Understanding the Built Environment

Ohoud Kamal

{The Typical course Aims} Introducing the primary

elements of

design/ “ingredients” of any form.

Outdoor/ indoor

relaAonships.

Establish a good understanding of

forms/

percepAon/ arAculaAon

Experience of spaces/meanings/ purpose.

2D/3D creaAon of spaces

Be able to address architectural

space quali9es

{The Typical course Aims}

Understand the

no9on of space/place.

Tackle the

ordering principles

Comprehend

Micro + Macro: the city

The added Value?

{The added value} Cri9cal understanding of the built environment

Adding Amman and Jordan into the equaAon of understanding the built environment.

HANDS ON!

Mul9-­‐ disciplinary

understanding of the built environment

Understanding the context and

narra9ves

behind design and the built environment. .

Equipping students with proper

terminology.

Equipping students with tools of transferring mental images onto paper.

VISUAL NOTES

How?

Methodology

> Class discussions

> Assignments

> Projects

+ > Lectures

> Exploratory: Film

Project I

PROJECT I:!

Perception of Place Understanding the spatial qualities of a space you like

Description In this project you will learn how to unfold and deconstruct the building of your choice into its basic elements/components and understand how it is composed. Your understanding will involve its plan, elevation, site plan and its 3D composition.

Ching’s Form, space and order will be your principle book of guidance. The different chapters of the book are showcasing how built environments come to be and how you can compose it. Be guided by it through your analysis.

Primary elements, form, form and space, ordering principle like a grid…etc. Look at your lecture notes and how the different buildings were analyzed. i.e.: 1. Collision of form (illustrate how your plan is a collision of a circle and a square for example) 2. At the right hand side you can see an example of how a building is sketched then how the outline of it was drawn without surface articulation, the basic shapes that made it, the different texture of the surface…etc.

Choosing your building/built environment This project will be a group project. You will be provided with a list of buildings of which you can choose. Let this project be your tool to understand the physicality of it and how it came to be.

2 | Page ARCH140 UNDERSTANDING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT/ ARCH.OHOUD KAMAL

Required documents and data 1. Location of the Building/ Built environment 2. Architect of the Building/ Built environment 3. Concept/idea/meaning of the Building/ Built environment 4. Function of the Building/ Built environment (is it an office?a house?a cultural center?)

5. Site plan (Google maps or if you can find a map with the building and its relation to the surrounding, like topography, lake? sea? other buildings? street? Garden? Park?)

6. Plans (To analyze the form and circulation) 7. 3D's or pictures of the buildings (Various) 8. Elevations (to analyze the surface articulation).

Deliverables •

Four A3’s/ two A2’s/ one A1.

Deliverables • • • •

•

Four A3’s/ two A2’s/ one A1.

Pencil only , NO COLORS Practice of rendering and lines.

Please use proper lettering, if you are not too fond of lettering please use the lettering tablet. Presentation is of major importance to bring out the best of your work visually.

Please use supporting text to narrate your understanding. (Use the sketches on this handout to guide you)

Inspiration Have a look at Visual Notes for Architects and Designers by Laseau.

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Project II

ARCH%140%Understanding%the%Built%Environment/First%Semester%2013@2014/Arch.Ohoud%Kamal%

PROJECT%2:%%VISUAL%NARRATION%OF%EXPERIENCES% % %

The$notion$of$translating$mental$images$created$by$imagination$is$an$exercise$ each$architect$has$to$go$through.$$ $ This$project$is$about$translating$your$mental$images$and$stimulating$methods$ of$spatial$production$of$Abd$Al:Rahman’s$novel$“The$story$of$a$city”$into$a$ series$of$drawings$(Storyboard)$which$should$show$your$understanding$and$ analysis$of$the$articulation$of$the$built$environment,$the$evoked$meanings,$ the$created$spaces$and$understanding$the$underlying$forces.$In$contrast$to$ Project$1$where$you$had$to$unfold$how$the$built$environment$was$ constructed,$this$project$is$about$creating$your$own$visual$notes$that$depict$ the$spaces/places$that$underwent$the$different$experiences$that$the$novelist$ narrates.$$

$ The$storyboard$becomes$a$visual$interpretation$of$Muneef’s$interpretational$narrative$of$Amman.$It$is$an$ opportunity$to$unfold$your$imagination$onto$paper.$$ % It$is$as$Tschunmi$stated$in$his$book$“The%Manhattan%transcript”%an%architectural%transcript%of%reality;%it% encompasses%the%complex%relationships%between%spaces%and%their%use,%between%objects%and%events.$ %

Deliverables*and*requirements*

encompasses%the%complex%relationships%between%spaces%and%their%use,%between%objects%and%events.$ %

Deliverables*and*requirements* You$are$required$to$deliver$a$storyboard$that$visually$translates$the$narratives$in$which$Muneef$describes$ his$childhood$in$Amman$at$the$beginning$of$the$1940s$when$it$was$little$more$than$a$village.$* $ 1. Three$A2$sized$boards.$ $ 2. Each$A2$will$be$laid$out$as$a$grid.$Each$ square$of$the$grid$translates$an$ important$scene/event/place..etc.$ $ 3. You$will$be$using$PENCIL$only.$You$are$ free$to$use$your$technical$or$free$hand$ skills.$Make$sure$to$know$your$points$ of$strength$and$utilize$them.$ $ 4. You$are$required$to$verbally$represent$ your$storyboard$at$submission$yet$you$ are$also$required$to$write$beneath$ your$grids$the$text$from$which$you$translated$your$visual$notes.$$$ %

Assignment 1+2 Places & spaces of Jabal Amman

A. Reflect on places and spaces of Jabal Amman. Choose a place/space that had an influence on you. Perhaps you had a parAcularly happy or sad experience there, or you felt aQracted. Examine which aspects, characterisAcs, properAes, or features of the place that may have concurred to create whatever impression they did.

