TRANSLUCENT CONCRETE

by Jill Fehrenbacher.

Brutalists look out. A new type of concrete has been developed, and it looks almost ethereal. Images of LiTraCon, the Light Transmitting concrete – make it look strangely like styrofoam. Hungarian architect Ron Losonczi invented this stuff three years ago, by embedding optical glass fibers into concrete. LitraCon has the strength of traditional concrete, but light can pass through it (through the glass fibers). Walls made LitraCon allow silhouettes of the outside world to be transmitted into the interior of a building. This stuff looks amazing. I can’t wait to see some buildings made out of this.

Benchshop's changing room in Berlin

SYDNEY CENTRAL STATION

Central Station is a part of the day-to-day lives of thousands of Sydney commuters, with more than 900,000 rail journeys on an average weekday, representing about 270 million journeys each year. Heralding the beginning of Australia's rail network, Central Station was built on the site of the old Sydney Yard, and opened on August 4, 1906. The grand sandstone Station has significant heritage value, particularly the Clock tower, the terrazzo-tiled Concourse and the Eddy Avenue overpass. At Central Station, you will find transportation links to all the suburban and Australia-wide networks, and buses to just about everywhere. I was given an honoured by Schmap Sydney Guide to published the above photo in the newly released nineth edition August, 2009. I wish to thank Emma Williams, Managing Editor of Schmap Guides for giving me the precious opportunity to publish my work. Click HERE to view the link or HERE to view on my Flickr.

KSENIYA SIMONOVA'S AMAZING SAND DRAWING

Kseniya Simonova is a Ukrainian artist who just won Ukraine's version of "America's Got Talent." She uses a giant light box, dramatic music, imagination and "sand painting" skills to interpret Germany's invasion and occupation of Ukraine during WWII. Enjoy!

HOUSE OF CARDS

House of Cards by Architecture w

SUSTAINABLE SHELTER DESIGN COMPETITION 2009

Venue: FAB Square,

Faculty of Built Environment,

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,

Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

Date: 7th October 2009

Organised by: Architecture Department

Material: Recycle Plastic Drinking Bottle (200 bottles for each group)

Time Given to Complete the Task: 3 hours.

7th INTERNATIONAL UTM BRIDGE MODEL COMPETITION 2009

PEACE BRIDGE BY SANTIAGO CALATRAVA

Peace Bridge,Calgary,Canada..by Santiago Calatrava .
here more information..and here ..

SMALL HOUSE SEEMS LARGE

The manipulation of light and space makes the Penguin House in Tokyo seem much larger. Tokyo: Living Small in the Big City

COLOUR AND EMOTIONS

We are all emotional creatures and the modern world constantly inspires emotional within us. Being at the seaside can make you feel peaceful, while sitting in a bright yellow cafe can make you feel stimulated or happy. However, often we are not aware of the effects the visual world has on our senses and our feelings.

source: the colur scheme

COLOURS TO SUIT YOU

A little knowledge can go a long way, but rules are made to be broken. We can all be influenced by scientific theory and the current trends, but just remember the most important thing, it is you who have to live and enjoy these colours. Never forget your own personal preferences and inspirations. You can use your knowledge of the colour wheel to perfect the actual shades and intensity of the colours, but do not be afraid to go with exactly what you love. Use colours and pattern to really suit you, even if they are a little unusual or eccentric.

source: the colour scheme

TEN DAYS AFTER RAYA

It is ten days after eid-ul-fitr and i am back to my routine......

BALIK KAMPUNG

Salam semua. Saya dan keluarga mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri Maaf Zahir Batin kepada semua umat Islam di seluruh dunia. Saya juga mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih pada semua yang telah melayari dan memberi sokongan pada blog saya. InsyAllah panjang umur jumpa lagi. Teringat lagu arwah Sudirman... balik kampung... ooo ooo balik kampung... teringat jua pada arwah ayahanda dan bonda yang masih di kampung.

May Allah accept his soul amongst Muqqarabin, Syuhada, Siddiqin & Mursyidin. Aamin.

THE BOUNTIES OF LAILATUL QADR

What is Laitul Qadr?

