Talk Architecture

Send us Fan Mail

This is what I discovered at FAUP (Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto) in 2015 when I did the Erasmus Mundus exchange programme. The "architecture design process" is not confused with the "art process" in the first year course, unlike in many other schools of architecture. This is my kind of school!

Where else should I have went in search of the roots of architecture but in Porto. In terms of architectural heritage and education, FAUP, is definitely not old school but a fervent follower of the modernist tradition.  I had many discussions with each of the year’s studio tutor at FAUP. I am very much an admirer of FAUP's architecture curriculum. My criticism is that a school of architecture like University of Malaya should immediately start with an architecture process or the very least (referring to FAUP's first year projects) artistic process of a hypothetical site with a scale to it. At FAUP, the learning process is step by step rather than complicated in the beginning, directly working with models and the material, in dealing with space. The first year studio master, Mario explained about how the first projects helped to provide for the basic design skills, seamlessly taking abstract (artistic) exercises and converting into a more architectural design process. (Read my blog explanation: at  https://designthesis.wordpress.com/2020/08/15/an-academics-journey-in-search-of-the-roots-of-architecture/

Support the show

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! 

Send us Fan Mail

Francis Poh in his interview talked about how being sensitive to "gender" issues helped him design the Petaling Jaya All Girls' Primary Schools. After exploring Section 4, in the earlier stages of the design thesis, he discovered the interesting waterways network that created pedestrian linkages and shortcuts for workers and students in that area. That led him to the dead-end at the boundaries of SK Assunta and SK Selangor, two schools at opposite sides of the monsoon drain which had the potential to create a concept to integrate both schools to benefit from the natural habitat along this waterway. The shared programme by creating a canteen and the library along this stretch provided a certain level of natural surveillance to protect the girls’ students from unwanted events. Francis also created a new public link proposed to connect Tun Tan Cheng Lock Nursing College and PJ Sports and Exercise Park which eventually benefits nurses, doctors and residents staying in Section 4, providing a better permeability in the neighborhood to Section 3 side. 

Francis explored the special study on the classrooms layout based the 'gender-specific' needs of the female students. Additionally, the 'tropical architecture' approach and language of the design thesis responded to the hot and tropical climate in Malaysia through environmental science systems. The monsoon drain is being looked into thoroughly as it can serve as a model for another monsoon drain in other parts of Malaysia. Francis concluded the valuable learning he gained from the studio on "solving specific problems in specific solutions" contextually. Listen to the podcast interview and check out his drawings at this link: designthesis.wordpress.com/2020/08/18/francis-pohs-pj-old-town-all-girls-primary-schools/

Support the show

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! 

Send us Fan Mail

Students from time to time would choose to do 'school of architecture' for their design thesis topic, and obviously all of us, architectural educators would love to say something about it. I came across the name Hannes Meyer, the 2nd director of Bauhaus as I was reading about both topics (him and the school) and I quote from this blog: Graham McKay, "Architecture Misfit #1: Hannes Meyer," misfits' architecture, published on June 11, 2011, accessed on August 15, 2020; and also Kenneth Frampton's chapter on "Bauhaus" (Modern Architecture: A critical history). It is essential to know who was responsible for what, as we may take for granted in terms of the architecture design studio curriculum, and McKay asserted that the more 'artistic' part of the curriculum came from Walter Gropius's curriculum, developed later in Harvard. So we can analyse the existing curriculum that is commonly found in architecture schools all over the world. My criticism is that if we want to learn art and other allied arts apart from architecture, we do it in a parallel manner rather than embed in the first year studio course programs. We need to teach the functional aspects as early as we can such as design with empathy and universal design.

Support the show

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! 

Send us Fan Mail

TEASER & PREVIEW OF WHAT'S TO COME! SEASON 3!

COMING SOON - End of August & Early September 2020:

Interviews with the studio masters of Unit 2 Design Thesis Studio where we will chat about the way we conduct the studio programs and the biggest challenges we face and why we run the studio as we did, especially when it comes to site context issues driven projects and context specificity projects from the last two years. We will also interview the external critics and others involved in the project. This teaser features what were the concerns of training and creating the learning environment for Unit 2 design thesis studio from one tutor, focusing on the 5th year as the crucial transitional year between school and architectural practice. And where all the necessary learning / re-learning needs to be done to gain the confidence necessary to start working in the industry.

Support the show

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! 

Send us Fan Mail

A reflection on the topic of "Re-examining community architecture: site specific issues in local context situations" provides an introduction to proposing for a case for a new agenda and preparing for the book publication. Referring to the interviews that we had been doing with the graduates from the  Kampung Kerinchi batch and the graduating students fresh from finishing i July 2020 for the PJ Old Town batch, this commentary is a filler piece before we wrap up in a few weeks time with the interviews of the designers. The questions we asked the designers included their individual: thesis journey; breakthrough and challenges; how they felt about the team in the studio-based learning including external critics and studio masters / tutors; the design processes and what advice would they give to other students.

Support the show

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! 

Send us Fan Mail

INTRODUCTION TEASER on Francis Poh's PJ Old Town All Girls' Primary Schools

This design thesis successfully explored the opportunity that can be done to bring the 2 girls’ primary schools together with a shared programme that is the canteen and the library. It is strategically located along the edge of the monsoon drain to provide a certain level of natural surveillance to protect the girls’ students from unwanted events. Nevertheless, a new public link is proposed to connect Tun Tan Cheng Lock Nursing College and PJ Sports and Exercise Park which eventually benefits nurses, doctors and residents staying in Section 4, providing a better permeability towards the neighborhood. 

