Dualogue 02 | Engineer & Architect

Dualogue

Engineer & Architect

02 Speakers Dr. Ruzaimah Razman Asst. Prof. Ar. Chia Lin Lin Moderators Wang Rou Jun Chin Wen Yen

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Published in Malaysia by SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE & BUILT ENVIRONMENT UCSI UNIVERSITY 1, Jalan Puncak Menara Gading, Taman Connaught, 56000 Cheras, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Dr. Ruzaimah Razman Head of Department (HoD) Civil Engineering Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Built Environment (FETBE) Dr, Ruzaimah Rasman Completed her tertiary education in University of Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) in Civil IEngineering. Later, obtaining her professional doctorate in September 2017 while working as a Part Time Lecturer for 7 years. She has consulted in projects under MAPAN & CREAM, CIDB, UNITEN RED Sdn. Bhd and KKTM. Shortly after joining UCSI University, she was assigned to develop a new programme: Bachelor of Environmental Engineering with Honours and has been appointed as Head of Civil Engineering Department until this day.

Dr. Ruzaimah Razman discusses the similarities and differences between engineers and architect. She started off by sharing how her father persuaded her to study civil engineering despite her ambitions of becoming an architect, but at last she decided to be an academician. Engineering is a wide career and commonly persuaded by students with influences from their family members. It refers to underpinning engineering sciences, principles, and applications for five traditional courses such as civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering and electronics engineering.

Civil engineering deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams and buildings. It consists of various discipline such as taking care of the strength of materials, structural, fluid or hydraulics, soil or geotechnical, construction, surveying about the geometric, water resources and hydrology to provide clean water for human consumption, highway and transportation, and environmental issues. Before coming up with the construction project, civil engineers need to do the earth work such as levelling.

Civil engineering is actually an integral part of society because they develop and upgrade the services and facilities for the public while they also have a sense of responsibility towards the humanity as well as satisfaction by giving something to the people and country. Before starting a project, they will monitor the building and environment, carry out planning procedures and meeting contractors as well as many parties in terms of construction.

A career in civil engineering is like architecture. However, engineers also require teamwork among themselves as well as with architects as they cannot work alone because the construction work requires discussion, sharing knowledge, ideas and opinions with others. Architects are more focused on the aesthetics and Architects will have an idea to design a spiral building, quality of space while civil engineers but civil engineers need to tackle its workability focus on how to build because it and load calculation. While architects prioritise the contributes as something which is very aesthetics and the users experience of the buildings, close to public. Besides, engineers also civil engineers study the safety and strength of the need to do a calculation to ensure that buildings and materials. Engineers and architects the building is workable. have a very close relationship because they will communicate and work together to deliver a message to the people through a project or a building.

Civil engineering is like architecture Miss Ruzaimah concluded the session by advising students who are interested in civil engineering to take on some work experience before sitting for the professional exam if they were to become a professional engineer. Work experiences are also important to the undergraduate students, for them to understand, obtain experiences and knowledge in the field of work. Those who aim to become an academician also requires work experiences to further their master studies.

5

“We are the one who solved the problems.”

Architects and civil engineers, these two professions may not be uncommon to us as both are some of the most popular and widely known occupations. Nonetheless, some of us might be curious about the roles of these two professions, or what makes them different from each other as they both contribute to the construction process, as well as the structural and design of a building.

Asst. Prof. AR. Chia Lin Lin Head of school, School of Architecture and Built Environment, UCSI University Asst. Prof. AR. Chia Lin Lin obtained her double degree from USM and later on graduated from UPM with Master of Environmental Science from University Putra Malaysia, Faculty of Environmental Science in 2006. Asst. Prof. AR. Chia Lin Lin obtained her Professional Qualification as an Architec in year 2001.

She has almost 15 years of industry experience includes being the project and design architect in Ong Keng Poh Architect and KL Wong Architect, Penang before she joined the academic in year 2000.

