From model to project

When we were designing the Sibu Heritage Centre, we divided the project up into several design packages: entry courtyard, the entrance 'funnel' structure, the ramp leading to the first floor, the interior exhibition, etc for several team members to undertake its design and execution. 

We had some difficulty starting the exhibition design, until someone remarked that the circular floor plan reminded her of a board game. This was especially apt as we are keen to conduct the movement of the museum visitors and sequence the display of the exhibits. We merged this idea with another which depicts the movement through Sibu's alleyways and lanes; ducking under canvas canopies and weaving in between street stalls and furniture.

The completed 'project' allowed the casual visitor to walk on the outside to gain cursory knowledge about the exhibition - reading the headlines so to speak. The interested parties such as these students would delve into 'alley-ways and lanes' to discover a more in-depth experience of Sibu's history. 

This project was completed in 2011

 

The Layers Unseen by Iain S. Thomas

 

There is magic even here, in gridlock, in loneliness, in too much work, in late nights gone on too long, in shopping trolleys with broken wheels, in boredom, in tax returns, the same magic that made a man write about a princess that slept until she was kissed, long golden hair draped over a balcony and fingers pricked with needles. There is magic even here, in potholes along back-country roads, in not having the right change (you pat your pockets), arriving late and missing the last train home, the same magic that caused a woman in France to think that God spoke to her, that made another sit down at the front of a bus and refuse to move, that lead a man to think that maybe the world wasn’t flat and the moon could be walked upon by human feet. There is magic. Even here. In office cubicles.

Ball point pens

A raggedly collection of pens - ARTLINE, BIC, DAISO value pack, pens from hotel rooms 

 When a friend asked what fancy pens I use to sketch to 'get those fine lines', I think he only half believed me when I told him that I use cheap ball point pens. Some were free as I always take the ones from hotel rooms. Ball point pens, and not gel pens - I can't get the subtle line weight changes with the gel pens. Ball pens ink gives me that feathering which I like when shading. 

I also like that they are cheap, because I tend to misplace my things. Another reason is that it is a good lesson to teach beginners in sketching that they do not need expensive equipment. 

This one is done with the Sunway Hotel pen, depending on the angle you can get different textures and line weights.

I draft with them as well, using the scale rule as a hard edge - you can get a surprisingly fine line with a ball point pen. The only disadvantage is that they don't work so well on butter or tracing paper. You need the Artline for that - those are cheap as well RM 2.40.

Architecture Education 1.1 Site Analysis

 

This is the first instalment of a series of articles based on our observations at design crits and workshops in local universities, written with the primary objective of promoting discourse amongst fellow architects (as employers) and the possible benefit to our student readers. The topics of our articles are loosely based on the sub-headings in the marking sheets.

SITE ANALYSIS

All students are required to conduct a site analysis when they receive their project brief. Sometimes this part of the assignment is carried out as group work, especially if the site is large or out of town. What we then see is that the task of preparing the analysis is divided into sections such as sun orientation, traffic, neighbouring built environment and so forth. Often these tasks are carried out by small groups and later re-compiled as part of the submission.

Therein lies the problem – that the students are doing the ‘site analysis’ are part of the submission because the school requires them to do so, so that marks can be given. Often this is just recording, without the analysis. The findings are not used as site forces to drive the brief nor mould the final outcome; the design scheme.

Note to students

It is important to take on the non-tangible aspects of a site as well as physical, this might be patterns of movement at different times of the day, its social history and the aspirations of the local population – this is especially true for life projects.  

 

When I. M. Pei was offered the commission to reconstruct the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1983, he made several secretive trips to Paris (without telling anyone in his firm). The purpose of these visits was for him to determine the feasibility of the reconstruction project, which called for the re-design of the museum (its entrance, especially) and the addition of exhibition space.

