Theories or architecture and urbanism

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM

LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE PROGRAMME

• PRODUCE DESIGNS AT APPROPRIATE COMPLEXITY AND SCALES UP TO THE SCHEMATIC LEVEL USING APPROPRIATE COMMUNICATION TOOLS.

• DEMONSTRATE UNDERSTANDING OF CULTURAL, HISTORICAL AND ESTABLISHED ARCHITECTURAL THEORIES, PHILOSOPHIES AND CONTEXT.

• DEMONSTRATE CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND IMAGINATION AND TRANSLATE THESE INTO AN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN SOLUTION.

• DEVELOP DESIGN TO A LEVEL FOR REGULATORY APPLICATION FOR BUILDING PLAN SUBMISSION THAT COMPLIES TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES, INCLUDING UNDERSTANDING OF BUILDING REGULATIONS, BASIC BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS, ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS AND BUILDING SERVICES.

• TRANSLATE DESIGN INTO CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS WITH APPROPRIATE CONSTRUCTION DETAILS AND USE ESTABLISHED ARCHITECTURAL DRAWING CONVENTION.

• WORK IN A TEAM AND PARTICIPATE IN THE DESIGN PROCESS.

SYNOPSIS WRITING

SUBSEQUENT TO EACH THEMATIC LECTURE, STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A SYNOPSIS IN THE FORM OF REACTION PAPER. ITS AIM IS FOR THE STUDENTS TO READ A SELECTED READING IN RELATION TO THE THEME THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED IN CLASS FOR THE WEEK AND SUBMIT A REACTION PAPER OF THE TEXT. THERE WILL BE A TOTAL OF 4 SYNOPSES.

WEEK 2 :

THE DEATH AND LIFE OF GREAT AMERICAN CITIES

AUTHOR: JANE JACOBS

WEEK 4 :

SEMIOTICS & ARCHITECTURE

AUTHOR: DIANA AGREST AND MARIO GANDELSONAS

WEEK 8 :

THE GEOMETRY OF FEELING

AUTHOR: JUHANI PALLASMAA

WEEK 10 :

TOWARDS A CRITICAL REGIONALISM

AUTHOR: KENNETH FRAMPTON

PROJECT ''THE IMAGE OF THE CITY''

WE ARE REQUIRED TO PRESENT AN IN-DEPTH AND ANALYTICAL RESEARCH STUDY ON THE DESIGNATED TOPIC. AND WE NEED TO EXPLORE THE IMAGE OF A CITY BASED ON KEVIN LYNCH’S MOST FAMOUS WORK, THE IMAGE OF THE CITY (1960). THE PROJECT CONSISTED OF 2 PARTS; THE FIRST IS TO IDENTIFY LYNCH’S 5 ELEMENTS; PATH, EDGES, DISTRICTS, NODES AND LANDMARKS WITHIN A SELECTED CITY AND THE SECOND PART IS TO PRODUCE AN ESSAY WITH A COGNITIVE MAPPING OF THE CITY.

THIS PROJECT COMPRISES OF 2 PARTS: PROJECT PART A, IDENTIFYING 5 ELEMENTS AND PROJECT PART B, AN ILLUSTRATED ESSAY WITH A COGNITIVE MAPPING OF SELECTED.

LYNCH'S MOST FAMOUS WORK, THE IMAGE OF THE CITY (1960), IS THE RESULT OF A FIVE-YEAR STUDY ON HOW OBSERVERS TAKE IN INFORMATION OF THE CITY. USING THREE DISPARATE AMERICAN CITIES AS EXAMPLES (BOSTON, JERSEY CITY AND LOS ANGELES), LYNCH REPORTED THAT USERS UNDERSTOOD THEIR SURROUNDINGS IN CONSISTENT AND PREDICTABLE WAYS, FORMING MENTAL MAPS WITH FIVE ELEMENTS:

PATHS, THE STREETS, SIDEWALKS, TRAILS, AND OTHER CHANNELS IN WHICH PEOPLE TRAVEL;
EDGES, PERCEIVED BOUNDARIES SUCH AS WALLS, BUILDINGS, AND SHORELINES;
DISTRICTS, RELATIVELY LARGE SECTIONS OF THE CITY DISTINGUISHED BY SOME IDENTITY OR CHARACTER;
NODES, FOCAL POINTS, INTERSECTIONS OR LOCI;
LANDMARKS, READILY IDENTIFIABLE OBJECTS WHICH SERVE AS EXTERNAL REFERENCE POINTS

AND WE NEED TO SELECT A CITY AND IDENTIFY THE 5 ELEMENTS IN THE CITY.

PART A : INDENTIFYING 5 ELEMENTS

PART B : ILLUSTRATED ESSAY WITH COGNITIVE MAPPING

PART B OF THE PROJECT REQUIRES US TO CREATE COGNITIVE MAPPING OF SELECTED SIGNIFICANT URBAN SPACES IN THE CITY OF KL TO UNDERSTAND ONE’S PERCEPTION AND SPATIAL BEHAVIOUR IN CITIES TODAY. USING THE COGNITIVE MAP WE ARE REQUIRED TO PRESENT A CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING OF EMERGING CONTEMPORARY URBANISM IN KL CITY SPACES (IN RELATIONS TO KEVIN LYNCH NOTIONS OF IMAGEABILITY AND HOW IT INFLUENCES PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF THE CITY. MAPPING SHOULD CONTAIN: HUMAN FACETS (MEMORY, IDENTITY ETC.), SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DYNAMICS (TRAFFIC, PEOPLE’S PATHS, BARRIERS, ETC.), ARCHITECTURE (STAIRS, BENCHES, TREES, ETC.), MICROSTRUCTURES (TEXTURE, MATERIAL).

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