Ben-Bow Enrichment Learning Centre in Klang
29/ 12 / 2018
The design develops into the final scheme of design where it interprets the tendency of creating interest through enclosure. The enclosure setting fits the contexts of creating a separate realm in conjunction of the prevailing street context. The realm where people can retreat and dwell into by having spaces to informally and formally elaborate learn through the form of classrooms &workshops, public rentable outlets giving a sense of place for anyone, a canteen to rehydrate oneself, public toilets accessible for everyone, dynamic facade initiative where greenery can be planted and replanted, and a compact "park". Spaces of place-making which develops with humankind in relation with the built form.
Studio V
BEN - BOW LEARNING CENTER IN KLANG
Klang heeds the call towards a new form of social living through an architectural intervention which embodies the vibrancy nature in people to further gentrify the vicinity of the area regularly. Thus, the proposal of a design to interpret the needs of the people ideal learning centre of what can be done for the people, whilst an initiative adjourning the sprout of negative perception of the withered site. The Ben-Bow learning centre as a catalyst to reform the social vibrancy amongst the immediate column of people, to inject a social bond with one another which then results to the meaning of the site and its context.
COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVE
Introduction to the module (week 1)
28 / 3 / 2018
My group and me are introduced interestingly by to the module as a part of the SABD programme as of what we as students involve ourselves to the community of what we learnt in our Architectural studies to be implied in real life to aid towards the community of different social economic status and social groups. It's intention is to allow us, students, to cease the opportunity working as a group of seven bright individuals, together with low privileged community in hopes of having a beneficial collaborative work for their society
DIVERSECITY PROJECT (week 2)
30 / 3 / 2018
Organized by one of our studio lecturers Mr. Huat Lim, this is a non-profitable organization that fosters the notion of artistic and cultural experiences that enriches people lives. Their presence here in the module was to introduce their recent involvement in another project of theirs with the community of the PPR located in Sri Tioman 1, Taman Melawati, and interest my group and me to involve ourselves with the project. Moreover, we will also be showcased for our participation and contribution with KLIAF.
Job scope concepts that were presented by DIVERSECITY were:
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Urban farming
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Mural painting
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Sculpture/ playscape
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Way finding/ environmental graphics
We opt for the job concepts of garden farming and way finding and signage as me and my group do feel it does seems fit and flexible with our hectic architectural studies schedule.
SITE VISIT (week 3)
31 / 3 / 2018
Location of the our site: PPR flats, Sri Tioman I 53100, Exit Jalan Taman Melati 1/5, Taman Melati, 53100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur. An hour or so drive from Taylor's University Lakeside Campus.
My group and I discussed and dedicated the site into 4 smaller sites whilst roaming around searching for suitable places to carry out our job scope concept we chose. We weren't given direct instructions of what we were to do here; but we managed it by getting analysis and also try to get a 'feel' of the area. Also, humans do need to have a break every once in awhile, so this site visit is in case, a sense of leisure as well.
CONCEPTUALIZING AND DEVELOPING PROPOSAL (week 4, 5)
5 / 4 / 2018 - 12 / 4 / 2018
The huge installation of the pegboard by the PPR team is aimed to understand and survey the needs of the community. Kids basically draw out what they want whilst the mature discuss their wants and improvements.
After the week, brainstorming of ideas and proposal is put into motion as to me and my group, as well as advice from our lecturer, Ms Sze Ee need to establish a community work in a form of a preliminary proposal to be amended and refined accordingly.
GETTING THE IDEA TO WORK (week 6)
16 / 4 / 2018
Signages, and way finding. The persistent issue of the site, even for its dwellers, occasionally find themselves confused of the floor levels they're on. The desired need of floor indicators that not only reminds people of the floor number, but also to add a sense of an art piece installation with different sets of variations that can be easily comprehended and to be constructed by the people of the PPR flats. This idea comes with the sustainable design of a green approach of having plants integrated with the signs.
Vertical plantings floor signs- A combination of urban farming/greenery and way finding/signage, also known as ‘green signage’. The idea derivation with the number signs placed vertically up clearly so it is easily visible to everyone upon accessing the each floor levels of the flat.
The ideas are developed together where we take consideration of its placement location, construction methods, sustainability, as well as being aesthetically pleasing whilst being a clear signage to indicate floor levels. Below, the sketches produced by Joy demonstrates the practicality and the methods to achieve the simple construction method to be easily replicated. Thus, people of the PPR can educate themselves into assembling these structures by themselves; indicating the floor levels individually with these simple floor signages.
Locations: around the lift lobbies. People access the every span of the floors conveniently using the elevators. When approached to the by the elevators, it is not properly indicated what floor they're on and residents are sometimes to 'feel' what floor they're on. But when us (visitors) are on the floors, we wouldn't know exactly where we are. So, these locations are considered for us too place our signages.
Ideal placements of the signages: By the wall, sturdy and tough. The walls will be a proper place to be noticeable with our signages.
Green signages
This signage not only to be an added aesthetic to the place but to also provide air filtration from unpleasant odour, as well to gather the community as an initiative to have them to paticipate and involve into taking care of the plants from water deprivation and wilt. The modularity of our built specifications made it easy for them to fix damage parts as well to ease arrangement, customization and assemblage.
