Spirit of Place and Sense of Space

Do you ever feel the emotion when you step into a strange place or a space that can recall back your memory? What kind of place you would like to go or strongly reject to step in? This is all due to one reason, “Spirit of place and sense of space”. Our spaces, our place, our buildings, our cities, and our landscape—make us feel and behave, giving us different memory and experience. Architecture might address the human spirit. Creating an emotional space is the most power tools as a designer can use,  and this is also one of the reason that separate architect and designer with normal people do.

Place give people different emotion is based on people own experiencing and memory about that place. “Sense of place is synaesthetic. It combines sight, hearing, smell, movement, touch, memory, imagination and anticipation.” by  Joseph C . Pitt from my article. Memory and sense of space are linked, for example, the hotel corridor in Genting Highland will give horrific feeling to some part of people because of the ghost story that they heard before or maybe they really seen, but another part of people do not have this feeling because they do not believe ghost exist. Our memory of events may depend upon a strong sense of place; our sense of place may be influenced by the integrity of the memories formed there.

Moreover, there is different between place and space, space could be define as inside a place and the spirit of space has no direct relationship to historical period, style, location, or size of a built-environment. Article that support my point is “The Spirit of Space” by Noushin Ehsan, AIA saying that obviously spaces are usually “designed”, and the results reflect the cultural background of the designer and his/her sensitivity to landscape, history and culturally relevant issues. It is thus immediately apparent that designers have a great responsibility not only to understand the significance of the spaces they design but also to consciously shape them to reflect human responses to the desired Spirit of Space.

How to create emotional space? We should consider the use of natural light, open floor design, natural ventilation, materials, lightness of structural form, human anthropometric and so on. For example space designs of a library have to be different with a kid’s interior playground. The library emotion should be serious and automatically makes people quiet besides putting the signage of “quit”. Compare with kid’s playground which should able to attract kid and makes them feel happy and interesting. Different between these 2 spaces is the use of materials, colour, the open floor design and also lighting. The contribution of the five human senses towards the perception of space and this is how a person defines a space emotion.

As a conclusion, sensing spaces and place is about how architecture and designer confronts user and communicates with them on an emotional and psychological as well as visual and intellectual level.

Digital Media--3D max

This is the first time I try 3D max and find it out it is really fun and I really enjoy while doing it ,but sometime still will panic when our school lab desktop working too slow and it is quit difficult to make those complicated shape. Luckily we have a good lecturer and I really want to thanks him teaching us one by one and answer numerous questions.

And below is my final outcome which the project I have do is my last semester final project--X-tra gallery (you can refer back my previous design presentation board at 2014) .* But i have change my object which is penang food to common food because it is too difficult to find nice penang food picture =P

VISUALISATION COMMUNICATION --FUTURISTIC THEME

In this assignment, we are requested to find a project from internet and transform into FUTURISTIC style presentation board. This assignment really challenge me and I have redo twice,and yet still not satisfied with the outcome.

It is difficult to get the nice futuristic feel because the colour of the presentation board is not suitable to futuristic style for example the perspective colour.Feel wanna give up in doing this :( and it takes long time......) but still able to complete it within time.

ORIGINAL PROJECT  BY

MUHAMMAD SHAZWI bin ZULKIFLI

NEW MODIFIED FUTURISTIC THEME 

looks easy but actually it is difficult, still have to practice more :)

OLD AND NEW BUILDING - ADAPTIVE REUSE

In this twenty-first century modern world, people always support and implement Go Green, and strive for natural sustainability to create a better life for future generation. But as we know that, our earth are facing serious problem such as global warming, destroy of natural ecosystem due to human activity. These bad effect will not only harmful to human health but the worst thing is we are getting closer to doomsday. So, many solution was suggested to solve this problem,aiming to reduce, reuse and recycle waste, human find new hope in everything, from bottles and boxes to clothes, vehicles and buildings.

