Future Singapore

Just as Singapore aquires new landmarks to distinct it, but it looses the very essence of itself through the process

A new Condo in London

Just how far will developers go?

A haunting thought

It hurt me so much when you said that buildings nothing more than a medium for which to project architecture, I have always seen it the other way round. The truth is, I love buildings more than I do architecture.

Alone in London

A project that turned into something more than just a project, it reflected me and my life in London. I'm not complaining that I am lonely, I just am, and I enjoy it. The lady in blue was left as it is, because she was the only person who spoke to me that morning, she was lost, and was desperate to look for her friend, and that's how we became friends, even if it lasted for only 20 minutes, it was an acknowledgement, of me in London, by someone from Paris.

things that we make in school

My latest project

We do things like this in school....

Guess the building.....

worst day in my london life

Today was such a terrible day, I had to go to the depot to collect a package for my brother, because no one was at home the days before to recieve it. So there I was, lugging my luggage along the streets to find that god forsaken depot in the middle of no english where. When I finally got the package, to my horror, it was a bunch of cheap china made plugs and dvd cleaners. Oh my god. I wanted to scream. After all that, taking the train to changing the line, finding the place which was not on the map, throughout with my bag containing half my life(to be brought to my new place in central london), I collect something that's better off bought from the local hardware store less the quality.

Lucky I met Lisa after that and all was fine.

Copy Copy

I realise that I copied more than I asked for. Oh well.

im at the AA- proof

I know I'm not in the photo, but you have to believe me, the photo was taken by me:)

.......

It was overwhelming, at the departure gate. I had never felt so much before. I'm home now, at 2135, after a 2.5 hr commute

now now, 3 days into it, its feeling rather fine.

I just sold Banana Car for $11,000

Sigh. All the memories, all the journeys, good bye my companion.

OH MY GOD I GOT MY VISA

UNITED KINGDOM, LONDON, HERE I COME!

San Zhi is destroyed!

photo credit : cypher

They are torn down!

Oh my god, they are so beautiful!

The International Photography Awards

2010

.

Self-Portriat, 3rd Place

"Nothing, But Me"

.

Cityscapes, Honorable Mention

"This, is where I belong"

.

Environmental, Honorable Mention

"A Drop of Oil"

.

2009

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Self-Portrait, Honorable Mention

"Fallen"

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Environmental, Honorable Mention

"Apparent Paradise"

I need a release!

a. .h. .

The Asian Wetmarket

Lin,

This was what I did:

Oh my god.

London. goingtogothere.

taking a photo

from the sands skypark

KLiff

I just came back from Kuala Lumpur.

Not much time to upload the photos yet.

My friend was really hospitable during my stay there, his family too.

Hope he's fine there.

Thanks:)

The satisfaction of seeing your design materialise

My latest interior design job, completed well below budget.:)

5 years of study at NUS Architecture, fully paid, with a guaranteed career.

It came so unexpectedly, the call, informing me that I was short-listed for the second interview. It was not easy, out of the eight applicants, only two would attend this, with the CEO and the board of directors at that firm.

"Yes yes, i will most definitely be there" I was really too happy, maybe it was just some much needed assurance of my own abilities. It was a time, and still is, that I am rather lost, missing on self-esteem.

Then she called, she didn't have to do so, but she did, I didn't know why. She asked me if this is the scholarship that I wanted, if I was sure about it, almost as if she knew that I had that something else in mind. Yes, the other interview, not worth as much monetarily, but so much more.

I poured it out to her, and she she gave me the answer without saying anything at all.

I called the deputy director if my school, she told me its really up to me, which was a clear enough answer and direction.

I called Mr Q, the man who interviewed me on the first round of interviews, the one who recommended me to the deciding session. His secretary picked up, she asked me who am I and what business did I have with the busy man, I finally got my way to him over the phone, "Sir, are you in office now? I happen to be around the area, may I visit you for a chat?

"Sure" without any further questions asked.

I went up to the office, he was on the 15th floor. The multi-disciplinary corporation took the top half of the 18 storey office tower. I rang him, and he was out. He passed me a magazine, Singapore Architect issue 256. It was as if he knew what I was there for, and prepared this momento for me.

We spoke, of life and opportunities, of missed ones and of scored ones. It was too light, there was no anticipation of the impending interview which would decide if i would join their firm. We both knew that it would not be. The other gentleman would get the scholarship, because I knew what I wanted.

Even though it is not even guaranteed, a risk that I'm taking, a risk that I can afford, a risk that I need to take. Because, I knew the answer a long time ago. Because maybe, just maybe...

Happiness?

What is it? The feeling you get that is different from sadness? following directly after?