Construction method of hanging plants to the cage, and the cage to the wall
Initial placements considerations of the signages
Idea developments
HAVING THE IDEA TO WORK (week 7, 8)
28 / 4 / 2018- 5 / 5 / 2018
Proposal submitted to be further refined and confirmed with the other committees and Mr. Huat so that our siganages can be proceeded into making. In relevance, it did took a short time to finalize everything but in reality it was a short answer to allow us to progress our signages.
After that, all plannings like specifications of materials, schedules, fabricating of the wood, and so are then thought out, and discussed among my group so that it doesn't actually clash ( but it did any ways) with other architectural modules.
Final proposal of our groups'as well as another group that was integrated with our job concept.
Job locations is determined where the signage of ours are placed by BLOCK 32 by the centre part of the L- shape plan of the building layout. All of our other fellow architecture friends and other committee members diversify our works together individually and collectively for the benefits of the residents.
Personal gratitude: it was an extremely tough week as many assignments and modules needed to be handed up. I am extremely grateful that i had a group that is able to communicate and work well with one another even as we are rocking on the same boat. The intense schedule and limited leisure time pinned most of us with knees'high of workload that is needed to be settled not to mention driving from places to places to gather materials, surveying ,as well as late night McDonalds delivery. But nonetheless, all of us did pull through, especially Clara Lee Pei Lin, she lead to ensure all work was done and to be met on time without major compromisation to the other architectural modules.
MAKING THE IDEA OUT (week 9)
20 / 5 / 2018
Proceeding: door to door survey, interview residents and ask opinions of signage, PPR notified that the signages idea is good to go. All and everything is going along just fine and smooth. All of us are still in great shape and in full spirits into making the idea out.
GETTING THE STUFF FOR OUR IDEAS (same week)
28 / 5 / 2018
Base on feedback and comments from the residents, lecturers, as well as fellow ZLG members, our effort is paid off to carry on with our ideas towards the constructing stage and fabricating out to be presented and used on the day of Presentation. All materials, and checklist, whilst all the necessity of fabricating the frames is produced out, thanks with the help of hardware stores (and tough mates that are willing to drive)
Preperations all time -round by all of us preparing to make the final product out.
Punctuality and persistent: Getting things done in a scheduled manner isn't really tough especially when you have great groupmates to guide and participate this project with a busy schedule. The pace was an enjoyable one: we had fun getting things around and done.
SIGN+ A+(ge+s) (week 10)
31 / 5 / 2018
It's executing the proposal period. All the works: pots, and plants, and meshes are going to be mended and assembled. The whole remaining days are collectively separated and managed to ensure the product was completed on time and to be ready for presenting at the end date. Pots colored with teal color and later filled with plants, and later affixing the numbers (and alphabets to the mesh within the frames of the signages.
Exhilirating whilst being a sort of entertainment for all of us to build up the whole process of the signages in a matter of days. Tiring though, it helped me to understand the meaning of proper time management and having to be atone my mistakes of not really involved in previous engagements to the society of the PPR. My participation with the group into ensuring that the model is to be built accordingly without many compromisation.
Team work does make the dream work: Involving the jobs simultaneously with other members improves my behavior of working with the group more efficiently. The matter of communicating and exchanging methods of completing certain tasks diversifies all of us. Knowing the project aims for a certain user group; every work should be considered from tip to end. Working in a large group with multiple personalities, creating memories that will last a lifetime.
SIGNAGES (week 11)
3 / 6 / 2018
Presenting time, it has come to the end of the time where all of our works are placed and presented to the underprivileged people of the PPR flats. These signages will now aid them into determining the floor level they're on. The eager residents waiting the arrival of the final product of the signage delivered by Joy and Shazleen's vehicles from their homes in the morning of 10 a.m. An interactive discourse session with the residents of the PPR took place soon after the presentation of our signages. Their comments, worries, suggestions, and their appreciation of the hardwork we pulled off.
It was a huge audience, the morning sun was a pleasant addition for the presentation cheerfully carried out by Shazleen and Joy to the very residents of the PPR flats.
Exhausted yet honored. We were glad that the opportunity to showcase and install our works for the greater good of the community. The build up of the past many weeks really did paid off, for the generous efforts in all of us made.
The great personalities that achieved, from left: Yee Mae Yuen, Chin Man Choong, Joy Ann Lim Ee Hsien, Clara Lee Pei Lin, Me, Shazleen Shafiqah
VIDEO DOCUMENT
Reflection- what has happened, what did i learn from it, what should i become of.
Throughout the whole process of developing the signage, i felt that everything was moving at a fast pace. There was endless balance between external community work and school work, and livelihood and social life (but there's non of that when in architecture). The weekly demand of progress and ideas to be met are relatively subtle and realistic whilst achievable. What impacts me to be more manageable in time and life as well. Not only that, I have gain a better exposure and experience of how the segregated underprivileged communities thrive in the heed of modernity. I appreciate the human nature of the young and old of the people there, it does reminds me of what I am doing and who I am to do for. Empathy for the sites' and people condition is a bewildering; they know happiness eb=ven when there is none, they know appreciation even if it's less.
I learnt to critically understand managing time efficiently and had the opportunity to understand to be collaborative with others that are willing to involve in projects that benefits for the lifestyle of communities.