The most important thing in our life beside food is shelter,which we name it as building. So, to protect our environment, my opinion is we better to adaptive reuse of old building rather than demolish and replace with new building. Different heritage building have different culture value, adaptive reuse of historical building should based on it heritage significance and value. Developer should clearly understand the background of the building ,and then develop the building to give it a new purpose.

The article I could find to defend my point of view is ‘The green dividend from reusing older buildings’ by Kaid Benfield. In his article, he mention that the greenest building is one that is already built. This is because we do not need to use environmental resources in demolish and constructing its replacement. Preservation Green Lab for Historic Preservation conclude that it can take between 10 and 80 years for a new, energy-efficient building to overcome, through more efficient operations, the negative energy and climate change impacts caused in the construction process. The greatest environmental benefits of reuse are achieved by minimizing the input of new construction.

Even though now we are in high technology world, the used of new eco-construction technique and Go Green concept was implement in most of the new building, but the cost and environment destroy was also increase. What’s the point to those people replacing an existing building with a new building and yet taking high cost and harmful to the environment? They supporting Go Green but the things they do is opposite.Find solution and be more innovative rather than recreate a thing, this is what a designer suppose to do!

Adaptive reuse heritage buildings brings lots of benefits. The first benefit is to save our environment. This is because by reusing buildings, their embodied energy is retained, making the project much more environmentally sustainable than entirely new construction. The second benefit is bring up the economy of a city. Historical buildings is the symbol and a landmark of a country, for example the Tiananmen Square in China, which bring in thousand of visitors per day, if without this historical building, the amount od tourism will decrease and the economy of China also decrease. Last but not the least,  adaptation of heritage buildings presents a challenge to architects and designers to find innovative solutions, producing some excellent examples of creative designs that retain heritage significance.            

Save our earth, save our future ,save the world! We, as a designer have the responsibility to save our environment starting from adaptive historical building!

Visualisation Communication - LAYOUT IMPROVEMENT

This is our second lesson of using photoshop, our task is to choose a presentation layout from internet and present to class about the pro and con. The first picture below is the layout I choose,which it have include all the basic requirement, the layout is very rigid but I wish to make it to become more interesting and attractive. 

A2 SIZE REQUIREMENT

ORIGINAL LAYOUT

So on, I have do the style of the background pattern composition like the first task I have did last week and add in colour to make it more attractive.Below is the outcome :)

NEW IMPROVED LAYOUT

Visualisation Communication Presentation Layout

After working dead relief model assignment, follow with this easier assignment-Photoshop composition layout. Our task is to find a sample of presentation board and use it as a reference to create our own new layout. The bad thing happened when I doing this is the school desktop cracked continuously makes me pissed off = = and it happened when I almost finish this work!So I could only do it at home. 

And I almost forgot to upload this until I saw tahsin post it in group :) 

A3 SIZE REQUIREMENT

NEW LAYOUT COMPOSITION

ORIGINAL LAYOUT

THEORY JOURNAL

AESTHETIC

            Aesthetic is important in design? This is a question. Human being love to have nice-look, delicateness, beautiful stuff although their usages are the same, but majority would like to choose the aesthetic one. Even during ancient time, rich family houses was build with gold, crystal, precious materials which contain high aesthetic value ,and not only the wealthy people, common people also decorate their house to make it looks presentable and comfort. So, aesthetic is important to human from big things like buildings to small things like bowl.

            However, there is a group of usability practitioners who completely reject the importance of aesthetic and citing unattractive popular websites such as Craigslist, success because of their product or service is good. So usability practitioners disagree with the importance of aesthetic value. But, maybe these kind of website becoming famous because of putting lots of money in popularize, if compare with a website which have nice design , selling same product, same price, same service, of course human would choose to view the aesthetic website. This is because, attractive things work better. Studies show that emotions play an important role in user’s experience. If a website has a pleasant visual design, users are more relaxed, tend to find the website more credible and easier to use. Another example is if you are decide to rent a house, compare a house with nice design but same price, location, facilities with a house which do not have not design, which one will you choose? Of course we would choose the aesthetic one!

