My days on architecture studies as undergraduates finally over for now. I don't want to express over-happiness on the word 'finally', 'cause to learn about architecture never been as one-phase-and-over only, it's developed more and more, pierces through the time. Yet, i look further about the true meanings about architecture, what is the real purposes? Shelter it is. Human needs shelter as a place to living, as the others stuff like food and cloths. Architecture combined the function of shelter with a touch of design, humans art perspective. And, somehow...when i look behind from my experiences on architecture studio sessions, it's always be design, design, design. I knew that architecture is the device of living art, life on spatial canvas. But if 'living' art not well-functioned as we expected, why bother designed it?
I just remembered my final thesis mentor, Dr. Ir. Bianpoen always mentioned; environment first, function next, then design. He always concerned about how the environment must be the first to look out, as he's been on Jakarta urban development for a long time, and ecological concerned activist, he really knows what he's spoke about. Jakarta, for the case, was a properly-designed city in the beginning, but for now, it's a cancer growth, deceased slowly, because what the government/politics done, you know money-based things. Mall and malls clustered gropes all green patch, killed the urban space, replacing them with concrete-glass-clad-air-conditioned-splurge buildings, some of hypocrite developer even dared to say it's 'green architecture', HA! KISS MY ASS.
I took the shoot (feels like picturesque retro, hilarious background!) when me and the rest Mr. Bianpoen thesis groups had lunch together to celebrate our pre-graduation. It's really pleasant time, not like the others, despite his age, there's no awkward moment whatsoever, we have good time together, talks about what we felt about our architecture days, what we think about the essence of our future career, why we must defend our argument instead of fear against lecture, really great, he's really understand about student's condition, as he's been teach architecture for a long time, campus to campus. Inspiring.
Okay, so my thesis already legalized, i'm so relieved by that. But the most i liked about my thesis is about the topic itself; "Environmental Redevelopment in Housings Near Ciliwung River" (Case: Kwitang, Jakarta). The housings located in the heart of the city, but also the hidden gems that hardly notice, it's a low-economic centralized housings, and located near in Ciliwung river's stream. What i concerned about was the poor condition of the housing's environment, it's almost ironic, the beautiful scheme of the housings around the river, but full of garbage, and chaotic pattern of illegal business and other buildings almost raped the hidden gems factor. Sad enough, the government was neglected, and not do any action to change the environmental. Just think of it, why such a hidden gems like Kwitang that has many beautiful-touristy-inducing factors, must be neglected because it's overshadowed by the much more 'commercialized' place nearby such; Cikini and Menteng. Just like hiding a rotten meat over the ground, still smells like a shit. So...i think i'll shared further about my thesis as eco-project in my blog soon enough. I just have a glimpse of hope that my thesis goal will be transform as real-time project, as i want to see the hidden gems really a true gems, JUST MY 2 CENTS!
Okay...just for fun-memory-5thgrade-humor;
If you see the anime character
on the back of the gift card that Mr. Bianpoen read
on the snapshot photo up there
some of you will know (esp. anime freak).
This is it;
Yup, He's Tomozou Sakura, the great kind and loving
grandpa in Chibi Maruko-Chan anime series!
The animated version of Mr. Bianpoen, they're like
twins, aren't they?
When Mr. Bianpoen found that we're joke around him, he's just
"Are you kidding me, this is insulting you know?"
(He's LOL-ing off course...!)
