Non-Plan & Activity and Change

Cedric Price

Architectural plan design is invariably obey the principles of form and space design, constant the relationship between building and environment. However, non-plan design concept has unlocked the door of freedom, trying to turn into impermanence space organization. It has provide a platform for the people to decide the shaping of an environmental design and circumventing planning bureaucracy. In short, people could stay in their dreamful space to live or to work. For me, I am not sure about the application, but as a thesis it has last and well-known currently. A proposition was succeed if it has been ubiquitous no matter how it works as every people have their own perspective, nil people will be the same.

Function should follow fiction as building design should base on culture rather than nature. As a designer, we have to consider the characteristics and habits of client. For wet market design, it is possible to apply cross-program in the design consideration. Visitors are allow to have different kind of activities on site. After operation hours, market is not merely a market anymore. It has play the role as another space function to serve the client’s requirement.

Site Environment of Pasar Sungai Chua, Kajang

In Fun Palace, project accomplish by Cedric Price, express the great influences of contemporary architecture to the society. It has some new technology ideas into the building so that visitors may have fun and examine their intelligence at the same time. Besides, it was special for the flexible structural framework, permits the possibility of changes. In my opinion, a building should not be constant at one form as time fades and alter could turn the fates of that specific building. Fun Palace has serve the public and expand human freedom, restricting the impact of any architectural style. Thus, it creates infinity opportunity in the future.

Fun Palace by Cedric Price

Human activities will change directly proportional to the time. For all assets and non- assets, it will depreciate gradually with time. So does the building elements, it will not be judged by its value separately, but the whole building condition. Time change, things change. As such, architecture is the medicine of building, design with a most long-lasting and useful space for human activities. The flexibility of design in wet market by making the plan expandable has persuaded the client to satisfy with the overall design.

To wrap up my view, non-plan directs freedom of architectural design.

Written by Wong Rong Song, 1001746688

The Radiant City

Le Corbusier

Quotidian, people were burdened with hardships due to the unknown in future. People will set several targets and strive to achieve them, repeatedly. However, we may forgot or neglected one truth: Human is unsatisfied! To make life more powerful, advanced technology development has boosted human to reach a higher quality lifestyle level. As time faded, people hope to gain more and more, this is one of the human origin personality, the feeling of eagerness invariably occupied per person’s mind, try to attain the pinnacle of life with all kinds of methods.

In contrast, Suburban city is placed in a sustainable environment. Those who have experienced this scenery have enveloped by harmony and peaceful as people could throw away all the massive burdens behind at that moment. During weekends, ubiquitous people will pick themselves to the public places, a step closer to the nature, attempting to improve relationship between cronies, family members or spouse. It is like an Arcadia, people can never feel in the hustle and bustle of city lifestyle. Nowadays, people adapt in the busy of life, promote ‘Fast and Furious’ rush for every moment, doesn’t have extra time to halt and appreciate the beauty of this world.

Urban versus Suburban

For wet market design, it is excellent to insert the urban design planning into this project consideration as society should be united with the modern development progress. Public building design have to centralize the main necessity of the user by integrated it with the surrounding elements.Besides, pedestrian pathway should place in one of the consideration point while designing the building form of market. In radiant city, it has shorten the time for the visitors to pass across. Pedestrian walkway can be created to arrive any part of the market, provide direct convenience for the visitors.

Written by Wong Rong Song, 1001746688

Ornament and Crime

The Decisive Contribution of Adolf Loos

This notable article drags people to rethink whether the present of an ornament is fundamental as it has proven that ornament represent a cultural decline, is a sense of waste. Well, ornament is an embellishment of the physical appearance of an art, but this does not mean it must be applied to all the architectural workpieces. Without ornament, a building still able to perform its architectural style and function relevant to the client, it depends on how the designer convey.

Ornament is a crime, just kind of procrastinate as it was belonged to the past, modern architecture was no longer in ornament due to people does not want to spend extra expenditure to unnecessary structure. Ornament could not aid for supporting loads or structure. Without ornament, a building still work. Ornament producers require a long period to accomplish work because it takes time to design and mould such detail artwork. Moreover, it needs great man power and material to assign a task. To absolute a project in time, more workers have to join so that the progress could be speed up. However, ornament making process is actually risky, may injured or harmful to the health indirectly.

