ENBE Final Project Process Journal Compilation

Content:
2
No. Title Page
1. A city 3-4
2. Introduction on Better City Guideline and Issues 5
3. Investigation and Data Collection: Ancient and
old Cities
6-9
4. Investigation and Data Collection: The present
city/ cities
10-12
5. Investigation and Data Collection: The future
city/ cities
13-17
6. Information about the city location and site 18-21
7. All about the new “X” City (Rimba City) 22-36
8. The Pamphlet 37-38
9. References list 39-40

A City
Definition
A city is an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village
It is an area where many people live and work and it is of great importance to the society.
Many cities are formed as a result of the combination of smaller places. Small settlements
group to form villages. Villages group to form towns. Towns group to form suburbs. Suburbs
group to form cities.
Characteristics
a) Origins
• Agriculture
-Human activities.
-Human gatherings.
-Denser populations.
-Human settlements.
• Site
-Location that is most conducive for long term growth. (Usually at mouth of river)
-Flat protected land with fertile soil and wide access to water supply, clean air, and
various resources for daily life.
-Impervious to floods, heavy winds and other natural disasters.
-Has extensive land that enables potentially increasing numbers of people to build their
houses, grow food, or conduct their business.
• Trade
-Economy
-Business
-Inter-human connections
-Settlements for people who came from far away nations
-Mixture and exposure of culture
-Growth of diverse community
-Grew up around marketplaces, where goods from distant places could be exchanged
for local products
• Intersections of transportation routes
b) Functions
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• Centers of storage, trade, and manufacture
• Protection
-City walls
-Trained army forces
• Centers of government
-Location of government buildings
-Officials serve the public
-Place where public gather
• Economical centers
-People gather for business, creating economy Agra Fort, India
-Economy leads to the increasing wealth of local authorities and citizens
Agra Fort, India
• Symbol of area or country
-Buildings of national or international importance are located in the city
-Accommodate needs of the public
-Creates a sense of pride and gives identity to the area, community and country
c) Characteristics
• Population
-No definite description of the population size of a city
-Population size exceeds rural areas, outskirts, villages, towns and suburban areas
-Population size allows the city to sustain itself (economy, food, resources etc)
• Networks
-Array of pathways to carry flows of people, goods, water, energy, and information
-Transportation networks are the largest and most visible
-Ancient cities relied on streets (most of them quite narrow by modern standards)
-Complex hierarchy of transportation channels (ten-lane freeways to sidewalks)
• Infrastructure
-Sufficient and high quality facilities (to meet the high demands of local and foreign ppl)
-Sewer and water systems
-Public transportation
-Health
-Accommodation
-Information
-Technology
-Basic amenities of civilization
• Buildings
-Gives unique character to cities
-Residential
-Commercial
-Industrial
-Government
-Monumental
-Religious
-Skyscrapers
• Open spaces
-Plazas, malls, and courtyards provide settings for public activities
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-Parks, gardens, lawns, and nature preserves provide essential relief from harsh urban
conditions
-Place for recreational activities
Investigation on Better City Guidelines and Issues
Guidelines:
• The city should be self-sufficient when it comes to food & energy.
• The city has to avoid fossil fuels.
• The city has to be about people & dynamism. There has to be room for spontaneity.
• Culture has to be everywhere. A city without culture is a dead city.
• The core emphasis will be the streets - the arteries of a healthy city. Instead of mere
transportation, the streets will focus on happiness, connections & combination of both.
• Statues and paintings from that culture would decorate the streets of that part. Each part
of the city would have a culture of its own and provide a healthy rivalry.
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Investigation & Data Collection: Ancient and old
cities
The Ancient City of Angkor
Brief synthesis
Angkor, in Cambodia’s northern province of
Siem Reap, is one of the most important
archaeological sites of Southeast Asia. It
extends over approximately 400 square
kilometres and consists of scores of temples,
hydraulic structures (basins, dykes, reservoirs,
canals) as well as communication routes. For
several centuries Angkor, was the centre of
the Khmer Kingdom. With impressive monuments, several different ancient urban plans and
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large water reservoirs, the site is a unique concentration of features testifying to an
exceptional civilization. Temples such as Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm,
