Marking George Town

Window to the Past

The proposed George Town marker design was inspired by the traditional ‘5-Foot Way’ that functions very efficiently as urban connectors as well as public spaces. The idea is to use these arches as guiding apparatus to lead visitors to places of interests and framing major landmarks at the same time. The form of the arches was inspired by the ‘Cloud-Shaped’ openings that can be easily found on most of the façade of George Town’s shop houses.

Aesthetically Functional:
The intention is to not only consider the proposed design as merely markers but as urban sculptures as well. They are however ‘practical’ sculptures as they also double up as public furnitures to complement that state’s initiatives in making George Town a livable city. While fulfilling the function of markers and public amenities, these sculptures would also ensure that the existing heritage buildings remain as they are without any intervention onto their building fabric. Their external outlook would enhance the character of the buildings and streetscapes where they are located.

Flexibility:
By constructing the arches in 5 different sections for a single standard unit, the sculpture could be rearranged and twisted as situation requires. In addition, 2 standard units could be combined to form a larger unit at more spacious locations pointing at several landmarks in opposing directions at the same time. The ‘Cloud-Shaped’ arches which will be made of steel could be easily dismantled and relocated to elsewhere whenever such situation arises.

Colours:
The proposed markers come in several colours depending on where they are located. Their colours will follow the nearest landmark which they are located. For example, the colour of the arches will be blue when the marker is located near Cheong Fatt Tze mansion and white if placed in front of St. Georges Church.

With its distinctive colours and unique form that are inspired by the aesthetics of historic George Town, the proposed Window to the Past marker/sculpture would definitely enhance and add to the rich architectural quality of this World Heritage City.

Ko-Fu Zen

A Sad Day for Design Education

This morning the students and I sending off Ellison back to the US. He has been teaching design in Malaysia for more than a decade. This time around he won't be back for at least another 8 years. It is a loss to the education industry here in Penang at a time when it is so difficult to find dedicated and committed lecturers. The government has been talking about 'brain drain' of our human resource to foreign countries; today I witness this situation first hand. There are a lot of good and talented people in Penang but if the industry as a whole does not know how to treasure and reward them, more people are going to move elsewhere seeking better working environment.

At a time when most advanced countries are competing against each other for highly qualified people, isn't it time for Malaysia to be more serious in retaining existing talents and attracting new ones?

Power of Architecture - Temples of Angkor

Sunrise at Angkor Wat - The tranquility of the pond in front reflected and enhanced the serenity of this great building.

One would wonder how a building constructed more than 900 years ago could attract so much attention. People came from all corners of the world to witness this spectacular creation by the ancient Khmer civilization. This ancient masterpiece has successfully helped to kicked start the Cambodian economy and helping the livelihood of its citizens. Here, we witness the influence of architecture in fulfilling a noble social obligation which is much bigger than itself.

First light revealed the architectural details on the facade.

Portal to space beyond.

Staircase to Heaven - by making the ascend steep, verticality of the architecture is exagerrated; one constantly find him/herself looking up towards the sky.

Delicately done carvings on the walls depicting the Apsara dancers.

South Gate of Angkor Thom

Dramatic perspective.

The smiling faces of Bayon

All the steps leading up to the temples were very steep comparing to our modern day standard. I speculate on three possible reasons why it was done that way:

1) To exagerrate the grandiour of the building and the divinity of the king and gods by making its visitors humble; one has to physically climb and crawl up to reach the top.

2) By making the riser higher than they should be, verticality of the building could be emphasised to give the building a much taller impression.

3) To speed up contruction by having lesser steps reaching the top.

Architecture as mountains.

Face to face with an ancient civilization.

Architecture and Nature as One.

The framing of different volumetric spaces gives rise to the dramatic effect of the progression into the temple.

Wonderful architectural journey...........

Henderson Wave

Open spaces are scarce in a compact city of 4.99 million people. Shopping malls are still the prefered public spaces for people to hangout after work or during weekend. But the trend is definitely changing. In line with global warming threat as well as green movement all across the globe, people are more conscious about healthy lifestyle. And the healthier way of living is not working out 2 hours a day in an air-conditioned gym; but to go back to basic and being 'embraced' by nature.

In a city where land is as precious as gold, creative thinking is put to good use in coming up with ideas to provide better living environment. Henderson Wave was the result of such creative approach. Perched at 36 metres above Henderson Road, the 274 metres long and 8 metres wide 'sculpture' is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. It was built to link Mount Faber to Telok Blangah Hill. By bridging the 2 hills, it provide an unprecedented opportunity for the residents of Singapore to have a much bigger green lung within their city. Its function however is not merely establishing linkages; but creating a new public domain at the same time. The bridge itself is a popular weekend hangout area for many.

To call it a pedestrian bridge is an understatement. Henderson Wave is a perfect example of the integration of ART, SCIENCE and NATURE to serve a noble social agenda!

