I never even have any interest in building construction during my study years in architecture. Do not even realize how important they are as important as a claw to a tiger or a rifle to a soldier. Till I work in a firm with lack of technical knowledge and detailings. If I were to build a chicken shed, I bet I couldn’t deliver the job even I graduated as an architecture student, shame on me. It dragged me quite for sometime designing with less confident especially in the detail aspects. Designing with less consideration on how its going to be build and how is the components are joined together. I feel something wrong and missing but do ot know how to fill in that empty gap. I remember during my study years, it is so hard for me to grasp the essence of studying building construction even my conscience told me that this is what I must know to survive.

Until I was sent to site with the supervision of someone. Someone that have inspired me and woke me up from my long lost dreaming. From that day I started to view things in different way than I did before. I mean I started to query on how things been built, how’s the jointing, how they connect this and that. When I designing with this in mind, its like I was given a revelation on how it would look and at the same time how the builder are going to built it. Is it constructable? Of course some may say everything can be constructed with nowadays technology. However, the challenge is on how to make it simple to construct and yet economical. Well, money is always a constrains and I think as a designer besides been able to tackle the aesthetic issue, it would be a greater advantages if they could provide a few solutions with different range of cost. But not to compromise the aesthetic as well.

A message from me too the students of architecture, its not to late to love building construction as it will bring the best out of you as a master builder, aren’t we the ‘arkhitekton’. During my 2nd year of my studies we went to Thailand for a study visit. If I remember it right, we went to Silpakorn University, visiting our archi mates there. I was impressed looking at the scale model of various staircases they constructed using ‘balsa’ wood. It triggered me at that time that this is how we should learn about details and construction. Build it. Now it’s like a déjà vu when I entered construction site looking at how the building was constructed just that the different is the scale.

Being in this project has been a great experience and exposure for me. I really learnt a lot especially from this someone. May Allah reward him for the knowledge that he shares. For that I aim to share with anybody what I’ve learnt and write a book regarding details someday. There’s a long journey ahead however that long journey will start with one step today and hopefully that step could turn into a leap.

Thank you Allah and thank you to that someone.