The Dominant Urban Design Approach - Research Proposal Example

 The Dominant Urban Design Approach INTRODUCTION Over the time, the definition and aims on urban design has been pushed further, and has come to incorporate a wider social perception. The focus of urban design has shifted from buildings and architecture to alleys, streets, public space, life and identity. There is a difference in the use of public realm in urban and architectural design; so this different approach has a consequence in the way the design process is made (Carmona & Heath & OC & Tiesdell, 2003). The production of, and dissemination, of a discourse about architecture back on imaginative responses to formal engagement theory plus on been identified as a characteristically reaction to the formalism of the modernism. (Snod Grass A. Coyne Richard). Many researches conducted on urban design have supported the concept that animated activities and amenities of the street and the security of the public spaces are essential components of the design of cities. Bob Hillier’s work assessed and provided evidence for the role of public spaces in settlements in ‘providing the material preconditions for the patterns of movement, encounter and avoidance’ that encompass, and occasionally create, social relations (Punter & Carmona, 1997). For any design, be it related to public spaces or buildings, a design process is followed. The design process encompasses a function that takes in requirement specifications as input and produces a design as the output (Crnkovic & Crnkovic, 2002). In urbanism the design process is until recently conceived in four main principles. The principles of property development and the development process, the ‘pipeline’ model of the development process, the role and relationships in the development process and the principles of urban design quality (Carmona & Heath & OC & Tiesdell, 2003). The design process has certain values inherent to it. In architecture, the design agenda has been domain by an eclectic mix of ‘stylish’ (Vidler) summarised in the comment of Neil Leach on Derriere (1997:324) as fragmented theory. Each architect seems more devoted to his brand than the user, the environment or the effect of his intervention. The first part of this paper highlights the role of the public realm in urban design and architecture design. The later part of the paper attempts to explore the values of the design process. PUBLIC REALM DEFINED The public realm is considered to be the space where everyone has access to. The public realm can be both indoors and outdoors. Indoor includes public buildings such as civic centres, town halls, museums, transport facilities etc. External public spaces are the areas that lie between private buildings and include squares, parks and streets. Therefore the public realm includes both buildings and the spaces between them with which people can physically interact. In the urban environment, the public realm can help create civic identity. The visual-aesthetic character of the urban environment is taken mainly from the juxtaposition of its spatial and visual traits. The visual traits of the urban environment come from the surfaces that characterize the space, i.e. the design of the surrounding buildings, floor and layout of the street furniture within that space as well as the building façade. Urban architecture refers to the architecture that reacts to and contributes in a positive way to the background and meaning of the public realm. Urban architecture contends to the view that the design of buildings cannot be considered as a self-supporting object in space but rather as an occasional element (Carmona & Tiesdell, 2007). However, the scope of the public realm understood in architecture design is different than in urban design. Urban design it is related to the public realm as a main, whereas architectures design seems to be related mainly with planning, programming, development and aesthetic values where the fundamental social/cultural arrangement marginalised by styles and/or the need of profit. My theoretical framework is the perspective base on the concept of knowledge that is sociological constructed. (A contemporary perspective, forms of analysis and critical practise, 2003 p 60) PUBLIC REALM IN URBAN DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN All definitions of urban design entail the element of public space, like pedestrian paths. According to Lang (2005), urban design includes the assimilation of place-making, ecological accountability, social justice and economic practicability. Urban design takes into account the relationship and interdependency between buildings, streets, alleys, squares, waterways and parks and all other spaces that form the public space. Public realm has two components. The first is associated with the public parts of the physical environment, including both natural and artificial, in which behaviour takes place. On the other hand, the second component refers to the communal decisions that are made by the government under the state laws. Public realm in urban design is associated with the structure and layout of development of the spaces, as well as the space present between the buildings. Urban design helps to devise and give a physical design to the spaces that people have access to. Public spaces, in turn, are governed by the social behaviour of people. Moreover, public spaces entail the concept of transactions and security. Public domain is also concerned with the cultural values of the people and the history of the area and urban designs are