Talk Architecture

Send us Fan Mail A discussion on the diagram posed earlier in the first episode of Talk Architecture and discussed in this blog: Life is a design thesis . However, the 'design problem' is explained in more detail by referring to the diagram (shown in thumbnail) which is a flow chart of the design processes in 4 phases (for the design thesis) but much of the components and stages can be a...

Send us Fan Mail The use of the 'design problem' to comprehend how it works in the architecture design studio process is crucial so that the school of architecture academics can communicate better with each other, in developing the architecture design curriculum.  In this episode, Naziaty Mohd Yaacob explained "the difference between the use of the 'design problem' in engi...

Send us Fan Mail When a person identifies themself as an 'architect' even though they do not have a license or a professional qualification, it does not mean that they are confronting the status quo or wish to cause mischief to the profession. It depends on the country whether the architects are stable in terms of the 'playing field' and would not be monitoring or mindful of wo...

Send us Fan Mail The viral video of the Professor falling off the ramp is wrong.  It should not have been viral or used incorrectly as the message conveyed is not helping at all and due to ignorance, the real matter of access audit training and disability awareness training take a step back / regressed from this viral video. No one will appreciate this and it’s of no laughing matter.  ©️Talk Archi...

Send us Fan Mail This is a continuation of the Part 1 episode of the same title. Quote at the end: Tell the government that we do not want an act that is still discriminating against persons with disabilities. We want an anti-discrimination act. We want a Disability Discrimination Act, and we want the tribunal redress mechanism, the Disability Commission, and we want everybody to be protected unde...

Send us Fan Mail In the context of Malaysia, what is the root cause of the problems that disabled and older persons are facing in Malaysia? The problem lies in disabled and older persons being side-lined and unable to participate in life, be it in public life, economic life, learning, or cultural life, due to the fact that the legislation that was supposed to empower disabled and older persons is...

Send us Fan Mail I delivered a keynote speech at the SDG Summit event organized by the Northern Corridor Implementation Agency under the NCER at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia yesterday and did a podcast on it. The title is Barriers & Challenges in Mainstreaming Disability in Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030. I outlined 5 important points/strategies to overcome so that disabl...

Send us Fan Mail I was at an event at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Tronoh, Perak in Malaysia, a recipient of the Aga Khan Award in Architecture in 2007. It was designed by Sir Norman Foster and GDP Architects the local architecture company collaborated to complete the design and got it built. I am reminiscing about the time when I was a design thesis tutor at the last university I was employed i...

Send us Fan Mail Introducing a discussion on this question: if 'harmony' is the end goal, why do we need 'disharmony'? This is more of a teaser episode or at least an introduction to the topic. Referring to the debate between Eisenman Vs Alexander in 1982, what is the purpose of 'art' in architecture? Later in Part 1, I will discuss the difference between the role of...

Send us Fan Mail Gen Zs are those under 27 years old, and I was involved in their education when they were 21 years old and it was tough learning an architecture course totally online during the pandemic for a year and a half. They missed out on visiting places and learning in a more hands on way. They now need to relearn architecture. Another factor that millennials have an advantage over Gen Zs...

Send us Fan Mail When and why did architecture isolate itself as a profession? We need to focus on asking better questions when it comes to the architecture profession. Although the Eisenman versus Alexander debate in 1982, seems so long ago, the relevance of what the latter has to say and his legacy influencing computer science, says to me the necessity for us to understand his work in terms of a...

Send us Fan Mail When and why did architecture isolate itself as a profession? As a profession, we took sides so that is easy for us as architects. To serve the client because that is what we do. 95% of the Malaysian Architect's Act is about contracts and serving the client. Is the client also the society? Much of what we see now around us is shaped by developers and speculative development....

Send us Fan Mail An intriguing book by Christopher Alexander called "The Nature of Order", and a chapter that caught my attention: Chapter 10 on Pleasing Yourself, compelled me to review section 7 on "A group of architecture students who were not pleasing themselves".  I thought Alexander's observation was very insightful and related to my own experience when dealing with...

Send us Fan Mail After listening to even 10 minutes of this podcast interview (YouTube link below) on the topic of : Your Toolkit for Preventing Burnout and Improving Resilience In Tough Times| The Mel Robbins Podcast   We discover some phrases like "toxic achievements" and "toxic pressure"... and in this episode, I attempted to introduce these phrases in the architectural cont...

Send us Fan Mail I would like to make the argument for all 17 Sustainable Development Goals 2030 to be disability inclusive in this podcast episode, although SDG goals 4, 8, 10, 11, and 17 are the obvious ones.  It is projected by 2040, that 17% of the Malaysian population to be 65 years and above, plus now 16% of the population in any country is estimated to be disabled persons. (US data states t...

Send us Fan Mail This is the concluding episode of a two-part series, where Part 2 discusses 'job burnout risk factors, ' the consequences of job burnout' and, 'handling job burnout'. We referred to 2 other articles from Architizer and Monograph, including the article found in the link below, "Job burnout: How to spot it and take action" by the Mayo Clinic staff....

Send us Fan Mail Job burnout for an architect and designer could be based on many factors and if not resolved or identified early could lead to depression. Part 1 episode discussed based on the article found in the link below, "Job burnout: How to spot it and take action" by the Mayo Clinic staff, is discussed in the architecture practice context. Content included: 'job burnout symp...

Send us Fan Mail Continuing the discussion exploring the two subjects of 'adaptability' and 'visualization' in the context of architecture (education and practice) and mental health balance (human being and cognition from a psychological perspective).  ©️Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit Image from the internet of Stewart Brand's book &quot...

Send us Fan Mail Reading Stewart Brand's book "How Buildings Learn - What Happens After They're Built", for the first time in 1995, I see now the relevance of the idea of adaptability more than ever.  Whole attitudes can be changed with regard to architecture and education.  This is the first thought in thinking about the importance of 'visualization' comparing archit...

Send us Fan Mail What is missing in the first degree of architecture course (Part 1) where graduates are confused? Example: I miss design but I cannot get work with an architecture company. It has been 2 years now, and I am working in an engineering company...  A recent development where one of the oldest architecture schools in my country decided to do something about the lack of creativity in th...

Send us Fan Mail This is the first part of a ‘common sense’ series on mental health and well-being for the architect focusing on “connection and community” as important factors to growth and development.  (Disclaimer: I am not a therapist. I have 35 years of working experience in architecture education and practice) Talk Architecture 2023, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.  Photo credit: Naziaty Mohd Y...

Send us Fan Mail This is a serious proposal on how any architecture course in Malaysia especially, needs to be revised or create a new architecture curriculum in the higher institution of learning. The approach is based on the philosophical approach and from the point of view of Architecture's roots in Arts and Humanities, however able to assuage current needs and problems in architecture edu...

Send us Fan Mail A topic that has not been recognized enough and a concern that needed to be raised. An architect can be triggered in the workplace environment by the lack of mental health balance. What are the underlying reasons for being triggered or feeling distressed or uncomfortable after receiving the sensation in terms of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching? More often than not...

Send us Fan Mail Creative expression is more of an individual act rather than a collaborative one, hence 'creativity' does not happen as we think it needs to. So how do the architect deal with the lack of creative expressions in their everyday? The big question: Is being an architect your destiny?  However the topic explores the missing 'creativity' in architecture, reflecting...

Send us Fan Mail What is the work-life balance of the architect?  This episode proposes what the architect needs to do in order to achieve work-life balance, changing attitudes and perceptions of the use of their time, to their advantage for growth and development. Knowing about that advantage means that there is a way the architect can take over and control their own destiny, rather than being st...