Exit Blog

| at 2:51 AM

Basically, in this class, Theory of Architecture AA 532, we are given various essays on different theories every week, also we are to visit places like Kellies Castle to better understand the concepts in the essays. Our jobs every week are like journalists, writing a critique on the essay given and also the places visited. To make this class interesting upon writing these critiques, we are to create blogs and upload our critiques in this blog. In this manner, we not only learn to be more aware of architecture surrounding us, for some of us (maybe only me), we learn about blogs, and how to operate and manage blogs or something like that.

Theories had actually assists me a lot in my design class this semester. I don’t really know why the topics I find in theory are quite compatible and can be applied in design. There are altogether seven theories that we have learnt in this class namely 1) Concept of Place, 2) Heidegger’s Thinking On Architecture, 3) Remembering the Home, 4) Monument, Testimony and Memory, 5) Architecture of the Seven Senses, 6) Aesthetics, Ruins & Space, 7) Taboo and Transgression; Architecture and Desire. All these theories had open up my mind on most of the things that I had not been aware of in architecture. Theories had forced me to be poetic (learnt more poetic languages) and more mature in design. Besides, I am also more aware of architecture surrounding us (international or local architecture) and how the architects had applied the theories we learnt on these buildings. Through thorough and deep research on these topics, I learnt many philosophies and architects ideas as well as different approaches by different architects in their designs. I have also learnt how to critique even though not very well but at least had an experience and ground knowledge in critique. I realized that critique is kind of important in the field of architecture as well. In addition, sharing of ideas during discussions also allows me to understand and get other fresh new ideas from others as different people might have different opinions and thinking on certain issues.

To me, I’m the kind of person who loves travelling; going to strangers place, exploring and experiencing new stuffs gives boundless fun. But it’s a pity to us as Kellies Castle is our only field trip in semester 4. Even though half a day is sitting in the bus in the journey to the castle, still it’s nice compared to just studying boringly in class every week. It’s nice as I can get to know my friends better and at the same time experience the real piece of meaningful architecture in Malaysia. I hope that this kind of trip is organized more frequently for us so as we can be more active and have more fun-learning ways instead of in-class seminars only. =))

Actually there are no specific worst moments in studying as this is architecture in real; the path is hard and torturing. But since we are to mention it; the worst moments this semester probably I would say is the time I did the mid-term essay I guess. Research through books and internets and the problem in determining which sentence is suitable to be used had really made my head spin. @@

After going through all the theories, I personally think that I am more prone towards architecture of nature and senses. As I still believe that everything are still tied back to nature and we still need our senses to help us experience architecture. I think that architecture via senses is an interesting topic to be carried/pass on and developed. Architecture+nature+senses could be a great philosophy to work on if it can be developed well…

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Taboo and Transgression: Architecture and Desire

| at 5:12 PM

Apparently, everything in our lives is experienced by our body and is related to our five senses. There is no doubt that when we enter and moves through a building, we use our five senses to experience and feel the building.

Taboo a strong social prohibition (or ban) relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and forbidden based on moral judgment and sometimes even religious beliefs.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo). While contrastingly, transgression is a violation of the law, command, or duty or to go beyond the limit of what is morally/ legally acceptable.

Based on Tschumi, architecture consists of fragments, 11 fragments which form the pleasure of architecture. In his research on architectural theories, Tschumi had borrowed ideas from other philosophers like Barthes; The Pleasure of Text. To him, the object "text" is split because of the split of the subjects "writer" and "reader". The reader becomes a virtual creator, to whom the writer offers instruments for study or a collection of references. The pleasure of the text is the moment when my body pursues its own ideas -- for my body does not have the same ideas I do. From this idea, Tschumi established a duality of space in architecture, that of conceived space and perceived space. Conceived space is concerned with the nature of space, space as a "mental thing." In order to produce, to bring something into existence, one must first has an idea how the "thing" is to be put together and what its properties are. It is this conception, a product of the mind, that is constitutive of architectural space. In fact, one's bodily senses are struck by space much more readily than one's mind is. This indicates that space is also sensory and amounts to the notion of perceived space). Architecture is made up of “fragments” and the movement of non-existence fragments are “desires”. Besides, architecture is made up of orders, it is impossible to perceive architecture without its orders. Orders are part of sensuality and are used to create desires. And transgressions are created when architecture not only satisfy the spatial expectations, but when the pleasure of space conflicts the pleasure of order, which is moving forward towards something new/modern, exceeding.

