Searching For Answers : The Myth of the Design Thesis

There is nothing mysterious about design. But not everyone can design.

Would I be able to design a building similar to Le Corbusier’s ‘Ronchamp’ or Gaudi’s ‘Casa Mila’ or ‘ Sagrada Familia’? You would say ‘certainly not!’ However I will disagree with you. I may be able to design a Ronchamp and it will depend heavily on where and when that occurs. And mostly how inspired I am at that time.

No I am not saying anyone could be a Le Corbusier. But Le Corbusier was at the right place and at the right time. And most importantly there was a build-up to creating his masterpieces. Coincidentally his masterpieces has more to do with historians and his admirers than anything else. There are some architects like Lubetkin who are equally talented but not as famous.

Is talent the main reason for success?

Some pundits would argue that ’success is 99% hard work and 1% talent.’ Which is quite true as you cannot win it by just having talent. Le Corbusier did a lot of hard work through study, reflection and exploration. He traveled a lot and explored the creative arts of canvas painting.

Hence design is a combination of research and intuition. The ability and knowledge comes from hard work. The emergent character concludes the process.

There are two main processes occurring in the Design Thesis:

Design Objectives

Design Strategies

The Design Objectives are actually the design thesis or hypothesis. The former is actually the result of the latter. Meaning because you came up with questions and these questions from your research came to a suggestion or assumption or a hypothesis, you are able to form the objectives. The main objective makes it possible for you to come up with the concept, which is directly informing what special studies you should be exploring further. The processes are iterative or cyclic in nature. The process when forming your Design Objectives is the beginning processes often found in the first part ie for UM Arch students – the 1st semester.

Design Strategies then often occur in the 1st semester and must occur in the 2nd semester or second part of designing a design thesis. It comes after the establishment of the Design Objectives. This has to do with Detail Design, which is translating concepts into architecture. Strategies in build-ability, sense of material and construction, architectural language, service-ability are often found at this stage. However there are exceptions for some projects where architectural language is part of the main objective and generator of design from the very beginning. Likewise service-ability, build-ability and the sense of material and construction could also be the main objective and involved in the beginning part.

We are not discussing about one project but the essential processes in design.

I mentioned about Le Corbusier and Gaudi earlier to link the issue of ‘Myth to Study and Research’. And the importance of dispelling the Myth. Hence the answer lies in your ability to Originate or Interpret your side of the story that is your version of a house, a school, a fire station, a library or whatever topic you came up with.

Hence, the Design Thesis is doable and the success possible through hard work and the search for the Original Work.

Adelin’s Model Pictured Above

Every Building Has…

at least… a Client; a User; a Design and a Manager…

Every building has an approach, a communication and information system, a way-finding system, an issue between security and access and parking space.

Every building may have inside it a vertical circulation system, a way-finding system, a communication and information system and facilities such as toilets.

When is a building cease to function?

When one of these factors is missing: a Client; a User; a Design; or a Manager.

Without a Client or an Owner, the building is not cared for. It is no more an investment to someone. It may be left to rot and be dilapidated.

Without a User, the building cease to function or is of no use.

Without a Design, the building was not formed and created properly. Even a basic design with a habitable room based on a precept would do. At least it should be habitable, but then again, we have seen some migrant workers living under the Elevated Highway along Keramat in KL. So the building needed to be design under some regulation for long term and legal occupation.

Without a Manager, the building could be badly run and eventually be unfit for use. We have seen high-rise housing where people had to climb up and down to get water supply or the lifts had broken due to mismanagement.

So my conclusion is because these four factors are crucial in a building, we must consider them in our architectural project, especially when it is a live project and a real building.

Perhaps these factors could be dealt with more depth and investigation to their importance in a building later.

Siau Ping’s Drawing Pictured Above

You have got to be hungry…

Hungry for success that is…

Perhaps this was the reason why it is taking me so long to finish my PhD Thesis.

No, I don’t think I am dumb. Maybe, often lazy or sometimes distracted or perhaps not that focused, but certainly not dumb. God-willing I will be as sharp as ever, though at times with temporary memory blockages of certain facts…yes…

But the truth of the matter is that essentially if one wants to succeed one has got to “starve” and be “hungry” for “success”…yes, allegories and allegations…in this case more assertions, nevertheless from a wealth of experience, I must insist…when I say all these things of course.