exemplars of Khmer architecture, are closely linked to their geographical context as well as
being imbued with symbolic significance. The architecture and layout of the successive
capitals bear witness to a high level of social order and ranking within the Khmer Empire.
Angkor is therefore a major site exemplifying cultural, religious and symbolic values, as well as
containing high architectural, archaeological and artistic significance.
The park is inhabited, and many villages, some of whom the ancestors are dating back to
the Angkor period are scattered throughout the park. The population practices agriculture
and more specifically rice cultivation.
From Angkor the Khmer kings ruled over a vast domain that reached from Vietnam to China
to the Bay of Bengal. The structures one sees at Angkor today, more than 100 stone temples
in all, are the surviving remains of a grand religious, social and administrative metropolis
whose other buildings - palaces, public buildings, and houses - were built of wood and have
long since decayed and disappeared.
Theories of the location of the city
Conventional theories presume the
lands where Angkor stands were
chosen as a settlement site because of
their strategic military position and
agricultural potential. Alternative
scholars, however, believe the
geographical location of the Angkor
complex and the arrangement of its
temples was based on a planet-
spanning sacred geography from
archaic times. Using computer
simulations, it has been shown that the
ground plan of the Angkor complex –
the terrestrial placement of its principal
temples - mirrors the stars in the constellation of Draco at the time of spring equinox in 10,500
BC. While the date of this astronomical alignment is far earlier than any known construction
at Angkor, it appears that its purpose was to architecturally mirror the heavens in order to
assist in the harmonization of the earth and the stars. Both the layout of the Angkor temples
and the iconographic nature of much its sculpture, particularly the asuras (‘demons’) and
devas (‘deities’) are also intended to indicate the celestial phenomenon of the precession of
the equinoxes and the slow transition from one astrological age to another.
At the temple of Phnom Bakheng there are 108 surrounding towers. The number 108,
considered sacred in both Hindu and Buddhist cosmologies, is the sum of 72 plus 36 (36 being
½ of 72). The number 72 is a primary number in the sequence of numbers linked to the earth’s
axial precession, which causes the apparent alteration in the position of the constellations
over the period of 25,920 years, or one degree every 72 years. Another mysterious fact about
the Angkor complex is its location 72 degrees of longitude east of the Pyramids of Giza. The
temples of Bakong, Prah Ko and Prei Monli at Roluos, south of the main Angkor complex, are
situated in relation to each other in such a way that they mirror the three stars in the Corona
Borealis as they appeared at dawn on the spring equinox in 10,500 BC. It is interesting to note
that the Corona Borealis would not have been visible from these temples during the 10th and
11th centuries when they were constructed.
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Climate
Angkor is hot and sticky throughout the year, but the peak visitor season is November to
February, when the weather is dry and temperatures are coolest (25-30°C). March to May is
brutally hot, with temperatures reaching 40°C. June to October is the rainy season, and
outlying temples and the roads leading to them can turn into quagmires of mud. However,
this is also when the temples are at their quietest, and it's still often possible to do a good half-
day round of sightseeing before the rains start in the afternoon.
Why is Angkor important?
• Why it existed
Angkor Wat, built during the early years of the 12th century by Suryavaram II, honors the
Hindu god Vishnu and is a symbolic representation of Hindu cosmology. Consisting of an
enormous temple symbolizing the mythic Mt. Meru, its five inter-nested rectangular walls and
moats represent chains of mountains and the cosmic ocean. The short dimensions of the vast
compound are precisely aligned along a north-south axis, while the east-west axis has been
deliberately diverted 0.75 degrees south of east and north of west, seemingly in order to give
observers a three day anticipation of the spring equinox.
• Symbolism
The temples of Angkor are highly symbolic structures. The foremost Hindu concept is the
temple-mountain, where the temple is built as a representation of the mythical Mount Meru:
this is why so many temples, including Angkor Wat itself, are surrounded by moats, built in a
mountain-like pyramidal shape and topped by precisely five towers, representing the five
peaks of Mount Meru. The linga, representing the god Shiva, was also critical and while the
lingas themselves have largely gone, linga stands (carved, table-like blocks of stone) can be
found in many if not most rooms in the temples. There was also a political element to it all:
most kings wanted to build their own state temples to symbolize their kingdom and their rule.
While early Angkor temples were built as Hindu temples, Jayavarman VII converted to
Mahayana Buddhism c. 1200 and embarked on a prodigious building spree, building the
new capital city of Angkor Thom including Bayon, Ta Prohm, Preah Khan and many more as
Buddhist structures. However, his successor Jayavarman VIII returned to Hinduism and
embarked on an equally massive spree of destruction, systematically defacing Buddhist
images and even crudely altering some to be Hindu again. Hinduism eventually lost out to
Buddhism again, but the (few) Buddha images in the temples today are later Theraveda
additions.
One element that continues to mystify archaeologists is the baray, or water reservoir, built in
a grand scale around Angkor: for example, the West Baray is a mind-boggling 8km by 2.3km
in size. While it has long been assumed that they were used for irrigation, some historians
argue that their primary function was political or religious. Not a single outlet has been found,
either by eye or by NASA imaging. The moat
around Angkor and the West Baray still contains
water, but the rest have dried up.
• Water Engineering of Angkor
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One of the major success of the Angkor Empire was due to its mastery over the control of
water from the Mekong River. Being situated in the tropical Monsoon zone, the Angkor was
subjected to a wet season with heavy rainfall during Monsoon and a dry season during the
off-Monsoon period.
Due to their engineering genius, the ancient Khmer built extensive irrigation and drainage
system in order to manage the excessive water from the flood. This water was stored in the
huge reservoirs such as the East and West Baray, and irrigated to the farmlands during the
dry period. In this way, the Angkor were able to cultivate and harvest rice crops two or three
times in one year. Such a high productivity of rice crops in a year helped to strengthen the
country's economy significantly, and thus enhanced its prosperity. This enabled the god-king
of the Angkor Empire to mobilize large number of laborers and slaves to undergo temples
construction, several of which required over ten thousands of laborers and took them from
two to three decades to complete.
In addition, the Angkor kings were able to recruit manpower to serve in military which play a
major role, not only in defending the throne, but in invading the neighbors. The Angkor
kingdom expanded its territory vigorously and became a strong regional empire.
The two major reservoirs at the Angkor are the East and West Baray. The East Baray
has long been dry whereas the West Baray is still in use today. Two more reservoirs had
been discovered recently by the aerial photographs.
It was estimated by George Grosliers, a French archaeologist, that the total agricultural land
of the Angkor Empire was about 70,000 hectares. Being used to cultivate crop two or three
times in one year, the land was able to support the densely populated Angkor kingdom. This
mastery over the water is one of the major factor for the rise of Khmer Civilization.
Conclusion
The ancient city of Angkor was chosen as the case study as it was an archaeological city
that actually perished from the knowledge of mankind as well as the citizens of Cambodia
for centuries before its discovery. This is due to the fact that the city was attacked,
abandoned and left aside. The lost city was eventually hidden in the tropical rainforests and
tropical trees grew inside as well as on top of the monuments and buildings. However, the
city was well preserved after centuries eventhough no actions had been taken to preserve it.
The answer to this miracle was due to the fact of the well-developed drainage and water
control system that guided the heavy rainfall in the tropical rainforests away from the
buildings. The absence of water retention prevented water from destroying the buildings and
temples which were made from stone. This miracle is an important knowledge and
application for the foundation planning a city in the forests.
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Investigation & Data Collection: The present
city/cities
Manaus, Brazil
Description
Manaus is a Brazilian city of about 2.5
million, located on the Rio Negro a few
miles before it meets the Rio Solimões to
form the Amazon River proper. The two
rivers flow side by side for many miles,
different in color, mixing in eddies: the
"Meeting of the Waters." Legend has it that
they never mix. Manaus is the Amazon’s
largest city, an incongruous pocket of
urbanity in the middle of the jungle, a major
port for ocean vessels that’s 1500km from
the ocean.
The wealth of the primeval forest becomes
visible first of all in the architecture of the
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city. The city was rich and the rubber barons afforded the biggest luxury from Europe, a copy
of the Grand Opera de Paris - the Teatro Amazonas. Other monuments from this epoch are
