SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN Center for Architecture Studies in Southeast Asia (MASSA)
Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Architecture)
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC2224)
COMPARATIVE ESSAY – Analysis & synthesis of cognitive
Name: MOHD HASIF FAWWAZ BIN SUKIMAN Student ID: 0311561 Lecturer: Mr. Shen Fei THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC2224) August 2015
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TABLE OF CONTENT 1) Introduction to Site
3
2) Introduction to Cognitive Mapping
6
3) Project Requirements
6
4) Comparison Essay
11
5) Findings Based on Kevin Lynch
14
6) Conclusion
15
7) References
16
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INTRODUCTION TO SITE
Petaling Street, in Chinatown is the most famous of the 'flea markets' in KL, but sadly, the wares on sale are virtually identical to those you can find in any market, in any city in Asia. The majority of the merchandise consists of clothes (t-shirts abound), mid-quality leather goods, including reasonable fakes, mobile phone covers, kids plastic toys, and electronic widgets including remote control helicopters and cars. If you know what you want and how much it costs at home, you might be happy with the result. No comeback if the goods turn out to be faulty of course. But it is a busy and lively street, roofed to keep out the worst of the heat, and torrential storms. The side alleys, particularly in the morning, are crammed with hole in the wall restaurants selling chinese food to the locals (always a good sign). Strangely, there were far fewer food sellers apparent on my evening visit. You have had your fill of shopping for souvenirs in Petaling Street? No more need for any more Hard Rock Cafe T-shifts or fake Gucci handbags. Well do yourself a favour and stroll the teeming streets of Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown and reflect on its history and admire the architectural styling which once gave birth to the shophouses, which were the brick and mortar reaction to the frequent fires which continually destroyed the simpler timber, mud brick atap thatch of the original buildings of the infant settlement of Kuala Lumpur. THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC2224) August 2015
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A typical shophouse had a short frontage but with a depth of two to three times its width. The building was set back in order provide 'the five-foot walkway'. This covered walkway or veranda was used as shelter for pedestrians from rain and shine (but more often than not crammed by cows, goats and sacks full of produce) blocking most of the walkway and onto the pavement from the shopkeeper’s store. As always practicality overrides all for ingenious utilisation of space - take a look at the upper floor. The loss of space from having to include a five-foot walkway on street level and also central air well, is compensated by extending the upper floors over and covering the walkway. The ubiquitous shuttered windows of the upper storeys to allow air circulation and reduce the weight to be supported over the walkway. At the back of the shophouse, a lane, that wide enough for bullock carts to move through to collect sewage and for the fire brigade completed the picture. Whilst the shophouses are built in blocks, each individual shophouse comes with its own design features - be they dutch gables or geometric art deco motifs. They are often brightly painted, though in the steamy climate, creeping mould and vegetation can add their own distinctive decorative elements! You will find some of the best examples of shophouses around the Old Market Square, where they line both sides, and along Jalan Tun HS lee (once known as High Street). As you wander, you will observe folk carrying on their lives much as they have done for decades, particularly if you enter the narrower lanes between the main streets. Hole in the wall restaurants spring up each morning and are packed THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC2224) August 2015
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away at night. Jalan Petaling is something you must see, if only to assure yourself that missing it would not have been a disaster.
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INTRODUCTION TO COGNITIVE MAPPING A cognitive map is a mental picture or image of the layout of one's physical environment. The term cognitive map was first coined by a psychologist named Edward Tolman in the 1940s. Cognitive maps provide us with a model or map of our environment that we can use. When we create cognitive maps, we often omit information that is not important or irrelevant. This means that our cognitive maps can differ from the actual environment that we are mapping. Cognitive maps make it easier for us to recall information, such as directions to our house. Cognitive maps also assist us in learning information.
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS The project required the participants interviewed to draw out their respective cognitive mapping of Masjid Jamek, using the same path as stated above; Jalan Tun Perak. The objective for this was to study and understand people’s perception and spatial behaviour in cities today. The outcome had to be able to reflect a critical understanding of the emerging contemporary urbanism in the city’s spaces. The participants are listed below;
Subject 1: Siti Dian, 35 years old Siti Dian is a local tourist from Ipoh who likes to travel in Kuala Lumpur. However, at this moment Petaling Street is her first time after so many times to Kuala Lumpur. So she claims to be not quite familiar with the area yet but she is able to identify what has influenced her journey. Subject 2: Mr. Chai Sin, 28 years old Mr. Chai Sin is also a local tourist who stays in Latern Hotel. Mr. Chai Sin claims that he has been to Petaling Street for quite sometimes and knows a little about Petaling Street. He has been using the path of Petaling Street from the main entrance to his THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC2224) August 2015
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hotel as his main path to wherever route he wants to go. He also has been eating at the food market nearby his hotel, which he claims the market offers variety of good foods. Subject 3: Mohd Hasif Fawwaz Bin Sukiman (Me), 21 years old An architecture student, who decides to pick Petaling Street as a case study for this second project. Has been studying the area for quite some time and become rather familiar with the path surround the area. What most interesting part about Petaling Street is that the architectural design really reminds me of Chinatown, where once upon a time I’ve visited in China itself.
The reason for choosing these subjects as participants for this project is because they are of the different ages group so it was interesting to compare the similarities in their own views. Also, their perspectives and familiarities with the area are of different levels, so this gave insight as to what was most interesting to them.
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COMPARISON With the cognitive mapping received by different people, most of them had pointed out their interest in Petaling Street. Most of them had different style of drawing to represent their own cognitive mapping. Some of them feel more comfortable with a lot of writings and some just drew a 2D mapping. There are a number of similarities and many differences based on their own perception of Petaling Street. The similarities of them all are one of the obvious, which are the pirate goods stalls. The stalls are geared for them with sunglasses, shoes, fragrances, clothes, food, jewellery, luggage, handbags, scarves, souvenirs and more. To ask them why the reason of the stalls is because Petaling Street is well known of the stalls. Petaling Street is one of the famous tourist outdoor markets in Kuala Lumpur. Subject 1 mentioned that the stalls offer a lot of stuff with a very cheap price. She also mentioned that it is hard to find a place that sells pirate goods with a good quality with a very reasonable price. As for subject 2 he drew out a box with red line indicating the stalls of the pirate goods. He also mentioned that the stalls offer a lot of stuff at a very cheap price. As for my point of view, I couldn’t deny that they do sell a lot of cheap stuff. What I see in this stalls are a colourful lively street along the way. The second similarity is the smell of the street. Subject one only mentioned that there’s a funny smell along the way the street. From the entrance to the junction has a smell of leathers. From the junction to parts of the street after the Lantern hotel, there is a smell of a roasted chestnut. Whereby for subject 2, he also mentioned the same thing except he added the smell of flowers and foods from the junction as well. On the left side of the junction from the entrance is where the food stalls and market are located. Therefore it produces the smell of foods. On the right side of the junction from the entrance is where the flower booths are located. The flowers are all fresh THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC2224) August 2015
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delivered to the booths. Therefore the smell it produces is from fresh flowers. As for my point of view, my judgment is almost the same as subject 2. The colourful street of the flower booth and the food market are spreading to the junction. But from along the street of Petaling Street the smell of smoke somehow blurred the smell the the pirate goods and been asking for people to get your hands to the roasted chestnut instead. The third and is the wet market. Subject 1 only noticed the wet market but she did go through inside because most of the market sells pork meat instead. Because of a Muslim, she wouldn’t dare to enter the area. As for subject 2, he also noticed the existence of the wet market. He went through inside the day he reached Petaling Street to have a look on what is inside. He also mentioned that pricings are also considerable for pork meat. As for me, I did go through the wet market but only the first 5 stalls. The place is dark and wet of course. They produce a smell as well but it is amazing that the smell only occupies inside the market only The last similarity between all of us is the food market. Subject 1 did notice the food market as well and she only passes by them. To ask why is because Ms Siti Dian is a bit strict with food wise. She barely ate at stalls and markets. But she also finds that the food market is interesting because of a variety kind of foods are to sell there. Subject 2 has no doubt that he has been eating at the food market for the past few days. He also mentioned that the market is an interesting market where he can get almost everything he wants during the stay. In my point of view, the food markets completes the Petaling Street. The livelihood of the market brings Petaling Street to a whole new level. They compliment each other.