Insight into the world of civil engineering & architecture Through this forum session, Ar. Chia Lin Lin and Dr. Ruzaimah have given us an insight into the world of civil engineering and architecture, briefing us through the commons and differences between them.

Although architecture and engineering are two different fields, they are very closely associated at work.

T h e m a i n difference between civil engineering and architecture is that civil engineering focuses more t o w a r d s the physical structure of a building, which is the safety and functionality of a project, whereas an architect is more concerned towards the designs and space of the building, as well as the interior and exterior appearance of the building.

In terms of architecture, Ar. Chia Lin Lin has walked us through how architects have different ways and perspectives of looking at a building. Besides the designing stage in construction, architects also investigate the space of a building. For instance, if they want to Architecture have a lot to do with build a building, architects the people and not just the physical need to know who the users elements of a building, and this is a of the building are and how key point that makes architecture they intend to use it. This different from civil engineering. is because they are more Furthermore, architects are not concerned with how people only looking at the practical use feel when they are inside a of a building, but they are always building and the experience looking into a human-centered of the users. design, which focuses on the needs and requirements of the users by applying usable techniques and knowledge, in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency, as well as user satisfaction.

Carlo Scarpa

Shigeru Ban

Designer is action.

Education is practice.

Terunobo Fujimori

Big Architect

Ar. Chia Lin Lin has also touched on the topic regarding how an architect designs and creates space for a building, and how they integrate and blend those designs into our daily life.

This is because it enables the interactions between humans with the buildings which develops warmth in the building as it makes people feel closer to it with those tiny details within the designs. The space of the building can also make people feel comfortable inside to enhance users’ experience.

7

“What is your advice for students who are taking civil engineering for climate change, or perhaps should they take environmental engineering?”

Everyone, every field can give a contribution in this climate change area, and also in the area of sustainability, because it’s not a choice for us. It’s like our duty as human on this world to take care of our mother nature. By putting our concern, by putting our awareness in everything and every job that we have done or everything that we do, we can do something to our mother nature. It is nothing to do with civil engineering, mechanical or electrical. Any job needs to put a concern on that.

Dr. Ruzaimah Razman

If you ask me about this, I think perhaps we put it in an even bigger picture talking about sustainable development goals (SDGs) as to say, because climate change is just one of them. As what Dr Ruzaimah said, you can come in at every level. So if I’m talking into SDG, then you are talking about equities in the access of water.

Civil engineers can come in thinking of how you will be able to bring the waters from the highlands coming down. Chemical engineering can come in thinking of how they would be able to filter the water to make sure that it is drinkable. Then a designer will be able to come in to think of how they should be able to make it accessible for everyone because frankly speaking, we are more problem solver.

Q&A

If you are looking into an example, a house that you built; we have government building, the brick house for orang asli. If you really visit there, the settlement, you will see none of them actually stay in there. That is their storeroom, they will keep their thing inside the brick house. But then they will choose to build their own house at the site there with nipah, twigs and whatever they are custom to because that is a way of living that they have. The brick house is just too hot for them. It is not a possible to them because the ants will come in, spiders So then that is when the designer will have to will come in, all come in to think of how that we can at the same kind of things will time cater for their needs, cater the challenges crawl into the brick because that thrown to us by environment and yet will house be able to elevate the living quality. Because it is not elevated the twigs and nipah just will not help them to high enough for keep themselves warm at night. They will not all these things for be able to last for more than a few months. them to live in the How can you actually do that? So there are forest. many ways for us to do it, for big scale, you can see the floating city. I feel that every level you can come in, just Floating city that whether you are committed enough is floating or not. So that it why I feel that education in the air for is not about knovwledge transfer, it is those climate about how that we can let you see, make refugee. you see your responsibility. If you can see your responsibility, you will try your best in every way, every small thing that you do to make it happen.

