Publika: Creative Retail

Busy week for us, first we have to get Chapter Two up and about the blog, raise funds for our charity and now, we had a chance to unwind a little and go SHOPPING!

Sculptures, sculptures everywhere.

We visited Publika on Sunday, with intention to unwind and look around for things or places that might inspire us for one of our other subject. Lucky us there was a flea market happening, the Publika flea market happens every last Sunday of the month, so we considered ourselves lucky to be there to see it.

Monthly 'last' Sunday flea market 

And these are some of the things being sold at the flea market, some were surprisingly good valued and some, really 'surprisingly' high priced.

B.I.G. rice and spice area

Shhhh.... we're not supposed to take pictures but the display was really attractive not to, please don't sue us.

Mmmmm...FOOD.

And there comes a time where we get hungry, almost every time we step foot out of the house. Visit Publika and find out which eatery we've dine at, price was a bit high but the atmosphere was nice.

Also, special thanks to Leo's mum for fetching us there and back as well as treating us to lunch. Thanks auntie!

P.S. For our miscellaneous post, we're planning to do it in photo collage style to show as many nice pictures as we can without crowding the post, so leave a comment to tell us what you think about it.

CHAPTER 2.2: Kedai Runcit Activities

Back to business. And hopefully this will be shorter than its precedent part.

Activities in the kedai runcit

In the above diagram, what we did was pull out one of the main walls of the building along with the attached perpendicular partitions to show the function of the spaces more apparently.

1. Display area - items are laid out on shelves to be display and browsed by the customers.

2. Payment area - Items chosen are paid for.

3. Storage room - New stock are stored in the room and are replenished from time to time.

4. Rest area - Includes the small bedroom and TV area for the shop owner to relax and unwind when there are no customers.

Generally, the space is publicly for displaying and selling grocery with a small private area to lounge around when there are no customers around.

And that's it! Ahhh, a nice short post to complete Chapter Two of our blog, Chapter Three will be up soon enough so check back with us later. Cheerio! 

Dualism[A]

Back with more miscellaneous posts! Our Chapter Two was out late due to our 'wild' party night at University Malaya last Thursday. 

Getting there

So, we got lost. On the way to UM, had to call our lecturer to guide us there. How happy the bunch of us were when we saw the road sign bearing the words 'University Malaya'.

Installation helping out with our charity drive, thanks guys!

The installation was done by the architecture students for a competition in the event and we hung our key-chains to be display and given as a donation souvenir.

Our babies

The production of the key-chains were the most time consuming, but it was eye-opening, experiencing working in 'poor' conditions with only the moonlight shining on us late at night.

We also had an ulterior motive when we agreed to help out at the installation on Thursday, we wanted to see our school's performance. It was hands down the best! And we won first place!

Woo-hoo! Now forgive us for the late post and we'll see you in the next post, ta-ta.

CHAPTER 2.1: Design Analysis

Olé! We're back with the design analysis of the building. This generally means we're going to talk about the building in terms of how the space can be categorize and how is it arrange to meet the requirements of the function of this kedai runcit.

Form of the building

Based on the plan of the kedai runcit, it has a rather strong linearity by the linear growth through the repetition of forms in the building.

Space relationship

As this kedai runcit is mainly for grocery shopping, which is publicly exposed, the private space can be more specifically defined with the use of walls in terms of adjacent spacing.

Dominant space

Since the main function of the kedai runcit is to sell stuff, there is a spatial hierarchy of the display and payment area as compared to the private areas.

Element differentiating spaces

And due to the arrangement of the shelves in a repetitive order, there is a physical barrier that partially encloses the private area visually.

Paths inside the kedai runcit

Also influenced by the shelf arrangement, intersecting paths are created within the area at a regular interval that configures a grid path.

Type of spacing

Along with the grid path configuration, the spaces established are of pass-by spaces where people can easily go around to view the items on display.

Type of circulation space

Considering that the configuration of the circulation is directly influenced by the shelving, the enclosed circulation space would be of consequence to the height of the shelving as well.

Scale and proportion

In the diagram above, structural proportion is where the proportion of the building is set by the structural elements like the roof truss, in this case.

Building approach

Being placed off the road slightly off a T-junction, the approach to the building is of the oblique type where the entrance of the kedai runcit is not wholly and directly visible.

Type of entrance

With the overhang of the roof, a projected entrance is naturally erected which also serves to provide an overhead shelter for rain and shine.

Horizontal element

Due to the building's location, the horizontal base plane can be clearly defined by the change of material in which the asphalt road transits into the kedai runcit's cement rendered floor.

Vertical element

In light of the access and egress of the building which is the whole front of the kedai runcit, the vertical planes that defines the space entirely is of a u-shaped, allowing visual and spatial continuity into the building.

Type of opening

As for the opening, a simple two panel louver windows are place within the vertical elements as part of the building requirement where there is a need for a minimum size of opening. 

Longitudinal section of the kedai runcit

Oh, finally. The section above shows the spaces with human interaction and a sense of the activities going on in the kedai runcit.

Phew, sorry for the long post but we think it's easier to grasp the idea if it was done individually rather that grouping all the information in one, so enjoy scrolling and we'll see you next post. Good day!

CHAPTER 2.0: A Kedai Runcit

'Ello, everyone! We're back with a fresh new chapter which will focus more on architectural stuff, so read through to see what we see.

Plan of the kedai runcit

Our chosen public building is a grocery store, also commonly referred to as the kedai runcit locally. Coming into the building, the first thing you see would be the payment area, display area and then to a more private area consisting of a small TV area, a bedroom and a storeroom.

Elevation of the kedai runcit

The kedai runcit is a detached single-storey building, located off the road at a T-junction (at where we were dropped off, if you remember, if not, refer to Chapter 1.0), beside the local masjid or mosque, which is frequented by locals for typical everyday staples like bread loaves, canned tuna, personal hygienic products etc.

This will be a short post to introduce you to our building, the next one will be on our analysis of the design of the building so keep checking back with us. Thanks!

CHAPTER 1.4: Daily Rituals of Kampung Life

After understanding the system, now let us show you what people of the kampung do. This is based on the lifestyle auntie Latifah shared with us when we interviewed her, it might not hold true for the kampung as a whole but it's close enough.

Rise and shine!

She wakes up at the crack of dawn, it has something to do with being old and unable to sleep for more than 4 hours straight, we kind of understand that feeling of wanting to sleep but unable to (ugh, assignments).

Clean up like anyone, anywhere, would

Scrub, scrub, brush, brush. Spick and span, ready to tan. (You'll get us soon enough)

Pandan or 'pandanus amaryllifolius' cultivation

A little snip here and there, and that's how she spends her time. With pandans, huh. Note: she didn't mean to kill the pandans as depicted in the illustration (misleading dead pandan going to heaven, if you haven't noticed), its over dramatized, but you get us. (you do, don't you?)

And here comes the nasty sun

AAAAAND this is how she tans! Blazing, hot sun around noon, leading to her stopping her pandan massacre, phew... but her turban keeps her fairly cool, we suspect, since she was standing in the sun the whole while we were dying in the heat interviewing her.

Gotong royong

Annually, there would be a gotong royong or mutual aid party where the people of the kampung comes together to give aid to those who need it, traditionally it was house building or farming patch construction, now it's mostly the cleaning up of the kampung itself.

The attack of the wild boars (lets just pretend there's more coming, alright?)

Snort, snort, comes the boar. It was in the past but it had greatly effected her veggie plantation at her yard, and it wasn't a pleasant surprise to her, either. Scary stuff the boars are. And gotong royongs comes in handy to get rid of those nasty boars.

Alms giving

And in relation to their religion, there is a thing called zakat or alms where the richer will donate part of their income that will be distributed to the less wealthy, and it helps in supporting those people who are less fortunate.

Dancing BANANA!

Well, not literally dancing bananas, but during the fruiting seasons of the many types of trees on her yard, she or her nephews would sit out at a make-do hut around the trees to wait for it to fall (like durians) or to collect it (like BANANAS).

Prepping lunch or dinner, those might be onions in the wok

After spending her day wandering around, doing pretty much nothing, she cooks for her siblings and their kids. She's single, if you're wondering.

Nom nom nom

Dishes are usually accompanied by plain white rice, simple but comforting. However, her siblings does take her out for dinner when there's an occasion or when she's not cooking.

This pretty much sums up her day: wake up, do some gardening, wash, cook and finally repeat. It might sound boring to you, but to her, its way better than moving into the city with her brother, where it would be like a cage for her, not being able to just walk around without worrying and her pandans, lets not forget that.

BUT BUT BUT... things are a little different when the festive season is here. They celebrate it with their family and friends and the kampung committee will organize a banquet for the people to enjoy. These activities bring the people together along with the existence of gotong royongs and the zakat code.

Food, more FOOD

Hari Raya Aidilfitri, or simply Hari Raya, is a prominent festive, celebrated throughout Malaysia and other Islamic nations. People gather to celebrate the end of Ramadan, the fasting month, and to get together. But according to auntie Latifah, kids come by these days only for the money they'll be getting (tsk tsk) when they paid a visit to the elders.

Sorry cows, and vegetarians for this gory illustration

Another celebration, the Qurban, where livestock animals are sacrificed in honour of a prophet who was willing to sacrifice his son (the son understood the implications of the sacrifice, so no hard feelings but in the end a ram took the place of the son) for his god. And the celebration is a symbolic representation of that particular occurrence.

Poor cows, but it's for a good cause.

The meat and skin of the sacrificed mammal would be donated to the poor but never sold for a profit, as dictated by the laws of the religion.

With all these happening, the kampung people would get along and help each other out when the need arises and this quality of life is slowly fading from our society.

And with this post, we come to the end of Chapter One. From Chapter Two onwards, we will be talking more significantly on buildings in relation to our studies, so we hope you will stay tuned to this blog for more updates. Toodles!

BABY! Raya Visit

Wondering what took us so long to post our stuff up? This:

Mmmmm~~

And this:

Cute, no?

Note: This is not our baby, we're to busy anyways to have one, meh. This bundle of joy belongs to one of our history lecturer and we paid her a visit at her home, and snap a picture of her baby, there's no copyright infringement here, right?

The proud father, also a lecturer of ours, buying lemang and rendang as a treat for us.

On the way to their house, the baby's dad (who was leading the way) stopped by a roadside stall to grab some lemang (glutinous rice cooked in bamboo) and rendang (really spicy meat dish) to treat us to for lunch. You'll see more about the food (Raya themed food) in later chapters, be patient, good food will come, we promise.

More pictures of the baby:

My personal favorite, doesn't he look peaceful?

Proud sis on the left and mom on the right

So this whole visit was to see the baby and to check on how our postnatal lecturer was after birth, she seems content and she said three was enough, no more, children that is. But we never know, 'accident' happens, to quote a classmate of ours.

Muaks! At the back  XO and proud mama at the front 

The whole visit took up several hours of our time, where we could have done something for the blog, but eh, we'd be sleeping if we had the chance anyways so, congratulation to our lecturer on her 3rd kid and we hope he grows up handsomely.

*YAAAAAAWN*

Oh, oh, oh, one thing we learnt from our visit was that in Malay culture, the caregiver of the baby will often cover the baby's opened mouth when they yawn to prevent bad spirits or the devil from entering and disturbing the baby. Not so sure whether it is applied to boys or to all the babies in general, but it was interesting to find out.

Now you know what we do when we have some time on our hands, go house crashing. Till then, have a good week!

CHAPTER 1.3: The Kampung System

So, we've pretty much mentioned En. Ghazali in almost every post, and it's time to formally introduce you to his position and the other key people responsible in keeping a kampung peaceful and prosperous. 

And this is it:

Responsibilities of the system (keep scrolling for translation)

The Jawatankuasa Kemajuan & Keselamatan Kampung or JKKK, literally translates to Committee for the Advancement and Safety of the Village, in which they come together to provide aid to the people of the kampung.

In further details (lets do this profile style, 'kay?):

En. Ghazali
A family dude with 6 kids and is the 5th ketua kampung, nominated and chosen through a voting system.

Position: Pengerusi (Chairman) or Ketua Kampung or Penghulu (Village Head)

Job description:
- Head of committee
- Receive reports on all kampung matters
- Generally the go-to guy



The following positions are held by people we never met, since we only met and interviewed En. Ghazali during our visit, so we'll just replace the names with the position in Malay and describe their position and jobs, as best as we can.

Setiausaha

Position: Secretary

Job description:
- Closely works with the ketua kampung
- Organizes committee meetings

Bendahari

Position: Treasurer

Job description:
- Money collector (for kampung activities, maybe)
- Keeps track of financial income/outcome

Agama & Pembangunan Insan

Position: Religious and humanity development

Job description:
- Provides religious guidance
- Advice on developing human capabilities enabling growth

Pembangunan

Position: Development (not sure what kind, but we assume of the general growth of the kampung itself)

Job description:
- Works on improving the quality of life in the kampung
- Undertaking poverty alleviation

Keselamatan

Position: Security

Job description:
- Maintains peace in the kampung
- Organizes patrol parties every so often

Kesihatan, Kebersihan & Gotong Royong

Position: Health, cleanliness and mutual aid

Job description:
- Regulates cleanliness in regards of healthy living

- Organizes gotong royong or mutual aid party for any foreseeable events

Pendidikan & Teknologi Maklumat

Position: Education and information technology

Job description:
- Maintains standard of lower level education

- Introduces information technology

 Belia, Sukan, Kebudayaan & Kesenian

Position: Youth, sport, culture and art

Job description:
- Encourages youth in various cultural field

- Generally involved with youth developments

Wanita & Kebajikan

Position: Women and Benevolence

Job description:
- Helps women with sensitive issues

- Manages charity for the people
- Provides general moral support

Ekonomi

Position: Economy

Job description:
- Manages production, distribution and trade of the kampung
- Advice on local economic improvement

Mind you, job descriptions are not completely accurate, we're just assuming what they do generally since we didn't talk about this topic in detail with En. Ghazali.

After listing the people in the system of the kampung, as close as we can possibly explain it with common sense, we hope you get a sense of how things work around in a kampung with this committee. The committee is commonly set up to help maintain a healthy balance between the slowly developing kampung and its much more modern surroundings and with this, we bid you adieu, have a good day, ladies and gentlemen!