Exit blog

Theories of architecture, one of the most interesting class which teach you about the architecture world stories and the people philosophy about the world and architecture. it’s one of the best class i have ever had , it changed the way which I use o think about architecture and it shown me how is everyone has different thinking and opinion . This class teach me many different things which i haven’t known before about the architecture world environment and the world memories . However, there are many things to learn from this subject ,I hope that , I have learned enough information from this class .

I have learned in theories of architecture class, how I can think widely about the architecture, environment and the people stories. I have known more about the space concept and how I get the concept for the space. I have learned how I can I use my seven senses to see and feel the architecture and the building. I knew how the architects make a connection between gad and human in the architecture, by building a holly building. I have learned how the architecture apply their emotions and their stories in architecture, and they made a memory for the whole future to see and remember. So, I have learned how I apply an emotion and memory to my design. I knew how the war makes aesthetics and ruins to the building and it give a bad effect to the human and environment, and it keep the in the memory for the life time. I have knew that , our family home which we all grow up in ,effect us and effect our architecture style by remembering our home . In fact, I have learned many important and different things to make me a better architect in the future.

The best moment in this class was the trip to kelie’s castle, because it shown me the old English architecture in Malaysia and the romantic story behind it . it gave me chance to spent time with me classmates out of the university . The best thing that, I have discovered a new beautiful place in Malaysia . In the end, I will never forget the kelie’s castle and the romantic story.

The worst moment in this class was at the first time I attended the class , because I had only a general idea about the subject , and I felt really bad when I read the first essay because it was very difficult to understand and difficult to write about it .

I’m architecture student now, I will try to give the world a better life by making perfect green building in the future with a memory which will never be forgotten.

The pleasure of architecture

back days , architects who attempted to experience pleasure in architecture was considered decadent and politically the socially conscious have rejected it as a reactionary concern . in the same time architecture has relegated to the left every thing remotely political with discourse of pleasure . oppositions are reflected the recent history of architecture ' order and disorder / structure and chaos /... ' these oppositions have been loaded with moral overtones . the morals ere strong for long time . the beyond is opposites lie , the architecture definition is reinforce and amplify the impossible alternatives , but architecture in their definition is as a thing of the mind , conceptual discipline with it's typological variation , on the other people thinking the architecture definition is as an empirical event the concentrates on the senses , on the experience the space .

a double pleasure is unspoken or untouchable thing , it comes with the experience , it's like differences between every thing has an against ' left and right / up and down / symmetries and unsymmetries /...' the pleasure of geometry by extension . the pleasure of order is the pleasure of concepts . so architecture is a thing of the mind , geometrical rather than a experiential art , so the problem of architecture becomes a problem of ordinance . however , the pleasure of space is not the pleasure of geometry is the pleasure of architecture .

gardens of pleasure , in 1765 the architects weren't merely a reaction of the baroque style , and the deconstruction of architecture that they suggested we an early venture into th realm of pleasure , against the architecture order of time . the perspective of the renaissance garden were applied to the square of renaissance cities , the garden have had a strong fate . but in fact , the garden has the pleasure and eroticism , pleasure of space with the pleasure of reason in a useless manner .

pleasure and necessity , it must alway come with the architecture , it's useless with out it . long time ago , architectural is ideology of time but after while the social proved different by reduced to dreams , and now determined more by logic of land economical . in general , most architectural seems hopeless dilemma . on the other hand , they sanctuarize themselves , their architecture is accused of elitism . if there has lately been some reason to doubt the necessity of architecture , then the necessity of architecture may well be its non-necessity .

metaphor of order bondage , it's the non necessity of architecture is undissociable from architectural histories , these are bonds enhance pleasure . the architecture must be played by rules of accept or reject . the different between the rules and the ropes is irrelevant , the more numerous and sophisticated the restraints , the greater the pleasure .

rational in architecture and utopia , has recalled the pleasure of rationality and irrational dissolution recalled erotic concerns . the word had got different meaning , use here as a theoretical concept but it also it has the sexual analogies . eroticism is a subtle matter , it doesn't mean simply the different from eroticism as a simple spatial perception in different from architecture . however , the pleasure of architecture is that impossible moment when as architectural act and immediate experience of space .

