Architecture Lifestyle-CK

In the Cloud of Uncertainty

2011-08-09T11:21:00.004+08:00

When I first created this blog, there was the global economic crisis looming. After almost 3 years, it seems that another catastrophe may happen with the sudden plunge of US stock market last weekend. Just when the world started to recover that we hear such news. My concern is not so much about the economy but the fate of the architectural industry which is closely associated with it.

Was last week event a warning sign for worse things to come?

Stretching the Tolerance in an Architectural Illiterate Society

2010-02-27T11:45:00.001+08:00

Marking George Town

2009-12-21T21:11:00.005+08:00

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

2009-11-08T18:42:00.001+08:00

A Sad Day for Design Education

2009-10-21T08:27:00.005+08:00

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

2009-10-06T10:23:00.011+08:00

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

2009-09-29T09:42:00.005+08:00

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

2009-09-19T16:52:00.004+08:00

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

2009-09-12T08:16:00.006+08:00

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

2009-09-04T06:03:00.008+08:00

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

2009-09-02T16:08:00.004+08:00

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

2009-08-18T16:19:00.003+08:00

Old House Cafe, George Town

2009-07-26T16:35:00.002+08:00

Retracing Memory Lane

2009-07-12T16:05:00.011+08:00

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

2009-07-12T15:59:00.002+08:00

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

2009-06-20T15:28:00.003+08:00

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

2009-06-20T08:15:00.004+08:00

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

2009-06-13T11:21:00.004+08:00

Kiasu-ism

2009-05-25T09:24:00.001+08:00

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

2009-05-22T18:00:00.003+08:00

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

2009-05-22T11:40:00.005+08:00

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?

2009-05-05T16:08:00.002+08:00

Creating Identity

2009-04-28T18:16:00.003+08:00

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

2009-04-21T14:07:00.002+08:00

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

2009-03-11T15:20:00.003+08:00

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

2009-02-26T08:55:00.003+08:00

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)

2009-02-23T08:55:00.003+08:00

2009-02-21T22:42:00.000+08:00

KDU Achievers

2009-02-17T13:01:00.002+08:00

KDU 2009 Booth Design

2009-02-16T09:05:00.004+08:00

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

2009-02-13T08:50:00.002+08:00

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

2009-02-09T12:24:00.006+08:00

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

2009-02-04T08:51:00.006+08:00

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

2009-02-03T11:31:00.003+08:00

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

2009-01-14T12:10:00.005+08:00

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.

The Creators of 'Tomorrow's Penang' The One Sculpture

2009-01-13T14:32:00.005+08:00

Besides the elegance and creativity of its form, the winning design also has a very meaningful concept. The form was inspired by butterfly, as Jerry put it eloquently when interviewed by The Star:

“This metamorphosis is one of the most amazing events in nature. Therefore, we feel Penang too should be transformed from a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly and continue enjoying sustainable growth and prosperity,” - The Star Metro, Wed 14 Jan 2009.

Metamorphosis is indeed one of the greatest inspiration from nature. Although the end product, butterfly, is beautiful, the transformation process is however a struggle. All the eight pairs of caterpillar's legs will have to be shed before it can form the pupa. It will stay there for about 10-15 days (it could take longer if the surrounding environmet is not condusive) when during this time its body part will have to be disintegrated and reintegrated to form the body of the butterfly. After the cycle it will then have to push itself out of the pupa before it spreads its wing to become butterfly.

It is really appropriate for Jerry and Eilise to use metamorphosis as their concept to depict Penang's future. Penang has a lot to offer but because of the lack of political will, it has not yet achieved its true potential. There are a lot of struggles ahead of us to make this island a model of excellence. Like the caterpillar, we will strive harder to make Penang a butterfly one day!

Jerry and Eilise, the masterminds of the winning design. Well done!

Tomorrow's Penang

2009-01-12T14:29:00.002+08:00

I received good news today that our students have won 1st Prize for the 'Tomorrow's Penang' Sculpture Competition. This is indeed one of the greatest achievement KDU design students have achieved so far considering the fact that the winning design is going to be eventually built on the site at Bayan Lepas.

