African and american politics of social change Article

African and american politics of social change - Article Example and for the fact that they are portrayed negatively by the society, the young black men in the American community have undergone extremely harsh treatment from authorities compared to the white young men. This article is purposefully out to understand the aspects surrounding the young black men in the American society; it also seeks to examine ways in which the government and the stakeholders can offer assistance in order to help the young black men engage in reasonable and fruitful activities in terms ameliorating their lives; through mentorship, as well as conducting restoration for those who have reached extreme levels of drug abuse and criminal activities. This article also seeks to identify the main problems faced by the young black men, as well as the causes of those problems. An initiative was initiated by president Obama this past month dubbed My Brother’s keeper; this enterprise aims to enhance the survival opportunities of young black men. This is a positively vital effort intended to aid the young black men as it is considered one of the most vulnerable groups in the society. As indicated earlier in the article, there is a likeliness of young black men leaving the school system and engaging in criminal activities, therefore attracting the attention of disciplinary and administrative systems such as juvenile and criminal justice structures. Disagreements have sprung up regarding the basis of the complications, but a few are doubtful that drastic measures must be undertaken to address the problems. Obama highlighted a number of interventions one being a program based in Chicago known as becoming a man; this program has the aim of curbing the violent nature of the teenagers through teaching cognitive social skills for example self-control, the ability of studying the reactions and intentions of others more accurately as well as conflict resolution. Naturally, most young individuals have short vehemence and upon provocation they tend to lash out at

Finding a solution for Underage Drinking in Miami Essay

Finding a solution for Underage Drinking in Miami - Essay Example In the same population, 24% of them had confessed to have taken alcohol in the past month while 9% reported to have been drunk in the course of the month. This level of consumption is undoubtedly higher than that of other drugs such as tobacco and any other illegal drug. The other concern on alcohol consumption is its high correlation with myriad social, emotional and behavioral problems such as accidents, stealing, depression, involvement in violent behavior, use of illegal drugs and missing school among others (Richard et al 2012). Besides these immediate problems early initiation of alcohol is also associated with complex alcohol related problems in later years. Early consumption of alcohol that is by age 15 also represented a very high likelihood of developing alcohol dependence (Scott Tippetts, et al 2009). This is a likelihood of 4 times more than those who start drinking at age 21. A more current study reveals a similar picture among the youth. A 2005 survey went further and i ndicated that 5400 young people below the age of 16 get initiated to alcohol on a daily basis (Lipperman-Kreda, Grube & Paschall, 2010). These statistics as well as other more recent and growing studies on alcohol consumption reveal a worrying trend among young people. This calls for prompt action to arrest the growing numbers of underage drinkers. This study focuses on finding a long lasting solution which would complement the ongoing efforts to curb underage drinking in Miami. In United States the legal drinking age is 21, yet the number of underage drinkers’ remains high begging several questions, one of these questions is where do these underage drinkers get alcohol? This is mainly worrying as the law demands that no single establishment should sell alcohol to an underage (Main, 2009). Irrespective of this directive 92.2%, 82.6%, and 62% of 12th, 10th, and 8th grades respectively attested to the fact that accessing alcohol was fairly or very easy. The focus on alcohol sup ply and access is fundamental to any study seeking to stop the supply of alcohol to the underage (Lipperman-Kreda, Grube & Paschall, 2010). This is because cutting short the supply is the single most effective means of ensuring that under age drinking is curtailed. Studies reveal that alcohol supply to this group mainly comes from social or economic sources. Economic sources represent commercial establishments dealing with alcohol meaning that some of them blatantly ignore the established laws. In regard to social sources, these are mainly home set ups, where this group accesses alcohol when the adults are absent or during parties (Richard et al 2012). Most effort has been directed to curbing alcohol supply to underage drinkers from the commercial set up. This has been targeted through law and directives which are manifested through compliance checks and cops-in-shops. Similar effort has been made in the social settings through such activity as party dispersal programs (Wachtler, 20 11). The success of these measures has been evident overtime and it would be misleading to point out that these have not helped in deterring use and possession of alcohol by this grouping. Evidence overtime has shown that tackling of underage drinking through stringent laws and policies is quite effective (Maimo & Christopher, 2012). The evidence of this is seen in cases where a given policy is properly enforced, for instance the school anti-smoking policy was seen to

Contemporary Issues in Marketing and Management Essay

Contemporary Issues in Marketing and Management - Essay Example Also, the SPIN framework is critiqued and analysed in order to provide information about how social media can be employed to help stakeholders in the film industry to maximise their offerings and activities in relation to the production and sale of films to the wider society and community. The Internet is the largest computer network in the world. It is a platform on which most computers can connect and get access to shared information from different parts of the world and this has created a unique and distinct marketplace for people to interact. This network has been utilised by various business and corporate entities in the world and there is the possibility of the film industry using it to achieve various forms of results in their marketing and promotion of affairs. To this end, it is important to analyse the concepts of social media and viral marketing. This is because they provide the basis for the analysis of the practical application and utilisation of the Internet for business purposes. â€Å"Social media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technology to communication into an interactive dialogue† (Evans, 2012; p62). This means that social media relates to the use of the Internet to create platforms on which different people and different individuals can interact and exchange various forms of information. Social media therefore involves various social channels that changes over time. These channels offer the space within which people can interact and communicate in order to share ideas and thoughts. The audience and people who use the social spaces on the Internet take an active part in the communication and interactions on these social media channels. Thus, such media channels that exists on the Internet can be utilised by various film producers and film marketing and promotion entities to get their information and views known. This can be done through the professional use of information and data

What do you consider are the essential attributes of an interviewer Essay

What do you consider are the essential attributes of an interviewer and why - Essay Example Hence, the organizations are now trying to authenticate the research by applying the new techniques. There are studies related to mental health, socio-economic and personnel factors. Organizations conducting the researches, involved in planning of interviews and designing of the questionnaires. With an effective discussion, limitations of interviews are confined to avoid any unfairness; as the interview is a vital instrument behind any research or investigation. Therefore an interviewer requires endowing himself with all the attributes necessary to get the proper information. An interviewer needs a proper study of the subject of research, its background and proper understanding of the objective of interview, in a proper way. There are several techniques applied to conduct an authentic interview. The case may vary from a crime to patient in a mental hospital. The body language, way of communication and approach applied matters a lot in the quality of the interview. (Ritchie, Lewis 200 3). An interviewer should always keep in mind, the importance of qualitative value of the research which can be achieved only through primary data collection method; which is totally based on the interview of the native. More exact information you derive from the interviewee, more the research will be authentic. The subject of the study requires a particular kind of approach to make the research fruitful, avoiding any bias. The design of questions planned may have socio-economical, natural, physical and psychological approaches, depending on the objective of the research. Selection of the field for the research, making a team, and a good fieldwork with historical, social and psychological analysis is necessary, before designing the questions for the interview. The interview should be able to reach in depth of an individual, acquiring all the required information from him. Selection of the place of interview and the kind of questions, affects the psychology of the individual which ma y influence in the spontaneity of the information he is giving. Therefore, to get the same in a proper way, the individual should be provided with a contented environment, which encourages him to narrate his story or the incident he has witnessed. As soon as the process of data collection through an authentic interview is completed; a qualitative analysis of collected information is required, to give a proper shape to final research report. Among several approaches of interviewing and researching, the most successful one is a psychological approach. As the information is acquired from a human beings, who are psychological in nature; treating them psychologically, would certainly help gain more factual information than any other approaches. Here we will discuss about the methods of psychological approach of interview. This technique of interview consists of a non-accusatory interview combining both investigative and behavior-provoking questions. This technique of interview has three elements: Factual analysis, interviewing, and investigation. Besides being distinct in their process these elements have a common objective to help the innocent and identify the offender. Interrogating that individual becomes an important task to find out the reality. This technique is useful in extracting information from reluctant suspects. Interviews and investigation both are supported by investigative findings; therefore, a proper analysis of facts can help the interviewer in following ways: Recognize appropriate questioning planning. Increase the possibility to recognize the offender through the interview. unlikely suspects Develop probable

Rationale, Treatment, Objectives Essay Example for Free

