THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM

1. 2017
THEORIES OF
ARCHITECTURE
AND URBANISM
[ARC 61303]
PROJECT 2 COMPARATIVEANALYSISESSAY
TUTOR: MR. PRINCE FAVIS ISIP
NAME: NGE JIA CHEN
ID: 0317738

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PROJECT 2: COMPARATIVEANALYSISESSAY
TABLE OF CONTENT
1.0 INTRODUCTION 3-4
2.0 COMPARATIVEANAYSISESSAY 5-12
3.0 CONCLUSION 13
4.0 REFERENCES 14

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
The paradigmof urban developmenthasshiftedfromquantitative growthdevelopmentto
qualitative development,reflectingthe changestosocial andphysical circumstancessuchaspursuit
of a higherqualityof life due tothe birthof an information-orientedsociety,de-industrialization,the
decreasingandagingpopulation,andthe increase of income.Throughlarge andsmall projects,now
Seoul MetropolitanGovernmentismakinganefforttoraise the competitivenessof Seoul;create a
newurbanbrand for Seoul bymakingthe mostuse of its attractionsand potentials;andsolve the
inequityproblemsbyformingsustainable,humanisturbanenvironmentinthe redevelopmentof the
dilapidatedtown.
Early urbanform inSeoul originatedfromthe layoutof Hanoks(traditional Koreanhouses),
whichwere organizedintohierarchical cluster patternsof ' ㄱ', ' ㄷ', and 'ㅁ' shapes.Thislayout
graduallydwindledandhasvirtuallydisappearedoverthe yearsdue todevastatingwarsandrapid
modernization.The oldlayoutcanstill be foundina few selectedareasbutnone thathave not
undergone significantchangesfromthe original form.Hanokshave now beenreplacedbymodern
houses,condominiums,andapartments;the clusterpatternsof ' ㄱ', ' ㄷ', and'ㅁ' have not
survived,butinsteadhave beenreplacedbymodernformssuchasthe high-rise government
complex inthe Sejong-nodistrict,resemblingadeformedgridconfiguration.Nonetheless,the
modernredevelopmentof the citystill containssome intrinsicelementsof traditional culture,
elementsthatmaynotbe easilydistinguishable,whichmakesthis600 yearsoldstreetone of its
ownamong manyroads inSeoul.
As ourselectedsite, Sejong-noisthe mainarterial street spanningfromGyeongbokgung
Palace (north) to the BukaksanMountain andit has beentransformedintoahumanrevolvinglane,
engulfingmuseums,statues,restaurantsandbeautiful parks,hence turningintothisdowntowninto
a walkable andpedestrianfriendlycitybythe Seoul’sInitiatives.Busstopsandpedestrianwalkways
were builtalongSejong-noextensively. Graduallybreakingthe coursergrainof the Sejong-noto
finergrains.
The streetthat we have chosenas our studioprojectisJalanTuankuAbdul Rahman,which
residesinthe heartof KualaLumpur andit isto be comparedwithSejong-no,whichalsoresidesin
the heart of Seoul. These streetsfunctionsasthe engagingnodeswithintheir owncities,advocating
the existence of contactpoints amidstthe streetwhichpulls,invitesandcongregate people.By
analysingboththe streets thatshares a similarurban configuration,we were toproduce a
comparative analysisessayusingthe theoriesof architecture andurbanism.

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Figure 1.1 Sejong-no.
Figure 1.2 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

