 Cental Plaza with Memorial Stupa for the victims on the background "lock·down /ˈläkdoun/ 1. The confining of prisoners to their cells, typically after an escape or to regain control during a riot. 2. a state of isolation or restricted access instituted as a security measure." Due to worldwide uptrend of "lockdown", we decided to pick this specific lockdown facility in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh to be exact. The only difference here is the "permanent" lockdown. There's no way to get out of this place unless you're deceased.
We're talking about Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the memorial site of the S-21 interrogation and detention center of the Khmer Rouge regime from its rise to power in 1975 to its fall in 1979. Formerly the Tuol Svay Pray High School, named after a royal ancestor of King Norodom Sihanouk, the five buildings of the complex located in the heart of Phnom Penh were converted in March/April 1976 into a prison and interrogation center. Tuol Sleng (Khmer: ទួលស្លែង Khmer pronunciation: [tuəl slaeŋ]) means "Hill of the Poisonous Trees" or "Strychnine Hill". Tuol Sleng was just one of at least 150 torture and execution centers established by the Khmer Rouge.
We're talking about Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the memorial site of the S-21 interrogation and detention center of the Khmer Rouge regime from its rise to power in 1975 to its fall in 1979. Formerly the Tuol Svay Pray High School, named after a royal ancestor of King Norodom Sihanouk, the five buildings of the complex located in the heart of Phnom Penh were converted in March/April 1976 into a prison and interrogation center. Tuol Sleng (Khmer: ទួលស្លែង Khmer pronunciation: [tuəl slaeŋ]) means "Hill of the Poisonous Trees" or "Strychnine Hill". Tuol Sleng was just one of at least 150 torture and execution centers established by the Khmer Rouge.
The compound became notorious because an estimated 20,000 people were imprisoned at Tuol Sleng (the real number is unknown) from 1976-1979. At any one time, the prison held between 1,000–1,500 prisoners. They were repeatedly tortured and coerced into naming family members and close associates, who were in turn arrested, tortured and killed. In the early months of S-21's existence, most of the victims were from the previous Lon Nol regime and included soldiers, government officials, as well as academics, doctors, teachers, students, factory workers, monks, engineers, etc. Even foreigners considered as a threat to the regime was held there.
 To Those Who Are No Longer Here Sculpture at The Central Plaza In 1979, Hồ Văn Tây, a Vietnamese combat photographer, was the first journalist to document Tuol Sleng to the world. Hồ and his colleagues followed the stench of rotting corpses to the gates of Tuol Sleng. The photos of Hồ documenting what he saw when he entered the site are exhibited in Tuol Sleng today.
When visiting the compound, you can notice some visitors just stoned, or even cried upon witnessing what was left there. It's almost hard to believe what men were capable of doing to their fellow beings; an extremely emotional spatial experience I'd say. And this is how architecture should be able to make you feel. 
The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA; Chinese: 國立臺灣美術館; pinyin: Guólì Táiwān Měishùguǎn) is a museum in West District, Taichung, Taiwan. NTMoFA was established in 1988, is the first and the only national-grade fine arts museum in Taiwan. The major collections are works by Taiwanese artists, covering modern and contemporary Taiwanese arts.  It is one of the largest art museum in Asia containing 16 galleries all fit in a 4-story-building with the building area of 37,953 sqm and outdoor courtyard area of 102,000 sqm. The main building integrated the exterior views and activities outside with the artistic performances and exhibitions inside, creating a spatial transition and communication between both parts with its more public functions such as café, dining area, and the library. All to create more openness to public thus encouraging the general public to come & visit the museum. An approach worth a try to get more attention from the public unfamiliar with this specific function    Fo Guang Shan (Literally translated as The Mountain of Buddha's light) is an international Chinese Buddhist monastic order based in Dashu District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan that practices Humanistic Buddhism. It is the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan.  Founded in 1967 by Hsing Yun, the order promotes Humanistic Buddhism and is known for its efforts in the modernization of Chinese Buddhism. In Taiwan, Hsing Yun is popularly referred to as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" which refers to four masters in Taiwanese Buddhism who each founded an influential Buddhist institution in the country.
 The term draws its name from the Four Heavenly Kings who rule over one of the heavenly realms in Buddhist cosmology. Like the Four Heavenly Kings in Buddhist mythology, each Buddhist teacher corresponds to one cardinal direction, based on where their organization is located in Taiwan referred to as the "Four Great Mountains"
 
The order is famous for its use of technology and its temples are often furnished with the latest equipment. So if you think temples are always filled with relics contained in old rugged wood furnishings with age old carvings, you might want to reconsider that upon visiting this compound. 
Written by: Werryson W
"Old age is not a disease - it is strength and survivorship, triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes and disappointments, trials and illnesses." - Maggie Kuhn  Lasem, as one of the first city where the Chinese first landed in Indonesia, might have the closest ambience to the ancient cities of China. However, acculturation between both the local Javanese and the Chinese is inevitable. One of those are materialized in the form of architecture. Despite its main function as a hostel, The Red House - its nick name (not to be confused with Mr.Grey’s Red Room), is actually a low rise mixed use compound which incorporate several other function as well. Upon arrival at the compound in the east, there lies commercial function restaurant & cafe. Moving westward, visitors are directed to a courtyard, a typical feature found on almost all Chinese houses which is converted to a Batik gallery, workshop, and a reception desk welcoming the guests of the hostel.  
From there, guests are guided through a hallway of batik gallery displaying the batik of Lasem along with the stories and philosophy behind them. 
At the end of the hallway, we reach the main building of the compound which function as living area and rooms for rent, surrounded by terrace
The whole parts of the building are fully furnished with Chinese antiques and ornaments down to the details.
not adding additional washroom on each room. Just like the old days, guests will have to go all the way to the back to wash. Not to worry though, because water taps and showers are provided already, so you don’t have to get the clean water from the well. Written by: Werryson W The National Mosque of Malaysia (Masjid Negara Malaysia) is located in Kuala Lumpur with a capacity of 15,000 people and is situated among 13 acres of beautiful gardens. The original structure was designed by a joint team from the Public Works Department - UK architect Howard Ashley, and Malaysians Hisham Albakri and Baharuddin Kassim. The mosque was built in 1965 on the site of a church, the Venning Road Brethren Gospel Hall which had stood there since 1922 but appropriated by the Malaysian government and moved to another site on Jalan Imbi.
The mosque is built with reinforced concrete structure system, which symbolize the aspirations of a then newly-independent Malaysia,and has several prominent key features as such: A minaret and an concrete main roof. Both inspired by the shape of an umbrella, which is synonymous with the tropics. The 18-pointed star of main roof is reminiscent of an open umbrella while, the 75-metre-high minaret's cap a folded one. The main roof was once coloured pink, and now clad with blue & green tiles. The number 18 comes from the 13 state of malaysia & the 5 pillars of Islam Concrete folded plates are used to achieve larger spans required in the halls of the mosque
l Reflecting pools and fountains spread throughout the compound, and act as a passive cooling system for the whole compound
Wide & large shaded verandas covered the circulation inside the mosque compound, providing shades from direct sunlight, protection from rain, and allowing the building to breathe freely.
Taman Sari, Yogyakarta It is one of the earliest royal mixed use that consists of resting area, workshop, meditation area, defense area, hiding place. Here are some facts about this place which you might not know: Waterworld It is also called "water castle" (Dutch: waterkasteel); as by shutting the watergates, the complex would be completely immersed in water, leaving tall structures standing out. Talking about a real life version of Kevin Costner’s fictional Water World, in the past.  Built by Foreign Architect  The manuscript of Serat Rerenggan mentions the story of Demang Tegis, a Portuguese man said to be one of the architect of Taman Sari. According to the manuscript, a strange man suddenly appeared in Mancingan Village (a locality name on the south coast of Java near Parangtritis). With long nose, white complexion, and a foreign language, the villagers suspected that the person was some kind of spirit or forest fairy. They presented him to the current sultan, Hamengkubuwono II. Apparently the sultan found interest in the person and took the strange man as his servant. After some times, the man had finally learned to talk in Javanese. According to him, he was a Portuguese (or in Javanese, Portegis) who was stranded from a shipwreck. He also claimed to have been a housebuilder, so the sultan ordered him to erect a fortress. Satisfied by the man's work, the sultan gave him the title "demang." From then on that person was known as Demang Portegis or Demang Tegis Historical Dispute  Another version obout the construction of this structure can be found in the book of Mamana in Yogyakarta Kraton. It is said that the project leader for the construction of Taman Sari was Tumenggung Mangundipura. He had travelled twice to Batavia to learn about European architecture, which is the reason why the architecture of Taman Sari resembles a hybrid of Javanese and Dutch styles, instead of Portuguese. Underground Mosque
(Spiritual) Tunnel of Love
Chicks watching tower
 Meeting for project prospect 2019 with the consultants, insurance agency, and contractor.
 A signature structure of Kuala Lumpur, the Petronas Towers are a twin set of skyscrapers of Malaysia. The Suria KLCC shopping malls located at the base of the towers remains one of the most popular shopping destinations surrounded by the open green space of KLCC Park.
Here are some architectural facts you might have missed about The Twins: 1.The Landmark Once it was the highest skyscraper in the world from 1998-2004. However, it remains the highest twin towers in the world. 2.The Symbol shape of its design is based on the five pillars of the Islamic religion. When viewed from the top of this towering structure, the cross-section of the towers reflects the eight-pointed star symbol of Islamic culture: The Rub el Hizb, a symbol used as a marker for the end of a chapter in Arabic calligraphy. 3. The Strength Tube in Tube structural design is used to give extra strength to the building with its core reinforced with an outer rigid tube. It is even claimed to be able to withstand a winds up to a speed of 65 miles per hour – about one-third the wind speed of Hurricane Katrina! 4. The Connector On the 41st and 42nd level, there lies a 192 feet long and weighs a total of 750 tons skybridge, acting as a walkway between both towers. The bridge is designed to slide in and out of both towers, acting as a safety device for patrons to cross over in the event of an emergency in one tower. Coverage by: Werryson Wijaya coverage by |
