Project 2: Comparative Analysis Essay

Theories of Architecture and Urbanism

[ARC 61303]

Project 2 Comparative Analysis Essay

Tutor: Mr. Nicholas Ng

Name: Tang Wei Xin

Student ID: 0322731

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Project 2: Comparative Analysis Essay

Table of Content

1.0 Introduction 3-4

2.0 Comparative Analysis Essay 5 - 12
3.0 Conclusion 12
4.0 Reference 13

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1.0 Introduction
The heart of Hong Kong City, the Central District is the area where many multinational
financial services corporations and consulates general located their headquarters. Since
inception of British rule in 1841, it has served as the centre of trade and financial activities
until the transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997, it continues to flourish and serve as the
place of administration. This transformation contributes itself as part of the factors that
shape the social activities and degrees of contact intensity among the city itself.
As the transport hub of Hong Kong city, Central District is the interchange of four main routes
of railway, which includes the airport express to-and-fro Hong Kong International Airport, the
reaction between the high intensity circulation and the pedestrian-centered city blocks thus
defines the area with high proximity of different types of contact points. With its north shore
bordered by the Victoria Harbor, the city is inscribed with organic and spontaneous street
culture, which is mainly determined with its unique typology and as an extension from the
waterway circulation.
The selected street from our studio site which is to be compared with the Central District is
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, sometimes referred to as Jalan TAR. It was the Grande dame
of KL shopping in the days before modern shopping complexes dominated the KL
metropolitan city by storm. The stretch of road is flanked by pre-war buildings whose
distinctive facades have been preserved and readapted to accommodate modern retailing
businesses.
Its archways which allowed the pedestrian to immerse into the shopping and cultural
experience that ties back to several decades, serve as a crucial factor to form and
development the contact points along the street. The initial business typology which is
planned to preserve in the further development has defined the socio-cultural characteristics
of the area with its distinctive operation mode, providing a similar organic circulation as
Central District, Hong Kong city.

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Figure 1.1 on the left is the Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur Town, on the right is the selected
Central District in Hong Kong city.

Figure 1.2 the above shows the street extended from Queens Road Central, Central District.

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2.0 Comparative Analysis

Social activity is an interaction that takes place only with the presence of more than
one person to allow the exchange of views, thoughts and experiences. It is an action driven
by a group of people in relation to the characteristic of experience and behavior of this group.
It serves as a catalyst affecting the development of relationship between people, community
and spaces within the urban formation. From Jan Gehls ideology, outdoor activities can be
categorized into necessary activities, optional activities and social activities where the social
activity is actually the resultant action from occurrence of necessary as well as optional
activity. (Gehl, 2006). It takes place only when people present at the same place that allow
the possibilities of contacts between them.
Different from the nature of necessary activity, social activity is greatly influenced by
external and physical conditions present. Observing the social pattern around the Queens
Road, coverage of public spaces, route planning, facilities and services are the potential
physical factors that generate social activity along the street, while being catalyzed by
weather and presence of others. For instance, a pedestrian-centered recess is designated at
the ground level of each buildings, providing an effective void which contributes itself as a
walkway, greatly enhances the potential of social activity.
A diverse distribution of amenities within the surrounding buildings indirectly
contributed to the movement of the community across the void between the solid. In
reference to Life Between Building, social activities are indirectly supported whenever
necessary and optional activities are given better conditions in public spaces (Gehl, 2006).
These conditions can be interrelated to the physical factors that enhance the experience and
walkability of the street. At Wyndham Street junction1, shops with display induce the
tendency to stop by, serves as an optional activity to be supported by waiting for traffic light
as a necessary activity to catalyst the possible social activities. This further responds to Gehls
statement of how social activities are a resultant action of what have been done for necessary
and optional activities.

Figure 2.1 side elements e.g. Obstacles, pop-up stalls, and zebra crossing would make affection to the
walkability of the street that indirectly influences the intensity of users along the street, producing different
degree of contact intensity due to usage of these spaces.

