For all you architecture junkies, some heads-up on schools, here goes:
http://www.graduatearchitecture.com/ARCHSCHOOLS/archschools_en.html
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Falaise Vase by Ferréol Babin
The melting vase on rocky bases allures. The Glass-blowing skills in full use, amuse. The fresh design debuts at the 6th edition of Design Parade.
Write-in if interested!
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There is something about happy people that always brings a smile on our faces. The smile is of joy if you are a favorable person or of contempt if cynicism runs in your veins. But by far its really a boon for one to stay happy-go lucky.
So in the rat race of the world where every achievement counts and every move matters how does one lighten up?
Well tough moments come in every one’s life and these are things to do to stay happy and go lucky in times of both, calm waters and stormy weathers.
1. Breathe! Its the simplest and the foremost thing on the list. Its amazing what a couple of deep exhalations can do.
2. Assume that everyone has good intentions. Now this is really hard at times but it does work out well. Like when a bad stare happens or bad-mouthing happen, its impossible but try, it may not have instant effects but it does have lasting ones. But this one assumption will make your life awesome.
3. Do not try anger like ever. I quote, “Getting angry is like drinking poison while hoping that the other person dies! “. Anger does not accomplish anything. Ever.
4. Smile. Or better still make faces 😛 Stretch your imagination via the facial muscles.
5. Ride a bicycle, row a boat, jump on a trampoline, do art projects, read children’s books, dance. Turning up the volume and dancing in the living room is sure shot happiness. Get in touch with your childish side and remember not to take life so seriously.
6. Remember everyone is entitled to an opinion. And you are entitled to yours. So throw caution to the winds and speak your mind. Honesty is really the best policy. Peace of mind guaranteed!!! If others dont get it, dont fret. You dont have to love the world and they dont have to love you!
7. Be persistant with good humor. Laughter is the best medicine. Find your funny bone and cherish it.
8. Set boundaries and hold your ground. Much as you want to be a push-over to please people and keep peace, its important for your own sanity to firmly and kindly stand-up for yourself. While looking for the best in people do not turn a blind eye to nastiness!!!
9. Forgiving and letting go make way for cheer and happiness. Negative out positive in. Again and again. Forgiveness is a favor you do for yourself. Communicate. Write. Get it out of your system.
10. Have your dreams, believe in them and cherish them, luck is but belief. Thats the beauty of dreams, that is their power. The more you cherish them the more likely they are to happen!
These things I gather from the life seen so far but it really depends and varies from person to person. To each his own, a very wise friend told me yesterday. So I guess do whatever suits you, but do suit up in that chink of shiny armour!
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After a long stint I’ve had the opportunity of travel yet again and this time it was all suite(d) up!
The Venetian in Macau is definitely a glorious address. It was ours for two days! 33-091, The Venetian, Macau! The Royale Suite is something I cannot for sure stop raving about. The moment you step into the hotel the sheer magnamious size gets your attention as does the expansive detailing done to mimic the City of Canals, Venice. St Marks Square is recreated, the canals are recreated the blue skies between the facades are recreated. If I say its Venice minus the smelly canals I wouldnt entirely be wrong! The hotel lobby is very welcoming and grand. The Great hall with all the escalators and the painted ceiling is beautiful. If there is one thing that the Venetian scores full points on the architecture and interiors its the proportions. Its easy to mimic but to mimic well is quite a challenge. And at the Venetian there is no room for tackiness. Its regal, beautiful and charming.
If the hotel was impressive the suites make double the effect. All suites the resort hotel leaves you with a princely feeling. The room is grand in size with a king bed and a step down sette area with the minibar, a second television and the writing desk. The sofa bed adds an extra bed to the suite when necessary. The suite(d) up bath complete with a dresser is quite effective. It has all the ingredients of a glamor room. The views from the room are beautiful. The very new next-door neighbour, The Galaxy hotel makes a pretty picture in the foreground while the Macau tower adds to the background. Macau has several bridges connecting to the three main island. The hotel is a world in itself with several entertainment and dining options. Vegetarian food is not too hard to find and with the number of Indians in the zone Indian food is also not a treasure hunt!
