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Introduction……………………………………………..……….…...8
INTRODUCTION
This booklet documents all assignments done under the course, History and Theory of Architecture ll.
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We began with exercises 1ax to 1dx. These exercises are classroom driven and a result of the activities and discussions during the classes.
1ax: The arts and crafts movement in Sarawak, done in a group is an application of what we’ve learnt on our first foray into HTA ll to our local context. 1bx: Column spacings, also done in a group was a curiosity born after a sharing session from one of our classmate’s trip to China. 1bx: my DUN hat is an exercise on building identity. 1cx: Timeline is a cumulative effort in assigning our learnt lessons into the Charles Jencks evolutionary tree. 1bx: Bario and me is a studiorelated assignment which prodded us to think critically of our design project in terms of Bario and the Kelabits, and theory of architecture.
These are followed up by assignments ASN1 to ASN3. ASN1: sketches is a set of sketches done after each lecture to document our understanding and analysis on the architecture or art theory learnt in class. ASN2: Model, Art Tower Mito would be a grouped model making to understand the construction of the selected architectural theory. Finally, ASN3; Portrait painting, Liminal is a reflective self-portrait done in a style of a selected art period.
Contextual application of ACM theory
With Ain, Alvin and Daniel
Figure 3: An Arts & crafts exhibition Society London. ( http://intranet.pogmacva.com/es/obras/62906, accessed 10th October 2021)
The arts and craft movement is fundamentally a social critique on the rapid industrialization of the arts. The industrial revolution has transitioned the craftsman climate from ‘’the artist as the master’’ and brought forth the ‘’death of the artist. ’ . This movement started in the British isles and advocated for traditional building methods, materials and typology. A building that most closely represented these ideals in Sarawak would be the Old Sarawak state museum.
Figure 4: Characteristics of The Old Sarawak Museum. ( https://www.borneotalk.com/a-gem-of-a-museum/, accessed 10th October 2021 )
Firstly, the old Sarawak State Museum was built with a humanist zeitgeist; built and crafted by people using humanly tangible built systems rather than industrialized framework.
The ‘’humanly tangible built systems’’ refers to such characteristics; the main body of building being handstacked bricks, decorative craft work of Quoin stones, roofing shingles crafted from belian and ultimately the building was built from ground up by hand. These characteristics are all assembled by hand, craftsmen and labourers; truly embodying the reverence ACM has for craftsmen and handiwork.
The materiality of the building being traditional bricks and wood also adds to the spirit. To add onto the time frame the Old Sarawak State Museum was built (1896) coincides with the ACM movement between 1880 and 1920, so it may as well be inspired by the movement.
The 2017 Old Sarawak Museum
Figure 5: The Old Sarawak Museum in 2017. (https://sarawakheritagesociety.com/misc-heritage-news-august-2017-to-january-2018/, accessed 10th October 2021 )
ACM rejected the manufacturing process and wanted the craft skills and honest design as the central of the manufacturing process.
This can be seen adapted to the tropical design through the characteristics of tropical architecture. It uses some materials and skills, similar to the buildings in arts and craft movement back in the British Isles. In tropical countries ,most of the residential buildings were built by local carpenter or craftsman, the building usually built from scratch and by humanly built systems rather than the industrialized way. Their appearance and craftsmanship were unique to the skilled artisans of the region
Tropical design included steeply pitched roofs with large overhangs, generous window openings and wraparound verandas. From the picture, this is the similar characteristics shared between ACM and tropical design. From this we knew that, ACM design philosophy is indeed adapted to tropical design.
Figure 6: Tree if life Mural in The Old Sarawak Museum. (https://www.borneotalk.com/a-gem-of-a-museum/, accessed 10th October 2021 )
Exposed structural rafters to express the handiwork done by the builders of the museum. A lot of local motifs were also implemented into the interiors of the building in forms of prints or carved decals.
Although these motifs came in much later after the building was built- this gesture still somewhat retains the ACM spirit by intending to display the local crafts and artwork in the interiors.
Figure 8: The Old Sarawak Museum. (https://sarawakheritagesociety.com/mischeritage-news-august-2017-to-january2018/, accessed 10th October 2021 ) Figure 9: The Iban longhouse. (https://outbackventure.com/galleries/lon ghouse-sarawak/, accessed 10th October 2021)
When applying a theory to local context, 2 fragments rose, does the traditional buildings built by local craftsmen, with local materials and with vernacular characteristics embody ACM more than the more visually similar colonial buildings, build in the same time frame, commissioned by the people who most realistically knew of the movement?
In my opinion, both can be. Both, after all does embody the ideas of traditionally built buildings, with vernacular characteristics. Buildings are also extremely nuanced and complex; the buildings on the left, when built by the Brookes; to them yes, this is the vernacular traditional ideal, fueled by the spirits and theory of ACM based on what it is like back in England, with some adaptions to the tropics. To locals in present day, this is a foreign colonial building. Time and background does give nuance.
The buildings, on the right perhaps one may argue that social ideology is a criteria in architectural theory or movement. However, the same circumstances that provoked the start of a theory uprising isn’t just going to happen everywhere. ACM was a response to rapid industrialization in the 1800s, Sarawak never had any form of industrialization in 1800s. But the drive to preserve traditionalist crafts and built has always persisted in all cultures, which is exactly what ACM is.
Exercise 1bx Column spacings
Symbolism beyond structural elements
With Ain, Alvin and Daniel
Figure 11: The Beijing Summer Palace. (https://m.visitourchina.com/beijing/attraction/summer-palace.html, accessed 24th October 2021)
In ancient chinese beliefs, people used to associate the number palace’s room to the number of column. 4 columns = 1 room/space. Therefore, there is a set span between columns to symbolize a set number of room. If a column happens to differ in size, it means there is ½ size of a room/space in the building. An example of columns equal to the number of rooms would be the Hall of Supreme Harmony. (太和殿） Inside this hall, there are 72 columns with equal length between all of them, this means that there are 18 full/proper rooms/spaces inside this hall.
Figure 12: The Yongle Emperor. (https://www.worldhistory.org/Yongle_Emperor/, accessed 24th October 2021) This whole idea of having ½ spaces/rooms came from an old tale of The Yong Le emperor. The Yong Le Emperor wanted to build the Forbidden City, and intended to build 10, 000 rooms in one of the palace to symbolize good fortune.
Unfortunately, one day, he had a dream that the Jade Emperor ( Emperor of Heaven) told him that only divine beings of the Heavenly Palace is qualified to have 10, 000 rooms. It is extremely disrespectful to the Gods if he insisted to do it. The Yong Le Emperor however still intended to go along with he original plan. To work around the rules of the divine, he decided to reduce the amount of rooms by half which is 9, 999 ½ rooms, just falling a bit short behind the 10, 000 rooms.
Figure 13: The types of columns. (http://www.xiuchuanyuanlin.com/zdz/index.php/News/view/id/422.html, accessed 24th October 2021)
These difference in column widths and numbers then translated into meaning. Columns in traditional Chinese architecture is normally used to differentiate spaces. Different spaces have different sizes, thus different distances between the columns.
Ming Jian : Entrance, used for family meetings
Ci Jian : Located on both side of Ming Jian, smaller than Ming Jian
Shao Jian : Next to the CI jian, smaller than Ci jian, used as firewood store place
Jing Jian : It defines the last corner room or space
Corridor : A side corridor, it is a ½ space of the room