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Central Station junction2 serves as one of the prominent contact points of Central
District transport hub, established a great social environment for information exchange as it
carries the opportunity to see and hear other people in a city. Given the limited land
resources in Hong Kong, the city blocks or so called perimeter blocks are kept small, to
strike a balance in land utilization. This further encourages the social activity by forming a
diverse and interconnecting social pattern within the district. Different user groups such as
locals, students, workers, visitors are imposed to the unpredictable, and spontaneous social
contact, driven by necessary activities as it is the main public route to reach their
destinations.

Figure 2.2 the views show the social

pattern of Central Station junction,
which was greatly driven by its role as a
transport hub.

Along Jalan TAR, the significant physical element provided is the five foot walkway that
provides shading for the pedestrians. The covered space beneath has developed to be a
different form of public space where allows the occurrence of human activities. Despite from
its nature of being a cultural extension of the architectural built form on site, five-foot
walkway encourages the presence of circulation flow beneath as it responds to the climatic
issue of Kuala Lumpur where most of the street are greatly exposed under the overheating
sun during the day time. By providing a shaded walkway rather than an exposed street, it has

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directed a constant flow of pedestrians along the frontage of each shops, providing a platform
that is more favorable for communication and interaction between one another. Abstract
from Kenneth Framptons saying, it is symptomatic of the priority given to sight that we find
it necessary to remind ourselves that the tactile is an important dimension in the perception
of built form. One has in mind a whole range of complementary sensory perceptions which
are registered by the labile body (Frampton, 1981). The presence of street market and street
performance have contributed to inscribe Jalan TAR its identity as it constructs peoples
memories to the street by triggering their senses. The similar factor which also shapes the
sense of place is the space underneath the canopy that envelopes the users beneath. Its
function of enclosure promotes the diversity in sensory and visual of lighting, given that they
are different from the fully exposed pedestrian walkway next to it and it creates possible
contacts between users with either similar or different experience.

Figure 2.3 the illustration shows the

diversity of sensory in public spaces
under different circumstances, it lead to
a difference into stimulating the users
experience and creating more possible
contacts between users who shared the
space.

Contact point is a spot or a place where people get to meet one another and carries
possibility for more intimate level of interactions to happen. Type of the contact points varies
according to the degree of contact forms between individuals. As stated in Image of the City,
a strategic focus point for orientation such as squares and junctions is defined as a node
(Lynch, 1960). Kevin Lynchs way of defining a node explained the nature of the contact point
as the surfacing intention of a contact point is greatly driven by the perception and directional
senses of people where physical form is not necessary needed to the recognition of a
concentration of a place. The merely difference of these two ideas is that node is the way of
how an urban form is defined through the vision of the people finding hue and orientation
while contact point is naturally formed through the experience of the visual and spontaneous
sensory established in connection between people.
At Queens Road Central, the properties of contact points are identical in terms of its
context with the surrounding elements. They rely on the presence of adjacent objects to draw
the concentration of crowd and made use of the junction or intersection as a focal point to
direct the circulation, most of the contact points are located at opened or shaded spaces in
front of building where a possible waiting area is available, in radial reference to the landmark
or a temporary kiosk. Central Market junction3 serves as an instance that responses to Lynchs

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statement that node carries the nature of not being influenced by built form or physical
tangible elements, where the presence of a tangible form is not absolutely essential. Due to
the inherited business for few generations along the street, an intimate neighborhood
environment is formed, and people are attracted by vicinity of the events going on along the
street. Possible contact is innately imposed to the contact point as the business promotes the
interaction between owner and customer throughout the street market, and the activity
happening becomes an attraction to the passer-by which leads to formation of bigger crowd.
As Gehl conveyed, activity as attraction at which the opportunity of being in the same space
making observation on others action and reaction becoming the sharing of experience
through visual and actions, sound of negotiation results in a complementary sense that
shapes the memories and sense of place.