I'm glad to see the growth of the students not just in terms of their academic achievement but more importantly their confidence as well. Even when all odds are against them because they have to compete with university level students as well as one of the judges is from the university itself.

Congratulations to Jerry and Eilise! Keep up the good work and soon it will be time for you to go out to show the world what you can achieve!

Hitting the Right Note

2009-01-05T22:34:00.002+08:00

There are times when we scribble sketches which could look like drawings so bad that even a three year old could do better. We would continue to explore our ideas through these sketches until our dustbin is full of crumbled butter paper that spilled onto the floor. And at the end of the day we still haven’t got the slightest clue of what the buildings is going to look like. We then take a break, go for a walk or even play some games sort of to relax our mind and hopefully we would be struck by an inspiration. Sometimes these repetitive exercises could continue for days without any apparent materialization.

However, there are also times when we just know it! When every lines we draw fall onto their correct positions effortlessly. When there is no other option except the one we drew in front of us. The experience is like when a painting reflects exactly the aspiration of the artist. We have hit the right note within us. Such is the moment when we whisper to ourselves that: “Yes, there is truth in architecture after all!”

AGA Christmas Party 2008

2009-01-05T14:19:00.004+08:00

We celebrated Christmas by having party at the office on 23rd Dec 2008. One of my colleague brought his PS3 and some of us were addicted to the games. Another one brought along his guitar and started singing solo. This is the first time I experience such a relax atmosphere in an architecture firm and it was fantastic! One of the directors even bought wine and beer to share with everyone! I always like red wine and this is no exception this time that I think I drank more wine than everybody else that day. I didn't get drunk of course, I always know how to control my limit. I just want that floating feeling if you know what I mean.....

Anyway, 2008 has just passed and we are on a new year now. Geez......time flies, I'm getting old and yet still so many things I want to do!

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Pillars of Expression

2008-12-12T17:02:00.005+08:00

Today I happened to browse through Marlene's and Melissa's blogs and found these wonderful pictures. It is the project we have been talking about for so long and it has finally materialized! This is indeed one of the best news I ever have since I left KDU. I'm really touched to see these pictures because they reminded me of all the struggles everyone have been through in the Design Department.

Maizul jokingly said that these columns are dedicated to me, however I would rather think that it is a contribution from all of you to show the importance and relevance of art in our society. Thanks to Maizul's creativity and the hard work of the students, the execution of these art works marks a big step forward for KDU aspiring to be the premier art school in northern Malaysia.

Well done and once again thanks to those involved for making this possible!

The Japanese Spirit

2008-12-09T15:08:00.011+08:00

Just back from Tokyo and my god what a great city! It is a huge city with a population of 12 million people! What intrigued me was not the size of the city but the culture of its people. With so many people living closely in this mega city, Tokyo somehow is an amazingly clean place! People always say that Singapore is clean which I never deny that, but one has to think about the size of Singapore which is way smaller than Tokyo and easier to be maintained. Furthermore Singapore managed to achieve its cleanliness today by way of heavy handed enforcement on the part of the government. We were told by our tour guide that the police in Japan are quite lenient and courteous to the offenders. The city's cleanliness is completely attributed to the Japanese culture and education.

Speaking about culture, one can't help but respect the Japanese spirit when it comes to the level of commitment they put onto their work. Everyone from waitress to driver to hotel staff, all were so absorbed into their work and maintained the positive attitude and cheerfulness the entire time they serve you. When we disembarked from our bullet train at the Shin Yokohama Station, I saw 3 Japanese cleaners diligently wiping the surface of the stainless steel compartments along the boarding platform. You can feel that kind of energy and seriousness they possess even doing such task which most of us would think as trivial. With this kind of working attitude, no wonder Japan is a country destined for greatness.

Mahathir was right when he adopted the Look East Policy when he was PM of Malaysia and encouraged all of us to learn from the Japanese. However, when I compare the working attitude of the Japanese with the Malaysian, I hate to say that we still have a very long way before we can catch up, that is IF we can ever catch up at all!

Tokyo Here I Come!

2008-12-04T22:04:00.002+08:00

On my way to Tokyo in about 1 hour's time. Now happily blogging using the free internet service available inside Changi Airport. Malaysia airports should seriously have this service, after all what's the point of bragging about the Multimedia Super Corridor when people can't even surf the net while waiting for their next flight!

