You know, the research paper I had to write for my Design Theory subject pretty much opened my eyes about architecture. Sure, you would say something like, ’What?!! Only now?!! A whole year?!!’ but hey, what can I say, I’m simply couldn’t ‘click’ with something or I just am plain lazy……
Anyway, I found books I really like – Evolutionary Architecture: Nature as a basis for design by Eugene Tsui and Biomimicry – Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine Benyus.
Eugene Tsui is a wonder himself. I don’t wanna say much, just to mention that he has four professional degrees in architecture and city and regional planning with an interdisciplinary doctorate in architecture and education; was expelled 4 times because he was ‘too hot to handle’; still managed to receive a five year professional degree in three-and-a-half years and two master’s and a Ph.D. in five years; four time Masters Olympics All Around Champion in gymnastics and eight time winner of the Presidential Sports Award from U.S. Presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and six year President of the World Masters Gymnastics Federation; composes songs; has a wife who is a documentary filmmaker and sociologist, his older son, Paolo, is in music production, his younger son, Sorell, started a clothing design company, and his daughter, Chase, trains in the circus; plays Flamenco guitar, drums and concert piano and composes music; he wrote and recorded a hip-hop song which caught the ear of a local recording producer and was being refined, music composed by his older son……..
You seriously did not read all that, right? Haha. Anyway, to sum it all, he’s an architect, with talents in being an artist, musician, athlete and educator. Sounds like Leonardo da Vinci, huh?
The different thing is: he emphasizes about learning from nature. He thinks that we can find all our answers and inspirations from nature. I copy this from my essay just to state my point(me lazy :3) :
‘Look at it in this way, as Tsui (1999, p. 4) analysed, condense the estimated existence of the planet (5 billion years) into a single year. If human being first emerged 3 to 5 million years ago, then compared to the lifetime of the planet, we will have existed for about 1 hour 50 minutes. If we agree that human culture has existed for about 10,000 years, then we will have existed as a “cultured” species for approximately 13 seconds. To put it simply, human knowledge is minute and extremely limited in comparison to that of nature, and that nature has “practiced” its ideas with astounding diversity and results. Such creative power in the form of beauty, reproduction and survival shows the epitome of knowledge in nature. It is this that makes nature an open book for us to discover inspirations and ideas to improve and answer to our needs.’
This is not to say that I am entirely sold to his idea. I’ve come a long way to have learnt to not to agree with everything other people says (though it’s quite hard to resist……). I wonder about whether it is necessary to say that things rectilinear in form are ugly and not suitable for sustainability purposes. I do not have proof to really state my ground but as I said earlier, my process on doing this research paper helped me find many new things, not just on architecture. Who says paperwork are boring? Hahaha, depends on how you do it, I suppose.
I am just leaving my point of view here because I’m a bit lazy to elaborate. Maybe next time when I found out how to shorten, summarize, stop winding my thoughts on my blog……
Oh yah, two great models (my lecturer said it!!!) built by my group in building construction!!! So happy we got praised! Another A+ for sure!! Hahah, but I’m really proud of my models and my groups. We put sweat and nearly blood, literally on them. I videod them but I don’t know where to put them for you all to see. I guess pictures will do then.
The towers are for the skeletal construction project, and the other one made of little wooden bricks is for the solid construction project. The towers could withstand about 50kg weight, we had a group mate stood on it!! It was three towers at first, but later two succeeded also!! And the brickwork project boasts 5 different arches and 3 different bonds! We cut out all the shapes and sizes ourselves!! Special thanks to that group mate, Yang who stood on the towers. He was ambitious and decided to experiment with all those arches so he cut most of the troublesome shapes! We had to use the kitchen knife, you know? Those bricks were very hard……I sliced off my skin once, nearly bled…T_T
I would like to BOAST more on our projects but I think everyone would be sleeping in front of the screen by now, maybe not even far to see these words, hehehe……Lookie the pictures!!
<<<——-The towers, beautiful, neh???
Moss on Concrete 