metaphor of seduction, architecture is the same as the pleasure without seduction or seduction without illusion . the concept become the artifacts of seduction . however , when the architect try to find out the solution of the problem which we can called mask , they will get another mask to figure out and they will get other mask after it ., it won't end , and each mask has different meaning for architecture .

excess , the pleasure itself is simple masquerade when the mask doesn't belong to the universe of pleasure .when the sensual pleasure of space conflicts with the pleasure of order . the resent widespread fascination with the history of architecture doesn't necessarily mean a return to blind obedience to past dogma .

architecture of pleasure lie where concept of space abruptly coincide , no metaphorical paradise but discomfort and unbalancing of expectation .the architecture pleasure depend on feat , to debility or delirious neurosis .

advertisements for architecture ,architecture is an image , it can't be produce by drawing on paper only . even the construction which have never been constructed has an image inside the architect imagination . mask is the word which we use in architecture because it means hints at some thing else behind itself .it may hide it but also implies at the same time . the unveiling is part of pleasure of architecture .

architecture fragments are like beginnings without ends , there is always a split between fragment which is real and that virtual . architecture is an emotion not a dream ,for every construction there is an image in mind .

Kellie castle

william Kellie Smith was from a village in Scotland known as Kellas. In 1890, at the age of 20, he arrived in the then undeveloped Malaya. Smith started planting rubber trees and dabbled in the tin mining industry. In time, he became the owner of Kinta Kellas Estate and the Kinta Kellas Tin Dredging Company.Now with his fortune made, he returned home to marry his Scottish woman brought her over to Malaysia in 1903. The following year, the couple was blessed with a daughter whom they named Helen. For many years after that, William Smith desperately wanted a son and heir to take over his empire in the Malay Isles. After many years, Agnes finally gave birth to a son, Anthony, in 1915. The birth of his child was the start of even greater success for William Smith. To celebrate Anthony's birth, William Smith decided to expand on his mansion. Smith started planning for a huge castle which he planned to call Kellas House, after his hometown in Scotland.

Unfortunately for Smith, tragedies struck soon after the construction of the Kellas House began. A virulent strain of the Spanish flu spread from Europe to Asia soon after World War I ended in Europe, killing many of the workers in the Kellas Estate. Another seventy workers constructing Smith's dream castle also became victims of the flu. In the end, Kellas House, later known as Kellie's Castle or even Kellie's Folly to some, was never completed.William Kellie Smith himself died of pneumonia during a short trip to Portugal in 1926. His heartbroken wife decided to pack up and return home to Scotland selling the estate and Kellie's Castle to a British company .

I consider the Kellie castle beautiful .

This photo from the back of Kellie castle . It shown the strong and sold repetition on the arches at the ground floor and the opening at the first floor .

This photo from at the living room at the second floor , It shown the beautiful view of the river and the mountain .

This photo at the guest room at the first floor , The room has one of the most beautiful and big arch at Kellie castle .

This photo at the library at the first floor , It shown the amazing crafts at the wall .

This photo from out side of the Kellie castle , It shown the corner windows , each of them give different views .

the guest room

The spaces create a historical and romantic feeling to the visitors . It shown , how much william loved his wife by romantic way , and his children especially his son . The history of the old time in malaysia .

The architecture of the seven senses

The architecture of our time is an art of the printed image fixed by the hurried eyes of the camera . As building lose their plasticity and their connection with the language and wisdom of the body , they become isolated in the cool and distant realm of vision . Our structure become repulsively flat , sharp edged immaterial and unreal . Natural material expresses its age and history as well as tale of its birth and human use , but the materials of today sheets of glasses , enameled metal and synthetic materials , present their unyielding surface to the eyes without conveying anythings of their materials essence or age . Painting and sculpture have lost their sensuality and instead of intimacy work of art frequently signal a distancing rejection of sensuous curiosity . Architecture of the senses is the five senses were understood to form a system from the highest sense of vision down to the lowest sense , Touch the system of sense was related to the image of the cosmic body .Every touching experience of architecture is multi sensory , qualities of matter space and scale are measured equally by the eyes , ear , nose , skin , tongue , skeleton and muscle , Architecture involves seven realms of sensory experience which interact and infuse each other . The sense do not only mediate information for the judgment of the intellect , they are also a means of sensory thought . Acoustic intimacy , every building or space has its characteristic sound of intimacy or monumentality , rejection or invitation hospitality or hostility . Sight makes us solitary , whereas hearing creates a sense of connection and solidarity . We stroke the edges of the space with our ear , but the contemporary city has lost its echo . Silence , time and solitude , the most essential auditory experience created by architecture is tranquillity . Architecture presents the drama of construction silenced into matter ans space , architecture is the art of petrified silence . Architecture experience silenced all external noise , architecture as all art , makes us aware of our fundamental solitude . Building and cities are instruments and museums of time ,they enable us to see and understand the passing of history . Experiencing a work of art is a private between the work and the viewer that excludes other interactions . Art is made by alone for the alone . Art projects an unattainable idea . Space of scent , the strong memory of a space is often its odor , a particular smell may make us secretly re-enter a space that has been completely erased from the retinal memory , the nostrils project a forgotten image and we are enticed to enter a vivid daydream . Abandoned houses always have the same hollow smell , its because the particular smell is caused by the visual emptiness observed by the eyes . Contemporary images of architecture appear sterile and lifeless as compared to the emotional and associative power . The shapes of touch , the skin reads the texture , weight ,density and temperature of matter . The skin traces space of temperature with unerring precision . We trace the density and texture of the ground through our soles , the sun is healing experience , it makes one part of the eternal cycle of nature , one senses the slow breathing of the earth . There is strong identity between the skin and the sensation of home . The experience of home is essentially and experience of warmth .Great architecture offers shape and surface molded for the pleasurable touch of the eye . The eye is the sense of separation and distance , whereas touch is the sense of nearness , intimacy and affection . images of muscle and bone , primitive man used his body as the dimensioning and proportioning system of his construction . The essence of a tradition is the wisdom of the body stored in the memory . A building is not an end to itself , it frames , articulates , restructures , gives significance and unites . We behold touch , listen and measure the world with our entire bodily existence and the experiential world is organized around the center of the body . Bodily identification , perceptively of necessity of a bodily identification in art , this is what the sculptor must do , he must strive continually to think of and use from in its full spatial completeness . A work of art function as another person , with whom we converse . In a sense the landscape painter must almost look at the landscape as if it were himself , himself as a human being , the landscape thinks through him and he is the consciousness of the landscape . We feel pleasure and protection when the body discovers its resonance in space . The sense of gravity is the essence of all architecture structure and great architecture makes us conscious of gravity and earth . Taste of architecture , vision becomes transferred to taste certain colors as well as delicate . What lies within the darkness one con not distinguish , but the palm senses the gentle movement of the liquid , vapor rises from within forming droplets on the rim and a fragrance carried the vapor brings a delicate anticipation . The task of architecture , the timeless task of architecture is to create embodied existential metaphors that structure man being in the world . Architecture enable us to pace ourselves in the continuum of culture . Our home and domicile are integrated with our self-identity they become part of our own body and begin . Architecture is the art of mediation and reconciliation . I do experience my sense when i inter a religion places such as temple , church or mosque , i experience it by my eyes , ear nose and touch , almost all of my sense . On the other hand , when i go back to my home town i alway have the smell sense , as like i reach home already . some time i try to apply some of it on my design by the eye sense , as putting the nice and slow colors which make the human to feel comfortable , or by touching the materials . there are many things which really can connect the architecture with the our senses , and it's make the design wonderful and interesting to the human being .

monument , testimony and memory

First of all the history of the Jew in Germany and the repercussions of the Holocaust . The museum exhibits the social , political and cultural history of Jews in Berlin from the 4th century to the present The longest road leads to the "Stair of Continuity" and to the Museum itself . The second leads to the "Garden of Exile and Emigration" .The third to the deadend of the "Holocaust Void." . The building measures more than 15,000 square meters. The discussion about a Jewish Museum in Berlin was in process for almost a quarter of a century. The conclusions reached were the ones formulated in a brief for the competition held in 1988-1989 .

From understanding the three basic ideas , i can tell that , the Jewish museum is successful .

The three basic ideas that formed the foundation for the Jewish Museum design are :

First , understanding the history of Berlin without understanding the enormous intellectual, economic and cultural contribution . Second , the necessity to integrate physically and memory of the city of Berlin .Third , the acknowledgement and incorporation of this erasure can the history of Berlin and Europe have a human future. The project is about two lines of thinking, organization and relationship 'Jewish Museum ' .