In his own version, Tschumi attempted to bridge the gap between senses (perception) and reason (conception) with what he termed the immediate experience. In this sense, therefore, architectural space is essentially incomplete, it is always either reality or concept, always missing one or the other. The paradox is that architecture is constituted by both terms, which are interdependent yet mutually exclusive. The problem lies not in the impossible of perceiving both the spatial concept and the spatial reality at the same time, but the impossibility of simultaneously conceiving and perceiving the same space:
Indeed, architecture constitutes the reality of experience while this reality gets in the way of the overall vision (concept). Architecture constitutes the abstraction of absolute truth, while this very truth gets in the way of felling. We cannot both experience and think that we experience. "The concept of dog does not bark;" the concept of space is not space.17

Eroticism, where the subjectivity of experience and the objectivity of concept become a result from the immediate experience. Immediate experience is not about perceiving spatial concept or spatial reality, its essence does not rely directly on the abstract content or the material structure of space, but rather the abrasions the experience imposes on the mental and physical confines of a particular space. It is about re-forming forms -- both conceptual ones and sensual ones. The concept or the space itself are neither erotic, but the junction between both, which is called immediate experience.

The form represents a limit and transgression penetrates to territories beyond this very limit. Furthermore, transgression does not belong in the same level as knowledge or recognition of knowledge because by acknowledging, a form is already imposed. Hence transgression has nothing to do with ideas except as where it becomes incomplete, obliterated. Transgression occupies a space where there is no theory, only practice, where writing is only one of the modes of this practice. While theory denotes the premature fixing of a form at certain point in time, practice is never conclusive, never fixed; it only ends with death of the practicing. For example from Pleasure of text, reading does not concern the translation of a work as a whole, which only uncovers the fixed meaning of a text, its end. All that can be read from a text lies in the text, but this does not necessarily mean that the magnitude of reading is limited by the coherence or the "integrity" of the text. No two readers experience a text the same way and nobody reads everything with the same state of mind. The intensity of reading changes from person to person; the pace of reading differs from reader to reader. What one encounters in reading is his own individuality, which appropriates how and what one reads. In addition, for the same person, even the experience from separate readings of the same text is different. A reader skims or skips certain passages in order to get to the more interesting parts; he turns to the back to answer whatever questions he might have in the beginning; he speeds up, slows down, stops, and again sinks back in. The beauty of all this is that from one reading/reader to the next, the rhythm of what is read and what is not is never the same. This is what creates the reader's pleasure of the text. This applies same to architecture. The way people perceive the space differs between individual, different bodies have different experiences (desires) for the same space.

As an example, the atmosphere of urban gay bathhouses in Canada reflects on how desire operates within these premises when it intersects with the bathhouse environment and health imperatives. Men's desire for other men has created a landscape of spaces (real and virtual) where sex takes place in parks, alleys, restrooms, rest stops, adult theatres, video arcades, bookstores, bars, gay bathhouses and finally, the Internet. Although the Internet is perceived as an easy way for encountering sexual partners, gay bathhouses remain the most popular and convenient way, for men having sex with men to meet for regular or casual sex. Gay bathhouses offer patrons a space within which a wide range of interactions, sensations and pleasure can be experienced. This concept had totally overcome knowledge of taboo and creates transgression. Sensuality in architecture assists humans in perceiving architecture, creating desires in different places, making transgressions overpowering taboo. Other examples of spaces which encourage desires are like shopping malls (fragments of architecture- the glass walls, the lights, the welcoming entrance) all encourages desires. It is the orders of architecture created in this space which makes it encourage desires.

Hence in conclusion, architecture is pretty much dependable on sensuality. And that sensuality makes us feel our desires highlighting transgressive architecture, leaving taboo in shadows. Fragments of architecture created spaces in which some prohibit desires while some encourages desires.



