Ici magazine final final

ArchitectFoundation in Natural & Built EnvironmentJanuary 2015

Ar. SW LeeEXCLUSIVE

Detached Unitfavourite design

Roles & Responsibilities of an Architect

SW Lee Architecthis company

Company Profile: SW Lee ArchitectInterviewee Profile: SW LeeRoles & ResponsibilityProjects Involved Project #1: Detached UnitProject #2: Mini Convention CentreDifferences between Two ProjectsReflection

Ar.Lee formed his

own company - S W Lee Architect with a new approach which i s t o d e v e l o p a company which can stay ahead in design, suit the contextual env i ronment , and based on a unique c o n c e p t . H e p e r s o n a l l y h a n d picked his staffs with a g o o d c r e a t i v e q u a l i t y a n d c o m m i t m e n t . H i s company started out with a team of 8 members and started up a small office in Taman Bukit Emas.

Content

SW Lee ArchitectCOMPANY PROFILE

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Ar. SW Lee

Ar. Lee had been working for 25 years as an architect. He studied architecture in the

National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1982 and finished his masters in 1988. He then worked as an architect for 4 years in Singapore. After 4 years of working experience in Singapore, he started a partnership company in Seremban named Architect Saujana. Finally, in year 1995, he started his own company named SW Lee Architect.

INTERVIEWEE PROFILE

He have his own way of dealing with different clients,. He is flexible in his approach especially to those who are extra fussy. Some of the clients do not know what they want so it ’s his responsible to lead and advice them.

What keeps him going on his journey as an architect was the satisfaction when each project was completed and it is appreciated by the clients. He will be motivated to do better every single time to fulfill the client’s requirements.

NEVERsay die

&NEVERgive up

“

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Basically, an architect fulfill the

requirements of every clients based on the types of projects offered. He will have to come out with various conceptual design sketches and put them into drawings for submission and construction. In addition, he will also have to help in preparing many tender documents and work alongside with contractors. During construction, he is responsible to supervise the works on site and check whether the works are done accordingly to their drawings as well as solving every problem that arise during construction. He is also authorized to issue the Cert ificate of Compl iance and Completion ( CCC ) when the building is completed.

Roles & Responsibilities

S o m e o f t h e c o m m o n problems faced are technical p rob lems tha t a r i se dur ing construction period for example errors in the joints, the building was not built accordingly to the plan provided.

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Projects Involved He is in charge of various projects ranging

from the smallest to the slightly bigger ones namely residential buildings, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, educational buildings and many more.

For the residential building, he was employed to design bungalows, housing areas, semi-detached units and detached units.

On the other hand, he had designed shop lots, hotels and shopping malls which falls under the category of commercial buildings.

For the industrial building, he was employed to design a factory at Port Klang as well as schools which are educational buildings.

He is also involved in many other projects for example, hospitals, community blocks and etc.

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Residential Building

Commercial Building

Industrial Building

Educational Building

Hospital

One of his favourite project designing a

resort style detached unit. The design process for the detached unit begins with analyzing the site which includes a few main aspects namely topography, microclimate, visual study and character of the site. Then, a brief will be given by the client and he will have to plan accordingly to the client’s requirements. For this project, he was requested to design a resort style detached unit which blends the inside and outside. The client also requested that the detached unit must have good ventilation , shade and comfort. A conceptual design will be proposed

a f ter combin ing a l l the ideas and requirements of the client. After having an overall idea of the design, he then draw out the bui ld ing using computer aided software’s like AutoCAD and Sketchup.

A budget for the detached unit will be establish as soon as the plans are ready. He will get advices from other profession about the building which includes the suitability of design, and the estimated cost and time of construction.

Detached UnitPROJECT #1

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After the client has approved the outcome of the design, it will be send to the local authorities for approval. After the approval, const ruct ion is ab le to s tar t . Dur ing construction, regular site visits are needed to ensure the project is running on time and to the building specifications as well as resolving any problems that arise during the construction period.

The legal and contractual procedures for all the projects are quite the same which is to prepare an award letter and a contractor document to the successful contractor as it will spell out all the terms and conditions for the contractors to finish their work. Submission of progressive reports on the progress of the construction to local authorities are also needed to keep them updated at anytime.

Next, he will propose the design to the client for approval by using plans, sketched and models. He will also answer every question that the clients asked and make changes if there is any.

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There are some problems met during construction of this detached unit. First is the retaining wall issues because it is connected to the neighbouring wall. In order to solve this problem , they need to do it carefully so the retaining wall will not affect the neighbour’s existing wall.

Secondly, the swimming pool in the centre of the detached unit is a heavy structure which cannot be connected to the other structure of the building. It will make the whole structure fall apart due to its weight. Since it is a heavy structure, it should be built independently and not tied back to the back of the main building structure. So, it won’t affect the main building if there is any crack or sink.

This project takes around 2 to 3 years’ time to complete it.

Mini Convention Centre

PROJECT #2

The inspiration of design concepts is implemented from company’s philosophy which stresses on creativity in the designs and also come out with daring and bold ideas. He said that we should think out of box and be creative in order to get an attractive design.

The second projects which he was quite

satisfied with was the mini convention centre which is still under the process of approval.

The chosen site for the mini convention centre is located at Taman Seremban which is surrounded by a commercial area with many shop lots. It was designed with 49 units of hotel rooms, a commercial block at the ground floor, an event hall for functions to be held and a mini theatre.

Site Location:

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For the detached unit, the site is chosen by the client beforehand. The client then look

for an architect ,which is me, to visit and analyze the site for further design process. As for the convention centre, the site was no chosen. In fact, after I have been employed by the client, I have to search for a site that is suitable for the construction of the convention centre in consideration of the location, the needs of the community at that particular area, then analyze a few chosen site and propose to the client. The client will then select from the few sites that I have chosen through visitations to the sites and through my analysis.

Differences and contrast between the

two projects

For the detached unit, I just need to fulfill a small number of clients, for example, the family members of that particular detached unit as I just have to fulfill their requirements. On the other hand, for the convention centre, I have to fulfill a large number of people, not just the client but also the community. Therefore, I wil l have to put the requirements of the client and the requirements of the community at that area in consideration as the convention centre is built for the community, not just the client.

Landscape is one of the most important component for the detached unit where I have to design and think where and how the landscapes of the house should be like. For example, for this detached unit, there is an open space right in the middle of the house , which is the grand living. I have designed an indoor landscape as one of the requirements of this project is to blend the inside and outside.There are just minor consideration of landscapes for the convention centre as the open areas should be car parking areas. There are just a small area of landscape compared to the detached unit.

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Well, it’s obvious that the work load of the convention centre is far more heavier than the detached unit as there are more details to be considered.

The budget for the detached unit is low and more flexible compared to the convention centre as it is a private property with no business intention. The detached unit is their home so the client are willing to pay more provided it is necessary to make their home a better place to live in. As for the convention centre, the budget is higher as it is five times bigger than the detached unit. Besides, it is a business based project so the budget is restricted as most of the clients involved are business minded and will not consider to pay more if there is really not necessary.

The legal process of the detached unit is slightly shorter compared to the convention centre as the convention centre is a much bigger project which will have a bigger impact on the community. Therefore, the process will take about 3 to 4 years for approval as the local authorities will have to look very deeply in it.

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Madeline Liew Zhi Qi

Reflection

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Lee Yet Yee

Law Jia Xin Lim Woo Leon Lee Lin Hui

Koo Jian Xiang

Prepared by:

Throughout the process of interviewing the architect, we were able to have an in-depth understanding of what an architect do in the construction industry. In addition, we gained more knowledge on the roles and responsibilities of an architect which helped us to have a clearer picture of what we are going to do in the future as an architect. We also learned more about the design process of a building which will be a guideline for us when designing any types of buildings.

Besides gaining more knowledge of architecture, we were inspired by looking at the different projects done by our interviewee and his passion towards architecture had motivated us to strive harder in becoming a successful architect in the future just like him. We also gained some useful tips on how to deal with different clients in the future which is an important skill for us.

In the process of making the magazine, we learned how to cooperate with different type of personality and find the best solution to produce a good magazine. We also learned how to interpret information from the conversation which is an important aspect for us in our future studies.

Last but not least, we learned how to accept different o p i n i o n s f r o m each of our team m e m b e r . T h i s really helped us to i m p r o v e o u r interpersonal skill a n d w e w e r e h a p p y t h a t everything went out well till the end of the project with much satisfaction.

FNBE | January 2015 Intake | Introduction to the Construction Industry | Project 1B Lee Yet Yee | Madeline Liew Zhi Qi | Law Jia Xin | Lim Woo Leon | Lee Lin Hui | Koo Jian Xiang

His target of being an architect is to leave behind a legacy as he will not be around forever but there is something that was left behind to remember of.