Efficient Urban Designs - Research Paper Example

? Architects/ Planners Introduction In every culture and society, architecture has always been an important element. Architecture not only bounds the way people think or the beauty of that particular site, it also gives us a broader vision of how people relate their ideas with the world, technology and that particular society in which it is going to develop. Some very famous architectural sites are present in this world, which shows the creativity of mankind. This paper aims to critically analyze the work of three architects / planners who have designed three different architecture sites in three different countries. It has become evident through studies that mega architectural sites have contributed towards the urban development of societies; this argument is supported below with the help of three different architectural designs / buildings. Thesis Statement: infrastructure and planning have been a key element in urban designs across the globe. Efficient urban designs / plans have helped towards the development of societies. However, different architects have adopted different approaches towards the subject and have created some notable architecture. Background While designing / planning some architectural site, designers or architects have to focus on various elements which may lead to the success or failure of that project. These elements include design, technology, infrastructure, culture, legal policies, and demographics of the society etc. Different architects use these elements in urban designs as per the demographics of the society as well as their creativity and ideology. However, such architects have contributed a lot towards the development of the societies with their work and creativity (Royal Institute of British Architects). The three different buildings that have been selected for this paper are National Embassy of Netherlands in Berlin, Kyoto Station in Kyoto and Burj Khalifa in UAE. Rem Koolhaas of OMA, Hiroshi Hara and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill have designed them respectively. Urban Design In the subject of architecture, urban design is the upmost element which catches most of the designer’s / architect’s attention. It basically tells how our cities shall look after any project. It also helps in socializing people through its design by engaging people with one another in its physical space. This is the same case with Kyoto Railway Station in Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto Railway station is build at the southern corner of the main hub of the city. The station was first built in 1877 but has been rebuilt several times since then. The station was rebuilt and designed by Hiroshi Hara. In the urban design of Japan Kyoto Station has contributed a lot as the station is used by millions of passenger everyday to travel to different parts of Japan including Tokyo and Osaka. In an economic sense the station has contributed towards the overall economy of the country (University of California). It is modernity, art, diversity and innovation that describe the urban design of Burj Khalifa. After World Trade Center, the CN tower, and the Willis Tower, Burj Khalifa takes the distinction of world’s tallest building architecture (Kallen). It is the tower ranging up to the height of approximately 3000 ft, which defines its peculiarity and strength. Burj Khalifa is the marvel of world’s top recognized and experienced architects. Those were Adrian Smith, Marshall Strabala, William F. Baker, and George J. Efstathiou that were behind the marvelous construction of Burj Khalifa (Kallen 4). Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper constructed with 2 major basements, 46 maintenance levels and 163 floors altogether. Being categorized as a skyscraper, Burj Khalifa is a projection of modern art and architecture. It is the history of the tallest building Burj Khalifa building contains within its unique architecture form. Burj Khalifa’s triple lobed pattern structure is an inspiration taken from the Hymenocallis flower. The flower in itself is a symbol of peace and harmony and therefore appeals the same harmonious impression on the Burj Khalifa building architecture (Kallen 4-6). Since all the three architectures are huge and unique, located in cities therefore they have their impact on their urban designs. The National Embassy of Netherlands in Berlin is a government office while the Kyoto Station and Burj Khalifa are public places. All the three architects used their ideologies in their own way and built the mega structures keeping creativity their upmost priority. Only the National Embassy is not a public forum hence socialization was not considered as a serious element before designing it, compared to the other two in which the architects had to consider the element first. While designing the Dutch embassy in Berlin its architect Rem Koolhaas had to take into account the relationship the building formed with other physical entities such as parks, buildings and streets that were present at the site. Traditional city planning guidelines imposed by the local government meant that the building had to give a 19th century look to