            Human being usually judge thing due to first impression. A positive first impression-usually based on looks rather than interaction. The example for design student, if there are 5 presentation boards, surely we will go to the most attractive one first because attractive do function. Aesthetics also tell a good many about your brand, product or service. They show that you care.

            The article I choose to support my point of view is “Emotion & Design: Attractive things work better” written by Donald Norman. In his article he talks about he has three different teapots and each of the have different functions which one emphasizing aesthetics, one usability and one practicality. He owns these three teapots although they have same usage –makes tea. Why he own several teapots? Because he likes them, he exhibits them above the kitchen sink as a sculptural artwork. When he makes tea, he will choose the pot that matches his mood, and when he do, the tea tastes superb. He also telling usable designs are not necessarily pleasurable one, as pleasurable designs are not necessarily usable, then why not Beauty and Brain, Pleasure and Usability? Good design means that beauty and usability are in balance!

            An object that is beautiful to the core is no better than one that is only pretty if they both lack usability. They must be in balance. Let’s not to be usability bigots, accepting beauty and usability together! Attractive things would work better!

IMITATION GAME

The Imitation Game, first thing came into my mind when I heard this movie was a big question mark. This is because I never heard about this movie until we were announced even it have been release during 2014. Day before watching this movie, I got different comment which some say it is nice and some say is boring.

The last quotes of the movie -- His machine was never perfected, though it generated a whole field of research into what became known as "Turing Machines". Today we call them "computers". After watching this movie, I really feel like giving Alan Turing a big clap and say thank you to him, he is awesome and he deserve the honour! By the way, before that I always though computer was created by Wilhelm Schickard. The spirit of Alan Turing to end world war two was venerable and really feel sad to his story as no one know he success and still name the failure machine nowadays as “Turing Machine”. Fortunately his effort was approbate at the end during 2012.

The most creepy part for me in this movie is when we know that he is a homosexual because before he say it I was already aware this issue as I saw the way he smile to his best friend- Christopher when they going back to each other room. Maybe I’m still an old type person that still couldn’t accept homosexual. I still hoping if times can go back and wish Alan Turing can be like a normal man married with Joan so the history will change and maybe he still alive until now, but sadly this is the sympathize. Christopher is the guy who protects him and treats him good like no one else do, maybe this is the reason he has become homosexual.

The thing I don’t like about this movie is keep switching the scene, this makes people suddenly confuse if they don’t pay hundred percent attentions. At the starting of the movie, there is a short speak from Turing which telling to pay attentions because he is not going to repeat twice so maybe this is also a inform to the viewer at the another way. My mood was keep swinging while watching this movie, sometime it is funny as the way they talk, suddenly the sad scene continue. The first tear drop was seeing Turing have been bully by his classmate and lock him into the timber floor. This is so inhuman! He is not communicate well with people even when he becoming adult but it is funny when you see him makes people not able to fight him back. Every time when I saw people are not agreeing with him or trying to stop his Christopher machine, I feel like want to beat those stupid people and maybe the actual reason Alan Turing was defendant is because people don’t like him and because of  his ‘failure machine’ so they trying others method to make him to be arrested.

This is an awesome movie, it is sad when at the end telling that Alan Turing have suicide .You can feel the tension, happiness, disappointed all in this movie. Everyone should appreciate what Turing have done, he not only giving contribution in science and mathematics area, he save life, ending the war! He is the father of computer science! 