Anyway very excited about the trip. Will snap lots of pictures of interesting places and buildings and share with everyone here!

Lagos, Nigeria

2008-11-25T17:39:00.003+08:00

Just came back from my working trip to Lagos, Nigeria last week, my first visit to the continent of Africa. Culture shock indeed especially when the city is so congested and chaotic. There seems to be a lack of order in that country and we were advised not to wander around alone especially at night. The time I spent on plane was indeed more enjoyable than we actually ended on our destination. Picture above shows me with our client.

Design = 70% Thinking + 30% Drawing

2008-11-03T08:44:00.001+08:00

After a break of 3 years from the architectural industry, it is such a coincidence that my first major design project is related to education. I’ve always believe that education and profession must have strong link in order to push the industry forward, that was exactly the reason why I decided to teach 3 years ago. It is interesting to note that when I get myself involved again in building design after a long period of absence from the industry, I noticed that my approach in making architecture has somewhat changed from where I stopped. I found myself able to look at the entire scheme more holistically and with a more tranquil mind too.

I guess the management skills that I’ve learned from KDU College really benefit me after all. 3 years ago, I used to design building in a very ad hoc manner, in other words chaotically and without any clear sense of direction. The painstaking scheduling exercises that I’ve been through as the Academic Department Head of KDU College really transformed me to be a more organized and focused person. Now, I treat the design process as management of problem solving exercise.

I was trained that drawing is a very crucial exercise in designing. I didn’t understand this when my lecturer first told me that our drawings will have to ‘speak’ for themselves. He was right but what he forgot to emphasize to me was that thinking is inherent in drawing. Whenever we draw a line, our minds are actually processing various information about that line such as:
Is it a wall?
Is it transparent?
Does it have rough or smooth texture?
How will it affect the perception of the space?
What is its impact in three dimension?
Has it got any cultural significance to the place?
etc……etc………etc………

In other words, if we spend 3 minutes drawing perspective of a room, we actually have to spend 7 minutes conceptualizing the spatial significance of the room. After this thinking process, we may decided that what we’ve drawn does not work at all and we spend another 30 minutes amending our drawing which lead us to think for another 70 minutes of a revised design! This is the truth about designing. No one ever said that design is easy, it is tough and time consuming. However, once we clear all the contradictions in our minds and convince ourselves that we have arrived at the best solution at the end of the day, it will be a rewarding experience to just sit back and enjoy the creation of our design endeavor.

Personal Space

2008-10-07T08:46:00.004+08:00

I've been procrastinating to update my blog for too long already and I decided that I must write something today!

As I've mentioned in my previous blog that things around me are quite different nowadays. The most obvious one is the closeness of the people. The word 'closeness' here means the measured distance and not the emotional bond between people. Official figures came out 2 weeks ago that Singapore's population has reached 4.84 million! Comparatively Penang island's population is only around 678,000 people. Some of you must be thinking right now that Penang is much smaller than Singapore. So lets put the figures into perspective:

Land area of Singapore: 692.7 sqkm
Land area of Penang Island: 295 sqkm

Simple calculation will then show you that the density of Singapore in terms of no. of people per sqkm is 6,987 people while that of Penang is only 2,298 people. Singapore's density is 3 times higher than that of Penang. Imagine that you are queueing up to purchase your GSC movie ticket on a typical Saturday night, the line in Singapore will be 3 times longer!!! Imagine again that you are on the Rapid Penang bus and you used to swing your arms around talking and gesturing exitingly about the current political situation, but here in Singapore you will be happy if you still can move your fingers in the packed MRT train!!

In other words, Penang is actually quite spacious eventhough it is smaller in terms of land area. We do have quite a comfortable personal space in Penang so we should stop complaining that Penang is small.

Penang's Warmth

2008-09-29T08:43:00.001+08:00

Every time I read the newspaper on tourists being interviewed by reporters asking them their opinion about Penang, the usual answers are always about friendliness of its people and the variety of food available. Indeed I can really feel it now being away from Penang. I particularly thank those who have visited my blog and left a few simple and nice words of encouragement to me, really appreciate it!