Initial design sketch of the Pyramid entrance. The dot to the left of the sketch is a folly; a smaller inverted pyramid with its apex in the underground lobby

He spent these trips walking the neighbourhoods near the site where he observed the movement of people especially in the main courtyard (Cour Napoleon). This may have resulted in the opening up of the gateway in the north so that people can walk through the court on their way to the Rue de Rivoli (and the Metro). Pei did this to allow the city to meld with the realm of the museum; creating a crossroads of culture and public life.

 

Pei's solution was to place the new entrance in the gravel-filled Cour Napoléon, an exterior courtyard enclosed by the museum’s existing buildings

Pei also understood that the enclosing wings of the Louvre were built gradually over time and that the new Louvre Pyramid would be a continuation of the Museum’s rich history. This may have resulted in his decision to sink that entire visitors’ lobby under forecourt; an act of subservience perhaps. And though the pyramid is an imposing form, its sloping sides built in glass obscured very little of the existing buildings around the main court. In fact, the pyramid’s sloping sides offer a perfect frame to view the French Renaissance facades from lobby below.

Pei's solution was to place the new entrance in the gravel-filled Cour Napoléon, an exterior courtyard enclosed by the museum’s existing buildings

These are just a two of the site forces in play – one which is physical with the full weight of history while the other is transient like the echo of footsteps on a stone floor. Both were used to reinforce the narrative of the final design – together with many others too varied to list here.

 Note to students: Watch I.M. Pei in ‘First Person Singular’. 

http://architectuul.com/architecture/view_image/louvre-pyramid/9355

https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/architecture/louvre-pyramid.htm

 Closer to home, DNA’s Masijd Wan Alwi is a good local example of how several site forces shaped and placed the buildings and spaces within the mosque complex.

·        The Kiblat determined the orientation of the prayer hall

·        A grove of existing trees meant siting the buildings away from the street, giving the prayer hall a planted forecourt.

·        The alignment of the street provided the angle for the enclosing garden wall

·        An existing surau (converted into a new Tadika) was the starting point of the wall, and decided the areas for male and female ablutions.

·        The river in front of the prayer hall reminded us to raise the building on stilts so that breezes will ventilate the internal spaces.

 Note to students: When all the site forces line up in support of the scheme, it becomes very hard to dislodge the arrangement and positioning of the buildings and spaces. This is very important during design crit when tutors question the rationale behind your design, likewise for architects when clients need reassurance on the ‘ideal’ site layout plan. 

Masjid Wan Alwi as seen from the road.

Schools can guide students in this area of design by looking at prominent buildings, complexes and cities and try to de-construct the thinking behind its placement, orientation and its form. This is a  good event that can take place at the beginning of the semester, as an eye-opener for the uninitiated and a refresher for the uninspired.

Students must visit the site at different times of the day, and spend some time there to take notes instead of photographs. Sketching cross sections of streets is a good way of recording the terrain, changes in levels and sight lines.  If it is a site in an unfamiliar city or town, talk to the locals and ask them questions – what do people there do on the weekends? what is a favourite pastime?

Liu Jian Kun, the architect for Chengdu’s West Village said this of the locals – if there is one thing that the locals enjoy more than drinking tea and chatting with friends, it is drinking tea and chatting with friends in the shade of tall bamboo. The resulting project left much of the street untouched and extended their reach overhead in a series of looped paths, ramps and steps prolonging the journey and increasing the opportunities of meeting friends.

 

To conclude, the site analysis must be carried out as a research project, to seek catalysts that would trigger the onset of the design process, and be constantly reminded that some of the strongest site forces are unseen. Like a person, one needs to spend time with the site to know it, and preferably on your own, not in a group.

A Teochew (architects’) love poem

I wrote this for fun, Mingi/Suchee used it as their design statement for an interior design awards entry; of their new flat at MJC in 2006.

TOGETHER-NEST
- a Teochew architects’ love poem
(inspired by actual events)

Two architects, a Mr. and Mrs.
Needed their own space(s)
With Not much cash, decided to renovate
Dad’s old flat.

In one of Kuching’s new “townships”
9 across and 9 metres deep.
Three storeys up,
And not much “meat”.