The view of a lifetime

calling this a million dollar view is seriously an understatement.

www.sgonline.com.sg

guess what, I stumbled across this website which sells tons of games at really good prices!

Too bad its logo sucks so much...

www.sgonline.com.sg

And, ... behold.

this photo is dedicated to you, because you made it possible!

Behold the Double Helix Bridge and Marina Bay Sands

Took these photos on the 24th of April 2010, just in time for the opening of the Double Helix Bridge, a world's first(and only probably?)

My first logo design comission, for sgonline.com.sg - the owner is slightly too boring for his own good, but we worked something out anyway:)

AHHHHHH

Me under intense light

I had always wanted a photo of the pier, that sunday was no different. It was raining, the sky was a washed white, and the air was cool. I knew the joggers wouldn't be there, I knew that I would be alone. I went there. The photos came out with astounding quality, I surprised myself. But, it lacked something. The photos were too still, they were too understated. The drizzle soon turned to a downpour, I took off my wet shirt and felt the droplets trickle down my body. I stepped out of my sandals and felt the cool concrete under my feet. I removed my shorts and felt the cool air. Then and there, I experienced a freedom which I've never felt before. I had to document this moment. I switched my timer on. 12 seconds, 5 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second, the shutter opened. snap. it was over. I left.

my random design

This was the building that I had been drawing Sunday night. 40 storeys, with an elliptical plan oriented away from the sun's path, with extended soleil along that axis. Why this plan? It would mean less circulatory space, and larger expense of window per volume unit. A simple building, but one nonetheless.

hey liko

no pics, but here are samples of their style

Super Potato

Went to Orchard Scotts showroom featuring an apartment dished out by interior design firm Super Potato. The ID works apparently cost a whopping $1.5 million. It had raw stone walls for the bathroom, fully decked out timber wall panneling, and columns cladded with glass. Though, apart from that, the entire composition was simple, to say the least, but hardly as breathtaking as its price, to say the most.

My dilemma

I've always said that I treasured nature, and that I'm an environmentalist. Still it was breathtaking. It was three metres long and one metre wide. The entire table was carved from the trunk of a rain tree, suar wood, as it is known, is beautiful and is rarely carved into objects larger than 75 centimetres, much less large enough to span the entire width of its trunk. Having this table in my dining room is certainly surreal, you see its sheer majesty, while knowing that it is a corpse of a living creature that indeed, was even more beautiful.

What goes up, will it ever come down?

I was looking though some things in my cabinet, and I stumbled across a pricelist for ICON's apartments, the very first launch not too long ago. There I saw it, my heart almost stopped. number 39-01, at $980 000 before discount. With prices of the same unit breaking the 2 million dollar barrier in today's market, I hated myself for not pushing to buy it, even though I had liked the development so much then.

And the Sail @ Marina Bay, lets not even start.

Construction Begins on the World's Tallest Multi-Storey Carpark

SINGAPORE. In a city where strict building height regulations limit the size of its buildings, an ambitious project aims to break world records in an unusual fashion, with an unusual function. The SkyPark, a 280m high mechanical multi-storey carpark, will have 161 floors of parking lots, and will be able to house an astounding 30,000 standard sized vehicles. Mentioned SkyPark Spokesman Mr Anlong, "there is currently a serious shortage of carpark lots in the business district, and with the increasing number of cars on the road, this project will relieve the city centre of its carparking woes". Not to mention a tidy profit for the company, with current parking rates in the business district at an average of 3 dollars an hour, this building is projected generate more than 1 million dollars a day in car park fees when fully laden, which would recover the cost of the 200 million dollar building within half a year. It will break two world skyscraper records, the most number of floors in a single building, at 161, which will surpass the current record holder, the Burj Khalifa which has 160 floors. It will also be the world's tallest multi-storey carpark. As architect of SkyPark, Mr Cliff Tan said, "this is undoubtedly the most ambitious project undertaken by the state since the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, and will be an icon to the nation." The structure is on schedule, and is projected to be completed by 13th August 2010, for the Singapore Youth Olympic Games.

The building will be more than six times the height of Marina City's iconic Carpark. Freefoto Photo

Butterfly Stool by Tendo

It was one of those things that I never would have stopped to look at, it was too sculptural for its function, it was constructed by a means too complicated for its purpose, its derivation didn't make sense, and there was really little comfort. Somehow though, I bought it, yes, just a moment ago. Sometime s beauty can't be explained, the lightness of the way it touches the floor, the uplifting curves along the seatline, the rigidity between the opposing, yet poetic bends, create something almost natural, not in the sense of organically grown, but beyond human creation.

It was on sale at least - $1100 after 40% off.

