Embara by aniqanas
Embara
Embara is a classical Malay word for wayfaring. wayfaring |ˈweɪˌfɛːrɪŋ| literary adjective a person travelling on foot: a wayfaring stranger. noun the action of travelling by foot. a wayfaring man: travelling, journeying, walking, hiking, rambling, touring, wandering, roaming, drifting, peripatetic.
source: thesaurus
PROLO
OGUE source: aniqanas
Ho Chi Minh City commonly known as Saigon or by the abbreviations HCMC or HCM is the former capital of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). Once dearly called Diamond of the FarEast with the luxury level overriding that of Hong Kong or Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City is now the most populated city in Vietnam. Modern office skyscrapers, amidst Oriental style pagodas and food stalls along the street, create a dynamic urban sphere in a very special sense. It is not oddly tidy like in Singapore nor in urban slumps omnipresent like in India.
The city boasts a population of almost nine million. The downtown area, still referred to as Saigon, is growing at a rate that will equal Tokyo by 2020. If Hanoi is the political capital of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is the commercial heart and a magnet for foreign investors. New businesses ventures and ambitious development projects are poppping up each year. Ho Chi Minh City has a tropical climate with an average humidity of 75%. There are two seasons: wet and dry.
The city life reflects the weather - a blend of harmony and chaos mixed into one. Traffic is heavy, dense and never-ending, but you can always find locals lounging at streetside coffee vendors, content to admire the passing free-for-all. Progress aside, Saigon is steeped in tradition, a living monument to the past that wears its culture proudly on its sleeve. Decorated with colonial and French style architecture throughout the city, Saigon houses a unique mixture of past and present.
source: citypassguide
FRAMEWORK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Database
Articulation
Experimentations
Agenda Antithesis Timeline Urban morphology Nguyen Hue Boulevard Dong Khoi Street Urban Grain Site setting
Dilemmas + Potentialities Land use Massing Accessibiliy Imageability Urban Design Guidelines Background theories Purpose Connectography Neologism: Sonder The City of God Hypothesis Key design concepts Embara blocks
Key players Phasing Target users Mechanism Events + Sequence Arcadia Hackerspace ViewCube Micro-installations
Urban Intervention
City Manifesto
Land use budget Existing condition Proposed condition Sustainable solutions Urban form Urban environment Low carbon building Comparative study La Rambla Champs Elysees Boulevard Saint Laurent Rua Augusta Avenida de Mayo Conceptual site section
Urban system Arcadia Hackerspace ViewCube Micro-installations A theoretical city Wayfaring Journey of the soul Journey of a sojourner + flaneur Connectography Neologism: Sonder The City of God God’s view
DATA
ABASE source: aniqanas
AGENDA
EMBRACING RED
04.2016
04.2016
8.231
94.265
MILLION
VIETNAM
MILLION
Total population 204,899 (Dec. 2015) Population density 27,000/ km2
SAIGON
DISTRICT 1
Total area 1,907.65 acre
source: worldometers
ANTITHESIS
THU THIEM NEW URBAN AREA
Thu Thiem New Urban Area is a 1,620 acre urban development project in District 2, Ho Chi Minh. Beginning in 2002 and continuing for almost a decade, about 15,000 households were removed from the development site and resettled. Scheduled to be completed in 2025 towards Vietnam’s aspiration of becoming an industrialised developed nation by 2050, this new urban area is intended to replace District 1 as the city’s centre.
source: sasaki
TIMELINE
SIGNIFICANCE EVENTS
1600s Khmer territory: Prey Nokor (fishing 1858 French colonial rule begins. 1950 Democratic Republic of Vietnam is
1954 Vietnam is split into North and Sou
1957 Beginning of Communist insurgenc 1963 US enters Vietnam War. 1973 Ceasefire agreement in Paris: total
1976 Socialist Republic of Vietnam procl 1994 US lifts its 30-year trade embargo.
1995 Vietnam become full member of AS
2007 Government approves a $33b plan
2013 Economy grows by 5.14% in the firs
g village) changed to Saigon.
recognised by China and USSR.
uth at Geneva conference.
cy in the South.
US troop pull-out by March.
laimed.
SEAN.
n to build a high-speed rail link between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
st three-quarters of the year.
source: saigoneer
URBAN MORPHOLOGY GENEALOGY OF SAIGON
KHMER EMPIRE < 17TH CENTURY
NGUYEN DYNASTY 1802
FRENCH COLONIAL 1859
Early record shows that the settlement later to became Ho Chi Minh City was a small port town originally part of the kindgdom of Cambodia known as Prey Nokor.
Ruled over by the Nguyen Dynasty. The emperors and their associates used Chinesestyle government leadership, the influence of Confucianism in education, Chinese chatacters in their writing along with the traditional Chinese pagoda.
Saigon was the capital of the French Colony of ChocinChina until 1945. Attempts to rid the city of evidence left behind from French Colonial can be seen in the changes of street names, but affirmation of this period is still seen in some of the more elaborated architecture around the city.
VIETNAM WAR 1955-1975
SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM 1976
DOI MOI 1986
Saigon came under contro of the Vietnamese People’s Army when the conclusion of the Vietnam War happened on 30th April 1975. This historical event is called ‘The Fall of Sigon’ while the communist Social Republic of Vietnam refer to it as ‘The Liberation of Saigon’.
Upon the establishmen of the unified communist Social Republic of Vietnam, the city of Saigon (including Cholon), the province of Gia Dinh and two suburban districts of two other nearby provinces were combined to create Ho Chi Minh City in honour of the late communist leader, Uncle Ho.
The government policy ‘doi moi’ was introduced which saw the open up of local businesses over ten years after the end of the war. This has been the catalyst for the current day Ho Chi Minh City’s rapidly growing economy. Local are able to run their own business, which propelled growth.
source: saigoneer
NGUYEN HUE BOULEVARD PEDESTRIAN STREET
LONG AGO
Known as Charner during the French colonial days, Nguyen Hue Boulevard, one of Saigonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest thoroughfares, has undergone numerous transformations over its history. 1870S 1950S-1999 1999-2015 April 2015
: Converted from canal - street : Flower street : Road : Pedestrian street
RECENTLY
TODAY
On week days, vehicles are still allowed to run along the street, but from 6pm to 1am on Saturday and Sunday, all kinds of vehicles are banned to travel here. A place for big events: i.e. HCMC parade, street festivals, Nguyen Hue flower path, culture exhibitions,art performances, Tet Festival, etc.
source: saigoneer
DONG KHOI STREET FASHION STREET
LONG AGO
Known as Rue Catinat during the French colonial days and Tu Do in the 1960s, Dong Khoi Street was reborn during Doi Moi as the heart of Saigon’s commercial and shopping district. During French colonial times, Dong Khoi was the country’s fashion centre.
RECENTLY
TODAY
Runs from the Notre Dame Cathedral to the Saigon River, this street is home to historical establishments such as the Grand Hotel and Hotel Majestic. This street has local boutiques, international brands and restaurants in beautifully restored French colonial buildings.
source: saigoneer
URBAN GRAIN
PRESENT-DAY: 2016
Street network main artery subway (under construction) tunnel
Urban footprint existing figure ground total plot area : 140 acre
Parcels buildable zone
Downtown Saigon terrain is fairly flat in the city center land reclamation along Saigon River is strictly prohibited
SITE SETTING
DOWNTOWN SAIGON
ARTICUL
LATION source: aniqanas
LAND USE
DILEMMAS + POTENTIALITIES
5 x 5 meter grid
THE PRODUCER CITY
‘SEGRIFICATION’
EXISTING LAND BUDGET
SUI GENERIS AXIS
POTENTIAL ZONE
MASSING
DILEMMAS + POTENTIALITIES
LONGER CITY BLOCKS
GRANDEUR
ACCESSIBILITY
DILEMMAS + POTENTIALITIES
HEAVY VEHICLE FLOW
1 2
3
1. IN FRONT OF CITY HALL
2. ALONG NGUYEN HUE BOULEVARD UNBEARABLY HOT
3. RIVERFRONT
NIGHT URBANITY
NIGHT BOULEVARD NIGHT PARKS
IMAGEABILITY
DILEMMAS + POTENTIALITIES
VERTICALITY: HIGH DENSITY
GLASS [BOX] MONOCULTURE
REX HOTEL
CITY HALL
UNION SQUARE MALL
URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES DOWNTOWN SAIGON
PUA f
PARAMETERS
FOR URBAN
ACUPUNTURE SAIGON 2100
MASSING + SIDEWALK
IMPROVING PERMEABILITY + WALKABILITY
caphe events pedestrian friendly
>15 ft.
GREEN LUNG
INCREASING GREENERY
Green area before any development (circa 2014).
Green area after redevelopment of Nguyen Hue Boulevard and Opera House Subway Station.
building/sidewalk
road
boulevard
road
sidewalk/building
Times Square 43 floors / 163.5 metres
Opera House 2 floors
City Hall 3 floors
BUILDING HEIGHT LIMIT
SITE SECTION
Downtown Saigon
Bitexco Financial Tower 68 floors / 262.5 metres
Vietcom Bank Tower 40 floors / 206 metres
< 262.5 meters
Thu Thiem New Development Area
ACCESSIBILITY
INCREASE ACCESS POINTS
DAY
NIGHT
BACKGROUND THEORIES PURPOSE CONNECTOGRAPHY NEOLOGISM: SONDER THE CITY OF GOD
PURPOSE
WHAT IS A CITY FOR?
