Concept of Urban Space

Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

:contents:: • About the author - Rob Krier

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• Concept of Urban Space

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• The Space

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• The Street

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• The Square

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• Intersections and Functions

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• Intersections of Street & Square

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• Spatial types and combinations

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• Modulation of a given spatial types

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• Morphological urban space Cover page of book - ‘URBAN SPACE’

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• Erosion of Urban space

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• Redevelopment of the cities

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

About the author - Ar. Rob krier

About the author - Ar. Rob krier Rob Krier (born 1938 in Grevenmacher) is a Luxembourgian sculptor, architect, urban designer, and theorist.

He is a former professor of architecture at Vienna University of Technology, Austria. From 1993 to mid-2010 he worked in partnership with architect Christoph kohl in a pint office based in Berlin, Germany.

He published Stadtraum in Theorie und Praxis in 1975.This book is a contribution to the establishment of an integrative typology of urban spaces, and let him earn an influential position in urban rationalist polemics.

His rationalism is based on the visual hierarchies proposed by Camillo Sitte and related to buildings of human scale. He considered that people have lost sight of the traditional understanding of urban space in the modern city.

He is the older brother of fellow architect Leon Krier. Both are well–known representatives of New Urbanism and New Classical Architecture.

Ar. Rob Krier

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

Concept of urban space

Concept of urban space The concept of urban space without imposing aesthetic criteria, is compelled to designate all types of space between buildings in town and other localities as urban space.

Space is geometrically bounded by a variety of elevations. It is only the clear legibility of its geometrical characteristics and aesthetic qualities which allow us consciously to perceive external space as urban space.

The polarity of internal and external space is constantly seen in the chapter since both obey very similar laws not only in function but also in the form Internal space, shielded from weather and environment is an effective symbol of privacy: external space is seen as open, unobstructed for movement in the open air, with public semi-private, and private zones.

Fig: Type of urban spaces in three different scales

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

The space

The space The typological & morphological elements of urban space. Urban space can be described as an external space in a town. He has seen it as an open unobstructed space for movement in the open air, with the public, semi-public & private zone.

The concept of urban space has been elaborated as space between buildings in towns and other localities. After taking into consideration aesthetic criteria, he observes that urban space has been organized according to its socio-political & cultural attitudes.

Urban space has been applied to interior spaces like corridors & rooms. He has considered squares & streets as basic elements of urban spaces.

The only difference is the dimensions of the walls which bound & characterized them. Square has been illustrated with grouping houses around an open space & street. It is described as a product of the spread of settlement when houses are being built along with the available space.

The square is the intersection of two roads, a fixed point of orientation, a meeting place

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Fig: Panoramic view of a space

Fig: The basic forms which constitutes urban space

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

The street

The street The street is a product of the spread of a settlement once the houses are built on the available space around its central square.

It provides a framework and distribution of land and gives access to individual plots. It is a more profoundly functional character than the square, which by its size is a most attractive place to pass time than the street, in whose confines one is involuntarily caught up In traffic Streets are planned to the scale of human beings, automobiles, etc. It rarely operates as an autonomous isolated space, for example in the cases of villages built along a single street. It is mainly perceived as a part of networks.

Towns have made us familiar with the inexhaustible diversity of spatial relationships produced by such a complex layout.

Fig: The street as artery and means of orientation

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

The square

The square In all probability, the square was the first-way man discovered using urban space. It is produced by the grouping of houses around an open space.

It is produced by the grouping of houses around an open space. This arrangement afforded a high degree of control of the inner space, as well as facilitating a ready defense against external aggression by minimizing the external surface area liable to attack.

This spatial model is admirably suited to residential use. In the private sphere, it corresponds to the inner courtyard or atrium. The courtyard house is the oldest type of townhouse. Despite its undisputed advantages, the courtyard house has now become discredited. It is all too easily subject to ideological misinterpretation, and people are afraid that this design may imply enforced conformity to a communal lifestyle or a particular philosophy.

In the public sphere, the square has undergone the same development Market places, parade grounds, ceremonial square. Squares in front of churches and town halls etc, all relics of the Middle Ages have been robbed of their original functions and their symbolic content and in many places are only kept up through the activities of conservationists

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Fig: Square conneting different streets

Fig: House build around a central courtyard

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

Intersections and functions

Intersections and functions Commercial activities certainly, such as the market, but above all activities of a cultural nature.

The establishment of public administrative offices, community halls, youth centers, libraries, theatres and concert halls, cafes, bars, etc. Where possible in the case of central squares, these should be functions that generate activity twenty-four hours a day. Residential use should not be excluded in any of these cases.

Fig: The square as intersection

All spatial types examined up to now can be classified according to the types of street intersection laid out in the diagram opposite .As an example here we have a set of permutations for up to four intersections at four possible points of entry.This chart should only be taken as an indication of the almost unlimited range of possible permutations of these spatial forms.To attempt a comprehensive display here would conflict with the aim of this typological outline.

Fig: Lower arcade

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

intersectiond of street & square

intersectiond of street & square The vertical columns of this diagram show the number of streets intersecting with an urban space.Horizontally,it shows four possible ways in which one or more streets may intersect with a square or street: 1. Centrally and at right angles to one side.

2. Off-centre and at right angles angles to one side.

3. Meeting a corner at right angles.

4. Oblique , at any angle and at any point of entry.

Fig: Types of straight intersection

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

SPATIAL TYPES and COMBINations

SPATIAL TYPES and COMBINations We may summarise the morphological classification of urban spaces as follows: The three basic shapes (square, circle, and triangle) are affected by the following modulating factors: angling: segmentation: addition: mergin : overlapping, or amalgamation of elements: and distortion.

These modulating factors can produce geometrically regular or irregular results on all spatial types.

These factors can produce regular 7 irregular results of these spatial forms. Another thing is the large no of building sections which influence the quality of space. He has described ‘closed space’ that is surrounded by buildings & ‘open space’ partially surrounded.

Scale is also considered one of the factors which play an important role in all spatial forms.

Different scale gives different effects on an urban scale.

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Fig: Different types of spatial forms

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

MODULATION OF A GIVEN SPATIAL TYPEs

MODULATION OF A GIVEN SPATIAL TYPEs Reading from left to right, the matrix illustrates the following stages of modulation: 1. Angled space.

This indicates a space which is a compound of two parts of the basic element with two parallel sides bent.

2.This shows only a segment of the basic element.

3.The basic element is added to 4.The basic elements overlap or merge.

5.Under the heading ‘distortion’ are included spatial forms which are difficult or impossible to define.

This category is intended to cover those shapes which can only with difficulty be traced back to their original geometric model.These shapes may also be described as species born out of chaos.

Fig: Matrix illustrating stage of modulation

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

MORPHOLOGICAL URBAN SPACE

MORPHOLOGICAL URBAN SPACE Rob Krier has illustrated different examples of the morphology of urban space. A range of possible forms can be found in historic towns. He has illustrated it with different examples.

Hanover Square in London from the 18th century has an orthogonal regular ground plan with four central intersections.

Piazza Navona in Rome. It is a geometrically complex form. It is a combination of several spatial forms & many streets which enter the square.

Dauphine in Paris. It is a regular triangular square. This is rarely seen in the history of town planning. The triangular Square can be formed generally by two roads forking.

The author feels- in town planning history, in our modern cities these spatial forms are criminally neglected even though they are obvious & common.

Fig: Simple geomentrical variation on four sided square

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

EROSION OF URBAN SPACE

EROSION OF URBAN SPACE The observation has been done regarding the erosion of urban space in the 20th century. Erosion is an ongoing process & it is with us for long years with technological progress. This era started with the invention of new military technology.

Progress in weaponry neutralizes the defensive systems of the cities.AS armies were allowed to walk into the cities for safety, city walls acting for protection were demolished.

The need for protection had come up with new discipline in every town. The activities like construction, rebuilding & expansion grew in cities.

Pressure for the expansion of cities led planners to think about rapid decisions.

Fig: Simple geomentrical variation on four sided square

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

REDEVELOPMENT OF THE CITIES

REDEVELOPMENT OF THE CITIES This is the author’s viewpoint for redeveloping the city. The example of Stuttgart is given. Various possible approaches have been considered for the reconstruction of various parts of Stuttgart. During the Second World War, the former coherent urban structure of Stuttgart was destroyed.

The heart of the city was broken up into a large number of small islands battered by heavy traffic.

In this proposal, he tried to make downtown pedestrian-friendly without excluding cars. He tried to use redevelopment to weld isolated areas. The significance of pedestrians’ awareness was eroded during the postwar years because of costly civil engineering programs & it was focused on Krier’s scheme. Particular attention was given to restoring the continuity of spatial experience within the urban context. The streets, squares for pedestrians were designed to keep harmony with existing structures.

Fig: Development of a town form year 1304 to 1800

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Concept of urban spaces by rob krier

References

References • • • • •

Urban Spaces - book by Rob krier, Foreword by Colin Rowe.

“Rob Krier, How to Repair the City” -(https://youtu.be/MUuiVMSYXvo) ARCHITECTURE + URBANISM - Article on ‘Rob Krier: Urban Space’.

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