Of the entertainment options a ride on the gondola as the boatsman sings you a tune will make a cherished memory. The shallow blue waters of the canal and the cloudy blue skie are quite surreal. The Zaia show may not be the best of the Cirque du Soleil but is a must-do at the Venetian. Personally I loved the score, the tune of which I could not stop humming to the very next day, the trampoline, the trapeze acts and the hot air balloon effect. The clowns as are in all circuses hilarious! Then we did something that was a pleasant surprise – the Ice World at the Venetian. The Ice sculptures are so very pretty but the temperatures are frigid!!! The Wonders of the World and the Carousel make intricate ice sculptures while the Winter forest and the Ice Age make perfect settings. The 4 pools and many Jacuzzi’s tucked away amid foliage and statues are a complete pleasure to unwind at. The heated jacuzzis remind one of the Roman Baths.
The highlight of the trip, or rather the crazy adventure that sent my adrenalin sky-rocketing was the 233m/764 feet jump that we did atop the Macau Tower. That is the World’s highest bungee jump and its one of the most awesome things ever!!! Standing on the observation deck with the sign, “Caution : Falling People” is quite a sight to watch, but actually falling off is another thing altogether. The 10sec free fall is beautiful, the highest free fall time in the world, an then as you fall the feeling is quite spectacular. Of the ten seconds of my free-fall, half was spent on being struck by an incredible feeling. Upon the first rebound I couldnt stop screaming my lungs out with the thrill. With the second rebound I got comfortable but the vocal chords wouldnt want to stop yelling!! Peppy tracks at the fall, the tracks keep you in good humor and the claps at the landing, by all the others who’ve been there and done that, add to the excitement too. The Hacknett company that organizes the bungee is very professional and with the safety harness its safe! So once you decide to jump there is no more fear but total excitement. It was my first bungee jump so the instructor had got me looking straight ahead into the blue blue skies before I actually jumped. Well looking straight down is pretty scary!!! The feeling on the whole was very very thrilling.
After a sumptuous lunch at the Spaghetti House in the Galaxy hotel we saw the show in the hotel lobby which is extremely grand. What with the fountain rising and all. Enrobed in Italian Marble on the floors and the walls the Galaxy hotel looks extremly rich and splendid. Brightly lit makes a stark contrast with the Venetian that is rather sober but extremely likeable. The Cotai strip where the two mentioned hotels are located are also home to the Hard Rock hotel, the City of Dreams and the Crown. We also saw the show at the City of Dreams called the Dragons Treasure. The 360 degree projection narrates a story of the dragons, treasure and sprinkles upon us good fortune to win some more at the casino. Its a different matter altogether that it really didnt work! On us! Macau probably didnt live up to its hype (as the Las Vegas of the East) but gave us an extremely memorable and splendid holiday. We couldnt leave without the famed egg-tart which we had aplenty from Lord Stowe’s Bakery. I would recommend the bakery whole-heartedly. Its delicious!
Another crazy hotel is the Grand Lisboa. With a see to believe exterior its view is to be taken all in good humor. The interiors are rather old and tacky and very forgettable. But the trophy like form with gold all over is hilarious and foolish. Yet it marks its place on the skyline of Macau.
Macau with all its properties and many more in the offing looks promising.We saw atleast 5 more large-scale mega-hotel projects coming up. The older properties are alright but the Cotai Strip looks and feels very ambitious and knowing of the Chinese tenacity it should all be complete in 2012 like they claim. Of the other properties the Four Seasons that adjoins the Venetian looks chic with a majoe set of duty-free shoppes.
The ferry terminal at Macau runs ferries to Hong Kong every 15 minutes. If you are taking one to the airport my one strong advice would be to be early or on time!!! Because otherwise you’ll need to take the Air-shuttle that takes you on a 15 min helicopter ride from Macau to Hong Kong. Pretty neat though!
On our way back we stopped in Hong Kong to make a dash to the Victoria Peak. The peak tram is an experience in itself. Built by the British it is one of the remnants that gives you a slice of history and takes you up to the Victoria Peak in a tram in about 8 min. The beauty is that the tram inclines almost to 30 degrees at its steepest and is absolutely crazy. For a second I wondered if trams can actually do that. Well apparently they can. And the fact that it opened in 1888 makes it marvellous. The tram chugs you up to the Sky Peak that looks down to the Victoria Harbor on one side and the South China Sea on the other. The weather was stunning and the views breathtaking. The skyscrapers on one side and the beep blue sea meeting the cludy skies on the other side were scintillating. Like travel always does this time too I found an insight. Standing on the peak looking out at the sea I thought that no amount of reading about places (am not underestimating its charm though) can give you the feeling of the place, the wind in your hair and tingling in your skin. And unknowingly I was then bitten by the wanderlust!
The Madame Tussauds am sure will make the trip worth your while at the Peak. We opted for a our very own wax hand unison instead of paying homage to the wax statues. Then as we tried holding on to our fragile hands we dashed on to the airport. The drive from Central Hong Kong to the airport is pretty long and picturesque. Crossing two suspension bridges the airport in on reclaimed land on a different island. The airport is huge with a plethora of dining options giving it the laude of the best Dining options in the World. After eating running to the gate and buying from the Disney shop it was finally time to go home. Landing in Singapore and getting home marked the end of an amazing trip to what I will definitely remember as the Las Vegas of the East.
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Recently watching Kung-fu Panda got me thinking of animation movies. One of the greatest results of animation is the popularisation of the fairy-tale.
Its the 88th year anniversary this year of the Walt Disney Company that churns out animated movies, books, merchandise year after year. All the fairy-tales of the Disney company find their origin from folk-tales all around the world. Whether it’s Beauty and the Beast set in Paris or Arabian Nights set in the Middle East, some major countries in the world are covered till date. With increased technical skills and animation facilities the company is beginning to make movies with flawless rendering. Animation art has truly stepped up!
“If you can dream it, you can do it”, quoted Walt Disney. He dreamt and did as a living example. From a Mickey Mouse to the Epcot Centre, Disney sure has a way of getting into your living room.
As you grow older you may choose to love them or hate them, but there is no way you can ignore them!
Which one is your favorite fairy-tale?
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Architecture is an exhaustive profession whose realms are diverse and interests varied. The main ingredients that are extremely important in the make of a good architect are in order of importance, Creativity, Analytical skill, acute Observational ability, excellent Communication skills, Math Ingenuity, Spatial Quotient, Aesthetic taste, Determination and unending Optimism. Its because it takes all this and more to shape the buildings; as Mr Churchill very famously remarked, that will then shape us. Architectural education has on its shoulders a rather grave responsibilty as all the specified ingredients are to be finely blended in exact amounts. The education drafted out is therefore long and extensive. In the quantum of years it would take for one to be licensed could easily vary from 6 to 10 years depending on which country you study in.
On average the five years of architecture school would take a lot of grit and steely resolve to finish. It definitely is not rocket science but the fact that it involves arts, sciences, topped with plenty of opinions and the underlying notion that nothing is wrong or right make it a little more complicated that rocket science. Now if you have registered as an architect and completed the first leg of your education then congratulations. As an architect you will end up doing a lot of work directly or indirectly concerning buildings and will realise as projects unfold that architecture is a highly rewarding profession.
Many architects continue professionally unhindered with a Bachelors degree in Architecture. A professional license is technically all you need to practise. Once in possession, you are good to go. Its a start.
But knowledge like they say is a bottomless well. If you want to specialize then the options are plenty. After reaching the crossroads yet again, I mulled over the possibilities. Listed below are ten specializations to choose after a degree in architecture***:
1. Masters in Architecture – Choose to spend a couple of more years in college to sharpen the design quotient. Technically in most colleges it would mean another round of electives, a dissertation and thesis much like the final year of the degree cours in architecture. It would help to further research possibilties and additional licenses if applicable.
2. Masters in Landscape Architecture – The blooming world of architecture. Technically it adds on an entirely new layer much different from the mainstream architecture course. From Botany to Site Planning the range is different as the canvas and the tools change. To be a landscape architect, this specialisation would be a must. Licensing bodies in landscape architecture are gaining momentum just as the field is growing and hence a degree to practise will be essential.
3. Masters in Sustainable Design – Complementing the previously acquired know-how of architectural design this specialization is one of the latest in the architecture market. The construction industry is expensive and expansive. The basic act of building has always been anti-nature. The act of building damages the ecology but building sensibly and sensitively making use of cutting-edge design and innovation may well be the answer to our planet’s survival.
4. Masters in Product Design – Designing free of bye-laws/codes and restrictive schedules and cost is what lures some architects into product design. The mass-productive aspect of product design may be said to be somewhat a bonus. Norman Foster and Frank Llyod Wright have always maintained that products need to be designed as per the buildings they will inhabit. Nevertheless this field is as ancient and as important as architecture itself.
5. Masters in Urban Design – Designing and planning buildings may be one challenge but to plan a city that houses a multitude of people and buildings is a much bigger challenge. With an interest in larger spans of things and administrating the design of a city is certainly not for the faint-hearted. Urban Designers could well feel like they are playing God.
6. Masters in Architectural Conservation – Monuments are declared heritage buildings and decreed to be conserved for the future. With a degree as such, one aims to work on culturally significant buildings, work with people from varied backgrounds and help on preserving monuments of the past. From presentations to actual work on the monument, the field of conservation calls for an immense passion for old structures.
7. Masters in Real Estate – To foray into the big bad world of real estate a degree in MBA may seem more useful. Nevertheless the masters in Real Estate will help to understand the largely unorganised sector in construction. Finance will be an important subject and analysing the feasability of projects and megaprojects will be an important aspect in this field.
8. Masters in Urban Planning – A field of work now finally getting its due is the Masters in Urban Planning. Statistics is the main subject here. A thorough understanding of development densities, population and planning parameters will help in large-scale planning projects. Working with the government or as a consultant will be sought.
9. Masters in Project Management – The goldmine in the field of architecture, Project Management has just about risen from the horizon. The field is high-paying and extremely fierce. Working on project management one will be expected to see a project from its concept to completion stages with targets and deadlines set in accordance. Like an orchestra manager one will be expected to liase with contractors, clients and consultants to get the project to meet the schedules.
10. Masters in Architectural Journalism – Yet undiscovered but waiting in queue is the Masters in Architectural Journalism. A select number of colleges in the United Kingdom have embarked on the professing of this degree. MIT has started on an interdisiplinary course between architecture and media. With a demand from readers for writers on architecture its a course for the future.
***The list however is not exhaustive.
Architectural education varies in different countries and sometimes continents. Some subjects may be well chosen in anticipation of places where they will be put to practice. Owing to different climates, cultures and geographies for the field of Architecture, “the world will never be flat”.
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Launched in Singapore this year this design event surely takes you places.
The idea is to chart people from one place to the other, places that are design shops, galleries, lighting stores and all else architectural! The bonus being driven around in a Mercedes if you want to. All this and more for just being in the design business. On the house of more than a dozen sponsors it was designed for success.
Here are some shots from the event.
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Monuments in the world are many. Architecture left over by long-gone civilizations are dotted all over the world. Few of them are marked, few recognised and even fewer deemed their worth.
They are to be celebrated.
Living in the beautiful city of Delhi my association with heritage monuments however large or small began in the true sense. Though not on the top 7 ; Delhi in itself is a living wonder. Am sure it will be agreed upon, else must say you haven’t seen Delhi!
History is charming. As I prodded further I discovered many other wondrous heritage monuments around the world. I haven’t seen them all, but I live hoping to see them all someday. Beautiful architecture and heritage places make me happy! So more the reason and incentive!
Am listing below the 7 wonders of the modern world as divulged by the Swiss foundation of New7wonders in 2001. I hope to give you an insight and prod you to have a look. For I quote Mark Twain, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
When a little girl was asked to list down the seven wonders of the world in class, she wrote the following:
1. Smell
2. Hearing
3. Touch
4. Taste
5. Sight
6. Love
7. Laughter
So wonderful if you get to use as much of the wonders as you can right?
Architecture’s prime motive is to provide shelter and its secondary motive is to inspire. Those are two ideals on which all architecture is based; form and function in other terms. When does a building become architecture am often asked. Its when shelter inspires I say.
For some shelters that continue to inspire here goes:
In order of their appearance on the slideshow:
1. Machu Picchu, Peru
2. Taj Mahal, India
3. Chichen Itza, Mexico
4. Colosseum, Rome
5. Great Wall of China, China
6. Petra, Jordan
7. Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
The only remaining ancient wonder not making it to the list but nevertheless honored are the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Learning of their intricate tunnels and staircases which are mysterious and legendary they deserve the honour me thinks!
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Every space in the world is made a place as a result of good design. Nature ofcourse wins the ultimate acclaim when it comes to design!
But for mankind its an achievement nevertheless. What do you’ll think?
Flying Over Europe
Magic has different connotations all over the world. But lets just say something is magical when it transcends one to a completely heightened state of being. And hence thats when cities turn beautiful, places become magical, when they give you a marvellous feeling.Enjoy the ride!
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A stunner at the Red Carpet in Cannes. Sonam Kapoor in Jean-Paul Gaultier. I Like.
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Traffic jams could easily be one of the worst inventions of our time. Every one fortunate enough to live in a city, big or small is most likely to have been stuck in one, once a many times.
The very phenomena makes me wonder about the success in the way we live. Are the modern cities a boon or are they a bane? Urban design and City Planning are off-shoots of a very broad professional field called architecture. Several masters have held their wands or rather their drawing boards as they pondered over the large plans of cities. Even today debates range from what the future of our cities should be to planning new cities complete on a fresh slate.
Masdar is one such city, planned, envisioned and designed by my favorite starchitect, Sir Norman Foster. When I came across the travel plans across the city I was interested but reading about how it will be the world’s first zero-carbon city am completely impressed. Knowing of Mr Fosters tenacious nature am more than sure its going to reach completion just as it was conceptualized. There will be no love lost.
The language of the buildings are ‘glocal’, a blend of global and local. Huddled together in mass they form a protection against the harsh Abu Dhabi desert. Enrobed in islamic motif they converse in the local dialect mindful of the culture. The screens and jaalis add to the local effect while glass remind of its global nature. The energy code takes the ultimate cake. Equipped with solar energy, wind energy, magnetic transit system, it helps to reveal a future. The future of a life that is well-versed with its reality.
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When a weekend starts on Thursday it is sure to be an exciting one. Read on as I give you a small dose of what I got in the last three days.
Thursday
Macbeth was taught to us in school. The tale of ambition, greed and murder meant to show us what the worst in life really was. Tragedy would seem an understatement to define one of Shakespeare’s greatest works. The Singapore Repertory theatre produced the play at Fort Canning. The fort is very English, built on a hill, with a vast expanse of garden all around it. The fort, very unlike the forts in England or in India, is very simple in its detailing but extremely dainty in its conservation. The picnic terrace as it is called is a very likely venue for the play. An unimpressive backdrop of a made-up fort on stage matched up to the unimpressive theatronics, I really wonder why they didnt use the existing one?! Anyway the play started and to my surprise I remembered quite a number of lines. But what I absolutely loathed was the speed with which the protagonists narrated the lines. They spoke English like Mandarin! The speed of speech did not thrill but certainly did kill. Chinese looking Macbeth and Lady Macbeth did not go down well with me. Nor did the stillness in the air that saw a drained out audience in a span of about 2 hours. Though it was a fun experience to watch a play after what seems like ages, the critic in me knew no boundaries! Fort Canning Park was the only thing that deserved some points, the green expanse just off Orchard. A discovery I hope to keep coming back to.
Friday
This day took me by total surprise as I watch the award-winning Spanish movie, “Biutful”, extremely teary-eyed.
Javier Bardem makes a heart-wrenching Uxbal and brings out so much depth in his character and the story that our lives start seeming very bleak and shallow. He is on a free fall, his tragedy is that of redemption. The movie is spell-binding, heart-wrenching and takes your breath away. The emotion you are surmounted with is sadness, deep deep sadness. Even the moments of jovial uncertainty are washed under by the tide of empathy. One cannot help oneself but feel for Uxbal, his children, his wife but mostly and unwaveringly him. The Chinese, the Africans in Spain are so out-of-place. Their tragedies are brutal but its Uxbal who you are with, all the way.
Personally I like watching movies in a different language with English subtitles. They seem so authentic, so exotic. This one is no less. If for a moment we keep the characters aside and watch the locations you know what am talking about. They tug at your heart. The background score is winning. Spain is winning. The tragedy is winning. The best part is perhaps the end. Snow in the color white after all the grim reality makes you want to rejoice death, for it seems far better than the life, of Uxbal. Even as I type my eyes are moist. It is one character am not likely to forget. Forever. One movie whose essence I will carry, forever.
Saturday
After a roller-coaster morning I prepared to volunteer as a gallery host assistant at the Singapore Biennale. The venue was the Old Kallang Airport, last used in the 1950s. Changing into the bright orange tee I was ushered into the section under my care. Spread across three different partitioned spaces, I had three exhibits under my care. One of which was super inventive. Artist Simon spent a considerable while in the famed John F Kennedy airport in New York clicking all those things that officials threw out of passengers bags at the security check. It is hilarious and incredible, the things people carry with them into the aircraft. The turnout at the event was real good while the other exhibits were amazing. The barn was also inventive and refreshing. Many people walked in and out. I struck chord with some other volunteers but the heat was daunting.
Sunday
Water for elephants took up a major part of my day. What a lovely book, I must say. Reading about the circus is refreshing. As a child I probably saw one or two, atleast they are the ones I remember even today! Sara Gruen is engaging and am not surprised as it still stands as the top NYT bestseller for the fifth month in a row. August, Marlena and Jacob circle in my head and so does Rosie. How can any weekend be complete without a visit to the super market?? So off we went to Cold Storage and did some weekly damage. Another thing picked up was my long due Birthday cake. Called Boston Chocolate from Breadtalk, it was a stunner. You should all try it, its simply marvellous. Sugar blues were on hold for a bit.
The ride was fun and the perspectives got were many. So much for an extremely arty weekend.
Vedasri Siddamsetty 