Being a Penangite, I like things to be simple and less rigid. And I guess such is the Penang experience that is unique to us. Although I’m physically away from home, I believe that my heart is still in Penang (sounds a bit like Koh Tsu Koon’s speech before the March ’08 election when he was pondering on whether to take his career to the Federal level or not). But seriously, wherever I go, Penang is still my home.

I’ll be back!

Design Is.....

2008-09-29T08:39:00.002+08:00

I have a T-shirt with its front printed "Design Is" while its back printed "A Better Idea". This is how we have been taught as designers, to always come out with something new. But is design only about that? There will be those days that we keep scratching our head trying to figure out how to put our pens down the butter paper in order to solve problems. We keep on pressuring ourselves that we are going to design the next award winning buildings. However, we end up staring at a blank sheet of butter paper most of the time. Perhaps if we don’t focus so much on making a breakthrough, wouldn’t that make us feel better. The problem lies in us focusing too much on trying to be different from other people.

Philip Johnson, an internationally acclaimed American architect once said that he just want to be second best, not the best one. And I think he got a point there. If we think about it deeper, design is actually about solving problems. If we are designing an apartment unit, the problem is how can we design a conducive living space. Besides solving problems, design is also about making the decision which we think are right on that particular moment. The reason I said this is because there is no right or wrong in design, any design we create is justifiable depending on the particular angle one looks at.

Happy Birthday to Me

2008-09-26T13:08:00.002+08:00

I got a surprise at 1pm today when the admin person told me there will be a celebration of my birthday together with another colleague. I was not fast enough to take out my camera and before I knew it, the cake had been cut and everybody started eating. I managed to salvage the broken label and took picture of it. I thank them for their thoughtfulness and effort, really nice.

But tonight I'll be celebrating my birthday alone for the first time in my life. I plan to take a walk around the city after my dinner to reflect upon my future direction. I remember my Chinese teacher taught us that on our birthday, we shouldn't be working. We should spend the whole day alone thinking about the reason we came to this world. Well instead of thinking about that, I would rather ponder on what my next step is towards the future.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

The Lion City

2008-09-23T08:53:00.003+08:00

Everybody knows that Singapore is a very competitive place. One can feel its vibrancy and energy just by looking at how Singaporean walk. As I mentioned in my previous posting that rush hour over here is really rushing! People actually run as fast as they can as if being chased by Tai Ee Long. I realize that its competitiveness has reached its limit when I saw a commercial on TV which proclaimed one Singaporean by the name of……I can’t remember his name…..Anyway this fellow was awarded the champion blood donor! I was like…..WHAT?! People actually compete to donate blood over here?! It is madness and hilarious at the same time.

Years ago, one of my Singaporean friend visited me in Penang. I brought him to eat one of the famous Curry Mee in town. He got diarrhea right after that. It is easily understood why he couldn’t get used to our unhygienic Penang food as Singaporeans are very particular about cleanliness. Believe it or not, I actually got diarrhea 3 times on my first day of work in Singapore. I must be the first person to ever get stomach ache from clean food. I think I am allergic to cleanliness.

My new office has a good mix of people from different countries. There are 1 Vietnamese, 1 Thai, 3 Filipinos, 1 from Malacca, 2 from Penang (me and one of the boss), 1 more boss from Malaysia (don’t know which part yet) and the rest are Singaporeans. The big boss is a Singaporean. So far, all of them are very friendly and great! I feel comfortable in the office. One of them even invited me to join them for lunch. My first project is to refine the design of a residential project in Nigeria done by the Penang boss. I started quite slow because it has been a while since the last time I designed an apartment.

It is funny that the AA of the company asked me why I come to Singapore so late? She said most people come in their 20s. Yeah right, thanks for reminding me that I’m way beyond 30. I’m sure she didn’t mean anything, just plain curiosity. I actually thought about her question for a while: Why did I stay in Penang all this while?............After ponder about it for a while, I don’t see anything wrong with it. Everything happens for a reason, I always wanted to do something for my hometown Penang as an architect. Although I didn’t design the tallest building or the most luxurious hotel in Penang, I’m satisfied with some of the work that I’ve done in the duration of the past 10 years. I’m particularly proud of the work I’ve done for KDU College as well.

