portfolio: architecture culture 101

I know I broke my own rule of blogging once every three days, but (you guys hate my rantings, but keep reading la) I’ve been a writer, editor, publisher, web designer, exhibitionist, vice president, architectural student, draftsman, architectural visualizer, graphic designer, photographer, land surveyor, model contractor and unofficial tutor all at the same time! anyway, here’s few pages of my sketchbook of last semester’s culture 101.

words have been said that the curtin university moderators stared at my sketchbook for half an hour and assumed that my classmates work are up to this standard to the point they skipped their sketchbooks. another A, wink.

settings is the first topic in culture 101, discussing how a site can affect the building. our site visit is at lake gardens, kl. kinda ‘jungly’ for the urban kl though.

frank lloyd wright’s falling water or the kaufmann residence is my little research for settings. I did not upload the sketches for the topic imagination, so to the next one!

the topic figures discusses how architectural spaces is dominated by two main themes; centric and linear spaces. the great section sketch above is the prominent suria klcc (shopping mall beneath petronas towers), of cesar pelli.

little research for figures. one of the greatest work of the renaissance period, villa capra (aka la rotunda) by andrea palladio.

another little research, the brickmaster architect mario botta’s work – san francisco museum of modern art.

next topic is fluid, concerning on how one travels from a space to another. work shown is the endless house by frederick kiesler, the crazed architect.

our site visit for fluid is of course the busiest location in kl, the kl sentral by architect kisho kurokawa. imagine some architectural monkeys sitting in the middle of the concourse sketching. well, at least it doesn’t turn out that bad.

geez, kisho kurokawa will be happy for this.

familiar? it’s sunway pyramid, our site visit for the topic pop. pop is more or less popular architecture, like those decorations you see in theme parks.

the topic restraint is literally minimalist architecture. less is more. more or less like that la. sketch shown is the general post office in kl. the guards there were seemingly suspicious with us. (we might have been carrying anthrax or bombs!)

cool sketches on the general post office.

the next one is collage, meaning architecture that is like rojak, yet it is still delicious! this site visit is at the central market, kl. but I personally hate rojak – duh, I practically hate everything that feels spicy on my tongue.

“nice drawing, are you an art student?” “no, I’m an architect, you idiot!”

the topic poetics basically touches upon how architecture lifted your spiritual sense, poetically. two of my friends had to wear ugly purple robes because their clothes are inappropriate, but not me! it has then been proven my attire is very appropriate. the friendly imam gestured to us; “so, when are you guys going to convert to Islam?” err, pardon??

the topic domino aka open house describes how the new architecture that has been brought by le corbusier from his writings; the five points of architecture. somehow, I felt I was the architect for mesiniaga tower by now.

there are two topics I did not discuss, which are the imaginations and tectonics. if you really care to take a glimpse, here is my reduced-quality big chart;

• big chart: settings and imaginings
• big chart: figures and fluid
• big chart: pop and restraint
• big chart: collage and poetics
• big chart: tectonics and domino/open house

the most memorable words when I came back for the new semester;
“so you’re yang yang? good work you did for culture.”

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