meant to reflect that. The theme of urban villages and neighbourhoods helps to establish how deeply is public realm embedded in urban design as compared to architecture design. Urban villages are small in size so that spaces are close to each other. This allows people to walk to different places and to interact with each other. Moreover, urban villages are designed such that they are large enough to meet the demand for facilities and activities by the people. The villages have a well developed network of streets that supports myriad uses and social interaction. Urban villages are also designed such that there is a balance between the spaces between the buildings, and the total number of buildings that have been constructed. One of the main features of urban villages that reiterates public realm is the pedestrian-friendly environment that is present. Furthermore, urbanist neighbourhoods also highlight public realm. Urbanist neighbourhoods are also pedestrian-friendly; this asserts that there are streets and alleys for people to walk though. The daily living activities are placed at walking distance. This is representative of the fact that the space between buildings in an urban environment is used in developing structures that facilitate the independence of people who do not drive. Public realm also encompasses transport, and urbanist neighbourhoods are designed such that transit stops are near to major building centres and plazas. Moreover, there is an interconnected layout of streets that promotes people to walk, stressing upon the social interaction of people as idealized by public domains. A number of parks are also present in urban settings- another characteristic that establishes the role of public realm in urban design. Public realm includes social interaction between people, and urban localities assert this trait repeatedly. Different housing types are designed, and with varying prices. This allows people of diverse ages, income, creed, culture and race to come together and interact with each other on a routine basis. Civic, institutional and commercial activity is concentrated and also furthers the prospect of healthy public domain (Carmona, 2003). PUBLIC REALM IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD In the modern world, a concreted space is not appreciated and funded for. Utilitarian, asphalted corridors do not gather much support from the public. Since the Second World War, modernist architectures started following and incorporating the architectural views of Le Corbusier into their architecture. Le Corbusier was a modernist and modernist architectures regarded building as the machine in the garden. As a result, modern architecture interspersed a romantic take on landscape in a sinister way that was harmful to public spaces and the concept of a healthy social and communal life between buildings (Schwartz, 2009). The role that architecture design and the design of the buildings play in public space is limited to their interaction with the public realm. Public space is not just confined to urban design and communal life, but has multiple perspectives to it. It entails the historical value of the place, architecture and the public art, a sense of the place as defined by human geography, a psychological and sociological perspective to what constitutes a social animal and human interaction, a political take on what are the rights and norms of public spaces, ownership and access, visitor economy and sustainable development. Varna (2009) asserts that there are several understandings of the public space; from a political perspective, public realm is a space for free expression for everyone, and from an architecture and urban design perspective, public realm is the space between buildings and is based on rigorous design principles. She is of the point of view that the contemporary city landscape provides many examples of new public spaces that have lost some aspects of their publicness. Therefore, there is a dire need to measure publicness in an objective and methodical way. This will contribute greatly towards the development of better public spaces as an arena for informal public life. THE FIVE STAGES OF THE DESIGN PROCESS Design refers to the planning and the framework that lays the basis for a product or entity to be developed. The design process has many facets that influence it like the designer and the product or structure that is being designed. Dino Dini observes that a design process can be defined as the “management of constraints” (Gray, 2007). He points out two forms of constraints: negotiable and non-negotiable. The design process entails the identification, classification and selection of constraints, and directing design variables in a way that they serve to facilitate the use of non-negotiable constraints. There are five main stages of the design process that every designer and architect follows. The importance of these stages is that they help the designer in carrying the project from start to the end. It is a natural progression and can be explained methodically as compared to the design itself, which is free-flowing and abstract. An advantage of the design process is that it allows for checks and balances at different points, so that the designers know that they are not digressing from the core theme. The first phase of the design process is known as schematic design. It is during this stage that designers and architects come together and discuss the ideas for the design. The drawbacks and problems that can arise during the construction of the product or the good