“There are no walls between us” he declared;
An open plan layout it is.
There shall be no walls between us, she agreed
A one room home is bliss.

So the living room is the bedroom
which is the study, and a place to read.
Except when time to eat,
Then the futon is rolled up before the sushi is.

One big space,
plus one more for the cook.
Materials used found, bought
Given or sought.

The ambience was of memories and dreams
Only yesterday it seemed;
on school benches they met
much like those recreated

The cement screed finish and the “curtain” wall
was a design choice,
though the banker
did make some noise….

Much like teochew porridge,
it’s not for the rich.
it’s an expanse of screed; with a touch of timber
where you sit your arse down for dinner.

Design does matter, to eradicate clutter
So the walls have pockets.
Much less of a mess; promoting
….to-get-her-ness

Architecture is serious business
if you are rich, the solutions are endless.
Much better if you are poor
because less IS more.


Min - 2006

Detail therapy

We have so many responsibilities throughout the day, the week that some times we spend too much time trying to decide what to do first and next. And that's before we decide between work and home related projects.

To be efficient, I tell my colleagues and students to do the one that takes the shortest time first - make that phone call, write that Instruction and so forth before settling in to the longer and more unpredictable (time-wise) task of developing a design scheme for example.

But human nature does not always work like that, we delay making the phone call; perhaps the person at the other is unpleasant and difficult to talk to, perhaps making the call brings on an avalanche of more unpleasant duties. Perhaps we just don't feel ready to make that call.
On some days, I simply do what I feel I'd enjoy most doing; damn the deadlines, ignore the urgent questions from site (I'll make sure to issue the details in a 'timely' manner) - I'll spend a day of self therapy and focus on the details of one thing only.

One day and one whole cutting blade later, I was tired but felt refreshed, starting to feel bored yet rewarded. Take some photos to record the day's work for this blog.

Time to make that phone call.

The (incomplete) tenets of Architecture in the Tropics

High Court Building, Chandigarh. Photo courtesy of Ar. Chai Si Yong.

This is part of a series of articles written for the architect's newsletter in Sarawak. (PAMSC)

Ever since visiting India with PAMSC, I have wanted to put this on paper – as a reminder to myself which I can share and build from. In India, I was reminded of the work of people such as Laurie Baker, Jane Drew (who worked with Le Corbusier in Chandigarh) and Maxwell Fry. These architects drew from their experience of building in India and published many books which have become prescribed reading for architecture in the tropics. Many of us were familiar with their books and lessons during our university education, but seem to have forgotten them in our actual built work.

In four consecutive articles under the broad headings of Shade, Permeability, Thresholds and Materiality – this is an attempt to refresh our collective memories. 

Hopefully, as we progress we will come up with more headings and examples. Many of the tenets deal with the climate, but they are the most effective when melded with aspects of local culture and lifestyle. In this article, we see the significance of the ‘threshold’ in tropical buildings.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the ‘threshold’ as “the floor of an entrance to a building or room” while the Longman Dictionary has this definition - "the level at which something starts to happen or have an effect" and "at the beginning of a new and important event or development.” 

It is also written in ancient Chinese folklore that a high threshold (門檻)can prevent a zombie (僵尸) from entering the house. (Chinese Doorway) Photo courtesy of Mary Leonard.

These common definitions regard the threshold as a separation or connection element located between different spaces. In architecture however, it takes on physical, psychological, emotional, social and cultural meanings.

In its first and simplest form, it represents the physical boundary between the inside and outside - as part of the door construction; with a hole in the centre for a shot bolt, with a physical divider to change from one floor material to another, or a step to emphasise the act of crossing over.

Part of a ritual to remind us to adjust our tone and temper our behaviour.

