sir peter cook lecture

Gavin and I inspecting the site at point92 after sir peters lecture at the intermark double tree Hilton.

There are so many people out there who continues to inspire us, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Frida Kahlo, Donald Judd, Christo to name a few. Iyengar the Yogi has once stated, there has to be an understanding of the basic principles of life before one is able to appreciate the benefits of yoga. START WITH BREATHING. Design is a process, a lot of cleansing and purification is needed, a frame of mind before anything can even be contemplated, let alone procreate a work of architecture.

So far we've seen the greatest films, Jules and Jim, autobiographical works depicting the deeply enriching albeit tragic lives of so many artists, "Walk the Line", "La Vie en Rose" and so forth. If only we reminiscence the powers of early films "Powers of Ten" and then take a longer view of such great masterpieces as "Cinema Paradiso", the work of such luminaries as Fritz Lang do we suddenly see the gap and huge divide we sometimes create in our work, measured against the depths that so many artists and photographers and musicians go to.

Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull continues to inspire so many generations, Lobsang Rampa's fictive but nevertheless profound essays on life of a Tibetan are reference points for us, and Paul Coelho's books, as the Alchemist, paves the way for us to seek out ideals and aspirations to be perfectly happy.

Huat worked for Zaha Hadid and Sir Norman Fosters in the 80's through to the late 90's, and later went on to work for Sir Ron Herron of Imagination Limited before returning to Malaysia. At the AA in London Huat studied under Sir Peter Cook to graduate in 1984. Peter Cook and David Dunster held a studio at the Bartlett where Huat was assistant Tutor.

Design is a life journey for us. ©2008.huatlim

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Like trees, and other natural elements, clouds have continued to inspire my work. They are varied and have such a phenomenal beauty about them, in terms of colours and shape, and also formation. Their dynamic aesthetic appeal reveal a great sense of depth and infinity. Their abstraction also add to the breath of how they can be read and appreciated to great contemplative lengths of time. One finds therapeutic effects and profound visual information from the light quality that plays on clouds. Some cloud names have been given in latin, mostly to mean heap, layer, curl of hair and rain. By nature, clouds are warm, cold, dynamic and changing. They are affected by air pressure, winds, air parcels and movement of particles which make them infinitely a joy to watch and reflect upon, hence their powers to attract contemplative study. Cloud definitions describe their shape and locality.

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EVOLVED TYPOLOGY : BLUEPRINT AND PRIMER FOR A SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURAL WORK

[sypnopsis of lecture delivered for the Ong Siew May Distinguished Lecture Series, 12th September 2008, National University Singapore]

Building typology has always been of interest and as a study for architecture, because it begs the question of whether works of architecture need for classification and grouping to serve its their purpose or if types are necessary in order to validate their functions. So we ask, what is type? Are private houses a building type and do typifying shapes and built forms add any value to buildings? Indeed none whatsoever. By conforming it to any one type of building does not make the work any different or better in any way, let alone give it any more meaning or validation to its functions.

For a long time we always have visual representation for many of the buildings familiar to us hospitals, schools and restaurants, etc. to each we emphasize visual interpretation. now it is more difficult to differentiate between two buildings simply by type. We think the visual representation of architectural works has evolved greatly, houses are of myriad shapes and forms, they defy classification. We can no longer rely on typological sets to differentiate one work from another. Perhaps definitions of buildings or their classification has become totally defunct and unnecessary. We conclude at this juncture typology is no longer a means for us to define a building. How do we proceed then to define a building if at all, and why do we chose to give building definitions in the first place, often one is asks, what is it for? How does all this relate to their sustainability.

By examining typological sets, or typology we gain a deeper insight if not appreciation of how buildings are perceived, and how their rapidly changing forms and articulation and evolving character has given us the means to comprehend them, or perceive them. Our own evolving needs have given buildings their new typology strain, and with this we propose they have become more sustainable today as a type then they have ever been before. How is this? We propose that it does not matter if what a building is meant to do has nothing to do with how it looks. There is little to find in the shape or fenestration of an iconic tower to suggest that it is a commercial building or a residential tower. It has become increasingly more difficult to predict the look and shape of the new museum. Hospitals are so advanced today, their designs warrant the same planning principles as a four star restaurant or a boutique hotel in many instances. Therein lies the question of typology and how their relevance has become very questionable in defining the ideal building, the sustainable built form.

There are no apparent parallels between Farnsworth House and a Palladian Villa, none whatsoever to say they belong to the same set. Both may well be exemplary models of sustainable architecture simply because thye both have their own infinite 'sustain' ability to deal with change, from their original residential use to the new commercial renovations without need for major alteration of its parts, let alone the envelope. Yet another way to cut back energy, waste and pollution of our natural environment.

Fortunately we have come a long way to accept these models as infinitely superior works of architecture simply because they don't actually bear any resemblance to each other and therefore attest to possibility that there is perhaps no such thing as an ideal house type. Surely at this point we see that the correlation between building function and its representation has been completely severed over recent times? These thoughts, derived from an appreciation and study of building typology, and the necessary classification of buildings in order that we can begin to appreciate them or better understand their qualities are examined and put forth here for development of our idea, that a sustainable work is necessarily one that has no need for a specific definition of its type nor its generic functions. It should merely be derived from ones awareness of its durability in terms of its long term use, and its inherent ability to change, adapt, redefine and replace or restore itself to suit the current need.

Flexibility, on the other hand, and open plan, are concepts of the late eighties for office designs, IBM Cosham for one and the new B1- type offices in the UK has indeed brought about successful applications and introduction of new and refreshing planning guidelines. The workplace has evolved to become a new typology for comfort, and productivity rolled into one. No longer is the office environment stale and devoid of the familiar pleasures of the home, like the kitchen [pantry], and the living room [the reception and lounge]. Break out areas, yet another concept has seen their implementation in many an organisations' interior plan. These are concepts that have slowly eroded the meaning of offices, and their outdated typological sets. Modern day workplaces and home spas are the new typological sets, and the are inevitably more sustainable than their forebears. They have evolved and become hybrid buildings in many ways. Herein the new research and proposition. We can examine why this hybrid typology have become infinitely more durable than their earlier examples. Indeed if we remove the need to typify or classify buildings we almost immediately make them less specific and therefore more responsive and future proof and hence more sustainable than if we confine them to a very specific brief.

Often a house is demolished after a new owner moves in. This is the problem we want to address. Often the lifespan of poorly designed buildings, like many hotels and offices built in the 70's have seen irresponsible demolition and extensive refurbishment. This is largely a very energy intensive activity, totally irresponsible and has contributed to great destruction of built environments and added much to the destabilisation of neighbourhoods and demography. Not only is such acitivity pollution to the natural environment it also brings about the need to re-instate new energies into what was already displaced in the first intervention. Put back what we take from the environment is what we think all buildings must do. A built work must put back into its development more than what has been taken out from it, whether there be trees or the use of natural materials. herein lies the next set of investigations.

©2008.huatlim

Mayakovsky's career as a poet was born in 1912, as the result of a late-night conversation with David Burliuk. Burliuk, a fellow student at the Moscow Institute for the Study of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, had recognized the need for organization and unification in achieving a complete cultural revolution, and established a group of literary Futurists under the name of "Hylaea." Composed of individuals committed to creating new forms in art and literature, Hylaea issued illustrated publications and manifestos which inspired the gravitation of other Russian artists towards Futurism, and set the tone for the awakening of the Russian avant-garde. Having introduced Mayakovsky to his friends as "The famous poet Mayakovksy," (despite Mayakovsky's never having written a line of verse), Burliuk provided him with a role and a purpose which Mayakovsky would strive to fulfill forever.

On July 15, 1915, an event occurred which would ultimately inspire a great deal of pain and passion into the poet's life: Mayakovsky was introduced to Osip and Lili Brik. Having been invited to the Brik's apartment as a guest of Lili's sister, Mayakovsky broke into an unrequested recitation of his poem, "The Cloud in Trousers." Touched and stunned, Osip responded by offering to pay for the poem's publication, and Lili, casting away a preconceived aversion to the poet, fell in love. From that evening on, Lili and Mayakovsky enjoyed a life-long affair - an affair condoned and encouraged by Osip, and characterized by periods of great tragedy and turmoil. Osip published many of Mayakovsky's poems thereafter, and worked together with Mayakovsky as co-editors of LEF (Left Front for the Arts), the landmark literary and cultural journal of the Russian avant-garde. Lili became the inspiration behind the bulk of Mayakovsky's ensuing works, and it was to her that he dedicated nearly all of his books and poems. Her wide-eyed visage graces the cover of Mayakovsky's Pro eto. Ei i mne. (About this. To her and to me.), and her image appears throughout the text in a series of Dada-esque photomontages created by Alexander Rodchenko.