TREASURING IPOH

EXPLORING THE LOST IPOH MALI

4DAYS 3NIGHTS IPOH TRIP 9-12FEBRUARY 2015 

WoooooHooooo! Did you guys know what's the best thing taking build environment course in UCSI?Well....We having a trip in every semester which not every university will do!A trip that every senior junior and lecturer fun out together! And this time we are going to a place which is hidden with lots of untapped treasure, a place that I have been there few times but I do not know how precious it is! This time, I have gain a lots and starting to appreciate this place--IPOH,PERAK.

NIGHT BEFORE DEPART 

Few days before heading to Ipoh, me and my friends didn't have the excitement to Ipoh like what we have when we going to pulau Redang and Penang.Maybe this is because we have flood with TONS of assignment and I have already go to this place for a few times.

Night before the trip,OMG that I was still rushing my visual comm sketching until 3 o'clock and packing my things takes more than 2hours because I always left out things,and feel piss during the trip. Triple checking was done and luckily this time I didn't miss out anything!Yuuuhuuu!

THINGS I CARRY: 1) Huge luggage  (Girl born to be girl. I bring the heavy hair dryer, 4 plug extension *ok...people nowadays.. I bring 2 cameras, one phone, 2 power bank and their charger...*

                                 2) Backpack (bottle,purse,umbrella blahblahblah....)

                                

DAY  1

OK........HAIZ.......assemble time is 8am but i woke up at 7.14am!I still plan to wash my hair *crycry* ...but then the bus come at 9+ = = speechless

Having breakfast at starbuck

HOT CARAMEL CHOCOLATE & SUGAR DONUT 

nomnomnomnom...but it have a distance from our bus...take a walk under hot sun and worst is I still haven't apply sunblock!= = ok...vitamin D..vitamin D * hypnotizing.......

GOPENG HERITAGE HOUSE

OK!Here we are! our First STATION-- HERITAGE MUSEUM in GOPENG! Found a lots heritage daily used tools and furniture here.This remind me when I live at my grandmum house during childhood especially the small standing fan. The whole building with old times ambience from its structure until the furniture used.

LABU BULUH TIGA

Our next station--Labu Buluh Tiga at Kampung Gajah. This is the sample for our final design project--light industrial and retail shop.When I step into this shop,my impression to labu sayong have change, because the labu here have so many new and outstanding design which I never seen before. 

 This is the first time we learn to produce our own labu!Everyone is so focusing to produce our own masterpiece.The makcik that teach us have a superb workmanship and can do it very fast!

Here we are!RED TEAM!

After finish produce labu,we was so eagerly to go back into bus because the weather was soooooooo hottttttttt! and exciting to see our hotel!

                DENGDENGDENGDENG!!!!This is our "house" for 3 nights!

Famous ipoh 'chaofen' as our first dinner in IPOH

OHHHH MYYYY guess how much for this fruit ABC? only cost RM5!!!!will never found this price in KL and they put so many fruits!

DAY  2

My favourite <3 <3 dimsum! This is the famous dimsum at IPOH, I love the siumai and sesame so muchieee! Almost 40 plate for 7 

FLEA MARKET

We're going to flea market in memory lane which is just a few minute walk from our hotel.A crowded market flood with people. Majority owner is uncle and aunty, and I didn't saw others teenager except us in this market. Most of the youngest wish to get more working opportunity in well develop country or city so they left their hometown. So we seldom see teenager in Ipoh.You can found a lots of antique item here with cheap price. 

IPOH OLD TOWN

For our experiencing culture subject, we was giving task in group to interview the local citizen about the history, culture,lifestyle.

BUT FIRST!!!!SUNBLOCK!UMBRELLA!CHECKED! The SUN is so big and the weather is so hot!!The hot is like corrosion my skin ,we keep sweating while walking along the street and feel awwwww everytime entering aircon building.

