So there is still hope for me
How many years is the double major course?
And I don't fully understand how it works, please enlighten me.

Azarimy,

Thanks a lot for your advice.

Yeah, I didn't have any proper training before when I attempted those drawings. I am also looking forward to studying Architecture because it will be giving me the proper training.

Basically, those drawings are more inspiration based than willed based, and you were right, I did used the ruler 95% of the time. (I really needed the ruler to draw something straight.)

For now, I would like to practice some Architecture sketching; what type of subjects or scenes would you recommend me?

For me personally, I would like to sketch out a modern place like the Taylor's school of build environment; I just don't know why, but the design of that new Taylor's branch can really make me go crazy. The design of that college is not to say that remarkable, however, it possesses some Architecture aspects that can make me go wow, such as having several layers of modern metal bridges over the main entrance area, a modern glass & steel lobby area which I can still clearly look into from the upper floors, modern balcony settings that extends throughout the building leading to modern steel stairways that overlook the rear courtyard area...as such. (I haven't viewed the interior & facilities yet; I heard that there are several new state of the art architecture studios. )

Nevertheless, I feel that there are many other Architecture stuffs that I can practice sketching on. (Which one though?)

ofcourse there's still hope for u. diploma is definitely higher than just A-levels or STPM. but the issue here might be "how much higher?". if ur diploma is not accredited by any board of engineering, then there's a huge chance u'd be starting ur degree from 1st year. perhaps u can attempt a credit transfer, but it highly depends on ur grades.

the MEng dual major/honours is 4 years. here's more information about it.

it's basically 2 degrees in one. a typical part 1 degree for architecture is just 3 years, but this degree allows u to acquire both structural engineering AND architectural expertise within 4 years. ofcourse, if u wanna be an architect, u'll need to add another 2 years after that for ur part 2. but u'll be qualified for both professions.

there are not many people in the world who has both qualifications as architect AND an engineer. with this degree u can be both. i can see that there are about 2-3 malaysian students taking this degree every year. i bet it's becoming more and more popular in the future.

what's the benefit?

well, in a nutshell, architects design buildings. engineers are the experts who made sure the buildings can be engineered (can be constructed, will not collapse, suitability of materials etc). being able to do both saves a lot of time, and the ultimate catch is: u'll get both fees .

---

Added on January 12, 2008, 4:08 amthe proper training in drawings in architecture will almost never start with drawing buildings. we usually let people draw whatever they're comfortable with. u can start from portraits, landscapes, objects etc. although some schools would insist on getting jiggy with it and straight away go for buildings .

in architecture, the most important skill is the ability to transfer what u see (be it with ur eyes or ur mind) onto a paper within the shortest amount of time. what this means is the ability to quick sketch. whatever task or exercise u'll be attempting, always have this in ur mind. u're NOT studying fine art. in fine art, u're allowed to take as much time u need to produce a masterpiece. in architecture, ur masterpiece must be achieved within a very limited amount of time. so u need to transfer whatever that's in ur head on paper QUICKLY.

in the same time, a chicken must look like a chicken, a woman cant look like an elephant , a car is never a bar of soap.

here's an example of fine vs quick.



the image on the left was done when i'm in artist mode, while image on the right was done in architect mode. it's 6 hours vs 6 minutes. bcoz details of a figure or figures are not important as an architect, u can forgo the details. however, it should still look like a human figure, and it must be relatively clear what the figures are doing. so u will train urself to pick up certain details and negotiate others.




so why dont u try it? i'd start with sketching a nice view, in perspective. just draw whatever u want, post it here. maybe some of us can give comments.

This post has been edited by azarimy: Jan 12 2008, 04:08 AM

Lilian Tay of Veritas Group is both a qualified Civil Engineer and Architect. But she only practice architecture. When you are registered with more than one profession at a time, you'll be in for a hard time. I'm not sure if she is registered as Corporate member for the engineering part...but that'll sure take a toll on completing the CPDs.

Does anyone know how the program in NUS works? Their website is a bit obtuse to me (I still cant find any mention of course duration). Wiki says its 5 years though. And can someone please explain to me why all the recognized Part II programs by the Board of Architects Singapore are all American while the only Part III programs they list are NUS's Bachelors and Masters? Thanks very much.

PS: Oh another thing, I remember reading somewhere in this thread that Uni of Maryland is RIBA Part I accredited, but according to the list on www.careersinarchitecture.net, it has Part II as well?

This post has been edited by BurgaFlippinMan: Jan 13 2008, 12:04 AM

My friend in NUS mentioned that they have a 5-year program. You get Part I in their 3rd year BUT you do not graduate. You only graduate on their 4th year. Then, on the 5th year, you get Part II. Their courses are accredited by SIA and RIBA.

