SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONS) IN ARCHITECTURE THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM [ ARC 3233 ]
PROJECT PART B An illustrated Essay with a cognitive mapping of selected urban spaces Brickfields : Zone A
NAME :
LIEW CHUNG HOOI ( GABRIEL )
STUDENT ID :
0314126
LECTURER :
MR. NICHOLAS NG
SUBMISSION DATE :
06th June 2016
1|Page
INTRODUCTION TO COGNITIVE MAPPING Cognitive mapping was the term first coined by psychologist E.C Holman to explain how animals were to teamed up and recognize the locations of rewards in maze. From this, it’s being used in various types of field to prove they are mental representation of physical locations. Cognitive mapping consists of two components, the features are remembered (tangible) and evaluative information about those features (intangible).
For instants, in terms of architecture, Kevin Lynch wrote a book called ‘’The Image of the City’’ in 1960, where the idea of cognitive mapping is best utilized to explain the imaginability of a city. Lynch then argued that people should familiarize themselves by using mental maps (cognitive maps). From the book itself, he wrote three cities and looked at how people directed themselves in the cities to prove how the behavior is done from there. The cities were all in America and which is Boston, Jersey City and Los Angeles).
Kevin Lynch also mention that people who move through the city are engage in way finding, they need to be able to recognize and organize urban elements into a coherent pattern which it was mention in ‘’The Image of the City, Page 4’’
“In the process of way-finding, the strategic link is the environmental image, the generalized mental picture of the exterior physical world that is held by an individual. This image is the product both of immediate sensation and of the memory of past experience, and it is used to interpret information and to guide action”.
2|Page
INTRODUCTION TO SITE
Figure 1.0 Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur.
For this research, the site is located in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (figure 1.0). It’s being known at NU Sentral. The building is being located in between KL Sentral and Little India which is well known in Brickfields. Hence, Brickfields gets its name from the brick industry which was once its main economy activity. It is located along the Jalan Tun Sambanthan (formerly Jalan Brickfields). Today, it is a multi-racial town with high percentage if Indian people, therefore it is also known as Little India. The purpose of this project is to find the image of Brickfields through an in depth analytical research study based on lynch’s, the image of the city (1960). The study research will be based on Lynch’s 5 elements which is path, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks.
3|Page
THE ANALYSIS RESEARCH
The main focus of the research would be located in zone A as in figure 1.1 below. This research topic will be focusing on the 5 lynch’s elements with the thoughts of an individual perception towards the guidance of the elements and the behavior of the cities surrounding.
Figure 1.1 Zone A of research area.
While doing the research of zone A of Brickfields, there’s a few main buildings of the area. The building were be specifically highlighted as well known around Kuala Lumpur. The area were specifically designed and being in use for transportation and being commercialized. This marks of the start off point where the NU Sentral is where most people gathered and began with. As NU Sentral is known as one of the main landmarks of the areas. As landmark, it’s a type of point reference where people would gather easily and knowing it position in the area. It’s because of its typically seen from many angles and distance. This proves that it’s a central point where most of the people can identify it’s obvious standout from the surrounding 4|Page
compared to others buildings around the area. According to Kevin Lynch’s theories of landmark, ‘’it’s a simply physical element which may vary widely in scale’’. The author highlighted where the building can be familiarize easily from it’s contrast and therefore the NU Sentral is a commercialized building which is located in between that area of shoplots, offices and transportations. The access road to the NU Sentral is one way highway and from this we understand that the NU sentral can be seen as from a distance for the users coming from the highway as also because due to it’s contrast as the area and the building height. As moving from one place to another, the NU Sentral could be a landmark direction for the users to understand which pathway they should be using to continue their exploration journey. Path is where the journey for users to use. For example like streets directly in front of NU Sentral. The street channel along the area which allow the user to explore the surroundings further more. As according to Kevin Lynch’s, ‘’People observe the city while moving’’, from this we could see how the guidance is form and leading the user to another platform they wanted to. As moving away from NU Sentral and head for the South-West direction, the user could experience the path and scenery around it. In Zone A, the user who took the path will experience more of man-made green sceneries while walking.
Figure 1.2 Pedestrian Walkway
The pedestrian pathway is covered with trees and man-made steel-glass roof as in (Figure 1.2). These pathway is made for user to experience under a comfort zone while they explore the surroundings of the area. Once again from the understanding of Lynch’s theory, the special façade characteristics were also 5|Page
important for the identity. Perhaps, from the man-made steel-glass roof is a façade built specifically for user to walk under as a shading device. Where the greens also plays a part of satisfactory degree of track continuity were selected as the dependable ones in an environment in the area. Which this would create less confusion for the users to explore more from where they begun.
Figure 1.3 Edge of zone A
When the pathway leads to a corner, it’s define as boundary of for zone A. Hence instead of walking along the direction, from lynch’s theory of 5 elements, it might be considered as a district, a node or even edge of the zone. For this case, it’s identify as an edge element. It’s because based on lynch’s theory, edges are linear elements, they are boundaries between two phases which they have breaks in continuity. (Figure 1.3) shows the breaks in continuity of zone A. Edges are often paths as well. Where this was so, and where the ordinary observer was nor shut off from moving on the path (as he is on the Central Artery, for example), then the circulation image seemed to be dominant one. The element was usually pictured as a path, reinforced by boundary characteristics. As the breaks of edges occur, it’s obvious in one’s perception, they would continue walk as there’s path in front and lead them into a turning point. In a user’s perception, a concentration of special use along a street may give it prominence in minds of observers. Along this turning point it may just be a street but amazing things might be discovered along the way. For example unexpected activities could be going on down the street. For instants, walking along the street will be boring but vision needs the help of touch, which provides sensation of ‘solidity, resistance, and protrusion’. Sight detached from touch could not ‘have any idea of distance, outness, or profundity, nor consequently of space or body’. According to Berkeley, Hegel
6|Page
claimed that the only sense which can give sensation of spatial depth is touch, because touch ‘senses the weight, resistance and three-dimensional shape (gestalt) of material bodies, and thus makes us aware of the things extend away from us in all directions’ written by Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin. (part 2, page 42). Observers might discover things around them like trees or even things blocking in their way (Figure 1.4). This may take 10 – 15 minutes for the user to walk all the way till this point as if there’s attraction around, it might take them longer to reach another exploration space.
Figure 1.4 Obstruction, (Pedestrian Bridge)
It’s optional as an user whether to choose ignore or walk on it, As earlier mention something when there’s a path and possibility of entertainment activities might be around to attract observer to it. The pedestrian bridge might be an obstacle but behind or using it might be something interesting to explore for, and also discovering something way different from visual. The visual might be something different from the pedestrian bridge but hence there’s also possibility of users chose not to use it due to other purposes or going somewhere else.(Figure 1.6) Shows the possibility of walking towards and ignoring the pedestrian bridge which finds more visual attractive views to seen compared to earlier paths. A path which have more sensory of touches and clearly knows which path to talk to walk down for a great exploration While (Figure 1.5) shows a better attraction of view for the observer where he will wanted to view as if walks down the path after a turning and looking up towards the sky at the surroundings.
7|Page
Figure 1.5 The Path.
Figure 1.6 A better View towards the Sky.
Figure 1.7 Division.
Continuing down along the path, there would be more of dangerous and deeper exploration to be discovered. Based in (Figure 1.7) It shows the path railing weren’t installed and could clearly see on the left side of the pictures it’s another district located across the fly over. The division is clearly show by determine of the vehicles on the road, which separates the districts in between them. Lynch’s theory from ‘’The Image of the City’’ mentions about districts are the medium to large sections of the city. Across the street, there were resident houses being located, which creates a great contrast between these zones. The height of the building spoke for themselves and shows it all. While the main road makes it more obvious at the road separates clearly the 2 district, a row of local resident houses district and a zone with commercialized buildings. Looking at districts lynch’s, it’s saying have various kinds of boundaries, some are hard, definite and precise yet other boundaries may be soft or uncertain (By referring to cognitive map) may have a clearly vision of the district boundaries. A pathway space without any railings next to a highway may be sense of dangerous area, whereby the vehicle may crash into you by any chances. The reasons would be road condition might be bad or slippery which will cause all these dangerous senses towards the exploration. As also know that the exploration is always a journey down to adventurous trips. The path may end at a node of the junction, but perhaps, the exploration have no endings. The endings might have something more to be discovered behind.
8|Page
Figure 1.8 The Junction.