I had repeated my 3rd year before. I was distracted…very distracted. Sometimes in life one gets distracted. I was 21 years old. Please excuse me…however I picked on my mistakes…hmmm…”not good at construction…scared of drawing perspectives…” With revenge, I came back in the Repeat Year and did “cable structure details ala Kenzo Tange” and “many many perspective drawings”… Well…the lecturer gave me a “C+” but for me my effort was an “A”!

Yes, it is important to have one’s evaluation of one’s work and not just rely one’s entire effort from one fella, who happens to be the lecturer…and what does he know about me, huh? More importantly, what I know about myself.

So I sat about trying to get control of my life and at the age of 23 years, I managed to get a MARA loan to study abroad. I was dying for “theory” because UTM was a technical college cum diploma school then catering for the would-be technocrats, so I did not know then, but I realised I had a different destiny.

I got all the theoretical learning that I needed in the UK and came back to teach at UTM in 1991. At the age of 29, I became an Assistant Lecturer ‘A’ (that was the post)…

Basically the story is about you and me, architecture students of the world and trying to find ourselves, our place in this world…

I told some colleagues, when I retire, I would love to write novels, scripts and plays…like all of us, there is another side of us that people do not know. For example, I love plays. I really really enjoy plays. I like to read films scripts and plays scripts.

So I am not just about Accessible Design and Architectural Education. I am someone’s daughter. I am someone’s friend. I have a place in this world…for myself and my loved ones.

“Learning to Love Yourself, Is the Greatest Love of All…” (George Benson lah, not Whitney Houston…haha)

Well, back to the topic at hand…you gotta be hungry, so you must learn how to starve yourself! Then you will succeed… (mental, my friend…mental & spiritual…)

How to Start Thinking About Your Design Thesis

This Design Thesis is more defined by you rather than your studio masters. You will be going through a similar process that you went on in earlier projects but it will be more difficult, simply because you have to come up with your own topic. Once you sorted out the difficult part of coming up with your topic, together with the brief and site, it would be a lot easier after that. The last time, we had a brief discussion about what your topic proposals were (see previous post). The next time we meet will be in the First Week of the Semester Khas, where you will propose your topics.

Here are some tips on how you should approach this few weeks leading up to the First Week and a few weeks later:

Brainstorm many ideas and include as many topics as you would like. Do not edit anything yet. Remember when Kevin asked Kokyong, “Anymore topics?”, he was not joking. There is nothing wrong in having many topics even up to 10 in numbers. (Even if the studio masters may complain, you don’t have to react to them because that’s how creative you are. It is a good thing…) That’s because you need to brainstorm as much as you can. Don’t try to eliminate ideas too quickly. You should discuss all your ideas in that First Week Crit. (If not enough during presentation, you can continue for desk crit.)  Based on your ideas, you can build on them and see how many different research projects you can identify. Don’t be pre-conceived with your ideas. Be expansive in your thinking as you won’t be able to do this later on. So be creative and not limit yourself at this stage.

Document your ideas. This means draw, sketch and write down your ideas. This will allow you to revisit an idea later on. Or, you can modify and change an idea. You have eight weeks in Semester Khas, but in actual fact you will only have a few weeks in the beginning to explore your ideas and decide on which topic will be the best one. Every topic will have a site and brief. There are projects that emerge (or inspired) from the site first, but often, the topic is either coincidentally found with the site or the topic precede the site.

Do not be influenced at this time by what you feel others expect from you (your colleagues and studio masters). You have a better chance of selecting a topic that will be really of interest to you if it is your topic. This is one chance in your life where you can do a topic of your own choosing.

However, be realistic in setting your goals. This is a learning experience for you even though it is an academic requirement to obtain your B Arch. The design process should be more important than the product, so be resourceful in spending more time on reading and exploration rather than drawing it up, especially in Semester Khas and Semester One.

Design Process – Part 3 (The Attitude)

When Helena recounted about how Ang Weng Sia, our graduate student, stayed in the Pahang forest with a community of one of the indigenous tribes there, it showed Weng Sia’s approach to her life and her attitude as a designer and her work. I also recalled how Megat Ariff interviewed people at Pink Triangle and experienced being a volunteer at the soup kitchen for drug addicts in the Chow Kit area. He has a similar approach to Weng Sia. Although I was not as “lasak” as those two, as being right in the thick of action, I was so much into Sufism, Islamic Architecture and Arts, when I did my design thesis on the Quranic Studies Institute.

It is very essential to get into your topic and experience it.

You cannot divorce yourself emotionally and spiritually from the work at hand. There should be a strong connection between you and your topic of interest. Even if it was not apparent from the outset before you started on your thesis, but once you got started, you must really be interested and be ready to “falling in love” with what you do. Day and night, night and day.

In the past four years, the studio master was the one who designed the programme and proposed the project’s topic. Now it’s you turn to choose and inevitably your choice is important firstly, to “get you into a rush” (like falling in love) and wanting to know more and more about the topic. Your topic must interest you to no end.

Everyone has an intellectual and philosophical side to them, especially so as a designer or a potential architect, you will form an approach to life based on what you believe in and there are interests that you nurture. It’s no one’s life but yours, so you can approach it heartily, devoid of pretensions and justifications and nobody is twisting your hand at the back.

Best way to approach the Design Thesis is to jump-in.

Jump!

The Narrative – Part 1

The Narrative is a way to engage your work in an interesting manner where you are able to take the “reader” (the person listening and trying to understand what you say) into your “world” (the place you want them to ‘join’ you in your journey). Based on what I had analysed so far, none of the 4th year students could present in narratives. Yes, none. Well not yet. Bits and pieces of description was presented but none yet in a form of narrative that you can consider as satisfactory.

In the 5th year, it is expected of you to present in a narrative. The definition of a narrative is described differently from a variety of sources, but the similarity is to do with “telling a story or an idea” and is done in sequence, with a beginning and an end.

When I sat in the crit panel yesterday, I noticed that Azam chopped and served bits of narratives but there was not a discerning total story. I expected him to be able to talk but it was not well-prepared or well-thought out as I expected. Then came Si Yee, where she actually had a narrative, but it was too long and it should have ended well. That was to do with the fact that her drawings were about 30 feet long and the disruption caused by the crit panel members standing up and down was not helping to the cause… When it came to Adelin, she was talking to herself (in a low voice) and there were bits of interesting witty comments, that I caught, but it wasn’t presented in a manner to “underline” her probably very good assertions. There was probably a narrative, but because it was often not that audible, we were not that attentive and that probably annoyed her. After that we had Azizan whom could not present in a narrative form as his project did not have a “thesis” and well, he just presented in bits and pieces. Lastly, I sat through Farehah’s presentation which could have been better, but we were a bit rushed. Farehah should have insisted with her rights to present well, hence if you have a strong narrative, people will listen and make the time for you.

For those of you reading, the last post, this post and possibly the next one, they are a direct response to the discussion we (the future studio masters) had with the next semester’s (2008/09) Design Thesis Studio. Fresh after their final presentation on the Affordable Housing Project and surrounded by their seniors’ presentation drawings on the Design Thesis around them, each potential 5th year student said his/her piece about what topic/s they would like to do.

I took some notes and listed down the topics that he/she proposed:

Shazuin – Cultural/Arts based project… Kevin reminded the difference between Culture/Arts and Heritage and we have to “clearly” see the difference between these two themes…Heritage is static or to do with the past and tradition, where else Culture/Arts are evolving… (this comment would apply to all who are interested in the theme on Cultural/Arts.)

Farhana – A project in the context of Melaka’s inner historic city, ie Jonker’s Street. Something to do with the pedestrian precinct (in view of the Structure Plan that targets vehicle free zones etc)

Boon Siong – Automobile themed project…Kevin suggested ‘Proton Production Factory’… Ferozan suggested to refer to the Winner for the RIBA President’s Medal Award (Gold winner, a few years back) as a reference to this project…

Iskandar – Socially themed project… to do with Pasar Tani / Pasar Malam…or an Aerospace themed project…or an Automobile themed project… Kevin suggested if Boon Siong doesn’t want the Proton Production Factory, why don’t Iskandar take it instead… (Later the Fire Station Project interest Iskandar…)

Asrul – Tourism themed project, and he spoke about the Central Market and RMK9 (?)… I suggested a context based project would be suitable like Masjid India area…