---

Added on January 13, 2008, 12:09 amYear out is optional...unlike UK.

This post has been edited by clayclws: Jan 13 2008, 12:09 AM

ah ic. Thanks. oh yea, is LimKokWing's Architectural Sci program an accredited Part I program? They claim it to be so but i cant seem to find them listed on LAM or PAM's site..

This post has been edited by BurgaFlippinMan: Jan 13 2008, 01:07 AM

Then, it's not. Azarimy said it several times dy.

I thought so too. Thanks for the confirmation anyway.

NUS architecture programme works exactly the same with other RIBA accredited schools. we usually refer the entire course as 5 years for a part 2. in actual fact, it's 3 years part 1 + 2 years part 2. but since to become a full architect u need part 2, in normal situations we always refer an architecture course as a 5 year programme.

i'm not sure about the singapore board of architects' recognition, but what i can understand is, there are not many schools in the world that actually offer a part 3 degree/masters. even in the UK, there's only a handful that offers a part 3 via masters, and no schools in malaysia offers part 3 academically. i'm not aware if singapore has started a part 3 academic programme. seems that they have.

and more importantly, australian schools now offer a part 2 masters instead of a degree. so this can create alot of confusion. meaning, anybody graduating a masters in architecture (part 2) from australia, it is equivalent to a malaysian/british part 2 degree. there are a few more confusing things in there, but let's just go step by step and leave it at that .




not sure about maryland's part 2. i'd stick to RIBA's website, just to be safe. u can call/email RIBA for conformation. probably the website's not updated, or careersinarchitecture got confused on some info.

---

Added on January 13, 2008, 4:10 amlike have been mentioned before, LimKokWing has gone through an accreditation process early last year, but they didnt manage to acquire a full accreditation for their part 1 programme. what happened was LAM, through CAEM (committee of architecture education malaysia), granted one particular batch a full accreditation for part 1. this is bcoz LAM were thoroughly satisfied with that particular batch. but thing is, they werent impressed with the other batches. so only 1 batch was accredited, and LAM decided that they should give LKW more time to improve their programme.

hence in the 1st post i noted an asterisk on LKW's part 1 programme.

what may happen in the future?

current students may or may not be accredited in the next accreditation process. if they do, LKW stands a good chance at acquiring a full accreditation for the school. if not, then to secure their futures, the students graduating from LKW has no choice but to continue to curtin to acquire a proper license to practice (eg: more money gonna have to be spent).

oh yeah, as a private U depending alot on students paying fees, LKW will almost certainly use the single-batch accreditation to market their programme. there's an education fair tmrw, maybe somebody could "inquire" about this for all of us .

This post has been edited by azarimy: Jan 13 2008, 04:10 AM

Ah, thanks for clearing everything up azarimy!

Btw, it seems that the list from careersinarchitecture.net is the exact same pdf file you can find on RIBA's site. The Part II is a Masters though

http://www.presidentsmedals.com/pageDB.asp...ist&country=USA

This post has been edited by BurgaFlippinMan: Jan 13 2008, 05:56 PM

Hey azarimy, how do you cope when designing with pencil is so much fun and easier (elegant, smooth flow of creativity) but the need of computers just can't be overlooked? Do you draw on butter, tracing (whatever media) first and then compute them into CAD, SketchUp, Max, Revit (whatever software)?

I spent the first semester of my 5th year drawing with pencils and Artlines...now, I have to compute...I really lost the passion for design with computers...

well, i'd be happy to tell u that by the time i graduated, computers are still not well integrated into the syllabus .

computers do take alot of fun out of designing. but this is not bcoz of the hardware limitations, but the software. borrowing from my supervisor's favourite quote: "design softwares should be designed by designers, the end users who would ultimately use them, and not by engineers." softwares like autoCAD are so mechanical it became utterly useless to the architect. i mean, all an architect need is a pencil. why do engineers insist to have all those tools that architects never use? even more, other than the line tool, there is not a single tool that actually aids designing. it's all about production, and production takes the fun out of designing .

then along came sketchup.

sketchup is the ultimate software for architects. it's bcoz it is not a production software, but a design software. it is a tool that architects/designers can use as easy as pencils. it is intuitive, easy to use, has a tolerable learning curve, but doesnt deny the depth and complexity that is needed for an architect.

so how do i cope with computers? i dont. i just take software like sketchup and replace my pencil sketch design phase with it. it took me awhile, but i can come up with a sketch design, in 3D, as fast as any designer could sketch a full scheme. it has become so integral to my design process that i dont need a pencil sketch phase.

u see, the mind of the architect is a private place. nobody can come in there.

the pencil sketch is the architect's conversation with himself. he could show it to anyone, or he could keep it private.

a sketch scheme is the attempt of the architect to converse with others. it is not meant to be a private conversation.