“A city comes into being for the sake of life but exists for the sake of living well.”
Aristotle
Book I: Politics
“What are cities if not people?”
“After all is said a citizen-is really th going wherever h
William Shakespeare
Frank Lloyd Wrigh
Act III, Scene I: Coriolanus (Lucius Sicinius Vellutus)
speech
and done, he- the he city. The city is he goes.”
“There is no logic that can be superimposed on the city; people make it, and it is to them, not buildings, that we must fit our plans.”
“To reap a return in ten years, plant trees. To reap a return in 100, cultivate the people.”
ht
Jane Jacobs
Uncle Ho
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
speech
PTOLEMY COSMOGRAPHIA 1467
source: worldwideweb
POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY WORLD MAP
source: worldwideweb
CONNECTOGRAPHY CITIES
source: connectivityatlas
CONNECTOGRAPHY GLOBAL CITIZENS
source: connectivityatlas
CONNECTOGRAPHY TRANSPORTATION
source: connectivityatlas
CONNECTOGRAPHY
TRANSPORTATION + ENERGY
source: connectivityatlas
CONNECTOGRAPHY
TRANSPORTATION + ENERGY + COMMUNICATIONS
source: connectivityatlas
CONNECTOGRAPHY
CONNECTIVITY + GEOGRAPHY
source: connectivityatlas
CONNECTOGRAPHY
FUNCTIONAL GEOGRAPHY
Geography is destiny? One of the famous adages about the world, is becoming obsolete. Centuriesold arguments about how climate and culture condemn some societies to fail, or how small countries are forever trapped and subject to the whims of larger ones, are being overturned. Thanks to global transportation, communications, and energy infrastructureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;highways, railways, airports, pipelines, electricity grids, Internet cables, and moreâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the future has a new maxim: Connectivity is destiny. Parag Khanna
building connections
Dong Khoi St.
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;chance encountersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; corners = centripetal space
Nguyen Hue Blvd.
Hackerspace ViewCube Micro-installations
Nguyen Hue Blvd.
source: connectography- mapping the future of global civilization
NEOLOGISM: SONDER EVERYONE HAS A STORY
source: youtube
NEOLOGISM: SONDER EVERYONE HAS A STORY
A neologism (/niːˈɒlədʒɪzəm/; from Greek νέο- néo-, “new” and λόγος lógos, “speech, utterance”) is the name for a relatively new term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not yet been fully accepted into mainstream language. SONDER n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk. John Koenig
human subject stranger interaction â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;gossip stationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; collective memory = reducing social distance Hackerspace ViewCube Micro-installations
ice-cream egg coffee pho
source: the dictionary of obscure sorrows
THE CITY OF GOD NATURE BY NUMBERS
source: etereaestudios
THE CITY OF GOD
MEANINGS SET UP IN IMAGES
“Behind the wall of the city life rested on a common foundation, set as deep as the universe itself: the city was nothing less than the home of a powerful God. The architectural and sculptural symbols that made this fact visible lifted the city far above the village or country town..... To be a resident of the city was to have a place in man’s true home, the great cosmos itself.” Lewis Mumford
nature by numbers â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;divine proportionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
Arcadia
set patterns = needs + variations Arcadia
45/60 embracing people-watching culture
source: the culture of cities
HYPOTHESIS
DESIGN STATEMENT
Embara is an approach to reconstruct the relationship of the city and the human subject. As a concept, wayfaring is used as a strategy to enhance the user experience in both solids and voids, public and private spaces. The two main street that runs parallel in the site will act as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;eurekaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the ground level, sprawling out its energy horizontally and vertically throughout the urban blocks. Wayfarer are practitioners of the city, for the city is made to be walked. A city is a language, a repository of possibilities, and walking is the act of speaking that language. Just as language limits what can be said, architecture limits where one can walk, but the wayfarer invents other ways to go.
