Architecture: January 2011

SJ 18(b) - Sketch Out 5 Perspectives (in class)

These are the perspectives drawn in the lecture class. I have learnt to sketch and hatch on spot in a faster pace.

SJ 18(a) - Sketch Out 5 Perspectives

These perspectives had taken me some time to sketched it out. Nevertheless, it has been a great pleasure for me to complete this work as I had definitely learnt that the more I sketch, the more I can brush up my skills.

SJ 14(b) - Bubble Diagram

This is my dream house. It is located facing the sea. The concept would be simplicity. As it is located at the beach front, I had maximizes the sunlight and wave by incorporating glasses on my dream house. The shapes of each rooms are created from simple geometric forms. One of the special features of my dream house is that it has an underground where I would like to keep my antiques in. My bedroom has a glass rooftop where I could enjoy the stars as night and the sunshines during the day.

SJ 12 - 3 Buildings with 3 Different Concept/ Approach

These buildings, KLCC, Marina Bay Sand and The Gherkin are among some of the buildings in the world which incorporate many concepts and approaches.

PETRONAS Twin Tower (KLCC), Malaysia

The PETRONAS Twin Towers are the tallest twin towers in the world and is recognized as being the world’s tallest high rise of the 20th century.

The prominent features of the towers are the double-decked sky bridge, pinnacles and an advanced elevator system. The double-decked sky bridge is on the 41st and 42nd floors. The bridge is 170m high and 58m long, providing access between the towers. Each pinnacle is composed of a spire, mast ball and ring ball.

The architectural design of the Petronas Twin Towers floor plan is based on simple Islamic geometric squares creatinga shape of eight-pointed stars, reflecting unity within unity, harmony, stability and rationality.

To create more space, eight semi-circles were superimposed in the inner angles of the interlocked squares.These semicircles are themselves anchored by the main structural columns of the buildings.The twin towers are symmetrically aligned and are connected with a suspended sky bridge.The design details became prominent as the building rise in height towards the pinnacles. To maintain the vertical axis of the design, the towers are set back five times.

In the beginning, a race track was removed by the government as a move to ease the traffic congestion in that area.

At first, there were no plans for the Petronas Towers to become the highest building in the world until Dr Mahathir suddenly thought of it; even during the building is already under construction. Mathematical recalculations were done and finally the plan to raise the height of the pinnacles is passed.

Construction started in 1993, with the piling of the world’s deepest foundations. The construction was done by two different contractors, sparking competition against each other. On the other hand, the towers were constructed with super high strength reinforced concrete due to the high cost of steel.
(http://www.yangsquare.com/petronas-tower-in-detail/)

Marina Bay Sand, Singapore

The three towers are connected with a one hectare roof sky park offering 360-degree views of Singapore’s skyline and featuring beautifully sculptured gardens, restaurants and a swimming pool.

The water in the infinity pool seems to end in a sheer drop, it actually spills into a catchment area where it is pumped back into the main pool. At three times the length of an Olympic pool and 650ft up, it is the largest outdoor pool in the world at that height. It features in the impressive, boat-shaped ‘SkyPark’ perched atop the three towers that make up the world’s most expensive hotel.

Designed by Moshe Safdie, the structure is said to be based on the design resembling a deck of cards. The hotel decor includes an indoor canal that has ‘Sampan’ boats to ride in, a casino, an outdoor plaza, a convention centre, a theatre, a crystal pavilion and a lotus flower shaped museum.
(http://www.extravaganzi.com/marina-bay-sands-hotel-infinity-pool-55-storeys-above-ground-opens-in-singapore/)

The Gherkin, London

New trees were planted around the base of the building with LED lights illuminating them at night.

The design is one of slick high-tech. Its eco-friendly services where the vertical fins faced with stainless steel run up the curving faces of the building that allow good penetration of the natural light. The design maximises daylight and natural ventilation that it uses half the energy typically required by an office block.

The building is angled 45 degrees due north which give the meaning, all four sides of it would be open to direct sunlight during the day and it would naturally heat up if there were no necessary solar shading.

The other two sides, the north-west and south-east of the building, have flat elevations with semi transparent double skinned glass. The south-eastern side also features solar panels hidden within the double façade.

Below the ground, the scheme includes a thermal energy retaining wall and thermal energy boreholes, both featuring closed loop ground coupling pipe-work. Combined with the solar panels, these should generate 5.1% of the needed energy on site in the form of renewable energy.

(http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=1674)

SJ 11 - Sketch Out a Presentation of Your Favourite Item

My favorite item would be my watch, it has a sleek yet special design where it has repetitive oval shapes as its strapes to also makes it look more slim, long and balanced.

SJ 10 - Initial Concept of Viewing Tower

This is my initial concept where I uses tree trunk and scarf as my concept.

SJ 09 - 3 Postcards of Penang

These are the postcards of Penang.

The 1st postcard is about the facades found on many shophouses in Penang (clockwise from top left: Early Shophouse Style, 1800-1850; Early Transitional Style, 1840-1900; Late Straits Style, 1920-1940; Early Straits Style, 1890-1920)

The 2nd postcard is about the traditional knob of Chinese main door. This traditional knob can found in Hainan Temple. It has a face of a lion symbolizing the grandness of the temple. The yellow spots beside the lion's face are the ornaments built on the main door.

The 3rd postcard is the Suffolk House. The building has an Anglo-Indian influence, where it is built during the colonial time.This structure has been standing for about 200 years, going through many transformations like being a part of a school once, before it is refurbished and eventually become a place worth visiting in Penang now.

SJ 08 - Sketch Out the Proposed Location for Toy Character

This is the sketched out proposed location on site plan and site section for my toy character, which is under a tree in my site. The reason why I chose this location is because it has a view of the whole site and also the lake. The tower is placed there as that location is calm and free of predators. Therefore, my character can enjoy, relax and view from the tower peacefully.