SENSES in Architecture

For our humans, we have 5 senses- sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Bur for architecture, there are 2 more extra- skeleton and muscle. All these senses are very important when designing, either architect or interior designer. These 5 senses help the designer to create a nice work while provide an experiential space for the client. The specified organs are for each sense. Eyes for sight, ears for hearing, nose for smell, mouth for taste, any part of our body for touch, and the abstract one is one self’s feeling for skeleton and muscle.

“Architectural space is about layering for all of the senses. Like a musical composition, spatial features come together into a symphony for occupants to experience. Bringing a space to life means that architectural function and form is not just primarily for the visual sense. By engaging all of the senses, form and function may be more fully expressed so occupants can have deeper, more meaningful moments – feeling the bouquet of their surroundings in all of its dimensions.”
By Maria Lorena Lehman

http://sensingarchitecture.com/

When I get into a space, the first thing I do will be using my eyes to see it and observe it. At the same time, my ears will be functioned to hear the sound in the space. And yet, the smelling function of my nose will be activated too. Then, it comes to the taste of the mouth which I can get the feel of taste through the material used and surroundings. Moreover, the touch plays an important role in the senses which I can experience the texture of the space, such as the material used, the interior elements or other thing else. For the sense of skeleton and muscle, that is a matter of opinion. It doesn’t have a strict or proper answer for that. What I can say is based on our feeling and experience to get the sense of it. It is so true that what Maria Lorena Lehman wrote in the book. Architecture is all about layering all the senses. Without these senses, it will just imperfect or has abit defect. I am very agree with what she said although there are some exceptions. For example, Beethoven is deaf but still he was a great musician.

I have are some experience for sensing the architecture. The A Famosa is a popular destination which has great historical background in Malaysia. Once I got there, the whole structure caught my sight and made me wondering why it only has the entrance. Secondly, I will use my ears to hear whether there is any sound in the space but I got none for that. And then, my nose will automatically function that I got some smell which I can’t easily describe in words which gave me the sense of old. Besides, my mouth will start sensing too which I could feel the high humidity in the space compare to outer space. Moreover, my hands and legs will touch the walls and the ground of A Famosa respectively at the same time. The texture of wall and ground will easily get sensed through the touch of hands and legs. The brickwork on the wall is neat and well-applied while the ground is a cement floor. This realized me about the technology of construction during that time. Lastly, the skeleton and muscle is our feeling. The feeling I had when I was in the space was, I felt it is old but yet it is strong enough to stand and it will stand for longer in the future. It told me that it won’t’ easily give up for not standing there in the future. This is the humanity I got in the space.

As a conclusion, sensing the architecture is a compulsory job for all the architecture students. Without sensing, there will be no GOOD designs. What I get from the article is, feel it and experience it and go for it. Although this phrase has the advertise taste, this is true and express my feeling well.

Monuments, Testimony & Memory

Everyone will die one day in the future. According to the tradition, men will establish a monument and set up a tablet for the deceased. Either Chinese or Malays or Indians or any races else, they will do the same thing in order to commemorate the dead. And to show respect, men will worship to the deceased.

Due to the deeds and status, some great person will be commemorated in a special place, either in museum or a specific monument.

As all we know, museum is a place where keeps the history of a particular country. All the great deeds will be recorded in the museum, including the dead of those greats and the deeds of these greats. But somehow, not only museum is functioning on this; some of other place such as The National Monument in Malaysia has the same function. The National Monument was built to recognise and honour those who gave up their lives in the cause for peace and freedom, particularly during the nation's struggle against the threat of Communism (the period of Emergency).

In other countries, they did the same thing too, such as Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the Jewish Museum, National Museum Malaysia and others. According to the article given, the Jewish Museum is to commemorate dead during the post-war Germany. In my opinion, it is quite successful in commemorating the dead; moreover it also represents the history of Berlins. It shows well in the design of the building through architecture languages. Based on Daniel Libeskind, there are 3 basic idea to form the Jewish Museum design which are the impossibility of understanding the history of Berlin without understanding the enormous intellectual, economic and cultural contribution made by Jewish citizens of Berlin, and the necessity to integrate physically and spiritually the meaning of Holocaust into the consciousness and memory of the city of Berlin and lastly the acknowledgement and incorporation of this erasure and void of Jewish life in Berlin.

I believe that it was a long way process for the design development for the Jewish Museum. And every design has its own reason and purpose is the lesson I had learned from this. The design itself interprets so well based on the 3 basic ideas. From every part of the buildings till the material using, the architect had taken into account to the design. For me, Jewish Museum not only succeed in commemorating dead, but it also exists with the value or artistic. In metaphor way of saying, it is like a masterpiece of an famous artist. Its design is full of depth.

Unlike in Malaysia, the National Monument is functioning to commemorate the dead soldiers in the past. Though its design is not as interesting as Jewish Museum’s, it shows difference through the design.