KEY DESIGN CONCEPTS EMBARA
Embara is a classical Malay word for wayfaring. wayfaring |ˈweɪˌfɛːrɪŋ| literary adjective (of a person) travelling on foot: a wayfaring stranger. noun the action of travelling by foot. a wayfaring man: travelling, journeying, walking, touring; wandering, roaming, nomadic, itinerant, peripatetic. The contemporary city is the city of the eye; one of distance and exteriority. The haptic city is the city of interiority and nearness.
source: thesaurus
KEY DESIGN CONCEPTS EMBARA
wayfarer
city of the eye
city of interiority + nearness
peripatetic
source: the eyes of the skin- architecture and the senses
EMBARA BLOCKS
CITYNESS: A SKETCH PROPOSAL
Parcel 2
Parcel 1
EXPERIMEN
NTATIONS source: aniqanas
KEY PLAYERS
HCMC METRO + JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY
Opera House
PHASING 2016 - 2025
CITYSCOPE: RECONFIGURE SELECTED BLOCKS
12.2016
08.2017
REFURBISH VIETIN BANK BUILDING
08.2016
12.2018
SUB-BASEMENT PARKING
12.2017 EMBARA BLOCKS: PARCEL 1
12.2017 EMBARA BLOCKS: PARCEL 2
12.20
019
02.2022
04.2020
04.2025
TARGET USERS 20 -35
In any nation, young people must be prepared to make a meaningful contribution towards achieving sustainable economic and social development. Young people who enter the labour force equipped with appropriate skills can refresh and improve the quality of their country’s human capital. Young people are perhaps the most critical determinant of long-term growth and development. The youth demographic is defined as the age group between 20-35 years old. In Vietnam, youth comprise the largest age group, accounting for 24.5 percent of the total population. They not only form the basis for demographic change but represent the future potential of the country. “We are the new generation, we are the change.” -Duong Vu Hoang Anh (blogger)
source: saigoneer
MECHANISM
COLLABORATIVE ECONOMY
A new collaborative economy that enables residents to access to new economic opportunities, promotes entrepreneurship, strengthens communities and conserves resources. Founded in August 2008 and based in San Francisco, Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover and book unique accomodations around the world. It is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.
Government funds
urban acupunture + typologies
Arcadia
reconfiguration of urbanity
funds + proposals + infrastructure
target users
key players
high densities + variations
source: airbnb
MECHANISM PRECEDENT
CHICAGO 84% - to live like a local 79% - explore specific neighbourhood 94% - partners, relatives, friends CUBA Casas particularesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a network of private homestaysâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; have been a popular choice for visitors; an important source of income for thousands of Cuban families. MUNICH - Oktoberfest People of all ages, students and families, rural farmers and city slickers, academics and factory workers meet, eat, drink and celebrate together. 6 million visitors from all over the world
Chicago
Cuba
Munich
source: airbnb
EVENTS + SEQUENCE PROGRAMS DISTRIBUTION
Antithesis Genealogy of Saigon
Land U Nguyen Hue Boulevard
Massin Urban Grain
Dong Khoi Street
Dilemmas + Potentialities
Accessib
Imageab
Connec graph Background Theories
Sond
The City God
Single Coup
Small Fa
Larger Fa
centrip spac
elevated
ground level
underground
public realm
virtua environm
pop-u urbani
Use
ng Urban Design Guidelines
bility
Key Players
bility
Embara Blocks
ctohy
der
Target Users Design Thesis
Embara Collaborative Economy
y of d Urban Intervention
City Manifesto
e/ ple
Type A
amily
Type B
amily
Type C
petal ce
Phasing
gossip stations
al ments
augmented
up ism
chance encounters
Arcadia
Hackerspace
ViewCube Microinstallations
60%
Core Program
40%
Secondary Programs
Programs
ARCADIA
ACTIVITIES + VARIABLES
ARCADIA In poetic fantasy it represents a pastoral paradise. Takes its name from the mythological character Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan. synonyms: bliss, contentment, happiness, felicity, supreme joy, rapture, Utopia. The four fundamental area of house includes living, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. The typology of a housing unit can be extended by adding more bedrooms or other reasonable spaces such as balcony. The built form is kept simple to provide most efficiency in every spaces.
source: etereaestudios
ARCADIA
FLOATING TYPOLOGIES
fundamental area of house
primary housing unit
extension 01
elevate Arcadia for more privacy
embracing people-watching culture
disengagement of solid + void
extension 02
existing housing scheme 01
+ modular housing scheme
existing housing scheme 02
= vertical corners
HACKERSPACE
ACTIVITIES + VARIABLES
HACKERSPACE Hackerspaces offer a place for strangers to gather and share ideas and resources. Emerging out of the Maker Movement over the past few years, hackerspaces have proliferated globally. It is a participatory, social culture that invites and inspires all kinds of people and communities to invent, build, and hack. Making and doing with your hands encourages creativity, innovation, and ultimately, design thinking.
