Heidegger's Thinking

This week we venture our mind into Heidegger's philosophy on architecture.

It does really enlighten me of the other aspect of dwelling apart from just merely define it as a building. Heidegger's Andenken (genuine thought) had implied that the four folds which are, sky, earth, mortal and divinities are ought to be constituted in dwelling. World and thing are interdependent, building as a thing to open up a world meanwhile setting it back on the earth. To achieve the divine, the fourfolds must be brought through the act of building, preserving truth, generates ultimate Gestalt of that context it takes place. That is to dwell poetically. And, language keeps the world, but is used to say a world. Man's access to the world is through listening and responding to language.

Greek temple, a precinct, concealment encloses the figure of God stands in the rock cleft valley, what does it reveal as a precinct, that mortals would feel the presence of God in there? The thinking of Heidegger had remind me that, this building is not merely just constructed without thoughts during the ancient time. It had successfully dwell the God with the classic porticos standing gorgeously at the chapped valley. With its context, the boundary had been defined, what should be presencing is already there, open up a world to the mortals.
"The divinities are the beckoning messengers of the godhead. 0ut of the holy sway of the godhead, the god appears in his presence or withdraws into his concealment. When we speak of the divinities, we are already thinking of the other three along with them, but we give no thought to the simple oneness of the four"

Talking about man made and nature, that is kind of enlightening when reading through the Heidegger's thinking about the bridge gathers the earth as landscape around the stream. It's true. Nature is beautiful but infinite. Existence of man made elements had actually enhance the beauty but yet define a bouandary. The bridge does not just connect the banks that are already there. It makes a place comes into presence! At the same time the element emerges as what they are. To adopt it, i would say that an wooden chalet in the middle of the rainforest will simply capture man's attention and it is telling the man of the beauty of the rainforest with the existence of human being live in it. Rather than a man will see nothing but trees while standing in the rainforest without any man made things in it. Dwelling will be an enhancement of nature.

An inhabited landscape, which is also known landscape, brought close to us by building. Building is also justified as a place where human life takes place. Building are location and the location admits fourfold and installs the fourfold. Space is provided for locations. A location does have boundary yet boundary doesn't mean where it stops, it's the place that the truth presencing. Boundary and threshold are constituent element of place. Therefore, a place and space is to be said that having its own truth manifesting.

Dwelling is not building. Building is a former, dwelling is its goal. Stadium is a building but not dwelling, school is a building but not dwelling. What is the standard measure of dwelling indeed? Others than the essential needs of a mortal, shelter, air, light etc, dwelling does mean a quality of living. The work of architecture is not just an abstract organization of space, it is an embodied Gestalt, brings the inhabited landscape close to man, let him dwell poetically. This is the aim of architecture. Without considering this aspect in architecture, architecture will be just a piece of mute work.

To tell story, to give insight Gestalt, the word opens up the world. Man dwells in language. Poetry speaks in image. Language always give the Gestalt, language beautify Gestalt. In conveying message, language is the only way. With merely images, we would emphasizing the different aspects as humans have different perception. With language, we reiceive what one tells, we see the Gestalt of truth.


To be frankly, i didn't have a chance to pay a visit to any spiritual place around.
Yet, i have a clear memory/ Gestalt of the church i used to go in my hometown. I would share my thoughts here.

It's a christianity church, which dwells Jesus Christ in it. The church is not as much ornamentated as what in ancient time, with rose windows, vault kind of aisles etc, it is just purely a catheral with straight alignment funishing, white and holy. Cross in the middle of the front wall. The overall layout of church is mirrored. A long aisle from the entrance access directly to the cross. It too means that Jesus Christ will forgive repentance who come directly to Him, there are no obstructions when one is willing to believe in Him.

We feel ease in the church, the ceiling is high and the ridge get rid of suppression, we therefore open up ourselves to God, to worship in joy.

The tower of cross is standing there on the earth, to the sky, with a hollow metal bell in top, beckoning people to come towards Christ.

It's the church, which i find myself peacefully dwelling in.

The concept of Place

Undoubtedly, 20th century's architecture has a tendency to be more geometrical, playing of forms. Overlooking the ancient time, there is a huge contrast between now and before. Things had become even worst which i wonder if technology will take over architecture, becomes the prior consideration of forming place in the future.

A place which is said to be a known space in conjunction with architecture and context, which only probably a good dwelling environment. That's very true, for the whole universe, everything must be interacting with each other, isolated one will not being appreciated. Interaction of people brings pleasure to human, so does the surroundings.

However, transforming of this era to be more advance had brought significant changes to the lifestyle, in consequence designer must also take it into account while designing whatever building, products, transport, telecommunication and etc. Talking about architecture, i personally oppose the thought of mobile life.

No matter how splendid one is, human has basic needs, including a place so called "home". There is no such thing that what New Babylon says: "everybody will be travelling and never feel the need to return to the place of origin". There is a song of Michael Buble. "Another summer day had coming gone away, in Paris and Rome, but i wanna go home. Maybe surrounded by a million people but i still feel all alone, i just wanna go home" It interprates people's internal feeling that even they might having a luxury life out there, away from their origin, the feeling of home will never been forgotten.

The principle will never changed, though the environment might be changing with the time. A secure at-one-point personal dwelling is worth to be remained, however the existential spaces can be altered to fulfill people's satisfaction.

There are more and more challenges coming to architect in order to build a good building in conjunction with the site, context, meanwhile in trend. How do people define a good piece of architecture will be causing a lot of hassles as how people perceive the transforming of the world.

