- KARMA

Harry Purwanto Tjoe

Saw Jia Jian

The V

The project brief was to design a museum of early education in Penang. The museum will house physical & gallery, mini café, library, and exhibition space. Penang’s early education history is a long process of growth and evolution. It has been through war, fire, and colonization. This long & exciting journey inspired my design to be evoluting, dramatic, and organic.

There are already museums around the area, and usually museum contents are deemed to be boring. Thus, the need of designing something fresh and attractive is crucial. The challenge was to create a uniquely attractive museum that provokes visitors to explore the space, enjoy the content of the museum, and discuss exciting issues.

The design approach is to confront the site, issue, and topic through antagonisms. The overall shape is going against Palladian & 1970s modern style buildings at the sides and confronting the usual formal take on the topic of 'Early Education'.


The facade is designed to be attractive and sustainable at the same time,
evoking visitors’ curiosity upon entering the building. The curvy horizontal emphasis along the facade serves as a dynamic yet elegant visual to the visitors. Inside, visitors will be greeted with exciting & organic spaces made of steps and angled columns, elegantly designed to be thoroughly explored.

Facade, floor plates, and support structure are designed with innovation and efficiency in mind by embedding a system in a system. By using this method, the design responds to the issue of building sustainability through the use of building technology advancement.


In this case, the museum design is being sensitive towards the site, issue, and topic when it's pushing boundaries through questions, discussions, and innovations.

Brian Novanto
Diploma - Design Studio 3

BRITISH PAVILION, SHANGHAI EXPO

The Seed Cathedral

Er... following extract sounds a bit like an agenda for the place of worship we're designing for Studio 3 Dip.

"Heatherwick Studio’s initial design strategy for the UK Pavilion established three aims to meet the FCO’s key expectation that the pavilion should become one of the five most popular attractions at the Expo.

The first aim was to design a pavilion whose architecture was a direct manifestation of what it was exhibiting.

The second idea was to ensure a significant area of open public space around it so visitors could relax and choose either to enter the pavilion building, or see it clearly from a calm, non-queuing vantage point.

And thirdly, it would be unique among the hundreds of other competing pavilions, events and programmes."

http://www.dezeen.com/2010/03/31/uk-pavilion-at-shanghai-expo-2010-by-thomas-heatherwick-2/ (accessed 6 Apr 2010, 1018pm)

YEAR OUT STINT

I have 6-month vacancies for ex-3rd Year and ex-2nd Year Architectural students from June 2010. Please email thegalitarianbody@live.com to express your interest. (Last chance, now: Everything changes next year.)

(Note: 2nd and 3rd Years = Dip and Degree levels.)

Ian Ng
Arkitek Inasreka
www.inasreka.com

TUTORIAL NOTES

My suggested 10 factors of Site Response were

Aspect

Orientation

Topography

Approach

Civic Space

Circulation Patterns

Degrees of Privacy

Morphology

Demeanor

Significance


Don't hesitate with your schemes--Just do it! They're all good--except for "ahem" who hasn't shown me anything to date.....


You'll be very short of time by Tuesday, so book your tutorial slots here, 20 mins each starting earlier, at 1300h. Block the list, insert your name and post here. Keep it running. (Insert ur email and name in chat box if you want to be added for posting.)

TUE 6 APRIL TUTORIALS
1300-1320 :
1320-1340 :
etc....

Pics: Ian Ng 2010, Wilson 2009
Rose Window, Our Lady of Lourdes, Klang
Top Light, One of 14 Stations, Our Lady of Lourdes, Klang
View from Gallery, Our Lady of Lourdes, Klang
Appreciating Study Models, Studio 3 Degree, July 2009 (Tutors: Ian Ng, Anand)

TUTORIAL NOTES

Dip Studio 3 (my unit) :

Yeah, it was a good show this afternoon. Pity about missing the two big Js, who were ill.

All schemes shown were workable and addressing the right, and good, design questions. None need be abandoned. Just got to take them further, examine all the further possibilities within the plans you've odi started. Some need to freak out--go wild, make your schemes more 'radical', try the untested--you know who you are. There's still time to do that.

For Thursday bring along a few scanned images of buildings that capture the sort of architectural quality you're after. Develop your scheme a bit more, whatever you can manage (which means a full set of plans, sections and quickie elevations) [Stacie, finish your model as well:) ] And be prepared to talk about how well your building fits onto your site.

Look forward!

this is the first post of mine..

hope can get lot of profit to improve in my next project

wait for all of the comment..

thx....

THE VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTRE(BROTHERS READ)

Hi hi my dear mr ian...hoho!!a big apologize for being so late.hehe.

My concept for this visitor centre is actually inspired by the floating ice pans in north pole and eventually to commemorate the brothers Reads for being the first Malaysian to trek to north pole. So,the design intention of the whole building is to create a ADVENTUROUS and JOYFUL feeling.

feel free to comment...have a nice day!!!!

Brothers Read Memorial Visitor Centre

this is my sem 3 project, i only post my portfolio and my presentation board, hope that the visual communication helps instead of a long 'grandma stories'. Feel free to comment!

what so special about my memorial visitor centre?
mine was the most powerful and boldest design for instance, elevated structure, framing the tugu negara, structure floating at mid air.

this is my first time post in a blog, forgive me if anything goes wrong.

SITI & OMA - A CLASSIC LOVE STORY

Just been informed by Keith that Siti & Oma, the lecture, is scheduled for both Dip Studio3 and Deg Studio3 on 11 March 2010 at 1200h. Venue to be confirmed.
All are welcome.