Adolf Loos has evinced his perspective by his work. Among them was Steiner House in simple style with Modern garden façade. Adolf Loos has designed it in pure form by maximizing the space at his disposal without violating the building regulations. The whole building structure is in austere and futuristic look as there was an arched tin roof on the two additional floors. Symmetry, the lack of ornamentation has defined the building. Adolf Loos has opinioned that an architecture should base on the economy and the rigour of the function. ‘Raumplan’ was the central design principle, emphasizing the consideration and size of interior spaces based on function.

Steiner House by Adolf Loos

Nonetheless, mimetic ornament is acceptable in this era. It is an imitation of nature, decorative motifs derived from precedent structural and symbolic forms. People are more acceptable with those sustainable elements as it grows out from a universal human reaction to the technological change.

Papyrus column from a temple at Karnak, Egypt

The present of ornament, is still a disputable topic for people to further explore. A building form should be totally well-design with structural components or ardorn with ornaments, engineer and labours have been managed to stand by Adolf Loos’s side. And, Adolf Loos has verified the possibilities through his writings and building design.

Written by Wong Rong Song, 1001746688

The Plan of the Modern House

Le Corbusier

Visually, a proportion element which your heart has perceived is regarded as part of the proportional members. Le Corbusier is a notable Switzerland architect, spreading his open-minded and valiant attitude towards art, architecture and mathematics world. He even reveals his emotion through his abstract drawings, for the right person to read his mind. Personally, I am totally concur about the behavior of emphasizing the importance of sense while appreciating an art product. As an art and architecture lover, we should invariably design by following our heart, welcoming gut feeling.

'Personnage' by Charles Le Corbusier: express mind and feeling through art drawing

In modern architecture, Five Points of Architecture has become a core point as it has boosted the society to the industrialized world. This idea is actually explored from the Maison Domino design. A skeleton structure could exert free planning design, allow more space expansion and proportionalized certain building. As pure structure, it was a phenomenally bold idea. Due to its bold properties, it was unknown and even neglected by people in the beginning. However, it has widen the thinking to explore such empty space, verified that columns and staircase are able to support concrete slab.

Nil, does not represent it is nothing.

Maison Domino by Le Corbusier

When we look into Villa Savoye, it manifest the characteristics of free plan, free façade, free façade, ribbon windows, roof garden and pilotis. The presence of partition walls slotted between the support enable free-form interior design. Villa Savoye is free from structural conditioning, so it may be removed or altered the location of the building substructure elements. Despite aesthetically appearance and comfort, it has provide a room layout to the villa. Furthermore, structural function has relieved by separating structure from the building façade. Free façade permits walls to be designed in a freedom way. Thus, the whole façade display its unique characteristic and function. Moreover, the placement of horizontal windows allows air and light to enter the interior and attract amazing view from the surrounding. This also makes the upper level feel very open. Roof garden, is a recreational venue, shelter and garden for the client. It has enveloped concrete or other materials and create space for a building. By lifting a building over pilotis, the walls could be designed far more freely. In short, it does not need additional support for the building. Because of the presence of these vertical support element, an open space is exposed as it is able to withstand the weight of the overall loads without the aid of horizontal elements.

Villa Savoye, Poissy by Le Corbusier

The freedom of design has boosted the efficiency of building construction process as it has shorten the manufacture period due to its skeleton structure. Besides, it also rectify several modern functions. The concept of proportion has amplify the visual expression of structure, with open living spaces by obeying ‘Form Follow Function’. While an architect is boundless to design, beauty and playful form of building will definitely appeared.

Building is similar to human body. For real architectural revolution, the first step is to classify the pros and cons of every single space, analyse and resolve. Next, deal out detail dimension for spaces in modern buildings. Another point is circulation design concern. It is a methodical function, unconscious but significant to the thermal comfort for an occupant. Subsequently, compose all the rudimentary basis of architectural components. Lastly, appreciate the possibility of proportion in building.

In a nutshell, architectural plan is akin to music. Architect is burdened with challenges in the pathway of modern house plan design, but relish the process too! The intention of modernism proportional design: simple, clean and open.

Proportion of Villa Savoye in elevation

Written by Wong Rong Song, 1001746688

Le Modulor

Le Corbusier

‘Modulor’ or ‘Golden Module’ was derived from Proportioning Grid. This concept was discovered by Le Corbusier, define a standard measurement to certain building by applying human body proportion through mathematical solution. The present of Modulor principle has balanced the elements of a building, inspire consistent and precise creation and boost human to procure infinity findings. God has blessed human, enable human to relish such amazing wisdom, thinking the implementation of geometry and mathematic to the lifestyle.

