Extraordinary Animal Shaped Buildings

There are many attractive buildings that are shaped like animals such as chicken, elephants, sheep, sharks, fish and many more. StarProperty.my takes a quick tour to bring you some of these uniquely shaped buildings.

Dog and Sheep Buildings in Tirau, New Zealand
The Sheep Wool Gallery is a sheep skin rug and novelty shop which offers woolen goods and gifts while the Dog Building is an Information Centre cum public restroom. The buildings were built in 1994 and are along the main road in Tirau.

The idea to build an information centre in the shape of a dog initially came from John Drake, the owner of the land, and this led to the large corrugated iron building known as the "Sheep".

When the South Waikato District Council was looking for a site to build new public toilets, the land beside the Sheep belonging to John and Nancy Drake seemed to be ideal. Work on the Dog Building started in January 1998 and it was officially opened in September 1998. The shape of the Dog’s head was constructed by local craftsman Steven Clothier.

The common material used to build structures such as barns and storage sheds is corrugated iron. This material has been used to build extraordinary looking animal-shaped buildings in Tirau, Waikato.
(Image by Ellergy Blogspot)

Lucy the Elephant, Margate City, New Jersey
This is a six-story elephant-shaped structure weighing 90 tonnes. Lucy was constructed in 1882 by James V. Lafferty in Margate City, New Jersey in an effort to sell real estate and attract tourism. Lucy had served as a restaurant, business office, cottage, and tavern over the years.

In the 1960s, Lucy was in bad condition and was scheduled for destruction. It has been moved and refurbished as a result of a "Save Lucy" campaign in 1970 and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976. Josephine Harron is one of the founders for the Save Lucy Committee.

Several elephant-shaped buildings have since been constructed after Lucy. The second was The Elephant Colossus at Coney Island amusement park which was a twelve story structure but was destroyed by a fire in 1896. In 1884, ‘Light of Asia, or ‘Old Dumbo’ was built at Cape May but it was torn down. Only Lucy was lucky enough to survive until today.
(Image by Ellergy Blogspot)

Elephant Tower in Bangkok
Located in the Chatuchak district, it has three towers and forms the shape of Thailand’s national animal – the elephant. The Elephant Tower is only 10km away from central Bangkok and is one of most famous landmarks in Thailand. It’s made up of seven parts which consists of condominiums, office space, shopping plaza, bank, post office, a language school and a garden.

This tower is one of the futuristic buildings of the 21st century. It can be accessed by many roads, expressway and the upcoming mass transit transportation including the first and second stage expressway - Don Muang Tollway, Hopewell Mass Transit and Expressway, BTS Elevated Train as well as MRTA Subway.
(Image by BEEN SEEN)

Giant Muskie, Hayward, Wisconsin
A museum and also an angler’s shrine shaped in a leaping musky, this unique building is one and a half city blocks long and four and one and a half storeys tall. It is made of concrete, steel and fiberglass. It’s gaping jaw which serves as an observation platform is able to accommodate about 20 persons or more. The landmark is surrounded by a quarter acre of natural pond.

The museum houses fishing artefacts; an inventory of over 5,000 dated lures, hundreds of antique rods, reels and angling accessories, and more than 400 mounts of almost 200 different species of fish. The building idea was brought to live in 1960 by Bob Kutz.
(Image by Ellergy Blogspot)

Frank Gehry’s Fish, above the Vila Olimpica in Barcelona
Built in 1992 for the Olympic Games, located above Vila Olimpica in Barcelona, the monumental Fish sculpture consists of a retail complex designed by Gehry Partners within a larger hotel development by Skidmore, Owing & Merill.

The sculpture was modeled entirely in 3D and delivered directly to the fabricators as a 3D model. There have been many other fish buildings that followed thereafter.
(Image by BEEN SEEN)

Dog Bark Park Inn, Cottonwood, Idaho, USA
Dennis and Frances are the owners of this gigantic beagle in Idaho. Dennis’ background in the construction and building design industry prior to becoming an artist gave him the necessary expertise to build the dog building himself.

