Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid is by far a massive influence to designers all over the world, she unexpectedly die at the age of 65 from a hearth attack. Not only is she "the first woman architect to achieve notable celebrity," also her divers geograohical commissions mean that she will most probably remain "the best-known woman architect  on the planet for many years."

Her multicultural upbringing meant "she was both a woman in a field dominated by men, and a person of colour in a very white industry." she attended school in Beirut and later on moved to London, where it all started, Hadid always kept the same things in her designs which are : "angular, swooping,structurally complicated - more like exterrestrial colonies that concert halls."Hadid is a big influence to up coming designers including my self. With great fame and responsibility comes big controversies such as the controversy in Qatar..

  This project is currently in progress and is one of 5 stadiums being built for 2026 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. A lot of criticism was given to the initial design but is now stuck in a controversy where the working condition for migrant workers involved in many of the projects of Qatar's World Cup. It is said to have reportedly take over 1,000 workers lives during the construction of the facilities, after a lot of criticism Hadid stated that :“It’s not my duty as an architect to look at it.” all this criticism didn't stop them and despite receiving criticism from government officials, critics and Architects the stadiums are still in construction. 

 Although this problem has come up Hadid and her architects will remain an inspiration to all us designers and is and will be a great influence on women as she surly left an impact on the world with her glorious designs. 

Adaptive reuse of old abandoned buildings

 This weeks title is about my proposal title from an assignment we have this semester which is is the adaptive reuse of old abandoned buildings.I would like to talk about this topics as it is a very controversial topic as in nowadays world industrial areas all over the world are facing a serious problem… which is that of industrial buildings shifting to bigger places and also in different states which means the old smaller buildings are all being left empty. made in such countries as America this is not a problem as places such as Malta. Although the States and other large countries such as Norway, Germany, England and many more… This is something that astonishes me as in Malta we are in dire need of projects like this due to our size and area available on the island. Below i will talk about some projects that where already done and I could explain on how we can benefit highly with projects such as this.  

These industrial buildings don't need to only be actual factories but could also be places such as old unused Parking lots as Proposed in New York City where an old Parking lot has been granted the green light to become a  19 story residential tower having around 170,000 square feet of space  including 56 apartments, a multilevel gym, tenant recreational room, children’s playroom, bike storage, 150 parking spaces for residents and will be topped off with a 23,000 square feet for retail scattered all on the ground floor. With one apartment measuring around a very large space of  2,153 square feet with 6 apartments being duplexes with private terraces. The project started its construction this year and is expected to conclude sometime in 2017. 

Not only does The reuse of the buildings have to be all residential. Back in Germany for example the Hiedelberg Design competition winner in Stadtwerke Hiedelberg, the project is currently a cylindrically shaped storage centre. In the near future this storage centre will be changed into a “dynamic sculpture, city icon, and knowledge hub for sustainable energy…” as stated in the Arch Daily article. its known to have around 20,000 diamond shaped plates made with “thin stainless steel will be hooked to an elastic connection in the meshes of a steel outer network, allowing them t twist up to 90 degrees in the wind.” During the night the structure will be lit internally giving a pleasant scene. The aim of such a project is that visitors can learn about “the challenges of energy transition in the city of heidelberg,” 

Such Projects link together and to my proposal as they all take different landmarks which are all abandoned and people are actually making use of such land. Such projects should be implemented in small islands like Malta. I would like to focus more on the residential side of the project and try to come up with a design which incorporates the historical connection to the building   but also giving it that contemporary vibe. Obviously a project like this wont happen in a fortnight but I think that we should encourage such projects in order to save more of our precious countryside. What these projects have done to its surrounding was that of bringing the committee more together and also giving it a new way of looking at a space. That is the message I would like to send as it saves precious unused space and brings the community more together. 

References:

• Baird-Remba, Rebecca. "Garage To Luxury Apartment Conversion At 152 East 87Th Street Gets A New Rendering - New York YIMBY". New York YIMBY. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Dec. 2016.

• "ENERGY STORAGE CENTRE » LAVA". L-a-v-a.net. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Dec. 2016.