Rationale, Treatment, Objectives Essay The group has decided to teach this age group because the group believes that in this age group, the minds of the children are still very curious and retention can be increased because of their curious nature. The group has seen this topic as an important lesson to tech to children because we are human being and we need to know what is going on in our body. So we can understand what we need to eat and what is harmful to our body. We also need to know the process and we need to know how can we keep our body healthy. The group has also decided that the medium to be used for this project will be the E-Module, because it has the capacity of stimulating more than one sense of the body (hearing and sight). As discussed in previous lessons in DEVC 40, the more senses we stimulate, the more information is retained. Also, the E-Module format is more participatory, making the learner a part of the learning process. It is an interactive format, meaning learner participation is a must to proceed. It also makes learning more fun for the learner, therefore encouraging the participants to learn and get more out of the module. So this module can be very useful especially to the slow learners. They can learn while enjoying and as we all know, kids like colorful things and interactive type of learning rather than mere lecture. Finally, given the right hardware, the E-Module is accessible any since it can be put in a CD or it can be uploaded to the internet. This means the material can be viewed by anyone with a computer, or with anyone who has a connection to the internet. Treatment: The E-Module will be done using google chrome browser because it is an instant flash player. The E-Module will have a home page where the Digestive system is displayed. Links will then be displayed in one of the sides of the screen, probably on the top or the left side. These links will specify the topics that are to be discussed within the lesson. When the learner clicks on a link, he will be navigated to a page where the introduction to the topic is shown. To proceed, the student must click on the arrow next link. At the end of each sub-lesson, a brief summary will be presented. After this, the student will be given the option of continuing with the â€Å"normal† flow of the lesson or go back to the home page to choose a topic that the learner wishes to take or just continue clicking on the next tab until the final lesson is reached. At the games section, there will be games and one of it will serve as quiz. The quiz will be a traditional question and answer type or a game. At the end of the module, credits will be shown. Objectives: After viewing the E-Module, the participants must be able to perform the following: a. State at least four parts of the digestive system and its function. b. Explain in at least two sentences on digestion process. c. Identify at least six correct answers on quiz.

Problems on the KTM Trains and KRT Buses in Malaysia Essay Example for Free

Problems on the KTM Trains and KRT Buses in Malaysia Essay This is our recommendation report on the problems that frequently face by passengers on the KTM Trains and KRT Buses. Our company is experiencing declining number of passengers for the past six months since February. The unit of tickets sold drops dramatically from month to month since February. Investigations had been conducted and the problems are found out and recommended solution should be carried out to avoid the declining numbers of passengers in the coming days. The problems are identified based on our observations as well as the questionnaire’s results from our loyal customers of both of the transportation vehicles. Procedure In order to investigate the reason of this declining in numbers of users on both transportation, we have created a few questions that may be the reason of declining numbers of user on trains and buses. Next, our group is organized into 2 small group which one group consist of three members to distribute the questionnaires and questionnaires are collect back after the individuals have finished the questionnaires. After the questionnaires are collect back, the result are interpreted and analyzed. Then the findings will be present in term of charts and percentages. Moreover, our group members will also experience the services that provided by both of the transports. First and foremost, one of our group members will pretend as an ordinary passenger in order to observe the behaviors and attitudes of the staffs and workers on duty. We will also check on the punctuality of the transportation by matching the standard time and the actual time of the transports depart and arrive at most of the locations. Findings After all our questionnaires are collect back and we have conduct observation on the behaviors and attitudes of the staffs and workers, we would like to present the reason and factor that causes the decline in term of sales unit of both trains and buses First and foremost, the seats inside of the train are old, dirty and dusty. The seats are badly damaged by the vandalism of irresponsible passengers. Through our observation, we could noticed that some of the seat are drawn by some irresponsible passengers and some of the cushions of the seats have been torn off using sharp equipment. Some of the windows are also full with cracks that probably damage that cause by accident or passengers unmoral action. Secondly, the train-stewards and stewardess did not serve each and every passengers on the train. Only the first and second coaches which is classified as first class coaches of the train’s customers are being served. Although services are provided, we found that the services provided by them are bad. The passengers needs are not