Figure 2.4 the contact point along Queens Road Central is mostly formed at empty spaces in front of buildings
or shaded area of a building. It depends closely to the surrounding tangible context and design rather than the
nature and usage of public spaces and the human circulation.

At Jalan TAR, the occasions along the street greatly correspond to Gehls definition of
contact points at which included most levels of contact among people. The involvement and
engagement of people to the activities are catalyzed by the external and tangible closure the
place could offer but more relying on the intimacy of human relationships. Despite the
uniformity of business type along Jalan TAR which resulted in its restriction for higher level of
possibilities to have a complex and diverse social pattern, the nature of its social and cultural
content managed to orient the flow of pedestrians along the street with its intangible
elements. Occasional activities such as food selling, art and craft displaying and street
performance contribute themselves as the elements which indirectly provide higher chances
of engagement between individual through the lowest level of contacts, which could then
induce the higher intensity of contacts as the stimulation of similar experiences draw people
closer and providing a platform for social communication. Gehl once stressed on the building
scale and proportion of a city urban life should always in context and be sympathetic with the
human scale and senses, an urban formation should always consider from the perspective of
the human eyes as it would form a definite degree of closeness of people to the surrounding
built environment, it has an indirect effect on the experience and function to the public
spaces adjacent to these buildings.

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In the case of Jalan TAR, even the street itself is facing an issue of view destruction as
the modern development and spontaneous high rise built form are gradually dominating the
site which would segregate the people and built environment with an invisible barrier, the
social and cultural activities at the street were developed and imposed to the void between
the built form rather than fading from the evolution. With the existence of high built forms,
the void between perimeter blocks are shaded and the enclosure of these in between spaces
naturally form a platform to direct the flow and circulation. This phenomenon attracts more
potential human activities around the contact point as the space conditions come in junction
with the triggers of human sensory and experiences. From Geometry of Feeling, the eidos
of architecture, are stated that building is not designed primarily as physical objects but the
images and feelings of the people who live in them (Pallasmaa, 1994), and it was shown in
the case of Jalan TAR of how the physical intimacy offered by spaces could affect the human
actions and relation. The concept is not merely applied on built form but on all spaces, given
that the communal spaces are not an enclosed space, the enclosure provided by the adjacent
buildings triggers the emotion and sensory of people moving along the same space.

Figure 2.5 the respective views illustrate the scale and proportion of the human to the surrounding building.
The left scene shows where the perception is kept humane and comfortable to eye level, while the right
demonstrates the buildings proportion which are mostly high rises disrupt the street users view. The qualities
of both in between spaces varies and triggers the users sensory in different way, resulting in different intensity
of human activities happening along.

The intensity of contact points varies and the degree of contact intensity is greatly
determined by the interaction and relationships between people. Opportunities for meetings
and daily activities in the public spaces of a city enable one to be among, to see and to hear
others, to experience other people functioning in various situations (Gehl, 1960). The
meetings between people and the chances of people carrying out daily activities at the same
space induce possible chances for the people to be in contact and allow social exchange to
take place. The degree of contact intensity comes in an outline from the most basic and
modest passive contacts to highest level of establishing a close friendship between one
another.

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Figure 2.6 passive contacts take place when people meet at the junction passing by one another making eye
contact and get to hear each other. Chance contact happens between the regular street users with the pop-up
stalls. It provides the opportunity for development of an already established relationship.