• "LAVA Unveils Transformation Of Energy Storage Center Into A City Icon In Germany". ArchDaily. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

Sustainable Agrivoltaic systems

This semester we where given the task to create  shapeshifting Agrivoltaic system. This title basically means pv panels for farms, with the limitations that the system has to be foldable and could gather all rain water as possible. This assignment came to place as last year the course of engineering had attempted this project and the design was very square and boring. the institute taught that it would be a good idea for us to give it a try.... This project is a first as this is a project which is still in its infant stages. With all this comes a lot of pros and cons some of which could have been avoided.

   Such projects need to first of all have a better introduction. Both to us and to the tutor in charge from the institutes side. Another thing  should be that the tutor should be abit more educated about the project and how these things work. Also frequent visits should be happening from the engineering side or atlas a contact of some sort so that we could at least clarify some problems. With these types of systems there are some things that worry me abit and are of abit of a concern. This system is not a normal one such as some greenhouses that are being done in malta which when the lifetime of the panel comes to an end the greenhouse will still be functional and could easily be replaced. On the other hand with our system once the life of the panels has arrived, you will either have to lose the whole thing or refit the panels which I personally don't think it will be a cheap fix. This is another problem.... The cost, these projects are going to cost a fortune to buy and maintain, ok "you will get your money back by time" the tutors stated but lets face it what farmer will be willing to (mess up) his farm to install such a thing for a short time only (around 20 years) for some sustainable system. All that he will gain is the money from the electricity, which will probably not gain him enough to pay for the system, the water is already stored in most farms. I have two big concerns which will also affect the project and which I dont agree on The main tutor from the engineering side said that the Planning authority currently does not accept such project in farms, he told us not to worry ( I think he has a friend in the government or something of the sort), well that worries me a lot as Most probably they will get the go ahead and emend the clause saying its allowed and when a lot of financial and environmental problems will occur they will change it back. Which could be abit too late. Also My second scare is the fact that on the island we do not have the adequate space or equipment to dispose of these units. These can't just be thrown away as they have a type of liquid which is toxic and very bad for the environment consequently costing a fortune to dispose of. So basically the farmer will always be forking out money to do anything to this system. 

   This system isn't all about negative sides and will be beneficial for some commercial farms and also for people who are nowadays buying land to just put panels in them. It also gives a good modern view from roads near farm land, it will help the crops and farmers to have the perfect shelter from the bad elements but at the same time not closing everything up like greenhouses. This will give a breath of fresh air to the systems and gives us more possibilities to invest and make use of out sustainable energy here on the island . We will benefit with such projects to the right investors. 

High Rise Buildings In MALTA

This is a highly debatable subject... is high rise buildings good for Malta and what is it bringing to the  economy and to the land on the island. The first high rise building in malta was Portomaso Tower, A 23 story tower in which is mainly used for office use, with a  club on the top level, residences for multi millionaires, a marina and a lovely promenade to walk trough with restaurants all around. Portomaso was completed in the year 2000 and is the tallest high-rise building in malta at the moment and "it is today considered to be the island's most exclusive residential, leisure and business address...".


Although Portomaso is the tallest of it's kind in the near future lets say in around 10 year it will be one of the smallest of its kind on the island. The biggest concern is with the recent go ahead of the 2 40 story buildings in Sliema. These Skyscraper status buildings has raised a massive controversy and alot of concerns mainly from residents, environmentalists local councils and also the average man on the street so basically the majority of the population.Basically the completion of  Portomaso started all this as said by some people. In my opinion I don't think that this is the case as with nowadays policies and seeing who are the investors of these 2 buildings they would have still gotten the permits needed. These buildings not only means a big transformation to the coastline and its surroundings but means that the high end property behind these towers will drop drastically in price as they would not have any views or sunlight to hit some apartments. Another project similar to these is the 36 story Corinthia 6 star Hotel in St Georges Bay in St Julians.The €400 million project is aimed to bring more high end spending tourists to the island. This will be The biggest project in it's industry on the island. There are more examples of potential high rise buildings in malta but if I had to sat something about all of them I will never stop typing... 

