Theorizing architecture 2 final

THEORIZING ARCHITECTURE ANALYZING AND THEORIZING ARCHITECTURE

By Christopher David Ng Man King 0309552

TABLE OF CONTENT ABSTRACT 1.0

INTRODUCTION TO THE ARCHITECT

2.0

INTRODUCTION TO THE CASE STUDY

3.0

ARCHITECTURE THEORIZING FACTORS 3.1

USERS: THE CREATION OF INTERSTITIAL SPACES IN THE DESIGN THOUGHTS

3.2

ARCHITECTURE THEORY: THE ARCHITECTURAL GEOMETRY V/S THE SITE CONTEXT

3.3

SOCIO-CULTURE: ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS RESPONDING TO MODERNISM

4.0

CONCLUSION

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ABSTRACT In the Malaysian Context, theorizing architecture became crucial as Architecture has for aim to adapt to one’s culture instead of overwhelming it. Vernacular Architecture such as the Orang Asli Origins, which means Aboriginal Origins, affects the architectural environment of Malaysians by a drastic percentage. Although there is sense of Modernism in the architectural Style of Malaysia, Architects did not deny the fact that something had to be done to adapt to the Tropical Climate of the Country.

In Order to explore in depth about the matter, Ar. KC Yew, the CEO of KC YEW ARCHITECTS has been the subject of the following theory in this Research Paper.

Subject Matters such as the own theory of the Architect, the responses to the surrounding environments and Culture will be theorized in depth.

Throughout the Study of the Architect’s achievements such as already built houses and medium size buildings, three (3) Major Factors has been taken into consideration. These factors are :-

•

The Interstitial Relationship in the Design Thoughts

•

The Architectural Geometry v/s The Site Context

•

Architectural Elements responding to Modernism

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1.0

INTRODUCTION TO THE ARCHITECT

Born in 1974, May 28, in the state of Penang, Ar. Yew Kuok Chuan starts his unexpected journey to the world in architecture at the Universiti Sains Malaysia. In 1980, Yew Kuok Chuan starts his academic journey at SMJK Jit Sim, a primary school in the neighbourhood of Bukit Mertajam where he was born. Six years later, still happening in Bukit Mertajam, he attends SMJK Jit Sim High, which the secondary institute was welcoming students of both genders. At this Critical period of his life, he would face the most unexpected event out of his expectations. He meets with his first love at the age of Seventeen (17) and this relationship would last for quite some times and would as well bring him to unknown heights.

In 1993, KC Yew graduates from High School at the age of Eighteen (18) and had no idea about his future career. Dull face, hidden emotions, Silent and Calm, KC Yew always shows figures of this kind but inside of him can be found tremendous creative powers, great charisma and great humility. Fully entrusted by his parents, he decided to follow his first love into the world of Architecture. Perhaps, he did that just as an act of immaturity and love as he had no clue of what was waiting next for him. It turned out to be his cup of tea even if he went through times of hell fire and Ice-cold Mountains. It might be coincidence or fate, the uncertainty to this question might never be solved but perhaps clues can be induced to understand this man.

Being a respectful and exemplary cadet brother in his family, he always followed and listened to the good examples of his elders. He developed special qualities such as PERSISTENCY, PROACTIVITY, THINKING AND RESPONSIBILITY which describe his personality. From this starting point, he detached himself from the pack and carried on his own path.

Five years later, graduated from USM, in Penang, he enters the Architectural industry as an assistant architect and would accumulate skills and self-confidence. In 2006, he is acknowledged by PAM, the local board of Architects and would straight away open his own firm named KC YEW ARCHITECTS and will operate till nowadays.

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Being a nature and sports lover, Ar. KC YEW would spent his free time playing badminton and table tennis to relieve stress or in particular situations would please himself with novels. He would as well draw and paint to express his various emotions.

Ar. KC YEW, an exceptional and unknown architect is starting to rise out of the blue. He carries within him passion and emotions, which reflects, in his work. Being the owner of a small enterprise of less than five employees, he manages to please his people with outstanding shape grammar and spatial configuration.

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2.0 INTRODUCTION TO THE CASE STUDY In order to achieve the expected content of theory, one of the Architect’s past projects, the Damansara Heights Bungalow has been chosen as been the subject matter of this experimentation. The Bungalow house is a three-storey house which has been designed for a family of about 5-6 members. The Bungalow House consists of five bedrooms, 5 washrooms, a dry kitchen, a wet kitchen, a dining room, an extended living room and other spaces of minor importance. At the early stage of the design the owner of the house wanted to accommodate an optimum coverage of enclosed spaces but as well a balance between indoor and outdoor spaces. Thus, by right, the Ar. KC Yew related to the site context and architectural restrictions of Damansara Heights.

Fig 1. Shows an illustrative rendering of the Bungalow House in its early design stage.

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Fig. 1 shows the Ground Floor of the Bungalow house

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Fig 2. Shows the First Floor of the Bungalow house

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Fig 3. Shows the Second Floor of the Bungalow house

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Fig 4. Shows the South Elevation of the Bungalow house

Fig 5. Shows the North Elevation of the Bungalow House

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Fig 6. Shows the East Elevation of the Bungalow House

Fig 7. Show the West Elevation of the Bungalow House

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Fig 8. Shows Section A-A of the Bungalow House

Fig 9. Shows Section B-B of the bungalow House

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3.0 ARCHITECTURE THEORIZING FACTORS 3.1 USERS: THE CREATION OF INTERSTITIAL SPACES IN THE DESIGN THOUGHTS

The interstitial spaces within the Bungalow House at Damansara Heights are a major Architectural Factor to be considered in this topic. Nevertheless there is a lack of corridors within the house; it might seem at first sight that the house does not contain balance between private and public spaces. Through the use of excessive outprotruding partition walls, the architect re-creates the same effect in the circulation pattern. The interlocking spaces such as the extended living room, the dry kitchen and the dining room are defined by the size and position of the spaces. An axis through the intersection points of the spaces is formed, thus creates a linear circulation.

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The efficiency of the Spatial Configuration

Layout

is

also

enhanced by the elimination of the corridors. The private spaces mainly such as the bedrooms are sheltered within their self-cubic wall layout, thus self-defining the circulation pattern of the house.

The main staircase is chamfered within the open plan ground floor just next to the main entrance of the house. In order to maximize the efficiency and the amount of open spaces for the ground floor, as requested by the client, has

for

main

purpose

to

welcome invitees as well as for daily familial activities. The Staircase, being pushed back, is aligned to the guest room in order to re-create the sense of privacy, as the staircase being located there, had for main intention to mask the guest room from the main spaces. This was done on purpose in order to keep a balance between the communal spaces on the ground floor.

The interstitial relationship in the design also concerns the indoor-outdoor relationship.

It was included in the design planning that the House would have a car porch. A pathway covered with concrete slabs has been laid out through the same axial principal as for the interlocking spaces within the house. The pathway creates a visual perception, which immediately indicates the entrance of the house. An invisible barrier created by the difference between the pathway’s material and the car porch material, allows within the design a sense of orderly chaos.

In order to re-create a sense of visual enhancement, the architect introduced landscape portions within the outdoor design of the courtyard. The house’s main function aims to

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satisfy the family life of the client as well as an available clear space in order for them to welcome a pet dog to their home. The main issue of the architect during the design process was the lack of ground area. The portions of green landscapes were slotted within the coal tar surface. Although, no physical barrier has been provided in order to identify of the spaces, balance is achieved by the softness of the green and roughness of the aggregated textures.

It can also be observed that the landscape portion of the most eastern edge of the house courtyard stretches all the way to the back of the house which connects to the enclosed yard room of the house. This interstitial relationship reveals the appearance of a third space, which intertwines with the main mentioned spaces thus creating the backyard. The backyard has for main purpose to lead the occupants to the backyard swimming pool. This connection allows the emergence of a hybrid circulation between axial and circular circulation patterns is created.