the building (Detail inspiration). To fulfil this requirement OMA took into account some of factors that are usually associated with urban design. With the help of those factors architects at OMA provided a proposal that displayed a freestanding block on top of a podium like structure. Officials at city planning officials kept an open mind towards the proposal and in the end approved their design (Detail inspiration). Urban growth Being the second largest station in Japan after Nagoya Station, Kyoto Station is famous across the world for its striking architecture. The Station was rebuilt in mid 90’s and Kyoto was not at all ready to accept such an amazing structure. It added to the urban growth of Kyoto city making it a tourist and economical hub of the country. The outstanding design of the station is eye catching for many visitors whereas the variety of activities available inside the station is another reason for many visitors to visit it (Thorne). When UAE went into the economic crises situation in 2008, the country’s government decided to spend in urban planning and growth. It was the Emirate Government’s vision to invest in the mega development project “Burj Khalifa”, which was expected to return in the form of good economics and the social revival of the country (Mounajjed 2). To expand the cycle of growth and expenditure, the Emirate Government involved major private investors in the Burj Khalifa building construction. Burj Khalifa after getting constructed opened major employment opportunities in areas of hotel, office, commercial and residential businesses. This is how the Khalifa building in itself became the source of urban revival and growth in the country (Mounajjed 3). Burj Khalifa is the tallest tower in the world has malls, shops, offices, restaurants and a host of other facilities that have created employment and has also helped the economy to prosper. Same is the case with Kyoto station which was a turning point for the people and city of Kyoto. It contributed towards the growth of the city in a unique manner and brought it to the frontline. However, in the case of National Embassy, then it has to be built, but the architectural design added to its uniqueness and an addition for the tourists. Berlin’s urban growth over the years has been tremendous. The city’s urban planning ensures that proper facilities are provided and managed to everyone within the city. As a part of urban development programs various embassies have been made a part of the city over the years and the recent embassy to be constructed was that of Netherlands (Koolhaas). In order to boost political ties between Germany and Netherlands the Dutch embassy was constructed in Berlin. The Dutch in coordination with the local government of Berlin came up with the location for the embassy. In addition the government extended full cooperation to the architect company hired by the Dutch government OMA (Koolhaas). The two organizations worked together to ensure that the embassy’s construction would help with the overall urban development of the city of Berlin and ensure that relations between the two countries became better (Koolhaas). Technology Japan is undoubtedly the hub of technology. Being the inventor of many technologies the country is a home to numerous outstanding and breath taking architecture. Kyoto station is also one of the finest examples of the use of advanced technology. Hiroshi Hara designed the station in such a manner that it not only connects the city with other cities but with various Municipal Subway Lines and Kyoto Metro Buses. The 15 floors glass building is not only a rail station but includes a wide screen theatre and an Isetan department store, 2 multi story car parking lots, a game center, a hotel, offices, restaurants etc. the outstanding design over the platforms that are formed by curved glass and steel roof in a wavy pattern is another element that has added to the beauty of the station. The station includes huge elevators and escalators that connect the multi-floors building from bottom to the main concourse on the roof which gives an amazing view of Kyoto city (Sebestyen and Pollington). Figure 1: External view of Kyoto Station, Kyoto (Thorne). Burj Khalifa earning the distinction of world’s tallest building architecture has become a trademark of technological advancement (Kallen 6). The standing of the Khalifa tower gives the technological essence of Dubai city. Internally, the Khalifa tower is a remarkable standing of art and technology and externally it adds to the aesthetics of the urban developing city Dubai. It is all the technology and innovation that appeals in the form of Burj Khalifa architecture (Mounajjed 5). Technology has undoubtedly been a major part of contemporary architecture. All the three architects used this factor in abundance, as it would have become difficult for them to do so otherwise. The way they all have utilized technology is different as the Kyoto Station building is built over the platforms and Burj Khalifa is the tallest man made building with a swimming pool on the world’s highest altitude. Therefore, technology has always been an important factor for the development and architectural