LECTURER 04

CEDRIC PRICE

Non-Plan & Activity and Change

Cedric Price suggest total dissolution of the planning system. The idea non-plan is highly controversial, but it has a continuing influence. Non-Plan infuriated many architects and planners because not only was it extremely provocative and contentious but it also went against the established order and controlled uniformity of the built environment. Non-plan is intended to destroy a system of value. I disagree with this point. Although good planning will give us more clearly directions and preparation to face the out-coming problems, non-plan also will bring us to an unexpected outcome and the result might be more stunning and unprecedented that we cannot imagine how the outcome will be. The reason is non-plan encourage unevenness of development and reducing the permanence by avoiding the very reinforcement. Thus, you might exploit peculiarity and even more discoveries through the non-planning process. However, for our pasar design now, due to the restriction of timing, we still need a good planning of time while doing the design. Although non-plan sometimes will give us an unexpected splendid result because of the unbounded restriction, but we still need some plan or else it might exceed the requirements and time given to finish the works for my final design now.

Non-plan: City Movement

I support Cedric Price's concept of "anticipatory architect" in which the general public could determine, control and shape their own surrounding freely. All buildings should allow for obsolescence and complete changes of use. It might establish a new order of priorities of land, sea and air that related more directly to social and economic life-span of use. Non-plan explored ways of involving people in the design of their environments. I agree with the statement that people's own choices should be respected. It is good that we ask everyone ideas and preferences before designing a space because we also do not want to force the people to fit in a place that dislike to stay or join. Architecture bring life to humans thus we should let people shape the environment they want to live and work in so architecture will bring people together in the end. This is the reason why we should do the survey of people in pasar and ask the things that they prefer or hope to improve the environment or space. I hope to design the pasar that will associate with social life of kajang community and we should consider the economic life-span of pasar use in the future. Hence, pasar should allow to change and establish some new input to enliven the pasar for the coming years.

Cedric Prices Fun Palace sketches architectural details

Cedric Price favours non-architectural solution to the accommodation of human activities and denigrate the limitations of permanent and monumental buildings. It is easier to allow for individual flexibility than organisational changes. For example, the expandable house, the multi-use of fixed volumes and the transportable controlled environment. It is useful to applied in our final project now that we can design modular stall that is expandable and multi-functional for sitting and display items purpose. It is allowing for change and flexibility. It is essential that the variation provided does not imposed a discipline that everything is permanent and load-bearing. We should open-minded that design is flexibility and allow for change if it is not suitable to apply. When designing pasar we can plan for activities that allow for change not only in content but in means of operation. For instance, we can have two planning in pasar, which are day market and night market that the operation time are different but with movable stalls of different arrangement that can be different in activities and operations but at the same place.

Peter Andrew : Non-plan city movement

In a nutshell, non-plan enables uneven development, the particularization of occupation, habitat and appetite to occur in place and at times best suited to it. Through its permissive attitude to change, it increases the validity of continuous redevelopment resulting in activities and forms as yet unrealized. Although the result might be unexpected, we still need to accept along the time. For pasar design, we can apply some non-plan ideas above that make the design more lively and interesting because sometimes you will unrealize to obtain the outstanding result when go through the process. Therefore design process and development are vital. However, we still need to emphasize the planning of time. Remember design is allow to change and flexible. Don't bash one's head against a brick wall. We should think out of the box sometimes but do not forget the practicability and functionality.


Written by Chiew Jing Yi, 1001644071

LECTURER 07

TOM SCHUMACHER

" Contextualism: Urban Ideals and Deformations "

Tom Schumacher presents two concepts that make up the twentieth century town which are the traditional city and the city-in-the-park. The traditional city is primarily an experience of space defined by continuous walls of building, essentially a subtractive form of space making for public urban space. It emphasizes the spaces by figuring void and de-emphasizes the building volumes. The concept is humanistic approach by following the human scale and usage like create pedestrian and hybrid urban experience. I think our pasar design need humanistic approach for better user experiences by using the void in solid procedure to make public space as gathering place with anthropometry consideration. It is vital that designing a common space for human interaction and socialization. Due to historical approach of development, the city planning is more density and complex. For instance, the city of Rome had scattered irregular block to fit into the site, blur division of land use and no zoning. The irregular and blurring zoning planning reflect the street market(pasar malam) in Malaysia now with all the mix stall together and make the users difficult to find the directions sometimes.

Emphasize space by figure voids(circulation)

City of Rome: narrow street with pedestrian experience

The city-in-the-park concept is consist of collections of isolated buildings set in a landscape.It is modernist approach of city planning that emphasize functionalistic, efficiency and convenience. I think it is more towards my pasar design intention now. Owing to the typology in the current economic condition, we need to find the solution for pasar to thrive in 20 years time against supermarket and mini market. Therefore, I plan to use modernism design and more diverse or high efficiency technology to attract the youngster have curiosity and visit the pasar. For example the pasar had drive through options to buy things like MCDonald's. 

Moreover, it emphasizes building volume by figuring solids and not the spaces which the buildings define. It is arranged orderly and uniformly by using grid method regardless of site. It is standardize and form a machine-like city. However, the consequence is the mismatch between the building and human scale. Thus, I found that it is important of site context and human scale that we need to consider when we planning design so will produce better urban configuration and have linkage between context and building. For instance, our pasar site is almost surrounded by residential housing, therefore we can make a hierarchy and attraction in pasar to engage the kajang community come to the pasar.

Emphasize building volumes by figuring solids

gird uniform layout

Contextualism is the urban ideals as the middle ground that reconciles these two contrasting concepts. Schumacher found out the ideological and social differences among the two plans making us think about how land values and economic necessities of grouping people in high concentrations have greatly limited the flexibility of the capitalist city. Economic pressures and design preferences have led to the typification of housing as packages assembled repetitiously and based on profit rather than need. Hence, when we designing pasar, I think we should consider the human needs and site respond rather than put all the typical repetition blocks with no reasons because of the economic pressure that the buyers intend cheap and simple design without appreciate the limited land use.

Tom Schumacher: Contextualism

Schumacher by de-emphasizing the “form follows function” assertion, was willing to consider those spatial and planning pressure and try to find a solution. Public spaces should respect a hierarchy together with the buildings within the urban factory, consequently the rest takes shape. I think it is a good point that spatial planning and functionality is important when we doing pasar design and public space should be hierarchy to make a grand feel and attraction spot to the visitors. The rest of the plan could just takes shape like the Le Corbusier bubble analogy, the exterior and interior can be using the same language and characteristic.

Collage

Deformation

Densely packed in Mei Foo Sun Cheun VS
Deform in relate to social meaning arrangement

There are two techniques to achieve contextualism which are collage and deformation. Collage is the fragmentation of basic part and reorganisation base principle. It respond to the constricted environment by unified whole. Deformation is the basic part which the adjustment made to fit in the existing context that respond to constricted environment. For pasar design, we can extract the good elements from the ideal housing forms and reformulate the arrangement of buildings in the site based on the need of human beings. In short, pasar is a vital community engagement place. Following Schumacher theory, I think city-in-the-park ideas and contextualism are more towards my design intention now and i would applied in my design. Besides. I think we should maintain the pasar culture but we can input some new attraction in pasar like foods paradise with nice photo session and become a popular spot so it still thrive even in the future.



Written by Chiew Jing Yi, 1001644071

LECTURE 05

REYNER BANHAM, "ORNAMENT AND CRIME"

The Decisive Contribution of Adolf Loos

The theory of Adolf Loos is about architecture was the rejection of ornament and the adaption of contemporary style. He believed that the using of ornament was a banality and overly “sentimental.” He also greatly believed in restraining the passions and emotions in architecture by the expression of forms. I agree with that he felt architecture and space should be clear and rational, in order for a human to be able to think and meditate. However, I a bit disagree with the ornament that not only destroying the aesthetic development but also it is a crime against the national economy, labor, material and time.