From what Daniel said about the four aspects of the project , i can strongly agree that , the Jewish museum is successful . The first aspect of the project ,The site is the new-old center of Berlin on Lindenstrasse next to the distinguished Kollegienhaus a connection of relationships between figures of Germans and Jews .The invisible and irrationally connected star which shines with absent light of individual address. The second aspect, the music of in Berlin. Greatest work is the opera called 'Moses and Aaron ' which , for an important structural reason could not be completed due to the logic of the libretto. The cutoff of Act 2 of Moses and Aaron which culminates with the notmusical fulfillment of the word. The third aspect , the names of those persons who were deported from Berlin during the fatal years of the Holocaust.The everpresent dimension of the deported and missing Berliners. The fourth aspect , the project is formed by Walter Benjamin's , it’s continuous sequence of 60 sections along the zigzag. The is Walter Benjamin's urban apocalypse along the One Way Street.

Also there are three underground 'roads' which programmatically have three separate stories. The first and longest road leads to the main stair, to the continuation of Berlin's history, and to the exhibition spaces in the Jewish Museum. The second road leads outdoors to the E.T.A. Hoffman Garden and represents the exile and emigration of Jews from Germany. The third axis leads to the dead end - the Holocaust Void.

To create a new Architecture for a time which would reflect an understanding of history, a new understanding of Museums and a new realization of the relationship between program and architectural space. Therefore this Museum is not only aresponse to a particular program. The example of the Jew museums are :

The Libeskind Building , zig-zag best describes the form of the Jewish Museum's New Building. The architect Daniel Libeskind's design is based on two linear structures which, combined, form the body of the building. The first line is a winding one with several kinks while the second line cuts through the whole building. At the intersections of these lines are empty spaces 'Voids ' which rise vertically from the ground floor of the building up to the roof. Libeskind imagines the continuation of both lines throughout the city of Berlin and beyond .

The Voids , the Voids represent the central structural element of the New Building and the connection to the Old Building. The Museum's Voids refer to 'that which can never be exhibited when it comes to Jewish Berlin history , humanity reduced to ashes.

The Axes , there are three axes symbolizing three realities in the history of German Jews. first and longest of these axes is the 'Axis of Continuity' it connects the Old Building with the main staircase which leads up to the exhibition levels. Second , the 'Axis of Emigration' leads outside to daylight and the Garden of Exile. Third , the 'Axis of the Holocaust' is a dead end . All three of the underground axes intersect, symbolizing the connection between the three realities of Jewish life in Germany.

Libeskind admits a powerful faith in the ability of people to learn both from history and from architecture. In this he eerily echoes the assimilated Jews of the Hitler era. They believed profoundly in German culture and felt proud of their contributions. A building and a city are always present across time and across history, the act of building transforms the culture of a city . I think the Jewish museums are successful , from what u can see and know about the the basic idea , aspect and the tree roads .

The national museum in Malaysia , has the same effect but not as strong as the Jewish museum . From what i saw , the museum represent the traditional Malay building from ' the roof and the materials ' . There is some museums in Malaysia have stronger effect then the national museum , which is Iban museum because the museum represent the Iban people history . The museum structure same as the Iban house which called The long house and the materials effects the structure itself .

There is in the national museum a sculpture for the Hnag touh , who was hero in Malaysia back in the days . But the environment at the museum doesn't show that , there is one of the most important hero in Malaysia . the materials and lighting of the museum is not represent the perfect show . I think the museum structure has a really big effect to represent the heroes as the must represented . by make the museum Old - new structure as a future structure .

Remembering the home

It's all started when i was 6 to 8 years old . My family has moved to the house when i turned 6 years old and they still living there .The apartment is on the mountain , because my country Lebanon consider as mountain country . The house is the last floor of apartment which is 26th floor . As i remember we use to spend our often time at the balcony because of many reason . Firstly , the view from the balcony is amazing , it views the mountain and the building under us . Secondly , the weather up there is really cool and windy which allow us to don't use air condition that much , we use to open all the house windows and enjoy the fresh air . thirdly , the sun light which can enter all my house since the sun rise till the sun set which also allow us don't use light till the night time , so we can save the electric fee . Anyway , from what i remember i use to spend my all time inside the balcony ' playing /have some meals with my family even / some time sleeping inside the balcony ' . I use to Feel the freedom when i stand there . Now days , i'm studying architecture course . So , i notes that i always into an open building which has big opening and which has nice view . Even now in my house here in Malaysia has really nice view and it's on the top floor of the apartment , which really make me comfortable when i open the windows and let the wind and the sun light to enter . I just feel these things are part of who i am . So , that cause my all design assignments have the open space concept which the use of the natural light / wind and view . And i always add at least one of them on my design concept . Now i knew why i'm into this style , it's all goes to my childhood and the house which i grown up in .

