LIST OF PROJECTS BY DPLUS ASSOCIATES SDN. BHD.

High Rise Residence • Suria Valencia - Lot 2086 • Suria Residence - Lot 1725 • Suria Court - Lot 630 • Star Garden Melawati • Mahkota Residence - Lot 779 • Mahkota Residence - Lot 1121 • Balakong Service Apartment -

Lot 3160 • Molek Vista Condominium

Low Rise Residence • Suria Tropika • OCR • Layang-layang • USJ11 terrace houses

Individual Residence(Bungalow) • Datuk Zain’s Bungalow • The Trilogy • Villa Shasha • Ark • Lim’s Residence • Arte House • Crombie’s House

Industrial/Factories • Signature Corporate Park • Suria Park - Lot4631 • Semenyih 1888

Education/Institution • YPC College

Master planning/Landscape • Signature Corporate

Park • Layang-layang • Lahad Datu

Interior Design • Hijuan • Limus • Lahad Datu • Kiara Valle Penthouse • The Trilogy • Ark • Arte House • Suria Park - Lot 4631 • Semenyih Lot 1888 • Star Garden - Malawi • Molek Vista

Condominium

Q: What are the roles of an architect in a certain project? A: An architect is like a conductor in an orchestra. An architect needs to know about all the profession and what they do in the construction industry. So that he or she can give direction to staffs and other teams. An architect is involved in all the stages of the construction. From start until the end. The architect needs to go to the site to check on the progress and also make sure that nothing is wrong.

Q: What responsibilities does an architect have? A: The architect has a lot of responsibilities. As an architect, you will need to design the building, think about the building's style, safety and sustainability. Architect also has to take note about the taste and needs of the client.

Q: What kind of qualities should an architect have? A: An architect has a very big responsibility in construction industry. So, the first thing is that being an architect, you need to have a sense of responsibility to all projects/work. An architect should have perseverance as you need to do sketching and drawings again and again if the sketching got rejected. An architect also should have a sense of timing. He/She has to know how to manage his/her time and don't procrastinate.

Q: What did you do as a junior architect? A: I mostly did odd jobs in the office such as sweeping the floor, cleaning the toilets, sharpening pencils, printing plans etc. I also did some small projects. Mostly detailed projects. For example, I sketch small rooms or bathrooms for a certain project.

Q&A “An architect is like a conductor in an orchestra. An architect needs to know about all the profession and what they do in the construction industry.”

Q: Do you think that the rise in technology changed the way architects work now? How? A: Yes, of course. During the old days, architects use paper to sketch their proposals, plans etc. But now, majority of the architects uses laptops or desktop to draw out their plans. Because of technology, people nowadays don't use their imagination anymore. The clients want the architects or designers or anyone to show them the photorealistic picture. They don’t use their heads to think what colour matches with what colour anymore. Clients will ask for the photorealistic pictures.

Q: Did you have any small projects back in the UK when you were studying? A: Yes. I did had some projects in UK. But the projects were small scale. For example, small cottage, toilets and wash rooms, and more.

Q: What do you think about the projects in UK compared to in Malaysia? A: When i was still in the UK, there were some small projects such as building a small homestay cottage like in Malaysia. But the difference are the bricks in the wall. Because UK has 4 seasons, their walls are two bricks thick while in Malaysia, it is only one brick. And there is a gap between the two bricks for air(called cavity). In UK they don’t have toilets in every room but in Malaysia, we have toilets in every room.

Q: What are your advices to us as a professional architect? A: You can go to work part-time in an architect firm after foundation. Just to test out wether you like the job or not. You should ask lecturers or architects about how will you be a successful architect. They will judge you by your work.

Q&A

FNBE MARCH 2015

Special Thanks To DPLUS Associates

EDITORS • Ch’ng Phei Woon • Boon Li Ying • Chritina Chua Yi Mei • Alison Tang Ing Ee • Chong Yi Hui