Cathedral Nice Italian Baroque

I think ornaments still showing the aesthetic development like Italian Baroque. He was surrounded in France and Austria at the time by the height of the Art Nouveau movement, which was very flowery, heavily ornamented and expressive. As the visitors, we still feel stunning about how magnificent of these ornaments now in that century. Thus, it is not wasting the labour, material and time. It is too exaggerate to talk about damaging the national economy because it attracts the tourists to visit the place and experience the ornaments of how they decorate in such way. These already promote the economic and tourism development of the country. In the contrary, I agree that these depends on the behavior and attitude of consumers. Due to they require more money, ornaments normally belong to richer people and aristocrat. Hence, we should spend accordingly with our economic capability and do not be extravagant.

Reyner Banham offers a comparison between the structuring of his written argument and a "cafe" sensibility. In a way, it may imply a specific flow and atmosphere of collaborative mayhem. It is not a reasoned argument but a succession of fast-spieling double-takes and non-sequiturs holding together a precarious rally of clouds of witness – café-Freudianism, café-anthropology, café-criminology. Loos stated that clean cut modern architecture was the only way to go for him. However, it is interesting that he did not entirely practice what he preached because it becomes apparent that he enjoyed using many textures in his work.

Marble Cladding in the interiors of Adolf Loos

Is ornament a crime for me? I think if the ornament appeals to the eye, it is not a crime. However, if you do ornament and if it does not have any meaning or it does not change anything, it is unnecessary and it should be removed. Besides, it depends on how you look at it by using different textures, materials, shapes, forms or arranging elements properly also can be an ornament. For instance, Adolf Loos use the marble cladding in the interior space can function as easy to clean and aesthetic purpose. Another example is the metal louver exterior cladding act as ornaments of the building can play the roles as filtering the dust, aesthetic purpose and shade the building from harsh sun.

To conclude, I don’t think that ornamentation should be totally omitted from architecture. As our society evolves and gains knowledge, the use of different forms of ornamentation should be explored. Nowadays, with the introduction of technology and nature into buildings, we have to reconsider the concept and functionality of ornaments in our daily architecture. The notion of ornamentation can be altered to fit all the evolution of society. For example we use the fake grass and climbing plants as the ornament for the building nowadays. Ornamentation has definitely been evolving with human culture and society.


Written by Chiew Jing Yi, 1001644071

LECTURER 03

LE CORBUSIER

"The Plan of the Modern House"

The "paralyzed plan" of the masonry house includes the five points of architecture such as free plan, free facade, horizontal windows, pilotis and roof gardens. Le corbusier using these points as the structural basis for most of the architecture until 1950's. In my opinion these five points of architecture are important and useful in design until now we still utilize them. There are a lot of advantages such as open space, flexible in design, offer views surrounding and natural lighting. The five points have contributed to the development of modern architecture greatly even to this day. Due to the five points allowed a wide variety of ideas and possibilities within designing architecture, these characteristic also popular for the housing and commercial building design now. Moreover, how to take the advantages of these new freedoms? I think in terms of efficiency, simple, functionalities and beauty have increased. We could even take the advantages of these new freedoms and gradually developed into more advanced technology like multi-functional and artificial intelligence(AI) in the future.

Five Points of Architecture

The architectural revolution implies different acts such as to classify, to dimension, to circulate, to compose and to proportion. These acts are vital to demonstrate in architecture. For instance, one must classify them accordingly to type and determine the function of each components. In current practice, abundant inventions have produced innumerable new objects and no thought has been given to the subject. This is true that we should find a reason and consider the function of why the object should be placed here, not only with the aesthetic purpose but they should be combined. Besides, I agree with the statement that circulation is everything because architecture is experienced as one roams about in it and walk through it. Good circulation make us have a splendid spatial experience in a space. We could also find the pleasure when living in such house by creating the circulation that re-orient the visitors and enable them to enjoy different experiences about the house.

