Concrete Thoughts

Architects must be really free, considering how much time they seem to devote to reading widely. Consider this debate (after the lecture). Perhaps it is the relic of a liberal arts education, or else built on that foundation. Possibly a soi-disant autodidactic Renaissance man could accumulate a comparable amount of knowledge, though shaped by individual preference which may prove inadequate in some areas during public discourse. Or do such intellectuals only seem unfathomably erudite because of our paucity of knowledge in those areas? After all, a study showed that participants who asked questions of their own specialty to outsiders were later appraised as being more knowledgeable by those outsiders.

On a side note, this reminds me how much I want to visit MAXXI. I'm still sceptical about parametricism as the future of architecture though; as interpreted thus far, its aesthetics are not natural nor immediate enough, at least to the untrained eye of the present public.

On A Bridge, Unabridged

It is that feeling that appears when one nears the end of a journey not having found what was sought. I sat on a near-empty bus, leaning my head against the window, peering outside for whatever I could gain from Hong Kong. It didn't look like much. I had escaped the grey city for vast, open, grey sky.

Just then, the woman in front of me took out her camera and started taking photos, as if trying to bring back whatever bits of Hong Kong she could from her very last morning in the city. I started observing her to see what she considered photo-worthy, and realised all the photos she took were of apartments. She must not have many of those where she comes from.

Hippocrates Geometrica

I was dreaming of the Proust Geometrica again when the question struck me - would it be possible to integrate my interest in design with a career in medicine? Well, why not?

The idea is to have a stylishly and ergonomically designed hospital/clinic catering to rich patients. Through the use of colours and design, the building aims to improve the emotional conditions of patients and staff, which then leads to better health. This is not dissimilar to the concept proposed by the folks over at Reversible Destiny, that our surroundings influence our health. Perhaps they might even be interested in a tie-up, though it is likely most patients would be too sceptical.

Livin' La Vida Siempre

One of the things I value most highly is life (which is, incidentally, why I want to be a doctor). A simple model of life treats it as having two parameters - quality, which may be positive or negative, and duration. This model suggests that what we should aim for is to maximise the value of the integral, i.e. the area under the curve. (Other suggestions may be drawn, such as the value of euthanasia and suicide, but I shall not deal with these, at least not until I decide to post a suicide note here.)

How can we maximise this integral then? One idea, proposed by Arakawa + Gins, is via architecture. Based on an ethics which deems mortality as unethical, and a belief that our surroundings affect our lives, the two have gone about designing buildings which aim to prolong life and eventually reverse human destiny by facilitating immortality. Just as the architecture of the plane helped achieve the dream of flight, so may architecture one day achieve the dream of immortality, they claim. Definitely one of the craziest ideas I've come across, especially considering the English it is expressed in, but it has resulted in some pretty interesting houses, so do check it out here.

Do we actually want to live forever? What price are we willing to pay for it? I have frequently heard the questions, eat/live so healthy for what? You want to live so long for what? Well, good health increases not just duration of life but also quality, especially at old age. Even if you might not think of it now, what about the value of spending more years with loved ones? Of course, most people do value their health, but are doing it wrongly. As diet is probably the main factor contributing to health, here are some of the most common dietary myths: 

Top 10 Reasons to Retire in Milan

1 Soccer.
Two great football teams to watch, AC and Inter. Oh right, Benítez is at Inter, make that one great team.

2 Fashion.
It is the world's fashion capital, with menswear such as Cesare Attolini, Etro and Trussardi in addition to the more famous names like Armani and Ermenegildo Zegna. People of style can be seen on the streets as well.

3 Food.
Pizza and pasta everyday, especially with a pizza oven of my own in the garden. Awesome for garden parties or chillax evenings.