Talk Architecture

Send us Fan Mail What is the right definition of a community project?  Firstly a community project needs to be authentic, genuine, and originally based on the needs of the people around it (in the vicinity), not just anyone in Kuala Lumpur city for example that would like to come to the area.  Secondly, if we as designers in the built environment profession are not truthful in our intent, and in o...

Send us Fan Mail Another review ( this one is for 15 minutes) on advocating schools of architecture to consciously create design studio programs that deal with society’s problems. Like social housing and community buildings. School of architecture will be doing a better service when creating learning programs that innovate on real problems rather than regurgitating programs that are merely tourist...

Send us Fan Mail Special Review - this is a conclusion of the few recent episodes that we had published and emerging theme which could be dealt further in the future.  The architectural profession serves the elite group or rich people and not others, the vulnerable and marginalized group. Everyone wants to be in the rich group of course but we are not being inclusive. However what is sad is that a...

Send us Fan Mail The concluding part of the conversation featuring two fresh graduates, Ee Von and Afaf, on Architecture Education, starts with discussions on: Part 2 episode Architecture education approaches and methods; Other issues that are increasingly being emerging in architecture education and; The future of architecture education. Cheah Ee Von tutor at UCSI in Kuala Lumpur, graduated from...

Send us Fan Mail This is an interlude to discuss about the recent tweet by the Malaysian Prime Minister on community projects. If we are not clear on what is a community project and how it will benefit the neighbourhood and community, there will be conflicts and would not serve the purpose on sharing resources using common land and property that is governed by the local authority and Government. I...

Send us Fan Mail A two-part conversation featuring two fresh graduates, Ee Von and Afaf, on Public Housing and Spaces Plus Architecture Education, starts with discussions on: [Part 1] The recent inaugural Public Housing Liveability Conference under the Rights to the City Programme (16 June 2022) in  Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, and what they feel about the event and the role of ThinkCity; H...

Send us Fan Mail Teaser Alert!  Introducing two fresh graduates, Ee Von and Afaf, who will be interviewed and featured in the next two podcast episodes, coming soon! The duo will be discussing: Part 1 episode The recent inaugural Public Housing Liveability Conference under the Rights to the City Programme (16 June 2022) in  Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, and what they feel about the event and...

Send us Fan Mail "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is Optional" (Murakami, 2008). There will be challenges. Such as when a critic gives feedback to the student or the company director comments on the designer's work. There could be 'pain' inflicted, perhaps of the emotional kind. And there could be many of these. However, that is part of the process of learning. How does one...

Send us Fan Mail "Design is the Conversation Between Creativity and Context" (Kevin Mark Low, 2014) . The quote under Context Specificity from the book published in 2014, called "Small Projects" is used to explain Form + Context, defining further with quotes from Christopher Alexander's "Notes on the Synthesis of Form". Taken from the Architecture Theory lecture...

Send us Fan Mail The main protagonists in the architecture design studio are the master (tutor) and apprentice (student). The tutor needs to take time to coach the student so that the latter work on their "learning brain rather than the survival brain". When left unattended the student falls back to bad habits or previous ways of designing that may not be enough for the level that he or...

Send us Fan Mail A sequel to the previous podcast - "SketchUp & other 3D Design Software is not the answer to architecture design skills", focused on why fewer and fewer architecture students end up being an architect and went into more detail about the problem; (1) The poor design of the architecture curriculum affects the students to have lack of confidence in being an architect, a...

Send us Fan Mail SketchUp & other 3D Design Software is not the answer to architecture design skills. The underlying message proposed in this podcast on why fewer and fewer architecture students end up being an architect is: 1. The poor design of the architecture curriculum affects the students to have lack of confidence in being an architect, and not wanting to pursue architecture; 2.  School...

Send us Fan Mail A brief explanation of what happened before the few years of the architecture studio program leading to the Site Context Specificity units 2016-17, 2018-19 & 2019-20, with sites at Kampung Baru, Bukit Ceylon, Kampung Kerinchi, and Petaling Jaya old town. However, one year earlier 2015-16 batch, I was working with GDP architects, and I learned what was not working. It is all to...

