her architecture journal

Today is World's Architecture Day

2011-10-03T20:39:00.001+08:00

Today is World's Architecture Day. This year's theme is "Cities, magnets of hope". How did I celebrate World Architecture Day? Simple... by working out my concept for my Green City design :D

How did you celebrate yours?

Rem Koolhaas at Work

2011-07-01T21:37:00.000+08:00

Winy Maas of MVRDV talks about the Balancing Barn

2011-06-23T23:07:00.001+08:00

Interview: Winy Maas of MVRDV on Balancing Barn from Dezeen on Vimeo.

The Fountainhead (trailer)

2011-06-23T21:33:00.000+08:00

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

2011-06-23T20:13:00.006+08:00

Great architect's fiction novel !

I just completed reading it and enjoyed every single word. Howard Roark, the main character in the novel, is an architecture student and got expelled from the fictional Stanton Institute of Technology for refusing to abide by its outdated traditions. He is an individualistic young architect who chooses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision. The book follows his battle to practice what the public sees as modern architecture, which he believes to be superior, despite an establishment centered on tradition-worship. I don't want to write about the ending here. you guys have to read it by yourself :)

Some quotes from The Fountainhead that are insane and you will grasp by its meaning :

> A building has integrity, just like a man, and just as seldom.

> I am a man who does not exist for others.

> "Here are my rules: what can be done with one substance must never be done with another. No two materials are alike. No two sites on earth are alike. No two buildings have the same purpose. The purpose, the site, the material determine the shape. Nothing can be reasonable or beautiful unless its made by one central idea, and the idea sets every detail. A building is alive, like a man." Part 1, Chapter 1, pg. 24

> "My work done my way. A private, personal, selfish, egotistical motivation. That's the only way I function. That's all I am." Part 4, Chapter 8, pg. 580

> " An architect needs clients, but he does not subordinate his work to their wishes. They need him, but they do not order a house just to give him a commission. Men exchange their work by free, mutual consent to mutual advantage when their personal interests agree and they both desire the exchange. If they do not desire it, they are not forced to deal with each other. They seek further. This is the only possible form of relationship between equals. Anything else is a relation of slave to master, or victim to executioner" pg. 714

> " No work is ever done collectively, by a majority decision. Every creative job is achieved under the guidance of a single individual thought. An architect requires a great many men to erect his building. But hedoes not ask them to vote on his design. They work together by free agreement and each is free in his proper function. An architect uses steel, glass, concrete, produced by others. But the materials remain just so much steel, glass and concrete until he touches them. What he does with them is his individual product and his individual property. This is the only pattern for proper co-operation among men." pg. 714

> " The first right on earth is the right of the ego. Man's first duty is to himself. " pg. 714

> " Now you know why I dynamited Cortlandt. I designed Cortlandt. I gave it to you. I destroyed it." pg. 716

Related links to Fountainhead :

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountainhead

> http://www.bookrags.com/notes/fou/PART1.html

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swOxKu80JpU

architecture begins with an idea

2011-03-15T13:12:00.004+08:00

study model of my Environmental Interpretive Centre that I'm designing now.

Linear Screen as New Permaculture Centre

2011-03-04T22:38:00.016+08:00

At this point, I don't really enjoy doing my Part II. Well, I can say its really stressful and pack with assignments. I managed well because I have 1 year working experiences and yes, working life is more stressful than doing Part II. In my opinion, Part II supposed to be program in individual design process orientation not just sustainable issues, BIPV and rain water harvesting. Yes, we're architects suppose to be environmentalist as well, and who want to be the person who destroy the earth right? but there is plenty ways to care about earth apart from solar panel on top of the roof and solar chart on every plans we produced. Yes, it does help in producing better design, but should we concern more about the design rather than looking where are the solar panel and rain water harvesting storage tank applied in every student design project? Never mind, as long as I still enjoy designing my building :)

Here is my Permaculture Centre design report pages (I can't upload my presentation boards because they're too big to fit in here :)). Designed in a week ( because my lecturer think I had to change my design after 2 weeks he gave us freedom to chose our own site and yet he still want us to do it in his way and stupid I to agree with him and underestimate my own design ideas ). We're now waiting for this project's grade while our final project already started last week. and we're going to design Environment Interpretive Center at Sepang.

