Essay 4 : Monument, Testimony and Memory

From the Jewish Museum, we can found out the new building and the old building is totally contrast. The old building is a Neo Classical building but The design of the New Building is using deconstruction style to present the memorial to the Heroes which i think it make a big contrast to the old building. It won't disturb or not matching with the old building. From the outlook, we hardly feel that it connect to the memorial the war and the secrify of the solders. But in the progress that you visit the museum, you can feel it deeply. The visit tour will give you back to the journey of the War period. The architect using the abstract way to present and bring out the feeling. The unformal walk way, the slunting wall, the unparrallel opening all create a illusion style and it create a time tunnel to bring back the time to the period. The totally design is very different from Malaysia Museum.

Malaysia Nasional Museum is using a tradisional Minangkabau style as the structure. It also level up the ground floor to create a 'long feet' tradisional house. It is very Malaysian style. Compare to Jewish Museum , the Jewish Museum was using a modern and contemporary style but Malaysia Nasional Museum choose to use a Malaysian well known traditional malay house style as the design. It easily can be regconized and remember by local and it also can represent our culture to the foreigner.

The building facade using the painting or motif craft style which also is malay traditional culture. Our country is form by 3 main races and also bumiputra, my opinion is we should indicate more 1 Malaysia concept design which is content 3 races and also more international style. Because from the outlook of the building, it only can recognized the old tradisional malay house. Maybe the surrounding side building can put in more modern style or other tradisional style.

Unfortunaly, beside the main building, you can found out there is few side building. The building style all is different style and the style is not really related back to the main building style. Example the building beside the old train. The buiding using a simple style which always apply on our current primary and secondary school. By adding some 'slunting pattern' overhang. It make the Museum become mix and match. And other side of the building was apply a English style of building is another style. And beside there you can found out some temporary structure for the hawker store or parking lot. Which make the design a bit ' rojak'

From the another view of the Museum, it use the simple but clear meaning of finishing to bring out the Malaysia tradisional culture. Different from the Jewish Museum, Malaysia Nasional Museum choose to show directly the history and culture of Malaysia from the building itself. It attract the foreigner 1st then lead them to the interior part.
The Jewish Museum is abstract form which using the design concept and the space planning to create the feeling which i think it is more abstract and more creative way to lead people to the museum.

My opinion, the Jewish Museum outlook is totally contrast with the old building. But the architect using the space planning to create a space that for memorial the Heroes.
Malaysia National Museum is more straight forward and it show the Malaysia culture from the facade of the building and also the building itself.

About the Malaysia National Monument. After visit the place, it giving visitor a feeling like the place is very pure, saint and peaceful. It using many waterscape to create a quiet, peaceful place to memorial the heroes that secrified in the WW2 which i think it is very succesful.
But the surrounding building it giving a wrong illusion that visitor are visiting the Mosque which i think the monument should explore to the main road.