Send us Fan Mail The second part discussion on why everything is personal, in your work and what you do, because professionalism is not a form of detachment from feelings, inspiration, and motivation.     Inspired by comments that I got from Facebook on Part 1, I will explain what and how it was done ( my role ) in the architecture design studio programme at the university. The reason why it was i...

Send us Fan Mail What motivates a student of architecture to excel? What gives confidence and inspires a student of architecture to be successful in his / her career? There are elements at play in the architecture design studio programme that will ensure this. Revisiting the master-apprentice (tutor-student) system that has been watered down or less effective in today's practice in universiti...

Send us Fan Mail A series of podcast episodes start with the Introduction to Architectural Theorists, wherein in Part 2, we have the: •Formalism and space:  John Summerson •Modernist: Steen Eiler Rasmussen, Le Corbusier, Ebenezer Howard Some elaborations have been added to the introduction done via YouTube in this link:  Introduction to Architectural Theory [L-T1 2021-22AT] Also my tribute to Prof...

Send us Fan Mail Professionalism, if practice as a detached and impersonal service, may not serve its' intended purpose. Therefore, in this candid take on stating that "everything is personal" proposes the idea that we need to take everything we do, personally. It has to care and matter what effects we want the result to be. Whether you agree or not, this is just an exploration of h...

Send us Fan Mail A series of podcast episodes start with the Introduction to Architectural Theorists, wherein in Part 1, we have the  Historical theorists such as Vitruvius, Palladio, Le-Duc, and Ruskin. Some elaborations have been added to the introduction done via YouTube in this link:  Introduction to Architectural Theory [L-T1 2021-22AT] © 2022 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob Ph...

Send us Fan Mail To design with empathy, there is a need to train the architect, architectural designers, interior designers, property developers, contractors, and those in the construction industry, on accessibility and universal design. It is essential in this day and age, to build knowledge and skills so that they can help themselves and their companies, by understanding the concept of disabili...

Send us Fan Mail Always start with feelings rather than thoughts, as the expression that comes out of feelings in either writing or drawing your ideas would be closer to what is needed to convey to get the message across to the audience or someone perceiving your work. It is not one or the other but the practice of writing and drawing for an architectural designer can interchangeably do the job, r...

Send us Fan Mail In previous podcast episodes, we discussed what happens between the student and tutor in the studio in our interview podcasts, plus the design processes in topics such as Design Process in Architecture Studio Curriculum, for example.  We want to explain further the "myth" of the feedback processes in studio-based learning based on an article: David McClean & Neasa Ho...

Send us Fan Mail  A critique of a trending design is the STRAMP, a combination of staircase and ramp, designed in a way that is hazardous and dangerous to use by many people. With the uninformed designer it may look like a good idea but using the first principles of what is a staircase and what is a ramp, this podcast provides some idea of the problem with the design, if you are not skilled and kn...

Send us Fan Mail A quick introduction to what is industrial design quoting from the book "Industrial Design (World of Art) by John Heskett". This podcast was recorded in 2020. © 2022 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob Photo (artwork): "Talk Architecture" by Naziaty Mohd Yaacob; Bus Stop drawing by Kamelia Jambari Leadership Lessons From The Great Books Understanding...

Send us Fan Mail Another special feature commemorating the Month of Ramadan, at the midway point, we ask the question of "mosque architecture" in light of "domestic architecture"; has mosque architecture lost the sense of harmony and balance to achieve a sense of place for spirituality, that intimate spaces in domestic or vernacular architecture embody? The idea is to create a...

Send us Fan Mail This is a special edition commemorating the First Day of the Month of Ramadan, where Muslims practice fast from before sunrise to sunset every day, without consuming drinks or food and abstaining from certain activities. But what does this have to do with architecture? My take on this short podcast is to propose that, it has a lot to do with architecture, in particular "pheno...