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2.0 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
The subjectof what definesagreaturbanplanninghasbeenhoveringaroundforagood
amountof time.Peopleenjoyandadmire aworkof an artist while some othermightnotunderstand
but because of the aestheticof the artworkpresented,theypraise the artwork oritcouldbe vice
versa.The disconnectionbetweenanartistanda normal personis ambiguous.Onthe otherhand,
people admire anduse aspace an architectcreatedor theycan justwalkrightpass itand not
implyinganysignof interestonusingthe space.Some even take astepfurtherandgive bad
critiques aboutthe designof the space thentell othershow theydespise the space.Therefore,a
disconnectionbetweenpeopleandarchitectsare oftentimesconspicuous. Isitdue tothe distance
betweenthe thinkingof the peopleandthe architects?Orisit due to the authoritarianof the
architects,whichcausespeople tonotunderstandthe architect’sintention? Hence,the questionof
whatdefinesagoodurban habitat arises,especiallyinourpresent paradigmof urbansprawl,where
the qualityof urbanlife increasedtremendouslycomparedtoa few decadesago. Inthe increased
pace of life inthe city,can the architectskeepupwithgushingneedof qualitative urban sprawl?
The objective of thiscomparative analysisistodeterminethe criteriaof agoodurban
habitat.To supportthisstatementwithakeypoint,hereby,one of the definitiveelementof allowing
the interplaybetweenlife andform,humanandarchitecture,isthe human scale, statedbyJan
Gehl’s‘InSearchof the Human Scale’inTEDxKEA, December2015. Before dwellingdeeperintothe
humanscale, fromJan Gehl’s‘Life BetweenBuildings:UsingPublicSpaces,2006’, fora contact point
to happen,itneedstobe a publiclyaccessible physical environmentwhichcaterstoverydifferent
demandof activities:necessaryactivities,optional activities,andsocial activities. Itpresentsduring
people activitieshappeningsimultaneously,allowingthe opportunitiestohave contactbetweenthe
contacts of people. There are multiple conditionsprovidedbythe publicspaces thatdrivesthe type
of the activitiesthe contactpoints are andtheirintensity.
Necessaryactivitiesare people’severydaytasksand majorityof itare relatedtothose who
walks.Nochoice wasgiventothe participantsandthe activitieswill take place all yearlong,under
nearlymostconditions.Besidesthat,the optionalactivitiesexcelswhenexteriorintangible
conditionsare optimal.Forexample,the weatherandphysical environmentare inviting.Whenthese
conditionsare met,wide range of optional activitieswillthenoccur.Activitiesthatsuggestpeople to
stopand interactlike sitting,eatingandplaying. Whenthe outdoorqualityispoor,andonly
necessaryactivitiesare occurring,people willdisperse andhurrybackhome. Last type of the
outdoorand publicspace activitiesare social activities. Theseactivitiesinvolve the more intimate
and sensual type of interactionbetweenhumans. Activitieslike childrenatplay,greetingand
conversationsbetweenpeople,andcommunal activitiesare whichare sociallyinduced. Itrequires
no forcingto happenasthese are spontaneouseffortof the people,indirectlysupportedwhenever
necessaryoroptional activitiesare givingbettertangibleorintangibleconditionsinthe publicly
accessedphysical environment. Peoplesee,hearandmeeteachotherwiththeirownfree will,
forminga sociallydrivencontact,encouragingpeople interactions.
Therefore,necessary,optional andsocial activitiesoccurina finesse interwovenpattern.
Creatingfunctional,recreational andsocial activitiesall inone place,atone time. Life between
buildingscomprisesthe entire spectrumof activities,combiningtomake meaningful communal
spaceswithinthe urbanfabric(Gehl,2006). Merelypedestriantrafficorrecreational orsocial
activitiesdonotmake an urbanhabitatgood.

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On the longspan of a streetof Sejong-no, whichdominantlyactas an axis,directingall
towardsthe Gyeongbukgung Palace,the mainbureaucraticzone forSouthKorea whichnow serves
as a touristattraction.The historical fabriconbothside of the lanesare replacedandgovernedby
actingmodernsuperblocks. Due tothe axial dominance of the GyeonbukgungPalace,averylinear
configuration of the Sejong-no’surbanfabricisformed. Gridanddeformedgridconfigurationcanbe
foundsprawlingoutof the axisof Sejong-no.
The scale in terms of the spanof the Sejong-noisnotveryhumanlyfriendly.Itexceededthe
maximumwalkabledistance forhumanof 400m, hence,discouragingthe people to walkfromone
endto the other.Counteringthe factof its longspan,contact pointsare presentalongthe street,
physical environmentof publicaccessisapparent,drawingpeople tostoptointeractand increasing
contacts. Aside fromthat,publictransportationare placedina consistentandfrequentpattern,
advocatingmore accessibilityandwalkabilitytoSejong-no,hence,increasingthe humanintensity
thenthe contact intensityof the street. TurningSejong-nointoawalkable lane of historical
reminiscent.
Figure 2.1 Interactionofuser groups occur when there is a mixoflocals and tourists on Sejong-no resulting in diverse activities on the
street.With the double-laned boulevard being theceremonialaxis to the connection ofthe City Hall tothefrontofGyeongbukgung Palace
(on the left), the historical fabric on both sides are replaced by bureaucratic superblocks.
Figure 2.2 Bus stops arelocated along Sejong-no with equally distributed coverage, allowing walkable distance between intervals,
encouraging the public transportation usage. Potentially be a contact points that allows human interaction.
Finer-grained deformed grid
configuration extensively connecting
the alleyways parallel to the main roads

