28 January 2008,
I was driving with my wife to a peaceful, small village in a valley surounded by hills somewhere back in Malaysia. It was chilly and a bit foggy that morning when we arrived. I was so amazed and ask my wife "what is this place?" she replied, " I think it's called Chukai, Terengganu". "Are you sure that's the name of this place?" I asked again. "I really want to stay in this place for the rest of our life". My wife just smiled as we held hand and looked over the valley of peace "welcome home sayang (love) !"
I woke up from the dream hoping that it will soon come true.
PAPAN 9
Original Artwork by Papa, Azhan and Nine (click image to link)
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
BURY NEW RETAIL
The firm that I working with has been doing a number of development in Bury since its establishment nearly 4 decades ago. From office building to retail development and even churches. Up until now it still plays a signification role in this small town. I am lucky to be on board and witness another development coming up just around the corner of the town where we live and buy our groceries. It would be interesting to see the place changes over the time for us to experience a new adventure but yet there are remaining pieces of the town that are kept untouched to remind us of the past memories. 
To the North & East along Foundry Street and Lord Street are a mix of Industrial buildings of varying age ,style,materials and condition.This includes the Senior Hargreaves (vendor ) sister site at the junction of Lord Street/Cook Street which is currently being improved & extended as a result of the Proposed Development.All are located immediately at the back of footpath reinforcing the general Industrial nature of the area.
The site comprises multiple Industrial buildings previously extended but separated by Back Foundry Street which has previously been stopped-up to traffic.
Delivery vehicle access to the buildings from Foundry Street & Lord Street is directly at the site perimeter which restricts vehicle movement ,visibility & safety.
The above factors have been important in determining the layout for the proposed development and in ensuring that the building can relate to the surrounding premises ,with a clear definition of the public vehicle or pedestrian access or servicing requirements to each, can relate to the Existing ‘Angouleme Retail Park’ and form a new closure of that ‘square’.
The building has been set centrally within the site with the main facade and customer entrances facing the bulk of the adjacent’ Angouleme Retail Park’,including glazing elements which return on the South cross Street Elevation enhancing the Street scene and maintaining visual interest.The building has a low pitched metal clad roof, which is concealed by the wall parapet. The walls are fully clad at upper levels with flat/microrib metal faced panels generally in an silver colour but with a horizontal grey contrasting panel set above the height of entrance doors and ground floor glazing.A substantive number of two storey glazed panels are included to the main elevations where the contrasting panel is developed as a secondary location for product signage. Th store entrances are each set within a projecting frame, which contains main entrance doors and glazed screens with the tenant’s signage panel above. A projecting glazed canopy separate the two elements.
The surrounding properties have a mixture of traditional and modern styling and construction ,with many varying materials and forms.The Proposed Elevations have been designed to reflect current building practices and provide a modern well defined Retail presence with clearly separate Customer and Servicing aspects ,which will enhance the local built environment.
Visit : http://www.rgp.uk.com/ RGP have an innovative approach to architectural design. We have no dogma, no standard answers and we are spirited and fun to work with
The development site is located within an area which consists of a mixture of Retail and Industrial buildings,but immediately adjacent to an ASDA food store.
To the immediate NW facing Foundry Street the frontages are predominantly Retail buildings and associated car parking to the opposite side of the roadway. These buildings have been constructed in relatively recent times ,but in a completely random arrangement and are in mixed ownerships.They display the various phases of styling used in general Retail buildings varying from the adjacent relatively recent Matalan Store to the NE which at low level is faced with brickwork with metal cladding at upper level over, to the ASDA Food store immediately to the NW ,which has developed from an Industrial /manufacturing use ,and also across George Street where low level brick & flat metal cladding panels predominate.
To the immediate NW facing Foundry Street the frontages are predominantly Retail buildings and associated car parking to the opposite side of the roadway. These buildings have been constructed in relatively recent times ,but in a completely random arrangement and are in mixed ownerships.They display the various phases of styling used in general Retail buildings varying from the adjacent relatively recent Matalan Store to the NE which at low level is faced with brickwork with metal cladding at upper level over, to the ASDA Food store immediately to the NW ,which has developed from an Industrial /manufacturing use ,and also across George Street where low level brick & flat metal cladding panels predominate.
To the North & East along Foundry Street and Lord Street are a mix of Industrial buildings of varying age ,style,materials and condition.This includes the Senior Hargreaves (vendor ) sister site at the junction of Lord Street/Cook Street which is currently being improved & extended as a result of the Proposed Development.All are located immediately at the back of footpath reinforcing the general Industrial nature of the area.
The site comprises multiple Industrial buildings previously extended but separated by Back Foundry Street which has previously been stopped-up to traffic.
Delivery vehicle access to the buildings from Foundry Street & Lord Street is directly at the site perimeter which restricts vehicle movement ,visibility & safety.