Asst. Prof. Ar. Chia Lin Lin

9

The “Semi-D in the Air”, I think that’s one. I think during the work, if you are talking about projects. Let us just not say which is the most interesting project. Because just put it this way, I am not star architect, so you know the projects that we have done during the practice ended up as a lot of condominiums, commercial centers and things like that. To say that any one of them being able to be called the most interesting project might not be justifiable. I think maybe I will just say the most unforgettable incident But just put it this that I have is, when you are actually at the chair meeting, way, as an architect in you are dealing with all the other consultants including the practice, sometime you contractor and the subcontractors. Suddenly you will realize would have to chair how important it is for you to have the basic knowledge of meetings and you have everything. So now when you come into architecture or to deal with all different interior studies, a lot of people and a lot of students will types of people and just complain and say, “Why do we have to study all these structures, principles, the thoughts, forces and things like things like that. that?”. Because those will be the very same thing that you feel that you need when you are trying to solve an on-site issue.

When your contractor comes in to you and asks for a solution on site, you need to be able to draw your knowledge from the structural understanding to know that whether or not you can move that column, even it is as simple as move the column. You need to be able to do that. Why? Because your engineer will always tell that: “Cannot.” Because engineers they do not like to change.

They will say “No, you don’t change.” But if you have the knowledge of whether you can counter purpose a solution or not, even if you might not know about the millimetre, you will able to argue and have a stand. So I think maybe that is the most important thing we have learned during that time.

Asst. Prof. Ar. Chia Lin Lin

For me, I have no experience at the site as I mentioned. I have no experience as an engineer itself, but then contributing something, like coming up with a module, KKTM module, with the CIDB module for sustainable construction is very satisfying for me. Because I can put something in the module which will be used by the contractor.

So I think that is one of the achievements in my life because I love sustainability, I love green, I love anything that is related to it.

Because we feel things, like if you are not comfortable in this room and you feel hot, or you don’t like the glass. We are the one who feels. So, we are the one who can make a change as well. So when I came up with that module, I worked together with CIDB. Then, me and my team came up with the training to the contractor, to give something. I think that was an achievement for me.

Another thing is in my research I do after my PhD, I have been appointed as an expert in the analysis, PLSM, under R&D Uniten, NTNB. I am not direct with the people, I am not direct with the contractor, I am not direct with the client, with the engineers and architect. But I try my best to put into something, into the module and research part.

Dr. Ruzaimah Razman

“Throughout your career, what was the most unforgettable project that you were involved in?”

“From your perspective, what is the best way to tackle academic obstacles in the field of architecture and engineering?”

Just need to be there. We need to be there to know that what you are drawing on the board is not just a line. There are not just lines, they are something that is going to build and have an impact on somebody’s life. If you forgot to put in the window, that means the person will need to live in that room, without the window for long time until he go and build himself a window. You need to take responsibility on what you do. I think my slide has explain most of it.

Asst. Prof. Ar. Chia Lin Lin

I think this is because of the way how the lecturer delivers the information to the students is not to purposely mould the students. Perhaps that from the beginning, before the students take engineering or architecture, the students must prepare themselves and know what they want, like what is their target because we lecturers only guide the students. The student itself need to have a desire to learn about engineering and architecture, because if they are not interested in this field, I think it is very hard for the lecturer to mould the student.

It must come from the student itself.

Dr. Ruzaimah Razman

ADVISOR Doris Quek Shu Han PROGRAMME LEADER Shirley Syn See Bui CONTENT LEADER Emmelia Anne Quek Yuen May MULTIMEDIA Miao An Nan Alvin Ng Poow Foong DOCUMENTATION TEAM Edwin Seng Yong Wei Fong Li Theng Eunice Tan Kai Yi Lim Kai Xuan Lean Soong En Chen Yen Jia Chang Chee Yoo Chong Li Min Tan Wei Zhe Lai Zhi Zhen Mandy Lai Ping Jie Joanne Tong Lai Mun