Chapel of Notre Dame Du Haut: play with different sizes of openings with lighting 

Architect compose the building elements absolutely in architecture. For example, lighting is a good tool to compose it and penetrate in a space by playing with the shadow, shape and different direction. I think composing played a role as how we imagine and put them appropriate in the suitable place then produce a good result and effect. Furthermore, I agree to the theory and idea of Le Corbusier that architecture should work in proportion and organization. When considering proportion, Le Corbusier, he thinks that “proportion provokes sensation” meaning that depending on the use of the space it requires a specific proportion. For example, we have a different experience in a single volume room as compared to the massiveness of a double volume room. The condition of architecture today also quite similar to the ideas from Le Corbusier. The organization architecture today is not only focus to the functioning of the building but also think about the sense and feeling of human from a building.

Unité d'Habitation de Marseille: good proportion and organisation of building

A well-organized house correspond well in space quality also. A well-organized dwelling ensures that all components and the spaces of a function cohesively achieve its goals by having their own purpose and no spaces wasted. When designing today, we can say that proportion and organisation should be considered in order to have control on how the space is design. Without organisation, the whole designing process would be chaotic and the connection between spaces would not be coherent thus not allowing the user to fully experience the building. Thus, both are very important details in order to have a function human habitat as well as a strategy when considering the emotional and experiencing factor of the building. 

In a nutshell, the five methods of classification, of dimensioning, of circulation, of composition and of proportioning have made us have different interpretation in architecture and express different characteristics in each designing plan. I am pretty sure that by combing these five methods when planning design will make the architecture have a good user and visual experience.


Written by Chiew Jing Yi, 1001644071

LECTURER 02

LE CORBUSIER

Exerpts From Le Modulor

I think for Le Corbusier, what industry needed was a system of proportional measurement which would reconcile the needs of the human body with the beauty inherent in the Golden Section. If such a system could be devised, which could simultaneously render the Golden Section proportional to the height of a human, then this would form an ideal basis for universal standardization. What does standardization means? It is a prototype intended for mass production. I think in order to do that we need to set down in concrete form, ideas on the subject of a harmonious measure to the human scale and universally applicable to architecture. Proportioning grid is a good idea to serve as a basis for prefabrication. We can use this as initial idea to prefabricate the modular bus shelter that using the IBS (Industrial Building System) to construct. We can expressed our ideas by numbers, figures and diagram and it is quite meaningful in this way.

Standardization : "Quartier Modernes Furges" , Pessac , Le Corbusier (1923)

Modulor Man is a quite important element in this article.The Modulor Man is a healthy white male enhanced by mathematical proportional gimmicks ‘of nature’. Besides,it was meant as a universal system of proportions. The ambition was vast that it was devised to reconcile maths, the human form, architecture and beauty into a single system. This system could then be used to provide the measurements for all aspects of design from door handles to cities. The fundamental "module" of the Modulor is a six-foot man. This Modulor Man is segmented according the "golden section". These proportions can be scaled up or down to infinity using a Fibonacci progression. I think golden section is the mathematics offers the simplest and most powerful variation of a value. It is magnificent to include playing of mathematics while doing our bus shelter design now because it is modular design and we need different sizes of modular components to build up the structure.

Modulor Man

Villa Savoye

Le Corbusier no doubt is a famous architect, however someone will blame him for those theories promoting standardized high rise construction by using mass production method make the building become uninteresting. In fact until our century it become the most effective method to produce the buildings in a short time and produce myriad of multi-functional modular furniture. In the contrary, Le Corbusier is quite open when he notes that the Modulor has the capacity to produce designs badly. Ultimately he advises that use eyes to judge and can abandon the Modulor when it does not suit and persistently reminds people that since it is based on perception then its application must be limited by practical perception. I think this is a good point that when we are doing design, if it is not suitable we must find other way and do not bash one's head against a brick wall.

In short, it goes without saying that things that are in proportion to one another are naturally more pleasing to the eye. Mathematics is fascinating by putting the numbers, figures and the diagram together. Standardization and proportioning grid find it relatively simple to produce forms that were both commodious and delightful and would find it more difficult to produce displeasing or impractical forms. It is also further applied to the industry and mechanics nowadays. Le Corbusier's works displayed a wide variety forms and space by reformulating the theories and benefit the future generation now.


Written by Chiew Jing Yi, 1001644071

LECTURE 01

REM KOOLHAAS

Delirious New York: A retroactive manifesto for manhattan

New york is the most populous city in the United States which is great, astounding and miraculous place. New York—what visions of magnitude, variety and power the name New York conjures up for human comprehension. Buildings that house whole cities in themselves. We can say that New York is a wonderful city that made up my mind of all the exhilarating, diverse and inspiring things are here. It’s one of the hardest cities you’ll ever live in but if you survive you’ll never be able to live anywhere else.

New York City

This article is written about the bigness, power, drama and congestion, all of which, in Koolhaas's view are crucial to the city's identity. Congestion is in fact the vital key—it is the excitement and tension of crowding that are the leitmotifs for everything about New York, Koolhaas believes, inspiring both New York’s physical form and the way of life of its inhabitants.This also means that architecture generated the culture. Our site, Kajang is also developed gradually. Through my observation during weekends, the amount of transports coming to kajang are never ceased and there are more people taking the bus. I predict that kajang will developed into a new busy town with the culture and way of people's life now.

The City of Captive Globe

Through the simultaneous explosion of human density and an invasion of new technologies in New York, Manhattan became a mythical laboratory for the invention and testing of a metropolitan lifestyle: the Culture of Congestion and its architecture. This culture with the city block being the only source of organization amidst the chaos of rapid construction and change also reflects city of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia now which is developed tremendously with high towers and skyscraper. Our bus stop near apartment Kajang Indah also have the culture of congestion during weekends compare to weekdays. One of the reason is the route of the bus is going to the MRT Kajang. The residents prefer going shopping or travelling around by free bus or cars during weekends.

Manhattan is testing which the entire city became a factory of man-made experience. We can see through the construction of some of its most well-known landmarks such as Central Park, Rockefeller Center and UN Building, there are mostly arranged or constructed in grid and repetitive that is prefabricated system. The Industralised Building System (IBS) in Malaysia is similar to the manhattanism that the city could be surrounded by the prefabricated items like the blocks in the future. Moreover, my understanding of Manhattanism is that it represents a reality in which extraordinary things happen when metropolitan density becomes extreme. In case of Manhattan, this effect is reinforced by a fixed space, on a micro level by the grid that surrounds the blocks.

Sunday at Sungai Chua Market

Koolhaas suggests that the “delirious” architecture of New York was irrational—fantasy was more important to the designers of New York’s great early skyscrapers than form following function. Koolhaas sets up styles as characters in a drama: New York is a flamboyant city whose architectural spirit is threatened by the powers of sober rationalism. I think fantasy become vital will increase the image of a city is no doubt but I still insist the function of the space and user experience must prior to the building form in design.

In a nutshell, instead of imposing some type of hyper rationalist, efficient, Utopian ideology on Manhattan, Koolhaas suggest that signs are essentially not read within an enlightenment sentiment anymore. It is about a flow of humanist desire. This may become a crisis in the future and you can imagine the whole country become a city of life that is extremely busy with robotic emotions. Our site Pasar Sungai Chua, Kajang is crowded with people in the recent year by the developed construction age. However, Kajang is still having a rural ambience compare to the city. I hope there is still naive in Kajang in the future because the robotic life will make the people become unconscious extremely with the behavior.


Written by Chiew Jing Yi, 1001644071