Lighting Competiton : BORROWED LIGHT

It is an inspiration that strikes me during electrical disruption couple of weeks back. But sadly, I can't manage to get it uploaded to their site as the server is down due to over loaded traffic. Whatever it is, I still think it is a very good idea and I enjoyed every single minute I spent for this project.

what is ARCHITECTURE?

Does architecture always what you think like it was?

Architecture Competition

Bustler is a good architectural competition website where it publishes almost all of the currently going on competitions for students and practicing architects. Students might found this website useful. Check it out, click on the blog post title or copy the website URL; http://www.bustler.net/

Highrise Services Calculation 1

First of all, these are the general information that you have to have.

1. Plot ratio of the site
2. Allowable plinth area of the site
3. Open space of the site
4. Total site area
5. Proposed quantity of floor (does not include the number of basement/s)

Example,
Total site area = 8371.76m²
Allowable plinth area = 60%
Open space = 40%
Plot Ratio = 1:7
Quantity of Floor = 34 storeys

1. Gross Floor Area (GFA)

= Site Area x Plot Ratio
Example,
8371.76m² x 7
= 58602.32m²

2. Plinth Area

= Allowable plinth area x site area
Example,
60% x 8371.76m²
= 5023.06m²

3. Size per floor

GFA / Quantity of floor
Example,
58602.32m² / 34
= 1723.60m² (does not determine the size of basement/s)

* The size per floor usually be determined first based on the space requirements set out by the client.

4. Net Lettable Area (NLA)

GFA - 30%GFA or 70% of GFA
(30% of GFA is the area reserved for services)
Example,
58602.32m² - 30%(58602.32m²)
= 58602.32m² - 17580.70m²
= 41021.62m²

5. Maximum number of occupants

= NLA / area per person
(Let say 10m² per person, please refer Neufert for this)
Example,
41021.62m² / 10m²
= 4102 person

* Number of occupants usually be determined based on the building program and the space planning.

6. Maximum number of occupants per floor

= Maximum number of occupants / Quantity of floor
Example,
4102 / 34
= 410 occupants per floor

7.Number of Car parking space

NLA / Specified number by the local authority
(125 is the number specified by the local authority, in this case it is the number provided by the Johor City Council in the Local Development Plan)
Example,
41021.62m² / 125
= 328 parking

8. Number of Motorcycle parking space

30% x Car parking space
Example,
30% x 328
= 98 parking

*Note that this calculation is just a general guideline, it DOES NOT have to be precisely followed.

Highrise Services Calculation 2

Second of all, these are the general information that you have to have.

1. Proposed quantity of floors
2. Area of every floor
3. Area designated per person
4. Number of occupants
5. Groos Floor Area (GFA)
6. Net Lettable Area (NLA)
7. Number of occupants per floor

Example,
1. 34 storeys
2. 1723.60m²
3. 10m²
4. 4102 person
5. 58602.32m²
6. 41021.62m²
7. 121 person

1. Num. of passengers in one lift cart

75 % x number of occupants
Example,
= 75% x 4102
= 3077 people

2. Num. of passenger in one lift cart within 30 minutes

(30 minutes x 60 seconds x assumed number of person per lift) / 105
(assume 15 people per lift (65kg per person))
Example,
= (30 x 60 x 15) / 105
= 257 people

2. Num. of lift required

Number of person in one lift cart / number of passenger in one lift cart within 30 minutes
Example,
= 3077 / 257
= 12 lifts

3. Size of AHU per floor

(2.5 % x GFA) / Quantity of floors
Example,
=(2.5% x 58602.32m²) / 34
= 43.08m²

4. Plant Room

3% x NLA
Example,
= 3% x 41021.62m²
= 1230.65m²

5. Usage per Floor

Number of occupants per floor x 40 liters
(assume 40 liters per person for 24 hours)
(assume 20 liters for sanitary)
Example,
= 121 x 40 liters
= 4840 liters

6. Usage of water for the whole building

Usage per floor x Quantity of floors
= 4840 liters x 34
= 164560 liters
= 165 cubic / 1.2
= 137.5m²

7. Backup for water supply

(usage per floor x 10 hours) / 24 hours
Example,
=(164560 x 10) / 24
= 68566.67 liters

8. Total water supply

Usage of water per building + backup water supply
Example,
164560 liters + 68566.67 liters
=233126.67 liters

9. Suction tank

1/3 of total water supply
Example,
= 1/3 x 233126.67 liters
= 77708.89 liters
= 78 cubic/1.2
= 65m²

10. Water tank

2/3 of total water supply
Example,
= 2/3 x 233126.67 liters
= 155417.78 liters
= 155 cubic / 1.2
= 129.17m²

11. Fire Fighting

a) Wet Riser Tank
= 45000 liters (2 stage)

1st stage (Basement)
= 1/3 of wet riser tank
= 1/3 x 45000 liters
= 15000 liters
= 15 cubic/1.2
= 12.5m²

2nd Stage (Roof Top)
= 2/3 x 45000 liters
= 30000 liters
= 30 cubic / 1.2
= 25 m²

b) Sprinkler Tank
= 45000 liters
= 45 cubic / 1.2
= 37.5m²

c) Hose Reel Tank
= 45000 liters
= 45 cubic / 1.2
= 37.5m²

*Note that this calculation is just a general guideline, it DOES NOT have to be precisely followed.

Highrise Initial Design

We were assigned to roughly design a highrise building, and study the structural system of such design. I have come out with a design inspired by Jean Nouvel, he's an architect from France which produce excellent works (at least most of them are). The new Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan has such unique personality; which although it doesn't seem has to be there (due to the height of it) but it fits the surrounding nicely (with it tall and slender 'figure').