Modernism

At the beginning of the 20th century, inspired by the aspiration of Industrial Revolution and agitated by the destruction of World War I to create a better future, a group of architects initiated the Modern Movement. With the arrival of the Machine Age then, standardization was made possible. This mass production approach not only benefitted the auto industry but architecture as well. Architects realized that they could rebuilt their medieval cities into a thriving modern metropolis with the help of the technology of the day in an unprecendented speed. Le Corbusier envisaged the modern city as consists of high-rises organized in an orderly fashion. Thoroughfares would be straight and well connected. Residential floor plates would be stacked one on top of another. The buildings would be standardized as to achieve a consistant order in the scheme.

This idea of urban design has indeed survived today and most notably in Singapore. With about 80% of its population living in government initiated public housing, it makes sense to utilize the modernists' approach in making the dream of house ownership a reality. Hence the creation of the more commonly know HDB (Housing Development Board) Flats all over the island. Mass production and standardizatoin serve this objectives well which is to provide affordable housing to its people at an efficient pace. Most parts of a single unit are precast off-site in order to reduce wastage as well as speed up construction.

In implementing this approach, building design has to comply strictly with HDB's guidelines. Drastic modification from the prescribed floor plans are not encouraged. As a result, the buildings ended up very similar to each other and not much individual characteristics in them. The only ways to identify the block you are staying are through Block Number and sometime the color scheme on the wall. There are some variations on the facade but mostly not substantial. This certainly gives rise to problems pertaining to identity of place. With no significant natural features such as hills and water to define a place, these mass-produced buildings lack unique identity to create a recognizable 'place'.

Howeve, HDB housing is a success story in that it makes house ownership easier to be achieved. Consequently, there is no slum in Singapore. Many countries have tried to emulate its success to achieve their own social agenda. In terms of practicality, it has achieved its objectives. Its downside lies in its failure in 'place making' which will give the city a unique identity to its inhabitants as well as an admiration to visitors.

358 Days in Singapore

The original objective of coming to Singapore for 9 months has been met, in fact has been exceeded by 3 months! It was indeed a valuable lesson to experience first hand the difference between Singapore and Malaysia. Singapore has shown that how good management can propel us to greater heights against all odds. It is a slight culture shock to see different races mingle together in a truly harmonious way in Singapore; something which the Malaysian politicians have been preaching all along but no action whatsoever. All the answers to Malaysia's problem could be found in Singapore if the government is humble enough as to recognize it. I have long try to refrain myself from talking politics in my blog but I just can't help to notice how far behind Malaysia is in terms of nation building. It is no point having the highest twin towers in the world when the fundamental social structure is still in the same condition before independence; or even has deteriorated.

Some might ask, can we change it? Malaysia celebrated its 52nd National Day recently, we are 52 years old already! Middle age crisis has sink in and yet it is still in a mess. My personal opinion is change will happen, but unfortunately will not be in my lifetime...............

Migration is the logical answer for now.

350 Days in Singapore

Time flies, today is my 350th day working in Singapore. The time now is 6:05am.

Singapore is a vibrant city with a sustainable economy. Comparing it to Penang, it is easier to do business here. Everywhere you go, there are people. Together with an efficient public transport system, people can be moved from place to place in a breeze. This fast flowing pattern of people is the ingredient for a fast progressing economy. And the government never feel contented at what their country has achieved so far, they continuously coming out with ideas on how to further raise the living standard of its citizen. This is indeed the most obvious contrast I found when compare to my country Malaysia where politicians are more concern with securing their ruling power.

For career development, Singapore is a much better place to consider due to its more systematic and advance way of doing things. But for living I still consider Malaysia home because of its flexibility and less intense way of life. Well, it is never easy to get the best of both worlds.

Sacrifices have to be made somehow.

Penang Hokkien

I recently came across a wonderful site while surfing the net. For a long time I've thought that Penang as a place and its culture is very unique in that what we have here could not be found elsewhere. For example, it doesn't matter how many Penang restaurants you could find at foreign countries, the taste will never be the same as what you can find on this wonderful island.

Cuisine aside, the next most noticeable characteristics of being a Penangite is our spoken dialect. Our Hokkien is one of its kind since it is very different from those spoken in Singapore, Taiwan and China. Years ago someone told me that when we speak Hokkien, it sounded like music to him. I took it as a compliment.

I strongly recommend this website to those who wish to experience Penang Hokkien and those who stay overseas but wish that you are here on the island.

By the way, if you want to have a good laugh, do listen to its podcast also:

http://penanghokkien.com/

Making Waves

Old House Cafe, George Town

Retracing Memory Lane

Went back for a one day presentation session at KDU on 9th july 2009. Managed to catch up with a few old friends and students along the way. The college environment is more vibrant now especially with all the display at the foyer. As for the fourth floor, only a few familiar faces, the rest were new students to me. I enjoyed the presentation whole day long, it reminded me of those teaching days again.