Alanis Morissette - That I Would Be Good

2011-01-23T09:23:00.005+08:00

as the eldest in family.. matured enough, and all alone,

I just have to be good no matter what's coming :)

that i would be good even if i did nothing
that i would be good even if i got the thumbs down
that i would be good if i got and stayed sick
that i would be good even if i gained ten pounds

that i would be fine even if i went bankrupt
that i would be good if i lost my hair and my youth
that i would be great if i was no longer queen
that i would be grand if i was not all knowing

that i would be loved even when i numb myself
that i would be good even when i'm overwhelmed
that i would be loved even when i was fuming
that i would be good even if i was clingy

that i would be good even if i lost sanity
that i would be good whether with or without you

Get Out of architecture and Get a Life!

2010-09-05T14:00:00.015+08:00

a friend of mine once told me to..

'get out of architecture once awhile and get a life. Enjoy the sun and do something. Your mind need a break, so shut your architecture down for maintenance today for most of the day.' *hahaha*

Well, its so true.I need a break.Well, maybe a quick break. If you really happen to think of it, architecture is like some kind of virus or parasite (in the good way, I guess) in mind. once you have it, you'll have it like forever, can't delete it. Even in sleep also you happen to think of architecture. Don't be surprise when you wake up the next hours you actually managed to solve the design problem you left before you sleep *hahaha* (At this moment, maybe some people will think I'm a weirdo or genius already, but its true, really). Its happen to me like 24/7, everyday, every time.

For example, when I'm doing my housework over the weekend (washing, cleaning the house) I happen to think is this the way we should live or arranged the furniture, or what kind of design suit each of every person or is this the good combination of color and texture of floor material.Even bathing time, I happen to think the good proportion or dimensions of the wc, basin, or even floor trap to people while having business in there.And its happen though when I walked to my office.I really think is that the way of the traffic or road layout should be, and why the architect position his building that way and why the road curb built up to that high and why can't they provide enough width of pedestrian walkway so pedestrian can walk safely and proper at aside or why there so many people attracted to a shop.Is it because they position it that way or just the purpose of the shop served people well.I remember once I even did a research about wood carving pattern when I find out my dressing table mirror have a weird pattern of wood carving (not original and ugly) like the designer don't do the research or he under stress and can't even get a better idea or his boss urgently proof the design without revision or they lose their mind.Its really annoying when I need to face that mirror with non original, undeveloped, ugly pattern on top hanging there like smiling and say 'you can't do anything to me even I'm a cheap, ugly looking wood carving' *ok at this point, I also think I'm crazy too.hahaha*

I once try not to think of architecture and do something, non-architecture activities, so I decided to go out of house and have a nice stroll in the evening.Guess what happen to me? I end up walk around my apartment observing the drain core and tracking the down pipe flow from each of the apartment to the main source. *hahaha* I think I cannot be save by anyone anymore.The architecture parasite already comfy eat, drink, sleep happily in my brain. Hope one day it won't transform me into an alien.(well, if is it going to aliean, hopefully I'll be a pretty alien then)*hahaha* Ok. I'll try again this evening and see what will happen to me.to be continue.. ;)

here is some pictures of me and my friends having fun with my work.miss those days :)

women in architecture

2010-08-29T22:58:00.014+08:00

Theory why there are few great female architects
from Dr Garry's Key Centre for Architectural Sociology

(http://www.archsoc.com/kcas/ArchWomen.html)

" Writing in Slate, our favourite critic, Witold Rybczynski, discussed how many of the dead-white-male great architects (Corbusier, Wright, Van der Rohe, Khan, Gehry) only made it into superstardom in their mid- to late 60s. We performed a similar analysis many years ago in The Favored Circle, but failed to make gender distinctions. Mea culpa!

In the Western world, women typically retire from the workforce before men. If men are often expected to retire at 65 years of age, women are expected to do so at 60. Which means they miss out on the super-star status that their near-geriatric male colleagues finallly achieve. Our advice is: sisters, hang in there for five more years!"

" In the United Kingdom, only 12% of registered architects are women. Data for registered or licensed architects from the USA is difficult to obtain, thanks to state-based registration: one estimate puts it at about 9% (source: Fowler and Wilson, 2004). The same problems apply to Australia.

Others have pointed out that you can count the celebrity women architects of today on one hand: Zaha Hadid, Kazuyo Sejima, Gae Aulenti. And: so many others seem to be part of a husband and wife team — Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney, Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry, Alison and Peter Smithson of yesteryear; and more recently Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany, Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio.

So of those women who do stay in, quite a lot are married to other architects. Or they have the funds to support them for decades without a paying job. A goodly portion of the others end up in academia or become critics, maintaining their registration but never practising.

Where do the other graduates go? We don't know "

This is my theory or my opinion about these issues:

There are a lot of differences between women in architecture compared to women in other professions (well maybe about the same with women in engineering field). We tend to be more spontaneous, simple and adaptable with our environment. we hard to find a lady architect with too much of make up on or prefect attire from morning to evening (so no wonder if our guys colleagues treat us the same as other guys). But once we dress up, watch out guys.hahaha.

OK, back to my main point. As far as I concerned and observed, there is not much differences between both men and women in architecture.Both genders are about the same in term of our personality indicators, intellect, creativity and adaptation.But there is our biological-nature difference between us (and maybe this is what keeping men longer in this field). Female's brain has more metal-grains than male.This makes female better in storing information and search it when we need it.But Male's brain functions more as manipulator.They tend to manipulate information that they get where we female, we just use it straight away from what we stored.

So as we know our biological differences, we can overcome it and be manipulator as male architects are.cheers! :)

a-whole-new-mind

2010-08-17T22:35:00.008+08:00

a new mind...
with many years spent on brainstorming in design, we would have a set of dynamic creativity in our young mind bursting of energy.Remember to keep it fit all the time despite possessing the privilege of the so-called salary and time of our own. our set of mind now would totally be different from the one we had before studying architecture.but could we recall how we used to think before being in the architecture? many of us including myself could hardly remember it anymore.architecture has made us a better human but how are we going to serve others if we do not understand how non-architectural people think? although we ensure ourselves fit with the consumption of " creative pills", we also need to include some "natural ingredient" to our diet.

these are a few suggestions to supplement our diet:

1- instead of spending all our salary on our own luxurious needs, try to give some to the poor.
2- try spending a weekend with orphans instead of working long hours in the office/studio
3-get ourselves involve with charity work rather than doing freelance for self-profit
4-spare some time with local community activities instead of joining corporate functions

sometimes we just need to look and listen to people.hopefully by expanding our relationship and activities with the people in needs will help us develop a better understanding of
people's hearts and hopes that we need to serve and fulfill.

FOLLOW your PASSION

2010-05-07T21:45:00.006+08:00

My friends, many of us share the same ultimate dream once we completed the architectural course; becoming an architect. Whether it is our true destiny or not is a mystery that we need to find out on our own.

Most importantly,
we should pursue our passion in life and work.
Passion will provide us with energy and willpower to achieve excellence and success. It will keep us going no matter how difficult it may be.
Yet many of our senior colleagues end up taking different paths. Some become contractors, photographers, 3d visualizer and some even choose to be canteen operator, but those diverted paths from architecture do not mean that they have failed in their life. They are actually successful by following their true passion and found their own destiny.

It is saddening to hear many stories of our senior friends who have come towards the end of their working life but regretted it and feel frustrated with their profession. Oddly enough, they wish they could do something else.
If we end up with different path and find other profession as our destiny, we shouldn't forget all the knowledge and skills we had learn. Always govern ourselves with the code of professional, maintain our competency, integrity and honesty.

http://jalakmas.blogspot.com/

STOP following me! I'm an architect.

2010-04-03T23:44:00.004+08:00

Metaphorical reference is a crime! Bad example – Putrajaya. Imitation to the max, the Chinese from China salutes you! The North Koreans should nuke this place, and all the blonde Americans should use their imagination to come up with 1001 excuses to carpet bomb this Disneyland with their B-52 planes.

To a handful of architects involved in Putrajaya with their ancient design(s) – “Your design is tasteful for the tasteless!”

6 years of wasted education. You can bring a person out of the village, but you’ll never bring the village out of a person. How are we suppose to teach the newer generation about architecture when the ‘Putrajaya’ and not to mention ‘Dubai’ sets precedent for modern and ideal architecture in third world countries?

I have issues with egoistic architects that foams while they speak. There is nothing wrong if you prostitute yourself for money, but don’t go around town preaching and defending ‘architecture’.

architects in movies

2010-03-28T15:16:00.000+08:00

Barack Obama wanted to be an architect, so did Brat Pitt. You got to read this article – And now let us praise hot architects. Hollywood can’t get enough of them.

“Architects once were portrayed as sophisticates and what has happened to them both in reality and on film is that they are now seen as just ordinary folk, kind of a hack or bumbler,” says one longtime San Francisco architect, who has observed that the field no longer attracts the best and the brightest because there are so many other avenues to be creative that are far more lucrative. Source: sfgate.com

Why is there always a drafting table and a t-square in most of these movies?

(Image and source via
http://blog.miragestudio7.com/2009/08/fictional-architects-in-movies/)

Matthew Broderick in “The Cable Guy”

Virginia Madsen in “Firewall”

Zach Braff in “The Last Kiss”

Henry Fonda in “12 Angry Men”

Tom Selleck in “Three man and a Baby”

Matt Dillon in “Something about Mary”

Michelle Pfeiffer in “One fine Day”

Charles Bronson in “Death Wish”

Tom Hanks in “Sleepless in Seattle”

Matt Dillon in “You, Me and Drupree”

Ashton Kutcher (Archi Student) in the “Butterfly Effect”

Luke Wilson in “My super Ex-Girlfriend”

Wesley Sinipes in “Jungle Fever”

Liam Neeson in “Love Actually”

Adam Sandler in “Click”

Jude Law (Landscape Architect) in “Breaking and Entering”

Gary Cooper in “Fountainhead”

Frank Gehry (Voice) in “The Simpsons”

Michael Keaton in “White Noise”

Woody Harrelson in “Indecent Proposal”

Steve Martin in “HouseSitter”

Keanu Reeves in “The Lake”

Paul Neuman in “The Towering Inferno”

Another good reason that you might want to wear glasses?

2009-12-29T14:25:00.000+08:00

These ads are somewhat too depreciative, agree? I didn't wear glasses but that doesn’t mean I’m unknowledgeable unless… unless I am wearing these:

Yes, Le Corbusier's trademark, one of best known
and appreciated architects of the twentieth century.
He also a painter, a sculptor, a photographer, and a textiles designer.

Oogmerk Opticians advertisements by Ads of the World.
and posted by miragestudio7.com

Architect’s Dress Code‏

2009-12-29T13:16:00.000+08:00

"architect’s favorite colour is black.Apart from their dress code,
the other similarities among the male architects are either bald or balding."
-by miragestudio7.com

when form be the greatest thing

2009-12-28T19:32:00.000+08:00

these are my previous design projects that i consider them as a failure
in my design career.as they do not received any good marks
from lecturers neither satisfaction in making them
for me too.but i still proud to say this is my work
and I'm working to be better and better...

CIQ design report

2009-12-28T15:58:00.000+08:00

these are some of my design report pages from my final project b4 graduated Part 1:

as to share with others...

what are your tools?

2009-12-17T16:45:00.000+08:00

"can't live without
a triangle and t square

a glue stick!"
by 2 or 3 things i know.blogspot.com

as my tools are:

a-must- item for me when i design:

scale rule
clutch pencil
o.2 unipin
0.6 febercastell
derwent color pencil

my handmade tools case

and finally, my tools box

Top 10 Funniest Google Query Suggestion Results For ‘Architect’ by mirage.studio.7

2009-12-17T16:24:00.000+08:00

isn't so much interesting to be a future architect everyone? * wink*

my design inspiration :)

2009-12-10T20:50:00.000+08:00

It is such a small book, with only 1/4 of an A3
but what it contents is very wowful to an architecture student
it makes me realize how things can be solve in a very simple, fun,and easy way

" I invite you to leave this book open on the desktop as u work in the studio, to keep in your coat pocket to read on public transit, and to peruse randomly when in need of a jump-start in solving an architectural design problem."
- Matthew Frederick

here is some contents from the book:

" Those tedious first-year studio exersices in ' spots and dots'
and 'lumps and bumps' really do have something to do with architecture."

" An architect knows something about everything.
An engineer knows everything about one thing."

" A parti is the central idea or concept of a building."

i thank to this book author, Matthew Frederick, Architect
for wrote this special book for architecture students to refer to.
i thank to my fiance, hussein for bought it for me.thanks dear. love you

architects: words to conquer

2009-12-09T21:17:00.000+08:00

my new CIQ'S boards

2009-12-09T18:39:00.000+08:00

100 sentences

2009-01-27T20:14:00.000+08:00

Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer and others often talk about the beauty of the human body - many never notice.
from now on architecture or design will be the result of teamwork, not the creation of a single individual.
i feel there is always somebody, somewhere,creating something our generation has never thought of.
'People' have total confidence in the designers of an aeroplane, but not in architects.
one has to be an architect twenty-four hours a day: eight hours is not enough.
sometimes one small image can change our vision of architecture or design.
beauty - poetry - people: three critical and essential words for the future.
it is astonishing how many ' people' are interested in ugliness and kitsch.
why not create free forms inside and out? human beings are not boxes.
we can create beauty in architecture without sophisticated materials.
no good architecture is ever associated with a single political party.
when i see an ugly building i would like to see the face of its 'creator'.
spaces defined by eight corners are not compulsory, nor necessary.
there is only one ugly bridge in the world and it is in Prague.
let's go back to beauty, lets not hesitate, it is imperative.
Beauty is a real problem for many architects.
'people' never create, they only criticize.
people have eyes but few can see.
i admire brave and forward - thinking fashion designers.
architectural critics never use the word beauty - it is not fashionable.
the smell of coffee, a glass of wine can be more inspirational than seven architectural magazines.
many cultures are based on non - rectangular building - we should be one of those cultures.
i feel sorry for architects who cannot see the beauty of a simple form; they have to decorate.
bad architects want to sit on committees and better ones want to design.
architecture is the only profession which often looks backwards.
one little smile could sometimes help to create better buildings.
the figures i admire the most: Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer, Erich Mendelsohn,
Charles Eames, Paul Nelson, Frederik Kiesler, Louis Earragan and many others.
designers of a new aeroplane do not ask 'people' to comment, they ask other professionals.
i lived for twenty - six years under various dictatorships - one is probably damaged by this forever.
every building is a mass, not just four elevations.
the ecologically acceptable car is coming now (electric or hybrid).
in our profession one has to have dedication - complete dedication.
good architecture always has been, and always will be, a work of art.
we take risks with every project - others just want a comfortable life.
it is astonishing how few colors architects use; mainly grey and brown.
soon, ecological requirements will radically change the appearance of buildings.
architecture has always been and will continue to be created by designers, not by architecture critics or intellectuals.
blue sky, sand, wind, sun, shadows, beautiful bodies - i wish i could create buildings as wonderful as that.
many architects treat green spaces with disrespect; it is time to change this attitude.
creativity is an essential part of every human existence.
colour, colour and more colour, not just architect's grey.
british architecture must be european architecture.
i learnt a lot about form making model aeroplanes.
without creativity there is nothing.
it is no longer possible to make excuses for materials -
fantastic
things can be built with the most simple materials.
what would i wish most? to see five or ten tears ahead.
architects read too little and don't look around enough; they only gossip - its easier.
there must always be time for a new drawing or idea, not only for chatting in the pub.
ecological architecture is here and it is here to stay: the energy
one criterion for success in the next century will be how much a building weighs.
performance of buildings will be the most important factor in the forthcoming years.
it is not important how many tons of concrete you use in your life: the important thing is how it is used.
when u see a spider's web, i am ashamed by our clumsy buildings.
i am always aware how much art is hidden in every details of a building.
a return to beauty in architecture is necessary: forget the disasters of the past.
spaces defined by eight corners are on the decline. in the future, space will be defined differently.
the range of inspiration that we can find in books, in films and on television is unbelievable.
don't judge the success of architects by their bank accounts, but by the beauty of their work.
i envy first - year students of architecture - they have everything in front of them.
architectural criticism is completely absent, only journalism exists.
i am convinced that the architecture of straight lines is history.
modern architecture is not the latest style, it is a necessity.
we must fly and soar very high.
architecture is a total work of art.
beauty is on my mind all the time.
the best things often come from pain.
the best architecture is always poetic.
ignore popular taste - it is usually very bad.
the future of architecture is in future generations.
no architecture can be created only theoretically.
let us create modern buildings, not modernist ones.
i would like to speak to more wise and creative people.
architects think in black and white, then they add colour.
microsoft's mouse can't yet replace the left or right hand.
direct human contact stands well above e-mail messages.
the ability to see ahead and predict is the privilege of the few.
i wish to have the freedom of mind with which a child creates.
i see a limited influence of computers in the next twenty years.
personal freedom is a prerequisite for freedom in architecture.
smell is going to be another dimension in the future architecture.
complete plastic freedom of inside and outside must be the future.
i will never forget the day when i first saw the chapel at Ronchamp.
the concept of 'new materials' presently doesn't exist but one which
might soon arrive is a 'universal non-flammable mass for construction'.
it is not necessary to categorize stylistically: buildings are good or bad.
more and more i am convinced that architecture is made by the people in it.
the quality of the first sketch is imperative for the quality of the new building.
to put St Peter's dome on the top of a supermarket is not just kitsch, it is crime.
a turning point for me was discovering how to break the limits of the space box.
i admire unity and simplicity of idea, structural efficiency and beauty in nature.
democracy and freedom of expression are essential parts of the creative process.
the British Isles can't be a museum of the nineteenth century as some would wish.
when somebody asked me what will happen architecturally in 2050, i said i don't know.
i am not interested in futuristic architecture or science-fiction, only in modern architecture.
i have never heard the expression 'ugly aeroplane', but the expression 'ugly building' quite often.

i am glad the jumbo - jet was not designed by an architect - if it had been, it would never have flown.
architecture is no longer about cornices, stairs, roofs or windows; from now on we must conquer the space.
'people' hated and protested against the Eiffel Tower, St Paul's Cathedral,
Sydney Opera House, Centre Pompidou - today they buy postcards of them.
inspiration can be a butterfly, a submarine, an aeroplane, a historical
building, a plant, a fashion magazine ... the choice is endless.
i respect the buildings of people who built so little so well:
Paul Nelson, Pierre Chareau, Charles and
Ray Eames, Albert Frey and others.

my home studio

2009-01-04T19:11:00.000+08:00

my little home studio
the place where i' m doing my designs, models, sketches, reading, sleeping, eating..
all in here..my lil' one
this is the place where i love to be when im grounded and buried myself
with all my architecture stuffs :)
small, simple, compact and workable of course
from the left is my computer, my laptop sitting on my book cases
my study lamp in between which always lights on
because i didnt like bright space
an 'A1' size table for models making on the right
and lastly
an empty space on the floor is where i usually sleep if i got time ;)
to my studio
you have all my heart, always..