purpose. In order to facilitate the design of concepts that architects at OCM had about the building, various pieces of designing software were used. These pieces of software allowed architects of the building to view the building in three dimensions without having to resort to creating a miniaturized model for that purpose. This allowed architects of the firm to use the resources in a much more efficient manner than they would have (Koolhaas). In addition changes regarding the design of the model were also carried out through architectural software. Moreover, instead of using different methods to carry out modelling processes and steel design, the architects were able to achieve all that using a single piece of software on a single type of system. Finally using technological means to design the building provided the option to architects to display a detailed model of the building to anyone at any place via through their computers (Koolhaas). Infrastructure Kyoto station is 70 meters high and is located on an area of 238,000 meter-square. The building stretches from 470m east to west. The elegant cubic front is built with glass plates that are placed over steel frames. Hiroshi Hara designed the building in a very futuristic manner. He has cleverly used design with space and has utilized the modern materials in such a manner that they all blend in smoothly. The station includes numerous facilities other than railway station which lies beneath the building of Kyoto station. The building is built over the train and subway platforms. The structure is futuristic but damp down at the same moment. On the roof of the station are the main concourse and the observation desk (Thorne). There is variability of space in the structure of Kyoto station with exciting discontinuities of scale and open roof lines. The station also includes a grand staircase which has 171 steps and is used for concerts and comedy shows. Hara designed the structure in a way that that it has created a field of different activities all under one roof for Kyoto residents and other visitors. The station also has small streets designed in a unique manner, which is built for the shopping arcade and traditional Japanese restaurants (Thorne). Figure 2: An Internal View of the hallway of Kyoto Station (Thorne) Any government which aims to spend in a mega developing project like Burj Khalifa keep in mind the objective of infrastructure development, which is the central core aim of any urban planning or development. Decisively, the same objective was in mind of the Emirate planners when they were up on establishing such a massive urban development project “Burj Khalifa”. They knew that if the objective was failed or not accomplished fully, then it would be a complete loss of the country and the country’s economics (Mounajjed). When it comes to UAE infrastructure development, Burj Khalifa is outstanding architecture added to the country’s infrastructure design. The building, which was considered as a highly invested project returned in the form of major social and infrastructure development (Kallen). The Arabtec construction contract project of the value AED 1.8 million, the Burj 2020 project, and the $136 million Canal project are all some major developments brought after the Burj Khalifa got constructed. It was the increase of hype of the Dubai city which resulted by the construction of Burj Khalifa building. These are all fine developments that got made after the Burj Khalifa got established (Mounajjed 4). With the commercialization of the world’s largest building “Burj Khalifa” there came several small projects in UAE for urban planning and development. All these projects came with good economies of scale and high income returns to add to the value of the UAE economy. Overall, it was all stability and development that resulted by the commercial Burj Khalifa tower. Trade got enhanced and the revival of the economy was made possible when the Tower became the business channel-the business source for international business community (Landarchs 1-3). The major conflict in all three designs exist on their infra structures as all of them have different themes and structures. Burj Khalifa was inspired by a spiral flower and was designed in accordance with it whereas the Kyoto Station reflects more than a station with its 15 storey building that has mall, theaters and restaurants. Similarly, the infrastructure of National Embassy of Netherlands depicts the clever and traditional Dutch transparency. The structure reflects a system of stacks playing cards. The location of the building is in one of the oldest and historical parts of the German city of Berlin. The construction of the building began after the reunification of Germany and Netherlands was given the option of choosing a location that it saw fit for its embassy. The Dutch government opted for that particular location because it was extremely close to important government buildings (ARUP). By constructing the building in proximity of the German government buildings allowed Dutch diplomats to have easy access to important government officials (ARUP). More importantly the location of the embassy became a hub for trading partners of the