However, towards the end of the day when people start going home and the gallery became quieter and deserted, a kind of sadness enveloped me. In retrospect, our team has put in tremendous effort building up the school to its current status but we would have to leave it behind in the end due to certain circumstances. Over the years we have established emotional connection to the place where we educate and share our experience with students to the best of our ability. We once had burning desire to grow the school and everyone working towards the same vision and goal. It was indeed a memorable period in my career.

The day-long rain on Saturday reflected my mood and it further dampen my spirit at the same time. I guess that's the way things go, nothing is constant in this world and we will just have to learn to adapt to changes as they come along.

I sincerely wish everyone (lecturers and students) success in their future endeavours.

2nd Anniversary @ Minori Restaurant, Singapore

We celebrated our 2nd Anniversary in a simple manner at this Japanese restaurant at UE Square, Dhoby Ghaut. Atmosphere was good, not that crowded (which is a rare scene in Singapore) and the food was good. The only downside was that the salmon wasn't that fresh. Other than that, everything else was perfect!

A Humble Suggestion to CM

Ideas on Penang Development - Creative City‏
From:
Cheng Keat Tan (tanckeat@hotmail.com)
Sent:
Wednesday, 17 Jun, 2009 1: 34 AM
To:
Lim Guan Eng (limguaneng@penang.gov.my)

Dear Chief Minister,

I'm writing this email in response to your call recently for ideas in developing Penang. Here are some of my thoughts:

Signature Community
A plot of land could be identified for a substantial housing scheme and invite renowned architects from all over the world as well as Malaysia to each design a single house on the land. It has been proven that architecture has tremendous potential in attracting tourist dollars. The obvious example is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao designed by American architect Frank Gehry. Bilbao was a dying old industrial town until this building comes along, and it is now a must visit location for those who visits Spain. However, there must be something special in order to attract these architects to come to Penang. One way of course is if the buildings are really huge which I think Penang doesn't really need that now, another way is if the scheme could contribute to greater cause such as environmental protection. Architects could be asked to build affordable and yet environmentally friendly future houses for the lower income group in this country.

Transport Around George Town
George Town is unique in the sense that we have the most collection of heritage buildings within an intact urban fabric. However, it is exactly because of its scale that people find it hard to visit all the places that they wish. With our hot and humid climate together with the absence of proper pedestrian walkways, visitors will soon find it inconvenient and uncomfortable. A tram system has been proposed by an Australian a few years back to the then Gerakan government but somehow they thought that it was not viable. I can't understand why, maybe because they had no confident in securing funding from Federal. But if we want people to move back and stay in George Town which has no parking facility, then the tram has to be seriously considered. Once the tram is in, then cars could be banned from entering most parts of George Town and the entire area could be pedestrianised. A lot of small European towns operate in this way.

Connectivity
Penang is an island surrounded by sea but we have yet to fully utilise this natural gift that we have. Water transport has to be seriously looked into to solve the traffic congestion problem. A few nodes could be identified in several key locations and integrated jetties be built. This jetty will have to be like the MRT stations in Singapore where they also function as community and commercial nodes. If they are just built as a jetties, then it will not be popular with commuters. It is very obvious that federal funding again is an issue here if not the previous governemnt would have done it already. But they should rope in the private sector. And now with your open tender initiatives, I'm sure a lot of developers would like to participate. Penang has got a number of capable private sectors. But these people will want to see the benefit that they can get in return before they pour in their investment. I suggest the government allow them to reclaim land off the sea and build their integrated jetty/commercial hub there. In that way if the water taxi business does not earn money due to operating cost, they still have their commercial property functioning. Commuters could moved from place to place without the hassle of traffic jam while enjoying the beautiful coastline of the island.

Creative City
Penang has always produced good artists and designers. It could be due to the picturesque environment that we live in. The sad things is most creative people have ventured out of Penang to seek a livelihood. Major reason is that there are lack of career opportunity in the creative industry. The industry is not highly regarded by the authority as well as the public. There are now 3 major art schools in Penang, namely USM, KDU and Equator. The One Academy will soon open its campus opposite KDU. It is a very competitive business in the education industry. All these colleges wanted to showcase their students work to the public so that they can attract a bigger enrolment in the coming semester. And this is where they can contribute. There are a lot of left-over spaces along the edges of higway as well as roundabout. Public sculptures could be built in these places and it will indeed be great if they were designed by students from these colleges. You will be surprised to find very creative art work from these young people. We all want Penang to be a global city but there has to be a theme. And I believe Penang could be turned into a creative global city.

Richard Florida in his book 'The Rise of the Creative Class' has showed us that sustainable cities are those that could attract lots of creative people to work there. In order to attract these people, variety of amenities also have to be provided such as entertainment, recreation and transport. These people are highly emphasize on lifestyle as oppose to living. Singapore has long recognized this trend and that is why the city state has intensively boosted its entertaintment amenities, the largest of all being the 2 casinos that are under construction. They were called integrated resorts because it is not just gaming places, there are theme parks, retails, galleries and exhibition places.