My opinion on this subject is abit controversial as I kind of agree with the fact of high rise buildings but I then don't agree on some factors. The pros of having high rise buildings in malta is good because more virgin land could remain on the island and you are using more used or abandoned land  for these projects and also brings more space for new residences as we are growing at a fast pace  . On the other hand what I don't agree on is the fact that these buildings are being built exactly infront of the sea whilst blocking the blocks behind it, I mean 40 stories is no joke it will affect the neighing apartments drastically, another point is the fact that these apartments are going to probably be super expensive which only foreign multi milliners could afford similar to what happened with Tigne' and Forth Cambridge,which is not helping the footprint as local people still need to buy a place to live at an affordable price.Last but not least these high rise buildings should only be located in one are if they had to be built as I think its not fair not to give a chance to the investors but then don't over do it with building them all over the island. An in-between has to be found between the consumer and investor for these types of projects and I feel that for once we need to take honest decisions and do whats best for malta and its breath taking promenade and not favour something because of who the investor is and who he knows.....

References :

• "Portomaso | Tumas Group". Tumas.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.
•  GmbH, Emporis. "Portomaso Business Tower, Saint Julian's | 136726 | EMPORIS". Emporis.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.
• Ltd, Allied. "Up, Up And Away: The Tower Economics Of High-Rise Buildings". Times of Malta. N.p., 2016. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.
• "Updated: Corinthia Group Confirms €400 Million Investment In Six-Star Hotel In St Julian's - The Malta Independent". Independent.com.mt. N.p., 2016. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

Ali Ferzat

Ali Ferzat was born back in 1951. He is a Syrian political cartoonist which has published around 15,000 drawings between Syrian ,Arab and international newspapers and has become one of the most sought after cartoonists in the world. 

Artists such as Charlie Hebdo’s team and Ferzat have lived power from below clearly as Hebdo’s artists death was one because he mocked prophet muhammad in some of their cartoons. The audience around the world was all asking “ How could someone holding a pen pose such a treat to another person…” Ferzat has encountered some brutalities in the shortcoming past where back in 2011 his fingers where shattered after criticising the Syrian president.

 Ferzat has been an ideal example of power from below and of political corruption, he is now exiled from the state of Kuwait because of his drawings and he puts the blame on “ the regime for the well understood message: ‘ Someone holding a pen can be seen as a threat’.” he also encountered Power from below also when he was threatened by Sadam Hussein himself, His work brought him fame but also got him a lot of enemies with politicians all round the states. He was also banned from Jordon in Libya. Ferzat thinks of his drawings as a “mission” and I think that if all the violence didn't stop him nothing will and states that “ I was born to be a cartoonist,to oppose to have differences with regimes that do these bad things.This is what I do”.

The problem with these artists is the fact that these artists can’t speak out their voice and opinions with drawings. The corruption and brainwashing is so evident in these states is very evident as the amount of deaths and vandalism done from not only politicians but mainly followers is unreal. as Ferzat once stated during an interview “I was not surprised about what happened. Those artists did not carry a gun or a weapon. They only carried a pen, just like I did. It appears that the pen is mightier than any weapon.”

References:

 "The Broken Fingers Of Syrian Cartoonist Ali Ferzat". from.sham.with love. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

Power from Below

What i think “Power from below” means is a prevailing perspective on power which cannot explain why political protests from the bottom of societies can sometimes result in reforms that reflect the grievances of the protestors. 

something similar to what i could relate “Power from Below” was a particular case where we had this assignment and this particular tutor gave us the set brief and started giving us extra work to do at home.It was supposed to be exercises that will help us… anyways the lecturer gave us a lot of importance to them and at the same time we had to do both the work expected and this extra help. now with 4 other assignments it wasn't easy and the work of us students was what it was and when the deadlines arrived the pressure was on to finish all the expected work. The final result wasn't perfect i have to admit but it was acceptable. when the results came out we noticed that half the class or habit more had failed by a really bit something like 3 marks or so, we had asked the lecturer to meet up with us and we net as a course and the meeting commenced, he was supposed to stay and listen to our questions and try help us but instead he just gave us nearly the same amount of work in the previous brief and told us you have 2 weeks to complete good luck…. which in my opinion is a perfect example of  the title, as a course we decided to send an email out an hear our voices as the bottom of society would do to show that it’s un fair that we are treated like this.. anyways we had this meeting and the date was moved and at the end we mostly all passed. 

My point about this circumstance was that in societies like school the hierarchy system shouldn't be used. but we should all work together for one goal which is get the best mark possible and work harder.Sometimes we have lectures that help us to succeed but a lot of the times we find a lot of lecturers which only want to give us a really hard time and push us more than our limits… I understand that that is a style of teaching and I personally use this teaching methods when at work but there is a limit to where you stop pushing, Us students of MCAST should have more freedom to speak about our concerns and actually work on them, I know it’s hard dealing with all these students but atlas they could try and change some things. I guess it’s time for the students to start acting and hopefully one day something will happen.

Criticising The Institute

This week we where given the task to criticise the institute of the Creative Arts,the institute has a lot of good qualities and offers a lot of courses such as spatial design, product design, graphic design, fine arts and much more.On the other hand the institute has a some bad aspects of which the institute doesn't have control on such as: Student influx which is massively increasing over the years, the problem with classes and timetable times and also parking is becoming a problem because if the growth of the institute. Having said that the institute has a lot of flaws that they could be fixed such as the need of fans or air conditioners or at least not obstruct the only air supply in the room with panels.
With the second year with the new system is being a bit more clear of how the system works as last year was a little bit shaky from everyones side as it was all new. Another thing that the institute could consider is employing new teachers as they seem to be getting tired and it will finally effect us students. Having a full day from 8 - 6:30 isn't easy on anyone..... The institute should also consider giving the Degree students a room where they can call theirs in order to finish as much work as they can during school hours as at the moment we waste a minimum of an hour just to find a place to stay out of campus as there is no space where we can work, I appreciate that the institute is small and doesn't have the space but a better wifi system and some benches in the garden or canteen area with some plugs wont break the bank and is very easy to do. I hope that the situation of space and student friendly places will get better. I appreciate  that its not easy to get funds and that its not easy but I'm re with some pressure and coverage we can get there faster.

contoversies in Spatial Design

   
    According to the Cambridge Dictionary a controversy is something "where a lot of disagreement or argument about something" most of the time this occurs because its very important or affect certain amount of people. In the design sector a lot of controversy is brought up as a lot of different opinions are out there. Some international controversies are:

- Sagrada Familia - Antonio Gaudi,




This building is very controversial due to the fact that the project is still incomplete. A lot of architects have tried putting their own footprint on this project, Even Le Corbusier was unsuccessful, this project is estimated to be done in 2026 to mark the century of Gaudi's death 144 years after it all began. 








- The Eiffel Tower - Gustave Eiffel,

As the Parisian novelist Guy De Maupassant said back in the 1880's " It's the only place in Paris where I can eat and not see that hideous tower." This tower has had its fair share of controversial criticism by Parisians, A lot of Anti Tower campaigns where taking place at the time, the tower was being criticised in the way where they where calling it names such as "Giant block smokestack" and " a tragic streetlamp" However since its opening back in 1889 the tower has seen over 250 million people.


-  Sydney Opera House - Jorn Utzon,

The initial design was rejected by the competition design committee. Finally the project was chosen and was granted 18 million AUD and was supposed to take 18 months to construct, but because the tower cranes had to be custom built  and Jorn being a perfectionist the progress was very slow. 10 years later the project was still not completed and the government seized the funds and stopped construction,Under new management the project continued with some changes, it was estimated to take nearly an extra 10 years to complete and ended up costing around 102 million AUD. The project was completed in 16 years and was opened back in 1999.




-   Al Wakrah Stadium - Zaha Hadid Architects,


This is one of Zaha Hadid's most controversial projects. This project is currently in progress and is one of 5 stadiums being built for 2026 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. A lot of criticism was given to the initial design but is now stuck in a controversy where the working condition for migrant workers involved in many of the projects of Qatar's World Cup. It is said to have reportedly take over 1,000 workers lives during the construction of the facilities, after a lot of criticism Hadid stated that :“It’s not my duty as an architect to look at it.” all this criticism didn't stop them and despite receiving criticism from government officials, critics and Architects the stadiums are still in construction. 




- Valletta City Gate Masterplan - Renzo Piano,


This is the most controversial subject in Malta at the moment the project which started back in 2011 cost approximately 80 million Euros. Although that didn't spark this big controversy, The real controversy started with the MODERN features in the gate which caused a lot of disagreement with the public. Mostly because the current gate doesn't resemble the Baroque Architecture which is featured in most parts of the city, even more controversy was brought up with the new parliament as a lot of people didn't agree with the "semi- complete look."But the biggest controversy was the new parliament where the citizen didn't think that the building supports the surrounding and also doesn't show all the historic and cultural representations. This is quite essential when you have a city with 320 monuments in an area of around 55 hectares, making it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world as stated by UNESCO.  

References:

MacLeod, F. (2014, November 29). The 9 most controversial buildings of all time. Retrieved October 21, 2016, from http://www.archdaily.com/573271/the-9-most-controversial-buildings-of-all-time
The Controversial Renzo Piano City Gate - Part 1 | Choosemalta.Com Blog". Blog.choosemalta.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

Week 2 (Crisis)

This week we need to talk to about a crisis that happened to us and how we dealt with it. My incident goes back to two summers ago in august where work organised a sailing trip to Gozo with the advanced group of sailors, I was the head coach of this trip and a lot of pre planning and safety was needed, on the day going up to gozo was all plain sailing and the kids had a blast, we set up the camps and set a fire going to start cooking dinner. The night passed fine and the next morning we set off to go back to malta as the kids had a race to attend two days later, on the way down it was a typical summers day, the kids where on there way and by the time we got to cirkewwa the group started to separate. but the coaches separated as we had two ribs and the situation was under control until when we arrived to the fish farms out of St Pauls Bay and infront of us I saw this massive black cloud coming towards us which meant two things its either a hell load of rain or a big squal(storm).I radiod the other coaches and we took the decision to take the kids in to shelter in the nearest bay, but it was to late as the rain hit and 200m away from one of the boats a twister appears, the storm had hit us and it hit us badly and the number 1 rule when stuck in a storm is iff you can sail sail in to safety and iff you can't sail stay on the boat. whilst the storm we had two accidents which consisted in a boat loosing a mast and being picked up by a fishing trawler and later dropped off at the bay, and another student getting knocked out concussed and dropped was off and went straight to hospital with anther coach, after the storm we re grouped and checked that everything was ok and set back to sailing down to the club. we dealt with the situation by staying calm as we had experienced storms like these many times and told the kids not to get scared and sail to safety, other precautions we could have taken was prepare the sails just incase a storm hit but the way it all happened was totally unexpected. Also a 3 day forecast from more than one weather site would have been helpful. All in all i think I would take bit more precaution next time a trip is planned.      

WEEK 1 (Back To School)

With summer over the beginning of a new scholastic year means a big change in routine, It was abit difficult to getting back to school.The first day wasn't as bad as we only got two briefs handed to us, they both seemed very interesting and links a lot to what i would like to focus on in the future, our first brief was about Design Principles which i found very interesting, the assignment is based all year round and which will help us get  better final result. The other assignment is all about Residential Design which is played out on the span of a semester which we will be covering how to design a residential space, we were assigned a plot near the institute and located high containers, the aim of this assignment is that we create a residence for guest artists that visit the institute, the work load till now seems sufficient and hopefully i will manage everything ahead of schedule not like last year where everything was left till the last minute.the mood i started with this year was a good one as luckily the load was gradually placed on us as www didn't get all the assignments one day which gives me a better idea on planning my week and how to start working. the downside was that the school is still the same and the problem with space is still there as there isn't enough space where students can sit and talk..... the other downside is the fact that not all rooms have air-conditions or ones that work... but its understandable, the only understandable thing is why isn't there atlas one fan in the rooms which don't have air conditioners it was an unpleasant time when in one of these lectures as it was way to hot and also everyone was grumbling bout the heat. all in all it was a good week and i hope it would be a good scholastic year all together .