Whenever there is a similarity there is no doubt that there is dissimilarities as well. As for subject 1, she is more to recognizing the building surround it. For example, the Dragon Inn Premium Hotel, Bangunan Soon Chiong Fei, Hotel Mandarin Pacific, Chinatoen Inn Hotel and more. These are the buildings that are mentioned in her mapping. To ask why in a verbal interviews, she mentioned that these are few of the listed hotel or building that is on the viewing list. THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC2224) August 2015
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Subject 2 mention that there is a café called Merchant’s Lane. Merchant’s Lane is one of those places where taking pictures should be compulsory for all visitors. The use of classical decor with modern style of furniture placement has made this the most photogenic restaurant in Petaling Street. Located off of Jalan Petaling, Merchant’s Lane is a new and promising restaurant serving comfort food with style. He also noticed and mentioned that there is a charming little coffee shop at the side of the arch. The dissimilarity in my cognitive mapping is about the architectural view. For example the roof, decorations, arch, moments, feelings and more. What intrigues me most is the roof. The roof is a shape of a traditional kite called the ‘WAU’. The roof goes along the street of Petaling Street in light blue colour. It allows a cooling feeling to the visitor who passes by it. Other than that is the arch of the entrance. The colour on the arch is a sign of welcoming because its colour stood out, as it was bright. Lastly is the decoration. The street is decorated with a bright red coloured Chinese lantern. With these decorations it brighten up the street more with the feeling of being in a real Chinatown.
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FINDINGS BASED ON KEVIN LYNCH Image ability as defined in Lynch’s Image of the City, means that certain quality in a physical object, which gives it a high probability of evoking a strong image in any given observer. As stated by Lynch (1960), “It is that shape, color, or arrangement which facilitates the making of vividly identified, powerfully structured, highly useful mental images of the environment.” The concept of imageability does not necessarily indicate something that is fixed, regularly ordered, precise, limited or unified, though it may sometimes have these qualities. According to the findings, different people have their own different perceptions of a certain things but it doesn’t mean that they see different thing. Every subject has experienced different. For example, subject 1 by Ms.Siti Dian has been doing a lot of writings on the cognitive mapping. Siti Dian is focusing more on the surrounding of Petaling Street. For example, smells, cleanliness, stalls arrangement, and decorations. Through verbal interview she mentioned that a clean and well-managed stalls give a good impression and have a better effect on memory. For subject 2 by Mr. Chai Sin what he did for his mapping was he drew a few points that attract him the most of Petaling Street. Mr. Chai Sin is a local tourist who has been to Petaling Street for quite sometimes. He mesmerizes most of the food vendors because he simply loves foods and the colour of the lively street. As for me, an architecture student is more observant on the buildings and decorations. For a personal view, I like the idea of having colours to attract people. When inquired as to why bright colours attracted me, I believe that colours have a better effect on memory. Having studied the site, I am able to see more of the little
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details in the urban space. I observed the area, as a whole with architectural details that a different courses student would have probably didn’t see. These actions show that the surrounding of the area influenced each subject. For them Petaling Street is a very happening street with all the colours and decorations portrays on each stalls. And they also portrayed them in their cognitive mapping even though if it is just a writings.
CONCLUSION In conclusion, site perception is actually very individualistic and most of the times triggered by a person’s memory of the place. Everyone has experienced and faced different scenario in lives that affects their memory depending on the situations given. This action caused them to remember only certain parts and details of the lacation. With cognitive mapping it somehow help us in identifying what is prominent in someone’s perspectives. According to the studies done, we can identify the important landmarks of Petaling Street specifically. The landmark can now be identified by these three similarities, which are the intangible effect, by smell, and as for tangible we can say that the markets are the landmarks. With these similarities it can actually help other younger generations to identify in an urban space like Kuala Lumpur.
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REFERENCES 1) http://www.kuala-lumpur.ws/klareas/chinatown_petaling.htm 2) http://www.virtualmalaysia.com/uncategorized/petaling-streetchinese-new-year-shopping/ 3) http://www.tourism.gov.my/en/es/places/states-of-malaysia/kualalumpur/petaling-street 4) https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Attraction_Review-g298570d3334921-Reviews-or10-Petaling_StreetKuala_Lumpur_Wilayah_Persekutuan.html#REVIEWS
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