Talk Architecture

Send us Fan Mail Our 2nd year students are doing an 'empowerment centre with educational facilities' (with community engagement) at Chow Kit, for homeless, stateless and street children, and in a couple weeks is their finals. I am in the last week of getting them to sort out their narratives and detail design. As a recap and to make them focus on their work, today, I went through their p...

Send us Fan Mail Fresh from a Clubhouse event entitled "Malaysian Architecture: The Lack of Theory and Philosophy?", this episode expanded further on two points. (1) Architecture Education curriculum that currently envisions "sameness" of the architecture graduates, lacking in guidance to strengthen the different strengths and identity that the students can develop, while study...

Send us Fan Mail Detail design can assist with the beginning stages of a design process. At the very beginning, sometimes you find something very compelling that is an insight which could assist with the the design concept. Detail design is used in conjunction with design development that can come later, towards the end of the design process, while studying certain concepts learned elsewhere that...

Send us Fan Mail Another episode to forge from the previous ones on Building the Design Manifesto, by reflecting on the Louis Sullivan axiom of "Form Follow Function" on the premise of how we currently think about theory affecting practice or vice versa. Some arguments explored to support Sullivan's proposition, especially in this day and age where due to the increase in the aging p...

Send us Fan Mail The second episode continues with 'Design with Empathy for the Aging Population', by reflecting on issues that we are facing, referring to Sustainable Development Goals, and zooming on higher education, is where it's at, when student as early as the 1st year will want to learn about universal design principles, independent living concept, disability concept and why...

Send us Fan Mail The first episode in a new series kicking off the ideas on architecture practice that is to do with 'Design with Empathy for the Aging Population', we explore some key words and themes to understand what are the theories and concerns of the 'functionalists' in design and architecture in the 21st Century. This opinion is also an attempt to bring into the discuss...

Send us Fan Mail It's a celebration! I present the 1st Anniversary Short Recap on Talk Architecture looking back and what's in store for the next year. Thank you all for your support!  © 2021 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob Photo (art work) of the achievements so far for Talk Architecture, 2771 downloads and 83 episodes. Support the show Do subscribe for premium content an...

Send us Fan Mail This episode signifies the end of season 4 and pronounces the 1st anniversary of Talk Architecture podcast. The special occasion is graced by Huda Nejim Al-Asedi, interviewed in more depth on the Creative Approach in Education (Part 2). Much more than 'communication', it is important for the educator to connect with the student, by "holding the space for their thoug...

Send us Fan Mail This is a short piece (interlude) to tease further discussion on the topics and themes of "multi-generational living", "lifetime homes" and the like, coming from many clubhouse app sessions that was on similar themes and the latest debate of 'home care' versus 'residential home'. Architects and designers could be interested in this topics, a...

Send us Fan Mail Coming up to the 1st year anniversary of the Talk Architecture podcast, we revisited the Diagram of the architecture design process that was produced right after the COVID-19 pandemic started last year and the lockdown situation that may have affected the usual studio-based learning programs. Some interesting insights were gained and I would assert that there are Pros rather than...

Send us Fan Mail Recently I was given the opportunity  to teach  Universal Design to architecture students and crit their studio project by asking the students to think  more of functionality, designing in detail and considering universal design as an approach to their design. One set of students in the masters of architecture course, for a housing project and another set of students in the second...

Send us Fan Mail The first interview with Huda Nejim Al-Asedi, an advocate of a creative approach to education, rather than art education per se, reveals her experience teaching under-privileged secondary school children in rural Sarawak in Borneo, and how a different perspective was needed to peak the curiosity of these children. In essence, the idea of accessibility to knowledge could happen whe...

Send us Fan Mail Teaser of an upcoming interview with Huda Nejim Al-Asedi, who has the finger on the pulse of "art education", trained as an architect, she has something to say about the "gaps in knowledge" and from her experience as a teacher with a perspective on the global situation, what are the factors to bridge that gap. Huda stressed that she is an advocate of a creative...