It is a 15.54m high monument which is made up of a diorama of seven bronze human figures, atop an oblong base; each figure denoting one of seven qualities: courage, leadership, sacrifice, strength, suffering, unity and vigilance.

The topmost figure, at the centre, holds aloft the Malaysian flag. He is flanked on the left and right by two other soldiers, both armed; the figure on the left is armed with a machinegun, while the other carries a rifle and a bayonet.

Kneeling slightly on the right side of the central figure is a fourth soldier, who is tending to a fifth wounded compatriot. To the front and below these five figures are two fallen enemies.

The monument, which represents the triumph of democracy, was designed by the renowned American sculptor Felix de Weldon; and was built at a cost of RM600,000. The memorial site, which was completed in 1966, took over five years to construct.

Taken from http://allmalaysia.info/msiaknow/malaysiana/symbols_tugu.asp

Dome shaped roof of National Monument

The National Monument has a different way of expression in commemorating dead. It shows in those detail part, such as “The topmost figure, at the centre, holds aloft the Malaysian flag. He is flanked on the left and right by two other soldiers, both armed; the figure on the left is armed with a machinegun, while the other carries a rifle and a bayonet.”, this represents that with the power of solidarity, they has secured victory for the country. From the carvings on the monument, we can know that the designer of the monument wanted the whole monument to be lifelike to show vitality. It goes the same as every designed part has its own reason and purpose to show.

It maybe hard to compare between these 2 different types of buildings. However, both of the buildings did well in commemorating dead which is the main function and purpose. I think this is the pleasure for the local people to commemorate because they are remembering those greats which contributed a lot in the past for their country.

Corridor at the National Monument

And I think that Malaysia government is doing good in commemorating Malaysian heroes by establishing a road named by the hero or a particular building named by the greats, such as Jalan Tun Sambathan, Jalan Tan Cheng Lock, University Tunku Abdul Rahman and etc. for the future, I am looking forward to Malaysia government to have more creative ways of commemorating the heroes of Malaysia due the secondary purpose to educate next generation.

HOME

Frankly speaking, I can tell that I am a quite traditional Chinese. Why do I say so? It is because there are many things are important to Chinese based on tradition. For example, during dinner, I will have to call everyone to eat before I start my meal. Although it is a small tradition, it does mean a lot which shows the personality of own selves. For Chinese, home is playing an important role. I believe it goes the same to other races too. Once we are born, we are so lucky so have our own home, not like some of those unlucky ones, being abandoned by their birth parents. I am so sorry to hear that too.

My first home should be in Jalan Chow Kit which is near to The Mall and PWTC now. That place used to be a very crowded and busy place. But somehow it is being polluted by some of the industries which it symbolize Chow Kit road now. I am quite disappointed to see that. There is not much memories in the house at Chow Kit road, because we were moved to Cheras since I was 3-month-old. That is a flat called Block 10 aside with Block 8. There are two rooms, a living room, a kitchen and a toilet for a 5-members- family. I do really have a lot of memories there, either happy ones or sad ones…

No. 10-2-2 was my house number, meaning that it is the second house on the second floor at Block 10. During my youth, I always stay in house due to the strict tutoring of my parents. However, I did have fun during mooncake festival to play lantern at the corridor in front on my house. That time I should be 3 of age. Other than that, I always stay at home to play with my toys, Power rangers, Ultraman, Cybercop and etc. these toys are still in my room now. Besides, I also had some pretend play in the house. Haha..it is such a funny thing to tell. That period, Jackie Chan’s supercop movie series were so famous, so I pretended to be Jackie Chan running here and there to chase after the bad guys based on my imagination with some functional play (running, jumping, falling and etc.). it is weird to use such word, because I got this word from design assignment..Haha...

My house was always full of noise…either the noise of quarrellings between sisters and me or the crying of getting scold by my mother…or maybe the sound system of the speakers which my dad likes to turn high the volume during watching the movies. These are the positive experience for my house.

For the negative part, I would say that it was my dad. He passed away on the year of 2005 which I was form 4. All of us had gone crazy and forced ourselves to adapt the situation for few years to be get used of it. At that time, I swear to myself, in the future I would like to be the person who is able to provide a better living to my family, especially my mom. That’s why I choose architecture course. In a rational thinking, I do agree that architect has more income, but at the same time architect pays a lot to gain the income. By the way, that is just my secondary reason. My main reason is I wana design my own house for my family to live in the sense of comfort. That is my dream and I believe it will be the reality in one day too!

My house inspires me, affects me, and influences me a lot…unfortunately I had to move to new house…because before my dad passed away, my parents had bought a new house at 2005, although not willing to shift, somehow that is a fact. As a positive thinking, we have to look forward in our life. The new house is a bigger one, a nicer one, but somehow…There is a person missing…HE can’t share with us…Anyway, I believe his soul and spirit will always with us all the way…