Density, Layout and Typology

Kimberley Androliakos

Modern Movement Modernists took a functional approach to urban planning creating a clear division between uses. Introduction of the automobile meant priority was place on creating wide roads through the centre of the city that could be travelled at high speeds. Pedestrians separated from traffic. Building s are optimally orientated to maximise exposure to sunlight and surrounded by large open areas of public greenspace.

Advantages • Optimal orientation increases access to sunlight and air.

• Clear structure to the city with the intension of creating a better standard of living by separating uses.

• Wide roads intended to make it easier to travel.

Disadvantages • Fails to accommodate historic preservation and conserve existing neighbourhoods • Did not consider the real needs of the citizens.

• Promotion of social inequality by concentrating poor people in the least desirable areas.

• Disruption created by highways running through the centre of cities.

• Lack of human scale created a sterile city.

48 Units/ Hectare

satellite cities eg. government building or centre for social studies.

the business centre

railway stations and air terminals

Hotels Embassies

Housing

Factories

Warehouses

Heavy Industry

wide central road

Diagram of Le Corbusier’s Radiant City Trying to find a solution to poverty and over crowding Corbusier proposed a city delineated into different uses and divided into “superblocks” of high-rise towers surrounded by greenspace.

Building (point) public open space

section view (diagramatic)

wide central road

plan view (diagramatic)

plan view (diagramatic)

plan view (diagramatic)

Diagram of key principles of modern movement The blocks are arranged in a grid formation along a wide central road on individual plots optimally orientated for sun and surrounded by public green. The space between buildings is equal to or greater than its height to avoid shadow.

Background Context for this movement Modernism first emerged in the early 20th Century with prominent figures of the movement such as Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe establishing their reputations by the 1920’s. Progress, functionalism, anti-historicism and social morality were at the centre of the modernist design, and the role technology now played in people’s lives through revolutionary inventions such as the automobile and telephone was celebrated. They envisioned the city as a well-defined machine with the belief that better architecture would create a better world. In the 1930’s a large proportion of the urban population were living in poverty, and one of the many social problems that plagued this decade was the clearance of slums, the movement gained popularity as a solution to the housing crisis following the Second World War. Although family life and social interaction were at the centre of modernist vision for the built environment, believing that clearly zoned uses would create a better standard of living, the movement was not fully able to understand and accommodate the social dynamics of family and community which resulted in many buildings being demolished in the seventies.

Evaluation of Layout The city was divided with the intension of separating human activity into four distinct categories of monofunctional use: dwelling, working, recreation and transportation; connected by wide roads that could be travelled easily by making use of the automobile. Priority was given to vehicular movement by introducting linear roads that bisect the city with pedestrians separated from traffic. The intension was to make travel easier however, wide roads do not guarantee a lack of congestion.

Point typology leads to blocks surrounded by large areas of public open space. This creates buildings unrelated to one another amid discontinuous pockets of open space, with the only link being use of materials and simple form. The soft landscaping was intended to be used by residents for leisure however a lack of clear ownership could have resulted in spaces being underutilised or falling into disrepair.

NADIAPinto PINTO Nadia

19TH/20TH CENTURY- INDUSTRIAL CITY Houses built in small plots to maximise space.

Houses located in narrow streets and lanes with clear definition of front and back/private and public areas.

The 19th was characterised by the back-to back houses separated by narrow alleyways.

Consistency and repetitiveness on style of the front façade along the row of houses.

Privies were previously found at the back garden and accessed for maintenance and cleaning from the Alleyways.

Advantages

Disadvantages

• Heated houses, thermally efficient.

• Accommodates more than one dwellers under one roof.

• Minimised outdoor space to maximise living space; • Terraced houses rental return maximised in small scale properties due to multiple occupancy; •Houses built in small plots across the county to maximise space and accommodate the increase population;

• Terraced houses were often overcrowded with poor living condition; • Unhygienic due to the lack of sanitary facilities and non-internal running water; • Narrow alleyways; • Small scale; • Reduced personal space; • Privies were located externally and shared by the occupants • Minimised outdoor space; •Front and rear of the building on the street edge; * The compact layout does not allow enough natural light and ventilation;

83 UNITS/ HA

Narrow alleways

B PU

C LI

E AT IV PR

Back House E AT IV PR

Front Footpath Street

IC BL PU

BACKGROUND CONTEXT This period of technological change and social transformation shaped a new society in Britain as well as introducing a new way of human interaction with the habitable space. The rural exodus had and important role in shaping the layout of the housing sector. Housing becomes a major political and economic concern, the industrial city needed space to accommodate the number of people and the various activities.

This new population required huge amounts of housing and between 1773 and 1821 the number of dwellings in the city of Manchester rose from 3446 to 17,257 and by 1851 had reached nearly 50,000 houses.

