Introduction

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN Centre for Modern Architecture Studies in Southeast Asia Bachelor of Science

(Honours) (Architecture) THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE &

URBANISM [ARC61303] [ARC2224]

Project Theorizing Architecture (Individual)

Name: Ling Teck Ong

ID. NO: 0303127

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM [ARC61303] Page 1

Table of Content:

1.0 Introduction……………………………………………………………………..3

2.0 Analysis

2.1 Climate…………………………………………………………………..4-5

2.2 Theories: Sustainability………………………………………………6-8

2.3 Materiality……………………………………………………………..…8-9

3.0 Discussion & Conclusion…………………………………………………..…10

4.0 References…………………………………………………………………….…11


1.0 Introduction

This project is to express and convey an understanding of the architect’s

theory through a direct interviewing and analysis of the architect himself and the

buildings. In the following essay, architectural theories about the relationship of

architecture and urban will be discussed. The relationship between architecture and its

social, cultural and intellectual context is also analyzed and critiqued in the writing to

interpret the architect’s architecture in relation to relevant theories within the

contemporary.

Architect Karlson Goh Kar Sheng is chosen to discuss and sharing his own

thought of the relationship about architecture into theories. Ar. Karlson received his

architectural education at the University of Melbourne College of the Arts, Australia from

1998-2002. Upon graduation, he worked in Malaysia until he obtained his registered

professional Architect APAM at 28 years old in year 2006. He opened his own Architect

firm and become principle of Arkitek Karlson in 2008. He focused on the global

discussion and developments within contemporary architectural context and ways to

solve problems of development within the local culture. Ar. Karlson believes each form

is dictated by individuality, the need or sustainability while keeping in mind the

dichotomy of a design and its need to be practical and suitable for the surrounding site

context. He is now a partner of DMP Architects Sdn Bhd.

Among all the successful projects from Ar Karlson Goh, Bungalow House

Type M-L is selected in this task to be analyzed and study about the theories of

architecture. Bungalow House Type M-L is located at LOT 34736, Saujana Impian,

Bandar Kajang, Daerah Hulu Langat, Selangor in Malaysia with the built up area of 198

meter square. This is a project that Ar. Karlson Goh is fully in charge of it. This house is

built during year 2013.


View of Bungalow House Type M-L

2.0 Analysis

2.1 Climate

In climate condition, Malaysia is a tropical country that will experience

abundant on rainfall and high humidity. It is extremely impossible that one whole day

that sky is completely clear like the other country during low rainfall period. Malaysia

receives approximate 2500mm of rain water in a year. Next, Malaysia do also has

abundant of sunlight that each house can receive an average of 6 hours of sunlight per

day.

Bungalow house Type M-L designed by Ar. Karlson Goh surrounded by a

lot of greenery. He designed based on the local climate and has a strong relationship

with it. The orientation of the house and the sun direction is an important issue to

consider about. The bungalow is facing toward the west and back of the house faced

east. Beautiful sunset and sunrise can be seen in both directions. Besides hat, it also

brought in sufficient natural lightning and air flow in taking into account the sun path and


wind circulation, and strategically employing application such as double glazing and

operable window with UV-resistant blinds to counter the heat and glare. This bungalow

was properly shaded using louvers and greenery to solve the overheating problem.

Openings can be seen most of the places in the house, this allow the ventilation to take

place as well. Shed roof also used to allow natural sunlight and ventilation.

Other than that, Ar. Karlson designed a pool (26m²) which provided a

relaxing area for the occupant. Cooling effect will takes place while the air flow passing

through the pond and brings into the building. The reason of design a pol beside the

main area of the building is to allow the cool air takes place at the main area during

cooling effect occurs. To enhance the garden dining experience, trees and flower was

planted at the space outside dining room. This dining room is actually cooled since the

trees provided shading and also create an interesting shadow play at different times of

the day.


Figure 1: shed roof and double glazing window

Figure 2: cooling effect and pool

2.2 Theories: Sustainability

Sustainability includes sustainable building, design and operations.