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3.2 ARCHITECTURE THEORY: THE ARCHITECTURAL GEOMETRY V/S THE SITE CONTEXT

The theory of regionalism can be taken into consideration in the context of this specific bungalow house due to the fact that it is located in a restricted residential area, which is already induced with a settled architectural style and environment. As the architect’s design style always relates back to the elements available in the site context, which serves the whole purpose of adapting to the concept of regionalism, the design reflects sights of his thoughts and way of Architectural design.

The reason regionalism has been induced into the context is because of the architect’s ability to adapt and conserve. Thus, in order to conserve such identity, the geometrical components of the design were specifically elaborated in order to achieve such response. By mixing modern architectural elements such as non-ornamental infrastructural elements, which gives that touch of minimalism, which relates to the climatic response of Malaysia, the design is able to adapt to the site context.

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The employment of pitch roofs in the design has for main intention to preserve the triangular geometry of the site façade in the first place. Another major factor such as proportion can also be taken into consideration when it comes to geometry. The main reason the triangular pattern of the roofs has been conserved is to contribute in the continuity of the site’s façade skyline. The skyline of the housing area is kept into a zone of constant rhythm and proportion.

Getting back to the concept of regionalism, the façade proportions are elaborately arranged in a modernistic manner in order to conserve the site context needs. By default to the site restrictions and client’s budget, the design resulted into a series of cubic elements, but nonetheless this evidence does not prevent the design to speak out of its shape grammar. Even the fact of being a “boxy” design, as many would call it, with the help of the fenestration elements; the zoning of the spaces is easily defined which maximizes the usage of the contextual elements. The rectangles forming the doors and windows allow visual permeability throughout the site, creates a cozy environment from the outside of the house to the inside.

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The extended living room being pushed close to the backyard makes it accessible to the swimming pool. The Living Room is thus allowed to be exposed to an area of low noise and disturbance from surrounding noise factors. The transparent façade of the house next to the most west landscape feature allows daylight to penetrate the space in order to also achieve a balanced response to climatic elements.

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3.3 SOCIO-CULTURE: ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS RESPONDING TO MODERNISM

The architectural elements such as the openings and the access points are nonornamental which shows sign of a modernist’s design. The elements strictly respond to the need of the design instead of being figurative. The clean façade of the design determines clearly the function of the internal spaces and creates no disturbance to the neighboring context. Thus, the design being lead by the concept of modernism, focuses more on the objective of pleasing the occupants and making them feel comfortable. The set of spaces are being mostly focused from the inside in order to achieve spatial comfort which can be considered as being one of the main aims of Modernism Architecture. The elements being those of a modernist also response to the need for vernacularity due to the addition of clay tiles on the roof and fixed louvered openings on the east elevation of the design.

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4.0 CONCLUSION Being an architect of practicality, the above responses elaborated have shown sign of evidence. Thus, identifying the Bungalow house as being part of the critical regionalism concept, the design also delivered evidence of vernacular architecture through its conservation of traditional Malaysian components such as the louvered windows and the classical pitched roof interpreted in a modern way. The Geometry pattern of the design delivered evidence of Ar.KC Yew’s way of responding to the site context by his personal interpretation. Culture and Traditions can be conserved by simply adapting to existing features instead of trying to overwhelm them. It comes to a point where it can be said that Ar. KC Yew is an architect who tries to create a hybrid type of architecture by merging vernacularity and modernism, making him a vernacular-minimalist architect.

“ Ideas can be pulled out from one’s mind in order to suit oneself and others as the other way around can be tangibly created. The Architect’s ideal is to defy the systematic organization of the realm. There is always an option to adapt an existing system or to create a whole new system. This defines the Humanist Culture we are sheltering within ” Ar. KC Yew

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BIBLIOGRAPHY F.Benzel, K. (1998). The room in context: design beyond boundaries. Michigan, United States: McGraw-Hill.

Randall Thomas, T. G. (2007). The environments of archiitecture: environmental design in context. United Kingdom: Taylor and Francis.

A HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE-CRITICAL REGIONALISM. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.historiasztuki.com.pl/kodowane/003-02-05-ARCHWSP-REGIONALIZMeng.php. [Last Accessed 24 november 2014].

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