(Figure 1.8) show a journey could be continue. Hence, it shows a strong element of node. Node is expressed as they may be primarily junctions, places of a break in transportation, a crossing or convergence of path, moments of shift from one structure to another. By taking a right turn from the vehicle direction it would lead the journey continuing the exploration in zone A. Looking at the junction, we know that there’s an access for vehicles to choose their ways to drive into. For example, the vehicles chooses where and which directions were given and will lead them a direction to somewhere they wanted to be. But if the observers were to take a left turn, it would lead back to where the path were earlier describe on. (Figure 1.9) shows the direction down to where the path was discussed earlier on.
9|Page
Figure 1.9 Nodes junction to earlier path discussed.
As the further exploration by taking a left right turn, more unexplored spaces and zones will be discovered through the journey for the users. Hence by walking straight for 5 minutes, the exploration came to a point where the observer will discover another landmark located behind KL Sentral. (Figure 1.10) Below shows the discovered building, Le Meridian Hotel.
Figure 1.10 Le Meridian Hotel
10 | P a g e
The node junction lead the direction to Le Meridian Hotel which is another 5 minutes walk away from earlier destination. As this point, the junction, or place of a break in transportation, has compelling the importance for the city observer, it’s because decision must be made at junction, people heighten their attention at such places and perceive nearby elements with more than normal clarity. This is a tendency was confirmed so repeatedly that elements in this located at junction may automatically be asumme to derive a special prominence from their location. The perceptual importance of such locations shows in another way as well. The transition from one transportation channel to another seems to mark the transition between major structural units, as its node elements is according to Lynch’s theory. Nodes is also can be considered points, the strategic spots in the city into which an observer can enter. Observer might be traveling down another 5 minutes to St. Regis, a place where they could enter and or look at the surroundings. The surroundings of this exploration visuals a nice green wall that attracts most of the people to remembered it as a landmark. (Figure 1.11) shows the green wall of St.Regis located just 5 minutes walk away from Le Meridian Hotel’s node junction.
Figure 1.11 St. Regis & Green Wall Façade
The direction may lead to an end of exploration around zone A. Perhaps, St. Regis will be the last stop around the area before the user could consider St. Regis as a node whereby the user could walk around the area repeatedly. Once if the observer finds out the repeating, The direction may lead them into a new route for finding a node entrance to another building which would be KL Sentral. KL Sentral would be the neighbor for St. Regis and NU Sentral. The observer will need to walk into KL Sentral which would be a faster 11 | P a g e
route for the observer to go back to it’s original place where they came from. Other-wise, the observer will have to take a long route back to where they came from or a secondary dangerous road which would be the main road (which is not recommended & dangerous). This is due to it doesn’t have a pedestrian path for them to walk back to NU Sentral. By walking through KL Sentral to NU Sentral would take less that 10 minutes walk to its origin location.
CONCLUSION
Overall, it can be concluded that the 5 lynch’s elements with the thoughts of an individual perception will guide the observer through the cities with great exploration. The 5 lynch’s elements guidance of path, node, district, landmarks & edges have shown and proven that one’s perception could make great memory changes as written earlier in the research. Kevin Lynch’s, ‘’The Image of the City’’ introduced a concept of planning that was the base for understand and visualizing the planning aspects as it’s important for building planners to interpret its specific area of what a user can see, memorize and sense at the site which makes the location a successful area. With the 5 lynch’s theory, the user will be successfully guided to exploration to one’s need with the specific memory of visual aids of the surrounding.
12 | P a g e
REFERENCES
Lynch, K. (1960), The Image of the city (pp. 4, 46 – 89). Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Pallasmaa. (2005). Multi-Sensory Experience. In Wiley (Ed), The Eyes of the Skin Architecture and the Senses (pp. 41-46). New York: .
Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur Kuala-lumpurws. (2016). Kuala-lumpurws. Retrieved 5 June, 2016, from http://www.kualalumpur.ws/attractions/brickfields.htm
Cognitive mapping Ucdavisedu. (2016). Ucdavisedu. Retrieved 3 June, 2016, from http://psc.dss.ucdavis.edu/sommerb/sommerdemo/mapping/cogmap.htm
Fiuedu. (2016). Fiuedu. Retrieved 5 June, 2016, from http://faculty.fiu.edu/~readg/TipsLinks/HowtoWriteaResearchPaper.htm
Tolman E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men. Psychological Review, 55, 189-208.
13 | P a g e