ASA CREW VOL.4

andom and you put those random words to whatever
you are doing. Once you are forced to associate
these two things together, your mind forms new
interesting pattern. It’s like how our dreams are
formed. There are many tools that you could use
to make your mind form interesting pattern and
those books are good things to learn about.
Audience: How do you work with the client
and how do you convince the client?
BC: If you manage to do the project within the
budget and achieve the objective, then they will
be convinced. So, it’s actually very simple and
practical solutions that make the clients convinced.
If it’s a solution that is based on hazy or very
personal methods like stylistic method, then it’s
pretty difficult to convince your client.
WH: In other words, we convince the client
with facts and the analysis rather than just feelings
and stylish. I think it will be easier to convince
your client if you have done enough work.
Audience: Can you comment on how you see
yourself within the big community, in both positive
and negative ways? I see it as a positive thing that
you are not suck in by this big community.
BC: I guess we are small. We just put our heads
down and do our work, I hope. Obviously, sometimes
you’d like to do different typology of projects. But
in the end, design should be a positive thing. Because
you are creating and it’s not like politics which is
always fighting. Design is wonderful because you
create. If you are happy doing it, then continue
doing it.
WH: Sometimes we question ourselves: Is our
contribution big enough? Or we’re just happily
doing little things that may or may not contribute
to humankinds? These are the questions I think
maybe lots of designer or even non-designer will
ask. Every little step you take, you may not see
the immediate effect or huge impact. However,
you should more every little step towards the
correct direction, and then you can really see you
are improving.
Back to the question, I guess we just try our
best to do what we think in terms of design and
architecture, and hopefully that will become positive
changes locally or globally. Or if it’s doesn’t have
any impact, it doesn’t matter. If I can make myself
happy, the neighbors happy, and the clients happy,
I think that’s good enough.
CJ: You two seem to appear very humble and
down-to-earth and that reminds me of how you’ve
described your firm as “blue-collar architects”. Can
you talk a bit more about that because I think that
perspective is very strong, bold and daring? How did
that idea been developed through architectural
practices?
WH: Architect or designer is the profession
that is not easy to understand. So, sometimes our
parents and relatives misunderstand us – are you a
contractor or a free-lancer? In a way, we are because
we go to the site, measure everything ourselves
and speak to the workers. So, that’s how we see
ourselves as blue-collar architects rather than the
architects who are doing up there and unreachable.
BC: Not only on thinking about idea but we
also believe in making, and making well. In order
to make well, you need to know the persons doing
the work because they will know very well how
things are best done. Knowing how things are best
made makes us better designers. We will design
more efficiently. We will not design to waste. We
will design to know how to detail. Therefore, we
need to work very closely with our builders rather
than a top down approach: I want it done this way,
I don’t care! If you don’t understand the whole
process then you are wasting a lot of resources.
Audience: Can you explain more about the
concrete? How did you prepare the formwork and
how did you get the finish of it?
BC: I think there are two things with concrete.
First thing with concrete is concrete as a structure.
Concrete as a structure would go into geometry.
Like a paper, if you put it up, it will fall because it
doesn’t have strength. The geometry itself gives
structure. The second thing in that structure sense
is the concrete mix and the steel bars. Those are
engineering methods and we believe in working
very closely with our engineers, to refine how
structures are done.
The second portion of concrete is about the
surface treatment and it obviously comes from
the formwork. So, understanding the formwork is
crucial; for example, the type of formwork, different
types of ply come from different location, different
sets will absorb water differently. It will also act
differently and cause different surface finishing.
Also, understanding that because ply is made of
wood and wood is natural material which is not
consistent. So, understanding that the inconsistency
will cause inconsistency in surface and accepting
them that way is also important. If you want consistent
surface, you can work with steel because
they are consistent.
Bathroom, Asli, Pahang
WH: It’s because of the cost limitation. If you
see the concrete work in Japan, they will be very
perfect. The line is so straight and so beautiful
because they can invest on formwork. They can
use steel formwork and the end product will be
very neat. In Malaysia, we don’t have that kind of
budget instead we have to work around the budget.
We can use whatever formwork we can get and
then we design. We know that certain imperfection
will appear, and then we design to how we make
the imperfection design looks good. So, understanding
what’s available in your local context and how you
can tweak it, that’s important as well.
CJ: On the project Wen Hsia did with the Orang
Asli local community, how tough was that talking
to people and coming up with the building process?
WH: It’s actually very similar to all our jobs.
You really have to understand the people and place
well and speak to them on how to go about certain
things. I remember seeing TEDx Talk about a group
of people doing a community project in rural area.
In order to help the rural people, they start planting
vegetables. When the vegetables is about to be
harvested, suddenly a group of elephants come
and all the vegetables are gone. Then they asked
the local how come there are elephants in this
area. They said yes, that’s why we never have
vegetable in this area because there are elephants.
So, the lesson of this story is that sometimes if
you go to a place or other area and start working
with your own knowledge or perception, you will
find that you are going to make a huge mistake.
You really have to talk to people and understand
what kind of limitation, available material, and
manpower you can get. You really have to do a lot
communications. You have to spend a lot of time
there.
BC: Talking to people, sometimes you won’t hear
the truth. Sometimes you need to read between
the lines. We are saying from experiences that we
made a lot of mistakes as well by not understanding
truly, so we continue learning and all of us do...
*Follow the full lecture and conversations at Facebook Page
of ASA. or www.asa.or.th
ภาพ : www.whbca.com
- 9 -
MAY-JUNE 2017 - ISSUE 04