In local cultures, this is often where we take off our shoes to enter the house, crossing the public realm into the private. In the traditional Malay house, there is sometimes an earthen pot of water with a scoop for washing our feet before climbing the steps to the ‘anjung’ or entry verandah. It can be seen as part of a ritual to remind us that we are entering into another sanctum - that we should adjust our tone and temper our behaviour. More poetic than a door mat. Some believe that thresholds have protective powers against unwanted visitors.

The door left ajar extends the function and meaning of the threshold.

And there is more to it - consider the door swinging into a room; whether the door opens into the room or facing the adjacent wall determines the level of privacy for the person inside the room. The door left ajar extends the function and meaning of the threshold. It maintains connectivity with the space and people outside the room while retaining a level of privacy – for naps on warm tropical afternoons when the door is left ajar for breezes to enter.

The 5-foot way can be seen as a soft and permeable border between two realms; the street and the shop. Photo courtesy of Jerome Lim.

The threshold as a planning element is more common than we think – the five-foot way is designed as a thoroughfare if one were to regard the entire street. But from the point of view of the individual shop, it is can be seen as a soft (and permeable) border between two realms - the street (public) and the shop (private). It can take on different functions depending on the time of the day and/or business. Often these devices are enlarged to suit the scale and type of the building it serves; becoming a forecourt which functions also as preparatory space for the task to come – allowing time for the visitor to prepare.

The tree court in the front of the Masjid is one of the thresholds between the street and the prayer hall – a quiet space and shade from the trees in preparation for prayer. (Masjid Wan Alwi).

Successful thresholds for buildings in the tropics are the interstitial space between the outside and the inside, designed specifically for our climate - for the eyes to adjust to the light, for perspiration to evaporate slightly or to put away our umbrellas before entering the building. This can be in the form of a naturally ventilated lobby or a shaded verandah such as the ‘serambi’ of a Malay House.

Thresholds into public buildings can be used for social and community facilities. (Sibu Heritage Centre)

Often these thresholds serve as spaces for social and communal activities - successful for this purpose because of their organic nature, they are less formal thus encouraging interaction. They give the notion of ‘colonising’ an auxiliary space to extend the meaning and function of the original space. This blurring of boundaries is an important aspect of tropical design as it allows a flexible interpretation of space depending on the time of day, the weather and the activity itself. It invites nature into the built environment.

Perhaps the designers of our public buildings need to adopt this manner of thinking more stringently, and to remember that the threshold between the inside and outside, between work and community, between heat and comfort, between public and private is NOT defined by 12mm of tempered glass. 

The street is invited into the building; making it a lobby, a forecourt, a thoroughfare and public space. (Hong Kong Shanghai Bank – photo courtesy of Fosters and Partners)

They must remember that its relationship with the street and the public will be enhanced by the quality of its threshold - it must be accessible to the public, it must say something about the space they are about to enter, and because we are in the tropics, it must have shade.

And this is the topic of our next conversation.

Discovering Delight

Ramp access at welfare building

Stairs in a private residence

This is a recent effort to feature local design talent and to gather potential projects for our local architect's newsletter. We asked for one photo, a caption and a tidbit of information about the designer, with the aim of promoting the designer rather than the practice.

Post MCO, we felt that there was a need to raise the collective spirit of our architecture community, I started by contacting several former interns for their projects. I felt that the concise format would attract the young uns, but news travels quickly in small town and soon there were offering from older designers and architects, so we had to change the name of the article.

I think Discovering Delight is a much better title as it defines one of the criteria for a project to be put forward By the end of two weeks, there were 20 submissions of varying scales, typology and interest. All of them were included in the article, which comes out in mid-July.

This is a preview.

Private residence

Sean tells me that the jumpers from from the client's team and the builder was the photographer.

Private residence

I think this is a showroom

Upgrading of a retail outlet

Facade treatment of a warehouse factory

Sunscreens of a showroom

Ramp access in a welfare building

A sun room

Green wall for a toilet

Children playground in an apartment building

A reading room

A handmade stool

Verandah kitchen

Fashion boutique

University faculty meeting room

A palm civet who occupies the designer roof garden

A handmade kitchen extension