these are the three initial phases in design. i somehow managed to integrate ii and iii within a virtual environment. conversing with myself, rationalizing everything i do, while at the same time producing a scheme that should be able to communicate well with others. that's how i cope with computers. i cant imagine doing the same with 3dsmax, autocad and so on, bcoz these only come to use much later in the production phase. architects dont need them. we pay draftmans to do it .

back in UTM, i was one of the pioneering lecturers to integrate sketchup in design phases. i even started my PhD in this topic, but realized that several other people in australia and the US have already done the same . so we took what they've done and modified it to fit our own curriculum. does it work? i dunno, bcoz i'm not there to see how it is being implemented. but it's still optional. students who doesnt want to do computers still have their vernacular way of designing.

however, i still draw manually... for fun. i also draw digitally (with the tablet), and to hone my sketchup skills, i also do other stuff for fun... like designing my own spaceship command module (i admit sometimes i had too much time in my hands).

back from my reality archi student works
bwahaha
makes me nuts

waa
nice design

Sigh...my SketchUp skills are not that good. I'll try to hone it when I'm free. You sure do have lots of time in your hands...designing a spaceship. When you're out practising, I guess you'll be designing a yacht of your own.

This post has been edited by clayclws: Jan 15 2008, 09:25 PM

people, students mostly, need to be inspired. since i'm not trained to teach, there's only so much i can do. so i teach whatever i can, and leave the rest to the individual inspiration. i could inspire students to do more architectural designs by showing what i've done, but students keep up very fast and soon they'll be better than me. which often they do. and when they do, they dont feel so inspired anymore, and look for other things.

so i do other stuff like paintings, comics, designing un-architectural stuff like spaceships, battle armours and things out of science fiction novels. these are the things virtually all my students, architecture students, would never venture upon. and they'll continue to be amazed and inspired with it... until they venture into the same playground as i am, and beat the crap out of me .

u see, architects are still people, they socially function just as much as any of us. the grass is always greener on the other side. they will say "i wish i could draw like en. aza.". but if they start painting and get better, they'll look back and say "en. aza? his paintings are crap! why on earth did i thought his dwgs are great?"

LOL

Haha~! I remember that. Used to admire seniors and external architects for their work...until I've done what they have...and it does not seem so "awesome" anymore. Like climbing Everest...you admire people that climbs it, but once you're there, you'd be like, "Erm, so what's the fuss?"

Oh well, my friends said it is very easy to learn SketchUp. Much easier than 3dsmax...but I guess I haven't the freetime to explore it on my own. No one teaches how to use software here...much anyway. Here, everything you learn from the staff totals to around 5%. The rest, not from the staff.

This post has been edited by clayclws: Jan 15 2008, 10:00 PM

1.what is the differences between Bachelor of Applied Science in Architectural Science and Bachelor of Arts in Interior Architecture ?
One is more focus on exterior of the building whereas the other one is more focus on the interior structure.

2.which course allow me to complete Part 1 of the architectural qualification in Malaysia or equivalent to Part 1 of the architectural qualification? (is it recognized by the malaysia government? or accreditation?)
Our degree is equivalent to Part 1, thus can allowed you to continue for the Master in Archtectural in Curtin which is equivalent to Part 2.

3.Upon graduation, students will have to undergo a minimum 2 years for Bachelor of Architecture qualification at an institution offering the program that is equivalent to Part2. If im planning to study at Australia, which University or institution am i able to look into(such as Melb.U, Queesnland U, other than Curtin U?) or im qualified to study the 2 years for Bachelor of Architecture and is it accreditation by the Malaysia Government for PAM Part2?
You may proceed to Curtin for Master, however, if Curtin is not your choice, you are always recommended for Melbourne U. PAM is recognized Curtin Master. PLease refer to PAM for more infromation!


above are the information i got it from LUCT's daniel...
as you can see... i'm serious for going Part 2... therefore, if... i graduated from the Master degree(which completed part2).... do i still need to worry for job applying in Malaysia or OTHERS country?

here are my answers:

if u have any degree that is accredited/recognized as part 2 by LAM or RIBA, u wont have much of a problem applying jobs in msia or other countries. even LAM's part 2 is being recognized worldwide as equivalent to RIBA part 2, hence alot of malaysian graduates are working in the UK, ireland, hongkong and china to name a few.

what u should worry is whether LAM is gonna make a fuss over ur LKW's non-part 1 degree in the future. LAM has been known to tighten its grip to protect the profession. i cant predict the future, but even if they did tighten it, u can always sit for the part 1 exam anytime .

Azari,

Where is KL UTM? I googled; City Campus, Jln Semarak...
I have no idea where its is...
Any Campus or shopping malls or famous place near there?

Thanks,