W2: Site Analysis

Week 2: 16 July 2016 – 19 July 2016

We continue our site analysis during the weekend to map out the site activities and build a site model to understand the site topography and also buildings scale. Our first site presentation will be on coming Thursday. During the site analysis and organizing the data collected, we are having a problem that we couldn’t find an answer: Who is the community around the site? Is the migrant worker part of the community? Are those office workers work in the nearby office tower and having lunch on site part of the community? We have some serious discussion on this but we can’t get an answer for it. We decided to bring the discussion to Kevin during Thursday’s presentation.

Activity mapping done by Kwan Seng

Review on activity mapping

Athirah working on the site model making.

 

Week 2 : 20 July 2016

We had a lecture on Wednesday given by Prof Shuhana on Urban Design. She pointed out that city is a behavioral setting where it should be pedestrianized. She also mentioned that the ultimate goal of Urban Design should be able to create a sense of place where the environment is a combination of physical, behavioural, psychological and social. I am thinking about the site and how we could able to do that for our project proposal.

Week 2 : 21 July 2016

We presented our site analysis and data collected to Kevin on Thursday. We also voiced out our doubt about the community around Bukit Ceylon. However, Kevin said that we shall include whoever living, working and active around the site as part of the community. He also mentioned that our proposed program should benefit the community and provide what they need, regardless their nationality, staying period and income. However, since our site current scenario already compacted with activities and buildings, his felt that our proposal should utilize the left out space or pocket space in between the buildings. We discussed a few possible programs, including back lane project, mosque, MRT station, hospital, decentralized school, market, organic composting, surface water collection and water purification system, bio-composting toilet or even a parody on the stock exchange. We are required to submit our individual project proposal on next Tuesday.

Traffic Circulation, Landmarks, Nodes and Street Elevation

Ground Activity Mapping, Site Activities, and Street Elevation

 

Discussion on possible program and site with Kevin

Discussion on possible program with Dr.Naziaty

I missed out the talk by Ridwan Kamil, the mayor of Bandung at KLAF due to the site analysis preparation on Wednesday. Everyone attended commented that it is a beneficial talk. Thus I took some time in the evening to watch the video on youtube.

Ridwan Kamil – IaaC Lecture Series 2015

I was amazed by his idea that happiness of the citizen should be an important part of the consideration while planning out the urban design. A liveable city is never complete without public space where people could hang out and spend their free time for social communication. I think Ridwan Kamil had succeeded to utilize the negative space in the city into usable community space, for example turning abundant space underneath fly over bridge into skate park, single park and even movie park. I would hope that these scenarios will happen one day in the city that I live in.

Elements needed when architecture meet urban life

 

Week 2 : 22 July 2016

Today, Jun Yi and I visited Badan Warisan at Jalan Stonor to find out more history about Kuala Lumpur and history  around our site. We found out some old maps to trace back that Jalan Alor is named with ‘Alur’ which mean ‘stream’ in Malay. We also found a series of journals written by some foreign travelers which recorded their observation and feeling while traveling to Kuala Lumpur during 80s and 90s. I found the travel logs is very interesting with their hand sketches maps and description about Kuala Lumpur in the old days. We tried to skim through the information and figure out what had been slowly missing or displaced in the history.

After an early dinner at Jalan Petaling, we headed to Lostgens for a talk / discussion about the migrant worker in Kota Raya. The findings of the reporter had revealed their living in Malaysia which makes I feel that they shall deserve some respect and human rights.

 

W1: Site Visit at Bukit Ceylon

Week 1 : 14 July 2016

We started our site visit at Bukit Ceylon from 8am today. The street is quiet but some stalls had started their business for breakfast. We separated ourselves into 2 groups, Jun Yi, Kevin and I will be working at Zone 1, including Jalan Alor and Tengkat Tung Shin, while Xiao Bao, Kwan Seng and Atirah will cover Zone 2 with Changkat Bukit Bintang and Jalan Berangan.

My task is to capture the street elevation, street activities, and important (interesting) nodes. I was amazed by this building facade when I headed up for the elevation photograph. The activities layering at Jalan Alor is interesting too. Most of the food stall or restaurant cater for tourist is facing the main road while the local is having another internal street behind the food stall for the groceries shop, clinic and mamak stall.

 

City Tower Facade

 

We walked through some back lanes and shortcuts near the site and talk with some locals around the area. Due to the site terrain, there is actually a sub-basement unit hidden underneath the building, with the shop entrance facing the back lane. The back lane is quite lively with the groceries shop, charcoal store, darts club and car service garage. It’s like a hidden local living street behind the tourist spots.

 

Section cut through Jalan Alor and the back lane

 

Week 1 : 15 July 2016

We continued our task left out from yesterday and headed to DBKL after lunch for a meeting with En Azahar. En Azahar is the officer in charge for the facilities and surrounding upgrade at Jalan Alor. He provided a lot of important information to us including the urban design guideline, issues on site and future development at Bukit Ceylon. We were informed that there will be a hotel extension proposal and high-rise SOHO development at the end of Jalan Alor and some of the food hawker stalls will be amalgamated for the development. I am worried that these developments will slowly demolish the identity at Jalan Alor and the area will become more congested than the current condition.

W1 : Site Visit to Bukit Ceylon and Kampung Baru

Week 1 : 12 July 2016

Our unit was assigned to two sites, Kampung Baru and Bukit Ceylon as our thesis research site. We decided to arrange a short visit to both of the sites, get a general image and idea on the surrounding before choosing our site for study.

We arranged a visit to Bukit Ceylon on 12th July’s night, meeting at Changkat Bukit Bintang at 9pm, car pool and strolling around the site in the vehicle and stop by some area for short distance walk.

View to Menara Maybank and Hospital Tung Shin (The photograph was taken in front of SJKC Nan Kai, end of Persiaran Raja Chulan, 10pm 12th July 2016)

Changkat Bukit Bintang and Jalan Alor is very happening, flooded with tourist and vehicles, while the other area away from the main road is rather quiet, with immigrants and some tourist on the road. (Jalan Nagasari) While Bukit Ceylon area is very quiet, the buildings around this area are mostly middle to high-end residential and hotel suite.

Week 1 : 13 July 2016

On the next day morning, we went to Kampung Baru and walked around the area starting from LRT station. Kampung Baru is tranquil and serene during the day time with the village scenario although the place is surrounded by Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

Walk through the back lane of Kampung Baru houses (10am, 13 July 2016)

The contradiction of old shop lot and new high rise building (11am, 13 July 2016)

We stopped by a food stall for lunch and decide our site with peers. I had chosen to study Bukit Ceylon since I personally feel the site is more dynamic and chaotic and I would like to figure out what architectural solution could be proposed there with our theme of ‘Countering Gentrification’. During the discussion with peers, we feel more challenges with the scenario of Bukit Ceylon as it seems like a site that is already gentrified rather than facing a process of gentrification. We discussed on information to be collected for site analysis including mosaic activity and street elevation. However, I am still feeling excited, this

After our lunch at Kampung Baru, I join the other peers in Bukit Ceylon group to visit the site again and have a discussion after that. We feel more challenges with the scenario of Bukit Ceylon as it seems like a site that is already gentrified rather than facing a process of gentrification. We discussed on information to be collected for site analysis including mosaic activity and street elevation. It seems like a lot of tasks to be completed. However, I am feeling excited, this will be the most intense site analysis that we ever do.

Blue Boy Mansion at Jalan Tong Shin ( Photograph was taken from the connecting stair from Persiaran Raja Chulan to Jalan Tong Shin, 3pm 13 July 2016)