i wish to write more but i'm out-sourced

Hong Kong Trip

Hong Kong International Airport

So here we are! Sir Norman Foster's masterpiece. Hong Kong International Airport is the world's largest airport terminal. Ok, it is HUGE. The picture above was taken at the baggage reclaim area, just right after the immigration counter. Spacious.

And this one is the arrival area; so thus the images below.

Confusing levels, or maybe it was just because i didn't have much time to wander around :P. Remember, you can go to Level 1 or Level 2, Level 3 or Level 5 but you can't find Level 4.

Hong Kong Ferry Terminal (Hong Kong - Macau trip)

i don't know the name of the ferry terminal for the above picture since HK has few piers for different routes such as to Macau, to Central and other places. Their public transport is superb, they have ferries, public buses, vans, trams and trains. All of these public transports hubs are within the tourist attractions and they are very-very efficient and always on-schedule.

This picture was taken while waiting for departure to Macau. It is the atrium that views to coffee house, restaurants and other retail shop lot. Within this area, there are luggage check-in counters, seatings and boarding pass counters. Oh, and also a very big screen displaying departure schedule! Again, so many crowd.
And this is us on our way to Macau. A very comfortable one compared to Langkawi's ha ha.

Macau

And this is how Macau Ferry Terminal looks like. This is the lobby. Our tourist guide then took us straight to the most visited spot - The God of Mercy.

This is the Goddess of Mercy. One of the tourist attraction in Macau. If u are standing right in front of this statue, you can have a great view towards all those developments like this one:

Series of boring blocks... yet very neat & clean.
ok, i'm too lazy to finish this journal so i'll just pick the photos and paste it here, with less elaboration.



This is the next stop after the Goddess of Mercy. I can't remember the name. Maybe..er..maybe this is St. Paul church. Yep the one at the top. See? But my focus at this time was the lake :p




This is a skylight for basement parking cum sculpture for this roundabout. Never heard of skylight? Go and search now. This is Frank Gehry's work if i'm not mistaken.
That was the last place to visit in Macau. So we were going back to HK that evening.

back to Hong Kong

This is how our hostel looked like. Dragon Hostel or something like that, couldnt remember the name. It is in Mong Kok, in front of Ladies Market, few minutes walking to Mong Kok MTR station.



And above is the panoramic view taken during a very misty afternoon in Hong Kong. Right side is the IFC building, designed by Cesar Pelli & Associates. It is actually twin towers eventhough wasn't connected to each other directly and even have a different height. More about IFC, click here

Hong Kong University

Viewing to the city scape,i guess..


This is their square, a very active space for students to mingle and having outdoor class activities. This photo was taken during the lunch break where there was a debate competition. it was soo lively compared to our faculty :(


This is the department lobby. Quite spacious.

Below is a random picture, taken while visiting Leo & Orange Architect at the building next to this one. The image of the tree on the wall is actually generated by a projector and the sculptures at both sides of the escalator are the dropping metallic liquid from top to bottom.


Below is another random picture while walking to Victoria Harbour for Symphony of Lights.
More pictures from these places, feel free to contact me. Even it might not up to your expectations, but that's the least i can do to help you.



|cikedis|

new books review will be out soon!

i've checked out another 5 books today.

• Intelligent Buildings in South East Asia
• Architects Today
• New Oriental Style
• Environment & Landscape
• The Leader of Architecture

we'll see if these books can influence my design, i mean, the very last and final project ( i hope).

i don't have any intention when i took out these books, it was just an attraction towards the graphics inside. i hope i'll come out with an oriental-based-style YET it is an intelligent building. could it be that way? because as far as i googled, intelligent building always associates with modernism right? can i still adapt all those advanced technologies even when my whole idea is based on oriental style? ha-ha! what am i talking about? i don't even know what does it means by oriental! somebody please, explain it to me.


|cikedis|

Rooftecture S by Shuhei Endo

Ever heard about this guy? Shuhei Endo?

You're wrong if you think that he is not as popular as Shigeru Ban or Tadao Ando. He has received numerous prizes you know, including the Andrea Palladio International Prize in Italy. Most of all his works were given a 'tecture' name. Growtecture, Slowtecture, Springtecture and more.

Rooftecture S really caught my attention. The book says he has fashioned an intelligent response to the narrow and abrupt site. Yes i strongly agree and really hope there will be an action from any related party in architecture world to introduce this brilliant ideas for our future. Logically, land price is increasing every year and what's left for us; the not-so-wealthy community, in the future is just a small and irregular piece of land that comes with an 'affordable' price.

So don't worry people. There are ways to make that kind of site to be useful. At least to shed 2 people in a time; you and your husband/wife. Take this as your example, your inspiration:

Rooftecture S, Kobe, Japan.

Perched on a retaining wall, this 66 metre square steel frame house has a wrap-around roof. Well, suits best with its name. Without the existance of this house, i bet; everyone will see this site as unusable. See it yourself, it is on a steep slope.


But i'll be okay if i were to live in this small house- it's facing the Inland Sea, man! I don't care where that 'Inland' Sea is, but as long as it is a sea, then it will be priceless.

u-oh.. its interior, sleek and exclusive! You don't need a curtain since the facades that facing the east-west sides are almost blank walls, only few small windows that perfectly capture the view to the sea while you are eating or washing the dishes.


Bedroom? Well.. it is an open plan bedroom. No walls no partition, just an I-steel-column in between the living and the sleeping area. And there's a patio at the back of the house for you to loafing and partying with friends on weekends.


See.. You got a small piece of land in a difficult and tight location, facing the sea, owning a house which has everything that you need; sleeping, eating and living areas, a bathroom, a kitchen, a deck. So what's more? It's perfect! But never ask for a car porch.......



|cikedis|

tree house

it was my childhood dream to own my very little private space on a tree, full with fluffy pillows, story books, tv and foods. i can't remember where did i get the ideas of living on a tree, it must be an influenced from George of The Jungle i might say.. i kept on dreaming and sometimes wishing loudly to everyone in my house about my obsession of this tiny home; of course with a hope that my father will build it one day, especially for me!

years after years and now i'm approaching 23; still- no tree house for me. so i canceled my dream. it was just that easy huh canceling a dream?

so the dream faded like a bubble in the air until yesterday when i take a peek to a book that i borrowed from library, i saw a very interesting photo, an A4 sized photo -showing a woman with her kid clinging to the rope; ( err..what do we call that rope? the one that we use for hiking? yep, that kind of rope) climbing up the wooden stairs in the middle of a forest. i tell you, this photo is very amazing. i googgled but to no avail. so no photo for you. i dont have a scanner :(

the next page shows various views of the overall TREE HOUSE. it's tree house people! it' tree house!! oh this is sooo exciting!

ok, let's review.


Plendelhof Tree House, Germany by Baumraum.

Baumraum is a firm, not a person. Baumraum offers to build unique tree houses for clients . As for the Plendelhof, this house is designed for 2 beech trees and set 8.6 meters off the ground.

my personal opinion- as usual- IMPRESSIVE! ( what else a student like me can say about the the proffessionals' works??) but hey, be honest. don't u impressed seeing something like this in the middle of big shady trees?


you can't expect more from a tree house. they are just a tree house. but this is awesome. instead of a pavilion-like, this tree house is designed nicely that it looks, really looks like a house.well, maybe some part of the house. maybe.

i wonder, how did the architect knows the strength of the branches? is it safe for an overweight like me to be up there?ha-ha! ok,ok, kidding. i know, architects are just fabulous! look at this, it's breathtaking & refreshing. we will be surrounded by trees!


i believe, there will be people out there who thinks this project is just nonsense.

"u don't need an architect to build a tree house. my grandpa can do it better"

yes, everyone can build a tree house. but please, architects (from my very own point of view) are here to educate, to show people around us which is the good design and which is not. they study about human behaviour, they study about the environment and what's important, they study about DESIGN. a very important principle in achieving a more exciting life. err... is it? anyway, just accept that.

afterall, the uses of timber in this structures enlighten the originality of the tree house; a place for working, playing & relaxing. And about people who might says that this is too dangerous for kids, yes you are right. it is better suited to adult. u kiddos, stay on the ground!



|cikedis|

Coop Himmelb(l)au

Okay before I write more about these architectural things let me tell you my hope for NOTHING.

Since I’ve already own my everydays' life blog, I really hope that this NOTHING can be my information blog which means I’ll put lots of info rather than blogging about myself. Ok, maybe there’ll be one or two stories about me in future but I’ll try as much as I could to make this blog very informative so that it will benefit others.

And since I’m studying architecture and my fond of design is started to grow, I think I’ll brag more on architecture thingy. After all, no one ever knows what will turn-out next!

Ok, let’s start.

Coop Himmelblau is founded by Wolf Prix and Helmut Swiczinsky in Vienna, Austria. The reason why I like their design is mainly because the way they translate the word aesthetic. From most of their completed projects, the designs are very aggressive and raw. It is very dynamic in their own way and I really like the idea that the asymmetrical always been their feature.

Let’s take one example; UFA Cinema Centre in Dresden, Germany.



The building looks outstanding with the sharp edges panels rotating freely acting as the façade. It doesn’t look so massive because there are voids between the panels exposing the structure, which make it looks lighter than a bulky box. This is just startling! Even people who do not have an interest in architecture will attract to this building. Just imagine; u walks down the street and suddenly sees this ‘weird’ building. You must be stunned don’t you? Even if you don’t like it at the second place, but that’s enough for me (if I’m the architect). The intention to make the building bold has been achieved. It is quite hard to make people notice of what’s around them (if you concern).

In my early years of studying architecture, I couldn’t understand why the Rooftop Remodeling in Vienna is called as masterpiece. Where’s the justice? They call it masterpiece?? Is there any aesthetic value at the design? Oh come on... Me myself at that time was still influenced by a sleek line and cubic forms were the amazing building.

Rooftop Remodeling by Coop Himmelblau

But now after years of learning and reading and practicing err… doing studio projects I mean, I started to understand the beauty of sculpturalistic form. The beauty of chaotic form. Did I use a correct word? Chaotic FORM? Never mind. I do think that this kind of design (like Coop Himmelblau’s) gives the best raw initial ideas to develop very well during the stage of designing. For a student like me, doing that kind of design is easier because I don’t have to follow grid lines while my ideas bursting out from my head. . It’s easier to locate any space to anywhere since there’s no perfect symmetrical shape in the design. Because, when designing, your ideas will pop out and quickly disappeared if you don’t grab it and associate it into your sketches or drawing or what so ever 3D modeling software you are using.

In a nutshell, I love asymmetrical and dynamic and organic design. If it isn’t sharp edges, I like it to be soft rounded edges; just like what Asymptote did.

Penang Global City Centre, Malaysia.
photo courtesy of Asymptote Architecture

|cikedis|

a hope for NOTHING

My English is getting worst ever since I left matriculation. I am no longer using proper English- even for my presentation (that’s pathetic for an undergrad!) and my English is just like a kindergarten kid. See?!

During my first year in campus, I attended a Public Speaking class (which was if I’m not mistaken; was the last time I used my English!); a compulsory subject for students with Band 4 and above in their MUET. It was quite a terrible class. I still remember how the three of us sneak-out from Kenegaraan class just to make sure that we were on time for the Public Speaking class. Late attendance means absent. The schedule was cruel. We had Design Studio subject from 8 to 5pm, proceed with Kenegaraan at 5 to 7pm and Public Speaking by 6 to 9pm. Like it or not, we had to sacrifice our ‘golden hour’ in Kenegaraan; we did it especially for you, my dear English!

By slip-out from Kenegaraan after one hour of lecture and waiting for the bus for about 15 minutes max, we finally managed ourselves to attend the class on time. If only the lecturer knew how hectic our journey was...

Oh, it wasn’t ended like that. The next thing to be resolved was how can we perform solat Asar before the Maghrib started? Nehh… we got to sneak out? Again??! Yea,yea.. Then we started to ask permission to the restroom, one by one. So, that was the last time I practiced my English. It was 3 years back and you can imagine how rusty it is by now.
*teacher, may I go out?*

Another attempt to improvise my English was by writing an English-medium diary. But hey, it wasn’t a great alternative! Diary did cost you some money. I only bought a little one since it is affordable to me and you know what a small diary can do – only few words in point form can be written. To write in log book? No thanks. I don’t have enough space to bring it here and there.

After so many attempts, and so many self-motivated ideas, I found another brilliant alternative. Yes, a blog! It’s free, people! I mean, err...yes. It is free as long as I’m a student of this generous faculty and I am my parents’ daughter.

I’ve decided to spent time to write something, anything for this NOTHING. I’ll try to use all those new vocabulary and jargon. I really want to impress myself with my English. I hope to see that one day as I glancing through my entries, I will notice how better my English to be compared from the past. And I really hope that if there any chances somebody passing by this blog, I would like to see a comment on my grammar error and so on. I need you to be my teacher, but please don’t ask for the fee….