This is what I can think of in this point in time but I still have a lot on my mind, just that I haven't digested it yet. If you don't mind, I shall email to you again on new ideas.

Best regards,
CK

Desire to Win

They are fired up and they want more. Those who won competition must have this feeling every time they successfully beat the rest to climb to the top. Now that they have tasted the sweetness of victory, they must not stop but keep competing even after they leave college. Winning competition is the guaranteed way to gain recognition in the design industry.

George Lam Genting Concert 25th April 2009

Kiasu-ism

It is a well known fact that Singaporean are very ‘kiasu’ people. ‘Kiasu’ literally means afraid to lose in Hokkien. This type of behavior can be easily witnessed especially in crowded areas. Once I was on board of the MRT train, it then stopped at an interchange where all the passengers were required to alight the train, walked across the platform and board another train to continue their journey. There was a family standing beside me, father, mother and a son. As soon as the train stopped, the father commanded his son to quickly ran towards the other train and ‘grab’ the seats. He himself also rushed across the platform. I could easily see from where I stood that there were still lots of empty seats available, there was no need to rush at all. That day, the ‘kiasu’ legacy has been successfully passed on from father to son, generation to generation. I’m sure this young kid will behave exactly like his father when he has his own family in the future.

The Root of the Problem
However, the MRT is not the reason why Singaporean become a ‘kiasu’ species. The cause of this behavior can be traced back to 1965 when Singapore was asked to leave the Federation of Malaysia. A small island without any resources, its leaders were very concerned about Singapore future. Without Malaysia as its hinterland, how could it possibly survive and prosper. The feeling of insecurity was definitely there. Forced in such a desperate situation, Singapore struggled to be first to grab foreign investment to develop its economy. This was the mood then and one might asks why does Singaporeans still feel insecure when their country has become so prosperous today. Surprisingly, the sense of insecurity is still there. From time to time, their leaders have reminded their citizen that if Singapore fails, no one in the region would ever lend a helping hand to support it. They are reminded that Singapore is a First World Oasis surrounded by Third World Countries (that include Malaysia as well).

The Relevance
Although Malaysian are not famous for kiasu-ism, I can see similarities in our education industry. Private colleges and universities are fighting each other for a very small pool of resources (i.e. students). Every institution wants to be the first to launch a new program, give attractive scholarship and other promises. Everyone seems to be doing the same thing at the same time. These marketing activities have taken up a lot of the academics’ time and effort at the expense of quality in education.

In terms of priority, there are three ways in my view which must be done in order to attract students:
· Retain passionate lecturers
· Set strict marking scheme
· Motivate students by means of awards (without any imposed conditions)

These approach may not yield result in the short term, but will definitely raise the standard of the programs. In the long run, it will attract not only students but committed lecturers as well.

Passion in Education

Most people work to earn a living. What keeps them going is the idea that they are going to receive their pay cheque at the end of the month. But this is not the case with the lecturers in KDU Design School. All of them work for the love of education. They put in extra hours even after classes have finished in preparing more teaching materials for their students. They went down to the ground whenever there was a competition to support the students even though it was held on weekend. Simply put, they are passionate in what they do.

I was told that the students in private colleges in Singapore are not as lucky as those in Malaysia. Students dare not complain even though they not happy with the lecturers or the school. And the lecturers usually give nasty comments, sometimes even personal attacks. How I wish this is the case for Penang.

Design lecturers are indeed the gems of KDU and they deserve all the respect.

KDU Design School

I've held up this posting for quite some time now. The major reason is I was waiting for miracle to happen. And if the management did the right thing, then there is no need for this posting anymore. Unfortunately, the contrary appears to be the case. However, I'm not going to elaborate on what went wrong in this posting, rather I would like to highlight some of the things that we did right in the past.

Name of School
There were many names being proposed for our department, first we were parked under CPAC together with Mass Comm Department, then we went our separate way and was called Instituto di Design (a name that was proposed by PJ people which I didn't quite agree). The Italian name was inappropriate because we are a Malaysian art school and should project the asian image. At one time I was proposing George Town School of Design. This was the time when George Town was not yet being enlisted as World Heritage Site. I knew that the name will have big impact in the future anticipating the approval from UNESCO. However for whatever reason, the top management in particular Dr. Chia just kept silent about the proposal as if nothing has ever mentioned (by the way she was the one who suggested that our school needed a new name). In the end, I just liked to call it Design Department and it appeared under my name whenever I sent out emails to coworkers or university partners.