source: bmwguggenheimlab
HACKERSPACE
FLOATING TYPOLOGIES
makeshift gossip station
inclusive gossip station
building connections
+ connecting gossip stations
= ground level public realm
VIEWCUBE
ACTIVITIES + VARIABLES
VIEWCUBE The system create an interactive and tangible experience between digital and physical models whereby the user can alter the 3-dimensional perspective on a digital screen by moving an object over a replica physical model or plan. Orientation and positioning is calculated and performed in real-time, allowing for seamless handeye coordination between the users hand gestures and the display screen.
source: mitmedialab
VIEWCUBE
FLOATING TYPOLOGIES
morph 1: linear dissection
morph 2: repetition
morph 3: defragmentation
+ morph 4: level manipulation
= vertical corners
MICRO-INSTALLATIONS ACTIVITIES + VARIABLES
MICRO-INSTALLATIONS Micro-installations is the practice of using design solutions to adapt small urban spaces, thereby changing the behavior of city dwellers and activating underutilized areas. Between performance and installation, food and beverage, urban furniture and many others, the idea is to trigger the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mobility in a spirit of proximity and intimacy.
source: transitscape
MICRO-INSTALLATIONS FLOATING TYPOLOGIES
food carts: modular design
chair bombing: urban furniture
coffee shorts: short films beneath the stars
+ urban distortions: performance + installation
= ground level + elevated public realm
URB INTERVE
BAN ENTION source: aniqanas
LAND USE BUDGET EXISTING CONDITION
residential
mixed-use
green area
commercial
undeveloped
institutional
In an age of accelerating change, cities are the new nations. Cities are the infrastructures that most define us. By 2030, more than two thirds of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population will live in cities. And these are not mere little dots on the map, rather vast archipelagos stretching hundreds of kilometres. The urbanisation process leads many urban areas and megacities to be densely built and to overcome their physical and operational limits; in several cases, urban population density is growing faster than their infrastructures. Gentrification and segregation are the two most polemic terms in urban discourse today. In a climate shaped by rapid globalisation and multinational corporations, widespread sameness is evident in any cosmopolitan hub. Conversely, each city has its own local, vernacular traditions.
UNDERGROUND 0% residential 0% green area 98% undeveloped 0% institutional 0% commercial 2% mixed-use
GROUND LEVEL 0% residential 15% green area 9% undeveloped 12% institutional 48% commercial 16% mixed-use
STRATA 24% residential 4% green area 17% undeveloped 12% institutional 18% commercial 25% mixed-use
LAND USE BUDGET PROPOSED CONDITION
residential
mixed-use
green area
commercial
undeveloped
institutional
In order cultural urban sharing,
to confront the challenge of wider amalgamation, the need to reform typologies for living, knowledge and profit making is paramount.
Considered to be the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, District 1 is the centre for all financial, commercial and administrative activity. Although it is still Vietnamese in character, this district has felt the effects of secularisation and modernisation most heavily. Considering land use constraints, for mitigating some disagreeable living conditions and for creating new population opportunities, this is an attempt to draws on theory but focused on real-world problem in search of authentic future living.
UNDERGROUND 0% residential 3% green area 74% undeveloped 0% institutional 14% commercial 9% mixed-use
GROUND LEVEL 0% residential 21% green area 3% undeveloped 12% institutional 45% commercial 19% mixed-use
STRATA 49% residential 15% green area 2% undeveloped 12% institutional 2% commercial 20% mixed-use
URBAN FORM
MIXED-USED DEVELOPMENT
To encourage intensity of land uses via mixed-use development plans. A mixed-use development discourages single land use zoning and encourages higher density development. Integration between mixed use of sites and the building uses will help promote sustainability of the place. It will encourage people to walk to their daily activities. This reduces the need to travel by private vehicle or public transports as their daily needs can be easily accessed within the development.
BIG: europ
ARCADIA Type A
HACKERSPACE
ARCADIA ARCADIA Type B Type C
VIEWCUBE
MICROINSTALLATIONS
division of program
form adaptation
pa city
fine-grained economy
source: big
URBAN ENVIRONMENT
URBAN HEAT ISLAND (UHI) EFFECT
UHI refers to a phenomenon where the cities and townships are significantly warmer than their surrounding areas. The UHI can be reduced by providing more shade trees at streets and vegetation on roof tops as well as external facades of buildings. As a general rule, 10% increase in vegetation cover reduces the temperature by about three degrees, hence providing a cooling effect to the surrounding environment.