Dutch government to build their own offices around the embassy. The construction of the embassy significantly increased the overall property value of that area. Moreover it also had a significant impact on the improvement of infrastructure of the surrounding area (ARUP). Culture Kyoto is a small city and not as advanced as other major Japanese cities at the time when the Kyoto station was rebuilt in mid 90’s, the city was not completely ready to accept that such an amazing structure is going to build in their city. Kyoto is a very traditional and ancient city with small streets and various temples and shrines. The city is famous for its traditional Japanese flavors. Hara tried his best to incorporate all these elements inside his project to depict the Japanese culture. This is the reason that Kyoto Station was however a new beginning of an advanced era for Kyoto but the Japanese restaurants and shopping and gaming arcades kept the spirit of the city alive. Hara is also criticized for breaking the cultural heritage of the city by building a vast 15 storey fully advanced station, but in actual people of Kyoto appreciates the initiative (University of California). Apparently from the great urban design of Burj Khalifa, it can be noted that the architecture is a reflection of cross-culturism and multiplicity. Actually, different cultures and values were in mind of the makers of the great Burj Khalifa building. The architects considered the aspects of multi-culturism, when they were up on designing the Burj Khalifa building. Similarly, the motive behind the design was to promote the international community integration. Bringing different religions, cultures and values together was the purpose that was served during the design and construction of Burj Khalifa (Kallen). The Emaar entrance of the Burj Khalifa is a pushing symbol of multiculturalism. It contains two statues constructed with white marble and black granite, welcoming visitors from different ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds. Diversity (The Emaar Entrance) is all what gives the reception to each international visitor of Burj Khalifa. Furthermore, the building’s internal patterns, architecture, floor and walls are reflections of international unity. They project unity and peace to invite people from all different parts of the world (Mounajjed 6). In the cultural context, there are certain similarities between Kyoto Station and Burj Khalifa. Both architectures give projections of internationalism as they invite visitors from all different parts of the world. Cultural diversity is apparent in both architectures (Mounajjed). On the other way, Dutch embassy Berlin is a cultural manifestation of the Dutch. It is a not public architecture as Kyoto Station or Burj Khalifa and nor it is a commercial tower to invite business community. It is simply a government body organization giving the cultural manifestation of Holland. The architecture of Dutch Embassy in its projection is completely different from Kyoto Station and Burj Khalifa. For such reason the difference lies in its cultural demonstration and projection than other two architectures. Actually, the purpose of the Dutch embassy construction is different so its cultural explanation is also dissimilar from Burj Khalifa and Kyoto Station (Kallen). From a cultural aspect Rem Koolhaas of OMA tried to preserve a tradition that was associated with the old embassy that had been sold after the end of the Second World War. Prior to selling of the embassy diplomats within the embassy used to meet up in hallways and discuss official matters (ARUP). These meetings were not official nor were they that important however slowly with time these meetings in some manner became a part of tradition at the embassy. To honour this tradition Rem Khoolhaas insisted on designing a building that had a long hallway (ARUP). The hallway came to existence and became one of the most prominent features of the embassy. The multipurpose hallway is located at the centre of the building and can easily be divided into a number of sections that allow it to host multiple events at the same time (ARUP). Policy / Legal Before designing a building, house or any architectural site, the architect has to keep in mind the legal and political factors of that particular society. This means that the architectural design shall not in any way violate any of the laws of regulations of that society. Hara was completely aware of fact and effectively focused on all the laws and policies while designing and rebuilding Kyoto station (Royal Institute of British Architects). In the contemporary economists’ view, countries build major architectures such as Burj Khalifa when they are in the period of crises. The example can be taken from the Empire State building which got constructed when Great Depression was there in Europe. Similarly, the great PETRONAS Tower got constructed when Malaysia was taken over by the deep financial crises situation (Belsie). Similarly, UAE decided to construct Burj Khalifa when the country felt the intensive downturn situation. It was the economic downturn that actually forced the UAE government to build the gigantic architecture “Burj