Francis also focused on the pedagogical aspects of class room design specific to design empathy for the gender, exploring the outside spaces along the monsoon drain where shared facilities of library and canteen are, integrating the natural with built environment, where a lot of technical issues were explored. The architecture approach and language of the design thesis responded to the hot and tropical climate in Malaysia through environmental science systems. The monsoon drain is being looked into thoroughly as it can serve as a model for another monsoon drain in other parts of Malaysia.

Let's listen to the interview podcast with Francis coming soon!

Support the show

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! 

Send us Fan Mail

A hidden and unassuming church in Section 4, Petaling Jaya, the Assumption Church was actually a significant first religious building in PJ Old Town, built and established beside the Assunta Hospital. During our walkabout, we stumbled upon it as a unit and Geraldine, a Protestant, took the challenge, by first interviewing the pastor and later did a study on Catholicism, leading to a year long design thesis project from July 2019 to June 2020. The technical study of the building revealed that the church has not undergone major renovations due to the limited land area for expansion and proposed a solution that incorporated a "forest" next to the main prayer hall and creating a bigger congregation capacity. She arguably maintained the "hidden" and now, mysterious (enigmatic) church which totally uses cross-ventilation throughout with the "tropical architecture" feel. Aesthetically, we are curious with this unassuming building. Even in the hall, the columns echoes the "forest of trees" from outside, while you experience a sense of communing as one in nature. The "life and death" concept can be felt in one place, by accommodating the columbarium at the roof area and the prayer hall below. A very accessible, functional and spacious interior design that allows for everyone to move around, very elderly-friendly, indeed, Geraldine has transformed the church into a unified holistic design that is inspiring and sensitively humbling as well, with the huddling circular seating layout. Geraldine related how she had to cope with COVID-19 pandemic situation of online learning midway in semester 2 and how the tutors had helped her deal with the debates and arguments around her thesis, which either you love it or hate it! But a Catholic architect said: he loved it! Do listen in ... Drawings link: designthesis.wordpress.com/2020/08/12/geraldine-bongs-the-assumption-catholic-church-and-columbarium-petaling-jaya/

© 2020 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob
Art work in podcast is the sectional perspective by Geraldine Bong's design thesis project 2019-20  named The Assumption Catholic Church and Columbarium 
Drawing  © Copyright: Universiti Malaya, Author: Geraldine Bong

Support the show

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! 

Send us Fan Mail

INTRODUCTION TEASER on  Geraldine Bong's The Assumption Catholic Church and Columbarium, the podcast interview is coming soon. Do listen in to this teaser, about the exceptional enigmatic design (can we say that for a building) testing our usual beliefs on what a church should look like. A brave attempt to deal with the symbolism and at the same time challenged by technical issues, Geraldine had managed to pull it off.

The Catholic church in Section 4, namely the Assumption Church Petaling Jaya (PJ) was not able to accommodate the congregation, as there is limited land area for expansion and minor maintenance on the old building condition due to building issues. Several other context issues were identified, particularly the social issues (aging community, urban poor, youth migration to other cities), site context issues (adjacent to the church are the hospital, primary school and non-Christian neighbours and traffic congestion issues). As an urban architecture project, the building is significant as part of the master planning in terms of an important node for social and spiritual gathering for the Catholics.

Support the show

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! 

Send us Fan Mail

A revival of the 40 year old market to meet current demands yet being self sufficient. Another podcast on Raymond Bu, who loves details, presenting to you The Market Hub, a contemporary local marketplace that still retains the authenticity and core functions of a traditional market located in the heart of Petaling Jaya Old Town. The interview outlines how Raymond dealt with the dilapidated and unhygienic by proposing a renewal to the market that will revive an economic and community focal point by creating a pleasant market space experience by adopting the concept of tropical design approach and incorporating nature and urban farming within to enhance the user comfort. An ecosystem where waste produce from the market is utilized as compost, the fragrance from the vegetation offsets the foul smell of the market, the wastewater from the market is collected, used by the vegetation and the plantation of consumable organic herbs and vegetation creates an edible marketplace. A good accessibility and pedestrian connections creating a permeable and transparent marketplace with strong visual connections, holistic and inclusive space for people with informal events and activities such as pop-up stalls and cultural event to connect the people with the local community and neighbourhood. Drawings can be viewed at: designthesis.wordpress.com/2020/08/05/raymond-bus-the-market-hub-at-jalan-othman-petaling-jaya/
© 2020 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob
Art work in podcast is the conceptual diagram by Raymond Bu's design thesis project 2019-20  named The Market Hub at Jalan Othman, PJ.
Drawing  © Copyright: Universiti Malaya, Author: Raymond Bu

Support the show

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! 

Send us Fan Mail

TEASER INTRODUCTION on a highly commended The Market Hub at Jalan Othman, Petaling Jaya Old Town by Raymond Bu. unit 2, design thesis studio, 2019-2020.  

The issue here is the relevance of the market building, often called the "wet market" in Malaysia, a social hub especially with a higher than average older persons population in this community. Seen as a sight for sore eyes, due to the bad upkeep and poor state of the existing market building (dilapidated, unhygienic and causes several issues to the surrounding area), instead Raymond proposed a contemporary local marketplace that still retains the authenticity and core functions of a traditional market by reconditioning and extension of the existing market. The new design encourages the modern consumers to visit and shop for goods as well as having the sense of ownership and pride that the stall owners and the neighbourhood once had. The renewal to the market will create an economic and community focal point where user of all ages and backgrounds comes to obtain grocery needs, experiencing the local culture of PJ Old Town, interacting with people and engaging in activities where where it encourages their involvement in and within the marketplace as an active gathering space for the local community. 

Tune in here, for the interview and drawings of the concept of the proposed market that creates it's own eco system to maintain and sustain itself. See you soon!

Support the show

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!