That was the past. Now I’m venturing into new territory. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what it will lead me into (especially when I put Australia into the equation). I just realize that I still have a long journey ahead of me………………….

Warming Up

2008-09-22T18:39:00.002+08:00

Started my new job today. First time taking public transport to work and had a completely new experience. One can never feel sleepy in the morning once they walk out of their houses as a lot of people can be seen walking as fast as possible to catch the approaching train. I tried to ignore the people around me otherwise I'll be stress even before I started to work. Anyway, it is kind of an interesting and fun experience for me besides the fact that I've to rush to the toilet once I reached my destination.

I'm still trying to settle down in this new land and that's why I don't have much to show in my blog recently. I'll try to upload some images the soonest possible. Miss everyone in Penang........

From Island to Island

2008-09-18T12:26:00.002+08:00

In two more days I'll be heading down south to start a new chapter in my life and career. This will be the first time I ever work outside Penang. I wonder how my life will be changed.....

A lot of people have been asking me why I wanted to come back and work in Penang after my graduation. The answer is simple: Penang is such a wonderful place!!! But after 10 years of working on this island, I realise that it is only that much opportunity available in Penang. After a long period of soul searching session I decided to step out of my comfort zone to advance my career.

I'm going to miss a lot of things in Penang such as the following:

Breakfast at Bangkok Lane for its Hokkien Mee (my favourite hawker food).
Char Siu Rice at the Sky Kopitiam along Chulia Street.
Body Combat class at Celebrity Fitness.
Lecture at KDU College.
Movies at GSC with my loved one.
Badminton on Tuesday.
All my friends, colleagues and students.

.............and many more!

Execution vs. Conceptualization

2008-09-11T17:02:00.003+08:00

I accidentally drove along Perak Road and found out that the building that I designed 4 years ago eventually got built. It does take that long to put a building up here in Penang and we are only talking about a 4-storey relatively small building. But it is not my intention to talk about the rate of construction in this posting.

Instead, I would like to highlight the importance of architect's role during the construction stage. Initially I was about to name this blog Illusion of ELEVATION because I thought the problem of the building constructed was due to my failure in visualizing the Elevation design in 3 dimension. However, upon closer scrutiny of the actual building, I realized that the problem is not about thickness of the wall. The problem lies on the proportion of the building, the very basic principle of architecture. The artist's impression below is the original proportion of the building that I designed and we can clearly see that the actual building has deviated tremendously from the original design especially at the rooftop as well as the sizes of coping. This may due to changes made during construction stage for some reasons. Developer tends to make changes to the building in order to save cost at the expense of architectural aesthetics.

Anyway, I'm still happy that it finally get built after all.

Passion of Kerala

2008-09-11T16:58:00.002+08:00

Hey guys! Thanks for the lunch just now and good to see you all again! Sorry Ken and Jocelyn, the waitress missed out two of you in the photo. You want me to photoshop you two into this picture? ;)

Baddy Buddy

2008-09-11T16:51:00.002+08:00

Steamboat with badminton kaki at Golden Gate Gurney after our regular Tuesday session.

Rejuvenating...

2008-09-08T21:26:00.012+08:00

After working for 10 years, I will take a long break (actually only 2 weeks) before I start my new job. Decided to go to the place I'm sure everyone has been except me, Cameron Highland. Can you believe that this is my first time to Cameron?

In front of Foh San restaurant in Ipoh for Dim Sum on our way to Cameron Highland. Managed to find a beautiful model as well, my wife.

Some of the beautiful flowers that I came across right in front of the hotel we stayed. Try out my skill in photography. Stella, if you are looking at this, please do give me a grade. Do I score an A or a B with this picture?

Darling, why in such deep thought? The flowers remind you of something?

Bala Chalet, the place that we stayed at Cameron Highland. It was a heritage building which was built in 1934. Used to be a boarding school for British expatriates. Luckily it was not haunted. I slept peacefully that night.

Something interesting in there?

Cactus Point

Having steamboat at night is a must whenever you are in Cameron Highland. This particular shop featured on Astro provides only organic vegetable for its steamboat. The cabbage was really sweet even when tasted raw. After having a wonderful dinner here, I may consider becoming a vegetarian. Ellison, you really must try it!!

