the Truth

This task is a very ‘sad’ and ‘insulting’ job for any designer.  What a designer hesitate most is to be ‘forced’ into a certain ‘outlook’ of a building when he is asked to ‘design’ a building.  This usually happen if the client is a ‘layman’, especially the typical old fashion business man.

The task I was assigned to do was to reduce the floor areas of a proposed 2 storey bungalow house at Alamesra Desa Saujana - due to budget constraint.  I couldn't understand why this kind of hustle happens because it usually can be prevent from the early stage - asking the clients how much money they are willing to spend before proceed to design their house. 

When I was first told to assume the task, I was very happy because the most I like is to design a private residence, and I am always a die heart proponent of ‘small residence’ (which I regard as most efficient and ‘green’).  So when I first heard the word ‘reduce’ floor areas, I was very excited and determined to do my best for the good of everyone, especially for the environment.

I spent almost 1 whole day studying the building plans and drawings. I was very disappointed to discover that the design was really crude, I believed that the boss herself has not look into the design and trusted a very junior draft person to do the job.  There are too many design errors, waste of space, bad circulation, poor orientation, dead ends, lack of natural lighting, bad indoor and outdoor relationship (huge garden not responded to the interior) which I think is not doing justice to the client.  So I started to redesign the floor plan the next day.  I managed to finish redoing the ground floor and just about to continue for the upper floor, I sent an email to the Boss in order to notify her on my progress of work (my Boss was having 10 days leave in Singapore).

However, the Boss replied me a very simple message that the house has to be that ‘look’ because that is what the client wants!  I can only shrink the house but the external looks shall remain the same.  Furthermore she said, the Building Plans has been submitted to the local authority.

This also means all my earlier effort went in vain.  I have to start work all over again, shrinking the floor areas while accommodating the lousy design.