Medan experience

Last month, I went to Medan, Indonesia, it was a studio trip, just for fun, without any assignment or project. Well, I admit this will be a nice and enjoyable trip in Medan, if and only if the 'frequency' of Nasi Padang meal can be reduced.

By the way, there, I found some quite interesting but not very impressive road sign. Here I would like to share with you.

This is a road sign which I cannot find in my own country, the 'S' with a slash. This signage has the meaning of means 'CANNOT STOP', same as 'P' with a slash which means 'CANNOT PARK'. This road sign can be noticed anywhere in Medan, Indonesia.




The information of this road sign is very clear, but then, where is the pedestrian crossing??



Can you notice the blue road sign at the left side of the photo?? It stated "TURN LEFT DIRECTLY", I'm getting confuse of the message of this signage, if not turn left directly, then how should we turn? Or, it wants to tell the drivers that there is not necessary to wait for traffic light if you want to turn left?




This are common road signs, but then I think they are funny, with all the graphical drawing, but not words.



It tells you that the train ahead!!



"Toll road only for motorized vehicles with 4 or more wheels". Then where should the motorcyclists go?? Is it the way to reduce road accident?



This kind of road sign, can be found anywhere in the center of Medan town, may it gives a clear and correct information. There are plenty of this kind of road signs!! It will appear once every 20 meters you go, may be.

RM400K Automated Public Toilet in Malaysia

With overseas automated public toilets which are so impressive and high-technological, my country Malaysia also not left behind in the trend. By the way, I don't think it's a completely good news for my country, since the cost of construction and maintenance is extremely high.


This was the day when the first automated public toilet in Malaysia to be launched officially. It is located at Bukit Bintang, a hot spot for tourists, especially the foreigners.



They are so proud of the first automated public toilet, as well as us.



Our deputy Prime Minister (at the moment he is deputy PM) , he was kindly to give a few words of encouragement on the day.



This is the entrance to go into high-technology, self-cleaning toilet with the cost of RM400, 000 each.



This is the inner view of the automated public toilet, with the cost of RM1.00 to use this toilet for each time.




However, your RM1.00 only allow you to stay 15 minutes in the toilet, or else, the door will automatically open!! So, be responsible to yourself when you using it. With the nice and powerful air-conditional, plenty of space inside the toilet, and the limited time to do your business, I doubt that your business can be done smoothly. So, don't get panic when you are inside there, be calm and steady..

You are under arrest!!

What is the image of a prison in your mind?? Dirty?? Dark?? Terrible?? A disgusting place?? For sure, everyone of us will never want to get into a prison!!

But then, I think there will be an exception in Australia after I read an email, about the prison in Australia. This is truly happen, in Australia. Take a look at this photos.

It is a building for office, I think, at the first sight.

Such a modern and beautiful design of 'office'.

The inner view.

A standard SOHO?

Comfortable & colourful resting place with glass windows.

Erm..What is this?

Wow, basketball court inside the building!

Table tennis and gym room not left behind!!

Recreation area as well.

After these photos, what do you think?

It's a jail. Absolutely a jail.





Does it make sense?? With this ridiculous prison, 99% of the citizen make choose criminal as their job.

Unbelievable!!

Let us have a look on the bridge design in Western countries.

This is a bridge, a pedestrian bridge located in Texas. This is an arched bridge in Lake Austin build by Miro Rivera Architects. The bridge is in fact not for public consumption, but is used to connect the client's main house to the smaller guest house on the other side of the water!!!

This is another amazing bridge located at Sao Paulo, Brazil, named Octavio Frias de Olieira Bridge. This is bridge carried motorized vehicles crosses the Pinheiros River in Sao Paulo. It's design is unique where the two curved decks of the bridge cross each other through its x-shaped supporting tower, an illuminated structure that stands 450 feets tall and has attached to it 144 steel cables.

The Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge at Brasilia, Brazil, is named after Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, the former president of Brazil. It was designed by architect Alexandre Chan and structural engineer Mário Vila Verde. The bridge has a pedestrian walkway and is accessible to bicyclists and skaters.
The main span structure has four supporting pillars submerged under Lake Paranoá, and the deck weight is supported by three 200-foot tall asymmetrical steel arches that crisscross diagonally. Since being built, the bridge has won awards for its design but is still massively under appreciated on a wider scale.

Now we look at the bridge in Eastern countries.

In China, a railway bridge was built as part of the much larger 'Guizhou-Shuibai Railway Project'. The Bei Pan Jiang River Railroad Bridge at Guizhou, China is an enourmous railway bridge which connecting two mountains over a deep ravine, at its highest point the bridge's deck sits 918ft above the ground (to compare, at its highest point the Millau viaduct's deck clears the river underneath by 890ft). The bridge has succeeded in connecting two of the country's poorest areas.


Henderson Waves at Southern Ridges, Singapore is the highest pedestrian bridge linking Mount Faber Park to Telok Blangah Hill Park that forms part of the Southern Ridges. The two parks join forces with Hort Park, Kent Ridge Park and West Coast Park to form a corridor of green spaces known as the Southern Ridges of Singapore. It is a beautiful 9km stretch of gardens and parks and has frequently drawn comparisons to New York's Central Park. The bridge itself is absolutely stunning. The deck is made from thousands of Balau wood slats, perfectly cut and arranged, and along the length of the deck a huge snacking, undulating shell cleverly forms sheltered seating areas on every upward curve.

Modern Automated Public Toilet

Automated public toilets are designed to clean themselves automatically after each used. They need to be maintained from time to time, so that they are clean enough and ready to be used at any time. The cost of construction is very high. as well as the cost of maintenance.

Criteria of automated modern public toilet may include:

• always functional to maintain cleanliness
  
• electronic basin unit to provide sensor operation of soap, water, and hand drying, in order to ensure the hygiene

censored soap dispenser, with creative thinking

• automatic toilet bowl flushing when users wash hands or open the door to leave
• each automated unit is fitted with a concealed movement censor, for the safety of users
• seat wash unit to clean the toilet seat by retracting the toilet seat into a cabinet and spraying it with disinfectant, and then wash, dry, and move back into position, ready for the next user.
  

• unique electronic toilet tissue dispenser accommodates a jumbo toilet roll
• electromagnetic locking device which is exclusive concealed to lock each automated unit
• communication module to provide background music and voice messages to users
• baby change table
• sanitary disposal
• smoke detection and water spray
• a warning sign and flashing light to warn people have a hearing impairment in the unlikely event of a voice message being broadcast
• battery operated emergency lighting in order to provide light in the cubicle when there is power outage
• suitable external appearance to suit the local urban design and landscape.

Self-Cleaning Public Pay Toilet

Automatic public toilet in New York

Aim of Abu Dhabi to provide a modern, clean and attractive facility

The most widely used automated public toilet in Australia and New Zealand with over 600 installation

Coin-operated, self-cleaning public toilet in Germany

Berlin Public Toilet, with advertisement

The first public toilet in Saarbrucken, Germany, with 'ears' and 'eyes'

Modern public toilet

Self-cleaning public toilet with high power water-jet and disinfectant in Paris, looks like a wastage bin?

Antique Public Toilet