The head of the Dog is a loft room with additional sleeping space plus a cozy alcove in the muzzle. The building at 30 feet tall, 34 feet long and 14 feet wide was completed in 2003. Some of the Dog’s decorative furnishings are carvings by Dennis & Frances. Visitors may walk the grounds; browse the gift shop, or even share dog’s travel and life stories at the dog park.
(Image by Ellergy Blogspot)

Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn, Jabiru, Kakadu National Park, Australia
Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn, Jabiru offers an international standard four-star service to their visitors. This unique hotel is shaped like a crocodile and is located in the centre of the world heritage listed Kakadu National Park. It is a popular base for exploring the rugged beauty of the vast National Park.

The Crocodile’s mouth is the entrance of the hotel which leads to an expansive marble foyer designed to represent a cool, green billabong. Its body section houses guest rooms overlooking a central patio with a recreation of a natural billabong and a shaded swimming pool, designed to signify the crocodile’s heart. There are also tennis courts and a golf court situated within a short distance from the hotel.
(Image by Ellergy Blogspot)

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Attraction of average-size residential, shopping projects

The built environment in the Klang Valley, Penang and other parts of the country is poised for major changes going by the ambitious infrastructure and development projects that have been planned to boost the liveability and growth potential of our major cities.
Projects such as the mass rapid transit in the Klang Valley and the light rail transit and monorail projects in Penang will certainly herald many new changes in the property landscape.
These infrastructure projects will undoubtedly spawn opportunities for other types of development such as housing, office buildings, shopping malls, industrial parks and public facilities.
With all the big plans under way, there may be a tendency to pay too much attention on building mega buildings and structures, and neglect the basic, simple needs and necessities of the common folks.
Many Klang Valley folks consider it unnecessary to spend too much resources on gigantic structures and projects just to add to the city’s skyline.
In fact, the debate on whether there is a need to build the 100-storey Warisan Merdeka tower in the vicinity of Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, is still on.
Personally, I believe there are many worthwhile projects that can be pursued, such as cultural and art centres that should be planned based on traditional architecture and using local and indigenous designs and materials. They present opportunities to liven up our cities with more holistic activities and showcase the rich local culture and heritage to visitors.
So it makes sense to incorporate Malaysia’s multi-culture and multi-ethnic heritage into the new commercial projects in our major cities.
We must remember that foreign visitors and tourists to the country are here to savour and experience the living heritage of the people in our cities, towns and villages, instead of gazing at the skyscrapers and concrete jungle which they can find in their own countries. In many ways, what they hope to experience is the simple, yet rich and original way of life of the local people.
Likewise, new residential projects should also look into the basic needs of potential buyers and should be functional instead of over-emphasising the aesthetics. There is a growing number of people who want to live in the city centre but find the prices of the property way beyond their reach.
There should be more effort to build smaller “starter” units in the urban conurbations in order to attract and retain young talent and workforce in cities, particularly Kuala Lumpur.

A review of planning laws and incentives should be considered to encourage developers to build more such entry-level properties for first-time homeowners.
These developments can be integrated with some nice lifestyle food and beverage outlets and retail centres.
Since a number of condominium projects have yet to be fully sold or occupied, perhaps the developers can look at redesigning the layout plans and turn some of the overly spacious units to smaller homes.
Developers of such starter homes have reported brisk sales and there is still a long waiting list for these smaller residences.
In fact, there is also tremendous opportunity to further liven up the Klang Valley’s retail landscape with more average size lifestyle outlets and centres.
The plan to link major retail destinations in Kuala Lumpur’s main shopping hub will help promote the city as a favourite shopping destination.
Walking around shopping malls that are well spaced out, safe and not overcrowded has proven to be therapeutic and relaxing.
It is not only the fairer gender who are taking to shopping as a favourite past-time but their male counterparts have also caught up with this habit. Whether it is to look for something to buy or just taking a stroll, shopping complexes have become favourite haunts for many Klang Valley folks.
The scorching sun has made walking a chore these days and setting up shaded pedestrian walkways in major shopping streets will do well to promote the city’s shopping potential.

Jump in Penang property prices

The most significant feature in Penang’s property market last year was the marked increase in prices in some established housing areas on the island, with single storey and double-storey terraced houses breaching the RM580,000 and RM800,000 respectively.
Double-digit price and rental hikes were noted throughout the state in established housing areas, the Valuation and Property Services Department says in its Property Market Report 2010.
The situation in Penang is a general reflection of the mood of the overall market in the country, with Putrajaya recording a two-fold increase in the volume from 170 units in 2009 to 337 units last year. In ringgit terms, Putrajaya sales saw a three-fold increase from RM88mil to RM375mil. It should be noted that Putrajaya is beginning from a low base, being a relatively new area.
Klang Valley prices and volume of transactions were also robust last year. The only state which experienced a soft market was Labuan, while Malacca saw very marginal growth.
Going back to the situation in Penang, as with other states, the residential sub-sector dominated market activity, capturing 70.2% of the market share, followed by commercial sub-sector with a distant 11.9% share of the market. While agricultural and industrial sub-sectors enjoyed growth, it was the residential sector that saw major movements last year.
On the island, single storey terraced houses in Green Garden recorded an increase of 16.5%, ranging from RM455,000 to RM550,000. Similar houses in Jalan Van Praagh were transacted at a higher range of RM530,000 to RM580,000. Bandar Bayan Baru saw both its single and double-storey terraces charting gains of 16.1% and 20.2% to record RM275,000 to RM340,000 and RM403,500 to RM490,000 respectively.
According to the report, its proximity to Sunshine Square shopping complex, Suntech@Penang Cybercity office blocks and being adjacent to Penang International Sports Arena gave it the extra edge.


Other locations which had notable increases were in Taman Sri Nibong, Taman Sri Mewah and Taman Sunway Banyan. Houses in Taman Sunway Banyan went as high as RM750,000. Other popular areas were Island Glades and Island Park, recording sales between RM560,000 and RM800,000 for its residential units.
In Seberang Perai on the mainland, prices of landed residential units also recorded positive movements, particularly Taman Bertam Perdana (B), Bandar Putra Bertam. It should be noted that prices in Seberang Perai Utama are also gradually moving up.
While landed units recorded a general trend of double-digit growth, high rise residential units are not to be left out. Prices of upscale condominium by the beach increased by 3.6% to as high as 22.2% in Sri Pantai/Gurney Beach Resort Condominium.
In the rental market, growth was recorded in Green Garden and Taman Lip Sin, with rental rates seeing an increase of 12.5% and 11.1% respectively. In the high rise segment, rental growth also saw an uptrend. Two-bedroom flats in MaCallum Streets and three-bedroom flats in Mutiara Heights, and George Town city centre recorded 9.4% and 9.1% increases respectively. Prices of shops were stable with isolated increases noted in choice locations. Since the inscription of George Town as a World heritage Site by Unesco in 2008, the number and value of pre-war shops’ transactions have increased. Institutional buyers have been actively buying up commercial lands in George Town.
Overall, Penang enjoyed a total of 25,986 transactions worth RM9.37bil last year, an increase of 14% in volume and 43.5% in value against 2009 (22,724 transcations worth RM6.53bil). It was one of several top performing states both in terms of value and transactions. - By Thean Lee Cheng

Perimeter wall collapses after thunderstorm

Looming danger: The perimeter wall of Ken Damansara 3 collapsed and the river retaining wall has also reclined.

A perimeter wall of the Ken Damansara 3 Condominium in SS2, Petaling Jaya collapsed onto the banks of Sungai Penchala on Saturday during an evening thunderstorm, sparking fears among residents over their safety.
A swathe of soil near the collapsed wall was exposed and the river’s retaining wall could also be seen leaning forward.
After receiving complaints, Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) checked the site with its technical officers later that evening.
Councillor Tony Cheung said the matter was monitored closely by both the council’s engineering department and the state’s Drainage and Irrigation Department that was in charge of the area.
“The cause of the collapse has yet to be ascertained as we are still waiting for the report, which will be available within these two days,” he said.
Councilor K.W. Mak said there was no danger of the building or the bridge collapsing at the moment.

He said he had demanded for a full report from the relevant parties to know what was the real cause, whether it was only soil erosion or due to other reasons.
“Technically, a development should not be located so close to a river. I will request for the planning department to show me all the plans, I am not happy with what has happened,” he said.
He said the council would hold a technical meeting today to discuss repair works and work out the costs.
An officer from the condominium management, who was present at the site yesterday, declined to comment on the matter.

Concern over sewage pipe location

Residents of Jalan Tiong in Bandar Puchong Jaya want the developer of a new condominium near their houses to move its sewage pipe elsewhere.
Last month, the residents voiced their displeasure when they saw installation works being carried out at the slope along Jalan Tiong 2.
According to a representative from the developer’s sub-contractor, the pipe will channel waste from the condominium to the oxidation pond nearby.
The residents objected to the project because they feared the sewage pipe would overflow in future and cause them problems.
Pro-tem residents association chairman Mumfit Mohd Sahlan said a meeting was held at the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) headquarters with the developer and Indah Water Konsortium representatives recently.


Kinrara MCA service centre chief Dr Kow Cheong Wei said he was appalled that the residents were asked to seek professional help themselves when it should be MPSJ’s responsibility to assist ratepayers.
“The other condominiums next to this new one have their sewage pipes built under the main road (Jalan Pipit). The developer for this condominium should do the same,” he said.
When met at another event, Kinrara assemblyman Teresa Kok said National Water Services Commission (Span) had informed there was no issue with the works.
“The residents cannot cite worries as the only basis to complain. Their only concern is that the existing facility in their residential area cannot cope with the waste volume from the new development.
“The entire sewage system would be sealed,” she said.
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“We were told to engage our own lawyer and engineer to prove the sewage pipe cannot be built there. Otherwise, the project will resume on May 1.
“The condominium is located on top of the slope and we would become victims should anything happen to the sewage pipe,” he said.
He said the residents had no intention of hiring the professionals as they could not afford it.

Workability of Fresh Concrete by Slump Test

Be free to read and reply...

WORKABILITY
Slump test is used to determine the workability of fresh concrete. Slump test as per IS: 1199 – 1959 is followed.The apparatus used for doing slump test are Slump cone and Tamping rod.

Procedure to determine workability of fresh concrete by slump test.

i) The internal surface of the mould is thoroughly cleaned and applied with a light coat of oil.
ii) The mould is placed on a smooth, horizontal, rigid and nonabsorbent surface.
iii) The mould is then filled in four layers with freshly mixed concrete, each approximately to one-fourth of the height of the mould.
iv) Each layer is tamped 25 times by the rounded end of the tamping rod (strokes are distributed evenly over the cross section).
v) After the top layer is rodded, the concrete is struck off the level with a trowel.
vi) The mould is removed from the concrete immediately by raising it slowly in the vertical direction.
vii) The difference in level between the height of the mould and that of the highest point of the subsided concrete is measured.
viii) This difference in height in mm is the slump of the concrete.

Reporting of Results
The slump measured should be recorded in mm of subsidence of the specimen during the test. Any slump specimen, which collapses or shears off laterally gives incorrect result and if this occurs, the test should be repeated with another sample. If, in the repeat test also, the specimen shears, the slump should be measured and the fact that the specimen sheared, should be recorded.

Typical Questions

Ques 1. What is the ideal value of slump?

Answer 1 In case of a dry sample, slump will be in the range of 25-50 mm that is 1-2 inches. But in case of a wet concrete, the slump may vary from 150-175 mm or say 6-7 inches. So the value of slump is specifically mentioned along the mix design and thus it should be checked as per your location.
Slump depends on many factors like properties of concrete ingredients – aggregates etc. Also temperature has its effect on slump value. So all these parameters should be kept in mind when deciding the ideal slump

Ques 2. How does a superplasticizer effect the slump of concrete?

Answer 2 Value of Slump can be increased by the addition of chemical admixtures like mid-range or high-range water reducing agents (super-plasticizers) without changing the water/cement ratio.

Ques 3. How much time one should take to raise the cone?

Answer 3 Once the cone is filled and topped off [ excessive concrete from top is cleared ] raise the cone within 5-10 seconds.

Ques 4. What are the dimensions of the cone used in Slump Test?

Answer 3 The dimensions are
Top Diameter – 10cm
Bottom Diameter – 20cm
Height – 30cm


If you have any Q & A be free to share with my blog

Residents express fear over LRT routes

THE residents of Putra Heights and Taman Subang Alam, have expressed concern over the proposed LRT extension route near their areas.

They feel the Selangor government should intervene to reassess the proposed route.

The proposed route which runs from Kelana Jaya will be extended to Subang Jaya and make its way to Putra Heights and Taman Subang Alam in Shah Alam with a station each.

Putra Heights resident Prem Kaur said the site identified for the 11th LRT station on the route was as close as seven metres from the double-storey terrace houses in the area.

Prem, who heads the LRT taskforce committee in the area, said the site was too near their homes.

“The granite soil in the area is also not strong enough to support the LRT’s concrete pillars in the future,” she said.

Prem said the group had sought assistance from disaster management engineer Dr Tajol Anuar to conduct a study on the proposed routes to get a clearer picture of how safe the site was.

“He (Tajol) studied the site and came up with a geology report stating that it is not viable to build the LRT on the terrain between stations 11 and 12 as it was dangerous and highlighted us a few points supporting the report,” said Prem.

Taman Subang Alam resident committee member Afideen Azali said the station to be built on their site will sit on Tenaga Nasional Berhad’s (TNB) Right of Way (ROW).

“I do not understand why Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) has chosen that spot when they know the danger of occupying land under TNB’s high voltage tension cables.

“There is also an old quarry lake near the site which is deeper than the homes in the area, hence he said the residents fear the walls around the quarry may crumble when piling works begin.

“ It is a disaster waiting to happen and when it does, it will be too late,” said Afideen.

He added they have been holding several meetings for the past two years and had even submitted a survey report by Merdeka Centre to the Mentri Besar but received no reply.

The residents hoped the Mentri Besar would look into the alternative route which Shah Alam City Council had came up with.

The route which is said to be 2.1km longer and will cost an additional RM500 mil is seen to be a better choice as it covers Section 27 and 28.

“Why waste more money to mitigate the quarry wall and strengthen the soil when you can choose other empty land in the area,” said Prem. During a meeting attended by Sri Muda assemblyman Shuhaimi Shafiei recently, both resident committees appealed to him to look into their woes and convey the message to the Mentri Besar.

“We are not against the project as we want LRT in the area. We just want it to be relocated to a safer location,” said Afideen.

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Task force to be set up to revive abandoned projects

THE Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) will set up a task force to accelerate the revival of abandoned projects.

Councillor Lee Kee Hiong who made the suggestion during the fullboard meeting yesterday, said there were more abandoned projects in areas under the council’s jurisdiction although only 11 were listed at the Selangor Housing and Property Board (LPHS).Left to rot: The abandoned project consisting of 19 houses in Taman Bukit Permai, Bandar Sungai Long, Kajang. — filepic

“Such project sites contribute to cleanliness and security problems,” she said.

In reply, an MPKj officer said it has a special unit to liaise with the Housing and Local Government Minister, LPHS and Selangor housing, building and squatters committee chairman Iskandar Abdul Samad.

Another councillor S.T. Chandra Mohan added that the task force would be set up to include councillors and officers from the building, planning and infrastructure departments to hasten the revival process.

“We’ll see how we can accommodate the planning requirements. It’s very difficult as liquidators need to take over the projects and buyers have to be prepared to pay more,” he said.

On the illegal recording of MPKj’s closed-door meeting in January, Chandra asked how to prevent a recurrence of the incident.

“According to the Standing Orders for Meetings, all meetings cannot be recorded.

“Are we supposed to screen everybody and stop them from bringing in handphones? How do we control this?” he said.

Fellow councillor Norsiah Md Noor suggested letting the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee to look into the matter.

Meanwhile, a proposed 34-storey serviced apartment development in Jalan Bukit, Kajang, has been put on hold pending the Traffic Impact Assessment and Road Safety Audit reports.

Chandra said the studies should be done at a macro level to take the whole area into consideration.

Councillor Ong Seng Peng enquired about the plans to tackle the problem of illegal car wash operators.

“Do we legalise them? If we don’t, they are still going to be around,” he said.

Chandra added that the council was supposed to finetune the guidelines as decided in the last meeting, and an MPKj officer admitted that it was still in progress.

On another issue, Lee suggested creating a position for deputy council president.

The council secretary also serves as the acting deputy president, but there are certain responsibilities which are out of his jurisdiction.

“For instance, he cannot chair the meetings in the absence of the council president (whose term ended in February),” she said.

As such, the fullboard meeting was chaired by councillor Mohamed Yusoff Bachek.

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