Khalifa”. The policies came emergently and fluently to construct the world’s largest commercial building and this was all to make the economic position of the country better and improving (Kallen). Consequently, the tower “Burj Khalifa” brought the favors for all like it benefited the investors in the form of thick income returns, the stakeholders in the form of good economic shares, the policy makers in urban development and so as the private contractors in the form of name, popularity and recognition. Overall, Burj Khalifa was a successful mega project that worked out for urban, societal and civil development of UAE (Mounajjed). When it comes to the execution of the major development projects such as Burj Khalifa, which is the world’s largest commercial building, or Kyoto Station, which is one of the world’s largest transportation networks, the government’s policies are seen as strong and deliberate. The government comes in full support to make such projects successful. The similar scenario was seen in the execution of the world’s two prominent urban projects- Burj Khalifa and Kyoto Station. The governments came strong and firm in making the projects successful. One of the reasons of why these projects became successful was the Governments’ policy, which supported the cause of the projects which was urban development. Policies were laid down at the time of constructing the Dutch embassy, but the motives of policies were no so strong and apprehensive as they were in the Burj Khalifa and Kyoto Station construction (Mounajjed 4). During the construction of the embassy one of the main legal issues that were to be addressed was regarding the design of the building. While designing the building it was vital that the design was unique and had not been derived from architectural plans of any other building. If proven that the design of the building had been copied, a fine could have been implemented on OMA and on the officials within the Dutch government responsible for the design and construction of the building (Detail inspiration). OMA and Rem Khoolhaas were well aware of this issue and ensured that the design that they came up with neither seemed copied nor were they unoriginal. In addition regular checks and consultations were made with the German officials within the government to get their approval and ensure that the designs being presented to them did not in any way seem copied or violate any other law set by the local government (Detail inspiration). Demographics Demographics are a major part of architectural designing and planning. However, in the case of Kyoto station this factor was not of major consideration for Hara. Since the station has huge hallways and large escalation and is for everyone who can visit therefore, demographics were only observed in the toilets and public restrooms. The size and dimensions of the washrooms were made in accordance with the standard sizes and everything else was too large. The platforms were previously built and were only renovated whereas the new building was formed over the platforms. The design, architecture and size of the restaurants, malls, and gaming arcade were designed very carefully keeping in mind the target groups / audience (Thorne). While designing the embassy the architect, Rem Khoolhaas, had to keep in mind that individuals working within the embassy are mostly with Dutch nationality and the embassy would host a number of foreign diplomats. It was essential that the embassy provided the feeling of familiarity to the Dutch nationals working at the embassy (Koolhaas). In addition the embassy had to provide a feeling of the professional environment to individuals who visited the embassy for any official work. To accommodate these features within the design the architects at OMA ensured that almost every aspect of the design related to Dutch heritage and reflected the Dutch culture. The architects also ensured that the design incorporated a modern look that seemed to welcome those that were visiting the embassy on official business (Koolhaas). Works Cited ARUP. Dutch Embassy, Berlin. 2013. 18 December 2013 Web . Belsie, L. "World's tallest building: Is the Burj Khalifa a herald of economic woe? ." 4 January 2010. www.csmonitor.com. 30 March 2013 Web . Detail inspiration. Netherlands Embassy in Berlin. 12 October 2004. 18 December 2013 Web . Kallen, Stuart A. Burj Khalifa: The Tallest Tower in the World. Chicago: Norwood House Press, 2013. Print Koolhaas, R. The Dutch Embassy in Berlin by OMA/Rem Koolhaas. Research. Rotterdam: NAi Publishers, 2004. Print Landarchs. Burj Khalifa Tower Park: The Oasis-Like Paradise. 2013. 18 November 2013 Web . Mounajjed, Nadia. "Dubai’s Mystified Promise of Globalisation." 8 May 2013. www.ibraaz.org. 18 December 2013 . Web Royal Institute of British Architects. World Architecture. London: Grosvenor Press International, Limited, 1997. Print Sebestyen, Gyula and Christopher Pollington. New Architecture and Technology. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print Thorne, Martha. Modern trains and splendid stations. London: Merrell, 2001.Print University of California. The Japan Architect. Shinkenchiku: Shinkenchiku-Sha, 2007.Print Read More