In Semester 5, themed “sense of place and placemaking”, the design studio which emphasizes on the idea of ‘place making for the urban communities’. Students will undertake a studio-based exercise which deals with urban block within a dense urban environment. The emphasis in this module will be on exploring the notion of ‘placemaking’ and architecture which respond to this notion. Developing your design thinking as an architectural narrative, forming proposals which are poetic expressions of ideas. The two major parts of the studio are a) urban contextual study and b) architectural design development. The final outcome is an architectural design that is responsive to its urban character. In their preliminary design work, students engage with urban studies and strategy/concept development to develop an appropriate programme and massing studies responding to the urban conditions. Subsequently, the major project involves the development of a design scheme which engages with the spirit of urban place and the everyday life of the urban community. The design work explores the plan-section-elevation relationship to achieve an architecture that acts as a vibrant block exploring the maximum potential of the urban space.
DESIGN STUDIO.
5
The studio runs through two projects: project 1: urban study on place making aspects; project 2 comprises of architectural strategy and design development. The site context is the area covering Jalan Tukang and Jalan Sulaiman, Old Town Kajang. There is a real life scenario to reactivate the urban spaces in order to connect to the urban community. The studio project is collaborative with a research project at Taylor’s University and the scenario of the future vision for the area to be a) a place for the community and b) with an active frontage of the streets. The project is about improving the spatial and social qualities of an urban node within the Old Town of Kajang. There are two sites at the convergences of historic streets of urban blocks. The blocks are fragmented and built in different period of times due to evolution, hegemony of private sectors and fire accidents. Some parts of the blocks are also attempted for conservation by the location authorities. Proposals are to be made for the communities rather than individual clients. The urban issue being the city that is ‘displaced’ in its spatial character and social quality. For example, locals have been displaced by immigrants, street as public spaces has been displaced by cars, traditional business has been displaced by contemporary service based businesses, walkable and cycle routes have been fragmented by new developments. The students are challenged to interpret various possibilities for a Community Centre in order offer urban intervention that identifies the distinctiveness of place without disrupting the locale character. The Community Centre is a place for the local community with a public space adjacent to the building. Your objectives should be: 1. Attempt to respond the issue of displaced city 2. Remnant spaces to be effective public spaces. 3. Programmatic aspects to be connecting to the urban communities. 4. Façade and scale to be part of the urban block.
LECTURER & TUTOR: Dr Sucharita Srirangam
Indrani Vanniasingham
project. 1
Preliminary studies
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.
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. ‘Legibility Analysis’ (Bentley, et.al. 2013) which is a method through the exploration of Kevin Lynch’s Elements of legibility (Lynch, 1979) is employed here as a study method. The students are to establish possible opportunities (such as routes and attractions) to sustain and to offer legibility by the proposed Community centre. The students will also begin to demonstrate an understanding of urban issue given in the scenario above. The course work will integrate to Theories of Urbanism in which the Studio site (the street) will be studied for the spaces between the buildings which will focus on public realm furthering the case studies from the West. Such an understanding should reflect here in the Project 1. 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.
Theory that I had selected to focus on for the urban study is Jan Gehl's theory from social dimension. The content including the basic information of Kajang, analysis of Kevin Lynch, urban issue and inspiration, design narratives and precedent studies.
Presentation Slides
project. 2
Kajang Community Centre
After site analysis from project 1, with the data and inspiration in mind, students will concentrate on designing a Community Centre within an urban block site. The design of the building is to consist of appropriate architectural responses that address the aspects of the urban street context and user behavioural patterns as discerned and analysed in the Preliminary Studies.
Apart from developing a narrative on architectural strategy in response to the relevant questions pertaining to community and its context, the design should take into consideration a holistic application of structural, spatial, functional and environmental requirements to address the user needs for a Community Centre. The design development of this project will include an introduction to the legislative restrictions that impact an architectural scheme, the integration of lighting and acoustic design, as well as the design exploration and detailing of the façade and building envelopes that is coherent with the architectural language of the overall design project. The design outcome has to exhibit strong integration in construction and theory, within the Studio, whilst concurrently integrating with the Module on Building Services.
Final project are designed with 3 phase. Students will undergo interim 1 and interim 2 that leads to final presentation.
interim. 1
At this stage, the aim is to deduct a position for finding architecture and produce architectural design strategy. By this time of the semester, the students should be able to find their positions to develop the Kajang Community Centre. The students are to individually interpret the idea of ‘Community Centre’ and come up with architectural design strategy for the same. This will be in-reflection to the issues and inspirations they found in the Project 1 in order to offer to character, continuity and enclose, quality of public realm, ease of movement, legibility, adaptability and diversity in the city. Architecture is about geometry. Exploration on form-typologies such as linear, perimeter and diffused in terms of layering, subtraction, over-lapping etc is compulsory at this stage. The objectives is to establish Community Centre as a possibility in the context, explore programmatic requirements and spatial layout of the design scheme, explore formal and structural design idea/strategy and explore urban theories from Project 1 towards design strategies. The objectives mentioned are to be deliver by sketches, diagrams, massing study models, orthographic plan-section and elevation exploration and schematic drawings.
interim. 2
At this stage, the aim to develop an architectural narration for place making in the city. Architectural strategy should be resolved for form, activity and circulation. We will have to develop architecture FORM, SPACE and FACADES for
▪ Positive outdoor space (site layout)
▪ Animating the edge (Façade design)
▪ Building size and scale (sections)
▪ Building for change (space planning/function)
▪ A thriving public realm (connection to the street)
Architectural design strategy should be further resolved a) by design through form, activity and circulation and b) for technical and services integration. The proposed building should be of an area of minimum 1200 m2 and a maximum of 1300 m2 and 3-5 storeys high in the given block boundaries. Apart from developing a narrative on architectural strategy in response to the relevant questions pertaining to community and its context, the design should take into consideration a holistic application of structural, spatial, technical, environmental, services and legislative requirements to address the user needs for an urban Community Centre. This will include a focus on tropical design, lighting as well as design of the façade and building envelope that is of a coherent language to the overall design scheme. The design outcome has to exhibit strong integration in construction and theory, within the Studio, whilst concurrently integrating with the Module on Building Services. The objectives are to develop and finalize structural, spatial and formal design, explore, develop and incorporate design and details of façade, tropical resolutions, construction technologies and services.
Final Project Presentation
After undergo 14 weeks of design development. students are to produce 8A1 OR 4A0 (equivalent size) of boards and produce drawings and diagrams that best represent the design. At this stage, all documentation are to be compile in the boards. My submission includes 4A0, 2 piece of A5 weprint poster and presentation slide.
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