Theories of architecture & urbanism

1. BACHELOR
OF
SCIENCE
(HONS) (ARCHITECTURE)
YEAR 3 SEMESTER 5
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM
(ARC 61303)
THEORIZING ARCHITECTURE
ASSIGNMENT 1 - PART 1 - STAGE 2:
KIEW WEE KEE 0310202
TUTOR: MS. IDA
SITE: DAMANSARA PERDANA

2. Damansara Perdana is a new developed city with 2 main major types of building
developments, commercial and residential. Having a rather strategic location, which is just
beside Lebuhraya Damasara Puchong, LDP, a relatively busy highway from time to time,
Damansara Perdana has been very well known for the few commercial buildings constructed
in its compound (e.g. Empire City, Point- 92, PJ Trade Centre, etc.).
Strategic location of Damansara Perdana
“Every developer thinks that each building has to be ‘iconic.’ But this cannot be so and there is a
need to understand the importance of contextual buildings.”
This is the theory proposed by Dr. Steffen Lehmann, who is a German Australian urbanist,
author, theorist, educator, and a research professor in the School of Built Environment in the
same time. Being an architect who emphasizes on the idea of “Green Urbanism”, Dr. Steffen
Lehman believe that urbanization of cities and the environmental consequences has always
moved hand in hand. Hence it is relatively significant for building design to fit in with the
surrounding context.

3. Green elements an be found all over the developing area
In response to the design concept of “Green Urbanism”, Damansara Perdana as a developing
area, is very much different from other existing cities. This is due to the fact that greeneries
can be found almost at every corner of the city, which is intentionally designed to be in such
a way in order to create a seemless balance and connection between human and nature.
The idea of “Green Urbanism” proposed by Dr. Steffen Lehmann introduces the importance
of implementing green elements into building design. In fact, the idea is more towards
having the city merge and blend in perfectly with the nature, creating a city closer to the
nature.

4. “Greens” in PJ Trade Centre

5. Point 92 submerged with greens
“Green Urbanism” does not literally means “Green” city.
Previously people think that it is hard to create a sense of balance between nature and
artificial structures due to the fact that industrialism has turned pieces and pieces of land
into concrete cities. The fact that the more developed cities there are, the lesser the
“Greens” will be has made people believe that there is no way nature and structure can
coexist in the same time. However, Dr. Steffen Lehmann thinks the other way round; to him,
it is possible. But first, the idea of making a city green does not merely meant to just plant
trees at the designated compound, but on the other hand, depends very much on how
contextual the “structures” are.
Contextualism suggests an architecture strategy that responds to its surrounding environment by
respecting what is already there.
Damansara Perdana is known as an area which is yet to be fully developed; hence the
existence of forest from the hills surrounding the city area has become the main context of
it.
Damansara Perdana is surrounded by green forest from the hills
In this case, the design of the small urban city of Damansara Perdana has made to come in
very close relation with its context, by having tree plantings along the roadside; just as if the
greens are a continuity from the forest. This is to create the feeling where the structures are
actually a part of nature. In fact it is to show that the structures are actually adjuvant to
nature, not the nature being a subordination of the city structures. Thus, having the design
of Damansara Perdana based on the concept of “Respecting to the surrounding”.