THESIS ON ARCHITECTURE
Year-Five of Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) and while other schools of Architecture namely University Malaya celebrating their maiden Master of Architecture in lieu of BArch, LAM hasn’t been very ready to accept the change and adamant in maintaining the British Education of 4+1 or 3+2 MO for the recognition of Part 2 of LAM. The studio master at that time was Ar. Azmi Luddin, assisted by Assoc Professor Dr. Julaihi Wahid. Ar. Azmi was very professional in his conduct, he probably only manage the studio meaning doing administrative work, making sure that the entire school’s Architectural lecturers and critiques were present and timely and orderly enough to put their constructive criticisms on paper for the graduate students to follow through.
Just like any graduate school, the session begin with the graduate students’ proposal for the topic of their thesis. If they are allowed by the majority of the lecturers from Year-One to Year-Four, the graduate students were allow to proceed to the next step. Failing so may result in wasting precious time for the students. So, the technique is to have a topic that is site specific, feasible within a year time to complete, sufficient enough in terms of breadth and depth for in research and finally complex enough to enable the candidate to be awarded to a degree equivalent to part 2 of LAM. I had practically detailed out my proposal in an A4 document comprising the designated site, the extract of the approved planning guidelines, the relevant stakeholders, the purported design brief, the timeline and finally the construct of the thesis title to reflect on the accompany topic for my dissertation.
As an overview, the BArch curriculum was grounded on two main areas such as: -
Just like any graduate school, the session begin with the graduate students’ proposal for the topic of their thesis. If they are allowed by the majority of the lecturers from Year-One to Year-Four, the graduate students were allow to proceed to the next step. Failing so may result in wasting precious time for the students. So, the technique is to have a topic that is site specific, feasible within a year time to complete, sufficient enough in terms of breadth and depth for in research and finally complex enough to enable the candidate to be awarded to a degree equivalent to part 2 of LAM. I had practically detailed out my proposal in an A4 document comprising the designated site, the extract of the approved planning guidelines, the relevant stakeholders, the purported design brief, the timeline and finally the construct of the thesis title to reflect on the accompany topic for my dissertation.
As an overview, the BArch curriculum was grounded on two main areas such as: -
- Design Dissertation – A research document almost equivalent to a Master Thesis on a subject of research that enable the graduate student to formulate a theoretical backing for their design proposals. My dissertation was called INVESTIGATION INTO THE VISUAL ARTS AS A MEAN OF URBAN REVITALIZATION IN THE HISTORICAL CITY OF MALACCA.
- Design Thesis – A design proposal or a thesis put forward by the graduate students based on the theoretical background of the design dissertation encompassing the site analysis, the conceptual design, the detailed schematics and technical drawings. I called my thesis title to be, TEMPLE OF THE CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ARTS IN THE HISTORICAL CITY OF MALACCA.
THE URBAN DESIGN INVESTIGATION AND MASTERPLAN
I took the following MO:
- Construction of the entire site [subject site] as a study model, carefully reconstructed the existing buildings with significant value.
- Sketch and Mass Model investigation to repair, reconstruct, realign the existing urban fabric that were fragmented into a legible structure in conforming to Lynch’s Image of the City. The massing model itself is sufficient enough to allow for further investigation as to where are the nodes, paths, landmarks, edge and boundaries, probably gateways. My scheme was the only proposal that had taken to this level of urban design interrogation, taking cue from my experience in Singapore.
- A presentation of site analysis and urban design investigation were conducted to the panel of Architectural lecturers for approval. I managed to align the critics into agreeing into my approach of 3D urban design as versus to the physical planning approach of zoning in 2D. My critics were fully aware of the Cullen’s “townscape” sequential perspective embedded within Lynch’s theories of an image of the city. I was confident enough to utilize urban design approach and not challenging it.
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MENIFESTO YANG SATU…
SATU WACANA ANTARA YANG USANG DENGAN YANG BARU… SATU MONOLOG ANTARA CIPLAKAN MANUSIA DENGAN CIPTAAN ESA… SEBUAH SURATAN SENI KEPADA SELITAN KAPITALIS… SATU FENOMENA… SEKILAS NOSTALGIA… SECEBIS SEJARAH… SEPOTONG KEPALSUAN… SELAFAZ DOA SUCI DALAM DEBU… NAMUN… DALAM KONFLIK TERLARUT ANTARA YANG JITU DENGAN YANG PUDAR, YANG BINGGUNG DENGAN YANG SEDAR, YANG KASAR DENGAN YANG SENI, WUJUD SEBUAH LAGENDA… FLOUR DE LA MER TINGGAL SERASUK TULANG… WARUNG BABA TINGGAL SECEBIS TUBUH BERSAMA SEKILAS INGATAN… INGATAN UNTUK SAMA-SAMA MEMBANGKIT SEMULA SEBUAH MAHLIGAI, SEBUAH MAHKOTA… BERHALAKAN SENI… SENI BERHALAKAN MANUSIA… MANUSIA BERHALAKAN YANG ESA… |
THE ONE MANIFESTO
ONE DISCOURSE BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW... ONE MONOLOGUE BETWEEN IMITATION OF MAN AND THE CREATION OF GOD... ONE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION OF CAPITALIST INSERTION... ONE PHENOMENA... A NOSTALGIC GLIMPSE... A FRAGMENT OF HISTORY... A PINCH OF ARTIFICIALITY... A HOLY STANZA IN DUST... BUT... BETWEEN THE CONFLICT OF THE REAL AND THE UNREAL, THE SLUMBER AND THE AWAKEN, THE CRUDE AND THE REFINED, EXIST A LEGEND... FLOWER OF THE SEA LEFT ITS SKELETAL RIBS... BABA'S SHOP LEFT ONLY THE SHELL... WITH A FLASH OF MEMORY... A MEMORY TO BE TOGETHER RISING AGAIN THE THRONE, A CROWN... ADEPT TO THE ARTS... ARTS ADEPT TO MANKIND... MANKIND ADEPT TO THE CREATOR... |
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THE MODEL BASED PARADIGM APPROACHED
- I singled out the vertical connection called, core and remodeled them individually to be reinserted back into the edge defining building.
- I mimicry adopted the “party wall” profiling to construct back the five footways on one side and an external balcony and ramp on the other side. I was left with the center to be dealt with.
- The central space were double loaded studios with a central spine preferably opened up to the atrium allowing natural lighting into the building, almost liked the traditional Malacca shop house. Profiling the elevation fronting the road to allow full height signage as a resembling of the old Malacca shop house typology.
- Such MBP resulted in my architectural design biased towards exoskeletal structure with no apparent set of structural grid yet feasible to construct. I had managed to move away from the constraint of the grid.
- I utilized the artistic means oil painting to amplify the structural members and cladding while allowing translucent plastic as glazing. Again it was a first attempt in HBP.
- Based on these huge sized study models, I produced an entire set of working drawings and perspective.
- A presentation was carried out to the full panel of architectural lecturers delineating my methodology employed towards crafting of my narration to the work including proving that the UBBL has been mutually complied, leaving no ground for technical dispute. At this time, Ar. Yeoh was very concerned with the full blown of my work beyond the accepted norm of the school that has for generation shunned deconstruction.
TERJEMAHAN MENIFESTO
Menyarankan agar intergrasi rekabentuk bandar, seni dan seni bina serta definisi kepada konsep kesucian ,pegsejarhan, sejarah, dalam konteks bandar bersejarah Melaka. Rekabentuk komprehensif sebuah “pusat”, “platform” untuk seni,pengamal seni dan penonton disarankan. Ia mesti mengandungi keupayaan untuk membangun dan berdaya maju.
Rekabentuk tidak semestinya menciplak daripada apa yang sedia wujud tetapi menjerumus dalam aspek “avant-garde” daripada segi rekabentuk, teori,teknologi yang sejajar dengan era kontemporari tersebut. Rekabentuk tersebut bukan merupakan jawapan kepada isu pengmasalahan setempat tetapi merupakan satu asas untuk mendapatkan jawapan untuk isu tersebut
Menyarankan agar intergrasi rekabentuk bandar, seni dan seni bina serta definisi kepada konsep kesucian ,pegsejarhan, sejarah, dalam konteks bandar bersejarah Melaka. Rekabentuk komprehensif sebuah “pusat”, “platform” untuk seni,pengamal seni dan penonton disarankan. Ia mesti mengandungi keupayaan untuk membangun dan berdaya maju.
Rekabentuk tidak semestinya menciplak daripada apa yang sedia wujud tetapi menjerumus dalam aspek “avant-garde” daripada segi rekabentuk, teori,teknologi yang sejajar dengan era kontemporari tersebut. Rekabentuk tersebut bukan merupakan jawapan kepada isu pengmasalahan setempat tetapi merupakan satu asas untuk mendapatkan jawapan untuk isu tersebut
THE SKETCH DESIGN EXPLORATION
Moving forward, I attempted to address a portion of the masterplan to be fully developed into my architectural proposal such as:
- I zoned the masterplan into a collective precincts enabling me to construct a detailed brief in accordance to its function. There is no form as yet, just massing model in the form of platonic solids. I recognized these massing models as street defining buildings and etcetera.
- I investigated each of the massing model that sketch out the very basic of spaces from the outside in, beginning with the external connectivity to the internal spaces in broad spectrum. No form has materialize in this MO as yet.
- I investigated via sketches to give meaning as to what I wanted to mimic, preserve historically, re defined, add or subtract and so forth. These were my concepts the very building blocks enable me to explore using MBP later.
- I built narratives using these sketches yet not forgetting the urban linkages from one building to another.
THE TECHNICAL STUDIES
There is practically no computer graphics to aid the production of my technical studies. I had to construct and practically analyze one item to another manually and that cost time. I took the liberty again to fall back on MBP as follows:
In my presentation for technical studies, I rely on my models to proof the point. I stressed that if I can built it through my model, I am able to build it in reality and that kept most of my critics silenced including Ar. Yeoh himself as I proclaimed that my tech-tonic was derived from my MO of MBP ie. if I play with bananas, my building will look like bananas and there is no fundamental truth being more fundamental than this proclamation of the first principle and I get through.
- Relying on study models, I did huge sectional details showing all members of constructional part particularly with regard to a complex design or an architectural significant detail.
- Relying on the models again, I produces huge axonometric drawings showing the blown out construction of the architectural design making them as realistic as possible.
In my presentation for technical studies, I rely on my models to proof the point. I stressed that if I can built it through my model, I am able to build it in reality and that kept most of my critics silenced including Ar. Yeoh himself as I proclaimed that my tech-tonic was derived from my MO of MBP ie. if I play with bananas, my building will look like bananas and there is no fundamental truth being more fundamental than this proclamation of the first principle and I get through.
THE URBAN DESIGN INVESTIGATION AND MASTERPLAN
I took the following MO:
- Construction of the entire site [subject site] as a study model, carefully reconstructed the existing buildings with significant value.
- Sketch and Mass Model investigation to repair, reconstruct, realign the existing urban fabric that were fragmented into a legible structure in conforming to Lynch’s Image of the City. The massing model itself is sufficient enough to allow for further investigation as to where are the nodes, paths, landmarks, edge and boundaries, probably gateways. My scheme was the only proposal that had taken to this level of urban design interrogation, taking cue from my experience in Singapore.
- A presentation of site analysis and urban design investigation were conducted to the panel of Architectural lecturers for approval. I managed to align the critics into agreeing into my approach of 3D urban design as versus to the physical planning approach of zoning in 2D. My critics were fully aware of the Cullen’s “townscape” sequential perspective embedded within Lynch’s theories of an image of the city. I was confident enough to utilize urban design approach and not challenging it.
Comprises mainly the following MO:
- Statutory Planning Code Search – the Local Plans
- Precedent Studies – UTM Faculty of Architecture Masterplan proposal to PERZIM
- Land matters – Titles and Standard Plans
- Photographic evidences
CONCLUSION
For the final presentation, the external examiner’s opinion can ultimately sway the opinions of the other internal examiners especially when a “heavy weight” Architectural Icon of Malaysia was present as the external examiner, namely (Dr) Ar. Hijjas Kasturi. He went through the entire fifth year work at a glance and categorically singled out mine to be examined at the last. Now that has increased my pressure significantly. Ar. Azmi Luddin pulled me aside and say this blankly to me, “he either like it so much or he hates it so much that he is going to tear it apart later. There is no in between for you.” True enough he examined me for 2 solid hours and offered me a job in his establishment on the spot! As the result of the entire dramatic presentation witnessed by the whole school, I was awarded BArch with double distinctions in design and dissertation. For such I was also awarded the Best Students for BArch LAM Part 2 for USM by the PAM Education Fund.
In conclusion, Architectural Education in HBP USM is far from being ideal but yet with the influence of a significant few lecturers of unconventional distinction and in wisdom, one is able to see beyond just studying or doing architecture but living architecture. The prominent figure in my architectural education has since passed away and left a lacuna that it very difficult to be replaced. However his doctrine has been immortalized by the paper I wrote in architectural education pedagogy combining the doctrines from the now, Professor at HongKong Chinese University, Dr. Edward Ng’s contributions in my architectural journey in education that I vowed to uphold.
In conclusion, Architectural Education in HBP USM is far from being ideal but yet with the influence of a significant few lecturers of unconventional distinction and in wisdom, one is able to see beyond just studying or doing architecture but living architecture. The prominent figure in my architectural education has since passed away and left a lacuna that it very difficult to be replaced. However his doctrine has been immortalized by the paper I wrote in architectural education pedagogy combining the doctrines from the now, Professor at HongKong Chinese University, Dr. Edward Ng’s contributions in my architectural journey in education that I vowed to uphold.