fulfilled and most of the first class passengers also claimed that they were ignored most of the time. We also witness that one of the workers is very rude towards an old man and vulgar words are scolded by the workers. Thirdly, most of the passengers at the bus terminal claimed that the buses are not punctual and the buses tends to delay most of the time. We also interview some of the passengers at the bus terminal, they said that the buses delay frequently, and the time period that buses delay are within half an hour to more than one hour. We also interview the worker on duty and found out that some of the reason that cause the buses to delay are technical problem on the buses and traffic jam that happened frequently. Some of the passengers also claimed that although they have sent complain letter to the headquarter of buses terminal, but no improvement or action taken by the upper management. Fourthly, as we also get some information from the regular passengers for the bus, they claimed that bus drivers tends to drive recklessly on the road especially during night time. One of the regular customers added that majority of the drivers’ always exceed the speed limit allowed especially on the hill near Malim Nawar. They increase their speed even though the road is narrow and full of dangerous turn. Besides, some of the driver tends to neglect the safety of the passengers on whether the passenger has safely get off the bus before continue driving the bus. Moreover, there are also some regular passengers of trains claiming that foods are sold only on gold class trains. However, most of the passengers of the gold class trains told us that although foods are sold on the trains, the taste of the food is bad and some of it said that the food is sometime too oily, salty and spicy. They also added that the taste of the food is not only bad, the price of the food are also costly and expensive, they also provide us with some true example, which is a packet of Nasi Lemak usually cost around RM1.50 per packets, however the Nasi Lemak on trains are sold around RM5.00 per packets. There are also some other religions passengers saying that it is inconvenient as the train management restrict that passengers are not allowed to bring any non Halal foods or beverages into the trains as some of them wanted to prepare their own meals in order to enjoyed during the trip. There are also platinum class passenger complaining that it is unfair to platinum cla ss passenger as they pay a high price and extra amount are to be paid if they need food on the trains. Next, there are also trains passengers complaining to us that the prices of the trains are costly and expensive. As it is cost around RM16-RM25 for silver class trains, RM30-RM40 for gold class trains and RM37-RM60 for platinum trains. As the prices of the trains are expensive, most of the citizen of Malaysia claim that they unable to afford to buy the trains ticket. We also aware that there is no extra accommodation are provided for the second class passengers, the accommodation only are provided for first class passenger and platinum class passengers. In addition, there are also some bus passengers complaining that the air-conditioner in the bus are often not working and some of them describe that the buses without a well-function air-conditioner are similar as the passengers are locked in an oven. The passengers said that complained has been made however the bus services still disappoint them all the time. Majority of the bus passengers claimed that they are poor and given no choice to take buses to work and to school. Besides, greater part of the passengers also complaining to us that the coaches provided by the trains are very limited. Most of the passengers need to pack into a coaches although it is full in order not to be late for work or school during the peak hours. Most of the old passengers also complained that the teenagers and adults nowadays do not offer seats to them as they are senior citizen. As part of our interview, most of the female individuals also complained that they are sexually harassed when packing in the trains during peak hours. There are also some of the passengers claiming that the passengers does not give ways to some passengers when they reached their destination and causes them to miss their stations and terminal. This caused them to waste a lot of time and also cause them to waste money to buy another train ticket and at the meantime they also need to pay a total of RM50.00 as it is remedy claim by the train management for some passengers who lost their ticket or did not went down from train when they reached their destination. Recommendations Based on the customers’ questionnaires result as well as the observation from our own staff, we strongly agree that the following steps should be implementing in order to improve the numbers of users on our transportations. We need to: a) Renew the seats of the train and try to motivate customers through posters that it is their responsibility as well to keep the seats’ cushion in good conditions. b) Give a better training to the stewards and stewardess so they have a better performance in servicing the customers on the whole train. c) The company should have more strict regulations on the bus drivers. The drivers who are always late to pick up the customers should be punished by reducing their pay. d) The company should offer talks about the road safety and force all the bus drivers to attend them. It is for the benefits of both passenger and driver himself. Conclusion The survey that had been done by our group as well as observations has proven that the problems stated above reduce the number of passenger to take our transportation. The reason is because of bad customer services and safety not assured.

Merging Of Old And New Architecture

Merging Of Old And New Architecture Human population growth in our planet has increased in a whirlwind over the past few decades. The on-going increase of the world population nowadays leads to greater demand of providing built environment for the people. On the other hand, although the population is growing, the earth is not. People will have to build more in a land that stay constantly the same. The fast changes of built environment have become one of the results. In Singapore, fast changes of environmental surrounding have now become so common that people might perceive it as a habit and pattern of life. People might live in one area for just couple of months and suddenly their environment is no longer the same. New buildings are added, some are being destroyed and replaced. The main reason is because of the minimum land area they have, that must runs concurrently with the population increase. To meet the demand of peoples need that is constantly changing and increasing, the built environment is adapting in a fast pace also. Living in a condition that is continuously changing has left a certain bad impact of ones life. A lot of Singaporeans, especially the young generations have no glimpse of what happened in the past. They are growing up in this modern environment, with the expectation of an endless changing. Not knowing the past means that we are heading our way to a future without knowing our own history and culture, leaving behind all of what our ancestors had given. While others are able to trace back their root and heritage, we cant. Others are able to learn from their own history, we cant. This is also creating a boredom, to only look forward and waiting for something new. Whereby our surrounding needs to be altered according to peoples need, we also have a call to start learning to know our history and originality. One of the solutions to this problem may be just a simple act that has been forgotten by most architects. We still can have both the originality of the buildings with the combination of new function to be added on, adjusting peoples need that is constantly changing. Fast changes built environment as the result of the increase population and peoples needs have caused individuals not to know their past. By merging the old and new architecture, people will have a glimpse on their history while still having their needs fulfilled. The essay will be studying how the old and contemporary architects have done the merging of the two. II. The Future of The Past The issue of Singaporean Young Generation to grow up without knowing their own culture and heritage. 1. Fast Changes of Built Environment in Singapore Data from the construction sector in Singapore has shown a rapid growth since the past few decades. The development of construction sector in Singapore since 1982 to 1992 is 12.5 percent while since 1992 to 1998 the growth expanded to 15.9 percent. Until the year 1990, there is 6,813,376m2 floor area of new establishments completed. Moreover, up till the year of 2010 the growth has increased from 15.9 percent to 20.3 percent. (Building Construction Authority, 2010) One aspect that is causing this rapid growth of built construction sector is the increase of peoples population. Data from Singapore Statistics (Singapore Statistics, 2010) shows that in 2010 the number of population reaches 5,076,7000 people, while in 1980 the population is only 2,413,900 people. From the data above, it is shown that increase of population runs concurrently with the construction sector. We can analysed that due to the expansion of Singapore population, the necessities of people is growing as well. This issue will then leads to the obligation of government to build more in order to fulfil peoples needs. 2. Fast Changes Built Environment in Singapore Leading Towards The Unknowing of The Past MM Lee Kuan Yew once stated in his speech at the inaugural Future China Global Forum Meeting on Wednesday, July 17th 2010, that Singaporeans are ignorant. (Temasek Review, 2010). One of the biggest issues of ignorance in Singapore is where the young generations not aware of what happened in the past. What if it is not the case that they are intentionally ignoring what had happened in the past? What if it occurs because of no traces left from the past as the result of fast changes in their living environment? B. Lessons from The Past 1. History Value of The Past By recognising our own history, we do not only know what had happened in the past but also learn from it. Peter N. Stearns (Historians, 2008) , once said that history puts human experience in a situation whereby it allows us to understand ourselves as a people and a culture. It gives us a reference to consider the possible future ahead of us. For examples, journals, newspapers and other religious books become more relevant to know what is going on in that time period. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. (Santayana, 2005) on the other hand, with no doubt, knowing the past means also that we are aware of the mistakes done back then. It helps us understand past triumphs and tragedies, and gives us the tools to try and succeed where others have failed. It will be functioned as a guideline to illustrate our future in order to lead a better life in the future where we will not go down to the same hole again. 