Seng Yeap – Restaurant or food themed project…the issue of “complexity” was questioned by the future studio masters…

Aisyah – Health care services project in Ipoh…cited Structure Plan also…Health park…the studio masters threw other projects on “post-surgery/post-cancer/alternative medicine”instead…

Ammy – Training Centre for Agricultural Machinery… the studio masters threw ideas on Agricultural Products rather than the focus on machinery… again, issues on “complexity” was voiced out…

Wendy – Autism kids and Arts and Crafts Centre…whatever it is, the topic needs to be digested and understood quickly so Wendy need to make a decision on the thesis…

Pei Kion – “Confinement” centre for women… or something to do with a Women’s Centre… it sounded so bleak to “confine” women…

Yee Ping – State Library in Seremban…(Can go and refer to Kevin as he did that for his thesis…)

Zuhaili – Something to do with Underground Music…a club?

Ikhwan – Bangi context…possibly a library or pasar tani…

Yusup – Performance Arts Centre (seems like some of the batch not satisfied with their 3rd year projects – see Seng Yeap’s Restaurant…) Helena said a specific genre would help, cited on the Indian Classical Dance Centre by our graduate Kesavan…

Sting – Something do with Melaka’s archaeological diggings at the “fort”…Helena and I mentioned about the Middleburg Bastion which the authorities are digging… (maybe Sting could do it…the Melaka Experience!)

Kok Yong aka Philip – PAM Centre…the studio masters were overjoyed – finally someone’s going to do it… Kok Yong wanted to deal with the Malaysian Identity or something like that so his next idea was The National Museum…then he was thinking about The Bus Terminal in Muar or The Stadium in Muar…

Kar Wai – Pudu Raya Bus Terminal…

I will share more thoughts later on The Narrative…

Design Process – Part 2

I have to hand it to Si Yee and some of her studio mates… what I had thought earlier about some of them has been proven. They are winners.

Many people thought that: There are no “stars” in this batch…

I did not really accept that. I knew of Si Yee’s ability when we did the seminar on affordable housing. Adelin did a great presentation as well. And I have no doubt of her ability. Adelin just lost confidence towards the end of the housing project and later in the 1st semester of 5th year. Si Yee had her doubts in the 1ts semester as well. They fought hard to find themselves. They made the “thesis journey” as their personal growth.
But honestly, in this batch…I feel that the best student was Si Yee (although she did not show many huge perspective drawings), not by a mile though as they both were close, but I just prefer Si Yee’s Design Process to that of Adelin. And the amount of work that Si Yee did after first semester was phenomenal.

Update: Adelin’s work was judged by the External Examiner to be the best among the lot.

I do not really comment a lot in a 5th Year Design Thesis Crit because there is a lot to take in one sitting and the half and hour does no justice. (And in this case I was not one of the studio masters.) I just like to dissect based on what I said before to some students where there are three things to look for:

CONCEPT

DETAIL DESIGN

TECHNICAL

Please note that it may be easier for me to analyse than for a student to analyse themselves. I did put that notion to the 3rd year students the other day. Hopefully they would start to be critical of themselves.

But against those three components, you review the work against:

ABILITY

KNOWLEDGE

CHARACTER

INTUITION

When I sat at the 3rd year crit, I reviewed the students in that way, but for the 4th year crit, I reviewed only based on the three components. This is an experiment on evaluating students. I wanted to be more analytical, tactical and strategic…

For both 3rd and 5th year, its the testimonial year. In a broad view, I would pass a 3rd year student who’s got the technical right, but may lack in concept and detail design. But for a 5th year student, all components must be there. There must be a concept, as that is the basis for the THESIS. No concept means no thesis.

Helena asked Kevin to explained “What is a Thesis” first and that was very important. It’s all about the thesis, that’s why its called Design Thesis not a Final Project. And why do we have to make the architecture students go through all that?

It’s to bend and shape them into “character”…

At the end of the day its a training course…shaping and forming minds…the architect’s mind…preparing the students to be able to cope with their minds…toughen them up…sharpen them up…

If all students do is memorizing technical stuff and using templates of design without thinking, they won’t last the mile… maybe the short distance…but we are not training business students…we are training architects…hence the importance of the Design Thesis…as you cannot bluff through a thesis….

Si Yee’s Drawing Pictured Above