Project 1A: Pre-Design Studies & Analysis
The project calls for designing a ‘City Lobby’, which will engage and re-engage the city’s local population and visiting tourists from other towns or countries. A quality public place and building where its architecture can create great opportunities to build and strengthen the people’s connection. The project addresses earlier studies and researches on the sociocultural issues related to the architecture of Johor Bahru, namely: Ethnicity (segregation of multi-racial community, Demography (segregation based on age and social status) and Identity (urban landscape is homogenous and contiguous). A City Lobby is city spaces and buildings, which are used as a gathering point for people in the city and offers a wide range of disparate activities, which can be non-to-profit type.
The centre offers the needs of the public, similar to the concept of the local Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) but with a stronger sense to promote better socio-cultural exchange and opportunities. The project brief given requires the proposed building to be no larger than 2400m² and not lesser than 2000m² with a minimum of 3 levels and maximum 5 levels. A basement car park of at least 30 car park lots with 2 handicap car parkings and 2 service parkings are to be provided which will not be included in the floor area requirement. Thus, my proposal for a City Lobby for all walks of life to share and exchanger social and cultural experiences from their variety multiracial background.
This phase is the part where students (in-group) will assemble all the parts and pieces to a bigger picture. Parts will include the following aspects: historical background, user profile, environmental studies, building codes and ordinances (design parameters), project impact analysis, precedent studies and early design studies such as study of relevant precedent studies, analytical diagrams, spatial organization and programming. That can be used as reference for the next phase in design.
The project is located at the City of Johor Bahru, one of Malaysia’s premier city and urban destination because of its highly modernized infrastructure. Based on the current feel of the place, Johor Bahru City can be both busy at day and night time. The site sits among four streets, which are Jalan Trus, Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Jalan Dhoby and Jalan Segget. The site is a vibrant town, heavily emphasizing on the food, art and market (Bazaar Karat) cultural aspects. It can be observe that the old shophouse typology are enveloped within the new taller developments that shades the lower buildings below. Both coexist at the same place, cultured at different time.
The activities differ by time by expanding the usage of the streets. Morning where people stroll through the pedestrian walkway, while at night the gathering of people beside the stalls in Bazaar Karat. This transition of time shows prominent differences of assembling and dispersing of people during different time zones daily.
- Total Land Area: 3335.5 m2
- Plinth area: <60%
Including car parks, walking pavement, loading bay, rubbish collection, & utilities
- Setback:-
Front: 6m + 2m (greenery)
Sides and back: 6m
- Height control: ≤4 storeys
- Parking requirement: (site area - 30% for utilities) ÷ standard size of carpark lots = 30 parking lots
Project 1B: Design Strategy & Exploration
Students are task to come up with an architectural intervention through design to address the aim and objectives mentioned in the studies and brief. Each are to design based on basic design objectives. To design spaces that will effectively to effectively translate the concept and idea of A ‘City Lobby’- A gathering point where if offers the needs of the people in the city but offering opportunitiesfor cultural exchange. A design, which will create a positive impact to the public making more engaging and inviting, hence, encourage people to stay, connect and collaborate.
As stated in the brief, the City Lobby generally aims to promote the common interests of the public. It may also be defined as a free space or ‘neutral space’ of the city where specific dialogues and activities are encouraged and expected to happen. The Social Album aims to provide further aims and objectives such as:-
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To create a platform for collaboration between different age classes, interests and social background.
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To create a healthy environment for appreciation of difference and similarities.
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To provide healthy interaction between local city dwellers, tourists, visitors and transient users.
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To allow people to stamp their own identity leading to ‘personalization’ of the space and the place.
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To blur the boundary between the division of the multicultural communities on site.
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To celebrate the diversity of multicultural coexistence of Johor Bahru, expressing the spirit of “Bangsa Johor”.
Project 1C: Final Design Phase
The Social Album
Design Concept (What?) - Union Through Interdependence
The infamous Johorean’s national spirit, the “Bangsa Johor” has instigated a strength in union, solidarity, unity and multi-racial harmony, whatever you call it, the people of Johor feel proud that they were protected under one umbrella irrespective of race, ancestry or background. However, the coexistence of these communities in JB has been taken advantage as people tend to be more parochialism instead of focusing on the bigger picture of the city itself.
Design Intention (Why?)
Thus, the design intention of the City Lobby is to remove this misinterpreted boundary of division between these three communities on site, allowing an intermix of social and cultural differences to foster a strong sense of community not just within their four walls but beyond them as a socially luxurious commodity towards an inclusive culture which values diversity. A place where people of Johor Bahru celebrates the diversity of coexistence, a hearth for positive social and cultural exchange amongst one another, ensuring the state of harmony and appreciative act on the differences and similarities of people.
Design Approach (How?)
The city lobby played a role in fostering a symbiotic relationship called interdependency, between the multiracial community through creating permeable boundaries, which allowed people to communicate, collaborate and connects. Design articulation of spaces revolved around a ‘common ground’ for the communities to share, shared spaces of common interests articulate through path-space relationship and overlapping of spatial identities. It’s the foundation of the unintentional meetups with different people of different cultural background, and that the spaces could house a sharing atmosphere of local city dwellers, tourists, visitors and transient users. The programmatic spaces overlapped each other to form shared spaces of the city lobby. These shared spaces are articulate through the in-between spaces like courtyards, pocket and breakout spaces and collaboratories.