Back to back terrace houses were built by the result of a massive increase in the urban population through the work of thousand speculative builders. The houses were at least 11 meters wide with an open area at the rear of 14 m2 where privies were accommodated due to the lack of efficient sewage systems. In many houses a single room served multiple function and was shared by multiple occupants. The living condition were poor, unsafe and unhealthy. The lack of public sanitation obligated dwellers to use a toilet with an independent sewage at the backyard of the house resulting in a dirty area at the back of the houses. The average dweller walked to work, few had private transport and buses and trams had not yet been introduced. Terraced houses were the largest number of domestic construction being built across the country.

EVALUATION OF LAYOUT Arrangement of Private and Public Space The relationship between private and public space is distinguished by the back and front of the property which contained a small private garden on both extremity. The front private space is normally small and leads direct to the footpath, the back private gardens have access to a public ally-way that connects to the adjoining houses. However, during this time the streets which surround the houses were usually in the most miserable and filthy condition, laid out without the slightest consideration to ventilation.

Built Typology The two-three story houses were designed on narrow plots with layouts based on small clusters housing. The house is consistent and repetitive in style.

Division of front and backs The front of the house faces the public street and the rear located opposite one another. The rear of the back to back terrace houses can be accessed through the alleyways while the front has direct access to public footpath.

Mix of uses The terraced houses was primarily conceived as residence.

Hani Namirra

GEORGIAN KEY PRINCIPLES 1 The layout of the plan is based on the gridiron principle.

4 The front of town house is designed with no or little setback.

2 The public and private spaces are clearly defined by the street pattern separating the residential and commercial areas.

5 The back of town house consisted of private courtyard and a stable for horse and carriages.

3 The streets are widened to preserve the views of the public square/church situated at the centre surrounded by a row of town houses.

6 A subsidiary street or mews is only accessed by house owners.

7 Trees are

ADVANTAGES 1 The street pattern provides a walkable street network for pedestrians and easy navigation for road users.

2 The simple layout plan of residential blocks is economic efficient and allow for expansion.

3 Minimising the set back distances of the house increases the

4 ability of a building to interact with the public realm.

5 The town houses designed with a clear distinction between public and private spaces allow for mixed-use space in the future.

40 UNITS/ HA

DISADVANTAGES 1 Grid street pattern are not suitable in topographies with a lot of hills which will lead to unnecessarily steep streets.

4 The corners of the block are unsuitable for expansion and private use.

2 Wider lanes and intersection might cause congestion and accidents among the road users.

5 Disturbances from vehicles across the street and unwanted public access in the area

3 The residential block might receive inadequate natural lighting depending on the orientation.

THE GEORGIAN ERA The Georgian era begins with the rise of the Palladian movement in Britain characterised by plain exteriors based on rules of symmetry and strict proportion. A classical architecture style to which in this country has returned to over and over again. Some of the surviving Georgian architecture buildings still stand until today and being re-used for residential and commercial purposes.

The period saw a rapid growth of population in Britain from five million people in 1700 to nine million by 1801. London’s population alone had reached nearly one million by the end of the 18th century attracting wealthy and aristocratic families by its flourishing social life. The focus on wealth and patterns of behaviour has come to imply a Georgian town paradigm which was mostly created by jobbing builders and smallestate owners which meant that houses erected as cheaply and quickly as possible. It was also called the era of Improvement. Since the plague in 1665 and the fire in 1666, King Charles II introduced a Rebuilding Act in the following year to reconstruct the city of London to give the urban surroundings a better appearance and improve the city’s terrible conditions. The narrow streets of London were widened and ‘paving acts’ were passed in London in the mid 17th century such as a more efficient drainage, mending the roads and regular street cleaning to avoid congestion including the improved street lightings. Shop signs and thatched roof that seemed hazardous to pedestrians are removed for the public’s safety.

Fashionable public squares and civic buildings were designed at the centre of the grid street pattern surrounded by a row of town houses.

Housing typologies or ‘rates’ were introduced to different social class. The ‘first rate’ houses were designed to front the principal streets which is primarly owned by wealthy and noble people, where as the second rate houses were for the streets and lanes of notes and finally the fourthrate houses were by the streets and lanes for the working-class. Most houses are arranged closely in rows or in crescent manner. Other major cities such as Bath and Edinburgh are also known for its Georgian town concept planning.

CONCEPT THE PUBLIC SQUARE

THE TOWN HOUSE

COACH HOUSES OR STABLES

BASEMENT

BASEMENT “GRID” STREET PATTERN

This sketch plans were based on the public squares of London notably the Bedford Square where it is surrounded by a row of houses. The principal street, public square and subsidiary road provides a clear distinction between the private and public areas.

PRIVATE BACK

PRIVATE BACK

SEMI -PUBLIC FRONT

STREET

SEMI -PUBLIC FRONT

MEWS

STREET

PERIMETER BLOCK

GARDENS/ COURTYARDS

The row of town houses is designed with no or little setback where the front is facing the main street with private garden/ courtyard in the middle and a stable/ coach house at the back facing the mews.