Enjoying a nice morning coffee in front of my hotel room.

This is what happen when you go shopping with the ladies.....

Sungai Palas Tea Plantation

Have a nice day!

Thank You!

2008-09-05T21:31:00.012+08:00

Today I'm deeply touched that Design students and lecturers specially arranged a farewell lunch for me on my last day in KDU. I need to thank Julius, Jason, Ellison and Nee Nee for saying all those nice and touching words about me. Before I came into the room, I already have in mind of what to say to all of you but due to the 'LIVE' situation and also overwhelmed by the presence of so many students, I may have missed out something which I wanted to say. I hereby include in this post the complete speech:

"When I joined KDU College in 2005, our department office was located on the 2nd floor next to iMac Lab. The fourth floor then was just a huge empty corridor with only dry and wet studio. There was no gallery during that time. Today, this once empty corridor has transformed into a creative space for you to freely experiment your ideas and express yourselves through your design. In terms of student population, I only have one student in my first class which was History of Architecture I. I found myself lecturing throughout the class most of the time as there was no way to have group discussion. Today, our school has more than 100 students who will be the great designers of the future.

Throughout my career, I enjoy myself the most while I was here at KDU College. I still remember that when I first apply for a position at KDU, I mentioned in my cover letter that teaching is about creating a mutual learning environment not only for the students to gain knowledge but also for the lecturer to learn from that experience as well. True enough, I’ve learned a lot from you, my students. I envy the kind of energy and excitement that you possess which I wish I had when I was your age. You guys make the working environment here so much more interesting compare to the dull corporate world outside. Personally, I hope that my work here has benefitted at least a few of you in this group in one way or another. By winning so many competitions since 2006, you all have proven your ability to achieve your goals. Although you are the new kid on the block, you have managed to beat other rival schools such as Equator and even USM. The secret recipe here is belief. You have proven that with strong conviction and belief, you can possibly beat anybody. I can see that most of you enjoy your studies here at KDU. You will soon realize that all those deadlines and sleepless nights become your sweet memories next time. You will remember the fun of having group projects at your peers’ house. Those people you hate whenever they copied your design or slacking off in group projects, you will one day remember them as well and with a smile, not with hatred. All the struggles you encounter here will become unforgettable memories. You will also realize that most of your true friends are actually those you met at college.

I’m also fortunate to work with a group of brilliant people here in KDU. Without them, the department can’t possibly be developed into its current status. I’m talking about your lecturers. Trust me, they are the most hard working lecturers you can ever find. All of them have passion in art and design. They have tried all sorts of ways to deliver lectures and share their experience with you in the most effective way. I would like to share with you one secret. If you want to learn more so that it worth the fees you paid here at KDU, keep approaching your lecturers. The more you ask the more you learn. And I’m sure they all have been waiting for you eagerly to disturb them as much as you can. But better to make appointment first la.

I’m glad to also announce that Shirley has been promoted to be the Program Leader of the department. I’m sure she will lead the department to greater heights. Finally, I’m sure that all of you have gotten valuable education as well as friendship here in KDU. Some of you will go on becoming great designers in your own field. As for me, I’ll be leaving this wonderful island for job opportunities elsewhere. However, do keep in touch and feel free to discuss with me anything especially those related to design.

Thank you and wish you all the best!"

At 5:30pm today, I switched off the light and closed the door of my office for the last time. It is interesting to realise that how these mundane tasks which I do everyday become so significant. I decided to take pictures of these special moments...........

One Great Team

2008-09-04T09:01:00.002+08:00

Tomorrow will be my last day at KDU College. It was an adventurous journey working in the Design School. Starting with just 3 students, our school has grown to more than 100 students today. I'm happy to work with all of you throughout these trying times. You all have talent in specific field and I'm sure the students will gain lots of valuable knowledge from you.

