(This is an excerpt from an online lecture)

“The architect's job is to give a client not what he wants but what he never dreamed that he wanted; and when he gets it, he recognizes it as something he wanted all the time.” - Sir Denys Lasdun

The quote was introduced to me as a first-year architecture student by Naville Gruzman, a well-known architect in Sydney. It is not only one of the most pertinent pieces of advice I have received, but it may also explain why people find it difficult to understand what an architect’s role precisely is.

I believe this is a live Facebook lecture, so it will be open to all; not just to students, but also to practicing architects. As such I will try to relay the story to you in a more general way, with some vignettes focusing on things that may be relevant to both audiences.

For the students, be it Bachelor’s or a Master’s course, it is the moments during your project thesis when you are required to question the norm, which may inspire you to produce an experimental outcome. This is what you will be doing throughout your career as an architect, just like my last 23 years of practice, if you so choose.

For the younger architects, it is an exchange of experience and ideas; and for the more seasoned architects, a kindred friend sharing gossip or a familiar tale. After all, once we are qualified, the freedom to be experimental becomes a privilege.

Finally, if the general public can appreciate an architect’s role better and understand that when the architect is allowed more freedom, the more interesting the outcome will be. The client and the architect should enjoy the ups and downs of the process, which in itself is quite fulfilling.

YeYuen house was named after both the husband and the wife. Incidentally, it carries a connotation of “perfect outcome”: “Ye” means “result, outcome or career” whilst “Yuen” means “circle, complete and perfect”. But of course, it may be just a self reassuring validation.

The clients and I organised our first meeting after they did a Google search on award-winning architects in Malaysia. This was a welcome surprise because traditionally, clients would be introduced to me through the recommendations of family and friends. However, this was only getting my foot in the door.

The next step is very much my attitude or philosophy towards architecture. I see that every project should be an experiment of a sort. Like a boulder from a catapult, I have a general sense of where the idea will land, but I do not know for sure (this is an idea derived from ‘Ten Books on Architecture’ by Vitruvius). On a more personal note, it is a kind of nervous feeling I get, quite like the times in my childhood when I went on adventures to catch the fighting fish in the paddy fields - against my mother’s wishes. You never know what the outcome is (how many fish I caught, if any) or the process ( sometimes you encounter leeches or snakes, and other times “cubit” from my mother). The point is that I enjoy the uncertainty and unpredictability of the processes and outcomes of most of my projects. This is only possible through a sustained sense of wonder which I carry with me from my childhood. So it is true, the saying that, “you can take the man out of a kampong but you can never take the kampong out of the man.”

The house, located right next to a Bukit Raja Forest reserve, sits on two plots of land at 8 m to 12m higher than the neighboring land to its north, but there is no vegetation. My immediate feeling is that I need to reintroduce a bit of forest into the site to relate to the reserve, even before developing the brief.

The brief was developed after a few rounds of detailed interviews with every individual family member, as it was key to informing the concept of the house. The two daughters and two sons, except the youngest teenage son, were in their early 20’s, all of whom wanted to maintain their autonomy.

The client placed a very high value on the togetherness of the family. An interesting point I found out was that this was a value cultivated by his parents, and indeed his brothers and sister are his neighbors. Another one of his important requirements is to have a large area for regular gatherings with his extended family. These requirements are reflected in the layout and size of the design. His wife played an important role in making sure all the specified furnishings are followed up meticulously, no effort is spared.

The final concept is very much about unifying the program and the site’s characteristics. In brief, the configuration is a three-quarter circular form, enclosing an internal garden, and intersected by an oval shape. The west wing, which is made more masculine by double-layer brickwork, is intended to present a more forbidding front. The structure gradually opens up towards the dining area in the east. This is also where space is relating to the outdoor timber deck and the forest beyond. The intersection at the tent-like oval shape hall creates an inner focus space for the large gathering that can take place.

On the first floor, the east and west wings, which houses bedrooms and guest rooms respectively, are separated from the lift and stair. Each bedroom has its loft, with natural ventilation and sunlight admitted from the clerestory window from the second layer roof.

Many details are changed or evolved during the construction stage. To illustrate this point is the built-in chair (later we call it iconic chair) into the full height window. Many discussions and debates took place before it was made. It is about how each room should relate to the forest view. He was finally convinced after he saw the plywood mock-up. The view is more impactful when it is limited and framed. As a general rule, I would refrain from changing the design on-site, but often I find myself in a dilemma because as the building goes up, the site reveals its potential which was not visible before. So, I would always prioritize a better outcome than following the original plan. I also know this can happen only when you have full support and trust from the client, which I got in this case. It was a validation for me when my client complained about me to his father that “ Wooi is a very difficult architect, never listen to me… but it is a good thing he never listens to me”. It is a complaint-compliment that I am happy to remember.

In brief, I think a good client-architect relationship is one of trust, not blind obedience. As architects, we are trained to question things as they are so that we can realise a richer experience for the spaces we are going to create. I believe taking a risk with the client in terms of perception or the norm is a necessity, for the client to see the value of an architect’s role in a project. As long as our intention is clear that it is for the betterment of the project, generally, it is quite natural to win over the client’s trust.

Lastly, I want to talk about the closing of the digital gap in the production of our work, I am both amazed and concerned about the development. I enjoyed both hand-sketching my details and firming up the details on the computer. The intuitive and immediate nature of hand drawings can never be replaced by the computer, but I cannot ignore the design possibilities opened up by digital production. The structure of the steel roof of YeYuen House is highly irregular, as every piece of rafters has a different length and the ridge is in the 3D curve. Ting house, completed 11 years ago, was my first computer and hand-drawn combination in building a curvilinear geometry, but the rafter is in timber, which can be modified on-site. YeYuen house, however, is bigger and built with steel. What I have noticed is that digital manufacturing has made it possible to produce a relatively economical outcome, even with a curvilinear/ non-rectilinear structure; and the idea of economy of scale no longer applies. My amazement is mixed with concern because the structure is automated; produced and coded in a factory and put together on-site by a crane with a minimum number of workers. I could not help but worry about the craftsmen I have been working with. Furthermore, with COVID-19, automation of building construction would likely be expedited.

I believe students should be exposed to both digital and parametric from 1st year and hand sketching should be compulsory throughout the Bachelor’s and Master’s Programs, and not stopping at 2nd-year first semester. As a practitioner of 23 years, I have been sketching not only to conceive of ideas but to tease out inspiration through trial and error. At the same time, I happily adopt digital tools when it suitably enhances my design process.