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1. BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303/ARC2224)
SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (MARCH 2015) [5 MARKS]
NAME: Lee Yaue Shen ID: 0315381
LECTURER: Ms. Ida Marlina Mazlan TUTORIAL TIME: 4pm-6pm
SYNOPSIS NO: 1 READER TITLE: The Death Life of Great American Cities
AUTHOR: Jane Jacobs
The Death Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs is written after the Second World War around 1960s. This
is a good reads about city planning and rebuilding, it exposed several critical issues from current urban designs and
planning that are done by well-known architects. Moreover, it also provided different perspectives toward the current
theoretical urban planning. This book is unique because of its unusual points of view toward the theory of city
planning by expert architect. Jane Jacobs trying to prove that the city planners at that era have inappropriate thinking
on urban designs and planning. In my opinion, some of the points are correct but some are incorrect. The book
explained Jane Jacobs’s thoughts into four main parts, however this synopsis will be focus more about the diversity
and sideways. First of all, idea from Jane Jacobs is that a designed neighborhood should encourage people to use
street, diversity is the vitality of street life. Every district should contain residences, business, and industry, old and
new building with context, rich and poor, young and old. When diversity exists, the city become lively and it attract
more people to move in, in contrast, city that lack of diversity will make the city dull, people leave easily and that
areas soon turns into slums. I am agreed with this idea. Besides that, she also mentioned that diverse street life lower
down the rate of crime, this is because people on the street and in the building can overlook and protect each other.
She mentions that people should not leave safety only as the responsibility of polis; they should take that safety
responsibility as well to take care each other. Sideways is the heart of a city, just like the key organ of human, it
should attract people to move in and also create interactions between people and thus discourage crime to happen.
Next, short blocks invite people out into the streets, either for shopping or socializing just like the area in Shibuya.
People around that area feel safe due to the well designed sideways, and get interested of its diversity and multiple
corners (opportunities to turn). However, I am disagreeing with the idea above, for examples in China or Hong Kong
that are packed of people, their rate or crime are still high. I think that, this somehow needs to depend on the human
behaviors and attitude around that area.
As a conclusion, Jane Jacobs’s thoughts are somehow right and wrong, it depends on the current situation. I am
agreed with the concept of diversity, but I am disagreed with the concept of having more people on street can reduce
crimes. In a nutshell, I appreciate her intentions with her unique perspective.
WORD COUNT: 454 DATE: 9/4/16 MARK: GRADE:
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BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303/ARC2224)
SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (MARCH 2015) [5 MARKS]

2. NAME: Lee Yaue Shen ID: 0315381
LECTURER: Ms. Ida Marlina Mazlan TUTORIAL TIME: 4pm-6pm
SYNOPSIS NO: 2 READER TITLE: Semiotic and Architecture
AUTHOR: Diana Agrest Mario Gandelsonas
From the article about Semiotic Architecture by Diana Agrest and Mario Gandelsonas, it
mention that human interpretation in architecture are classified into 2 main aspects which is
Ideological consumption and Theoretical work. Ideology is principles that accept by men, it can
be seen as representations and beliefs such as religious, political, aesthetic and so on. Ideology
is same as adaptive theory however it considered as the obstacle to real knowledge. In contrast,
theory is about new critical principles that less believes, it is opposed to basis theory, which is
ideology and is mean to fulfill needs and maintain architecture. Besides that, the authors also
mention about semiotic, the study of signs and it use of interpretation. It is the tool that used as
a method to challenge ideology and thus produce theory. Semiotic help to deepen the
understanding of production meaning in architecture and is somehow a kind of critical thinking
skill that attempts to replace the adaptive norm, which is ideology.
After understanding the article, I am concurring with the concept of ideology and theory. One of
the best examples will be the Le Corbusier’s five points about modernism. Le Corbusier
proposed a new way to defined esthetic, far away from the old architectural ideology that
consists of many ornaments. The new concept of esthetic proposed by Le Corbusier is
considered as the theoretical work, he attempt to change the ideology by establish the five
principles. His concept is accepted and believed by men, thus this theoretical work contains a
strong value. Time past, Le Corbusier’s five points became the new ideology about building
esthetic and it affected the whole architecture industry.
In a nutshell, I understand the intentions of the authors and I learnt a lot from them, for example
the ways to thinks and interprets. They are trying to figure out the language of architecture in
order to create a standard and communicate around the world.
WORD COUNT: 320 DATE: 25/4/16 MARK: GRADE:
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3. BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303/ARC2224)
SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (MARCH 2015) [5 MARKS]
NAME: Lee Yaue Shen ID: 0315381
LECTURER: Ms. Ida Marlina Mazlan TUTORIAL TIME: 4pm-6pm
SYNOPSIS NO: 3 READER TITLE: The Geometry of Feeling
AUTHOR: Juhani Pallasmaa
From the article about geometry of feeling by Juhani Pallasmaa, he firstly mentions that architecture nowadays gradually
detached itself from its intentional background and purpose. This means that, the relationship between architectural form
and how architecture is experienced has become weaker. As we know, people nowadays mainly focus on the exterior
and interior looking of architecture, the first image, but how about the actual experience about that building? We are
surrounded by buildings everyday of our life; we go in and out among these buildings everyday, however, how many of us
that are really enjoy and appreciate the experience inside it? “As architects we do not primarily designs buildings as
physical objects, but the images and feelings of the people who live in them.” By Juhani Pallasmaa.
The artistic dimension of a work art does not appeal in the actual physical thing; it exists only in the consciousness of the
person experiencing it. The writer saying that the actual meaning of architecture does not only lies in its form, but the
image transmitted by the forms and the emotional force that people carry. Logically, different people will have different
psychological and emotional responds towards spaces. We need to learn some knowledge and practice in perceiving
space in order to have the maximum enjoyment through spaces. As human, we experience space not just by visual
appreciation, it also include sound, smell and surface of that particular space. The three psychological stages of human in
response to space are: perception, cognition and spatial behavior. Perception of space refers to the awareness of people
in perceiving the space through their five senses. Cognition is the thinking process after they sense the space. People
may think, remember, or evaluate the information that they received. Then from the perception and cognition, people may
response and react to the space. Moreover, we can create memory that reflects from what we experience in a space.
Mostly the unique design will stay longer in our mind, it may be a good or bad experience, but the important part is what
reflects in our mind. Therefore, it is a designer's task to create great experiences in spaces that they designed. Our mind
can sense a relation between the form that is outside the space and inside the space.
Lastly, Phenomenology of architecture means “pure looking at” or “viewing its essence”, it derive from the Greek word
Theoria, which means precisely “a looking at”. Through architectural feeling in contrast of the proportions and properties,
phenomenology seeks the inner language of building. Tadao Ando shows a good example of the strong point mentioned
by the writer. In Ando’s architecture, he used a long of solid concrete walls that normally gave a cold, private and restrict
feeling to people. However, by playing with the warm daylight in contrast, he successfully creates a whole new feeling of
the solid concrete wall, it becomes warm and unique. The great examples of Ando’s architecture are the Church of Light,
Chichu Art Museum and Row house.
WORD COUNT: 483 DATE: 29/5/16 MARK: GRADE:
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4. BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303/ARC2224)
SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (MARCH 2015) [5 MARKS]
NAME: Lee Yaue Shen ID: 0315381
LECTURER: Ms. Ida Marlina Mazlan TUTORIAL TIME: 4pm-6pm
SYNOPSIS NO: 4 READER TITLE: Towards a Critical Regionalism
AUTHOR: Kenneth Frampton
From the article about culture and nature, the writer somehow talks about topography, context, climate, light and also
tectonic form. Firstly, Modernization clear and flatten the site with tabula rasa approach which mean the absence of
preconceived ideas or predetermined goals. Due to this point, people earn money for the earth-moving equipment for
making rational layout of building without deep considerations. The removal of topography has becomes a universal
technique around the world and thus resulting in placelessness. However, in the other way, Critical regionalism would
embrace topography as expression of regions geologic and the agricultural history. This practice would affects in
discovering the building form and the building will be set into relating terracing contours. The phrase “building the site” by
Mario Botta is an good example to support this point, it mean the considerations of how buildings rest on or into the
ground and also the ways to rebuilt the site in various forms, historical, vernacular and so on. Besides, Frampton applies
case of topography to the urban fabric and climate response. He mentions that we must resist the influence universal
technique and its common repetition in orders to pay full attention in light conditions. Window is a critical element in
expression of architecture, it has the ability to show character of region through placement and also have a climate
control purpose. The existence of the fixed window and climate control are signs of domination by universal technique.
Moreover, the real issue is the tectonic and not the scenographic. In architecture, column and beam are not to be
confused with the economies of skeletal frameworks of tectonic. It is important that the relation between material, craft
and gravity must be poetic in contrast to the re-presentation of coverings of façade.
Furthermore, from the article about visual and tactile, Frampton enhances the priority of tectonic over scenographic.
Tactile is the capacity of body sense the environment other than sight, and this is a strong strategy to resist the universal
technique. A person sensory is in a huge range, from the intensity of light, darkness, heat and cold, humidity and also
aroma. Human perceive all these based on their personal memories and experiences. Tactile can be easier to
understand and sometimes even have stronger sense than visual. However, the writer is trying to show that there is no
clear priority between visual and tactile, tactile can aids and enhance the feeling stimulated by visual. Critical regionalism
seeks to complement visuals and the tactile range of human, by balancing them accordingly. In a nutshell, through this
way, it can withstand the onslaught of the global modernization.
As a conclusion, Critical Regionalism is important in current architecture; people should not design a building only based
on their personal taste and likes. One should designs based on the universal style integrate with local languages, it is
interesting to show the way to balance these two aspect harmoniously to be sustainable and contextually fit.
WORD COUNT: 490 DATE: 13/6/16 MARK: GRADE:
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