Case Study of Architect Looi Mun Kit

1. Introduction

1.1 Project Description

The purpose of this undertaking is to convey and understanding of architect’s architectural theory through a direct observation and analysis of his undertakings. Each of the architectural elements in the chosen edifice will be broken down and matched with the relevant architectural theories. Besides that, analysis of the relationship between architecture and its societal, cultural and rational context will be elaborated through assorted diagrams and description.

1.2 Background of the Architect

Architect: Looi Mun Kit

LAM I.D: A/L 344

Ar. Looi Mun Kit is one of the managers in LNL SDN BHD. He spent most of his childhood in a market as it gives a distinguishable life experience. Therefore, it shapes his characteristic and his slogan in this field. His instruction life brought him up as a leader, a commanding officer. Good opportunities were provided to develop his subject and be precise on what he wants. During his Diploma old ages, he does non understand the theories of architecture at all due to the feverish sum of assignments. After he graduated from his Diploma, he went to work earlier continues on his farther surveies at overseas. He gained the most valuable lesson about architecture field from his wise man. He to the full understands how this field works after two old ages of preparation. He passed through his Masterss instead easy. After his graduation, he continued work under his old house to pay off his debt. After five old ages of working experience, he passed his professional paper by first test.

Ar. Looi has his ain theory on architecture is a portion in our lives. Every individual line formed the architecture in average clip it creates a life style to the user. He besides focuses on phenomenology or the sense of topographic point. Human activities or experiences of the infinites are focused and planned exactly. Every infinite was engaged with alone characteristic to heighten the overall spacial experience. The circulation flow was designed in consistently to let users to appreciate every individual corner of the edifice, holding no wastage of infinite.

1.3 Background of the Firm

Ar Looi together with his class mate, Mr Adrian Liew decided to open their ain house. LNL SDN BHD was established in the twelvemonth 2009. LNL is a design company associated with MK LOOI Architect. The beginning of LNL is from the both manager Looi and Liew. Besides that, it stands a farther significance of their company slogan which is “Lines into a Lifestyle” . LNL has a studio like office atmosphere. LNL consist of a group of designers that believes in the integrating of the client’s needs with their design doctrine that each “lines” could be made into a “lifestyle” .

The house is presently focuses largely on bungalow undertakings. LNL believed that the society needs to better their life style, and a good life style is inculcated foremost and first in homes. By planing better homes, the quality of the occupants’ lives will be improved. Not merely that, LNL besides believe on good work deserves a good wage. Hence, their rates were ne’er lowered to guarantee the ideal quality and their repute. In future, LNL is easy taking in developer’s undertaking to further widen their concern in building field.

1. Undertaking Analysis

2.1 Background of the Iron Leaf, Bentong

The site is located at Bentong, Pahang which is 45 kilometers north from Kuala Lumpur. The map of this edifice is a retreat house for the client. It is an idle infinite for weekends escaped. The client wants to bask the quiet and peaceable province of ambiance with nature sound milieus. She besides wished to hold a edifice design to let her to experience nearer to the nature.

The construct of this undertaking is to make an constitution that emulates the form and the feature of a foliage. This modern-day design edifice stands out in a rain forest puting due to its materiality and the site context. Steel was used as the chief construction for this edifice. It creates the lightweight and elevated feeling, it besides portraits the whole thought of a foliage hanging on a tree.

2.2 Architectural Theories

2.2.1 Modernism

The theory of modernism can be observed through a several elements in the edifice. Modernism is seeking the order and simpleness of the edifice manner. The edifice had shown its simpleness through exterior design and spacial layout. Louis Sullivan’s theory on ‘form follow function’ is applied in good in this edifice. Spatial agreement of the edifice is every bit arranged in a additive signifier. Public and private infinites are classified clearly. Besides that, to heighten the overall spacial experience, the public infinites are located at the corner of the edifice where the sound or noise would non impact the user in private infinites.

The following feature of a modernism theory applied on the edifice design is the unfastened planning. The map of the gap programs is to film over the lines or boundary between exterior and interior. Glass panels were used as separation line between exterior and interior. The use of glass panel will non blockade the perfect positions of the encompassing nature and it was brought into the inside ( Figure2.2.1 ) . Besides film overing the boundaries, unfastened floor programs were interpreted as an unfastened life, kitchen and dining country as public infinite or as a node.

Following, accent of rectangular signifiers and horizontal lines were one of the most signifying modernism architecture. Diagram 2.2.1 has shown that Iron foliage is design with strong accent on horizontal lines. As compared to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling H2O, both of these houses have the similar feature.

Last, honestness on stuff represented one of the characteristic in modernism architecture. Building stuffs were remained to its most original signifier and texture. Material texture is exposed and without any coatings ( Figure2.2.2 ) . Concrete wall was used to contrast with the wooden floor.

2.2.2 Deconstructivism

Deconstructivism focused on making pandemonium and disjuncture. The roof is the highlighted point in this undertaking, where it besides stand foring the component of deconstructivism. The roof is non an ordinary pitch roof but it was arranged depicting as a foliage hanging on a tree. The agreement of beams gives ocular impacts towards the user when they foremost enter the infinite. The singularity of the roof gave a sense of suspended in a quiet hush and a modern-day reading of environing nature, like a drifting foliage from a tree. It besides gives a ocular visual aspect of stimulating capriciousness and a controlled pandemonium.

