Who is Architect

Definition:

An architect is a licensed professional who organizes space. Architects design houses, office buildings, skyscrapers, landscapes, ships, and even entire cities. The services of a licensed architect depend on the type of project.

What Do Architects Do?

Architects are trained in many areas, from historic preservation to structural engineering. This training can lead to a wide variety of careers.

Architects are fully qualified professionals.

While virtually anyone can draw up plans and call themselves a building designer, only a person registered by the Board can use the term 'Architect' (or 'Ar.' in Malaysia). But the difference is more substantial than just a name. Architects must have gained approved professional tertiary qualifications (Part I and II), have undertaken a minimum period of practical experience, and have successfully completed the oral and written examinations (Part III) before becoming eligible to apply for registration and qualifying to use the title "architect".

The Role of the Architect

A simplistic view of the role is that architects create architectures, and their responsibilities encompass all that is involved in doing so. This would include articulating the architectural vision, conceptualizing and experimenting with alternative architectural approaches, creating models and component and interface specification documents, and validating the architecture against requirements and assumptions. However, any experienced architect knows that the role involves not just these technical activities, but others that are more political and strategic in nature on the one hand, and more like those of a consultant, on the other.

These activities drive the competencies that the architect needs to be successful. We present a competency framework that helps architects assess areas for their own personal development, and managers in identifying who is a good fit for the architect role.

Famous architect.

In an article, there are 12 most famous architect who has changed the world:

1. Oscar Niemeyer (b. December 15, 1907)

2. Antoni Gaudí (25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926)

3. Louis Sullivan (3 September 1856 – 14 April 1924)

4. Frank Gehry (b. 28 February 1929)

5. Ieoh Ming Pei (b. 26 April 1917)

6. Alvar Aalto (3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976)

7. Le Corbusier (6 October 1887 – 27 August 1965)

8. Santiago Calatrava (b. 28 July 1951)

9. Walter Burley Griffin (24 November 1876 – 11 February 1937)

10. Norman Foster (b. 1 June 1935)

11. Zaha Hadid (b. 31 October 1950)

12. Rem Koolhaas (b. 17 November 1944)

other articles which may related to Architect:

colorcoat-online, about.com, bredmeyer

PAM, LAM, Australia Board of Architect

images courtesy of;

klaustoon, yangsquare, colorcoat

April Fool’s Day Architecture

posted in: Strange | posted by: Ian Harrison on April 1, 2010 |

April Fool’s Day is one of those annual traditions that people either follow fervently or ignore with blatant indifference. Sort of like Valentine’s Day or Halloween if you will. Well now that the day is upon us, we thought it rather appropriate to look at some international April Fool’s day festivals, pranks, events and other assorted odds and ends.

But then we thought of a better topic. Why not focus on some crazy, otherworldly architectural marvels that defy description and seem to scream “April Fool’s!”?

So with that in mind, check out some awesome, unorthodox “April Fool’s” architecture.

Eminent British architect Lord Norman Foster has been at the helm of some of the most notable structures of the past century. These include a ridiculous array of skyline classics, such as “The Gherkin” or 30 St Mary Axe in London, London City Hall, Al Faisaliyah Center in Riyadh, Millau Viaduct in France and Hearst Tower in New York City.

One project that stands out in the Foster + Partners roster however, is in Astana. The capital of Kazakhstan is going through a comprehensive renaissance and transformation of late, at the ambitious behest of controversial President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Foster + Partners is already behind three projects in the city of 800,000 people, from the spectacular Palace of Peace and Reconciliation opera house to the Astana Markets supertall skyscraper development.

Foster’s most eccentric and avant-garde contribution to Astana’s new cityscape however, has to be the Khan Shatyry Entertainment Centre. The Foster + Partners corporate website calls the project “a dramatic civic focal point” but to be honest, the term seems to vastly underestimate the multi-purpose facility’s peerless design. Khan Shatyry is basically a massive elliptical tent which spans 100,000 m2. Complete with climate control systems, the development will feature a massive urban park, concert hall, public square, cobblestone promenades and beach resort.

The Sage Gateshead is another April Fool’s-like structure that completely punctuates the River Tyne skyline of Newcastle. The controversial project is another Foster + Partners baby and one that draws scorn and praise from locals. No matter what you think of the bulbous, shiny, metallic “slug” however, you simply can’t ignore the multi-purpose cultural landmark when you visit the fine city of Newcastle.

Architect Jean Nouvel won the Pritzker Prize in 2008. While his name may not resonate with most people, those who visit or live in either Barcelona, Madrid, Cologne or Copenhagen know Nouvel’s works well (whether they realize it or not). The architect is the creative force behind the Torre Agbar, Reina Sofia Museum addition, KölnTurm office tower and Copenhagen Concert Hall.