are identified and solutions are discussed. An understanding and insight into the needs of the customer are essential in laying out the design. An architect may make use of an adjacency matrix and a bubble diagram to intersperse the needs of the client into the design. The second phase of the design process is the development of the design and encompasses the stage where the architect assembles materials that are needed. The design starts to take shape and is put into a document format in the third stage. These construction documents contain drawings and details of how the structure or the good is organized. The fourth stage is bidding and negotiations, where the construction documents have been ratified and potential contractors are sought. The last stage is administration of the construction and is the point when the architect is responsible for translating the architectural plan into a substantial structure (Reeves, 2010). VALUES OF THE DESIGN PROCESS The design process constitutes many values that form the essence of the practice. Stephen Fry sums up the values of the design process when he said that architecture provides amazing opportunities to be of service to the community, promote the landscape, rejuvenate the environment and advance people. In order to do so, a successful and competent architect needs to be trained to subjugate the challenges that come in the way (Lawson, 2006). An architect does not reach his finished product just by a series of rationalizations, like a scientist. Nor does he finalize the product by unconstrained insight, like a musician or painter. Rather, the architect regards the form intuitively and justifies it with rationalizations; Peter Collins defines the design process as a dialectal process controlled by the architect’s theory of architecture, which can only be studied in the backdrop of ethical and philosophical values (Tournikiotis, 2001). The following paragraphs define in detail the elements and values of the design process. Public Realm The elements of public realm have been highlighted in the debate between the role it plays in architectural and urban design. It must be noted that public realm plays an integral part in the development of social and communal life. There are three main activities that form the life between buildings. The necessary activities are the ones that take place even if a healthy street life is not present. On the other hand, recreation only occurs when there is a certain standard of street life. The better the street life, the more recreational activities occur. Social activities are the final product of a high quality of street life since they happen only when there is a healthy social interaction. A healthy social interaction occurs only when the public space is made in a way that is conducive to activities such as children playing, people conversing, exchange of greetings etc. According to Jan Gehl (2010), by taking a start with public realm and the activities that take place, building design takes up the role of a means to an end, rather than an end to itself. He lays stress on the importance of life between buildings as a space of social contact and awareness, urban entertainment, and the sensory familiarity of urban life thrives. A major part of the design process is hence based on public realm since it constitutes the complete gamut of public life. Slow yet progressive changes in the public realm are the chief rule of redevelopment. This allows for more sustainable changes and give people time to accept them and adjust accordingly. As a result, slow changes provide greater suppleness in the design process. Public realm forms the façade of the design process, as exemplified by the following quote “the social changes of our era can help explain the dramatic increase in urban recreation – premium public spaces, with their diversity of functions, multitude of people, fine views and fresh air obviously have something to offer that is in great demand in society today” (Gehl, 2010). Social-cultural components The social and cultural components of the design process include the human factors that influence the landscape. These include the history of the place, the culture of the people residing there and their norms and traditions as well as the trends in development and growth. Nowadays, human beings are regarded mainly as cultural beings. Culture is the forms the core of an individual’s personality. The city and building are that elements of the community that flagrantly accentuate its social cultural values. They are the means through which the society expresses itself and hence architecture and the city must be able to reflect the culture of the people living there. All architects must be competent enough to inculcate the cultural aspect of the society in the design process and to make expressive structures. According to Lee and Lombaerde (2010), design is not an activity to formulate solutions to problems, nor an inventive expression, nor a political feat, but a type of syntax, a way of communicating and expressing ourselves through the language of architecture. Architects must be able to identify the cultural elements of the society, and to craft the design process in accordance to the meaning of the structure to be defined. The value of the design process as mirrored by its socio-cultural aspects requires architects to make structures that have meaning in the anthropological context. Thus, the base or the platform that architects use to develop a design process does not use functional units made through a design method, but