2. Memories How We Recall The Past Many very different things happen when we remember (Wittgenstein, 1974, pp. 181). Memories are another beauty depicting the past. How we recall and store every scene in the past is by memories. What has gone in the past shall live in our memories forever. We might forget the past without memories, and moreover the things that we cant let go of might stay forever in our mind even though they are actually gone. Memories play a certain roles in recalling the past. C. Architecture in The Past versus New Architecture Characteristics of Old Architecture The study of traditional architecture proved that in general there are recognisable patterns and forms in variety settings and variety purposes. Old buildings are usually designed by classification or by typological approach. Each type had certain characteristic that differentiates from others, and this will often be repeated in the design. For the spaces inside, they are typically designed as a solid body. They are always been rooms and solid spaces as to part one space from another. As for the functional purposes of old architecture How Traditional Architecture Different from Contemporary Architecture 2.1 Development of The Functions Contemporary architecture has developed rapidly, adjusting to human needs that are constantly changing. The main thing that differs traditional and contemporary architecture is the development of the functions. One of the examples is the establishment of department store in 1838. The increase of peoples possession on goods and daily needs is the main reason of the founding of department store, whereby people will be able to buy all kinds of their needs in one area. At the old time, all shops were standing alone; people will have to venture to one shop to another to get all their needs. Le Bon Marchà © Paris, France 1850 2.2 Development of The Forms Moreover, it is the characteristic of old building that is abandoned by new architecture. Repetitive forms are now used in a very little manner, while new forms are being introduced more. (will be explained more in the next semester) Le Bon Marchà © Paris, Shinsegae Centum City Busan, France (1850) South Korea (2010) D. Historical Approach The method of merging old and new architecture in the past The scheme of combining old and new architecture is not a completely new approach, whereby it has been done in the past. 1. John Ruskin 1.1 The Sixth Lamp of Architecture Lamp of Memory John Ruskin was an English art critic and theorist. He wrote an extended essay about principle in architecture, The Seven Lamps of Architecture. At the sixth point of his essay, The Memory, Ruskins clearly stated that there are two duties respecting national architecture; the first is to represent the architecture of the day and the second is to preserve, what is the most precious of inheritances from the past ages. (Ruskin, 1849) What Ruskin means by Memory is that architecture should have some regards to the culture and time where it has developed. Every building has its own beauty regarding its time being. Ruskin (2008, pp. 4-5) believed that every building especially domestic and residential building have some emotional aspect towards owner and space users. There are certain elements inside that cannot be renewed or replaced. 1.2 Restoration as a Form of Lie Even more, according to Ruskin (2008, pp. 15) restoration is a form of lie. We may make the same skeleton of the old building, or even portraying the exact same interior of the old. But still, the old building is destroyed, there will be no more emotional connection with people, whereby what they really connected with has gone, even after being replaced with something that is exactly the same. It will be better to have a robustly built structure that is strong enough to stand for quite sometimes, rather than having a building that is only last for a generation. Moreover, it is the nature of a building to have much longer life span than man. So why should we build one that requires changes after only short times, where actually it can be strongly remained? 2. Eugà ¨ne Viollet- le-Duc 2.1 Restorations of Medieval Buildings Different from Ruskin, Viollet- le-Duc was well known for his restorations projects of medieval buildings. When Ruskin strongly argued that restoration is a lie, Viollet- le-Duc has his own view on restorations projects. Restorations on medieval buildings appeared in France in the early 1830s, whereby there was a concern on medieval buildings that were slowly destructed as time goes by. Viollet- le-Duc was then firstly commissioned to restore Cathedral of Narbonne in 1839. As an architect and theorist, Viollet- le-Duc (Viollet- le-Duc, as cited in Levine, 2009, pp. 152) argued that what was lacking in the restoration field is the truth. A lot of French architects were making imitations objects, whereby the restorations were all look exactly the same with the old building before it destroyed. Viollet- le-Duc, aligned with Ruskins view about restoration as a form of lie, also believed that by imitating what has been there in the old buildings before and just directly made a newer version of it will bring no truth to the whole point of restorations. Restoration will be seen just to renew and renew the buildings whereby actually the originality of the buildings will be keep lacking. Viollet- le-Duc (Levine, 2009, pp. 154) then introduced a method of restoring with achieving something new and valid. He took what is the most important element in the old building; still using it but with the combination of creative modification. He pushed restorations to be beyond the limit and therefore leads to the era of Modernism. 