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Figure 2.3 Therelationship betweenthecontactpoints.Fromtheleft, Gyeongbukgung Palace, Sejong Art Centre, Gwanghwamun Square,
Cheonggye Stream, Daehanmunand Seoul Plaza. Showing contact intensity on each contact point.
In JalanTuankuAbdul Rahman, itsharesa somewhatsimilarconfigurationwithSejong-no.It
isa linearshophouse typology,withdeformedgridconfigurationonbothsidesof the street. Due to
itsnature of a shoppingdistrict,commercial activitiesfill upthe majorityof the street. Itisa one way
road headingsouthof KualaLumpur,servesasone of the mainroute amidst the busycity of KL.
Despite beingacommercial district,itconsistsmostlyfabricortextilebusiness.ComparedtoSejong-
no,a more bureaucraticdistrict,JalanTuankuAbdul Rahmanprovidesmore humancontacts. But
withthe physical conditionof itbeingalongstreet,andthe intangible nature of homogenoustextile
shoppingdistrict,people mightlose interestonstoppingandhave contactswithinthe publicspaces
of JalanTAR. To increase the accessibilityandwalkabilityof the street,busstopsandtaxi stopsare
placedalongthe street,andtrainstationis presentwithinawalkingvicinityof the street. Similarto
the strategyof Sejong-no’surbanplanning.
Figure 2.4 ThemacrooverviewofJalan TuankuAbdulRahman, showing paths and public transportation routes for human circulation.

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The enormousandoverwhelmingscale of the office superblockscreatesapassive sunshade
for the people,allowingcomfortable circulationbeneaththe blocks.The downsideof thisurban
habitatisthe lossof intimacy.Intimacyistradedforsunshade,losingpeopleinteraction.Thatalso
appliesinourtropical climate.ButinSeoul,shadingisunnecessary,andif it’satall important,the
buildingswithlow ceilingscanhelp withthe all-yearcoldclimate of SouthKorea.
Lesserpresence of sensoryexperience isevidentinthisurbansettingof Sejong-no.Inorder
to allowthe people toperceptabuiltform, tactile experience isimportant.Byadjustingthe scale of
the physical environment,the humansensoryexperience canbe heightened.Hence,anurban
habitatwithhighcontact spacesshouldconsiderthe importance of the scale of builtform.
At least,the transitionof urbanscale formGyeongbukgungPalace tothe office blocksis
considered.Allowingthe peopletohave a transitional experience withoutbeingabruptly
bombardedbythe humongousscale of the bureaucraticsuperblocks.
Figure 2.5 Comparisonofurban scaletohumanon a street section. Showing the tremendous difference between the superblocks and
humans.
Whereas,inJalanTuankuAbdul Rahman,the shophousestypicallyhas3-5stories,spanning
linearlyacrossthe street. The scale of the builtforminJalanTAR ismore humanising,comparingto
the superblocksinSejong-no. Therefore,the humanactivitiesare encouragedandmore frequently
engaged. Hence,increasingthe intimacyof people interactions,ultimatelythe resultof higher
contact intensity.
Figure 2.6 Theurban scale ofJalan TuankuAbdulRahman, showing a more humanising scale compared to the scale ofthe built form in
Sejong-no.

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Figure 2.7 Theshort sectionofSejong-no, showing an extremely widespanacross thestreet, suggesting a not so humanising scale to the
people.
On the street’sshortsectionof Sejong-no, the scale of the widthof the streetisreallywide,
standingat a 68 metresspan.It has one way5 laneshighwayasthe mainroad on eachside,
enclosingthe boulevard of the middle section.Asshownonfigure 2.7,the humanscale is
significantlysmallerinthisurbansetting,creatingextremelylarge openspaceswithnofunctional or
spontaneousactivitiesforthe people. Withanexceptionof the boulevardinthe middleof the
street,stands the memorial orstatue of the late Sejong the Great,the creator of Koreanalphabet,
Hangul. Eventsare occasionallyheldinthe boulevard,drawingandinvitingmore people in. This
providesalegitimatepotential contactpointwithhighcontactintensityasa touristattraction,
gatheringdiverse range of people.
Figure 2.8 Thestreet scale ofJalan TuankuAbdulRahman, exhibiting a moreintimate scale ofa street comparing to the unhumanising
scale ofSejong-no.
68m wide apart
In a spacious setting, the wide street
lost its interaction, hence, intimacy, with
the pedestrians due to their extended
freedom of circulation around it.
In a smaller scale, the widthof the 5fw
allows the pedestrianto walkunder the
shade, closer to the shops, triggering
frequent shop-pedestrianinteractions.
At a much more intimare scale, the
back-alleyoffers a great amount of
diversitywiththe night market.
Drawing people intothe backlanes
for good stroll of vibrancy.