This day is Sunday, the government department was all close = = so we could only get information from the senior citizen there.Fortunately, all the people there is so friendly and nice to talk to. No wonder Ipoh mali name was given which means ( ipoh people is not arrogant). We have get lots of find from them in this project.SELFIE EVERYWHERE!

photo takes with our first interviewer--owner of t a restaurant at padang ipoh

Famous ipoh 鸡丝河粉 as lunch. The taste is totally different with the one we taste at kl.The "hofan" is smooth and the soup is superb tasty.

you know...it is too mainstream to see couple love lock ,SO WE CREATE OUR OWN BFF LOCK!They are my best friends in my uni life!We laugh,we fight,sarcasm each other, helping each other,I gonna miss them like hell after graduate (still have 2 years if nothing mess up) 

Dangdangdangdanggggggg! let me introduce our dinner tonight--mr.chicken and ms.bean sprout! They are really delicious!Tender and crisp! 

Lost the chance to take photo of the meat ball soup because we are too hungry.

After dinner, lecturer bring us here--riverfront! This is the famous kinta river which serve as the main life source during ipoh old time. Here have been decorated similar to KL ice city but not much lighting to appreciate. But...lots of fun activity provided here! example: cycling,pulley,and the picture below shown is the one I don't know what's the name, you need to use your hip strength to make it move, nice to try and it help to sweat heavily, maybe is because I long time didn't do exercise =.=and eat too much in these 2days.

Went back to our lovely home again. Need to fully charge body battery because we are going to Lost World of Tambun tomorrow!!!

DAY 3

Wake up early morning and have a short walk to mcdonald..why mcdonald?because we have no idea what to eat anymore= =LOL

After breakfast went back to hotel again to do our lost world packing, the most important thing for me to bring is hairdryer! Double checking everything and let's GO!

This is the second time I come here, first time is with my boyfriend which is almost one and the halfyear ago. During that time many games is still under construction. Finally this time can try all the games!

GROUP PHOTO WITH ALL IA SENIOR AND JUNIOR!SO NICE TO MEET YOU ALL!

**no more photo to be uploaded about lost world of tambun because enjoying too much and didn't have waterproof camera

DAY 4

Today is the last day in Ipoh...sad...that means we have to back to reality with tons of project and assignment to continue....TT....well!nevermind!let's enjoy today to the max!

A lots of place we have go today to cover back the place we have miss out during day 1..tired but found many interesting thing today!

Let's check it out!

Before starting our activities, we have one and half hour to eat breakfast, above is the things that I have seen while walking to breakfast shop

One of the sad thing is I still didn't have the chance to taste the custard caramel, it looks so delicious TT !!

We saw a "coca-cola man" at the side of the walkway , even taller than kah wen XD

Jengjeng!reach our destination!Cannot miss out food when you are in Ipoh!Here is our last day breakfast---famous ipoh coffee and baked bread! Delicious and cheap, you are not consider coming to ipoh without eating this!

** Actually I still have order one plate "bee hun" but forgot to take photo because of busy eating hahahahaha

Our first activites -- visit sekeping kong heng!

This is a very beautiful place which they preserve all the natural green things together with building. Different with the sekeping kongheng in KL which is build in the forest, this place is located at the middle of the town, but the ambience you will feel is like being in the natural. 

There is two hotel inside,one is still under construction and they a huge rooftop swimming pool! OMG this is the one I love the most!

Another hotel is the one shown below, where the bed is hanging down from the ceiling...this is really cool.. people can have more space at the floor..what a nice design!

Our first group photo together with our sem3 mom!Love it!

At the rooftop garden

Our next destination is kellie castle!

Things we all doing there is taking photo,photos and photosssssssss....really a nice place to take photo,but...if you know the story of kellie castle....maybe you won't take photo at there anymore ><

I only know the story of kellie castle after going back KL...I'm not going to share it here,google will do...

acting like a model XD

*the scenery is really good when viewing from the top of the castle*

Our last destination before going back to KL--TIN MINING MUSEUM

You can see the process of digging tin mining ,the history of tin mining, the lifestyle of  ipoh people during that time. Spend little time at here because the time was too compact and all of us are too tired.