Luca Pacioli has expressed his perspective on Golden Ratio in <Divina Proportione>, lead people to explore more about the rule. During Renaissance period, it was discovered that human body has been built according to golden rule. However, Golden Ratio actually has become part of our life. When we use the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) to deposit, transfer or take money, we have neglected the debit or credit card is in golden rectangular design. It has equalize the overall card elements and make the scanned data more consistence. The advanced technology has also get touched with Golden Ratio, Jonathan Ive successful design―iPod is one of the extreme well-designed product as it is ubiquitous and place as the top ranking favourite product. This device has focus Golden Ratio as its basic shape. Thus, it seems like cool, unique and neat. Not merely technology world, several business and enterprise has include Golden Ratio in their logo design. For example, the significant Toyota have grid lines at certain separation to form phi-grid. This bring the logo have standardize design as it shows mirrored scene in the axis.

Toyota Logo in Golden Ratio

Proportion, guide people to calculate dimension in a straight way. It provide a sense of equivalence in size relationships within the human body. For building, identical façade has formed to emphasize the presence of repetition in addition to highlight the comfortableness and most special part of a building. In short, portion of the element is act as a whole.

Front Facade of building with proportion lines

Number is in intimate relationship with Modulor. Number allows measurement, promote calculation to be accomplished. In Golden Module, every single number has its meanings even nought do so. During the process of measuring and calculating digits, precise and accurate is consequential as a slight deviation will cause a great difference in the end. To have a better measures, it is invariably to experience, feel the building with worthy heart. Numbering, help human to classify a heap of alike elements, reminder on how many times we have repeat certain action, foster the development of science and stimulate spiritual awareness. 

In a nutshell, architecture should obey the Le Modulor rule. The application of golden section to the measurement has amplify how amazing geometry and mathematic could enhance the beauty of a building by appertaining the concept of proportion. A building should be treated like a human being although it has no breath. But, the structure are both same.

Building and human, unite!

Le Modulor: Golden Section

Written by Wong Rong Song,1001746688

Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto For 
Manhattan

Rem Koolhaas

Delirious New York has emphasized the signature architecture of Manhattan. The most trial topic is the ubiquitous “culture of congestion”. In this advanced technology era, people eager to run from the hustle and bustle of the city. On road, congestion has triggered the possibility of incident, delaying well-organized schedule and let users down. The negative effect caused by the urban development should be curb wisely or else physiology and social problems may occurred. The traffic flow nearby Jalan Sungai Chua, Kajang is not really smooth as there are branches of small lanes with one-way path separated from the main road. It means that the users may face the hardship of road congestion especially during the peak hours.

However, the city of New York is arranged in an orderly way by interconnecting the grid lines. Each block are corresponding to respective chapter which are Coney Island, Skyscraper, Rockefeller Centre and Europeans. The spirit of determination from Manhattan has reflected through his action―remove territory with the aim of protecting nature and humanity. In Taman Kajang Raya, the buildings have performed in a straight and uniform style to provide a sense of immaculate, shows interaction between components and harmonize the buildings.

Ecstasy is the primary element of Delirious New York. Manhattan was indulged in direct proportion but it was too distant. In short, the scenario of Delirious New York is boosted by greed. According to Rem Koolhaas, “In a laughing mirror-image of the seriousness with which the rest of the world is obsessed with Progress, Coney Island attacks the problem of Pleasure, often with the same technological means.” This has highlighted such fantastic power of the technological evolution could reach a peak in the future.

The application of Architectural Lobotomy impart a modernistic and cultural message to a certain building. By separating the interior and exterior design, visitors could experience two different architectural style as it is visually aesthetic. One of the best example is the Murray’s Roman Garden, which has apply grid system, promote metropolitan culture with the aid of modern technology inside and covered with ancient architectural façade.

Front Facade of  Murray’s Roman Garden

Interior of Murray's Roman Garden

Last but not least, the most significant things that I learned from Delirious New York is the manifesto, theory and spirit of Manhattan. Theory has reflects human perspective in addition to the reaction of nature. Ergo, the wisdom and inner characteristics of Rem Koolhaas obviously appeared through every phrases. Through this book, I have a deeper knowledge about urbanism, Manhattanism, historism and New York civilization. Theories are efficient as it able to lead the community to a higher level. However, it should not become the whole pie in lifestyle, theory is a reference of certain condition but not a regulation to fix every single kind of obstacles.

Written by Wong Rong Song,1001746688