rather employ methods that are meaningful and flexible enough to incorporate expressive possibilities that convey meaning. Aims and expectations in design The architectural design forms from the combined expression of all the individuals who are involved. Another group of people that has expectations attached to the design process includes those separate members of project teams. An architect aims to translate the needs of the client into a sustainable structure. Architecture assimilates and gathers various elements. These include space, mass, volume, light, texture, materials and program (Zyas, 2007). The building is the output of the design process and is a skilful conglomeration of all these elements. In the end, the architect helps to give meaning to the building in terms of aesthetics, functionality and art. The expectations associated with design are that it understands the nature of the individual or the community it is representing and offers a breathing space from the surrounding social instability. The concept of design also entails innovation. It has been seen that all renowned architects have in some way introduced a unique architectural design that breaks the conventional theory. The history of architectural design has helped to shape the aims and expectations of design. Both innovation and theory have contributed to shaping the meaning of architecture. Therefore it follows that design requires a study of theory as well as compliance to the social and cultural aspects. Design is expected to reflect the needs of the customer, yet being compatible with the anthropological and historical setting of the place. It also requires a healthy interaction between the life between buildings and the buildings themselves. However, in the contemporary society, design is not the mere inclusion of either the philosophical needs of the client or the aesthetic pursuits of the architects; rather it is the amalgamation of both elements. Sustainability Sustainability is defined as the development of needs in such a way that they do not compromise the needs of the people in the future. The concept of sustainability entails an omnidisciplinary approach. It is applicable to everyone, everywhere and the only aim that it has is the continuation of development. Sustainable development includes two main concepts. One is the understanding of the needs, i.e. meeting the needs of the people equally, without compromising the needs of one segment over the other. The second concepts includes the limits that are associated with the ability of the environment to meet the requirements of the present and future as governed by the technological advancements and social organization. The design process needs to consider sustainable development in terms of economic, ecological and social sustainability. From an environmental point of view, architectural design and design of the urban space uses minimum resources; recycling of materials is and the use of renewable sources is also part of the theme. Economic aspects of sustainability include the creation of additional added value and using the most cost-effective means for carrying out the design process. Social sustainability encompasses the health and safety of the labourers, the effect the design has on the lifestyle of the people and how it addresses social problems such as inequity and poverty. Therefore, all these elements need to be juxtaposed together in making a long-lasting and efficient design, and to be adaptable to the climate changes. According to Sanuel Mockbee, a sustainable design must be able to incorporate a mix of values: aesthetic, environmental, social, political, and moral; he adhered to the view that sustainable development is about developing in harmony with the environment (Hui, 1996). Contrasting architectural and urban design The London Borough of Camden’s can be used to exemplify the importance that is placed on social interactions and the public realm in urban design. The design for the community is designed to bridge the inequalities and the aims that have been formulated to design the community reflect the importance that urban design gives on social interactions, culture and a safe public place. The aims include the development of a place with communities forging much stronger ties, a safe and healthy place as well as an attractive community with the required amenities. The design made for such communities inculcates the development of public spaces and parks (Carmona, Punter & Chapman, 2002). Architectural design presents a different scenario. As Davies, Higgins and Hopkins (2009) observe, architecture encompasses of what the architect was doing when he was making the building; there is increased emphasis on buildings. Architectural design has come to incorporate a number of philosophies. One such philosophy is deconstructivism. Deconstructivism originated in the late 1980s and the Museum of Modern Art in New York held the Deconstructivist Architecture exhibition, in 1988, held under the supervision of Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley, advocated this aspect of architecture. Deconstructivism relates to the ideas of fragmentation and an emphasis on the usage of non-rectilinear shapes in order to change the shape and construct of some of the conventional elements of architecture (Socrates, 2008). Hence it can be concluded that such styles are representative of the importance that architectural design gives to the design of the building. Reference List Carmona, M., Punter, J. 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