LEARNING ARCHITECTURE -- Yap Jia Cherng

INTRODUCTION

BEFORE ENTERING THE SCHOOL, I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS MAKING THE CHOICE OF WHAT I SHOULD STUDY WHEN I FRESH GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL, I HAVE NO CLEAR TARGET OF WHAT I SHOULD BE OR WHAT I WANTED TO DO IN MY FUTURE, BUT I HAVE ONE AIM, THAT WHATEVER I DO MUST CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY, OR AT LEAST HELP SOMEONE. SO I STARTED TO CROSS OUT WHAT I DON'T WANT TO BE, IN A COURSE LIST FROM AN EDUCATION CONSULTANT, EVENTUALLY WHAT REMAINS IS ARCHITECTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN, INDUSTRIAL DESIGN AND RELATED SUBJECTS. THEN I START TO LOOK INTO THESE SUBJECTS, WHICH I HAVE ALMOST NO DIRECT CONTACT WITH THEM IN PAST FEW YEARS. I FOUND OUT ARCHITECTURE TO BE QUITE INTERESTING AS IT IS ALMOST RELATED TO EVERY DAILY LIFE OF HUMAN, WHICH BREAKS OUT THE MINDSET OF IT IS ALL ABOUT BUILDING WHEN I NOT LOOKING INTO IT YET. BUT THE IDEA OF HOW ARCHITECTURE IS IS STILL SHALLOW AT THAT TIME, BUT AT THE MOMENT IT LIGHTEN UP MY CURIOUS TOWARDS IT, AND SO I CHOSE TO STUDY IT. 

THROUGH THESE SEMESTERS, I EXPERIENCE VERY DIFFERENT LEARNING PROCESS. 

TUTORIALS

FIRST IS TUTORIALS, THIS IS SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS LEARNING FIELD IN HIGH SCHOOL. IT IS ONE TO ONE, WHICH U HAVE A CHANCE TO HAVE DIRECT CONTACT TO TUTORS ABOUT YOUR WORK, MORE SPECIFIC, MORE TRANSPARENT TO EXPRESS YOUR WORKS. IN TUTORIALS, WHAT U GET IS EXACTLY DIRECT PROPORTIONAL TO YOUR EFFORT, YOUR TUTORS NEED YOUR FINDINGS TO BE ABLE TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING, AND SO ABLE TO GUIDE YOU. IN MY OPINION THIS IS A AWESOME SELF LEARNING METHOD THAT WHICH DIRECTIONS YOU GO AND HOW FAR YOU CAN GO CAN BE NAVIGATED BY YOURSELF. I BELIEVE IN LEARNING PROGRESS, SOME FREEDOM ALWAYS ALLOW CREATIVE THINKING TO TAKE PART. IT ALLOWS POSSIBILITIES TO OCCUR, A SAME BRIEF, EVERYONE HAVE VERY DIFFERENT OUTCOME, AND THIS IS VERY INSPIRING WHEN YOU CAN SEE HOW PEOPLE THINK DIFFERENTLY, AND ALL COULD WORK!

GROUP WORKS

GROUP WORK IS QUITE A HUGE PORTION IN ARCHITECTURE LIFE. I LEARNT TO COLLABORATE WITH OTHERS, COMPROMISING EACH OTHER AND HAVE AN OPEN MIND TO EVERYBODY'S SUGGESTION. SOMETIMES A PROJECT CAN BE SO HUGE AND SO INTO DETAIL THAT A SINGLE PERSON CANNOT COVER EACH VERY SMALL DETAIL, GROUP WORKS IS A GOOD PRACTICE FOR US TO TRAIN OURSELVES TO WORK WITH PEOPLE, EITHER TO LEAD OR TO FOLLOW AN INSTRUCTION. THERE MAY BE ARGUE BETWEEN OPINIONS, BUT I THINK THIS IS THE WAY THAT A GROUP MUST GET THROUGH TO BE ABLE TO WORK MORE WELL LATER ON. LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT IN  GROUP PROJECTS, AS IN GROUP WORKS, OFTEN THE WORK DISTRIBUTION WILL DEPENDS ON THE BEST SKILL OF THAT MEMBER. THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO LEARN EACH BEST FROM EACH OTHER. AS THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTE WAY TO DO SOMETHING, WAY OF PEOPLE DOING OTHER THINGS MANY TIMES OPENS MY MIND AND REALLY IS A QUICK WAY IN LEARNING.

DESIGN

DESIGNING IS THE MOST INTERESTING SUBJECT I HAD TAKEN IN MY LIFE. IT MAKES YOU LOVES IT BUT HATES IT. ESPECIALLY WHEN THE FIRST TIME I DRAW AN ABSTRACT, I FIND IT IS A WAY TO STUDY MYSELF, IT IS QUITE INTERESTING THAT THE EXPRESSION OF THE DRAWING AT THE SAME TIME EXPRESSING OURSELVES. I FOUND CERTAIN PERSON WILL COME OUT WITH CERTAIN STYLE OF DRAWING, CERTAIN SHAPE OR COLOUR. THIS IS VERY INTERESTING, WE EVENTUALLY FOUND OURSELVES IN DESIGNING OUR PROJECT, A PERSON WITH A TRIANGLE WILL SOMEHOW NOT SO INTO CURVY DESIGN, A SQUARRY PERSON SOMEHOW LIKES TO PLAY WITH SYMMETRY OR BALANCED DESIGN, OR SOMEONE WILL VERY INTO ASYMMETRY, OR ORGANIC, MANY MORE EXAMPLES BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT DESIGN SOMEHOW CONNECTS WITH OUR PERSONALITY, SO THAT IT HAVE INFINITE OF POSSIBILITIES!

