Architecture Design 201 (Project 2: Riverside Ensemble)

The title of this post above is the title of the final project for the first semester of year 2 of my study in Architecture Science. Basically, the task is to choose a suitable site at Kuching Waterfront, Sarawak, Malaysia and design a cafe on it. The building should have different spaces like observation deck, ramp/stair, washroom, kitchen, boat drop off and pick up point, etc.

First of all, we need to go to the site to understand more on the lengthy waterfront, inclusive of 1993’s built Phase 1 and 2009’s built Phase 2. Then, we need to choose our own site, by considering the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (can be summarized in SWOT), which is a good technique for site analysis. Next, it’s time to do the presentation board and booklet for site analysis as well as a large site model of scale 1:250.

Next, we need to create a series of postcard, which combines as a whole, depicting what you understand on the site, and translating it out abstractly on the postcard. My idea is on the water reflection, which the intensity of hardscape is blurred and the reflection on the Sarawak River unites both sides of the land.

Next, time for idea and design to come out. Slowly developing and progressing, many sketches were done, and it took me two pads of butter paper to do that. Messy, but sometimes it is interesting to look back at the developing sketches in it. The process is very important in design. Don’t take it lightly.

Finally, design is finalized. My design concept is basically tropical modern, to suit my cafe in hot and humid climate of Malaysia which is in face of modernism too. Hence, my cafe’s unique name would be ‘Tro+Dern’. I stressed on the whiteness of architecture (when white is the purest form of light in nature), usage of water (circulation throughout the whole cafe, cycle from the Sarawak River, aesthetic and for functional purposes), and levels (play of hierarchy and serial progression). It would be of different experience of sightseeing in my cafe which is of closer distance to water, lower level, as well as close-up detail view, which is very unusual compared to typical observatory.

Here, is my final presentation board, which is in 4 A1 (landscape format): (only for reference purpose, copyright reserved)

As well as some pictures of my final model completed in four days:

Thanks myself for going through all these hard days completing all these crazy stuff…design is forever challenging!

Site visit to Kuching, Sarawak (16 till 20/4/2010)

Long time not around in this blog, not updating it because that I have went to Kuching for our site visit for the assignment 2 in design module, which is to design a cafe at the Kuching Waterfront. The site visit was actually from 16th till 19th of April, 2010. However, we in a group/gang of friends, decided to extend one more day, for more fun and more analysis on the site.

In the very early morning of 16th April 2010 (Friday), when the sun has not rises yet, I am already waken up, with no use of alarm, at around 5am. Anticipating for a nice and smooth site visit, I rushed to check on things I have put into luggage and in another backpack bag. Everything is fine…let’s go to KLIA Transit station to go to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It is a 1 hour 30 minutes flight approximately to reach Kuching International Airport (KIA)from KLIA.

Had the first sight of Kuching, sitting in the taxi driving us to the dedicated hotel, Harbour View Hotel. Looking through the city; roads, people, buildings, sky, etc….makes me ponder on what is going to come to me at Kuching…reached the three-star hotel and got a rest before going out to waterfront for the first time…the waterfront is very long, extending over 1km for only Phase 1 which had been completed in 1990s, as well as around 700m of Phase 2 which had only recently opened.

We were a bit confused and blur on why they use this kind of designs of pavillions, pathways, railings, etc into the waterfront. A bit too colourful, they mix up few colours together under one roof for each pavillion…does it look nice? maybe it is up to satisfaction of people of 1980s and 1990s who like colourful stuff to feel like more vibrant and lively. Okay…accept that statement, no matter true of false. Haha…

The waterfront began from a famous cafe, designed like a traditional tribe house, which is called as Khatulistiwa Cafe. The interior is quite dim and nice with those cultural decorations. However, the food served there is very bad, tasteless, and took very long time to prepare eventhough there is not much people in there….the price also ‘lovely’ – too expensive.

Then, the flow is from a more narrow pathway to wider pathway as people going forward to feel the expansion of space and freedom to the nature. The cultural motives on the pathways and on the squares or pavillions are outstanding, each representing a specific tribe or ethnic, like Iban, Chinese, Malay, Melanau, Penan, etc. There are also some sculptures displayed there. Besides that, there is a fountain with a modern hornbill steel sculpture built, in remembrance of filled-up Kuching River (which does not exist anymore now) that previously flows from inland to the larger Sarawak River.

The craftmanship in Phase 2 is so poor until the point, that we think that the Phase 2 is done in hurry to save budget. Besides that, the architects responsible for Phase 1 are not the same with Phase 2. Hence, there is a slight difference between these two phases as noticed by normal people, except for us, which we, as architecture students (more professional- haha) detected many differences. Conclusion is that Phase 2 is very badly done, which is built, and replacing the historical Wet Market area.

The other places we have seen and visitted are the Cat Moument, Dewan Undangan Negeri, Astana, Tua Pek Kong Temple, Chinese History Museum, Ethnology Museum, Art Museum, Textile Museum, Craft Council, India Street, Gambier Street, Main Bazaar Street, Carpenter Street (ChinaTown of Kuching), Semengoh Rehabilitation Center (to see orang utans), Sarawak Cultural Village (to learn more on cultures and lifestyles of tribes in Sarawak) which is the most interesting one.

Famous food sold in Kuching, Sarawak is of course, the kuih lapis (layered cake), which is some kind of play of art on different layers of cake in one piece. Another one is kolo mee, which I have tried several times, and I still felt that the sarawak mee prepared in Peninsular Malaysia is more delicious (even other food too). Sarawak Laksa is not bad also, as well as seafood, because Sarawak is bordered by South China Sea.

The group I am doing for the site analysis is on culture category, which is a very important aspect in design. However, it is sometimes very hard to understand it, since it is sometimes too abstract, and hard to be known. Furthermore, there are many more works we should do, and we have to analyse deeper, unlike other groups, which only responsible in gathering simple data without analysing deep into it. We have did a lot in group works until we have almost forgotten our own individual part. The Kuching International Airport, which looks like a smaller replica of KLIA:

Very tired after returning back home from Kuching, with some souvenirs bought for my family and of course, myself. Haha….out of four nights, three nights I began to only sleep at around 3 to 4 am (midnight), that’s crazy! Furthermore, we have to walk many times around the waterfront area to do the site analysis. Haven’t even finish my part…ooh…this week and next week have to rush for postcards (which I have no ideas and these postcards will lead to our own design ideas), large site model (around 8m in length), boards and binded report for group works.

I thought this week should be mid semester break for us. It seems to be time for more works to us!!! We seriously need rest and of course, holiday! The hot sunny weather these few days caused us to have sun burn and our skin turned darker already….like roasted! Anyway, it is still fun with all of our friends and even celebrating a surprise birthday to a friend too! However, we still love this kind of site visit, it makes us to learn more things, get more experience, and feel more things (hope you get what I mean…haha)…