Heidegger’s Thinking on Architecture

Heidegger concept is men made environment . Dwelling poetically he used the architecture to be part of his philosophy and to give us better understanding of the environment problems in our time . His example was the Greek temple which is standing in middle of the rock but the meaning of it is , the god is present in the temple , from the temple work you can see many meaning of many different things like birth and death / victory and disgrace / endurance and decline acquire the shape of testing for human beings . It doesn't matter what the materials are in the building but it dose matter how the building represent itself to the environment and to the human . The temple is resting on rocky ground but how strong the building is , it's against the storm and it's glowing by grace of the sun and it's using the natural light to go through the place and the darkness of the night . It's open place which allow the air to go through the space . This ground is the earth , the place where the arising brings back and shelters every things that arises without violation . Human , animal , plant are unchangeable things and never present , the only present is the fitting environment . Should the building gives to the things their look and to the men their out look on themselves . Truth is the meaning full word which explain ' the god present ' / ' fits together ' / ' which make the earth visible ' .The building should be open to the world to the same time sets this world back on earth . Four particular fold earth / sky / mortals and divinities . The earth is the building bearer with it's fruits / water / rock / plant and animal . The divinities are the beckoning messengers of the godhead , out of the hidden sway of divinities the go emerges . The mortals are human beings , called mortals because they can dis . Die ,means to be capable of death as death . The meaning of four fold is the things coming together or gathering , things visit mortal with a world . The thingness of the things , that is the world they gather ' according to heidegger example from the bridge and earth ' . The element of the Greek temple were clear ' god / human beings / earth and sky ' , The quotation is important because it tell us that the earth and the world of historical people are what they are because they are related to the earth and the world in general . Man dwells in language , when listen to and respond to languages own . The nature of the image is to let somethings be seen, the invisible be seen . Conceder the sky as work of art and memories . Dwell is between work and world , the word opens up to the world , work gives the world presence . Building are such constructed thing , which gather a world and allow for dwelling . Landscape is apace where human life take place ' lived space between earth and sky ' and ' freeing of places for human beings ' , firstly the place opens a domain in gathering things which here belong together . Secondly , the places are embodied be means of sculpture forms . Sculpture is therefore incarnation of the truth of beings in a wok which found it's place . A boundary isn't that at which something stops but , as the Greek recogzied , the boundary is that from which somethings begins it presence . Boundary and threshold are constituent element of place . Building dwelling thinking on building doesn't presume to discover architecture idea , let alone give rules for building . Evidently a work of architecture doesn't wake a a total world visible but only certain of it's aspects . The aspects concept of ' spatiality ' . The Greek example in fact starts with image of rocky cleft and later several concrete element of earth and sky but , also suggest the ' landscape ' conn't be isolated from human life and form ' mirrors ' between earth and sky / Between standing / resting and acting . Greek temple suggest it's nature the world extension / delimitation / standing / resting / towering . The fact language name these things proves their important as type of image which visualize the basic structure of spatiality . Today we are only at a beginning , we have to give thought to arrive at a total a poetical .

I have visited temple / mosque and church , from which i have seen and self , each place has different and similar specialty . First , temple specialty is the sculptures which are different sizes and different style , has a big opening as entrance which made feel kind of connection between the human and the god ' to let me enter through big space and passing by the sculptures which around me to control my direction to the place which i should be to pray .

Second , mosque specialty is the huge space which made me feel comfortable and the bid doom which also made me think about the god and praying , the big opening as entrance and windows which me made feel that , i'm inside the construction and outside in the same time because of the nature light , the sky as art work and the air which goes through the mosque .

Finally , church specialty is the color full windows which give reflection from the sun light to show the picture and the meaning of itself . the high ceiling and the cross in the middle of the wall made me feel the connection between me and god and jesus .

Each place have different and similar specialty but in general , all of them has the similarity of the connection between human and god .