Koon Yew Yin 19 May 2020
Due to Covid 19 lockdown, I have to stay at home and I have plenty of spare time to write this article which should be of interest to most people. When I took my exam to qualify as a Chartered Civil Engineer in 1960, I had to pass one of the subjects called “Aesthetics consideration against economy in Engineering design”. For example, the size of the pillars for a high-rise building is the same from the ground floor to the top floor. Technically the size of the pillars at higher floors can be reduced. That is how I know something about the appreciation of good architecture.
Buckingham Palace London
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="360" width="902" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
Monona Terrace by Frank Llyod Wright. He was a famous American Architect who designed the famous house called “Falling Waters”. If you are interested you can Google to find out more details.
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="454" width="902" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
St Peters Basilica Rome
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="564" width="902" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
All the above 3 famous buildings have one thing in common. They are symmetrical about the centre line. It is like the face of a man or woman. If you draw a line along the centre of the face, you can see the symmetry- 1 eye on the left and 1 eye on the right; 1 ear on the left and 1 ear on the right and so on.
The above is a Huf Hus, German design
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="458" width="902" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
About 12 years ago, when I saw this German design Huf Hus in England, I like it immediately and I designed my house following the same lines. The picture below is my house facing the Meru Golf Course, Jelapang, Ipoh.
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="588" width="902" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
Conclusion: Normally many people find dificulty in apreciating good architecture because art is so flexible. After seeing my article, I trust you have learned a quick way to appreciate good architectural designs.