B. A place/ space that does not seem to aQract you or you feel repelled by it, found it boring and un-­‐involving.

Students assignments

+

Critical analysis/feedback from instructor

Excerpts were taken from the previously outlined students assignment and reflected upon though highlighAng the points of strength in descripAon, conveying of experience though spaAal understanding and visual analysis.

01 Personal input /

Understanding the typology of a building through its CONTEXT.

When talking about a library, the site or loca<on of the building must be quite, and somehow isolated, in contradic>on, the choice of the loca>on in this case is the absolute opposite. The building is located on a main street.

01 Personal input /

Understanding the typology of a building through its DETAILS. 1. InterpretaAon of the design faults 2. Giving alternaAves to what could have been done.

The windows may have a nice simple decora>on surrounding them but there size makes no sense. How could windows 1. in that size pass enough sunshine into classrooms to provide good reading and energy?

Also, we could see that there is no entrance or maybe we should say (safe entrance) , the only thing that separate the street from the school is the door that has also no enough size, and this door leads directly into the 2. school without having a yard or open space in front of it .

01 Personal input /

Understanding the typology of a building through its DETAILS. 1. InterpretaAon of the design faults 2. Giving alternaAves to what could have been done.

1. I don’t believe that the tented windows are a bright idea because you already added the linear elements and they provide shade or sun-­‐blocking somehow, and so does the tented windows. That intensified the darkness and shadow on the building. 2. Either of them can do, but not both.

2. The building should not be as plain, since it’s on the main street and is a semi-­‐front of a bank branch. The building should level up to the public’s expecta>ons and its usage. A liKle greenery wouldn’t harm, for it could add more life and vibe to the building.

01 Personal input /

Understanding the typology of a the built environment through EVOKED EMOTIONS

The back street of Darat Othman Bdeir which is considered a connec>ng point between the end of Jabal Amman and the down town is not one of my favorite places in Jabal Amman.

One of the reasons that makes me dislike this place is that it makes me feel gloomy and dispirited this is due to the two tall buildings that are found on both sides of the street; they help in obscuring the sun light and making the street dim and cheerless for the pedestrians.

01 Personal input /

Understanding the typology of a the built environment through EXPERIENCE

The picture depicted above is of an entrance hallway of a social space; a space usually known for a crowding of people.

Crowds are usually associated with wai>ng >me and this space cures it impressively with a wide hallway rather than slim, with a beau>ful ceiling mosaic and side-­‐wall artwork to please the eye and ease the mind from impa>ence and frustra>on, and finally, a couch for >red legs and a soothing shade of brown to give you a feeling of warmth, comfort, and security: things you usually don’t feel if your personal-­‐space is being compromised.

01 Personal input /

Understanding the typology of a the built environment through its TYPOLOGY

!

Regardless of the fact that no parking space is available, the restaurant is no more than a 3x7m box

The linearity of how the stools around it are placed deceives one to thinking that it may lead to something bigger and more spacious, but they only find that their special percep>on is completely blocked by a huge column.

One will definitely collide with another customer or staff member since the few sea>ng elements found within the narrow space are placed edge-­‐to-­‐edge, barely leaving any room to move.

Lessons to be learned

01 Terminology 02 Preciseness in descripAon 03 Avoid Nostalgia

Excerpts were taken from the previous students assignment and discussed in the framework of: terminology, preciseness of descripAon and the noAon of nostalgia.

01 Terminology • This bugs me • This is lame • As we all see this building is old and useless

02 Preciseness in descrip9on

“The selected photo is for one of the rela<vely old houses in Jabal Amman”,

What are old houses? How do they look like? Please make sure to do your research before indicaAng such a statement.

One could look up the start of Jabal Amman and thus idenAfy a period when the construcAon began and the span of it and thus idenAfy a period or reference in its Ameline.

“Now this restaurant and many other buildings in this street, the second you see them you get excited, they make you feel like warm vibes are being sent to you... invi<ng you in”,

Why do they get you excited? The arAculaAon of the surface though certain colors that makes you want to come closer and have a more detailed look?

Why do you feel invited in? the entrance configuraAon? Is it like a huge gate for instance? or The wide windows? The transparency of the building which makes you feel that the differenAaAon between public and private is blurred?

“This luxurious hotel has always been one of my favorites in Amman, and what really amazes me is how beau<ful it looks at night”.

What's beauAful? What details made it look beauAful? In comparison to other hotels maybe?

And what made it precisely look beauAful at night? Name the elements. For instance the lighAng system using different colors at different Ame frames. Defeats boredom and give temporality?

03 Nostalgia

“I didn’t use to believe in love at first sight un<l I saw this architectural wonder. I immediately fell in love with the old building which was built in 1923. This house has a fascina<ng history, as well as fascina<ng visual aRributes”.

Film

CriAcal understanding of William H. Whyte's classic film “The social life of small urban spaces” thought submieng a paper discussing the success/Failure of the social aspect of Al-­‐ Wakalat street though perceiving its spaAal qualiAes

FILM: Understanding designed spaces William H. Whyte's classic film studying how people use urban space: