Sketches from when I was a kid

My interest with buildings and architecture started when I received my first box of Lego. Lego was the only toy my parents would buy for me when I was a kid. No dolls. Just Lego. As such, I have a room full of Legos. I remember having a permanent Lego city, complete with a police station, a fire station, houses, railroad and great infrastructure. Besides reading my favorite stories by Enid Blyton when I was a kid, I also enjoyed reading architecture and interior design magazines that my parents would buy to guide them in decorating their house.

Below are examples of sketches I found, drawn when I was a kid when I wasn't paying attention in class.

Imposed Project 5: A comfortable Chair

In group of 3, students are required to produce a structural model of a wooden L-shape seating object that combines a table and chair(s) (students are free to design and decide the form of each chair/sofa/table/desk). 

The purpose of this assignment is 

§To improve students’ ability in applying suitable elements and principles of design in producing a functional structure.

To expose the students to the challenges of designing a small structure that is a result of a connection or combination of two or more objects.

To improve students’ skills in developing and communicating the ideas through conceptual scale model making.

To enhance students’ ability in designing a creative form of object and space with the understanding of human physiology, ergonomic and comfort factors based on basic technical knowledge

The Mod Kinabalu Bench is designed based on traditional Malay design, modern curves and ecodesign concepts. We wanted to integrate the landscape design into our bench design. The landscape design consist of a tropical water fountain surrounded by clean-cut, carved stone wall embossed with a tropical floral print stone. We used the sleek, modern tropical feel and elements from the landscape as the basis for our bench design. 

Design and form 

The backrest has a  gradual upward slop with Malay traditional square design, decorated with vines on tie/rod wires that reflects the green Kinabalu mountain. To give it a modern and sleek look, we created a free-form, curved seat that resemble the curves of a mountain. We incorporated concrete armrest and a concrete side table to tie with the concrete/stone landscape. The concrete is a good contrast in terms of form, color and material against the wooden bench and wood color. Since the side table concrete may be too heavy for the bench we decided have it from the ground up. The higher height of the side table will give the bench an elevated look in the middle.

Material

We incorporated mainly local renewable material such as teak and concrete and local plant. 

We chose teak timber, with dark stain finish for the seat and back rest. Tie/rod is used to support the vines. The side table and arm rest is made out of concrete. 

Structure

The bench dimension is 2.5m x 2m x1.2m. It is based on a rectangular structure frame of a bench. Trusses are used to sustain the curved seat.

Imposed Project 4

Natural and Man-made structures

More painting…. 

wakaf

Imposed Project 3: Trees

Wham - lots of coloring, sketching techniques to learn in such a short amount of time. Next the class was asked to pick a tree in campus and sketch with the various techniques taught. I guess I have a barrier to overcome first, drawing with perspectives. I am caught unprepared. So I reached out to my aunt and my architecture friend and they both recommended that I "draw on the right side of the brain". It is a method promoted by Betty Edwards, first published in 1979. My key takeaway after reading this book is to draw naively like a child, without logic. Guide your pen to what you see. No questioning why. It is definitely a challenge for me, especially with my highly, logical brain.

I have paired my 4 year old's son's drawing next to mine. He copied what I drew. 

To create tonal values, I read Design Drawing by Francis DK Ching. In his book, he emphasized techniques for hatching, crosshatching, scribbling, stippling. I really hope that I can sketch so well that someday I can trick people into walking into a door when it is a wall. 

Along the same subject, on the next day, the students were asked to draw "life" portraits. This time, students were timed with 10 min frame, down to 7min frame and … 1 min frame. I tried my best to keep what Betty Edwards mentioned in her book. Much better this time. In fact, my work was selected as "special mention" on the student website. I was surprised how the longer minute work I drew did not get selected but the lesser minute frames were better and were selected. Maybe I drew well under intense pressure relative to other students in the class. Thanks to my corporate work training. 

7 minute drawing

5 minute drawing

3 minute drawing

1 minute drawing

7 minute drawing (selected)

5 minute drawing (selected)

3 minute drawing (selected)

1 minute drawing (selected)

Imposed Project 2: Watercolor painting

My new mental block - I am bad at painting. Truly, I have not held a paint brush for a long time now. Maybe to paint my house but not to paint a painting for a school project. 

Today, the class was asked to paint with watercolor method. All I remember of it was to use lots of water and blend the colors. And remember the shadings. Keep in mind where the light is coming from. 

In less than 30minutes, this was what I put together: 

I made a mistake coloring the sky and it turned out uneven. Maybe it will be better next time. 

Architecture Travelogue 1: Petronas Twin Tower

I am an avid traveller. Thus, I have decided to collect as many interesting pictures of buildings, architecture, building elements as I go about this journey to be an architecture student.

The first photo that I will post is taken in Kuala Lumpur, a  city I grew up in. The Petronas Twin Tower is located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. According to the CTBUH's official definition and ranking, they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 until surpassed by Taipei 101, but they remain the tallest twin buildings in the world.^[2] The buildings are the landmark of Kuala Lumpur with nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower.

In fact, I saw the Petronas Twin Tower grew from nothing to something. I happened to be studying in a school nearby that gives me a good view of the tower when it was still under construction. I remember the construction started in 1993 which involved lots of excavation, down to 30 meters. Every other week, we would either see something new added or a portion of the level rise. It is exciting to be part of history. The 88-floor towers are constructed largely of reinforced concrete, with a  steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim religion. Another Islamic influence on the design is that the cross section of the towers is based on a Rub el Hizb, albeit with circular sectors added to meet office space requirements.

Imposed Project 1 - A Logo About Me

Day 1 of architecture school. Yes, I am all rusty from drawing well and somewhat not as creative in art as compared to before. Can I blame it on my corporate job? Maybe. 

We are asked to create a logo about ourselves. I do stick out like a sore thumb after all. Should I put together something to reflect that? I decided to stick to something that reflects my character. Many do call me a tiger mom but that's over-used. Maybe something that ties to my zodiac and above all, my character. POWER, PERSISTENCE, POISE. 

Why the dragon? In Chinese mythology, a dragon symbolizes auspicious powers, strength, wisdom and good luck. Red is the color of prosperity and good luck. Red is also the color of feminine power.

My Second Life as an Architecture Student

I left behind a lucrative, corporate job in the high-tech world to follow the passion of my life - to study architecture. To do that, I packed up my family, travel half-way round the world, with my babies from California to an island not known to many, called Penang in Malaysia. Penang will be a great place to learn architecture as I have always been in love with architecture of the "old-world" - a mix of colonialism and local architecture, a mix of old-world and modernity.

My first day back at school was something totally unexpected. Hostel life! Check out the room. Keep in mind, this is my third degree, after having earned a BA and an MBA. I am not quite ready to be a student again. Firstly, the sight of the room threw me off. (I know it's temporary). Secondly, I looked far too old to blend in with my undergraduate buddies. My exciting, yet challenging journey as a student begins right now….