Quote from Howard Schickler Fine Art Online Exhibit.

Letter to Editor at Going Places, Malaysia Airlines:

"I refer to your question, the answer is yes, but several; the Malayan Railway, the Old CourtHouses etc, however if we can define your reference to mean not so much colonial buildings as building built of the colonial period, emanating the spirit of that period, I would immediately include colonial 'influenced' buildings [may I?], so then it would be more easily decided that my favourite building would be Masjid Negara or The Parliament Building or indeed Angkasa Puri, all of which have very similar features in their facade designs, I refer to as tropical skins, or LIGHT FILTERS and present what I consider to be truly tropical examples of good buildings, at least as far as their facade or BUILDING ENVELOPE designs are concerned. Not only are these excellent in terms of their BIOCLIMATIC responses, they are perpetually modern even by todays standards, particularly now with energy and sustainability concerns taken as measure of appropriate designs.

Masjid Negara by far remains flawless in the way it filters light, a superb resource for design and an element that remains potentially powerful device to give buildings a sense of place, and context. Ugly buildings give about issues with glare, their very high energy consumption for artificially lit interiors due to lack on daylight penetration, and plan depths not in harmony with the narrow or shortened apertures that do not allow natural light to penetrate inside them. Not with Masjid Negara though, and the other buildings I mentioned. Imagine the play of shadows and patterns on the floor, a very eastern characteristic, and also a feature that is strikingly modern at the same time. [some of herzog de mueron's buildings play on this theme]

Later buildings borrowing from the same philosophy and approach, we must quote DayaBumi, a modern day example of skins and perforated envelopes delighting in the use of daylight to inform the pattern of the facade. Such timeless principles has brought about sustainable and durable designs, the other example I quote the much ignored Angkasa Raya building closer to the iconic KLCC Towers. Compare the skins and we can assess and evaluate the energy criteria for daylighting and response to climate by the designers.

Last but not least, my favourite 'colonial' building has to be the Bangunan Lembaga Getah Malaysia, a gem, probably the only truly naturally ventilated commercial building, with roof that is lifted high off the supporting columns, the sides are left open to allow natural air to circulate freely and therefore cool the atrium that serve to provide air changes without forced mechanical means. Below this, a sizeable pool of water helps give very effective convective cooling, further reducing energy levels required to keep the interior naturally ventilated. For many years it has survived demolition, we hope this will remain true for many years to come."

©2008.huatlim

©2006.huatlim
plywoodhouse-basic elements adorn the living room

One of the most intriguing possibilities with interiors lies in the composite arrangement of simple furniture placed in a naturally finished environment, here we have the rattan lamp, and a old fashioned sofa composed with large plywood doors and sliding panels of a renovated house, mostly with exposed cemnt floor and walls, and raw concrete columns.

zlgdesign | designmatters

©2008.huatlim
tree bark, taken in carcosa kuala lumpur

Tree bark detail, deadwood found amongst gardens and open fileds in Carcosa Negara, Kuala Lumpur.

designmatters | zlgdesign

@2008.huatlimbranches
taken in bukit tinggi

Most of the photos I've taken over the years of trees have been about their infinitely inspiring structure, and composition, this black and white image I find shows great depth, and the contrast between the trunk and the leaf as background element.

designmatters | zlgdesign

Everyone around the water cooler knows that meditation reduces stress. But with the aid of advanced brainscanning technology, researchers are beginning to show that meditation directly affects the function and structure of the brain, changing it in ways that appear to increase attention span, sharpen focus and improve memory.