2.2.3 Critical Regionalism and Phenomenology

Critical regionalism motion is a combination of Modernism and Regionalism. Critical regionalism focused on the individuality of a civilization while at the same clip holding an international manner of design. Architecture of critical regionalism makes mentions to the site ; it besides can be interpreted as mastermind venue. Iron foliage is design harmonizing to its site context. Concrete stilts to back up the edifice besides the incline. The edifice is situated at the high land concealing behind the alcoholic of verdures. Hence, the house should be provided with maximal unfastened infinites to take full advantage on the cool air flow for airing every bit good as the fulfilling ocular visual aspect to the user. Theory of phenomenology is farther added in to the design to heighten the overall experience for the user. The use of natural stuff and gaps enhance the whole journey through the house where creates the sense of topographic point. When the user enters the edifice, they could experience the sense of belonging towards the nature where it blends together with the edifice.

2.3.1 Climatic

As the site is located on top of the hill, the utmost perpendicular place of the land harmonizing to the contour caused the design to be a additive stretch edifice. The overall signifier of the edifice is dynamic because of its form. Long and rectangular edifice was topographic point on the site. Important infinites are planned at the both sides. A long stretch of corridor is connected straight to the chief public country.

The edifice orientation is design based on the climatic factors. Design based on climatic factors will assist to make a sustainable design edifice ( Diagram 2.3.1 ) . Besides that, it besides will assist to salvage the cost of the edifice by cut downing unneeded gaps. The northern and south way of the edifice is the forepart and rear lifts. Both of these lifts have a longer facade. This is to avoid the direct sunshine enters to the edifice during the twenty-four hours clip. Large gaps on the front lift are to catch the position of the brow and besides let daytime to perforate into the edifice. In contrast with the left and right lift, both of it has a shorter facade. Additionally, louvres or shadowing devices are used to avoid direct sunshine or heat enters the edifice ( Diagram 2.3.2 ) .

The extra use of the big gaps at front lift is to let the prevailing air current enters the edifice. Taking in history of the airing, edifice is design in a rectangular signifier. The longer side of the facade leads the air current enters the edifice. Hence, the airing does non interrupt and straight out from another side of the facade ( Diagram 2.3.3 ) . It helps to make the cross airing taking topographic point inside the edifice. Mechanical airing does non necessitate in this edifice because of the well design of gaps.

In nutshell, the edifice is design in its best orientation whereby daytime and airing are maximized to come in the edifice. It besides a sustainable design edifice because of the consideration of constructing orientation helps to cut down most of the mechanical or unreal visible radiation and airing. Artificial lightings were non required to exchange on during twenty-four hours clip. Last, the house is ever ventilated, hence mechanical airing are unneeded.

2.3.2 Material and Technology

Most of the stuffs are precast. Materials are selected or take carefully to prolong and requires minimum care with consideration of the natural environment. Therefore, steel is the chief high spot of the stuff. Roof construction is made from steel and screens with a bed metal sheet to reflect the edifice to its surrounding. Steel besides used as frames to gives a lightweight consequence as reference before with the construct. Besides that, steel construction is fast and easy to construct in building industry.

Furthermore, concrete was chosen as built stuff. Walls were built utilizing concrete. Unpolished concrete or cement rendered surfaces are used to carry through the construct of modernism whereby honestness on stuff. Concrete besides used to strike the immense contrast between wooden decks and floorings. It will give the sense of integrating with natural and built.

Furthermore, glass panels are used to supply the maximal positions to the user while they can bask the positions even inside of the edifice. Additionally, maximise daylighting and airing can be brought into the edifice. Artificial illuming were non required during the twenty-four hours. The edifice is ever ventilated because of the big gaps at the prevailing air current way. Last, trees that cut on the site are recycled and used as a stuff for furniture to heighten the overall materiality inside the edifice.

Another component to foreground on is the roof construction. The column that supports the roof is designed as a tree-like-structure. It was a interruption off point from a traditional unit of ammunition or square column, the designer chose this progress engineering method to back up the roof. The tree-like-structure functioned as a infinite framing and the building method was derived from umbrella construction. The whole thought of this tree-like-structure is to give an semblance to the user as a tree subdivision back uping a elephantine metallic foliage. The whole roof construction is fundamentally exposed. Inner construction ( beams ) was exposed to the inside. It allowed the user experience as a elephantine foliage covers the whole inside. The agreement of beams is non in a common consecutive lines as it followed the construct of deconstructivism, where created a controlled pandemonium signifier. The construction is pre-fabricated before puting at the site. Last, the construction is made from several steel columns and welded together to make the form of the tree subdivision.

3.0 Decision

‘Lines into a lifestyle’ is the slogan of LNL, a simple line can make an incalculable potency and shapes the quality of infinites that support a life style. The slogan besides matches Ar. Looi’s theories in architecture. Each and every infinite engaged with alone characteristic to heighten the overall spacial experience. Circulation of the interior edifice is design in consistently and non a individual infinite is being left out.

Ar Looi emerged successfully on the theories of Modernism, Deconstructivism and Critical Regionalism into this edifice design. All the feature of different theories blends in harmoniously as one whole design. Furthermore, to heighten the overall experience in the edifice he uses the theory of phenomenology. Human’s senses are added on to see the edifice as a topographic point instead than a infinite. He besides produced the design that respects the tropical environment and suiting with the client’s life style.

The theories or past experience he learnt during his life have successfully made him a good designer. Ar Looi and his theories have successfully creates a new architectural individuality of the Malaysian while conveying the life quality to a whole new degree for the society.