BIG: europ
green pockets
green facade
pa city
green roof application
source: big
LOW CARBON BUILDING BUILDING ORIENTATION
The building orientation has a huge impact on heating, lighting and cooling costs. In hot humid climate, solar influence on energy consumption in buildings is significant; therefore design strategies are focused on reducing heat gain. Both passive and active design strategies should be given priority to reduce heat gain in buildings. Increase the harnessing of sunlight through block orientation (compact development) and building orientation (natural ventilation, prevailing winds and wind zone).
BIG: serpentine p
air renewal
sufficient sunlight
pavilion 2016
manipulating block orientation
source: big
COMPARATIVE STUDY
BOULEVARD AS PRIME PUBLIC SPACES
A public space is a plot of land that is open and accessible to all people. Often used for gathering or recreation, such as plazas or parks, “public space” also refers to streets, sidewalks, and government buildings that are open to the public and not privately owned. Although most cities have thousands of streets, one or two streets always become to be better known than any other. Whether it’s because of their shopping opportunities, center of nightlife, entertainment hub or their place in history, it’s the streets that travelers always visit. These streets are successful for a host of reasons, among them pedestrian and bike accessibility, a variety of activities and land uses; comfortable places to sit and gather; and creation of a positive and authentic image for the city.
LA RAMBLA BARCELONA
A tremendous variety of eateries, shops, markets, and cultural institutions can be found here, along with a huge number of pedestrians and people-watchers. About 1.5 km long, the street is lined with fiveto-seven-story buildings, street-level display windows, and many entrances. The central walkway is about 60 feet wide; sidewalks approximately 10 feet wide, encouraging walking in the center. Pedestrian traffic is always high, partly because of the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 24-hour attractiveness and mixture of activities. Convivial mixed-use retail/eating/ entertainment area promotes sociability between users. Diversity of uses helps ensure a diversity of people.
source: project for public spaces
CHAMPS ELYSEES PARIS
Stretching from the Place de la Concorde to the Place Charles de Gaulle, the Avenue des Champs-Elysees is a wide, heavily trafficked boulevard lined with cafes, theaters, and boutiques. Extra-wide sidewalks provide adequate space for cafes and vending. Continuity of trees and lighting scales down the expanse of the sidewalk. Many outdoor restaurants and cafes have chairs facing the sidewalk. Most people walk on the north, sunny side, where there are more cafes, theaters, chain stores and boutiques. Fewer stroll on the south, where there is less sun and more banks and luxury restaurants.
BOULEVARD SAINT LAURENT MONTREAL
The longest street in Montreal, Boulevard Saint Laurent is widely acclaimed as the city’s best for walking. Its constantly changing scene throughout the day makes it an exciting pedestrian environment, and it hosts plenty of eateries, shops, and art galleries that cater to multiple audiences and budgets. Boulevard Saint Laurent also hosts a number of street fairs and festivals throughout the year – a local favorite is the MURAL festival, a free local art festival celebrating urban art. The 11.25 km street also widely-known for its rich cultural heritage, and it his home to some of the city’s oldest ethnic enclaves.
source: project for public spaces
RUA AUGUSTA LISBON
Rua Augusta is the main street of Lisbon’s central shopping district and like all successful streets, performs two key functions: it takes you somewhere, and you enjoy simply being on it. The street is a huge sidewalk, with cafes and shops along it, as well as temporary vendors and information kiosks down the middle and at intersections. Either end of Rua Augusta is capped by a focal point, the Praça do Comércio on one end, and the Rossio on the other. Not only do these points draw the walker along, they also are important destinations in the city itself.
AVENIDA DE MAYO BUENOS AIRES
Avenida de Mayo is the central avenue in Buenos Aires. Both sides of the street are lined with tall, decorative buildings with wrought-iron balconies, grand entrances, ornamental columns and sculptures. The street is lined with majestic sycamores that filter the light and obscure the building facades. The sidewalks are full of people going to work, eating, and selling food or newspapers. Most people use the street to move from one point to another in the city. Nonetheless, there are many conversations- people talking to the man running the local newspaper stand, people conversing over lunch or while having their shoes shined.
source: project for public spaces
CONCEPTUAL SITE SECTION NOT TO SCALE
CIT MANIF
TY FESTO source: aniqanas
URBAN SYSTEM ARCADIA
To accomodate more resident in the heart of the city, there is a need to devise a new urban living typology. Youth in Downtown Saigon couldn’t afford to own a house simply because they can’t afford to match the increased land value caused by the process of rapid transformation. Perhaps a community housing typology combined with the new collaborative economy expounded by’airbnb’ could offer a more sustainable and authentic solution for the people and the place. Placing higher priority on site context as well as privacy, the living experience should be on higher ground. An exploration on series of urban blocks such as island and interway was made in understanding the best urban form to work with the intended program.