I'm inspired by the structural system of the building that creates distinctive character to it. So, i try to adapt it to the design. Enough of the gibberish. Here are the images of the design.

But it is just the initial design. It's not complete yet. Enjoy guys. Leave me messages if you have any comments.

New Semester, New Resolution.

The new semester has started and I, as an architecture student will be given with tedious tasks, extraordinary challenges and mind-boggling workload AGAIN. We'll be doing highrise, which is building exceeds 20 storey high. Hope it will be a satisfying semester and maybe it will be the time i can vanquish my procrastination habit.

Read more, surf more, struggle more, come out on top.

PRESENTATION BOARD - Segregate or Not Segregate

I've got a comment on my presentation board which the professor asked me to include all of my research in one board and the rest of the boards should be just drawings. i found it kinda silly to cramp everything in one board and the rest would be just drawings.

What i think is, it is not effective because you would just focus on the drawings and not the research which i've been busting my ass off through out the semester to gather all that and you wouldn't wanna read it??

lecturers and professors are intrigued by the graphics rather than the main point of the project, which the solutions, ideas and the researches we had wasted our time on. so, now im at the crossroad whether to segregate or not to..

well, whatever it is i think you guys should decide because i need to do some amendment to my boards.. to cramp everything just to make the lecturer happy.. dang!

The old folks have returned..

This semester i'm required to do a research on the elderly and the current situations here in Malaysia. I've started the research with an article i've found in a book which explains the situations they are facing now. They are the 'INTERIM GENERATION' which the generation that has gotten stuck in between the government's agenda and the social paradox that we are living now (this applies to the developing countries like Malaysia and the surrounding countries in South East Asia region).

1. Government focuses their money on economical issues to boost up the economy which less money is provided for the social welfare of the citizen.
2. We tend to have nuclear family rather than big extended family which as we grow old, our children don't have the time to take care of us since they too got busy with their life. and we don't have the 'spare' children to look after us.

As i go on with my research, i have found that the numbers of elderly in malaysia had doubled for the past 20 years which in 2000, there are 1.4 million elderly in Malaysia. and the number will quadrupled in 2030!!

You can get the info from this PDF file. Click Here

and the issues with the existing old folks home in Malaysia, we don't have proper old folks home here and not even one of them are like or close to the facilities provided at the Almshouse in UK! You need to check out the facilities they have there and some old folks home in U.S. I have found a research paper on the swedish old folks home and the solutions that they have come up with to make the elderly feels like home.

Click Here

(feel free to just email me at izreeh87@gmail.com to get further info's that i have gathered through out the semester. I got alot more really.)

the solutions that i have come out with for this project is to integrate the living, working and leisure activities among elderly as;

1. most elderly (64 percent of them ) is living in urban areas.. (surprising isn't it?)
2. most of them are not working and they aren't the 'best' social group to be hired due to the physical constraints and lack of primary education.
3. they haven't been given the freedom to live in a community like they used to.

Living

1. community within community dwellings.
8 units of houses which in every single unit comprise of 2 bedrooms, 2 separate bathrooms which cater either 2, 3, or 4 people (depending on the types of units that i have designed) in one area where i called a 'module' which basic necessity like open kitchen, living area, laundry room, a staff room and a courtyard (as the threshold space for the elderly) is provided.


2. working zone as the elderly can teach us the secondary or tertiary education which we are lacking now (or the much needed skills to survive in life, cooking, sewing, etc.)

3. the leisure activities such as gymnasium, mini library, tai chi ground, green house for gardening, hobby room and workshop to enhance their health and mind state as we all know, as you age, your physical and mental health will deteriorate. i've planned to segregate all the activities as i try to make them walk which it is some sort of unconscious physical activity.

4. but we all know, elderly tends to get lost easily and they will get body ache if they walk too much. so the senses gardens act as a node and stopping point for them to relax while enjoying the interactive fun with the senses triggering technology like the 'motion pole' which sense the motions of passersby and produce different tunes based on how fast the motion it sensed moves. or the color sticks which emit different color depends on the speed of the passerby.

but sadly, i don't have enough time to produce excellent design outcomes (so as the other students in my work base) because there are just too many presentations that we have to do (almost every 2-3 weeks we will have a presentation and there are times when we did presentations 3 weeks in a row! it's just crazy!). Here are my final presentation boards for the project.



i know it is not as up to as what you guys expected it to be. but hey, i've did all these in 1 and a half weeks, so i know somehow i should be proud of it! =)

The Beginning

i'm in my third year second semester now. It's almost at the end of the semester (which within a few days, it'll be over by the time i'm writing this) and i realize i've made a wise decision to retake the semester since i'd screwed up the last one. I really enjoy the semester as i have to do a lot of research which i've never required to do such. (it's just i don't wanna admit that i've been a pure procrastinator all this while)

suddenly it strikes me to start such blog as a journal of my life as an achitecture student. (should have realized about this few years ago! damn!) architecture has changed my perception of perceiving normal everyday things. which somehow i appreciate life better now (although sometimes i do feel i'm such a pain in the ass to my partner). but somehow architecture shape us (architecture students) to be individualistics. we compete among each other too much and somehow we feel our friends as foes and tend to just stab them at the back!(fuck you fuckerss!! i would love to just run them over in the street!)

although i love architecture alot but somehow it got its ways to fuck me back! i don't need sex, architecture fucks me alot! hypothetically speaking. but architecture is the only thing i can do and it has been my life and passion since i was a kid. come on architecture! fuck me more!! =P