Sustainability is the collection of policies and strategies employed by companies to

minimize their environmental impact on future generations. Ecological concerns, such

as the environmental impact of pollutants, are balanced with socio-economic concerns

such as minimizing the consumption of limited natural resources to maintain their

availability for the future. Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize

the negative environmental impact of buildings by efficiency and moderation in the use

of materials, energy, and development space. Sustainable architecture uses a

conscious approach to energy and ecological conservation in the design of the built

environment.

During a building’s existence, it affects the local and global environments

via a series of interconnected human activities and natural processes. At the early

stage, site development and construction influence indigenous ecological

characteristics. Though temporary, the influx of construction equipment and personnel

onto a building site and process of construction itself disrupt the local ecology. The

procurement and manufacturing of materials impact the global environment. Once built,

building operation inflicts long-lasting impact on the environment. For instance, the

energy and water used by its inhabitants produce toxic gases and sewage; the process

of extracting, refining, and transporting all the resources used in building operation and

maintenance also have numerous effects on the environment.

The design of Bungalow House Type M-L begins at the point of create

environmentally sound and resource-efficient buildings by using an integrated approach.

Ar. Karlson proposes three principles of sustainability in architecture. Economy of

Resources is concerned with the reduction, reuse, and recycling of the natural

resources that are input to a building. Life Cycle Design provides a methodology for

analyzing the building process and its impact on the environment. Humane Design

focuses on the interactions between humans and the natural world. These principles

can provide a broad awareness of the environmental impact, both local and global, of


architectural consumption. The study of sustainability allows him to become more self-

aware and make him a preservationist and a social activist.

As a cultural activity, architecture is conceptual, a matter of shaping

memory into plans, plans into things that can be sensed by other people. Architecture

is, thus, a variety of communication. The mode of its thinking connects architecture to all

culture, but the mode of its realization distinguishes if radically from other types of

communication. To be architecture, an idea must first be realized in materials.

Materialization raises complexities not met in verbal communication. Materials limit

concept. Just as every building records intentions, so does it record situation, the

resources in the scene that curtail intentions and make all buildings compromises

between will and circumstance. The final form of the house was derived through

application of sound design fundamentals and understanding contexts of the site,

climate, culture and heritage. While it has hints of familiarity, the house point to a new

direction in the country’s architecture. The house is a meeting of Architecture, as art of

function and Architecture as custodian of the environment.

It is easy to imagine progressing from houses as ‘‘machines for living’’ to

inhabitants who behave in much the same way. The features of the bungalow design

have been discussed on how it actually incorporated with natural and passive design to

make it a green residential building. Ar.Karlson focus of which is the design process.

The strategies are wide-ranging: from stack ventilation; to designing for flood risk; to

noise control; to urban landscape design; and so on. A sustainable building architect

may be engaged early in the design process, to forecast the sustainability implications

of building materials, orientation, glazing and other physical factors, so as to identify a

sustainable approach that meets the specific requirements of a project.


Figure 3: stack ventilation

In addition, Ar. Karlson also makes his design to adapt according to social

conventions and family needs of the time. The importance of being able to create a

home that could cater for such changes in social conventions and embody a spatial

programme flexibility that could adapt according to growing families was therefore key in

satisfying the needs of modern Malaysian family.

2.3 Design Strategy: Material

Despite the importance of materials to overall building sustainability, quantifying

and evaluating the sustainability of building materials has proven difficult. There is little

coherence in the measurement and assessment of materials sustainability attributes,

resulting in a landscape today that is littered with hundreds of competing, inconsistent

and often imprecise eco-labels, standards and certifications. This discord has led both

to confusion among consumers and commercial purchasers and to the incorporation of

inconsistent sustainability criteria in larger building certification programs such as LEED.

Various proposals have been made regarding rationalization of the standardization

landscape for sustainable building materials.

Bungalow House Type L is generally constructed by reinforced concrete,

structural frame, including floor built on RC piles, walls and substructure. Concrete is a

friend of the environment in all stages of its life span, from raw material production to

demolition, making it a natural choice for sustainable home construction. The

predominant raw material for the cement in concrete is limestone, the most abundant

mineral on earth.

Concrete made with fly ash, slag

cement, and silica fume, all waste by products from power plants, steel mills, and other


Figure 4: concrete structure

manufacturing facilities. Concrete builds durable, long-lasting structures that will not

rust, rot, or burn. Life spans for concrete building products can be double or triple those

of other common building materials. Concrete minimizes the effects that produce urban

heat islands. Light-colored concrete pavements and roofs absorb less heat and reflect

more solar radiation than dark-colored materials, such as asphalt, reducing air

conditioning demands in the summer. Concrete can be produced in the quantities

needed for each project, reducing waste. Ar. Karlson did think that after a concrete

structure has served its original purpose, the concrete can be crushed and recycled into

aggregate for use in new concrete pavements or as backfill or road base. He also chose

concrete as as the material for the bungalow because concrete can be easily found in

our country and is easy for transportation.

Besides that, glazing has been used by Ar. Karlson for window to allow sunlight

to enter and, strategically employing application such as double glazing and operable

window with UV-resistant blinds to counter the heat and glare. Energy-efficient lighting

such as LED and water conserving fixture were installed as well. Sustainable lighting

has to do with energy savings and they can be accomplished or achieved with more

efficient light sources like LED. Furthermore, it also provided the user a view to the

greenery outside. In term of architecture, materials play important roles in it. Materials

that been chosen in the building might affect the outcomes of the building. The materials

blend together with the nature very well and it doesn’t makes the building stand-alone

but in the context.


Figure 5: UV-resistant glass

3.0 Discussion and Conclusion:

This definition of sustainability does not specify the ethical roles of humans for

their everlasting existence on the planet. It also fails to embrace the value of all other

constituents participating in the global ecosystem. The need for finding long-terms

solutions that warrant continuing human existence and well-being is far more compelling

than that of finding a proper terminology to describe the human need. In this respect,

the debate on the terms “green,” “sustainable,” or “ecological” architecture is not terribly

important.

In the nut shell, everyone has to help save the world. Because the way we are

going there won’t be any forest left, there won’t be anything left because we are just

killing everything. So this is very important that everything has to be sustainable so that

we can continue living and our grandchildren will have something to look at: animals,

meadows, anything.

Bungalow House Type M-L has no doubt in representing its designing architect,

Karlson Goh Kar Sheng. Overviewing from his childhood background, educational

exposure and working experiences, the bungalow house that designed by him shows

his perception and theories towards architecture today. From the analysis of the

external contributing above, the approaches of the architect in designing the bungalow

have been implemented thoroughly from climatic aspect, sustainability and materiality. It

is definitely a country house that represents the Malaysia context architecture yet not

abandoning the knowledge that he learned from the western country about the modern

architect theory.


4.0 References

D.M. Roodman and N. Lenssen, A Building Revolution: How Ecology and Health

Concerns are Transforming Construction, Worldwatch Paper 124, Worldwatch Institute,

Washington, D.C., March 1995, p. 5.

Kim. Jong-Jin(2012) Introduction to Sustainable Design. Retrieved November 6, 2014,

from

http://www.umich.edu/~nppcpub/resources/compendia/ARCHpdfs/ARCHdesIntro.pdf

Ross Spiegel and Dru Meadows, Green Building Materials: A Guide to Product

Selection and Specification, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1999.

Sustainable Earth Technology(2013) Sustainable Architecture. Retrieved November 8,

2014, from http://www.sustainable.com.au/sustainable-architecture.html


http://www.sustainable.com.au/sustainable-architecture.html

http://www.umich.edu/~nppcpub/resources/compendia/ARCHpdfs/ARCHdesIntro.pdf


Ar. Karlson Goh Kar Sheng Climate

1. Designed according to the prevailing wind

2. Prioritized sustainability issue in design

Theories: Sustainability

Materiality:

1. integrated shed roof inside the design

2. use concrete as main material to build the bungalow

3. use energy efficient light

Theory of Architecture:

-Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space.

Architecture Evidence:

-Bungalow House Type M-L

Data & Analytics

Introduction