STRATA 49% residential 15% green area 2% undeveloped 12% institutional 2% commercial 20% mixed-use land use budget
site adaptation: higher ground
private space: living experience on higher ground
intervention: housing scheme
BIG: BBB
URBAN SYSTEM HACKERSPACE
For strangers to get talking and start sharing ideas, an effective system of spatial planning is required. Saigon’s youth should embrace their local culture which can become an effective tool to invite and inspire communication and interaction.Many behavorial study has pointed out that people tend to interact more at a place where two sides or edges meet. Thus, the built form is used as the edge itself. The proposed intervention known as ‘gossip stations’ should be placed on the ground level and work as a link or connecting tools between the built form and public square. A space and working system that encourages communication, creativity and innovation.
GROUND LEVEL 0% residential 21% green area 3% undeveloped 12% institutional 45% commercial 19% mixed-use land use budget
site adaptation: public space
public space: building as the edge
intervention: gossip stations
Hin Bus Depot: Penang
URBAN SYSTEM VIEWCUBE
A new mechanism is paramount to offer cities, municipalities and planning authorities the ability to better communicate complex planning processes and to aggregate the public’s opinion in real time. This augmented reality urban simulation uses modern simulation tools and employs cutting edge AR applications in order to offer an immersive user experience for planning professionals and the general public alike. These simulations can augment indoor and outdoor environments, physical models and technical drawings. To enhance the user experience, the AR space known as ‘viewcube’ shall be placed underground.
UNDERGROUND 0% residential 3% green area 74% undeveloped 0% institutional 14% commercial 9% mixed-use land use budget
site adaptation: underground urbanism
ground and underground: connecting â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;viewcubeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
intervention: augmented reality space
BIG: 8 House
URBAN SYSTEM
MICRO-INSTALLATIONS
A well known aphorism by Bernard Tschumithere is no architecture without action, no architecture without events, no architecture without program. To revitalize distressed or vacant places, a selection of program is required to bring life to a space. The idea of using experimental, trial, or partial treatmenets is a new and increasingly appealing trend in planning. It’s part of a movement where planners and cities become a bit more experimental and playful about street design. From street performance to installations to food carts, these ‘micro-installations’ are intended to transform an enormous empty space into a lovely public plaza without a lot of expensive infrastructure.
GROUND LEVEL 0% residential 21% green area 3% undeveloped 12% institutional 45% commercial 19% mixed-use land use budget
site adaptation: cultural imperative
diagram
intervention: pop-up urbanism
Tropfest SEA 2015
A THEORETICAL CITY WAYFARING
A THEORETICAL CITY JOURNEY OF THE SOUL
A wayfarer travel on foot out of the desire to be whole, to know where you are, to be the point of intersection of all the lines drawn through all the stars, to be the constellation-maker and the centre of the world. Up, down, round and round are the motions of the elements, but the movement of active virtue follows none of these: it is something more divine, and it journeys on to success along a path hard to understand. Had it not been for the domains of the self, the journey of the wayfarers could not be successful; for, there would not have a distance between you and Him that you traverse with your journey nor a barrier between you and Him that will be affected by your reaching him. Those who have already reached the destination belong to ‘let him who has abudance spend out his abundance’ group, while those who are still in their journey belongs to ‘whoever has his means of subsistence straitened to him’ group. While the former is being guided by the lights, the latter is in front of the light. How can those who are always in the presence of the light be equal to those who are being led by light but are unable to feel or perceive it?
A THEORETICAL CITY
JOURNEY OF A SOJOURNER + FLANEUR
A THEORETICAL CITY CONNECTOGRAPHY
Unexpected connections or â&#x20AC;&#x153;urban spontaneityâ&#x20AC;? refers to the importance of occasionally engaging in unpredictable events in our cities, as opposed to moving through them with expected, predictable patterns of behaviour. The element of surprise is an important one in discovering new ways of seeing our streets. Actions like flash mobs, street dancing, impromptu conversations with strangers, and unplanned behaviours in our everyday lives play an important role in our sense of ownership of our own streets and help promote a healthy connection to our sense of freedom and expression in public space.
+ intervention: ground level + underground
public realm 2
manifesto: hackerspace + viewcube
A THEORETICAL CITY NEOLOGISM: SONDER
This theoretical city seek to promote interaction amongst stranger. Stranger interaction is the wilful engagement between people who have no previous relationship. This act of spontaneity can have significant effects by interrupting the expected narratives of daily life, shifting perspective, and forming unexpected connections. The mechanism which centres at building connection includes sequence of events that will become a catalyst to a chain of reaction in rejuvenating Ho Chi Minh City through new contextualisation of programs, targeted at the most critical group of citizens in the country, the youth.
