A Humble Suggestion to CM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best regards,
CK

Desire to Win

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

George Lam Genting Concert 25th April 2009

Kiasu-ism

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

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

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

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

Passion in Education

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

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

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

KDU Design School

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

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

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

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

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

My Memorable Moment
The thing that I missed most of KDU was during students' presentation (or 'Crit' Session) with the panel of fellow lecturers. I liked the interaction between the students and lecturers although I have always hope for a more heated debate. Sometimes the students took it personally but I'm sure that one day they will realise how important those sessions are to their career when they have to confront a real life client to sell their ideas.
The Team
I know I have said this many times but allow me to say it again here: I really had a wonderful team in KDU. Wonderful in the sense that we all share the same vision and commitment. We all want to grow the school to become the premier art school in the Northern Region and we want our students to succeed. Tribute goes to Ellison, Shirley, Maizul, Stella and Jenny. It took 3 years to gather all of us together into this 'family'. The word 'family' was first used by Maizul and I was touched to realise that he treats us as his family.
Future of the School
The prospect of the school depends largely on the new Academic Department Head that is going to take over. If he shares the same vision like all of us do, then the school will continue to prosper and excel. The road ahead will be tough but I'm not a fortune teller either. I don't know how it will turn out, or maybe I do know but I'm not going to reveal the picture in my crystal ball here. All I can say is that we did had magic moments together as a team before and we actually had achieved our vision with all the winnings in major competition and so on. More importantly, we have inspired a handful of young people to become true designers. Let us feel contented and grateful that we were given the opportunity to make a difference!

Can Nigeria take it?

Creating Identity

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

Visual ConnectionThe 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 LinkagesThe 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 BarrierInsulated 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 SizingDimensions of structural elements are standardized together with use of precast elements for efficiency.

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

Truly, Madly, Deeply

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

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