GRADUATION : DIP STUDIO 3 JAN 2009

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY STUDENTS OF STUDIO 3, JAN 2009! WELL DONE!

--ceremony at the KL Convention Center, Sun 31 Jan 2010

(pics courtesy of Ong Shien Chii, graduated with distinction. Kudos, Lad!)
(additional pics courtesy of Benny Dieh & Toby Toh)

THE ORANGE DOT

Dip Studio 3, it's the ORANGE DOT tomorrow 830h. Please do not be late.

Remember: 3 models each. Please arrange tables along walls and line up your models for exhibition.

COMPARATIVE RELIGION

Well...here we go again..the start of a new sem...
Welcome all Studio 3 dip students!

Hope the visits to the Islamic Center, Batu Cave Temple Complex, Glad Tidings Assembly of God and the Siamese Temple have got you energized and ready to go.

A fairly astute understanding of the similarities and differences between Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism is necessary for our projects this sem.

Section 3 of this lecture gives you a good kick start for your wider research:
http://www.actministry.org/edit/userfiles/Other_Faiths&Unevangelized_Dead.pDF

Happy Pondering!

Studio 3 Degree Final Review

PLEASE PIN UP BY 900H, TUE 1 DEC 2009 IN STUDIO 2 AND 3 ON LEVEL 8.

Depending on the wall space available you might have to take turns to pin up in batches.

All the Best!

DEGREE 3 PORTFOLIO

To your studio rep's inquiry about portfolio content:

Every piece of studio work that earned you some marks towards the total should be represented in your portfolio.

As to how much surface space you allocate to each piece, that is usually (and craftily) led by what makes the best impression. The whole folio should be a unified testimony to a learning, improving and creative mind.

Should look good la.

Design Studio 3 (Degree) Project 2c: Schedule of Accommodation

• washroom - 2 WC, 2 urinals, 2 basins (min for male)
• washroom - 3 WC, 3 basins (min for female)
• disabled washroom - 1 WC with 1 basin
• archive, library - resource room, air conditioned with internet
• cafe - include sitting, kitchen or yard
• theaterette - 25 seater min with air conditioning
• admin office
• gallery
• m&e room
• entrance/ foyer

TUTORIAL NOTES

Dip Studio 3, here are my notes on the forthcoming assessment criteria which we discussed yesterday.

CLARITY OF IDEAS (Basis & Resultant)

Taking your design intention to fruition with clear and convincing design outcomes

• Self consistency
• effectively and clearly communicated
• you have a right to your own opinion but do back it up logically

APPROPRIATENESS OF DESIGN TO (CORRELATE) FUNCTION & FORM (Rank 2)

"Form follows function follows form" (ian ng)

• usable by users -- "practical"
• buildable by builders -- "simple"

RICHNESS & ARTICULATION OF DESIGN (Rank 4)

• Phenomenology
• Poetics
• Sequencing of spaces
• Variety of spatial typologies
• Meaning (Why?)

RESPONSE & SUITABILITY TO URBAN CONTEXT (Rank 1)

• Site Response
• Neighborhood Response
• City Response
• National Response
• World Response

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF DESIGN (Rank 3)

• Structure and Construction (architectonics)
  
• Environmental Control (temperature, relative humidity, lighting, etc.)
  
• Fire Safety (crowds, means of escape, etc.)
  

DESIGN PREOCCUPATIONS - THE DISSERTATION

It's been madness this sem! Too much upheaval...barely time to breath.
The D is at word count 50,960. But that's draft.
pant~~

Maybe another 10,000 more..

ARCHITECTURE IS BASED ON FAILURE

.... yeah, someone once said that.

this post that came in the mail was just too good to pass by. For couples, actually, but you gotta do a bit of extrapolating.

by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

October 23

The Fear of Failure

1 Peter 4:8
Love covers a multitude of sins.

In an address to a nation divided by the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln underscored the need to persevere in spite of failure. He said, "I am not concerned that you have failed. I am concerned that you arise." The following excerpt, which appeared in an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal, also emphasizes this point:

You've failed many times although you may not remember. You fell the first time you tried to walk, didn't you? You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim. Did you hit the ball the first time you swung the bat? Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also struck out a lot. R. H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York caught on. English novelist John Cracey got 753 rejection slips before he published 564 books. Babe Ruth struck out 1330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs. Don't worry about failure. Worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try.

In a performance-oriented culture such as ours, failure belts us like a punch in the stomach. Repeated failure often results in a knockout blow, and many people give up altogether. As Comedian W. C. Fields once quipped, "If at first you don't succeed, then quit. There's no use in being a fool about it."

The problem is that a life with little failure is a life of little risk. This type of life may appear to offer safety and security, but it actually leads to guilt, boredom, further apathy and even lower feelings of self-esteem. God designed and commissioned us to be productive-many times that demands faith and risk.

Does your mate have the freedom to fail? Is he or she assured of your love-no matter what mistakes he or she makes? By slowly forging in your mate the freedom to fail, you'll help him or her become more open to change, more willing to take risks and more confident in decision making.

Prayer:

That God will give you enough faith to move beyond your fears and trust Him even in the midst of failure.

Discuss: Evaluate your own fear of failure. Are you a risk taker? Are decisions difficult? How would you evaluate your mate? What can you do to encourage him or her to move past fears?