Send us Fan Mail Are architects also artists? An interview with Noor Mahnun Mohamed (Part 1) The artist, Noor Mahnun recounted her story from Kelantan, Malaysia to Germany, tracking back to what led her to be an artist. Anum, as she is fondly known, told us how she found herself pursuing 'Fine Arts' although she started as an architect. On reflection, she did not know it then, but her ch...

Send us Fan Mail Architects are Artists and are essentially purveyors of good taste:  The concluding interview with Noor Mahnun Mohamed (Part 2) This is our last podcast where we interview our guests on the topic of "Architects are Artists", going back to the first podcast, as far back as October 2020. We wanted to know the different perspectives, and finally, now, Noor Mahnun certainly...

Send us Fan Mail Teaser on an upcoming interview on "Architects are Artists" by a well-known artist, NOOR MAHNUN MOHAMED who studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Braunschweig, Germany and graduated with a Masters in Fine Art (1996). In 2000 she was the Malaysian artist-in-residence at Rimbun Dahan, Kuang, Selangor. She was awarded the Italian Government Scholarship in 2003 to...

Send us Fan Mail An Interview with Low Pey Sien, an art curator at Kongsi KL and freelancer, trained as an architect, graduated with a B.Sc. in Architecture from University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, with interests in making film documentaries and photography, shares her view in this first part of the afternoon chat on "Architects are Artists", which meanders to "Architects are Scient...

Send us Fan Mail The second part and conclusion of the interview, with Low Pey Sien, an art curator at Kongsi KL and freelancer, trained as an architect, graduated with a B.Sc. in Architecture from University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, with interests in making film documentaries and photography, shares her view in this first part of the afternoon chat on "Architects are Artists", which mea...

Send us Fan Mail I was at the student's project site today and wondered: Do we build communities around the place or build the place around communities? Is 'space' a too generic a word, and 'place' the better word, providing more context specificity? What is the fundamental characteristics of a place? I would argue for 'nature' and it's essential presence, t...

Send us Fan Mail Kevin Mark Low speaks on: Liberal Arts education, "Problem-solving is about 'relationships'", 'Open system thinking' rather than just 'system thinking' (which is more on production related), that relates more to 'nature relationships' (natural eco-systems), "whole idea of learning", using metaphors of the viruses, 'C...

Send us Fan Mail Coming from the Clubhouse discussion on: "Architecture School - was it useful? " Summarizing the two important points of: 1. Humanities (the lack of it ), which leads to,  Liberal Arts education, and; 2. Learning relationships - the importance of mentorship, peer learning and networking, etc. We will ask these questions to Kevin Mark Low in the upcoming interview, very s...

Send us Fan Mail "Social Enterprise for Universal Design Solutions" is the topic for our upcoming Clubhouse event starting at 8 pm, Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021, to be hosted by Naziaty Yaacob. An introduction on what is a 'social entrepreneur' or social enterprise, exploring the subject of 'problems in society', becoming a social entrepreneur, particularly for academic...

Send us Fan Mail We discussed this topic on 24 February 2021 at 8 to 10 pm, at a Clubhouse app event: "Architecture School - was it useful?", and as I mentioned, the intention was to find topics for further discussion, and the following summary, which I expanded in the podcast, and based on the quotes from the participants (speakers) were mainly;  1. Humanities study in university, and, ...

Send us Fan Mail You are welcome to join a discussion at 8:00 PM (Malaysian Time) on 24 February 2021 via the Clubhouse app. I am moderating and hosting the discussion on: Architecture School - was it useful? The purpose is to find out: 1. Content for my future podcast; 2. The questions that we need to ask regarding architecture school. This podcast is broadcasting on the upcoming event via the Cl...

Send us Fan Mail Since the last discussion on this topic on 24 January 2021, we had the opportunity to attend the NUS Design Pedagogy Lecture Series - "Enhancing feedback for students' learning: An evaluation of feedback methods used within the design" and a lecture by Dr Charlie Smith of Liverpool John Moores University.  Peer review needs to be moderated and done in a formal way r...