Friday, December 26, 2008

Singapore News: Engineering failure

Singapore Flyer will not resume operations till after the new year.
By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 24 December 2008 2026 hrs


SINGAPORE : The Singapore Flyer observation wheel will not resume commercial operations for at least another week. Its management is currently investigating the exact cause of the wheel's failure, which trapped 173 people for nearly seven hours on Tuesday night. The company said it could take some time to fix the problem. But it would also take time for a round of safety checks and getting the green light to re-start operations. A day after the harrowing experience of visitors being winched down from the Singapore Flyer, the tourists still came by the bus loads to catch a ride on the wheel, unaware of the closure. One tourist said: "I have been searching on the internet, and it said the first thing I would like to do when I come to Singapore (is to go on the Singapore Flyer). When I came here, I was so frustrated. (I have come) all the way from United States." Another tourist commented: "I already applied for leave and I decided to come over today... I wasted my time rushing over here." Even as repairs are being carried out, the Singapore Flyer's operator has assured the public that the wheel is safe. But for those thinking of going up on it, do not expect it to happen anytime soon, at least not until after the new year. That means the closure will have an impact on the tenants here. The management said it will be meeting the tenants to discuss the current situation. The operator also declined to reveal how much it will lose because of this closure. But losses are estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Steven Yeo, general manager, Singapore Flyer, said: "We have spoken to our corporate clients, they have confirmed their support for us. They have requested to reschedule their bookings to a later date." But while most tenants are seeing empty stores for now, one restaurant seems to be bucking the trend. Vinod Jakhmola, senior unit manager, SSP Singapore, said: "Whatever situation it is, it is for a short while. It will move on and we have to move further than that. In case of business, this is a lovely destination. People will still come back for the food outlets and definitely for the rides also." The Flyer's operator also revealed that its recent decision to reverse the rotation of the wheel was not a factor in the latest breakdown. In fact, it was a component failure which resulted in a small fire, and that caused a power outage, shutting down the entire system. Mr Yeo said even though the small fire was put out in minutes, it had caused certain problems in the circuitry board, which as a result, had to be taken out for repairs. However, even when the repairs are completed and safety checks done, the operator will still have to get the go-ahead from the police for the all-clear. - CNA/ms

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Travel blog: Bali


Architecture I find interesting in Bali.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Travel blog: Bali


A balinese contemporary pot...

Travel blog: Bali

Found this lamp shade made of wood in the shape of a bird cage.

Travel blog: Bali


Found this while I was in Bali. Guess what this is?
It's a battery operated insect swatter. Bzzzzt!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Design: Dog Lamp

Design by Charles Kalpakian.


More on his works at: http://www.hellokarl.com/

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Packaging Design

A detergent box in the shape of a washing machine. Cool.




More information on packaging design at: http://www.thedieline.com/pentawards08/




Friday, November 7, 2008

Singapore Structures: Marina Barrage

Singapore's latest downtown icon

Built across the mouth of the Marina Channel, the Marina Barrage creates Singapore’s 15th reservoir, and the first in the heart of the city. With a catchment area of 10,000 hectares, or one-sixth the size of Singapore, the Marina catchment is the island’s largest and most urbanised catchment. Together with two other new reservoirs, the Marina Reservoir will boost Singapore’s water catchment from half to two-third’s of the country’s land area.

The Marina Barrage is the result of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s vision nearly two decades ago when he envisaged damming the mouth of the Marina Channel to create a freshwater reservoir.







More information can be found at http://www.pub.gov.sg/Marina/Pages/default.aspx

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

DesignRete: Product rendering 2

More students' work from the DesignRete workshop.








More information can be found at www.designrete.com



Monday, November 3, 2008

Practice: Exploded Drawing

My attempt at drawing an exploded view of a mechanical grasshopper.



Sunday, November 2, 2008

DesignRete: Product rendering


Students' work on product rendering. Subject used is a rollerbrush.






More information on DesignRete can be found at www.designrete.com

Thursday, October 30, 2008

DesignRete: Rendering exercise

Students taking part in a two-day workshop by DesignRete.










More information on DesignRete can be found at www.designrete.com

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Perspective Drawings

Students' work:

Design a study table using 1-point or 2-point perspective.







Sunday, October 26, 2008

Design: Storage for shoes

An alternative method to store your shoes and slippers.



More information can be found from http://www.222gallery.com/

Monday, October 20, 2008

Singapore Structures: Henderson Waves

At 36 metres above Henderson Road, Henderson Waves is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. It was built to connect the two hills of Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill.The bridge has a unique wave-form made up of seven undulating curved steel “ribs” that alternately rise over and under its deck. The curved “ribs” form alcoves that function as shelters with seats within.Slats of yellow balau wood, an all-weather timber found in South-East Asia, are used in the decking. Look out for carvings on the slats marking the height you are at on various points along the bridge.The wave-forms will be lit with attractive LED light from 7pm to 2am daily, giving the bridge an illuminative glow.










More information can be found on http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/