THE PROJECT INVOLVES A GROUP COMPOSITION OF AN ESSAY ON A HISTORIC STREET IN AN ASIAN CITY. MY GROUP HAS CHOSEN TO RESEARCH AND WRITE ABOUT 'MEDAN PASAR' PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS OLD MARKET SQUARE IN KUALA LUMPUR, FOR ITS SIGNIFICANCE AS A MAJOR STREET IN THE COUNTRY'S CAPITAL WITH ITS RICH HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND RELEVANCE IN THE MODERN DAY CONTEXT.
THE ESSAY COVERS THE HISTORY, SOCIO-CULTURE, TRADITIONAL TRADE AND SIGNIFICANT ARCHITECTURE OF 'MEDAN PASAR '. I HAVE LEARNT TO APPRECIATE THE HISTORY OF WHAT MADE KUALA LUMPUR WHAT IT IS TODAY. HAVING RESEARCHED ON 'MEDAN PASAR'',
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THROUGH THE RESEARCH, I HAVE REALIZED HOW 'MEDAN PASAR ' (OLD MARKET SQUARE) HAS INSTILLED ITS SIGNIFICANCE AS THE MAIN TRANSPORTATION HUB MORE THAN HALF A MILLENNIA AGO AND IT STILL ACTS AS A TRANSIT POINT TODAY. INFLUENTIAL INDIVIDUALS LIKE YAP AH LOY, PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF KUALA LUMPUR AND WAS STRONGLY TIED TO THE HISTORY OF THIS PLACE. THIS PROJECT HAS BROADEN MY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ON HOW SIGNIFICANT STREETS AND PLACES PLAY A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN MAKING UP A CITY.
THE PROJECT REQUIRES AN ANALYSIS ON HOW THE SELECTED ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN RESPONDS TO ITS CONTEXTS IN A SUB-URBAN AREA IN ASIA. FINDINGS FROM THE STUDY IS PRESENTED IN THE FORM OF AN A2 PRESENTATION VISUAL BASED ON CONTEXTUAL ARCHITECTURE ELEMENTS. THE BUILDING I HAVE SELECTED IS TOD'S OMOTESANDO IN TOKYO, JAPAN.
FROM MY RESEARCH, THE TOD'S BUILDING, LOCATED ON OMOTESANDO, THE FAMOUS TREE-LINED AVENUE IN TOKYO'S AOYAMA DISTRICT HAS AN INTERESTING FACADE WITH INTERLOCKING CONCRETE SUPPORTS THAT REINTERPRETS THE SILHOUETTES OF THE ELM TREES LINING THE STREET. THE DIVISION OF PLANTS IS REFLECTED IN THE TRANSPARENT STRUCTURE. THE FACADE HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO FOLLOW THE PATTERN GENERATED BY THE SUPERPOSITION OF NINE TREES. FOLLOWING THE STRUCTURAL LOGIC OF BOTANY, THE COLUMNS ARE WIDER AT THE BASE OF THE BUILDING AND BECOME MORE SLENDER AS THEY GAIN ALTITUDE, AND ALSO BRANCH OUT INTO MORE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS. TO AVOID GLASS BREAKAGE FROM EARTHQUAKES, THE STRUCTURE IS SUPPORTED ON A CUSHION PLACED ON THE FOUNDATION. THIS IS A COMMON PRACTICE IN JAPANESE BUILDINGS. THE BRANCHED STRUCTURES ALSO RUN BY THE INTERIOR, SERVING AS DECORATION, DIVISION OF SECTIONS. COMMONLY IN A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, THERE IS AN ARCHITECT FOR EXTERNAL CONSTRUCTION AND INTERNAL CONTRUCTION. IN THIS CASE, ONE PERSON WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING THIS BUILDING, AND THROUGH THIS, THE UNIFICATION BETWEEN THE OUTER AND INNER FORM WAS ACHIEVED. TOYO ITO ALSO RESPONDS TO THE CONTEXT BY MAKING THE GLASS OF THE SOUTH FACADE OPAQUE FOR ADDED PRIVACY AS IT FACES SOME RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS. THIS PROJECT HAS GIVEN ME A BETTER UNDERSTANDING ON THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXTUAL STUDY AND RESPONSE TO GIVE AN ARCHITECTURE A SENSE OF PLACE. I BELIEVE THAT IS WHAT MAKES EVERY ARCHITECTURE UNIQUE, ITS RESPONSE TO ITS SURROUNDINGS THAT MAKE UP WHAT IT BECOMES.
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ASIANARCHITECTURE
THE VIDEO CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE AND HOW ITS CHARACTERISTICS & FEATURES ARE EVIDENT IN OUR CASE STUDY, RIMBUN DAHAN.
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THIS PROJECT INVOLVES ACTIVITIES WHICH CULMINATE IN THE PRODUCTION OF THE STUDY; COLLECTION, INDEXING AND EVALUATION OF INFORMATION; ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION; COMPILATION AND ORGANIZATION OF STUDY; WRITING OF STUDY; ASSEMBLY OF ILLUSTRATION AND TEXT; DESIGN OF LAYOUT; BINDING AND PRESENTATION. BASED ON THE TOPIC OF CHOICE, RIMBUN DAHAN, RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED TO UNDERSTAND THE KEY CONCEPTS OF THE PARTICULAR TOPIC. THE FINDINGS WERE THEN SUMMARIZED IN A VIDEO PRESENTATION.
RIMBUN DAHAN SHOWS A VERY FAMILIAR ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE; REMINISCING THE MALAY TRADITIONAL HOMES OR BETTER KNOWN AS 'KAMPUNG' HOUSES. THIS PROJECT HAS GIVEN ME A WIDER SIGHT ON HOW VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IS EXERCISED IN CONTEXT. IT HAS THOUGHT ME HOW THIS STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE IS DESIGNED BASED ON LOCAL NEEDS, AVAILABILITY OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND REFLECTS LOCAL TRADITIONS.
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