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The viral video of the Professor falling off the ramp is wrong.  It should not have been viral or used incorrectly as the message conveyed is not helping at all and due to ignorance, the real matter of access audit training and disability awareness training take a step back / regressed from this viral video. No one will appreciate this and it’s of no laughing matter. 

©️Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit: X image (formerly twitter) taken from posts on this issue. 

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This is a continuation of the Part 1 episode of the same title.

Quote at the end:
Tell the government that we do not want an act that is still discriminating against persons with disabilities. We want an anti-discrimination act. We want a Disability Discrimination Act, and we want the tribunal redress mechanism, the Disability Commission, and we want everybody to be protected under the act.

Whether they live in houses and housing environments, or on university campuses, we want reasonable adjustments. We want everything sorted so that disabled persons can make complaints and other people can make complaints when they see abuse, harassment, and bullying of disabled persons. And these people will be anonymously protected under the Act.

©️Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit [Anon] - image shows Naziaty giving a speech at Pusat Kecemerlangan Kejuruteraan dan Teknologi JKR (CREaTE) in 2018.

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In the context of Malaysia, what is the root cause of the problems that disabled and older persons are facing in Malaysia? The problem lies in disabled and older persons being side-lined and unable to participate in life, be it in public life, economic life, learning, or cultural life, due to the fact that the legislation that was supposed to empower disabled and older persons is discriminatory and segregational rather than anti-discriminatory. It is evident in the planning and implementation of the PwD Act 2008 that real changes were not forthcoming as the focus was on projects rather than solving the bigger problems and how the power is in the hands of the Government and not in the hands of persons with disabilities.  This podcast explains exactly what that means.

©️Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit [Anon] - image shows disabled activists with local authority officers in Kuala Lumpur during a site visit.

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I delivered a keynote speech at the SDG Summit event organized by the Northern Corridor Implementation Agency under the NCER at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia yesterday and did a podcast on it. The title is Barriers & Challenges in Mainstreaming Disability in Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030.

I outlined 5 important points/strategies to overcome so that disabled persons and elderly (older) persons can have equal participation in life.
1. Legislation;
2. Planning;
3.  Implementation;
4. Consultation with Stakeholders and; 
5. Ageing Population.

©️Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit [Naziaty Mohd Yaacob] Universiti Teknologi Petronas's Auditorium (where the event was held).

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I was at an event at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Tronoh, Perak in Malaysia, a recipient of the Aga Khan Award in Architecture in 2007. It was designed by Sir Norman Foster and GDP Architects the local architecture company collaborated to complete the design and got it built.

I am reminiscing about the time when I was a design thesis tutor at the last university I was employed in, where we had a studio collaborating with GDP's Kamil Merican and Ar. Loke Chew Ping in 2015-16 and how we discussed a future collaboration to get the students to design a university campus in Taiping, but it was not meant to be as eventually I collaborated again with Kevin Mark Low to do a site-driven and context specificity projects at Bukit Ceylon and Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur, and the rest was history until my last collaboration was the Universiti Malaya Alternative Campus Master Plan in 2020.

©️Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit [Naziaty Mohd Yaacob] Universiti Teknologi Petronas's Library reception area.

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Introducing a discussion on this question: if 'harmony' is the end goal, why do we need 'disharmony'? This is more of a teaser episode or at least an introduction to the topic.

Referring to the debate between Eisenman Vs Alexander in 1982, what is the purpose of 'art' in architecture? Later in Part 1, I will discuss the difference between the role of architecture from both perspectives)and the purpose of art in architecture (or urban design), with reference to the debate cited.

©️Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit Image from  Shutterstock: Abstract white tunnel interior background with wavy walls, 3D rendering illustration

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Gen Zs are those under 27 years old, and I was involved in their education when they were 21 years old and it was tough learning an architecture course totally online during the pandemic for a year and a half. They missed out on visiting places and learning in a more hands on way. They now need to relearn architecture. Another factor that millennials have an advantage over Gen Zs is the fact that digital tools are not imposed on them early in second year and was optional. That to me is the greatest setback why many Gen Zs are confused about wanting to be an architect.

©️Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit Image from  Amin Zakaria’s Sketch ( Amin is a millennial)

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When and why did architecture isolate itself as a profession?

We need to focus on asking better questions when it comes to the architecture profession. Although the Eisenman versus Alexander debate in 1982, seems so long ago, the relevance of what the latter has to say and his legacy influencing computer science, says to me the necessity for us to understand his work in terms of architecture. From my observation, UI/UX designers utilize 'universal design principles' much more than architects who have caught themselves in this 'form-making bubble' that makes the profession isolated. And now even more so with the Sustainable Development Goals, we need more generative, adaptable, and flexible concepts that the more linear and rectilinear forms can afford.

©️Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit Image from  Shutterstock: Abstract white tunnel interior background with wavy walls, 3D rendering illustration

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When and why did architecture isolate itself as a profession?

As a profession, we took sides so that is easy for us as architects. To serve the client because that is what we do. 95% of the Malaysian Architect's Act is about contracts and serving the client.

Is the client also the society? Much of what we see now around us is shaped by developers and speculative development. It is not a surprise that we are drawn to glitter and gold, seductive and slinky forms, and expressionistic, and the more the building does that, the greater the pull to it.

Of course, if one can afford it. If one doesn't, then we will go to a lesser and smaller version or just put a glittery "feather on its cap and call it macaroni". 

Part 1 is literally a read on the topic, and it is interesting as we read it, we found the problem in our society.

Another article on this: http://sworegonarchitect.blogspot.com/2010/05/influences-christopher-alexander-peter.html

©️Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit Image from  Shutterstock: Abstract white tunnel interior background with wavy walls, 3D rendering illustration

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An intriguing book by Christopher Alexander called "The Nature of Order", and a chapter that caught my attention: Chapter 10 on Pleasing Yourself, compelled me to review section 7 on "A group of architecture students who were not pleasing themselves". 

I thought Alexander's observation was very insightful and related to my own experience when dealing with students' design studio programs. It is also very relevant to the topic of how architects identify themselves.

©️Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit Image from the Paradox design thesis cohort 2018-19 exhibition.

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Do subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere!