Bukit Antarabangsa Landslide 081206 (8)

from The Star Online today:

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Majority of Bkt Antarabangsa residents can return home (Updated)

SHAH ALAM: The majority of Bukit Antarabangsa residents will be allowed to return to their homes in the landslide-hit area.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim told reporters here on Friday that this was based on the preliminary findings of the Public Works Institute of Malaysia and the Public Works Department (PWD) following the landslide tragedy on Dec 6, which killed four people and destroyed 14 houses.

The report was handed to Khalid here about 12.45pm on Friday.

He, however, said he had not read the report in full yet, saying only that most of the residents in the five affected areas would be able to return to their homes.

“The Gombak District officer and MPAJ president will now study the report in full. I will make an announcement on Sunday at the site of the landslide,” added Khalid, who did say when the residents could return to their homes.

He said the Gombak District Officer and MPAJ president would go to the landslide site on Saturday to identify the houses that would have to be abandoned.

Some 3,000 Bukit Antarabangsa residents had been waiting cautiously for the report as it would determine whether they would have to abandon their homes.

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Welcome home, homies!!!
Next course of action will be to pull all Resident Associations from the various BA 'tamans' to gather and discuss future Crisis Management Procedures. 6 December 2008 is a lesson learnt.

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E.T.'s view of the whole fiasco.....

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Alternative Route Pix

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Alternative Route Time Table
Bkt. Antarabangsa Housing (BAH) - Alternative Route (AR)

AM
0700 - 0800hr BAH - AR
0801 - 0830hr AR - BAH
0831 - 0900hr BAH - AR

PM
1700 - 1800hr BAH - AR
1801 - 1830hr AR - BAH
1831 - 1900hr BAH - AR

The above is to avoid congestion and chaos. In between those times, I guess there will be traffic coordinators.Please give cooperation to the authorities.Residents currently outside of BAH, please follow these peak hour times.

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good

i. Taman Bukit Utama 2/ Tropicana Residents - They are so well organized in setting up a proper food distributing centre for the surrounding community. My hats off to them especially En. Razak, En. Raja and many more unnamed heroes.
ii. Dr. Rafick (Medicine Man) - He is the man when it comes to air evac ( a term i heard him said) referring to air evacuation. Finally, I get to meet him personally after following his blog, Rights 2 Write.
iii. Power - Approx. 1730hr today, 8.12.2008, power was fully restored to the surrounding areas. Its not so much about the darkness, but the boredom during the day that is killing, since internet is limited only to how long the battery last. At night, its colder than any other nights, partly due to no heat is generated from the various electrical appliances, moving cars, and street lights. Thats another topic that I shall explore when all this is over. About heat and the sub-urban fabric.

The Bad

i.Blur Authorities - Seriously, up until now, there is no Head of Command in charge of the tragedy. This is a national crisis and all those agency needs a head figure. Jabatan Pertahanan Awam, Bomba and the Police seemed to be running independently. This created a lot of confusion among the residents. Some residents were granted permission by one agency to trekk out to buy supplies were refused to re-enter Bukit Antarabangsa by another.
ii. SMS - Bukit Antarabangsa residents specifically those who are stranded ( Taman Bkt Utama 1 & 2, Sinaran Ukay Condo, Kyoto Garden and Oakleaf Park) which were not asked to evacuate their homes have been getting half truth SMSes from people outside Bukit Antarabangsa (non-residents & evacuated residents). Among them:
a. alternative vehicular access road opened - half truth - yes, it is opened but only for army 4wds for relief / TNB power reconnection. And the army bridge we see in the papers are for Bukit Mewah (landslide victims) residents to drive out their cars.
b. total evacuation - half truth - at press time,Taman Bkt Utama 1 & 2, Sinaran Ukay Condo, Kyoto Garden and Oakleaf Park evac is not required. However, Taman Bukit Jaya was ordered to evacuate last night.So long friends.

The Ugly

i. Politics - Both sides Pakatan and Barisan Politicians are trying to out beat each other in helping the residents. States Men and Federal Men, listen well and listen hard, we do not need your promises, we need your action!!!
ii. Blame Game - Again, politicians. This we do not understand. What we saw on TV3 news shocked us. You really think Bukit Antarabangsa Residents are that stupid? Banners not required, please.
iii. Guccis and Pradas - I was told, certain 'princess' group came by to give moral support told off one of the residents because they want to park their cars at a certain spot. With their Gucci bags and Prada shoes, I don't think they want to get themselves in 'Muddy Waters'

The above are correct at press time.

So, there you go. No pictures this time around. I smell home cooked dinner. Although, you have lights, a candle lit home cook dinner is very much welcomed. Good morning and Good night.

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According to experts, these abandoned houses were the cause of the tragedy.

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"Discarded double storey houses the cause of Saturday’s mishap, says expert

KUALA LUMPUR: An abandoned project could have been the cause of the landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa on Saturday, said an expert.

Dr Gue See Sew, a geotechnical engineer who specialises in
landslides, said abandoned projects were very dangerous when it came
to landslides.

“The site is not completed and there is no maintenance of the site,” he said, adding that the lack of maintenance, especially of slopes could cause them to collapse.

Dr Gue, who spoke to reporters yesterday, toured the site of the landslide.

The abandoned project, consisting of two rows of double storey units, are located at Jalan Wangsa 9 immediately above the collapsed slope.

Dr Gue believed the project could have been abandoned for more than twenty years.

He said residents in the area should also be evacuated until the landslide has been cleared and the slope strengthened.

“The surrounding slopes would share a similar geological profile and they need to make it safe before people can move back into their homes,” he said.

Institution of Engineers said that Saturday’s landslide was not caused by any new development.

Vice-president Tan Yean Chin said there had not been any development on the hillslope that collapsed for the past 15 to 20 years.

“I can see some abandoned houses on top of the hillslope. So, any
slope failure in this case is not due to new development,” he said
after visiting the landslide area.

Tan said the abandoned houses could mean the possibility of old pipes leaking or bursting which had not been discovered.

He said Malaysia should follow Hong Kong’s footsteps in addressing the safety of hillslopes and abandoned housing projects.

He said Hong Kong experienced several landslides in the 1980s but
brought them under control after the government evaluated the safety
of all existing hillslopes.

“The institution put forward a recommendation on this matter in 2001 and this is the right time for it to be taken seriously by the
Government and local authorities,” he said.

On the frequent occurrence of landslides in Bukit Antarabangsa, Tan said:

“This landslide is man-made. Bukit Antarabangsa has the same
geological factors as other parts of Kuala Lumpur, or even Malaysia.

“We share the same type of soil and rock.

There is underground water everywhere,” he said."

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The same expert also mentioned these in his previous report:

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Latest updates:

i. Evacuation for these places required: Jln Wangsa 9 & 11, Taman Bukit Mewah, Kondo Impian Selatan & Taman Bukit Jaya.
ii. Vehicular access restored for Taman Bukit Mewah residents to drive out from affected area. Exit near Masjid.
iii. Authorities are setting up 2nd command base at Taman Bukit Utama 2

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Pix from my standpoint(camera phone):

So far,
i. Chief Police Malaysia & Selangor said, no EVACUATION required for Taman Bukit Jaya, Taman Bukit Utama 1 & 2, Kyoto Garden, Oakleaf Park & my place Sinaran Ukay Condo.
ii. Food aid : 3 meals a day provided
iii. Medical aid : Kyoto Garden Main Lobby (Mercy Malaysia)
iv. Water re-connected as of 6pm, 6.12.08.
v. Electric TBC (chances are not for another day, although the Chief Police said today)
vi. Temporary access/ exit road through to Taman TAR / Kelab Darul Ehsan being layed by Armed Forces. (as promised by Police Chief)

All the facts above are per writer's first hand account at site. The writer is not responsible for any deviation from the above facts.

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Individualism

Lines from The Fountain Head , written by my favourite philosopher, Ayn Rand spoken by Gary Cooper in the film of the same title:

........Thousands of years ago, the first man discovered how to make fire, he was probably burnt at the stake, he taught his brother to light, but he left them a gift they have not conceived and he lift up darkness of the earth.

Throughout the centuries, there were men who took first steps down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision, the great creators, the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors stood alone against men of their time; every new thought was opposed, every new invention was denounced, but the man with un-borrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered, and they paid but they won. No creator was prompted by a desire to please his brothers. His brothers hated the gift he offered. His truth was his only motive; his work was his only goal. His work not those who use it, his creation not the benefits others derived from it, the creation which gave form to his truth. He held his truth above all things and against all man. He went ahead whether others agreed with him or not. With his integrity as his only banner, he served nothing and no one. He lived for himself and only by living for himself was he able to achieve the things that are the glory of mankind. Such is the nature of achievement.

Man cannot survive except through his mind, he comes on earth unarmed. His brain is his only weapon. But the mind is the attribute of the individual, there is no such thing as a collective brain, the man who thinks must think and act on his own. The reasoning, the mind cannot work under any form of compulsion, it cannot be subordinated to the needs, opinion or wishes of others. It is not an object of sacrifice. The creator stands on his own judgement, the parasite follows the opinion of others. The creator thinks; the parasite follows. The creator produces; the parasite loots. The creator’s concern is conquest of nature; the parasite concern is conquest of man. The creator requires independence, he neither serves nor rules. He deals with man by free exchange and voluntary choice. The parasite seeks power, he wants to bind all man together in common action and common slavery. He claims that man is only a tool for the use of others that he must think as they think, act as they act and live in selfless joyless servitude to any need but his own.