The above factors have been important in determining the layout for the proposed development and in ensuring that the building can relate to the surrounding premises ,with a clear definition of the public vehicle or pedestrian access or servicing requirements to each, can relate to the Existing ‘Angouleme Retail Park’ and form a new closure of that ‘square’.
The building has been set centrally within the site with the main facade and customer entrances facing the bulk of the adjacent’ Angouleme Retail Park’,including glazing elements which return on the South cross Street Elevation enhancing the Street scene and maintaining visual interest.The building has a low pitched metal clad roof, which is concealed by the wall parapet. The walls are fully clad at upper levels with flat/microrib metal faced panels generally in an silver colour but with a horizontal grey contrasting panel set above the height of entrance doors and ground floor glazing.A substantive number of two storey glazed panels are included to the main elevations where the contrasting panel is developed as a secondary location for product signage. Th store entrances are each set within a projecting frame, which contains main entrance doors and glazed screens with the tenant’s signage panel above. A projecting glazed canopy separate the two elements.
The surrounding properties have a mixture of traditional and modern styling and construction ,with many varying materials and forms.The Proposed Elevations have been designed to reflect current building practices and provide a modern well defined Retail presence with clearly separate Customer and Servicing aspects ,which will enhance the local built environment.
The proposed development will provide a building which in design terms will clearly show a modern approach relating to their respective Retail neighbours. Existing tired and ultimately redundant buildings fronting Foundry Street and Lord Street will be replaced with a building which is relevant to, and will enhance, the location in terms of usage and design, and will complete the Retail presence in the area.
Visit : http://www.rgp.uk.com/ RGP have an innovative approach to architectural design. We have no dogma, no standard answers and we are spirited and fun to work with
Monday, 28 January 2008
A WHOLE NEW MIND
27 January 2008, 21:47
Lying together in bed with my beloved wife. We were both reading stories under one study lamp. We were both indulged in seeking for a deeper understanding of ourselves and our purpose. Then, I got up to write this mini-sagas to tell the begining of my whole new mind.
"If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive" Barry Lopez, author of Arctic Dreams
Lying together in bed with my beloved wife. We were both reading stories under one study lamp. We were both indulged in seeking for a deeper understanding of ourselves and our purpose. Then, I got up to write this mini-sagas to tell the begining of my whole new mind.
"If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive" Barry Lopez, author of Arctic Dreams
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
CORUS CONFIDEX SUSTAIN
It's a CPD seminar again! This time around I was introduced to a product that specifies something that is rather scary to hear but interesting to understand. Welcome to a new specification criteria "cradle to grave". It sounds like the film Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003). It might excite and intrigue others to it when they heard a seminar title similar to a movie but unfortunately without the beautiful Angelina Jolie. However this "cradle to grave" is actually one of the techniques in LCA (Life Ciycle Assestment)Cradle-to-grave is the full Life Cycle Assessment from manufacture ('cradle') to use phase and disposal phase ('grave'). For example, trees produce paper, which is recycled into low-energy production cellulose (fiberised paper) insulation, then used as an energy-saving device in the ceiling of a home for 40 years, saving 2,000 times the fossil-fuel energy used in its production. After 40 years the cellulose fibers are replaced and the old fibres are disposed of, possibly incinerated. All inputs and outputs are considered for all the phases of the life cycle.
At the end of the session, it refreshed my understanding of the concept of sustainability which I'd studied in the university. Similarly, the intrepid British archaeologist Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) in her movie has made perhaps the most important archaeological discovery in history: an orb that leads to the mythical Pandora's Box and this seminar opens it own Pandora's Box to architectural discovery. It lifted my imagination on the future possibility of architectural design and hope to open the secrets formula to make the world a better place to live. Just make sure it doesn't fall into the hands of an evil architect !
Friday, 18 January 2008
MIDDLEWICH GARDEN CENTRE
The proposed buildings are of contemporary design and detailing, making use of a combination of traditional and modern materials and providing a positive addition to the street scene and offering a significant improvement on the present utilitarian structures on the site.
The north-east and south-east elevations of the building will be clad in a combination of red facing brick and slate-blue flat panels on the projecting bays above the shop fronts and on co-planar areas of the south-east elevation. The brick and panel colours echo those of much of the surrounding traditional housing. The north-east elevation also has a glazed canopy linking the shop fronts and supported on circular columns, painted black. The top of the north-east elevation is articulated by allowing brick panels to project above the eaves line and by bringing the roof forward over projecting bays.
The north-west and south-west elevations are clad in the same red facing brick at lower level, with cream composite flat cladding panels above.
The designers believe that the resulting development proposals for this prominent site are appropriate in terms of size and scale and will provide a positive example of locally distinctive architecture.
Visit : http://www.rgp.uk.com/ RGP have an innovative approach to architectural design. We have no dogma, no standard answers and we are spirited and fun to work with
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