4th Floor
But this posting is not about the school's name either. What I want to mention here are some of the spirit that most of us possessed in the past that have made this young school a force to be reckoned with in the education industry. This takes me back to November 2005 when I first stepped into KDU for an interview. I was interviewed by Dr. Tan Toh Wah and Mark Stephen Felix. I was then taken to a tour at 4th Floor - the site of the future design school. I have to clarify that the department already exist at that time, just that it was still attached with Mass Comm and was located on the 2nd Floor.

When we went up there, I saw a relatively empty floor with long corridor. It was strange that I was not dissapointed with what I witnessed. In fact, I was actually happy to see the place. The empty space told me the potential of the school. If we are to make a difference in art education, it has to be here and nowhere else throughout Penang. Another thing that attracted me was Dr. Tan's vision of turning the school into the 'Cultural Center of Penang', and I thought to myself - what a noble and holistic idea! I decided instantly that I would quit my job as an architect and hop into KDU as a full time academic.

My Objectives
A lot of people couldn't understand my decision then but I was very sure what I was doing. At that time I was frustrated with the development of the architectural industry in Penang. People were concerned more on costing above anything else. The key persons in the profession only interested in enriching their pockets in the expense of design excellence. Architecture in Penang became merely duplications of design from elsewhere, KL in particular. I realised that I was surrounded in a very commercially driven environment and I was the minority in the group. I couldn't possibly change the profession alone. I need to duplicate more people with commitment in design and teaching is the best way to do it! I believe some of the lecturers also have the same ambitions like me, we all want to educate our students hoping that they would one day become a trend setter in the industry, not just a follower. I don't know how successful I am in realising my dream but I am contented to know that people like Jerry, Eilis, Kai Shyuan and Yi-Wen will be an example of a new breed of designers in Penang. Yes, I believe they will be the trend setters!

My Memorable Moment
The thing that I missed most of KDU was during students' presentation (or 'Crit' Session) with the panel of fellow lecturers. I liked the interaction between the students and lecturers although I have always hope for a more heated debate. Sometimes the students took it personally but I'm sure that one day they will realise how important those sessions are to their career when they have to confront a real life client to sell their ideas.

The Team
I know I have said this many times but allow me to say it again here: I really had a wonderful team in KDU. Wonderful in the sense that we all share the same vision and commitment. We all want to grow the school to become the premier art school in the Northern Region and we want our students to succeed. Tribute goes to Ellison, Shirley, Maizul, Stella and Jenny. It took 3 years to gather all of us together into this 'family'. The word 'family' was first used by Maizul and I was touched to realise that he treats us as his family.

Future of the School
The prospect of the school depends largely on the new Academic Department Head that is going to take over. If he shares the same vision like all of us do, then the school will continue to prosper and excel. The road ahead will be tough but I'm not a fortune teller either. I don't know how it will turn out, or maybe I do know but I'm not going to reveal the picture in my crystal ball here. All I can say is that we did had magic moments together as a team before and we actually had achieved our vision with all the winnings in major competition and so on. More importantly, we have inspired a handful of young people to become true designers. Let us feel contented and grateful that we were given the opportunity to make a difference!

Can Nigeria take it?

Creating Identity

MASTER PLAN / URBAN DESIGN CONCEPTS

The Housing District West at Punggol has been envisaged to be a new benchmark for housing development in Singapore. The uniqueness of the site is the creation of the Punggol Waterway and hence the emphasis of the relationship between development and water. The mapping and reading of the master plan is multivalent rather than hierarchical. The architecture, public spaces, connective tissues and movement systems are dispersed across a series of interpenetrating green connectors that weaves across the site to facilitate bridging to the waterway. There are two major elements in our design: visual connections and eco linkages. These elements are superimposed on a pre-determined general layout of major road networks and water infrastructure. The superimposition generates a sequence of interstitial spaces suggesting fluid movements and connections to various parts of the development.

Visual Connection
The entire Housing District West is designed and developed as a whole based on generating vistas open towards MRT/LRT stations, water and communal nodes. By emphasizing direct visual connections, the entire site establishes strong relationship with its surrounding context. Distinct places are created which could be easily identified and differentiated from one another. Each communal node is different in terms of its form and levels. Visual axis are created to enable way finding from wherever location throughout the site. Key visual connections are from communal nodes to LRT/MRT stations, community node to communal node and communal nodes to the waterway. These connections enable one to position him/herself within the site in relation to its surroundings. The visual connection between one communal node to another also enlarges the perceptible dimension of each park within its own precinct and thus add to the qualitative experience of the public domain.

Eco Linkages
The entire Housing District West was looked at as a potential large green lung in line with HDB’s idea of ‘Green Living by the Waters’. The housing quarters are composed of series of linear buildings twisted to form clusters that enclose major public spaces within the site. The clustering of the residential blocks enhances sense of community as well as privacy at the same time. These individual precinct parks will then be connected to each other by means of eco pathways. These landscaped pathways meandering through the entire site to form a continuous ecological structure. Within each precinct, the landscaped platforms are flexible, reacting to site conditions. These platforms vary in width to accommodate different public activities. They are programmed with sports, leisure playing fields and playgrounds. Everywhere one goes, the qualities of a green housing district can be felt due to the dynamic arrangement of building blocks that resulted in a very porous environment within each plot. The criss-crossing of broad paths and trails takes one past a series of courts, lawns and a range of recreational activities. The creation of the E Deck within each precinct also means that car parking is kept below the platforms to make way for an uninterrupted and safe pedestrian network above.