One recent study found evidence that the daily practice of meditation thickened the parts of the brain's cerebral cortex responsible for decision making, attention and memory. Sara Lazar, a research scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, presented preliminary results last November that showed that the gray matter of 20 men and women who meditated for just 40 minutes a day was thicker than that of people who did not. Unlike in previous studies focusing on Buddhist monks, the subjects were Boston-area workers practicing a Western-style of meditation called mindfulness or insight meditation. "We showed for the first time that you don't have to do it all day for similar results," says Lazar. What's more, her research suggests that meditation may slow the natural thinning of that section of the cortex that occurs with age.

The forms of meditation Lazar and other scientists are studying involve focusing on an image or sound or on one's breathing. Though deceptively simple, the practice seems to exercise the parts of the brain that help us pay attention. "Attention is the key to learning, and meditation helps you voluntarily regulate it," says Richard Davidson, director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin. Since 1992, he has collaborated with the Dalai Lama to study the brains of Tibetan monks, whom he calls "the Olympic athletes of meditation." Using caps with electrical sensors placed on the monks' heads, Davidson has picked up unusually powerful gamma waves that are better synchronized in the Tibetans than they are in novice meditators. Studies have linked this gamma-wave synchrony to increased awareness.

article on TIME by Liza Cullen

huatlim

huatlim

blue rope
photo taken from visit to cameron highlands.
©2005.huatlim

yellow spot
blurred image of flowers taken in bukit tinggi.
©2008.huatlim

KResidence is now completing later this year, 42 storeys of apartments ranging from 200sqm to 500 sqm, penthouses from 700 sqm. Part of avenueK, the second tower will now comprise Regent Hotel, we will design 268 rooms. Like many other projects we do, they take as long as 5 to 6 years to final completion. AvenueK will also see the emergence of a newcomer to the Tower B, a 39 storey apartment development with a Regent's Hotel presence. Quite unlike any other development, the Mall itself is slowly taking another shape to come, with a revised art direction, comprising recolor of all architectural elements going from powder coated jet black to silver, and enhanced external lighting additions.

www.zlgdesign.com | zlg.blogs.com

starhill

The recent makeover of the starhill gallery for YTL Corporation saw the inclusion of a sidewalk design, with upgrading to the landscape elements, steps leading to a final desitination which is to be the recreational square. The main feature of this design is the paved boardwalk in grass finish, with a simple granite slab suspended from the side walls, functioning as seating for an easy afternoon read or casual drinks.

www.zlgdesign.com | main page

plywood house

Plywood house is undergoing renovation for the second time, from its first inception some 10 years ago. This project is and was seminal in the sense that it embraced all of the philosophy of the work of zlgdesign, it represented a balanced approach to using very ordinary and raw materials organised in the most contemporary yet Miesian way. This contrasting of older and newer interior elements has given us the premise for which all of our other work is built on to this day.

www.zlgdesign.com

avenue K Mall

The 'museum' look and classic view of the mall shows an awesome 17m high wall for projections [to be tucked in nicely under the slab] in the near future. Avenue K is currently being let to 300,000 sqft of saleable boutique brands, leading to becoming kuala lumpur's premier shopping paradise. The facade will undergo a final design change and would soon be open to the public. We contemplate to place a large white perforated fabric over the entire 170m long wall, with minimal 'art' and the rest to be left as is. A totally high visibility iconic wall soon to be completed for our viewing.

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Sketch for the MIRI gateway Project. Approach concept and the facade designs are tested with a spliced base detail. We are soon publishing an entire book of sketches. just need more time to edit. it will be part of two books from zlg.

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©2006.huatlim
sketch of the area by the pond

Sketch by Huat LIM for the Alexandria Hospital Competition submitted in 2005. Concept follows the tradition of a boutique resort, project faces a water body to be embraced and appreciated from within the rooms. The entire experience is not unlike visiting a hotel complete with restaurants, public realm, reception facilities include bookstore and cafetaeria. In terms of wellness design and healthcare, we resolved that most patients recover more quickly if they were given a view out of the window, perhaps connecting them more intimately to their natural environment, bringing in a lot more daylight for instance.

www.zlgdesign.com | designmatters

Image of lamp twirl has been inspired by the work of surrealist artist Salvador Dali. One contemplates to do slightly more adventurous work and design.

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