COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVE
THIS PROJECT INVOLVES THE INCORPORATION OF ARCHITECTURAL KNOWLEDGE INTO A COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVE BY IMPLEMENTING AN ACTUAL PROJECT TO A PLACE THAT REQUIRES IMPROVEMENT. WITHIN OUR SEMESTER, WE WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS WITH PPR (PROJEK PERUMAHAN RAKYAT) AND ZLG ARCHITECTS TO HELP THE COMMUNITY OF SRI TIOMAN 1 & IMPROVE THEIR WAY OF LIFE AND LIVING STANDARD.
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AS THERE WERE SOME COMPLICATIONS WITH THE STUDY PLAN PROVIDED BY THE UNIVERSITY FOR THIS SEMESTER, i WAS ONLY ABLE TO ENGAGE IN THE COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVE MODULE ON THE 4TH WEEK OF THE SEMESTER. i WAS PART OF A GROUP OF 11 (INCLUDING MYSELF) THAT AIMED TO SOLVE AN ISSUE WE HAVE HIGHLIGHTED FROM OUR SITE VISITS.
WE OBSERVED THAT THE SITE WAS FAIRLY CLEAN AND MAINTAINED BUT WITH NOTICEABLE AREAS OF LITTERING AND UNDER APPRECIATED NOOKS AROUND THE SITE. THE MAIN GROUNDS HAD PLASTIC RUBBISH BAGS, EMPTY TIN CANS, LEAFLETS AND MORE SCATTERED ABOUT WHICH BROUGHT TO MIND THAT THERE WERE NO RUBBISH BINS ON SITE BUT FOR THE ONE MAIN REFUSE CHAMBER IN FRONT OF BLOCK 36.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE EFFORTS BY THE RESIDENTS WHO GATHER AND SEGREGATE THEIR DISPOSALS INTO RECYCLABLES AND LEAVE IT UNDER THE MAIN STAIRCASE FOR PEOPLE TO COLLECT AND SELL IT. THESE ASPECTS OF THE SITE WAS NOTED DOWN AND BROUGHT BACK FOR DISCUSSION AMONG OUR GROUP,
IN THAT FOLLOWING AT ZLG ARCHITECT'S OFFICE, WE HAD PRESENTED OUR IDEAS TO THE DESIGNERFROM ZLG ARCHITECTS TO RECIEVE THEIR CRITIQUE AND OPINIONS ON OUR PROGRESS. THE FEEDBACK WE RECIEVED FROM THEM HAD FOCUSED OUR ATTENTION TOWARDS A RECYCLING BIN CONCEPT RATHER THAN A GENERAL RUBBISH BIN WITH THE INTENTION OF ENGAGING THE YOUTH TO EDUCATE THEM ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RECYCLING.
AFTER FURTHER CONSULTATION, WE PROGRESSED TO LOOK FOR PRECEDENCE STUDIES AND METHODS WE CAN APPROACH THIS NEW DIRECTION. WE HAD MANAGED TO EXTRACT FROM OUR RESEARCH IDEAS ON USING RECYCLING MATERIALS AS THE CONSTRUCTION FABRIC OF THE RECYCLING BIN ITSELF. SO INSTANCE, A RECYCLING BIN FOR PLASTIC WOULD HAVE PLASTIC BOTTLE 'SKIN' ON ITS OUTSIDE TO CLEARLY SHOW THE BINS RECYCLING PURPOSE. FURTHER DISCUSSION UNRAVELED BETWEEN US THE POTENTIALS AND WEAKNESSES THAT THE DESIGN MIGHT HAVE. AFTER THE EXCHANGE OF THOUGHTS, WE BELIEVED THAT THE BINS SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY A GRAPHIC THAT WOULD VISUALLY ENGAGE THE RESIDENTS WHO PASS BY THE BINS TO USE THEM AS WELL AS GRAPHICS TO EDUCATE THE YOUNGER GENERATION WHO ARE CURIOUS ON THE NATURE OF THE BINS CONSTRUCTION METHOD.
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OUR GROUP HAD CONFIRMED THE MATERIALS AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION AND PROCEEDED TO PURCHASE L-CHANNELS, PLASTIC MESH AND NECESSARY CONNECTION PARTS AND COMPONENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE RECYCLING BINS. WE THEN SPLIT INTO UNITS OF TWO PEOPLE TO FOCUS ON CONSTRUCTION OF THE L-CHANNEL FRAMES AND THEN ATTACH THE BOTTLES, TINS AND EGG CRATES AS THE FACADE ONTO THE FRAMES STRUCTURE. WE MANAGE TO COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS WITHIN A DAY BUT WITH PREPARATION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MATERIALS ONE DAY BEFORE.
WE PRINTED THE FINAL GRAPHIC TO ATTACH TO THE WALL BESIDE THIS BINS WHEN WE TRANSPORTED THE BINS TO SRI TIOMAN 1 RESIDENCE THE FOLLOWING WEEK WITH THE PERMISSION GRANTED FROM PPR AND THE RESIDENCE REPRESENTATIVE. WE WERE FINALLY ABLE TO SEE THE CHILDREN NEARBY WHO CAME BY TO LOOK AT THE BINS AND WOULD EVENTUALLY USE THEM TO THEIR PURPOSE.
IT WAS A LONG AND TEDIOUS PROCESS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT BUT WITH GOOD INTENTIONS. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE DIFFICULTIES EXPERIENCE WITHIN AND OUTSIDE OF THE GROUP, WE MANAGED TO OVERCOME THEM BY FOCUSING ON AIDING THE RESIDENCE WITH THE COMPLETION OF OUR BINS.
WE WERE ABLE TO VISIT A HDR BUILDING AND WITNESS THE COMMUNITY LIFE THAT IS NOT OFTEN SEEN IN THE CITY CONTEXT. WE UNDERSTOOD THEN, THE COMMUNAL SPIRIT OF THE PLACE WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTIVITIES AND EVENT HELD BY PPR AND ZLG ARCHITECTS. THE OBSERVED CHALLENGES THEY FACED, IN WHICH WE HOPE THAT OUR PROJECT FROM TAYLOR'S UNIVERSITY WOULD HELP THEM BY ANY MEANS. IN ADDITION TO OUR CASE, THE RESIDENCE WHO RECYCLE THERE HAVE MENTIONED THEIR WILLINGNESS TO SEGREGATE THEIR DISPOSALS ONLY IF THERE WERE BINS CONVENIENT FOR THEM TO REACH AS THERE IS AN EXISTING SYSTEM WHERE SOME OF THE RESIDENCE COLLECT THESE MATERIALS TO SELL TO RECYCLING CENTERS OUTSIDE. THIS CONFIRMED OUR RESOLVE AND MISSION TO SUSTAIN THESE RECYCLING BINS AT SRI TIOMAN 1.
IT WAS A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR OURSELVES TO PARTICIPATE IN A COMMUNITY EFFORT AND HOPE THAT THE BINS WE HAVE PROVIDED THEM WILL IMPROVE THEIR RECYCLING SYSTEM EVEN IF IT IS JUST AN ASSIGNMENT TO US, IT IS A MEANS OF CREATING A BETTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE PROCESS FOR THEM.