The truth is that even a small investment in quality public space delivers a manifold return to the cities with the foresight to see its value (PPS 2012)
2.1 RECOMMENDATIONS
There are two best practice options for MBPJ to explore, both in the existing Atria Public Land Development Project as well as future projects:
2.1.1 TO APPOINT AN INDEPENDENT ARCHITECT OR FIRM TO DESIGN
ly-funded construction projects exceeding a certain cost.
Given that OSK Property and Arkitek Akiprima are involved in the current revitalisation of Atria Shopping Mall, there are two primary concerns of Arkitek Akiprima's involvement in the Atria Public Land Redevelopment project:
A design competition allows the relevant authorities and institutions to ascertain parameters for: (1) costs, (2) scale, (3) use of space, (4) design, (5) users, and (6) management model. These criteria (and more) can be enumerated in a challenge brief for the participating entrants.
a) conflict of interest; b) lack of focus. The appointed architect (or firm) should not have to consider the timeline, materials, costs of construction, design of concurrent projects happening within the same proximity, especially when projects have different end goals, i.e. for commercial and for public use. As the first alternative, MBPJ can appoint a different architecture firm (or an architect) to re-design the community centre/hawker centre in the two plots of public land.
Patchett and Shields (2009) list the different types of design competitions: TYPE
BUILDING
URBAN DESIGN
FOCUSES ON SINGLEPURPOSE ARCHITECTURAL OBJECTS (DESIGN OF BUILDING)
FOCUSES ON SINGLEPURPOSE ARCHITECTURAL OBJECTS (DESIGN OF BUILDING)
CATEGORIES
2.1.2 TO ORGANISE A PUBLIC COMPETITION The second alternative is for MBPJ to explore organising an open design competition. Design competitions are a typical strategy and an increasingly important process in urban development projects in public land. “Design competitions (...) are among our best opportunities for wide-ranging debates on what kind of environments, and societies, we want to build for ourselves.” (Shorris, 2005). In fact, design competitions are becoming a common practice to maintain the integrity of design and architectural excellence of projects in various countries. In Jacques Cabanieu's “Competitions and Architectural Excellence” (July 1994), France is a country with regulations making competitions a prerequisite for allocation of publical-
OPEN INVITATION
CLOSED/INVITED
OPEN TO ALL, REGARDLESS OF BACKGROUNDS, EXPERIENCE (STUDENTS AND REGISTERED ARCHITECTS ALIKE), ET. AL.
CLOSED TO ONLY A CERTAIN GROUPS, FIRMS, OR PROFESSIONALS (REGISTERED ARCHITECTS ONLY).
OBJECTIVE
IDEAS COMPETITION ENTRIES FOR DESIGN IDEAS OR CONCEPTS ONLY. THIS IS OFTEN CONSIDERED AS “LABORATORIES FOR NEW IDEAS”.
'TOUT COURT' ENTRIES WHICH CONSIDER CONCEPTION OF IDEA LEADING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDING.