STUDIO AIR JOURNAL

INTRODUCTION

MY NAME IS JEAN ALEXANDRE LAW MIN, BUT I PREFER BEING CALLED ALEX. I HAIL FROM THE BEAUTIFUL ISLAND

OF MAURITIUS, LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INDIAN OCEAN. ANYWAY, I AM 20 YEARS OLD, MAJORING IN AR-

CHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. I HAVE BEEN IN AUSTRALIA FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS NOW AND I

SIMPLY LOVE IT; THE CULTURE, THE AMAZING PEOPLE AND THE FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE.

THE REASON WHY I CHOSE ARCHITECTURE IS BECAUSE I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT ART. I BELIEVE THAT CREATIVITY

IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT THE HUMAN BEING POSSESS, AND IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT MOST

OF US HAVE SWITCHED IT OFF A LONG TIME AGO. CREATIVITY IS WHAT KEEPS US GOING BY KILLING THE DAILY

MONOTONY IN LIFE . FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, NOTHING FEELS MORE REWARDING THAN TAKING RISKS IN

DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT. DIGITAL MODELLING SOFTWARE HAS BEEN ONE OF THESE DAUNTING EXPERIENCES,

ESPECIALLY RHINO AND GRASSHOPPER. SINCE I AM USED TO SKETCHING, USING THE COMPUTER TO GENERATE

IDEAS WAS TOTALLY NEW. GRADUALLY, I REALISED THAT THE DIGITAL PLATFORM IN ARCHITECTURE PLAYED A

MAJOR ROLE IN MODERN DESIGNS AND IDEA CREATIONS.

MY PREVIOUS WORKS IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS HAVE TAUGHT ME THAT DESIGNING IS AN EVER-CHANGING ENVI-

RONMENT AND PROCESS. THE DIGITAL WORLD OPENED DOORS OF POSSIBILITIES WITHIN THE DISCIPLINE, AND ITS

CONTRIBUTION TO MODERN ARCHITECTURE HAS BEEN PARAMOUNT. NEVERTHELESS, I BELIEVE THAT, AS STU-

DENTS AND FUTURE ARCHITECTS, WE MUST ALSO REALISE THE IMPORTANCE OF FREE-HAND SKETCHING IN THE

DESIGN PROCESS.

CASE FOR INNOVATION

ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE

THE DISCOURSE INVOLVES THE PROBLEM WITH DEFINING THE TERM

ARCHITECTURE AND DISCUSSING THE ROLE THAT DIGITAL ARCHI-

TECTURE HAS ON CREATIVITY AND IDEAS.

WHAT IS ARCHITECTURE? THE QUESTION IS AS COMPLEX AS THE ANSWER. THERE ARE NO

SPECIFIC DEFINITIONS TO THE TERM, BUT THE GENERAL VIEW IS THAT IT IS ASSOCIATED TO

ART. THE DISCUSSION CONCERNS VARIOUS DISCIPLINES AND PARTIES IN THE BUILDING &

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, BUT ALSO THE GENERAL PUBLIC’S OPINIONS. IN DEFINING

ARCHITECTURE, THE ISSUE ARISES WHEN THE EXPERTS AND THE NON-EXPERTS’ POINT OF

VIEW CLASHES. TO THE PUBLIC, A BUILDING IS JUST MEANT TO FIT ITS PURPOSE AND BE

BEAUTIFUL AND ORIGINAL. TO THE ARCHITECT THOUGH, IT IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY.

LIKE A PAINTER, THE ARCHITECT IS INSPIRED BY HIS LIFE AND PAST EXPERIENCES. EVERY-

THING THAT IS CREATED BY HIM HAS AN EMBODIED STORY INSIDE. I BELIEVE THAT IN OR-

DER TO DEFINE WHAT IS TRULY ARCHITECTURE, ONE HAS TO LOOK FOR AND UNDERSTAND

THAT STORY IN A PARTICULAR WORK.