Hi, I am Yeo Shi Jie, 0330176.
The Preliminary Studies is a preparatory assignment that focuses on investigating basic notions of the city, and learning from examples of Community Centre around the world. This assignment aims to firstly introduce students to the basics in urban design and its relation to architecture, and secondly, studying and determining the programmatic function, societal role and spatial layout of an Community Centre and architectural responses for urban blocks.
The Preliminary Studies comprises of three components: Site Documentation, Site Analysis, and Precedent Studies of Urban Blocks and Community Centre. The Site Documentation and Site Analysis will equip students with a firm understanding of the site they will be working with this semester, while the Precedent Studies will provide an insight into architectural responses for designing an urban block Community Centre. The outcome of the Preliminary Studies will include the production of site documentation materials (drawings and models in both digital and physical copy for further use), a comprehensive analysis of the site, and a detailed case study of a relevant urban block and Community Centre.
Objectives:
- To have an overview of the formation of cities and introduce basic concepts of urban design in relation to architectural design.
- To introduce and implement basic methodologies of urban studies.
- To investigate the role of multi user typologies in traditional and contemporary urban societies.
- To examine various examples and architectural responses for urban blocks.
Tasks / Methodology / Focuses:
Urban study: The study has to be done in two levels of complexity, namely, the macro and, with more focus to, micro contexts. Whilst the macro study is about the role and how the location fits into the city. In micro study the students are to make a comprehensive study on urban form, activity and movement-pattern.
Site information: The site context is in a few in-fill corner-lots with a significant characteristic of an adjacent public spaces in Jalan Tukang and Jalan Sulaiman. The extent of studies for macro and micro studies are 500m radius and 200m radii from the street, respectively. For the analytical stage you are to analyze two block-corner sites. For the subsequent stages in the studio, you must choose either of the block-corner sites.
Urban Theories: For micro studies, in addition to using perceptional theories of Kevin Lynch on Legibility analysis and Way-finding (5 Lynchian elements of legibility), key concepts and theories to be discussed in depth with strong inquiry through at least one of the following urban theories:
a. MORPHOLOGICAL: Built-form typologies and Morphology, Figure/Ground Mapping (Roger Trancik)
b. SOCIAL: Patterns of Movement, Human Behaviour, Street Culture (Gehl’s Contact point)
c. FUNCTIONAL: Land use diagram and building types (Functionalism by J.Lang)
d. TEMPORAL: Time-lapse mapping, What time is this space by Lynch
e. VISUAL: Serial vision (Gordon Cullen’s)
4. Urban Walls: A special focus to be given to URBAN WALLS. A façade study on the walls to be done to exemplify the understanding on:
a. Positive outdoor space
b. The edges
c. Building size and scale
d. Usages
e. Public realm
5. Precedent Studies: To study and analyse two precedent studies; one from international context and the other from tropical cities; to cover the aspects of:
a. Community Centre
b. Tropical architecture
c. Urban block context
Outcomes:
For the Micro-site analysis, I have chosen SITE B - Jalan Sulaiman, Kajang as my micro-site context. Whereas for the urban thoery, I have chosen the Social Dimension: Contact Points by Jan Gehl.
Overall Site Analysis Boards:
Learning Outcomes:
- To analyze and interpret urban situations to identify conditions that determine the place making characteristics of the street, with theoretical inquiry.
- Investigate and examine the effective conditions to propose architectural strategies that connects to the urban communities and complies with the Design Codes and Regulations.