The mews can be only accessed by the owner of the houses.

Alice Iu

CONCEPT DIAGRAM

Axial boulevards dividing up lots

Ring roads connect districts

Open spaces in each lot

Stack density vertically

Mega-city urban planning

BACKGROUND CONTEXT • Mega-city is a recent phenomenon in the 20th century. They are defined as metropolitan areas with more than 10 million inhabitants, with a population density of more than 2000/ km2. In 1950s, there were only 2 megacities but as of 2017, there are over 47 megacities in existence. China alone has 15. Beijing has a population density of 5500/km2.

• Mega-cities are the result of a rapid urbanisation growth, due to large human migration from the countryside to the city.

For example, China’s urbanisation rate has exploded from 19% in 1979 to almost 60% today, and the megacities, particularly the capitals continue to expand and sprawl to accommodate such change.

• Urbanisation boom comes with exponential economic growth, which requires new infrastructure & housing typolgoies to support the change. As a result, traditional urban fabric are demolished to accommodate this new planning regime.

EVALUATION The illustrated project “Beijing Image Residential” draws upon influences from traditional courtyard houses of Beijing whilst incorporating the idea of high density mass housing to produce a form that suits the context of the local community - an open city block, alternating orientations between inner residential courtyards & wide open gardens.

URBAN TYPOLOGY

Most of the building blocks are either point building with entrances from all sides. In this case, despite its concept of being a courtyard building, where entrances are from within the inner courtyard. It is still a point building like a sculptural form in the middle of open spaces.

FRONT vs BACK As a point building, it does not have a particular front or back to the building.

PRIVATE VS PUBLIC

MIX OF USES

0 2

Private courtyard Public neighbourhood open space Public space are footpaths, through roads and green spaces in between the building blocks.

5

10 m

Many high-rises tend to be mixed used in mega-cities, with ground floor and lower stories serving as retail or other public amenities such as convenience stores/ supermarkets/ banks, etc. In this case the red area is the clubhouse of the estate.

Plant a baja Ground floor plan

9.3 Group, S. A. D. C., Ltd. 9.3 Group - Beijing Image. [Online] [Accessed on 10 October 2019 ] https://www.chinese-architects.com/zh/9-3-group-beijing/ project/beijing-image Atlas of Urban Expansion - Beijing. (2016) Atlas of Urban Expansion - Beijing. [Online] [Accessed on 10 October 2019] http://atlasofurbanexpansion.org/ cities/view/Beijing_Beijing Mozas, J. & Fernández Per, A. 2006, Densidad: nueva vivienda colectiva = Density : new collective housing, condensada. edn, A+T, Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Steidle, O. and Zhi, Q. Beijing Image Residential Complex, Beijing.’ a + t, 21, pp. 2-9. [Online] [Accessed on 10 October 2019]

Farah Arar

Concept Encapsulating New Urbanism

Context of New Urbanism: New Urbanism was a reaction to the urban sprawl and decentralisation which occurred after the popularity of automobiles and the modern movement. Three main ideas emerged as a solution to the problem. These include urban infill with walkable blocks and streets, traditional neighbourhood development (which translated to one of the principles) and transit-oriented development (CNU, 2019).

New urbanism started gaining popularity in late 70s and early 80s, especially in new nations like the US, which relied heavily on cars and was suffering from urban sprawl in several states. Jane Jacobs was one of it’s pioneers, clearly rejecting Le Corbusier’s modernist masterplan due to it’s seclusion and failure in it’s social aspect. However, when New Urbanism was established, cities were being reviewed holistically, examining urban plans from the city outwards. In 1991, Stefanos Polyzoides coined the phrase New Urbanism and in 1993, the Congress of New Urbanism was formed. Members, originally architects started to expand and diversify their skillsets into builders, planners, citizens and public officials, forming and signing an official Charter in 1996 (Ibid, 2019).

Evaluation of Layout: Mixed use of services and facilities, both vertical and horizontal and within walkable proximity. The comprehensiveness of the mix would affect car use, footfall and busy-ness of the street. This is a vital component for a New Urbanist plan, primoting princinples of walkability, sustainability and increased density.

Movement aims to break linear roads with nodes and squares to create a memorable space and a pleasant, diverse experience. Streets have steady vehicular movement as well as pedestrian,cycle lanes and ideally a metrolink and bus lane. Frequency and location of High streets and active movement across pedestrian lanes is closely related to the success of a New Urbanist plan.

Open space is characterized by a good road-to -building height ratio to give the public a sense of place. Public open space is seen in squares and some nodes. Private open space seen inside perimeter blocks. If Linear and Punctual public open space are well connected, this could create high footfall and socially vibrant quality of space.

Built forms are organised to fit within defined, walkable plots, having a clear front and back with active frontage facing the street. Points are used as landmarks and are usually well thought out in terms of views and routes to the building and are associated with open space.