2.2 Theory of Hut (Viollet- le-Duc Theory of Hut about taking the original elements of the old building and convert them into something new will be covered in the next semester) E. The Values of Merging Old and New Architecture 1. Unconventional twist created by merging old and new architecture Having both the originality of spaces with the new function will surely bring new sensation of the interior spaces (Conran, as cited in Niesewand, 1998, pp. 01) Imagine a sitting room with a church high ceiling, a workspace with the sunray glazes on the floor of a seaside house. We can get both the new function without sacrificing the beauty of old. The necessity of people is fulfilled, but now in a different unique ways. This will affect people in various ways: Fulfilment of necessity achieved in old environment, whereby in contradiction it is something new for people. People will perceive the old as a new thing as the function is now changing. Unconsciously, the space users will be in two different periods of time in a same place. This will provide the people some feelings of always being in different places all the time. Somehow, this is actually a benefit for people, especially Singaporean to be able to have two sensations in their spaces. Singaporean with the habit of living in small space due to land constraint will now be able to widen their view, although still being in the small space. 2. Transitional Spaces Between The Old and New Transitional spaces in architecture are commonly known as the connector of interior and exterior of the building. The use of transitional space is as a comfort zone as well as buffer spaces where people are allowed to adjust their selves before going to the different area. According to the definition of transitional spaces (UCL, 2005), it is articulated as a cross point where it connects the two. In the field of merging old and new architecture, these transitional spaces are now functioned not as the connector of outdoor and indoor, but between the old and new. It can be a space between the interior and exterior, between the exteriors or between interiors as long as it is a linkage from the old to the new. (Case studies of transitional spaces in between old and new buildings will be covered next semester) 3. Economically sizeable market With no doubt, reusing an existing building will bring a great economic advantage. Compared to build a new fabric, using an old building will only takes 50% to 70% construction works and therefore is less time consuming as well. (Cramer, 2007, pp.9) Moreover, demolition of old building nowadays is being perceived as an ecological waste. New building means taking more of the natural resources as material sources. Why would we want to take more from earth if we still could do alteration of existing building structure? It is wiser for us to provide more natural resources for the next generation rather than using them to the maximum limit now. Moreover, for the space users themselves, it is another economic advantage to utilise a readymade building than building a new one. The cost will definitely be higher to build a new structure than to reuse the old. 4. Challenging The Creativity of Designers Designers nowadays have been so caught up with the thought that creativity is to be explored to the highest point, whereby to create something in the existing building is a restriction of creativity. (Cramer, 2007, pp.9) On the other hand, in the practice, it is actually a greater chance for designers and architects to explore their potential and creativity in the field of designing with old establishment. While designing the new structure, there is no constraint and rules that will bind the designer. Designers will have to explore and put more thoughts when it comes to old buildings. There are a lot of sources inside the old that designers will have to incorporate with their new design features. This will require more creativity from the designers. F. The ways of merging the old and new 1. Converted Architecture new use for old buildings Lukas Feiress (Feiress, 2009, pp. 03) stated that we have to locate the present between the past and the future. In the present state, we cannot deny what has happened in the past, but still we need to look forward to the future. Converted architecture is a term of changing the use or function of an original building, especially the old and abandoned. Terence Conran, (Conran, as cited in Niesewand, 1988, pp.06) once said, How we use space and particularly how we live in it, requires a complex balancing act between practical limitations, individual requirements and personal preferences. Requirements of individual needs and personal preferences are a key to converted architecture. Some people may choose triple volume height open space for living while others may not. Than maybe an old school or old church is more suitable for them. To convert an old building means that we are maximising the use of what is already there with some adjustments of new functions. We might want to retain the old structure or forms of the existing skin with adding a new function on to it. The essay will gives examples that some of the greatest contemporary architecture projects are actually done with the engagement of existing building structures. There are two approaches of how the old and new come together as a whole: Blend In The new addition of function is blending in with the existing old fabric. They are now look similar and smoothly integrated. Various elements are used to bind the old and new together. It could be in terms of material, colours, or design of new structure that follows the old. Peoples view is being blurred, as they may perceive the new as the old or vice versa. Blend in could be use as the guideline to design the transitional spaces between