IN DESIGN ALSO WE STRUGGLE, STRUGGLE THE MOST NOT ONLY IT HOLDS THE HIGHEST CREDIT, BUT ALSO DESIGN IS A LARGE PORTION IN ARCHITECTURE. FOR ME, DESIGN IS TO SOLVE PROBLEM IN A RATIONAL WAY, TO EXPRESS SOMETHING AND CREATE SPACE QUALITY IN AN ARTISTIC WAY. AN ARCHITECT IS TO BE RATIONAL AND ARTISTIC AT THE SAME TIME. TO BREAK THROUGH IN DESIGN IS ONE OF THE MOST SATISFACTION THING I DO IN MY LIFE, IT IS LIKE TO CRACK YOUR BRAIN OR FORMAT YOUR BRAIN AGAIN AND AGAIN. THIS IS THE EVOLUTION OF MIND, IN ORDER TO GET MORE MATURE IN DESIGNING.

CRITICISM

THIS IS WHAT MAKE US SHAKE AND NERVOUS EVERY TIME A CRIT COMES. IT FEELS LIKE THE TUTORS ARE CRITING YOUR PERSON AS WE PUT SO MUCH EFFORT AND LIFE INTO IT, LIKE THE WORK IS ALREADY AS IMPORTANT AS OURSELVES. THIS IS ALSO A BRAND NEW EXPERIENCE FROM PREVIOUS LEARNING METHOD, WE HAVE TO EXPRESS OUR DESIGN AT THE SAME TIME HAVE AN OPEN MIND TO OTHER OPINIONS TOWARDS YOUR DESIGN. I SURPRISED THAT THE CRIT IS EXTREMELY HELPFUL BECAUSE THE PANELS USUALLY HAVE MORE EXPERIENCE AND SEEN WHAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN. PEER ASSESSMENT ALSO, TO RECEIVE OPINIONS FROM OUR COURSE MATES, IT IS VERY HELPFUL TO HELP US SEEK WHAT WE HAVE NOT DONE, OR SOMETIMES GIVE A WAY OUT WHEN WE ARE STUCK. THIS SESSION IS VERY UNIQUE AMONG OTHER COURSES, I LIKE IT BECAUSE I THINK TO BE TRANSPARENT IN FRONT OF MY WEAKNESS IS WHERE I GROW.

STUDIO LIFE

THIS IS THE BEST PART I LOVE BEING AN ARCHITECTURE STUDENT, STUDIO CULTURE IS WHAT I SHOULD REMEMBER AND TELL STORIES WHEN I GROW UP. SAME AS CRIT, THIS IS ALSO VERY UNIQUE AMONG OTHER COURSES. STUDIO IS A PLACE WHERE WE LEARN, STRUGGLE, BREAKOUT, MAKE FRIENDS, FIGHT, SING, DANCE, SLEEP ! DOING DESIGN ALONE AT HOME WILL BE SO LESS PRODUCTIVE AND BORING, BUT STUDIO, WE HAVE BUNCH OF NERDS TO ACCOMPANY WITH, THE PLACE IS ALSO WHERE DISCUSSION HAPPENS, BETWEEN SENIORS AND JUNIORS, WE LEARNED FROM EACH OTHER, SOMETIMES AN OPINION FROM SENIOR IS SO PRECIOUS, OR SOME SUGGESTION FROM SENIORS JUST AS NICE PUSH YOUR DESIGN TO THE RIGHT PATH. BESIDES THAT, THE SPIRIT, WHERE EVERYONE FIGHT TOGETHER TOWARDS A SAME DESTINATION GIVES VERY MUCH MOTIVATION TO CONTINUE OUR WORK. SLEEPLESS NIGHT, MIDNIGHT MAMAK FOOD, SLEEP ON STUDIO CHAIRS AND DESK WILL ALWAYS BE MY SWEETEST MEMORIES EVER.

PRINCIPLES, THEORIES

FROM SEMESTER ONE WE LEARNED ARCHITECTURE PRINCIPLES, ABOUT SPACE, SHAPES, ORGANISATION. FROM THESE I SEE HOW PEOPLE REALLY DESIGN A SPACE, WITH DIFFERENT QUALITY AND SOUL IN IT, A TRUE STUDY OF SPACE. THE THEORIES OPEN MY EYES TO SEE HOW PEOPLE REALLY THINK DEEP INTO A TERM, OR DIFFERENT CONCEPTS, HOLDING EACH VIEWS AND ARGUES OR COMMENT ABOUT OTHERS, THOSE OPINIONS GIVE ME MORE DEEPER THOUGHTS AND WIDER VIEWS ABOUT ARCHITECTURE, SUCH AS SIMPLICITY AND COMPLEXITY FROM THE VERY START, HONEST AND DISHONEST ARCHITECTURE, PLACE AND PLACELESSNESS. THESE ARE THE TERMS THAT DESCRIBE OR DEFINES SOME KIND OF ARCHITECTURE, AND THESE TERMS GIVE US A DIRECTION TOWARDS ARCHITECTURE.

IN A NUTSHELL

IN THESE FOUR SEMESTERS, I HAVE LEARN HOW TO DESIGN A SPACE, WITH ARCHITECTURE PRINCIPLES, SOLVE DAILY ISSUES WITH ARCHITECTURAL METHOD, MATERIALS BEHAVIOR, HUMAN BEHAVIOR, TO WORK TOGETHER WITH OTHERS, TO RECEIVE OPINIONS, TO LOOK MORE INTO DAILY LIFE, TO SPOT DETAILS, CONSIDER ARCHITECTURE IN MANY ASPECTS, TO TACKLE COMMUNITY AND MANY MORE....NEVERTHELESS, TO DRAW STRAIGHT LINES WITH FREE HAND!

REFERENCES

MYSELF.