Tuesday, August 29, 2006

HOLZ BOX ZT GMBH

A funny MPEG with great architectural work in http://www.holzbox.at/ as for your browsing pleasure.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Board of Architecture in Singapore's Educational Qualification

"Architectural qualifications accredited by the Board are full-time courses and examinations comprising of five academic years in residence with one year practical training in between the pre-professional and professional programme." to find out more...
Passage from http://www.boa.gov.sg/education.html

Friday, August 25, 2006

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

D3a

D3A Another architectural firm for your browsing pleasure.
Image from http://www.d3a.cz/en_realVelk.php

Monday, August 21, 2006

ibos & vitart

"In the free space carved into the building, the city enters. The ground floor unfolds to constitute an esplanade, urban space coiled within it.In offering space to the city, the Adolescent Center pulls the city in. It steps in to better embrace it." to find out more...
Passage & Image from http://www.ibosvitart.com/anglais/news_eng.htm

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Bjarke Ingels Group – BIG

"Bjarke Ingels Group – BIG - is a Copenhagen based group of 50 architects, designers, builders and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and development.Historically the field of architecture has been dominated by 2 opposing extremes. On one side an avant-garde full of crazy ideas. Originating from philosophy, mysticism or a fascination of the formal potential of computer visualizations they are often so detached from reality that they fail to become something other than eccentric curiosities. On the other side there are well organized corporate consultants that build predictable and boring boxes of high standard. Architecture seems to be entrenched in two equally unfertile fronts: Either naively utopian or petrifying pragmatic. We believe that there is a third way wedged in the no mans land between the diametrical opposites. Or in the small but very fertile overlap between the two. A pragmatic utopian architecture that takes on the creation of socially, economically and environmentally perfect places as a practical objective. In our projects we test the effects of scale and the balance of programmatic mixtures on the social, economical and ecological outcome. Like a form of programmatic alchemy we create architecture by mixing conventional ingredients such as living, leisure, working, parking and shopping. Each building site is a testbed for its own pragmatic utopian experiment. At BIG we are devoted to investing in the overlap between radical and reality. Choosing between them you condemn yourself to frustrated martyrdom or apathic affirmation. By hitting the fertile overlap, we architects once again find the freedom to change the surface of our planet, to better fit the way we want to live. In all our actions we try to move the focus from the little details to the BIG picture. " to find out more...
Passage & Image from http://www.big.dk/

ANG.ISM

"As a former a council member for 3 years, I have decided to contest this year’s election as I feel that I have yet ideas and initiatives to contribute. I am motivated also by the urge to see a PAM council that is not controlled by factions or interests. Claims of ‘continuity’ and ‘teamwork’ in reality only reinforces a culture of Entitlement, where serving council members feel they are ‘entitled’ to certain positions and promotions as reward. In this respect, I have put forth ideas that forms the basis of my candidacy (see post below). " to find out more...
And for some critics from Miragestudio7.
Passage from http://ang-pam2006.blogspot.com/

Friday, August 18, 2006

NOMAD

There are always great websites around and I would state nomad is one of them.
"Atmospheres come with integrations, discoveries, elasticities, and penetrations.
Space around a person where he extends his influence or environment created around him.
Prevention or attraction of the soul, positive or negative, towards a person or a thing.
The optimization of our relations with the world means the confirmation of sensibility as an important control device. We are capable of organizing highly complex perceptions that combine not only the data from the vision but also from other very useful senses when combined together. Then we can define atmospheres that can only be represented and transmitted by non-conventional means; the space is not just a volume and becomes a landscape of sensibilities, individually qualified." to find out more...
Passage from http://www.nomad.as/asp-html-ingles/conceptos_frame05-e.asp

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

ACM SIGGRAPH

"ACM SIGGRAPH is dedicated to the generation and dissemination of information on computer graphics and interactive techniques. We are a membership organization that values passion, integrity, excellence, volunteerism, and cross-disciplinary interaction in all of our activities.
We are probably best known for the annual SIGGRAPH conference we sponsor, but we also put on a variety of programs year-round and worldwide to benefit the SIGGRAPH community."
to find out more...
Passage from http://www.siggraph.org/

More Sketchup Techniques

Dennis Technique is a photoshop rendering techniques of generating watercolor effect that requires three layers generated from sketchup- the colour texture and shadow, the line art and the line art with shadow. And for more more sketchup techniques, the SUWIKI is another great place to learn, to share and to improve!
"3d Clay render is a technique that can be done in all rendering programs (with the exception of SketchUp, which is not considered a traditional rendering program). It is a method of making images that appear like they are photos of a clay model of a SketchUp model." to find out more...
Passage & Image from http://suwiki.org/suwiki/index.php?title=3ds_Clay_Render