Look at history. Everything we have, every great achievement has come from the independent work of some independent mind. Every horror and destruction came from attempts to force man into a herd of brainless soulless robots without will, hope and dignity. It is an ancient conflict, it has another name; the individual against the collective. Our country, the noblest country in the history of man was based on a principle of individualism. The principle of man’s inedible right. It was a country where a man was free to seek his own happiness, to gain and produce not to give up and renounce; to prosper not to starve; to achieve not to plunder; to hold as his highest possession, a sense of personal value, and as his highest virtue, his self respect. Look at the result that is what the collectivists are now asking you to destroy as much as the earth has been destroyed.

I am an architect. I know what is to come by the principle as it is built. We are approaching a world which I cannot permit myself to live. My ideas are my property. They were taken from me by force, by breach of contract. No appeal was left to me. It was believed that my work belong to others to do with as they please. They had claim upon me without my consent. That is my duty to serve them without choice or reward. Now you know why I dynamited Cortland. I designed Cortland. I made it possible. I destroyed it. I agree to design it for the purpose of seeing it built as I wish. That was the price I set for my work. I was not paid. My building was disfigured at the whim of others who took all benefits of my work and gave me nothing in return. I came here to say that I do not recognise anyone’s rights to want one minute of my life, nor to any part of my energy, nor to any achievement of mine, no matter who makes the claim. It has to be said. The world is perishing from an orgy of self sacrificing. I came here to be heard, in the name of every man of independence still left in the world. I wanted to state my terms. I don’t care to work or live on any others. My terms are a man’s right to exist for his own sake.....

BIG BIG BIG

The previous post feature the "Mountain Building" by Bjarke Ingle of Bjarke Ingle Group (BIG). As his firm name suggests, he is one of the BIG time starchitect in the making if he is not already yet.
When he came down to KL for Architecture Forum, he received an overwhelming applause, partly due to his cool, 'I don't take myself too seriously', outlook, which i guess is very appealing to young designers' (mis)conception of the uber cool profession of architect. Which reminds me of what my ex-boss told us, after the forum - they (these uber cool architects)make a very small percentage of the architecture fraternity. Well, there is no harm done wanting to be in that small percentage.

Below is his talk in Ideas Festival 2008

Parkour

A few days ago, I bought the book “Ecodesign – A Manual for Ecological Design” written by Malaysian architect extraordinaire, Dr. Ken Yeang. Dr. Yeang’s approach on architecture that he is known for is very much reflected in this book. Since I have yet to really go through the whole book, I’ll give you excerpts from the book (first 30 pages) that caught my eye and brain.

“Humans are a polluting species in nature. In fact, of all the species in nature, humans are the most polluting.”

“...., humans have now begun to behave like ‘dogs as careless defecators’. They have strewn their faeces and other rubbish and debris carelessly about the landscape.”

“Many designers wrongly believe that if they stuff a building with enough ecogadgets such as solar collectors, wind generators, photovoltaic and biodigestors then they will instantly have an ecological design. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.”

“...., ecodesign is the seamless benign environmental integration of all our human-made environment and all our human activities with the natural environment, from the source to production to operation to demolition and eventual assimilation into the ecosystems and biospheric processes.”

“In the case of built structures (architecture, structures of any sort and infrastructures) ecodesign considerations include not just the design of the entire built systems but also what happens during their manufacture, transportation and construction through to their eventual reuse, recycling and reintegration.”

The book is not the typical architectural books that we architects are used to, you know the kind with a lot of pretty pictures, details, plans and sections of buildings, built and un-built. To me it brought me back down memory lane during my A-Levels. This book is as thick as our Physics text book. This Ecodesign book is 500 pages thick, soft covered, high quality print text book for designers (read anyone whose activities impinge in one way or another on the natural environment).

change, change, change

Relating to my earlier post on the film “who killed the electric car?” last night I saw the ad on TV by Shell, the big oil company on a new type of fuel. The imageries are a mix of smoke spewing from cars and industries, forest fires and the sorts. And today I read on news article on Obama’s proposed reform on fuel energy. From what I gather reading the article, if Uncle Sam’s energy policy is geared towards renewable energy, hence there is no need to import (read steal) fossil fuels from other countries (read Middle East) therefore indirectly a new American Era or Dream is born. This will change the rest of the world view / perception on America and once again the so called American Dream where everyone has grown accustom to pre 9/11 shall resurface.

Last night, whilst browsing some books at Borders BTS, I came across the book “Small, Flat & Crowded” the latest book by Thomas Friedman (The World is Flat) talks about the same thing. Energy policy and why the world (read America and China) need to change their energy usage habits. The best quote that I read, not sure by whom and where is “If you want the world/earth to remain the same, you need to change”. Well said. If you and I expect the earth to remain the same, meaning there is still water to drink, food to eat, air to breath, then you and I need to change first.

Well, it is not easy to change, fellow friends. Change is hard. Why change? Sorry to tell you, that you aint’ got no choice, earthlings!! Here are some tips, on getting people to change. Don’t blame me for any door slammings, slipper throwing, middle finger-ings that you may encounter when advocating. You have been warned…

1. Find something they care about (gardening, futsal, their kids' health, Mawi world) and talk about the environment as it relates to that issue specifically. Get your creative juices going, and yes, try relating environment to our dear Mawi.

2. Talk ringgits and cents. Tell them how much money you've saved by installing CFL light bulbs, taking the bus and planting low maintenance plants (cactus). It works because we don’t need to learn new morality; wrap our heads around scientific evidence; or face our deepest fears. It taps into the part of our brains that’s been conditioned since birth to think MONEY = GOOD." Money saved, is money well spent.

3. Green gifting is great. Present your friends with a hip canvas grocery bag, cool reusable water bottle, some green cleaning products or organic chocolate bar. Chances are they'll enjoy it and begin to associate green living with good living.

4. Blind them with science. Of course, your Naza Ria (or any other fuel guzzlers on our roads)-driving Cik Timah may still think global warming is a hoax. Check out Coby Beck's "How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic" for tips on chatting with her, but keep in mind she may never embrace an eco-existence.

5. Show by doing. Walking to the grocery store is better when you have a friend along; invite yours for 'exercise' and then pop into the supermarket while you're out. Making a home cooked meal with a friend (even if they just keep you company) can show them how luscious cooking (instead of ordering in) can be.

6. Make it fun. Picking your own veggies and flowers at the farmer's market is a feast for the senses, bike riding makes everyone feel young again, and taking the kids (theirs and yours) to the park for a game of football or kite flying instead of sitting in front of the TV will give everyone a healthy, happy glow.

Modern Talking

2 months in at my present work place, what have I learned so far? Besides all that comes under the design studio work environment, appreciation amongst people; colleagues and bosses alike are abundance here. "Thank you", "good job", "great" are words that you hear every day, as natural as breathing fresh air con of a newly occupied building which happens to be where my office is now. That’s what you hear anyways, the office is pin drop quiet.

Are we as Malaysians not trained to say thank you as often as we drink teh tarik in the morning? Or are we just too stucked up? Of course we do smile a lot. That’s what most tourists would say when a camera is put on their faces and asked “what do you think of Malaysians, SIR?”

Did you notice that I wrote design studio instead of architect firm? Well it is an architect firm sort of but the environment is very much studio like. For one, we do not have CAD monkeys here. Everyone is a designer including our office manageress. She designs our yearly holidays, our cheques every end of the month, and sometimes our weekends by emailing us where the next warehouse sale is. Here I get to explore skills that I never had the chance to do before because of work load reasons. Within 4 weeks after using the program SketchUp, I managed to do basic 3d modeling enough for quick presentation standard.



These images are series of progression from week 1 of starting the SketchUp program, getting the basic form to Week 4, getting the materials in. There is no rendering applied, as the program name suggest it is just a sketch up tool. Very fast,very effective and get the message across effortlessly. No fancy lighting. No fancy materials. Just pure basic synapses to pen (in this case, keyboard) drawings. Honestly, the design is too Miesian for my taste, but working with the director on the design which by the way was part of Foster-ism a while back, I can fully understand. The design is very practical, simple and well, Miesian to say the least. If I have it my way, the whole pavilion will be covered with creepers, the form can be slightly organic maintaining the proportion of space for efficiency reasons (gfa & nfa wise) a whole lot less of glazing.

Back in the old days, Architecture 101, architecture students tend to go minimalist because for the fact that you need to draw a lot less. Bits of horizontal lines there, vertical lines here, one door here, flat roof there, elevate it for the floating effect and voila! you done. That was then, but minimalist or the original term modernist requires more poetic thoughts, combining essence of the surrounding elements. Here are some examples of the modernists’ approach combining the old and the new.

eco film festival 2008 @ aswara, kl

i think we go green!!! some shots of the fest filtered green. one thing that is not in the spirit of the fest is when people smoke a cigarette, the butt is not where it should be, the bin!! forget about the CO2 released.

i watched the film "who killed the electric car?" by chris paine. the guilty parties are the government,consumer, oil companies and vehicles manufacturer, hydrogen fuel cells & california air resource board. please google about EV1 to find out more.