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!
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!
No comments:
Post a Comment