Nouvel’s Louvre project for the city of Abu Dhabi is going to turn heads. Set to finish in 2013, the branch of the famous museum on the U.A.E. capital’s new leisure and entertainment island of Saadiyat is without precedent. While Louvre Abu Dhabi is cause for controversy within the artistic and “museums are not for sale” community, those who question the institution’s motives can’t fault Nouvel’s unorthodox approach to the development. The museum will certainly not resemble any other on the planet. Louvre Abu Dhabu will also have a formidable competitor on Saadiyat Island in Frank Gehry’s monumental Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

Another April Fool’s shout-out to Herzog & de Meuron Architekten, the Swiss firm behind such memorable landmarks as the Tate Modern and Laban Dance Centre in London, M.H. de Young Museum in San Francisco and brilliant Allianz Arena football stadium in Munich. The firm’s most unusual creations however, may just be the CaixaForum art gallery in Madrid and Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lest we forget, Herzog & de Meuron was the brainchild behind Beijing National (Bird’s Nest) Stadium.

http://blog.ratestogo.com/april-fools-day-architecture/

Malaysia Architecture + Health

TODAY, i was just nearly finishing up my 3d renderings for a semi-d project in kluang. While waiting for the 3d completely rendered, i try to search for some input in architecture. Went here and there, until i caught into some articles in TheStar online. its about the new malaysian architecture, more about approach, effect and defect caused... read on...

Sunday January 4, 2009

Health check for Malaysian architecture

By CHIN MUI YOON

The iconic buildings of the future will no longer be grandiose but green. With shrinking resources and ever rising energy costs, it makes sense to design or modify buildings to comply with Malaysia’s first Green Building Index, introduced yesterday.

GREEN is symbolic of spring and new beginnings. How apt it is to start the year, then, by introducing Malaysia’s Green Building Index, our first certification tool that will provide guidelines for environmentally friendly construction.

After all, some of the biggest culprits guzzling the earth’s energy and water resources are man-made structures. The Index means that, for the first time, buildings in Malaysia can be assessed on their impact on the environment, and the construction of new buildings can be guided and managed to lessen their impact on their surroundings.

Could this be the way of the future? This is Malaysian developer SP Setia’s Setia Eco Park project in the Klang Valley where all the houses have photo voltaic panels on their roofs to harness solar energy. – SP Setia

And not a moment too soon! The effects of climate change and the depletion of earth’s natural resources are keenly felt around the globe today. Malaysians too have experienced the consequences of unprecedented floods and landslides resulting from the mismanagement of and disregard for nature.

What’s perhaps more pertinent to us is that green dwellings can save us money. Because going green is not only about being environmentally responsible, it also yields huge savings for building owners – up to 30% savings in energy consumption, according to Dr Tan Loke Mun, past president of the Malaysian Institute of Architects (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia/PAM, pam.org.my).

For example, an intelligently built home that is orientated away from the sun, has sun-shading features, allows for natural ventilation, and has reflective internal surfaces to maximise daylight, does away with the need for artificial lighting during the day, and airconditioning.

This building can go further in lessening its impact on the earth by using environmentally friendly building materials and opting to be powered by renewable energy such as solar energy.

Tan explains that, while it is impossible to make green buildings mandatory in Malaysia as the country comprises widely diversified cities, towns, and villages with a multitude of buildings, Malaysians themselves will come to want such structures.

“I believe Malaysians will care about having green buildings because it offers practical savings for us,” argue Tan.

“Many homes in the Klang Valley have already incorporated insulation in their roofs and solar panels. Green homes are not necessarily more expensive; it’s only about 3% to 15% of additional cost, which they can easily recover in utility bill savings.”

Another aspect that will be covered by the Green Building Index is that of transportation. Architect Chan Seong Aun explains how public transportation accessibility in a housing project has important environmental and monetary impacts.

“Transportation constitutes 40% to 70% of household energy use,” he says. “A family makes about five to 10 trips daily shuttling to work and back, shopping, buying groceries, sending children to school, and tuition classes, and other activities.”

An effectively planned neighbourhood can reduce such energy costs by clustering activity areas sensibly – having small shopping areas within walking distance of a certain number of houses, for instance.

Another way of saving lies in construction materials, the cost of which will only keep going up in the future.

Says Tan, “We have been throwing away useable materials that can be recycled into building materials, such as steel and timber. There are many possibilities of becoming more sustainable, and the Green Building Index is one of the steps.”

READ MORE

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/1/4/lifeliving/2926441&sec=lifeliving