Synopsis Writting | Theories of Architecture and Urbanism

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303) SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (AUGUST 2018)

Name: Tan Chin Werng

ID No.: 0324408

Lecturer: Mr. Prince Favis Isip

Tutorial Time: 10-12pm

Reader/Text Title:

Synopsis No: 1A

A Global Sense of Place

Author: Doreen Massey

Regarding the viewpoint of ‘place’, some scholars tend to against the closure and openness of the place. Highlighting the closeness of the place, emphasizing that the place has become a victim of the world, claiming to "defend the place" and resist globalization.(pp.1) But for Massey, the biggest problem with these views is that they define a boundary around the place, distinguish between insiders and outsiders, and construct conflicts between “us” and “them”. (pp.1) A place is constructed by a rich process of social interaction which is a process of constant dynamic change.(pp.7) As instance, 8 years ago, protesters gathered in Guangzhou to protect Cantonese language due to the increasing in the amount of television broadcast in Mandarin.➀ That’s fine in defending their dialect’s uniqueness; but advocating cultural heritage and opposing local and external language are two distinct issues. It is completely immersed in a narrow cultural imagination, and even neglects that Guangzhou’s locality itself is built on the continuous social and cultural connection with the outside world which its dialect is by no means “pure”.

As Massey mentioned, the connection and interaction between the local and the external world does not represent the demise of locality. She illustrated this concept with Kilburun.(pp.5-6) People from all over the world come here with their own different cultures, habits and memories. At the same time, they change their place in their own way. The sense of place formed here is no longer a simple sense of community, no obvious exclusivity. Kilburn has gradually formed a new sense of local identity with the inclusive of various cultures; and the cultural elements contained contribute to global culture which has gathered and formed a new one. The place has created both open and closed global sense of place that intertwined.

As an end note, author completely abandoned the position of opposing the global and the place, but linked the two in a theoretical framework: a transnational social relation in a communication loop with many other places. Only an improving sense of local can truly promote the integration of society and ultimately promote the advancement and development of society. ➀ Ramzy.A (2010). Protesters Stand Firm on Cantonese Rights. Time. Retrieved at 22 October 2018 from http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2008060,00.html

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BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303) SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (AUGUST 2018)

Name: Tan Chin Werng

ID No.: 0324408

Lecturer: Mr. Prince Favis Isip

Tutorial Time: 10-12pm

Reader/Text Title:

Synopsis No: 2A

Learning from Las Vegas

Author:

Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Steven Izenour

In this book, Venturi fundamentally overthrew the rules of modernist architecture. He emphasize that modern architecture can’t only consider functions and spaces, but must to conform popular values and form a dialogue with the public.(pp.1) Billboards, trademark-like signs, neon lights, and exaggerated, mixed-night nightclub architecture are popular elements. This conveys a naked yet real commercialism, which has become the main city images of Las Vegas. (pp.6)The

buildings that people like are often ordinary, lively, decorative, and metaphorical. Venturi believes that neon

and giant logo on highways, motels, and casinos reflect the preferences of the public. So far, the architects abandoned the combination of architecture and painting, sculpture and image, and lost the pursuit of symbolism. (pp.7) Although the reader is called "Learning from Las Vegas," in the book, Venturi also criticized the commercial buildings in Las Vegas, such as the Long Island Duckling which designed as a duck-like duck shop; its exterior is bigger than its interiors to enhance its legibility in the street.(pp.13-18) In contrary, the Energy Commission's headquarters in Putrajaya which is also dominates the urban setting by its diamond look; ➀ but it’s designed wisely without wasting unnecessary spaces and formed a structure that the client wants it to be. He opposed the literal decoration and suggested using metaphorical expressions into the design of the building instead of turning the building into a big ornament. (pp.13) In a nutshell, some people think that the advertising signs in the commercial district may convey only a materialistic sense of culture, but it does not detract from its role as a catalyst for stimulating mainstream culture. Learning from Las Vegas means learning about the content of the public message and how it can be deliver, but it doesn’t mean that you must learn this technique to receive and copy the superficial message. Just as we can understand life from absurd stories, we don't have to personally live our lives as a tragedy. Our environment is no longer a place for purely heroic architectural showcase place. If architects blindly follow the trend, they will design their rigid buildings and make contemporary architecture looks more boring and similar. The architect must be self-conscious, not to let the building become a constant decoration and symbol itself. ➀ (n.d). The Energy Commission Diamond Building. Suruhanjaya Tenaga. Retrieved at 20 October 2018 from https://www.st.gov.my/details/aboutus/9

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BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303) SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (AUGUST 2018)

Name: Tan Chin Werng

ID No.: 0324408

Lecturer: Mr. Prince Favis Isip

Tutorial Time: 10-12pm

Reader/Text Title:

Synopsis No: 3A

The Eyes of the Skin

Author: Juhani Pallasmaa

Pallasmaa argues for a holistic architecture, one that considers not only the way spaces look, but the way they feel (pp.39-40);

for haptic qualities that quicken the pulse, for silence that brushes the nape of one’s neck or, as excerpted

here, for spaces that impact all five senses of the human body.(pp.41) The power of vision is that it is the most effective way to stimulate people's synaesthesia.(pp.41-42) Just like we admire Van Gogh's "Starry Night",➀ as if at the same time you can reach out and touch the quiet with a hint of vertigo; we look at the spring of the garden, it seems to smell the fragrance of the flowers; we look at the photos of the sea, the ears are like there was a wave of waves. The visual predisposition seems to be unquestionable. But from another perspective, the integrity of the vision is endowed by other senses, and the absence of any sense of the senses can lead to impaired quality of experience.

This reader explores a lot of things we take for granted. Or more usually, ignore. Many contemporary buildings are designed from the point of view of how they will look on a printed page, not how they will feel when you walk in. Cities are designed as a two-dimensional grid, with efficiency of transport, not pleasure in being transported, as the goal.

With few exceptions, natural beauty is obliterated as an obstacle. The book is full of such insights. Our relationship to architecture is so vital and yet so mindless. This book helps bring us back to appreciation of our constructed environment.

As a conclusion, the most important spiritual task of architecture is to live and integrate. Architecture is not just about creating visual temptations, but about telling, transmitting and showing all kinds of intentions. The ultimate meaning of architecture is to transcend architecture; it guides our consciousness back to the world and the perception of our own existence. Great architecture allows us to experience ourselves as complete and spiritual.

➀ Vincent V.G. (1889). Starry Night.

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