Man-made naturally

The use of earth tones in design and interiors is a common practice. Hues of teracotta, beige or a warm off-white may seem soothing, but after careful consideration, the application of natural finishes artificially is far from natural. Think painting soil green to mimic grass, or colouring ceilings with clouds. These ideas may be kitsch and gross, but that is exactly what we are doing when we stain our hardwood furniture to a rich brown, or build bamboo screens along our walkways, or have an artificial orchid on the table. (the entire plaza of One Raffles Quay is lined with fake bamboo plants) Raw concrete walls and screed flooring may seem too cold, and unstained timber flooring may be too rough to the touch, so where exactly does the artificial stop? Perhaps going all out systhetic is a more honest approach to design, since we are going to paint the walls, go with silver, since we are going to cover the floors, use corian. To me, balance is key, as always. Room finishes should be left as they are, if not covered the way they should be. The human touch within, is where the man-made counts.

Architecture without Rules - The Houses of Marcel Breuer and Herbert Beckhard

currently reading.

Singapore from out there

Pinnacle at Duxton, Temasek Tower, Capital Tower, Marina Bay Financial Centre, OUB Centre, Marina Bay Sands, RSS Freedom. Familiar objects on a plane against an infinate sky and world. The Singapore skyline seems so small even only from 5 nautical miles away.

I'm back!

Im off to the Riau Isles, see you soon!

thoughts

The development of real estate is comfortably matching the development of the population, the only problem is that this growing population cant afford the growing prices of these properties.

Develpments: Petrovietnam Complex

Hanoi

This is not confirmed yet, but any new building in a new location is definately worth a look. Though, its strange that we can be impressed by mediocre architecture when they are located in lacklustre countries, or so we define. Though, this project is definately not mediocre, considering the latest "iconic arcitecture" we have in the market every other day by your everyday realtors.

Review: Aqua

Chicago

Using the very element that affects the interior layout of a building least, and yet affects the exterior apperance most. Composing balconies to create a texture of waves over a typically bland tower is truly economic and extremely brilliant.

Firmitas 7

Simple international-styled structure, no complaints.

Utilitas 8

Practical Layouts, and very interesting outdoor spaces

Venustas 9

This is where it scores, simply breathtaking. If only they did the balcony thing on the mechanical floors as well, it would have got a 10.

Environmental 7

Nothing much, this building caught my attention not because of any new technology, but a great design idea.

Photo by Wrabbit from www.Skyscrapercity.com

Review: Songjiang Hotel

I'm sure we have seen this before. Clearly novel yet refreshingly sophisticated for its locality. A rigid grid of rooms wrap the quarry walls voluptuosly, suggesting the building was carved out of the formation. A glass waterfall that divides the composition of rooms and spaces introduces both light, and intrigue to the otherwise simplistic programme.

Firmitas 9
Backing a building against a natual wall, amazing.

Venustas 9
Beautiful, maybe for its novelty, but to me it is.

Utilitas 7
Simple usage, straight forward, no complaints.

Environmental 9
Turning a landfill into a usable development?

8.5

The look

YS commented that my layout looked hideous, well, there is a reason behind everything in nature.

Layout
The arrangement is meant to be as simple as possible, free of any frills or what I like to call post modernist influences.

Colour
Black is of course, most energy conserving.

Text
the text used to be white, but I thought I'd add some colour to my life.

PUP

As with all S*ny*ricss*n Phones, mine had to be sent for repair, will get back to you asap.

Review: 839 Sixth Avenue

Elegant proportions, sophisticated verticals, coupled with blunt stubs of podium and rough window openings make it a confused piece of architecture. Not so much as to make it unique, not enough to make it stand out, but just enough to set a slightly dramatic shilhouette against the skyline, Trump World Tower did a better job at that though, for being an undesigned box.

Utilitas 8

simple usage, typical functions, sensible layout.

Firmitas 7

practical structure, at least it stands.

Venustas 7

Confused and disproportionate, saved by an elegant ratio and fairly bold crown.

Environmental 6

Double e glass? whats new?

7

oh my

What do I want? There are so many planes of desire its painful to discern what exactly it is. I feel so tired, which, adds to the pain, tiredness equates to a dormant mind, which leads to the feeling of uselessness. Sigh, I'm sighing, what can I do?

end-

Henderson Waves

An An almost organic inclusion into the natural terrain, its more than just a vantage point, but a vital link between places.

It lasted a third of a year

I made this lamp 4 months ago...

And it broke into its basic components after a hard impact yesterday night. Sigh...

Now I have lots of plastic cups, cordial anyone?

Elevated

Taken from the top of some very tall public housing apartments, we see the city in a very different light.

I'm not sure if it the city looks bigger or smaller here.

to reo.

Construction

Construction is so beautiful...

I'm a photographer too!

Oh, have I ever mentioned that I like taking photos too? Took this not too long ago from Pinnacle:)