What if your boss to told you that if you worked on one specific day, the company would give you 81 years worth of pay? What if you could earn the same amount of money for 81 years of work with just one night of labour? Would you agree to this bargain?

Allah, praised and glorified, has promised His believers an even better deal. Muslims can attain the same amount of blessings and rewards in one night of worship, as they would if they worshipped 1000 regular months. That's over 81 years. That's the blessing of Lailatul Qadr.

Lailatul Qadr, translated as the Night of Power, is the greatest night of the year. During this period, Muslims should spend their nights in worship and seek forgiveness and blessings of Allah.

Some highly recommended actions that we should do during the Night of Lailatul Qadr.

* Qiyamul Layl: Translated roughly as "Standing for Pray at Night".

* Doa: Translated roughly as "Supplication". Ask for His Forgiveness.

* Leaving the mundane: We should decrease our involvement in worldly matters.

Taking this precious opportunity & moment, I make doa for all of you that Allah will grant us all the Night of Lailatul Qadr. Ameen.

COLOUR RESEARCH

Many a times have I been asked as to why and how I got interested in colour. "Why so much fuss about colour?" And I ask myself the same question. And I begin to realise how over the years with the presence of light, colours has become so much a part of our lives, our culture, and even our language. We tend to take it for granted today as an intrisic part of every awake moment. We all enjoy colour, but how much do we really know about it? From the moment of birth we start learning and absorbing information from the world around us. Colour becomes imbedded in our minds as something we simply accept as being a continous part of our world. Where there is light it is always there. The only factor that seems to have an effect on it is the percentage of light reflected or absorbed by an object.

When I begin to focus on colour, my intention was caught after I read an advertisement on Colour Vibration Therapy (CVT) flyer which was stuck on the front screen of my car. At the same time I suffer with "Urticaria Vasculitis" also known as nettle rash or weals in a common terms. It is also refers to a group of disorders in which wealing occurs in the skin. I thought it could be a good alternative treatment for me. A meeting was arrange with Sir Professor Dr Norhisham Wahab the founder of Colour Vibration Therapy Malaysia. during our discussion, i discover that colour plays a major role in harmonising and balancing our spiritual, mental, emotional and physical level of a person. As for my research, I have no intention to search for any medical benefits.

For more than a century, the psychology of colour in relation to emotion and behaviour has been studied and throughout history colour has always fascinated humankind, for both aesthetic and social reasons. Colour plays a vitally important role in the world. What we see and interact with colour, includes both natural and artificial colours. About 80% of the information which we assimilate through our five senses, is visual. However, colour does more than just give us objective information about our world, it also affects how we feel. The presence of colour become more important in our environment, since most people spend more time awake and looking at all things in colour. Colour can have a strong influence on our moods and emotions. Colour can sway our thinking, change actions and cause reactions. It can irritate or soothe your eyes, raise our blood presure or suppress our appetite. When used in the right ways, colour can save energy consumption. Colour is also a powerful form of communication, colour is irreplaceable. Red means "stop" and green means "go", as this is understood as universal message. Likewise, the colour used for product, web site, etc. etc. can cause powerful reactions. I will continue uploading my colour research to my blog from time to time. Any suggestions or opinions for further discussion are most welcome.

EID MUBARAK

My warmest greetings to the entire Muslim Ummah. Happy Eid-ul-Fitr.

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Laa ilaha ilallah Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Wa lillahil hamd. Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, There is no deity but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah goes all Praise.

Iyi Bayramlar.

NAQAAB (VEIL)

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Salam to all my Muslim brothers & sisters. Today is September 11 & I hope I did not make any provocative statements. Few months ago, the Western countries made fun of the naqaab (Islamic Burqa/Veil). France President Sarcozy had issued a ban on the Veil.

And what is happening today??

NOW

This is from GOD the AL-MIGHTY

HE is saying something to all of us but most of us do not understand!

ALLAH HU AKBAR

Is such a sudden attact of swine flu a coincidence??