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Asthetics, Ruins, and Space

| at 6:55 AM


William Kellie Smith, the man whom built Kellie’s Castle originated from a village in Scotland named Kellas. In 1890, Smith arrived at Malaya( now Malaysia) and fortunately he met Alma Baker, an estate owner in Malaysia whom had won concessions from the state government to clear 360 hectares of forests in Perak. Smith then works and earns his fortune from Alma Baker. With the much fortune, he then venture into the rubber and tin mining industry, the two most famous industries in Malaysia at that time. He then owns Kinta Kellas Estate and Kinta Kellas Tin Dredging Estate.
Blessed with all the fortune he earned in Malaysia, Smith went back to his hometown, Kellas and married his wife, Agnes. Not long after that, he was blessed with a baby girl, Helen. However Smith was still not satisfied as he had always wanted a son to inherit all his property in Malaysia. After many years, Agnes gave birth to a son named Anthony. Being the happiest man in the world, Smith decided to build a castle/mansion to celebrate the birth of his son and also as a present/gift to his wife for giving birth to Anthony.

How the idea / concept for this castle pops out?? Actually, it is just a simple story behind the design of this castle. As the castle is built for his son, Anthony, of course the design/ the story of the design process is somehow related to him. Generally, as we know that Smith wanted a son so badly, with no doubt, we can know that he would do anything suggested by the villagers just to get Agnes pregnant. Then , one of the Madras laborers tell him to pray to Amman, a Hindu Goddess, in the belief that his wish is granted. He did everything, he prayed and finally he was blessed with his son, Anthony. To show his gratitude and appreciation to the Hindu Goddess, he then decided to build a Hindu temple for the Goddess. Due to his fascination and admiration of Hinduism religion and also Indian culture, he plans to build his castle with influence of architecture similar to that in Madras, with the construction materials imported genuinely from India. Even the construction workers/ laborers hired to build his mansion were all Indians. He wanted a total Indian style in the building. This building was then designed in Greco-Roman style with Moorish arches and walls.

Architecture of the building,
Kellies Castle is connected to the main road by bridge running across the stream. Besides, it believed that there are two tunnels buried under the river that exist in this building. One specially built by Kellie to enable his family to connect to the Hindu temple he built nearby. It is said that this castle contains an elevator that connects to the top floor and the first that existed in Malaysia. This castle is a two storey building with a functional roof top for parties or some other occasions and also a six storey tower, an underground wine cellar also a few secret chambers. While On the second floor William actually planned to build an indoor tennis court. IN addition, Kellies castle not only serves William’s family member only. It also functions like a hotel providing shelter/ place to stay for William business partners or something – a hub for entertaining wealthy colonial partners settled in Malaya.

There are several reasons behind the restoration of Kellies Castle. In my opinion, the castle-a piece of meaningful architecture built at that era with mostly imported materials from other country should be restored to let us know the story/ history which had happened in that area at that time. Without this piece of old history, people wont be able to know / come to know who is William, what had happen to him and why he wanted to build this castle for. His main purpose of building this castle and also the temple nearby this main structure will be a doubt to all of us. Kellies Castle act as a piece of timeless architecture which records all the history happening at that time, bringing us back to that era, not to repeat history but to address/ express history to the new generation.

Besides, Kellies Castle is also restored due to its unique design which was even published in London Financier Newspaper on 15 September 1911. It is impossible to find or produced another exactly the same piece of this architecture again. This is as most of the construction materials are imported from India. Besides, it is impossible to have exactly the same workmanship as the Indian labourers William hired to work for him at that time. Also it is believed that this building is the first in Malaya to contain elevator which runs up the top floor. This kind of memory and meaningful history which had been created in this castle cannot be recreated again in a similar manner…Hence, it is important and wise to have it preserved carefully.

I think that this 6 storey tower made of brickwork is quite interesting and beautiful as nowadays, you can hardly find brickwork building. Nowadays, building are all steel, glass and reinforce concrete. Brick structure with all the unique arches as openings and doors well address the material originality and the age of the building.

All these details taken from Kellies Castle and it is all something very unique and historical. All these wooden structures are something you can’t find in any new/ modern building.

Beauty of the material – originality of the material is showed. No plaster/ finishes. Photo 1 and 2 is actually the floor inside the castle.

The ugly part that I found in this building is the part where the brickwork had collapse and some is not uniform/ not stacked straightly. Possibly, it is the rain that damages this beautiful ancient piece of history. I find this ugly as I thought that if this building is preserved well, these damages would not occur.



Personally, when I walked into the castle from the entrance, it gives me an old and full with history feeling. An ancient piece, strong and massive but the spaces in it are empty and abandoned. Inside the castle, it gives a haunted and creepy feel as the structure is quite high with repetitive high arches added with incomplete spaces without handrails and narrow walkways. Also some of the spaces are labeled with scary names as well.

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