I like this picture very much. It tells a lot about the working culture in our department. I leave it to you to interpret that culture. ;)

I'm not sure whether the above gathering of everyone is still possible in the future and hence would like to wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

Seberang Prai City Shopping Center

2008-09-03T13:25:00.002+08:00

A new shopping center has opened its door to the public at Bandar Perda, Bukit Mertajam. Went there over the recent long weekend and was impressed by its size and quality of finishes. The interior is as classy as Gurney Plaza just that it is even more spacious! The facade of the building as shown in first image is impressive! It gives prominent character to the building. How I wish shopping centers on the island side have face like this! In terms of quality of its architecture and spatial treatment, I can safely say that it is the best in Seberang Prai.

Unbuilt Works II

2008-09-03T09:32:00.002+08:00

I've selected a few of my favourite projects which I've designed a few years ago but unfortunately were never built for some reasons. Looking back at these proposals, I do see several areas where I could still improve on. Our sensibilities towards aesthetics will change as we become more exposed. It is important to be critical of our own design. We must be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of our proposal even before the client notices them. Be humble and learn from others.

BBQ @ Kai Shyuan's House

2008-09-02T09:33:00.002+08:00

Terry quietly enjoying his food.....

Romantic couple.........

Feeling tired?
Fooling around at the huge compound in front of Kai Shyuan's house

What a feast!!

Thank you all!

Dinner + Movie

2008-09-02T08:54:00.003+08:00

Last Friday a dinner was organized by a group of great designers. We went to Manila Place right after work. Thank you all, I really appreciate it!

The picture above shows the 'dream team' of good design lecturers in town. All of us have contributed one way or another towards the establishment of the design school in KDU College. We've also educated our students with passion and dedication hoping that one day they will excel in the interesting industry that they chose to be in.

To be a design lecturer in a conservative society such as in Penang is not an easy task. We found ourselves constantly countering the negative perception people have towards this industry. We've to convince a lot of people on the relevance and importance of design. Such a daunting task cannot be possibly achieved without conviction and strong passion.

Looking at the bright side, I'm sure we all enjoy what we are doing because design is so much fun! Keep it up!

FINALLY, My First Student Has Graduated!!!

2008-08-25T21:38:00.003+08:00

Yesterday I attended the graduation ceremony at Gurney Hotel for the last time. It was a significant day not because it was my last time, but it was the fact that the first student I taught at KDU College has finally graduated! She was not only my first student, but the ONLY student I have when I start teaching in KDU! I still remember the first subject I taught was History of Architecture I. That time the school of design has just been established and there was not a single book available for the subject I was about to teach. I took the initiative to choose and buy a very thick book which has since becomes the key text for both History of Architecture I and II subjects.

Teaching only one student was no joke at all. Forget about group discussion. It was lectures most of the time. By the way, did I mention that Uchi was also very fat last time...Maybe because of that, she was quite slow and sleepy most of the time. Anyway, it was really an experience for me because I did learn a lot during those challenging times, not to mention brushing up my history of architecture. With her graduation, my career at KDU has come to a full circle (not sure whether this is the correct description or not). I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to teach a group of very talented students such as Uchi, Kai Shyuan, Yi-Wen, Eilis, Nerissa, Dolly, Mursyida and Adel. Did I miss out anyone? I hope that I've imparted useful knowledge to all of them and may success be with them in the future.

My Last KDU Ball

2008-08-25T11:17:00.002+08:00

I've been waiting for this day 23rd Aug as it will be the last time I attend KDU Ball. All the heads were actually instructed to perform on stage singing the college theme song. I insisted that I just want to sit back, relax and enjoy the show for the last time. I hope the principal is not too unhappy about this, but then again who cares! The food is good, better than at Gurney Hotel last year. Managed to snap quite a few photos with students and colleagues to add into my sweet memories. Gonna miss all of you.............

Unbuilt Works

2008-08-18T21:53:00.000+08:00

For those of you who take design as a career will know or will soon find out that it is a long journey that you have decided to take. You find yourself doing a lot of proposals but only a handful that will eventually be built. Such is the thrill and despair of the design process. The only way to sustain your endeavor is through passion and the desire to create a better living environment. The 3 images shown here are my initial proposal for the KDU's Walk Of Fame or commonly known as the 'tunnel' area at ground floor where the new curve white wall is located. This original proposal cost too much (about 5 to 6 times higher to be exact) and the management asked me to come up with a revised design. The 2 curve white walls that is there right now is the result of the cost cutting measure. Although never got built, the 3 images up here represent the unborn creation that will unfortunately remain forever in my imagination.

Gallery@KDU

2008-08-16T23:44:00.001+08:00

I joined KDU College in December 2005 and one of my first duty was to design an art gallery for the Design School. Due to time constraint and the management wanted the gallery to be completed ASAP, I came up with proposal that I thought would create an impact to the dull interior that the college had. The idea was to insert a few dominant structures that will make the gallery instantly recognizable. I consider these structures as sculptures in their own right besides being practical props for students' art works to be displayed. I'm glad that I leave something behind for the college as well as students which I hope will help in motivating them to produce more creative works for display.

Bangkok Dream World

2008-08-15T23:51:00.003+08:00

It was the first time I been to Bangkok with my wife.

Take a stand!

2008-08-15T21:54:00.000+08:00

Years ago I was asked to design a 3 storey bungalow by a developer. When I presented my proposal to him, he gave me his feedback very politely. He said to me in Hokkien: "Tan r...lu eh cit le TOWER eh sai mai cuan poh e boh? Co si kak heng AND THEN CORNER eh wui e toh ho liao..." In case you are wondering what the hell does it mean, allow me to translate for you. He asked me whether I can do away with a tower that is purely cylindrical in its form (apparently he thought that it would be more costly to construct curvy structure but he was too proud to mention it out loud), he suggested that a rectilinear tower with round corners would suffice. I defended my decision of having a curve surface in order to establish a prominent achor point for the entire building. I told him that if I were to follow his suggestion, the characteristic of the entire building would be altered. I guess he didn't want to sound like he was completely ignorant of aesthetic, so he agreed with me in the end. We as architects or designers must always take a stand professionally to justify what is right to us without offending our clients. Sometimes we even have to educate our clients simply because it is our duty to do so. We must not blindly follow instructions otherwise we will have to bear the consequences eventually.

Do we need this?

2008-08-15T10:07:00.001+08:00

Church Street Pier located next to the jetty terminal at Weld Quay. In case you still don't know where is it, it is the building that houses QEII (the classy pub and restaurant opposite British Council), ring any bell?

I would like to highlight that this is actually a new building built a few years ago. The point that I'm going to make is that since it is a brand new building, why the architect wanted to design it using colonial architectural language? A building should reflect its significance in the historical context of a particular place. By introducing an outdated architectural style for a brand new building in the 21st century really doesn't make any sense at all. The architect of this building should go back to university and study further before producing more buildings that don't enhance the heritage value of George Town whatsoever! And somemore the colour scheme, yaks!!!

House 00

2008-08-13T10:47:00.000+08:00

This is an imaginary house that I designed while in KDU as an exercise to brush my rendering and planning skill. Still need a lot of improvement in the rendering part, takes time to master the lighting though. Anyway, this house demonstrates that we don't need huge space just to live comfortably. A house for the contemporary family which constitutes of 4 people at the most need only two rooms, a kitchen/dining and living areas. Design of houses should focus more on how the interior interacts with the external environment. The house is open in the sense that daylighting can be easily introduced into the interior of the living quarters so as to 'enlarge' the space visually and emotionally. As the name 'House 00' implies, this is the prototype of my imaginary house, I hope to design more houses in the future. So stay tuned for House 01!!

Tower of Babel

2008-08-12T15:55:00.000+08:00

I did this pencil rendering some time in 1996 while studying at the university, the thought of it makes me feel old. It was indeed a tedious job but I enjoyed every second of it. I guess it is important that all of us must enjoy what we do, then no matter how tough it is, it will be like a breeze to us.

Hidden Treasure - Penang High Court

2008-08-12T15:47:00.000+08:00

I participated in the site visit organized by Penang Heritage Trust a few months ago. We discovered this fantastic dome during the visit. The level of details is just amazing. The funny part is that this feature is actually being hidden behind a layer of unassuming 'skin' before the renovation. It was discovered while the renovation is in progress and the architect decided to expose it. At last, one sound decision from the architect!

1998 - 2008

2008-08-12T11:51:00.000+08:00