+ intervention: ground level
public realm 1
manifesto: hackerspace + micro-installations
A THEORETICAL CITY THE CITY OF GOD
Urban sensory experience speaks to the vastly complicated network of human senses and interactions generated by the interplay between individuals and groups, by one’s own physical sensory system, and by the experience of the physical layout and appearance of city spaces— that impact the way one perceives and moves through the city. These obvious and sometimes undetected stimuli shape our everyday decisionmaking and well-being (consciously and subconsciously). Being more attuned to how the urban psychology can affect citizens’ decisions and well-being may inform future urban design in a positive way.
+ intervention: strata
urban block: interway
manifesto: arcadia
GODâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S VIEW NOT TO SCALE
REFERENCES
BOOKS + JOURNALS + ONLINE RESOURCES
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
Airbnb, 2015. Building a Tradition at the Milan Design Fair [Online]. Available at: http://blog.airbnb.com/building-a-tradition-at-the-milan-design-fair [Accessed: 13 April 2016] Changing Places, 2016. ViewCube: A Handheld Device for Realtime Spatial Movement, Remote Control and Perspectival Orientation between Physical objects and Virtual Environments [Online]. Available at: http://cp.media.mit.edu/ [Accessed: 30 May 2016] CristĂłbal Vila, 2013. Nature by Numbers: The Theory Behind This Movie [Online]. Available at: http://www.etereaestudios.com/docs_html/ [Accessed: 7 May 2016] Edmund N. Bacon, 1974. Design of Cities, Involvement, New York: Viking Press, pp. 23-32. Franco La Cecla (translated by Mairin Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Mahony), 2012. Against Architecture, Chapter 4, San Francisco, CA: PM Press, pp. 82-94. Harvey Cox, 1966. The Secular City: Secularisation and Urbanisation, Chapter 1, London: The MacMillan Company, pp. 21-44. John Koenig, 2016. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: Sonder [Online]. Available at: http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/post/ [Accessed: 28 May 2016] John Montgomery, 1998. Making a city: Urbanity, vitality and urban design, Journal of Urban Design, pp. 93-116. Juhani Pallasma, 2012. The Eyes of The Skin: Architecture and The Senses, Part One, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, pp. 30-41. K. Michael Hays, 2005. Architecture by Numbers, Praxis 7: Untitled Number Seven, New York: Praxis Publishing, pp. 88-99. Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air, 2011. Low Carbon Cities: Framework and Assessment System, Parameters for Low Carbon Cities, Putrajaya: KeTTHA, pp. 26-54. Maksym Rokmaniko & James Taylor-Foster, 2016. An Edifice On A Precipice [Online]. Available at: http://bartlettlobby.com [Accessed: 30 May 2016] Parag Khanna, 2016. Hyperconnected Megacities are Changing the World Map [Online]. Available at: http://www.paragkhanna.com/home/ [Accessed: 4 May 2016] Philip Oswalt, 2006. Shrinking Cities, Volume 2: Interventions, Germany: Hatje Cantz Verlag, pp. 772-775. Project for Public Spaces, 2015. Great Streets Around the World [Online]. Available at: http://www.pps.org/blog/9-great-streets-around-the-world/ [Accessed: 12 June 2016] Rebecca Solnit, 2001. Wanderlust: A History of Walking, New York: Penguin Books, pp. 18-42. Saigoneer, 2014. Take a Tour of 1966 Saigon [Online]. Available at: http://saigoneer.com/ old-saigon/old-saigon-categories/ [Accessed: 8 June 2016] UNFPA, 2011. Young People in Vietnam: Selected Indicators, Hanoi: Compass Joint Stock Company, pp. 5-38. Worldometers, 2016. Population of Vietnam [Online]. Available at: http://www. worldometers.info/world-population/vietnam-population/ [Accessed: 28 April 2016]
A long time ago....people used simply to drop tings from time to time. But nowadays we have physicists to inform us of the laws of gravity by which objects fall; philosophers to doubt whether there are really any discrete objects to be dropped at all; sociologists to explain how all this dropping is really the consequence of urban pressures; psychologists to suggest that we are really all trying to drop our parents; poets to write about how all this dropping is symbolic of death; and critics to argue that it is a sign of the poetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s castration anxiety. Now dropping can never be the same again. We can never return to the happy garden where we simply walked around dropping things all day without a care in the world. What has happened, rather, is that the practice has now been forced to take itself as its own object of enquiry. Theory is just human activity bending back upon itself, constrained into a new kind of self-reflexivity. And in absorbing this self-reflexivity, the activity itself will be transformed. -Terry Eagleton, The Significance of Theory
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