the two. Neues Museum, Berlin Germany David Chipperfield (Case studies of Neues museum, Berlin by David Chipperfield as to bring the old and new as a whole whereby the new blended in with the old by the use of colour and material will be explored more in the next semester) Contrast The new function is intentionally designed in contrast with the old building. By treating it this way, space users will subconsciously feel as if theyre in two places in the same time. Museum of Sydney Australia 1983 Firstly built for the governors house on 1788, rebuilt for the Museum of Sydney on 1983 (further explained in next semester about how the architect is successful in contrasting the new element but still harmonious with the old) Different types of building conversion to create contrast: Add On Indicating the potentials of adding on a new structure to the existing building. There are no changes at all of the old building. New spaces being laid and extended onto existing fabric. The example shows that existing architecture and new structure form unexpectedly imaginative balance although with two different elements. House at St Kevins Road by Odos Architects Inside-Out Exploring the interior space of the old building. The original appearance of the existing site remains unchanged, but concentrating on the interior spaces. This type of converting is in line with conservation procedure to maintain the exterior of a historic building. Selexyz Dominicanen Bookstore Netherland (former church turned to bookstore) Change Clothes The opposite of Inside-Out, whereby the approach is now to completely change the exterior faà §ade of old building. New shell is now put to replace the existing fabric. This scheme of converting can be done for many old buildings that had gone through massive destruction of the exterior through ages and other for the optimisation of buildings shell. Bunny Lane by Adam Kalkin (former factory turned to a house) (All of the case studies will be furthered explained in the next semester) 2. Types of building to be converted It is not necessarily to be a historical building to be converted, but any old and abandoned structure. The main reason of merging the old and new architecture together is for people, especially young generation, to get to know their own culture and how life back there was like. Ruskin (Ruskin, as cited in Cramer, 2007, pp.15) said that The aesthetic value of something was closely linked to its age, and this aesthetic value should not be impaired by modern intervention. John Ruskin has stated that every building have their own beauty, their own ability to tell story about their own time being. It is not only the historical buildings that are able to tell us what happened in the past, but any other old buildings also. Potential types of buildings to be converted 2.1 Ecclesiastical building A lot of ecclesiastical buildings are vacant nowadays. The most common reason is because of the need to have more spacious assembly space. It leads to create a single larger unit meeting space from combining two or three churches together and left other buildings empty. The value of a churchlike building is that they are spacious and tall enough to accommodate a lot of spaces. They are suitable for living or gathering spaces that require more time inside the space such as cafà © or restaurant. Larger spaces inside the church will allow people to feel more comfortable where they have to stay in quite long time. White Rabbit Restaurant Dempsey Hill Singapore (Former old chapel building) 2.2 Municipal building Municipal buildings are places that are own by government, they have high position in local community such as police station, government hospital or schools. These buildings are usually built near to the main road or access area. They are highly accessible and this also becomes the value of municipal buildings. They are suitable for commercial places such as retail or hospitality, as usually located at the heartland of a city. Fullerton Hotel- Singapore (Former General Post Office building) 2.3 Commercial building Old commercial building, especially in Singapore, such as the old shop houses are more likely to become vacant as the result of changes in working patterns. There are now trends to group all commercial spaces together in business or urban areas, such as the grouping of shopping areas along Orchard Road along the way to Marina. The value of old commercial space is that they are tent not to have much decoration. They are often monotonous; all look the same and therefore allowed more new adjustments to be made. House at No. 12 Kong Seen Road Singapore by Richard Ho (former shop house building) 2.4 Industrial and Offices Industrial and offices are designed to be practical and useful rather than beautiful. Creativity of designers is challenged the most in converting industrial spaces and offices. It is the nature of industrial buildings to be ignored by passers by and it is the designers job to transform them into much more attractive with still retaining some parts of them. The value of this kind of buildings is they are usually very practical in the adjacency of spaces inside. Spaces work perfectly for the benefit of the users. (case study will be explained in the next semester) G. How will the space users cope with the new way of experiencing spaces based on the psychological effects from the above studies? The obstacles that people may face in coping with two elements at once. Will they get used to the changing of spaces inside? The adjustments by the space users and the design as well. (Will be explored in the next semester)