Architecture Design Studio 5

Project 1 - Site Analysis

Architecture Design Studio 5 introduces students to architecture within an urban framework and how to design within an infill lot. The sites allocated for such study is in Chinatown and the purpose of the design was to build a community library. The preliminary studies carried on site comprised of research in history, values, cultural values, building materials and patterns among other attributes within the community. This was done by hours of research in the culturally rich Chinatown. The analysis concluded with few issues that could potentially be addressed in the community library design. Hence, the analysis prepares students to produce a design which better reflect the community needs.

The Preliminary Studies comprises of three components: Site Documentation, Site Analysis, and Precedent Studies of Urban Infills and Community Library. The Site Documentation and Site Analysis will equip students with a firm understanding of the site they will be working with this semester, while the Precedent Studies will provide an insight into architectural responses for designing an urban infill community library.

The objectives of this assignment are as follows:

To have an overview of the formation of cities and introduce basic concepts of urban design in relation to architectural design
To introduce and implement basic methodologies of urban studies
To investigate the role of community libraries in traditional and contemporary urban societies
To examine various examples and architectural responses for urban infills

Site Analysis - Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Design Project - Infill Community Library

For the design project, students concentrate on designing a community library within an urban infill site. The design of the building is to consist of appropriate architectural responses that address the aspects of the urban street context and user behavioral patterns as discerned and analysed in the Preliminary Studies.

Apart from developing a narrative on architectural strategy in response to the relevant questions pertaining to community and its context, the design should take into consideration a holistic application of structural, spatial, functional and environmental requirements to address the user needs for a community library. The design development of this project will include an introduction to the legislative restrictions that impact an architectural scheme, the integration of lighting and acoustic design, as well as the design exploration and detailing of the facade and building envelopes that is coherent with the architectural language of the overall design project.

The objectives of this assignment are as follows:
1. To take into consideration key aspects of urban design and context in relation to architecture
2. To develop an awareness and basic compliance to Design Codes and Statutory Requirements
3. To emphasize the importance of elevational context and composition in developing architectural design
4. To implement and explore the conceptual, schematic and design development phases in an architectural design project

Space Requirement:

Total built up area: 1500 to 1800 sqm
Library (reading, discussion etc) 60%
Public Realm 20%
Services and circulation 20%

IM-Archi