NO WAY

CHINA TOWN

Kuala Terengganu, which is strategically located on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, was a natural stopping point for those who piled the trade from China to South East Asia in the early days. Kampung Cina became the most densely populated area for the Chinese Community. Located in the historic heart of Kuala Terengganu, it has been acclaimed as part of the country's living history of shophouse architecture. Sprouting from joint restoration and preservation efforts between the State Government, the Kuala Terengganu Municipal Council and Chinese Association in Terengganu, Chinatown has been given a boost for tourism.
We can all learn a lot from the past. History has and always will continue to fascinate those whose travel the world with open eyes. I used to say to my student, go and travel with your architectural eyes but this time my friend, Loharisan and I travel with our photographic eyes to fascinating heritage district along Jalan Bandar and "morning" stroll along Kampung Cina with full photographic gear. I said "morning' because it was very early in the morning.. I mean 3.00 a.m in the morning, hoping to get some interesting shots. But suprisingly, we were welcome by lots of guard dogs barking at us like no other business. We knew it loud and clear that we are not welcome, especially at that hour. Here are some shots that we would like to share it with you. Please click the first photo above to view the rest on my flickr set.

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COLOUR IN OUR HOME

A house is much more than just a roof over our heads. Our places of dwelling have developed dramatically over the course of history. Homes today have to be incredibily versatile buildings. The place in which we live in should be enjoyed, provide protection, respite, peace, inspiration and warmth to all who enter.
Colour can dramatically alter any space within our home. The posibilities made available to us by modern paints almost limitless, and traditional and modern homes alike can be transformed through the clever used of colour. Pale colours and whites can instantly refresh a tired room, giving a clean look and creating a bright, spacious atmosphere. Rich colours, such as deep ruby or emerald green, will have an intense effect, creating a more intimate and cosy feeling. A little knowledge can go a long way, but rules are made to be broken. We can all be influenced by scientific theory and the current trends, but just remember the most important thing: it is you and your family who have to live with and enjoy these colours.

Colour in the home cannot be changed as often as we change our clothing, so the colour decision is extremely important. The right choice of a certain colour scheme for our home is to suits our lifestyle and meets our personal and emotional needs.

source: the colour scheme

FOLDING ARCHITECTURE

Folding is relatively an ancient tendency in contemporary architecture. Traditional cultures of Japanese art which used paper folding to create a given result by using folds, crease, pleat, cut, pull up, turn, etc. etc. preferably without the use of gluing. Paper folding and paper cutting are very playful way of designing which offers surprises during the design process. Along with anthropometric installation, workbase 3 has added on another task which is to explore tranformations of the ivory board surface into a 3D form (volume). The student has to understand the method as the ivory board is introduced as quintessential foldable material. The board has its own character, weight and structural strength/capacity. And here are the results. Please feel free to view other images by clicking the first photo.

MERDEKA

MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA!

What does it really mean to us?

ANTHROPOMETRIC INSTALLATION

Anthropometric installation is a project to establish element of point, plane and form as in 2D and 3D form-site composition. The site is at Linangan Jernih, Faculty of Built Environment. It is also to understand visual interpretation and define design elements, principles and environmental awareness as they are used in architecture and design. The student has to built a full scale 2D & 3D model of their own anthropometric. Corrugated board are used to complete the task. The project was done by the first year architecture students, Faculty of Built Environment, UTM, Skudai. Please click first photo to enjoy the rest.

ARCHIWEEK 09

Pada 8-15 Ogos 2009, Persatuan Senibina, Jabatan Senibina, Fakulti Alam Bina, UTM, Skudai telah menganjurkan program minggu senibina atau lebih dikenali sebagai Archiweek yang bertema 2109 A.D. Program tersebut merupakan program tahunan bagi pelajar-pelajar senibina UTM. Program yang telah diadakan termasuklah Archileague pada 8 Ogos 09, yang telah diadakan di Kolej Datin Sri Endun, Bookfair pada 10-11 Ogos 09 di Linangan Jernih FAB, Kite Fest pada 12 Ogos 09 di Hutan Bandar Mutiara Rini, Johor Bahru, Malam Deklamatron di FAB Square pada 14 Ogos 09, Archimovie pada 15 Ogos 09 yang telah ditayangkan di Dewan Kuliah L50, dan juga pameran di Fakulti Alam Bina. Architorture mengucapkan syabas pada semua yang telah bekerja keras menjayakan program tersebut. Sila klik foto untuk menikmati yang lain