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Comparingtothe streetwidth of Sejong-nowitha68 metre,JalanTuankuAbdul Rahman’s
streetwidth is5-6 timesshorter. Onfigure 2.8, the comparisonbetweenthe wide street,5-footway
and the back alleyclearlyadvocateshow the scale of the pedestriancirculationcanaffectthe user
experience andcontacts. Smallerormore intimate people spacescaninvite interactionsbetween
one another,hence agreaterurban habitatfor the people.
Figure 2.9 Thelinear typology ofthe massive scale of shops along the street ofSejong-no, creates a passive frontage but provides a
seamless people flux without much stops and interactions due to the flat walkway.
Active frontagesare absentinSejong-no,the streetsuggestsmore passivecontacts.
Triggeringonlysee andhearcontacts againstthe frontage of the shops,hence low intensityof
contact. The lack of spontaneousnodesalongthe streetwill induceevenmore passiveness.
Seamlesscirculationhoweverprevailsinthisscale of a street,allowingdense quantityof people
wheneveroccasional eventshappen. Due tothe diverse type of businessorcommercial activitiesin
the shops,itcan activelyreduce the dullnessof the street.
Figure 2.10 The change ofpace on the walkways ofJalan TAR can affect the contact intensity ofthe street.
Seamed Movement
Due to the uneven ground ofthe 5fw, pedestrian have
to constantly watch their steps, losing speed of
movement andinteraction are reduced withthe shops.
Seamless Movement
Due to the flat and smooth pathof the back alley,
pedestrians are invitedto walk with no worries,
hence increasing save interactions to the shops.

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Figure 2.11Active frontages on theshophouses on theleft, and a cross junction whereallactivities intersect, and Sogo Complex on the
right. Functional, optional and social activities are present.
On the otherhand, JalanTuanku Abdul Rahman’sshophouseshasactive frontagesonthe
frontand the back of the building. Fromfigure 2.8, fromthe active frontof where the 5fw is,people
can cross throughthe buildingand getto the back alleywhere more commercial activitiesare
present.The processcanbe vice versa,hence creating diverseand active frontage of bothfrontand
back. The highercontact intensityof JalanTARcomparedtothe Sejong-no,isdue tohuge difference
betweenthe scalesof these boththe streets.
From figure 2.10, itis evidentthatJalanTARhas a more diverse pace of movement due to
the differentscalesof walkways comparedtoSejong-no’slinearwalkway andflatmovement
pattern. Creatingmore chancesof contact in JalanTAR ratherthan Sejong-no. Referringtofigure
2.11, JalanTAR, has an amphitheatre fromSogoComplex,creatingaspontaneousnode,hence,
more social and optional activitiescanhappeninthispublicspace.Chancesof contactsare more
prevailinghere comparedtoSejong-no.

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Figure 2.12 The intensity ofcontact on the front ofthe amphitheatre ofSogo Complex, acting as a spontaneous node.
Figure 2.13Active frontages ofon thefive foot ways ofthe shop houses in Jalan TAR. Acomfortable built environment for functional,
recreational and social activities.

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3.0 CONCLUSION
In a nutshell,the necessary activities,optional,andsocial activitiesare interwoveninJalan
TAR, creatinga functional,recreational andsociallydrivenphysical environmentforthe people.
Whereas,inSejong-no,functional andrecreationalactivitiesare predominantbutsocial activities
are consistentlyimprovingfromthe effortsof the Seoul Initiatives. Inordertocreate a humanising
urban habitat, the human scale isone of the mainkey. The evidence of thiscanbe foundfromthe
comparative analysisthathasbeendone. The more humanisingscale of the overall builtformof
JalanTAR isprovedto have more diverse andhighercontactintensitycomparedtoSejong-no. The
importance of humanisingscale issecondtonone inprovidingaqualitative publiclyaccessible
physical space.Justfromthe scale and materiality,the sensoryexperience of the peopleis
enhanced,andthe social engagementpatterns canbe alteredtoprovide abetterqualityof modern
urban living. Alwaysmake people spacessmallerthanyouthinkyouneed(Gehl,2015). This
statementcanconclude thatif the humanscale isoptimallyproportional tothe urbanscale,a great
urban habitatisthencreated.Thisis one of the keytowardsthe riddingof authoritarianarchitects,
and the birthof humane architects.

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4.0 REFERENCE
1. Gehl,J. (2011). Life betweenbuildings:usingpublicspace.Washington,D.C.:IslandPress.
2. T. (2015, December18).In Searchof the Human Scale | JanGehl | TEDxKEA.RetrievedJuly03,
2017, fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgw9oHDfJ4k
3. Lynch, K. (1960). The image of the city.London:Harvard UniversityPress.
4. Pallasmaa,J.(1996). The Geometry of Feeling: A lookat the Phenomenology of Architecture.NY:
PrincetonArchitectural Press.