Minority Report Film Review

Minority Report is a futuristic story talking about future cops could arrest the murderer before they can commit a murder-- Precrime Unit.

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The starting of the movie is the piece and pieces visionary images which generated by the predictors of the Precrime Unit, says they can foresee the crimes which are going to happen.


John (Tom Cruise), the chief of the Precrime Unit had lost his son without a reason and this had causing him living in suffer. Meanwhile his wife Laura also left him because she couldn't stand with the pain for the remind of their missing son everytime she looks at John. To ease this feeling, John has constantly taking drugs and nobody had knew it.


6 years continuously from 2046 they had successfully creating zero crime in the city until John finds himself is the next victim in the visionary production of the predictor. He believed that somebody had set him up. To prove himself innocent, he has no choice but to flee from the arrestment of Precrime Unit. At that time, Witwer, The Department of Justice was there witnessing. Witwer also found the drug addiction of John at his home.


John then get himself to a creepy surgeon and had an disgusting eyes surgery to change his pair of eyes. This is to get rid of the iris detector that Precrime uses. At the same time, Witwer had found some differ version of images overlapping the visionary clips of the predictor which is called "minority report". Witwer doubted that the foresee of the predictor might be mistaken sometime. At the end he killed by Burgess to hide the fact.


John used his old eyes to enter Precrime Unit and get the predictor, Agatha out from the pool to help him find the minority report. Finally they found that someone had fooling the system by hiring people to be murderers but in fact they are just trying to confuse the predictors' insight vision and do murder second time that the predictors could hardly foresee.


The story ended up with Laura's intelligent to free John from custody and finally they show up the clips of Agatha's insight vision of Burgess's murder. Burgess is the one fooling people around. Precrime Unit is closed down after that and 3 predictors are free and live the normal life. Meanwhile, John and Laura get together again.

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From the movie, we could observe the crazy yet possible thoughts of the director towards the future architecture and technology. Vertical transportation, advance reading mind gadgets, iris detector, distinct transport, 3d storage medium and etc.
It does set off the story. However in term of building, it will be just simple form to maximize space.

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This movie intends to tell us that technology invented by human can be also distorted by human. What seem to be right will not always be right. Burgess had taking the minor error happened in conveying insight vision as a benefit to murder.
Also, our destiny is always determined by our own, is never predetermined. Even we have the ability to foresee future, future could be altered by us with the different single step we take now.

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The movie like these do help us to explore mind and give another iamginery space toward our design. Apart of the story, the context of this movie had brought us to a foreseeable future. In term of architecture, what can we do for the society beneficial? What is to overcome the increasingly environment, population, criminal problems that coming to us shortly?

How i met Architecture

I'm Bet, from Sarawak, Malaysia.

Recalling all the way back to my childhood, i would say it was great and i had the kind of life every now n then our beloved Prime Minister Najib has been wishing to implement "One Malaysia". I played with the neighbour Malay little girl all kind of games we could imagine. At that time, we were all living in the shipyard. I had seen the ships been built up from just pieces of iron plates to a gorgeous big one. But I was still young, like 12 years old. I didn't really appreciate the structures anyway.

And then, we moved to the new house in a tranquil residential area. Everything seems peacefully. No more machine noises, no more knocking sounds, days and nights. We live in serenity. But guess what, i started to have the kind of hard feeling, i miss those noises and the wooden house which you will definately know someone is walking or running in the house. I miss those great time.

How i met Architecture? I think there is nothing much related to my childhood or previous schooling time. Nobody had told me what is architecture actually. Nobody had told me architecture requires so many years of studies and works involving, only we will become someone worthy, a great architect. I was just entering this field with empty-headed.

Yet, architecture is simply mighty. We always know.

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Graduated from diploma, i worked in an architect firm for a year, being a draughtsperson. I wish i can go further. That's why i go for degree.

Frankly, draughtsman's works are routine, and less excited. We are purely a hand of architect, draft something they want. Somehow, there is where i learn. Piece and pieces of detail drawings, structures, coordinated with engineers, authority submission... there are a lot to learn. I would say, it is lifelong learning and doing.

After i got into UCSI, honestly lecturers do cultivate the passion towards architecture in us. I feel lively to learn this fun way. Though there are a lot of assignments to do but all of these are our own production, our masterpieces. They might not buildable... that's why it's so fun.

There are some local trips to our local valuable monuments and buildings. I love these, it really does making me love my country more and more. I love our diverse cultures, our rainforest, our left over historical legacies and our food!

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Archi students are having a very bad habit which just simply cannot be redressed, to work last minute. We were so torturing for the crit going happened next day, we were spending nights drafting and making model... and see each others the next day with simply nice panda eyes and messy hair. That is kind of memorable, and funniest thing we had. We know, we will get honour finally if we really put effort and when our effort, creativity being appreciated.
THE WORST THING IS, we're actually not good when we thought we are good!
Thanks God, i still survive from being failed.

What keeps me going? Honestly, i wish i can really do something for the society, the country and the environment. I wish i am useful at least. Of course by participating in building developement, and try the very best to make it the most efficient, environment friendly and maximize the ease of end users. Everyone has their liability, i want to make sure i don't forget mine.

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Though i need to study and work at the same time to finance myself. I believe this perseverance brings the equal return later.

Lastly, architecture is a big toy, but it's a big responsibility towards people and society, not play-play =)