REALITIES:UNITED

"BIX is a permanent light- and media installation for the Kunsthaus Graz in Austria by realities:united architects from Berlin.A matrix of 930 fluorescent lamps is integrated into the eastern acrylic glass facade of the biomorphic building structure of the new Kunsthaus in Graz, Austria. Through the possibility to individually adjust the lamps’ brightness at an infinite variability with 20 frames/second images, films and animations can be displayed - the Kunsthaus' skin is transformed into a giant low resolution computer display. "[1] to find out more...
"realities united is a spin-off of the kunst und technik group which was founded in Berlin in 1997 by ten architects, artist, media specialists and technicians. kunst und technik has done various commercial and non commercial projects, exhibitions and events mixing ideas, subjects and scenes. One of kunst und technik's resources, which we maintain carefully is the huge number of multi layered relationships with a variety of individuals and groups in and between art, culture, lifestyle, education, marketing, technology research and development." [2]to find out more...
Passage [1] & Image from http://www.bix.at/
Passage[2] from http://www.realities-united.de/background

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Nomadic Museum

"The 45,000-square-foot structure was expressly built to display "Ashes and Snow," a show of 200 large-scale photographic works by the artist Gregory Colbert that opens March 5 and runs through June 6 before traveling to California and the Vatican.It's not just the show that's going out on the road. The entire museum is to be packed in 37 of the 148 cargo containers that form its checkerboard walls. The temporary structure is composed largely of recyclable materials: the roof and columns are made of paper tubes, the steel containers stacked 34 feet high are used, and a handmade curtain to be suspended from the ceiling is made of one million pressed paper tea bags (used, with the tea leaves removed)."Shigeru is the Mozart of sustainable architecture," Mr. Colbert said. "Also, from a philosophical point of view, he's done some great public buildings; he says that art shouldn't be for the privileged." " to find out more...
Passage and Image from http://www.nyc-architecture.com/CHE/CHE-037.htm

The 4th Annual Cockburn Association Lecture by Jonathan Glancey

"Jonathan had a gleam in his eye as he unwrapped his thinking about architecture, life and dreaming. The unifying strand of dreams linked poetry, biblical and political readings, theoretical discourse and occasional introspection. We have heard the tirade about the suburb before, but it was an enjoyable talk in that it did stray into unusual territory: it's lack of tangible solutions to Mr Glancey's unloved consumerism allowed one's mind to drift, even dream." to find out more...
Passage from http://www.e-architect.co.uk/critics/jonathan_glancey.htm

Monday, August 14, 2006

Architects Registration Board

Malaysia is practising UK's architectural training system. As for students who graduated from universities not under Lam's accreditation list, another route to qualified as an registered architect in Malaysia is through furthering studies in UK for a year's postgraduate program for gaining part II. to find out more...
There are 4 Universities stated in the LAM accreditation list in UK that has the requirement of only a year's study in postgraduate to gain Part II exemption.
1. The Robert Gordon University
2. Heriot-Watt University
However, the currency exchange rate is about 1 to 7. For a year's postgraduate study fee$ is around 63k now excluding the living expanses. The short cut is the ca$h.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

arcts

Amazingly, I contacted my classmates in German through msn. After 5 years of period, they are all doctors now in architecture. to find out more...

Friday, August 11, 2006

Neutelings-Riedijk

Simple strong forms are reflected through the designs of the firm. What my comment is the architectural grammer is strong. But comparing with Tadao Ando's work, I prefer the later one.
"Seventeen terraced houses are part of a redevelopment scheme for the site of a former textile factory. The typology of the houses is based on a drive-in / split-level organisation. The individual garages are half sunken underground, giving the living room and the dining room a stepped section. Although the shape of the complex forms a strong urban ensemble, the individual houses are still expressed as a rhythm of roof sheds, that together with the metal cladding refers at the industrial past of the area." to find out more...
Passage and Image from http://www.neutelings-riedijk.com/index.php?id=13,184,0,0,1,0

THE ARCHITECTURAL STYLE OF THE PERANAKAN CINA

"When Princess Hang Li Po of China was given in marriage to Sultan Mansur Shah, who reigned Malacca from 1459-1477, she was accompanied by 500 Chinese youths who later stayed on a hill called Bukit Cina. One might say that the Peranakan Cina of Malacca are descended from these youths. Others say that the Peranakan Cina are the result of inter-marriage between the Chinese and the local non-Muslim Malays including the Javanese, Balinese, Amboynese and Bataks who were brought by the Dutch in the 17th Century from Indonesia. Their descendents became known as the Peranakan Cina or the Straits Chinese and are always referred to as the Baba Nyonya. Such communities later flourished in the former British colonies along the Straits of Malacca or the Straits Settlements, namely Penang, Malacca and Singapore. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Straits Chinese concentrated in other urban areas of Kedah, Perak, Selangor and Johore.
In Malay language, the term Peranakan, which comes from the word anak or child, means those who are descendants of an inter-marriage between a Malay and any other ethnic groups. Such term can be applied to local-born Peranakan India, Peranakan Orang Putih or Peranakan Cina. For the Peranakan Cina; Malay food, costumes and language are assimilated into their culture so much so that they are also known as the Baba Melayu. However, most of them are either Buddhists or Christians. The Peranakan Cina in Penang speak a distinctive Hokkien dialect incorporating Malay words; so do their counterpart communities in Medan, Phuket and Rangoon. While the Peranakan Cina of Malacca and Singapore speak a Malay dialect with Hokkien words. Today, the Peranakan Cina mostly of the new generations speak a mixture of English, Hokkien and Malay.
During the Dutch and British colonisation, the Peranakan Cina began to embrace the European style and allied themselves with the foreigners. They came to be identified as an urban white-collar community with high social class, noble lifestyle and living in colonial bungalows or verandahed Anglo-Indian villas; and they also sent their children to English-speaking schools. Those who are into business live in highly decorated shophouses of the Straits Eclectic style. There has been little information on the architectural style of the Peranakan Cina even though there have been a number of accounts written on their social and cultural aspects. The Peranakan Cina are not only associated with their special Nyonya dishes, beaded slippers, embroidered Kebayas and antique collections but also their Straits Eclectic style of architecture. The Straits Eclectic style of architecture began to develop in the 19th and early 20th century. The style combines Eastern and Western elements which in the early 20th Century introduced ceramic artwork and elaborate plaster renderings. Such architecture include shophouses, temples, clan or association buildings and villas or colonial bungalows. In Penang, we may see examples of the Straits Eclectic style along a number of major roads including Magazine Road, Sultan Ahmad Shah Road (Northam Road), Burmah Road, Prangin Creek and Muntri Street. In Malacca, the buildings can be seen along Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Heeren Street) and Hang Jebat Road (Jonkers Street), some of which dated back in the Dutch period." to find out more...

Passage from http://www.hbp.usm.my/conservation/SeminarPaper/peranakan%20cina.html
Image from http://www.peranakan.org.sg/Culture/culturehome.html

Thursday, August 10, 2006

RESOLUTION : 4 A R C H I T E C T U R E

More prefabricated architecture found of '4 architecture'.
"Some Notes on the Idea of (The) Modern Modular:
As labor costs continue to rise in America, it is becoming increasingly difficult to afford the high cost of building a quality custom home. By leveraging existing construction methodologies of prefabrication, we are designing custom modern homes based on a system of ‘Modules of Use.’ These Modules have been derived from our body of predominantly urban residential work, which has been an attempt not only to accommodate, but also to articulate ‘Elements of Utility’ that are essential to sustain domestic life. Our current explorations have resulted in a series of freestanding domestic typologies that attempt to embody this essence of utility.
Each design incorporates off-the-shelf materials, techniques, and spatial organizational strategies that we have employed in our previous residential work as a small architectural practice in New York City.
We believe that by combining these strategies of leveraging both prefabricated construction and our experience in efficient urban domestic planning strategies, we propose to offer an option of Mass Customization to the fabric of the American domestic sub-urban landscape, modern modular custom prefabricated homes by Resolution: 4 Architecture." to find out more...
Some introduction by Mocoloco and Upstate New York House Magazine.
Passage from http://re4a.com/modern-modular/ STATEMENT
Image from http://re4a.com/modern-modular/ Beach House

Accustudio

The worldwide AccuRender resources supporting autocad, revit, rhino and all sorts of programs for its' mapping and image library!
"What would a marketplace be without giveaways? Here you will find a number of items free for the taking. Download as much as you like, and if you know of a good freebie that you don't see here, let us know about it and we'll see about getting it included on our page."to find out more...
Passage from http://www.accustudio.com/marketplace:freeware

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

artlantis renderings with sketchup models

After my modeling process with sketchup. I am looking for a rendering program and artlantis + piranesi is my next step besides 3dsmax. The image beside is artlantis rendering results of sketchup model. to find out more...
For the mapping library located here~!
http://www.artlantis.com/community/galerie/index.php?pages=5&render=28

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

NEW PRACTICES NEW YORK

"In September 2005, The Architect’s Newspaper and the AIA New York chapter held the first of four New Practices Roundtables, a discussion series meant to provide a forum and resource for start-up architecture firms. Launched at the initiative of last year's chapter president Susan Chin and directed by current president Mark Strauss, the roundtables were a chance for architects to share their insights and experience (not to mention frustrations) with starting and running their own firms. The sessions, held at the Center for Architecture featured experts, including technology consultants, branding specialists, insurance lawyers, who advised on matters such as how to get recalcitrant clients to pay up to the cost-efficiency of outsourcing to how to get one’s work published." to find out more...
WINNING FIRMS:-
Architecture In Formation (Matthew Bremer); September 14
G TECTS LLC (Gordon Kipping); November 9
Gage / Clemenceau Architects (Mark Foster Gage, Marc Clemenceau Bailly); January 11
Interboro Partners (Tobias Arborst, Daniel D’Oca, Georgeen Theordore); March 8
WORK AC (Dan Wood, Amale Andraos); May 10
Zakrzewski Hyde Architects (Stas Zakrzewski, Marianne Hyde); July 12
Passage and Image from http://www.archpaper.com/news/2006_0726.htm

Living Box

Ever think of owing a mobile home? The next question- where can I park my mobile home in Malaysia without worrying my safety issue?However, the mobile home design is still fascinating! to find out more...
Image from http://www.edilportale.com/livingbox/Scheda_Progetto.asp?portale=&IDP=52243

Monday, August 07, 2006

House by Richard Meier in Kuala Lumpur

"Located on a sloped suburban site with exceptional views of the city of Kuala Lumpur this house is organized around a vertical plane that screens views and noise from the busy suburban street, and provides a monolithic backdrop for the living spaces, which are oriented north towards the view. The opaque entry elevation is in contrast to the open city side elevation which is fully glazed and articulated with terraces and sunshades.
Entry is via a 12 meter long bridge that parallels the street and connects the parking court to the entry vestibule. The dynamic oval form of the vestibule serves to receive and redirect the path of circulation through the opaque wall toward the views. A sequence of one and two story volumes houses the living room, dining room, kitchen and pool areas.
The facade materials have been selected with respect for the wet Malaysian climate. A combination of ceramic tile, enameled aluminum, and glass form a moisture resistant skin that is easily maintained. The architecture also responds directly to the intense year-round sun by integrating exterior sunscreens into the facade to protect glass areas from direct sun exposure. Insulated glass and interior motorized shades further reduce heat gain and glare." to find out more...

Passage & Image from http://www.richardmeier.com/ project/residential/Kuala Lumpur House 1997-2002

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Building Addition to the Bauhaus Archive

"After 26 years, the building constructed in 1979 for the Bauhaus Archive and Design Museum according to plans by Walter Gropius is no longer large enough to hold the world's largest Bauhaus collection and extensive archive. The number of annual visitors to Museum exhibitions is much higher than originally projected. In order to meet the future needs of a modern museum and archive, our building must be expanded. Present plans foresee the sale of part of the Bauhaus Archive property, an attractive site on the Landwehrkanal, to an investor who will erect a privately owned building and contribute to the expansion of the Bauhaus Archive through a Public-Private Partnership. " to find out more...
Passage & Image from http://www.bauhaus.de/english/gebaeude/wettbewerb.htm

Prefabricated House

Do you believe the house beside is prefabricated?
"One of the most beautiful, flexible, and complex prefab systems we’ve covered in the last year is the Ray Kappe designed Living Home. For better and worse, it was covered this week in the LA Times by writer Christopher Hawthorne in the article “Such a deal?” Although he addressed several shortcomings that bother us about the current prefab industry, we can’t help but feel he cast a harsh light on prefabs in general based upon this high end model." to find out more...
Passage & Image from http://inhabitat.com/blog/2006/08/04/prefab-friday-living-homes…such-a-deal/

Sphere

Sphere is something like Top Ten Sources with updated RSS of selected architectural blogs. To find out more...

Friday, August 04, 2006

LyNCH Architects

"Lynch Architects are led by Patrick and Claudia Lynchin Shoreditch, London N1. Winners of Building Design/Davis Langdon Young Architect of the Year Award inDecember 2005, Lynch architects have built a widerange of projects including residentialrefurbishments, commercial warehouse conversions,speculative residential developments and privatehouses in both London and the countryside. We havealso worked upon publicly funded projects including acommunity centre and a public square, as well as acontemporary art gallery in Clerkenwell and variousexhibition spaces." to find out more...
Passage from http://www.lyncharchitects.co.uk/STUDIO/studio.html

Thursday, August 03, 2006

29-design

A young new practice on the 16th floor of Menara Haw Par, in K.L. Malaysia that caught my eyes.
"twenty - nine design strives for simplicity of form and clarity of the design concept. we believe that architecture becomes more interesting when it is legible, when one can tell the story of how its inhabitants live from the façade. and we work hard to create spaces which are worthy of being expressed. " to find out more...
Image and passage from http://www.29-design.com/architecture.php3

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Sketchup 3d

My proposal of a house in Malaysia. 3d are done entiredly through sketchup with accurate scale.