The Statue Square4 along Queens Road Central, located at the junction of Chater Road,
Is the contact point that marks with highest meet up possibilities among all the others.
Landscape and water features soften the space, and allowing a certain degree of physical and
visual permeability due to its strategic location as an intersection point of streets. Serving as
a passing route of the locals upon reaching their destination, it allows the overlaying of
human activities. The repetition of daily activity by the same group of people at the same
space established an uncomplicated opportunity to maintain already established contacts,
thus keeps the lowest end of the contact scale activated and exposing the space to the higher
level of contacts between people. The intensity of contacts at this contact point is high as the
point comprise activities of all types, necessary activities such as waiting for transport,
optional activities when tourists visiting and even social activities of friends meeting. The
similar group of people would stop by here at selective timing as it marked as the most
accessible point of contacts by the community. As Gehls thought of, interwoven pattern of
the three categories of activities, they are hardly separable nor has a clear cut within one
another. Life between buildings comprises the entire spectrum of activities, which meant to
combine and make the communal spaces more useful than it already is (Gehl, 2006). This
phenomena distinguishes the rigid formation of directional space that has unintentionally
diverge the flow of crowd and instead it has become a converging point of activities done by
people.
The degree of contact points at the Statue Square varies from the modest level of
passive contacts between people whom use the space as waiting point and those utilize its
initial function as a square. Chance contacts are detectable at this point as the unintended
greetings of the same faces offered an opportunity to be in the presence of others in the most
undemanding way. It declares the existence of the public space, the junction and extended

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streets with the participation of the human experiences gathered from repeating their daily
tasks. The formation of contact points at Queens Road Central nevertheless come in close
relation to the urban forming and planning of route of the city where circulation directed
closely with the orientation and placement of the grid system implied.

Figure 2.7 the capture illustrates the in between spaces, where the impact of space quality and enclosure to
the human actions can be seen. Degree of contact from passive contacts of people passing by each other when
walking and shopping acquaintances relationships established between stall owners and customers.

Figure 2.8 this shows another contact point located at the back alley of Jalan TAR where it is compacted with
all sort of human activities. However, the degree of contact intensity is determined by the temporal dimension,
which is prominent in Kuala Lumpur city, as people will selectively using the street according to the weather.

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Taking Jalan TAR as an instance, the street market as a linear extension of space, the
degree of contact intensity commonly observed varies from modest level to allowing the
established of lose friendship. The formation of contact point and the degree of contact
differed from the Statue Square, where the street market is mainly shaped by the nature
usage of the space, and that is more human oriented. Spaces are transformed and used in a
way that it allows a smooth start to end for the movement of people. The street occupied
with stalls, allows the draw of crowd throughout the contact point during the occasional
activities where the in between space carries the perception in providing a sense of enclosure
to the materiality of the adjacent built forms. The degree of contact levels are not limited to
only passive or chance contacts as this contact point is defined as a destination, rather than
a temporary gathering. The compactness in the type of social activities happening along Jalan
TAR including bargaining, goods buying, chatting and street performing, which were then
resulted in conveying a source of inspiration as an idea or an action is done to inspire or
influence the others.

3.0 Conclusion
Human activities serves as a major factor in the formation and completion of in
between spaces. The categorization of activities primarily based on its involvement of social
engagements creates a well-defined thoughts on the affections of the social pattern in
terms of the site cultural, social and intellectual pattern. It defined the idea of maximization
and declaration of the existence of space with the presence of human and their activities in
attempting to establish an image of city through the relevance of these lives in the spaces
between buildings. As urban formation and pattern falls closely within the assessment at
which the development of a city move synchronized with the participation of the
community.

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4.0 References

Spaces, P. (2016) Jan Gehl Project for Public Spaces. Project for Public Spaces. Retrieved
30 June 2017, from http://www. Pps.org/reference/jgehl/
Lynch, K. (1960). The image of the city (1st ed.). Cambridge, mass.: MIT Press.
Pallasmaa, J. (1996). The Geometry of Feeling : A Look at the Phenomenology of
Architecture. NY: Princeton Architectural Press.
A HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE CRITICAL REGIONALISM. (2016). Historiasztuki.com.pl.
Retrieved 2 July 2017, from gttp;//www.historiasztuki.com.pl/kodowane/003-02-05-
ARCHWSP-REGIONALIZM-eng.php
Frumkin, H., Frank, L. D., & Jackson, R. (2004). Urban sprawl and public health: designing,
planning, and building for healthy communities. Washington, DC: Island Press.

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