MRD | amos

PROJECT 1 - SKETCHES

This project is an on-site exercise where students have to sketch and document the physical and intangible qualities of the buildings as well as the immediate context of the site. It can be from an element as broad as the urban planning itself down to the smallest detail of the ornaments used in the building.

Semester 2.5 consists of only one module, Measured Drawing, and in this module there are three assignments. These assignments are all related to a building in which we were assigned to in groups of varying sizes. The building is the Balairung Seri of the Royal Museum. Once used as a place for official royal ceremonies and also as an actual place of residence for the Queen of the nation, the building today has been converted into a museum, showcasing the lives of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

On our 5 day trip to the site, we were to document and measure nearly every aspect of the building, and then to produce several projects related from those measurements, chief of which is a model and a set of measured architectural drawings.

But for the first assignment, we were to document our own findings in sketches, and these could be done informally, as a form of individual expression, exploration and interpretation of the building. My work mainly focuses on the intricate details of the ornaments, and how there exists a large juxtaposition of theme between the outside and the inside of the Balairung Seri. My work is done on 12 pieces of A4 block, using pencil, watercolour and Artline pens.

PROJECT 2 - VIDEO & REPORT

The report is an additional document that accompanies the set of drawings for the building that is measured during the semester. Basically, the report will elaborate on the significance of the building measured from various aspects such as architectural, historical and cultural. In this report, students are required to relate the architecture of the building to its significance, highlighting how the two support the inhabitation of the building. Students are required to prepare a presentation, photobook and a video about their site. A video documenting the building is required to provide 3D experience of the building.

Project 2 consists of a video detailing the building as well as a comprehensive report on various aspects, histories and details of the building. The video was shot on the site using DSLRs as well as a DJI Phantom 3 drone, used to obtain aerial footage. The video summarizes the focus of the building, how it was used and the rationale behind its design. The video obtained was also useed in Project 3, to gain a better spatial understanding of the building even while drawing.

The report serves as a wholistic analysis of the building, with its contents including the history of not only the building but also the constitutional monarchy, the architectural style, its usage, site analysis, and many more besides. In addition, a photobook was produced from the photos and videos taken on site. The photobook serves as a graphic guide into the building, and creates a sense of atmosphere and belonging that a text heavy report would otherwise be unable to provide.

PROJECT 3 - MEASURED DRAWINGS & MODEL

The project will be carried out throughout the semester where students will be assigned to measure and document a historical / architecturally significant or heritage building and translate all the data into a set of drawings. Each group will have to only measure one particular building assigned by the course coordinator. Apart from doing the measuring exercise on site, students will also need to do additional research in order to piece together all the important data about the building. The model will provide additional physical information of the building.

The crux of the semester and thus this module, the measured drawings and model demonstrates our understanding of the building, from its spatial arrangement to its construction. The measured drawings were drawn based on the measurements taken on site, and done on AutoCAD. These drawings had to have proper lineweights, annotations and drawing symbols based on conventions.

We had done 36 drawings in total, 5 in A0 size and the rest in A1 size. The drawings were of varying scales depending on their suitability, ranging from 1:10 all the way to 1:750. The drawings were compiled and then printed on paper. Included in the drawings are a location plan, the floor plans, ceiling plans, elevations, a few sections, and a lot of detail drawings.

The model was done using the drawings as a guide, and made from balsa wood and MDF boards. The model required extensive laser cutting sessions, in order to preserve the details present in the incredibly ornate interior, and also to showcase the large constrast between the interior and exterior.