the Mercado Municipal, a copy of the famous market halls Les Halles in Paris, and the arts
center Palacio Rio Negro, located among fascinating Portuguese facades. Today Manaus is
a foreign trade zone. Foreign enterprises don't pay import duties, what guarantees a certain
income for the city and the region. Electronics, wood industry and oil refineries have settled
in the outskirts in industrial areas. The harbour is the most important trading center in the city
with regional, national and international products.
The city is pleasant and friendly, although quite hot, and is still a major port, and a good
starting point for river tours.
The Rio Negro (northern) branch of the Amazon is the color of strong tea, peaty brown and
its comparative acidity means there are fewer mosquitoes compared to other places. At
Manaus the Amazon rises and falls almost twenty meters between seasons. In May and June
it's at its peak, full and very wide, spreading way out into the trees. In November and
December it's low; still massive but with sandbars.
The city itself has some genuinely rewarding sights, including a leafy zoo with as many
animals out of the cages as in them, and a beach-and-museum combo that gets you out of
the city center. It’s a place to stock up on anything you forgot to pack, or to refill your tank
with beer and internet after a week in the forest. Manaus will be a host city for the 2014 FIFA
World Cup, and the city is bustling with construction and improvement projects..
History
Located deep in the Amazon rainforest, Manaus would seem an unlikely place for a city.
It flourished originally as the centre of the rubber boom in the late 1870s. Once rubber
plantations were developed elsewhere, it lapsed into semi-obscurity once again.
But in the 1960s the military government, installed by a coup, was looking to consolidate its
control over the country with economic development and galvanise its control over the
Amazon region.
It encouraged businesses to expand into the area by offering generous tax breaks.
Arrival of technological companies
Manaus has grown in the ensuing decades. The population is now about 1.8 million, almost
doubling in size since 1990.
With Brazil's healthy economy, the city is booming once again.
Many major multi-national technology manufacturers, like LG, Samsung and Philips, have a
presence here and their business is swelling the population further.
The increase in workers in the city led to the decision to build a bridge over the Amazon to
open up the south bank of the river to development.
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Inaugurated in late 2011, the Rio Negro bridge will give more commuters access to dormitory
towns where developers are already building more housing.
Other changes are on the way. Manaus will be one of the host cities when the Fifa World
Cup takes place in Brazil in 2014.
Construction is already under way on a 40,000-seater stadium and several new hotels are
planned for the thousands of visitors who are expected to descend on the city.
The tournament organisers have vowed the stadium will be environmentally friendly, using
energy efficient lighting and harvesting rainwater.
Road building in Manaus and its effects
But even with such "green" credentials, Manaus' expansion is still a threat to the environment
that surrounds it.
There are few roads connecting the city with the outside world and most visitors arrive by air
or by boat, along the immense Amazon river.
As the city grows, there are concerns that more overland routes will become necessary.
Ecologists say where roads are built, destruction of the rainforest is sure to follow.
Conclusion
As mentioned earlier, it is incredible to be able to witness a city built in the middle of the
tropical rainforests, and most importantly the Amazon Rainforests. The city was chosen as
part of my case studies as it is a very good and convincing example that we can actually
build a city in the tropical rainforests. The city is surrounded by vast areas of forests and is one
of the hosts of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This proves that a city in the forest definitely has the
potential to expand and develop into a developed land.
However, the extension and development of Manaus also led to more and more destruction
of the forest lands. Moreover, the city does not blend I with the forests and is actually an
obvious separation between the natural and built environments.
All in all, Manaus served as a very important part of my case studies as it is a convincing
example that we can build a physical city in the forests.
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Investigation & Data Collection: The future
city/cities
1) Kuala Lumpur Utopia 2057
Veritas Design Group was invited by The Sun newspaper to design a “utopian” vision on what
the Kuala Lumpur skyline might look like in almost half a century time and as a result, Kuala
Lumpur Utopia 2057 was proposed.
Utopia is a vision of a perfect place, wherein the beauties of society reign, where poverty,
misery, corruption, crime and the illnesses of civilization are all non- existent. As proposed by
Veritas, the Petronas Twin Towers still shimmers but in 2057 it is just one of several landmark
icons in Kuala Lumpur. A dense community of soaring glass and steel will spawn around the
KLCC area. The KLCC Park now lies in their shadows. VERITAS’ vision for Kuala Lumpur in 2057
depicts multiple centres forming multiple nodes of intensity and diversity, all interlinked by a
multi-tiered network of access and public transportation and rings of new public spaces, built
above the ground and suspended above the city below.
A noise-less train network hovers 100m high, forming a connective web above the street
traffic stopping at the 25th
floor of the buildings. VERISTAS also proposed that the original Bukit
Nenas Forest Reserve is preserved inside a gigantic glass bubble held by a web of steel,
preserving the rare bird species and insects within a globular haven. The glass bubble filters
out the pollution within the city air, creating a sanctuary for the rare inhabitants of the
forestry.
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Rising even further above are green belts weaving their way around the tops of the office
and apartment towers, swirling rings of floating public parks and plazas. Elevated 50 storeys
above the silhouette streets, trees again prosper on the sunny decks. The hovering Sky
Garden restores public space lost at the ground level.
The building skyline is intertwined with elevated infrastructure systems and floating parks and
gardens creating a new public realm in the sky, domesticated from the restructuring of air
lights.
Opinions
Personally, I think that the project is realistic and also a good suggestion to better shape the
capital city of the nation to balance between the natural and built environments. However,
the project only focuses on a
limited space in the capital
city and not the entire land.
Therefore, further
implementation should be
carried out to make the
proposal a convincing
proposal.
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A promotional image for the proposed project
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2) TROPICOOL @ KL
Designed for the heart of Sentul, Kuala
Lumpur, TROPICOOL @ KL envisions a series of
self-sustaining mushroom skyscrapers that
incorporate natural energy sources,
rainwater harvesting, and bio-mass support
for off-the-grid living in a truly green
environment. An urban ecology modeled
after the rainforest, complete with towering
mushroom high-rises, is sure to raise some
eyebrows.
The mushroom-like skyscrappers
A play upon the symbiotic nature of organisms thriving in the rainforest, TROPICOOL @ KL
envisions a series of symbiotic energy-generating skyscrapers modeled after mushrooms.
These tropical trees of life provide housing and recreational facilities while mimicking the five
layers found within a tropical rainforest: the overstory, the canopy, the understory, the shrub
layer, and the forest floor.
The structure’s c ircular tops are composed of miniature solar panels that provide a power
source while mimicking the process of photosynthesis that takes place in rainforest canopies.
Achieving the resemblance of equatorial rainforest, big canopy trees shading the ground still
allowing penetrating rays of sunlight; generate ideas to create a distinctive structure ‘ A
mushroom’, resembling urban rainforest trees which populate the whole city. The leaves act
as a solar canopy, the branches accommodating homes to human beings and serving
interaction areas at each of the community colonies for recreation and socializing, with
energy funneling through its trunk and the small footprint preserves and promotes the ground
greenery and supports sustainable lifestyles for the occupants below.
The proposed design also echoes the
Malaysian vernacular house lifestyle which
is always situated with the rural fabrics; in
harmony with the natural richness and
surrounded by trees. These spaces offer
natural, passive cooling with the presence
of the trees giving us the parameters for
designing the cities within the trees.
Technically, the urban mushroom would
be implementing integrated building
systems and enhance of the use of natural energy sources to generate power in the future
city by rainwater harvesting and bio-mass as the main support for the city living. Self-reliance,
a friendly environment and symbiotic buildings are the main themes of the new cityscape of
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the future city. It is our small contribution as Malaysians as part of the overall in battle against
global warming.
The site is located at Sentul, Kuala Lumpur. This area has been developed originally as a train
depot community. It is now developing an urban area. City was clustered with residential,
commercial, offices, and green area which are sandwiched in the middle of the city. The
adjacent area is littered with a variety of heritage buildings, horizontal and vertical
residential, public and commercial buildings.
With the population of 445,000 in Sentul-Manjalara district of Kuala Lumpur the residents will
be increase by another 50,000 people by 2009, and by 2030 the existing public housing at
Sentul will be congested as more and more people in rural areas move to the city. With the
existing planning of the Sentul cityscape as a Green Urban Park city, it is essential to ensure
future development would not eliminate all the green areas.
Thus the proposal of, TROPICOOL @KL: SYMBIOTIC TROPICAL MUSHROOM is a concept to
retain and sustain the green area and to develop green urban parks without destroying and
losing the meaning of the existing green urban lung.
The aim of the major planning objectives are
• Promoting flexibility of uses
• Emphasizing built form
• Protecting the environment and
promoting the usage of alternative
energy sources.
To establish a vertical dwelling design
that can cope and accommodates
the over population at the city but still
emphasizing on the life quality,
security, community value, and suited
to the Malaysia climate.
The final design:
• Incorporates building integrated systems: transparent solar panels to make use of free
solar energy and natural daylight while optimizing heat losses.
• The footprints of the urban park housing are minimized in order to maximize the
introduction of landscaping elements, water and vegetation on ground which helps in
reducing the green house gasses. In addition, to preserve the existing building heritage
on the ground.
Minimizing of air and noise pollution by reducing road traffic and setting up a centralized
transportation core at the underground subway .On the ground will be 90% used by
pedestrian with green parks, free from any individual transportation, still accommodating
a public share car concept. A public share car can be utilized in the whole city and it will
function like a taxi, but without a driver.
• Designing the habitat in each colony to strengthen the community and introducing
communal space in each community colony to develop a community spirit.
Centralized sewer and sanitation on each urban mushroom structure to generate bio-
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mass energy, which would be channeled to each colony on the mushroom; supplying
electricity. Even water resources are provided independently on the urban mushroom
supply by rain harvesting on top of the hub. Accordingly, each mushroom is independent
and self sustaining and reacts as powered generator to its habitable units.
Opinion
The proposal is indeed a great proposal as it is not only functional, but it also solved the
problem of the limited availability of land use in the bustling capital city. The buildings are
self-sustainable and definitely an eye-opener.
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Information about the city location and site
The chosen site is the tropical rainforests of Malaysia.
Tropical Rainforests
i. Characteristics
• Very dense, warm, wet forests
• Biodiversity of flora and fauna
• Home to half of the world’ s flora and fauna
• Generate much of the Earth's oxygen
• Constantly raining
-Rainforests get over 80 inches (2 m) of rain each year. This is about 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm)
of rain each week.
• Temperature
-Range is between 75° F and 80° F (24-27° C)
• Exhibit different stratas (zones) or layers
EMERGENTS: Giant trees that are much
higher than the average canopy height. It
houses many birds and insects.
CANOPY: The upper parts of the trees. This
leafy environment is full of life in a tropical
rainforest and includes: insects, birds,
reptiles, mammals, and more.
UNDERSTORY: A dark, cool environment
under the leaves but over the ground.
FOREST FLOOR: Teeming with animal life,
especially insects. The largest animals in the
rainforest generally live here.
ii. Importance
• Cover about 7% of the Earth's surface and are VERY important to the Earth's
ecosystem
• Recycle and clean water
• Remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their roots, stems, leaves,
and branches
• Habitat for wide diversity of flora and fauna as well as the indigenous people. They
hunt for food and gather materials in the forest. Many of them also have small
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gardens in cleared areas of the forest. Since the soil in the rainforest is so poor, the
garden areas must be moved after just a few years, and another part of the forest is
cleared. The traditional agricultural system practiced by tribes in the Amazon is based
on swidden cultivation (also known as slash-and-burn or shifting cultivation)
• Considered as the "Jewels of the Earth" and the "world's largest pharmacy" one
quarter of natural medicines have been discovered there.
Considerations
Emergent layer
• The emergent layer contains a small number of very large trees called emergents, which
grow above the general canopy, reaching heights of 45–55 m, although on occasion a
few species will grow to 70–80 m tall.
• They need to be able to withstand the hot temperatures and strong winds that occur
above the canopy in some areas.
• Eagles, butterflies, bats and certain monkeys inhabit this layer.
Canopy layer
• Majority of the largest trees, typically 30
metres (98 ft) to 45 metres (148 ft) tall.
• The densest areas of biodiversity are found in
the forest canopy
• Epiphytic plants attach to trunks and
branches, and obtain water and minerals
from rain and debris that collects on the
supporting plants
• Fauna is similar to emergent layer, but more
diverse.
Understory layer
• Birds, snakes and lizards, as well as predators such as jaguars, boa constrictors and
leopards
• The leaves are much larger at this level and insect life is abundant
• Only about 5% of the sunlight reaches here
Forest floor
• Receives only 2% of the sunlight
• Relatively clear of vegetation because of the low sunlight penetration.
Soil
• Soil quality is often quite poor.
• Rapid bacterial decay prevents the accumulation of humus
• Only about 3-4 inches (7.8-10 cm) thick and is ancient
• Thick clay lies underneath the soil
• Once damaged, the soil of a tropical rainforest takes many years to recover
• The concentration of iron and aluminiumoxides by the laterization process gives the
oxisols a bright red colour and sometimes produces mineraldeposits such as bauxite
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Soils throughout the tropical rainforests fall into two classifications which include the ultisols
and oxisols.
Ultisols are known as well weathered, acidic red clay soils, deficient in major nutrients such as
calcium and potassium. The clay content of ultisols is high, making it difficult for water to
penetrate and flow through.
Oxisols are acidic, old, typically reddish, highly weathered and leached, however are well
drained compared to ultisols.
The reddish color of both soils is the result of heavy heat and moisture forming oxides of iron
and aluminium, which are insoluble in water and not taken up readily by plants.
Effect on global climate
• Cloud formation, for example, by recycling water vapour
Buttress roots
• A common feature of many tropical rainforests is the distinct buttress rootsof trees.
Instead of penetrating to deeper soil layers, buttress roots create a widespread root
network at the surface for more efficient uptake of nutrients in a very nutrient poor
and competitive environment.
• These roots also aid in water uptake and
storage, increase surface area for gas
exchange, and collect leaf litter for added
nutrition
• Additionally, these roots reduce soil erosion and
maximize nutrient acquisition during heavy rains
by diverting nutrient rich water flowing down
the trunk into several smaller flows while also
acting as a barrier to ground flow
• Also, the large surface areas these roots create
provide support and stability to rainforests trees,
which commonly grow to significant heights
Tropical Rainforest Climate
• the climate is very humid because
of all the rainfall, which amounts to
about 250 cm per year
• The rain forest has lots of rain
because it is very hot and wet.
• This climate is found near the
equator. That means that there is
more direct sunlight hitting the land
and sea there than anywhere else.
• Water evaporates into the air. The warm air can hold a lot of water vapor. As the air
rises, it cools. That means it can hold less water vapor.
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• Thus, the warmest areas of the planet also tend to be the wettest, and this sets the
stage for the tropical rain forest.
• Then as warm meets cold, condensation takes place and the vapor forms droplets,
and clouds form. The clouds then produce rain.
• t rains more than ninety days a year and the strong sun usually shines between the
storms
• A lot of the rain that falls on the rain forest never reaches the ground. It stays on the
trees because the leaves act as a shield, and some rain never gets past the trees to
the smaller plants and grounds below.
• The latitude range for rainforest climate is 15° to 25° North and South of the equator
• Rain forests are so hot because they are found near the equator. The closer to the
equator you are, the more solar radiation there is
• Rain forest are never found in climates which have temperatures 32° Fahrenheit and
below because the plant life will not be able to live because they aren't adapted to
frost. All the plants will die out if the rain forest is cooler.
Effects of absence of rainforests
• Rainforests recycle a great deal of rainfall back into the atmosphere by transpiration.
• If the forest is removed, that precipitation will run off to the sea via river flow, as has been
demonstrated in many experiments where forests are clear cut.
The proposed site
Area: Hulu Langat
State: Selangor, Malaysia
Population: 1,141,880
Location: Located near city centers such as Kuala Lumpur, Cheras and Ampang
Climate:
i. Wind movement:
• Wind movements in Hulu Langat are often recorded to be blowing from the western
direction
ii. Average temperature:
• 30 degrees celcius
iii. Average wind speed:
• 1 km/ hr
22

iv. Rainfall
• 85 %
• 9mm of rainfall
All about The New “X” City (Rimba City)
Aims of the new city
• To create a sustainable living environment in the iconic rainforests so that men can
learn to dwell inside the wonders of nature without hurting Mother Nature
• Utilize the available resources in the rainforests maximally and at the same time,
ensure that the resources can be renewed, recycled and not depleted due to
manmade factors
• To create a new futuristic city that blends in with the rainforests and not to create
another concrete jungle
What will I like to achieve for the inhabitants of the city?
• Ensure that the inhabitants can live peacefully, calmly, comfortably and willingly in a
close-to-nature environment
• Satisfy the basic needs of the rainforest city citizens to ensure that the city progresses
and develops steadily over the years
23

Is it a green city?
• Yes
24

25

26

27

Basic info of the city
28

29

Initial zoning of areas
30

Improved zoning of areas
31

Initial Transportation Links
32

Improved Transportation Links
33

Ideas for transportation stations
34

Facilities
35

The residential area
36

Section of residential area
37

Respective drawing of the city center
Close up drawing of the main area of the city
38

39

Sketches for the design of buildings and facilities in the city
40

The Pamphlet
What is a pamphlet?
A small booklet or leaflet containing information or arguments about a single subject.
How to make it?
There are various ways to make a pamphlet. Here are some examples:
Some inspiration and good examples
41

The draft layout
42

References list
Ellis, C. (2015). History Of Cities And City Planning. Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://www.art.net/~hopkins/Don/simcity/manual/history.html
All about Rainforests. (2015). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/rainforest/
Rainforest Climate. (2015). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rnfrst_climate_page.html
The Tropical Rainforest. (2008, June 6). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/kling/rainforest/rainfo
rest.html
Zimmer, L. (2011, September 19). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://inhabitat.com/minimumhouse-energy-efficient-vacation-home-blends-into-the-forest/
Rainforest Guardian Skyscraper. (2014, March 20 ). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://www.evolo.us/competition/rainforest-guardian-skyscraper/
Meaning of a city. (2015). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/city
Angkor. (2015). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/668
Gray, M. (2014) Angkor Wat. Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://sacredsites.com/asia/cambodia/angkor_wat.html
Angkor Archaeological Park. (2015, May 3). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://wikitravel.org/en/Angkor_Archaeological_Park
Water Mastery - Khmer Civilization. (2011). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://www.cambodia-travel.com/khmer/water-mastery.html
Introducing Manaus. (2015). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/the-north/manaus#ixzz3Ze24w2Vd
Manaus Travel Guide. (2015, May 1). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://wikitravel.org/en/Manaus
Grainger, S. (2012, April 7). Brazil's Amazon boom pits economic growth versus forest.
Retrieved 2015, May 18 from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-17609842
43

Mushroom Skycrapers Soon To Be Presented By Tropicool@KL. (2015). Retrieved 2015, May 18
from http://trendsupdates.com/mushroom-skycrapers-soon-to-be-presented-by-tropicoolkl/
Southeast Asia New Projects. (2015). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1138871&pag
Ancient Roman Aqueducts. (2015). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://www.crystalinks.com/romeaqueducts.html
Buczynski, B. (2014, March 24). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from http://inhabitat.com/lotus-
shaped-rainforest-guardian-skyscraper-harvests-rainwater-to-fight-fires-in-the-amazon/
Sky Greens. (2015). Retrieved 2015, May 18 from http://www.skygreens.com/
Krishnamurthy, R. (2014, July 25). Vertical Farming: Singapore’s Solution to Feed the Local
Urban Population. Retrieved 2015, May 18 from
http://permaculturenews.org/2014/07/25/vertical-farming-singapores-solution-feed-local-
urban-population/
Images Reference Links
http://www.delivery.net.au/projects/colliers/
http://parker-design.co.uk/tag/property/
http://australia-tours.com.au/files/2013/06/Daintree-Rainforest-Australia-tours.jpg
http://costaricaexperts.com/things-to-do/rainforest/
http://www.sundarayoga.net/Retreat-CR-Faculty.html
http://www.news.com.au/national/rainforests-not-at-risk-of-shrinking-from-climate-change-
say-experts/story-fncynjr2-1226594180256
http://cairnstravel.net.au/daintree-rainforest/
http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/mamu/
http://www.wctrealtors.com.my/rimba-residence/
http://seekretreat.com/retreats/costa-rica-yoga-retreat-center-samasati/#.VVSBdfDAw0M
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/18/lasers-lost-city-angkor-wat-cambodia
http://www.travelforum.se/destinationer/asien/kambodja/
http://www.travel-cambodia.com/cam-travel-info/angkor-airtravel.htm
http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-ff-world-cup-games-in-manaus-brazil-amazon-region-
20140330-story.html
http://www.amazon-village.com.br/LocTrnsf.html
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