With the merging of green, water and residential, Housing District West will be an area that has strong unique identity and conducive for living. It is a synthesis of approach focusing on the ideas of connection and bridging; interaction and interrelation of ordering systems; and integration of natural systems of green and water with the built environment.



HOUSING DESIGN SCHEMES

The buildings are designed with sustainability and flexibility in mind. With the ever increasing demand of the end users, a lot of consideration is taken into account in order to produce a good design that is both aesthetically pleasing and functionally practical at the same time.

Building Orientation
Most of the building blocks are oriented along the East-West axis wherever possible in order to exploit the full potential of the waterfront site. This orientation also helps in solar shading of the building blocks and thus reducing the need for artificial cooling.

Building Massing
The buildings were deliberately designed to have different heights in order to avoid the whole scheme being read as series of monotonous concrete walls throughout the entire site. Those blocks that are closer or fronting the waterway are intentionally designed as low rise buildings which will then create a more human scale streetscape along the promenade. To make up for the required density, maximum number of units are stacked up at those blocks located at the deepest end of the site furthest away from the waterway. This configuration allows for views towards the waterway for most of the blocks including those at the back.

Views and Identity
The linear blocks are meticulously shifted and twisted in order to allow maximum number of dwelling units having views towards the waterway as well as Sungai Punggol. The twisting form of the buildings give the much needed identity to each block so as to avoid rigid and ‘faceless’ architecture. Residents will be able to identify their home by the form of the buildings instead of merely rely on block number signage on the walls.

Green Roof
Planting on roof surfaces acts as thermal barrier for the top floor units creating a cooler environment.

Thermal Barrier
Insulated west facing gable end walls increase U-Value thus keeping homes cool, reducing the need and energy load for air-conditioning.

Natural Ventilation
Units are pulled apart allowing prevailing North-South winds to keep the corridors cool and naturally lighted.

Modular Sizing
Dimensions of structural elements are standardized together with use of precast elements for efficiency.

Reconfiguration PossibilitiesThe unit floor plans are designed to suit various residents’ needs. Structural clarity and standardization are emphasized to enable flexibility in rearrangement. Columns and shear walls are kept at the periphery with all the intermediate walls being partition. This allows for the intermediate walls to be omitted or added at ease.

Truly, Madly, Deeply

Music is indeed a magical thing. There always will be flash back whenever we listen to those songs particularly from the past. We see ourselves in those moments and thought..........we have come this far!

The old song that I'm listening to now is Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden..........

Hip Hop Graffiti 2009

Nick and Jamie with their winning art work.

Melinda and Cat with their winning art work.

Once again you guys have made it! This event has been held annually since 2007 and you all have participated in it enthusiastically. Congratulation to Nick, Jamie, Melinda and Cat who have won 3rd and consolation prizes respectively. I'm sure that it must be an emotional moment for both Nick and Melinda who have participated in 2007 to have finally won the competition. This prove that as long as we persevere and never give up, we will succeed eventually!

Lesson from Singapore - Lighting

Robert Venturi once wrote a book entitled “Learning from Las Vegas” where he elaborate on the importance of public’s participation in architecture by means of consumerism. Ad hoc signage along the streets of Las Vegas has significantly gave the town its identity. It is a fact that architects learn from their environment, however there are also a handful of egoistic individuals who think that they are above the natural system by proclaiming the originality of their creation. They proclaim that their ideas purely came from their mind, not inspired or making reference to anything and they claim absolute ownership of the design. This is the greatest lie of all time and they are merely deluding themselves.

As such, it is important that we always keep our eyes open and absorb the myriad things around us. There is nothing to be ashamed of in learning from someone who is far superior than us. The worst thing that can happen is when we think that we are the best and stop progressing. It is an undisputed fact that Penang is way backward than Singapore in many ways. But we should not be in a denial stage forever. Why not learning from people who have been through the same experience and have made progress along the way.

‘LEARNING’ is too casual a word. I feel that urgent action has to be taken to bring back the shine to Penang. That is the reason I choose the word ‘LESSON’ due to its stronger implication. The first lesson that I’m going to highlight here is about lighting. Thanks to the advance in technology, we can now have very attractive lighting at a very low cost. LED (light emitting diodes) is the latest features that can be found in most landmarks due to its attractive colors as well as cost effective reasons. It is cheaper than the conventional up lights that shine on the façade of major buildings. In Singapore, the government has guidelines on which type of light to be used in certain areas. Up lights are still being used for big public buildings like museum due to the grandness effect that it produce. In a more trendy and up-market shopping district like Orchard Road, LED lighting can be spotted in most of the shopping malls. It also helps in attracting customers to its door.

Penang actually has a few good examples such as the e-Gate and Suntec building. However, most public buildings such as the City Hall are not lit at night except for the eve of public holiday. If cost is the main concern, the authority should consider using LED to highlight certain architectural elements of major landmarks and it could be turned on every night!

Remember the Magic Moment (KDU DESIGN)

KDU Achievers

KDU 2009 Booth Design

From The Star Metro North - Saturday February 14, 2009
New attraction at college booths
By ANDREA FILMER

Magnet for students: An artist's impression of KDU College Penang's booth design for the education fair.

Mentors

The popularity of reality show like American Idol has intoxicated the young generation's minds of instant success and rapid celebrity status. Young girls imitating the behavior and lifestyle of Paris Hilton while the boys try hard to be as cool as Jay Chou. Most of them have forgotten that success only can be achieved through years of hard work and dedication. They worship their idols like God. Commitment is simply too hard for them, they prefer short cut to reach their final destination. Sadly, most of them would deviate from the proper path if not guided along the way carefully.

Nowadays people don’t have mentors anymore, they have idols. Mentors is just too old school for them. I however, am from the old school. I was taught to learn from the greats. I have never personally met all these people before except Ken Yeang, some of them have even passed away before I was born. But their legacy lives on and their works are well documented that one can easily find in bookshops or libraries. The idea is to study the thinking of these masters who has reached the pinnacle of their career and adopt some of their successful strategy while avoiding their mistake. Now that is a constructive short cut indeed!

Sakura

Finding a good place to dine is indeed a challenge in Singapore, not that there is no place at all. On the contrary, there are plenty of choices wherever you go around the island. The only problem is finding a less crowded place with good food.

It is not surprising that with a population of 4.84 million, people have to 'reserve' their seating place in foodcourt by placing TISSUE on the seats! It is pathetic! Sometimes I was quite frustrated looking for a place to have my lunch.

Until one day Joelyn and I found this little place at the middle of nowhere: Sakura International Buffet Restaurant @ Admiralty Park. To get there, you have to take the MRT to Woodlands Station, then take bus 903 from berth no. 4. When you see a huge campus with lots of green on your right, press the bell and alight at the second bus stop. Then walk across the road and you will see the Sakura signboard at the open carpark.

The restaurant is located at the bottom of the car park. It is indeed a very clever way of playing with the terrain of the site to tuck it below street level. And yet when you take the stair down and finally arrive at the restaurant's entrance, you don't feel that you are at underground. By having skylights with trees growing all the way up to the car park above and opening up the whole frontage to a lotus pond in front, the interior is very bright and refreshing.

And of course the food..........they have Sashimi, my favourite! Not to mention that the price is very affordable - SGD48.00 for 2 pax.

Colours of Penang

This was the first time in 10 years that I actually have to ‘balik kampung’ (going back to hometown in Malay) to celebrate Chinese New Year with my folks. After a full year of hard work, everyone is looking forward to this biggest celebration of the Chinese tradition. And to be away from hometown working, it only makes the experience an even more meaningful one: the idea of returning to one’s hometown and reunite with family members. Hence the reunion dinner on the eve of the Lunar New Year. I once read that the round table was first invented by the Chinese. Square or rectangular table was actually a western creation. Since reunion is such a big deal in the Chinese tradition, round table enables all the family members to be congregated around the feast of the year. Unfortunately, this year we celebrated our reunion dinner along a freaking long rectangular table! One can easily sees in the picture that I was unable to talk to the person sitting at the other end of the table. Rectangular table is obviously not practical when it comes to the reunion rituals. Anyway, the joy of being with my family members overshadowed my architectural contemplation of the different geometric shapes available.

Penang is well known to be the food paradise of Malaysia. It could be traced way back to the 19th century when Asian, European and Indian merchants came here to trade. Besides doing business, they brought along their cuisine with them. The interaction between these communities helped to give birth to the rich palette of food we can find here in Penang today.

Apart from food, Penang is also famous for its rich culture and heritage. George Town was recently recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage site mainly for the integrity of its Straits Settlement architecture. However, the listing is just the beginning, there is indeed a long journey ahead for all Penangites to fully committed in preserving and renovating these priceless premises for its value to be elevated and sustainable.

One of the more successful and most famous tourist attraction will undoubtedly be the Kek Lok Si Temple. I’ll visit this place every time during Chinese New Year when the group of temples will be lit with colourful lighting decoration.

At least to most tourists, George Town and Kek Lok Si symbolizes Penang because of their architectural grandeur and the cultural elements they encapsulate. There is however a different side of Penang that is not widely publicized but the one that I’m equally excited about. It is the modern and trendy part of Penang which one can find in areas like Queensbay, Penang Time Square, The Light Waterfront and Gurney Drive. When fully developed, these places will complement the rich heritage of George Town and return the Pearl of the Orient to its former shine and glory. Penang has so much more to offer compare to KL or even Singapore. I pray hard for the success of Penang becoming a global city in a not too distant future.

Explosion of Chinese Culture

Tuesday February 3, 2009 (The Star Metro North)
Explosion of Chinese culture
By JEREMY TAN

THE Penang Chinese New Year Cultural and Heritage Celebration 2009 at the heritage enclave around Armenian Street was a massive success, with tens of thousands of people from all walks of life turning up to witness a plethora of cultural and heritage showcases.

Visitors to the 12-hour long celebration were greeted by an ornate archway as well as a Wang Niu (Prosperous Bull) polystyrene sculpture shimmering in brown and yellow.

At the main stage on Cannon Street, visitors and VIP’s were treated to multicultural dances, cross-talk shows, lion dances, classical song and drum performances, and an acrobatic display.

“Such a celebration showcasing our cultural and living heritage is very meaningful, especially after George Town’s listing as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

“It’s part of our efforts to promote George Town and give an insight into the traditions of various Chinese clans, among them the Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, Teochew and Hainan,” said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in his opening speech.

Over at the Khoo Kongsi, a showcase themed Wushu City highlighted Chinese martial arts. Exponents performed lightning quick moves, much to the delight of the audience.

They also enjoyed a Pekingese lion dance, a dragon dance and Qi Lin and Qi Gong performances.
“It’s amazing, the performances are so colourful and diverse. There is so much we have never seen before,” said Australian Wesley Cooke who brought his whole family along.

Former Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, who rushed from Kuala Lumpur to attend the celebrations, was given a warm welcome by the public when he arrived.
“Since the Cultural Celebration was first held in 1999, I haven’t missed any, and I don’t intend to,” he said.

Armenian Street was the site of the Hokkien City which showcased a traditional Hokkien Wedding Ceremony demonstration, a Hokkien Glove Puppet show and a traditional Nan Yin Opera show.

Complementing these were several dance and musical performances that kept many visitors engrossed. Others were seen admiring the traditional operatic costumes and God of Heaven display.

At Ah Quee street, a traditional handicraft showcase drew scores of curious onlookers, all fascinated by the skill and finesse of local craftsmen. Mini-figurines of Chinese warriors and cartoon characters, made of a special powder mixed with water and then hardened, were a hit with the children.

Other crafts included a traditional facial treatment method using a string, wood carving and joss stick making.

Further down, at a section themed Canton City, visitors were entertained with a Kwang Tung cuisine demonstration, a Cantonese pop song performance as well as a traditional opera performance.

The Hainan City at Soo Hong Lane showcased its traditional cuisine, song and dance. Visitors took part in a calligraphy contest and there was an aromatic Hainanese coffee auction. Scores of local vendors sold tempting Hainanese treats.

The Penang Youth Centre at Acheh Street was turned into a Hakka City with its own mini archway. Songs and dances were performed below it, highlighting Hakka culture.

Further down, the Malaysia Cultural City showcased a giant mural depicting the heritage buildings of George Town.

The Teochew City at Chulia Street showed a traditional wedding ceremony and held a puppet show and a pottery and bamboo exhibition while at the Poh Hock Seah temple, people were engrossed watching glutinous rice flour ball and mooncake making demonstrations, with a lucky few getting to sample the sweet treats.

There was also an exhibition highlighting traditional Chinese festivals such as Jade Emperor’s Day, All Soul’s Day, Hungry Ghost Festival and the Mid Autumn Festival.

The festivities were capped off with a spectacular five-minute fireworks show that lit up the night sky.

Also present were Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas, his consort Toh Puan Majimor Shariff, Indonesian Consul-General Moenir Ari Soenanda and Japanese Consul-General Hideaki Hoshi.

Duality

Reconciliating duality has been my approach in design for a while. I guess I was very much influenced by the writings of the late Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. Personally I feel that Kurokawa's writings were better conceived than his architecture. I was interested in the way he tried to identify the differences between Western and Japanese architecture because I think his theory is also applicable to Asian sensibilities in general.

In this design for a proposed 'Future School', the idea is to stay away from the conventional classroom layout by introducing nature into the interior of the learning areas. The classrooms are physically enclosed but 'consciously' open to the outside. 2 classrooms sandwiched a garden in between which also serves as outdoor learning area. The wall adjacent to the corridor stops short of the ceiling and floor to allow lighting penetrate into the interior. Colored boxes of inspiration are inserted on this wall which appear to be sliding against each other. Translucent color coated glass will be used to allow natural light illuminates the classroom.

A few display areas will be located along the corridor as a transcient exhibition space for students' works. The design is to create a 'performing stage' for students' presentation. As they are located along the public circulation area, more exposure and interaction among students is expected.