principles of urban design 4 (pud 41-1)_fada
intersections Johannesburg
phase 3
to remember from handout 2:
challenge
intersections johannesburg understand the selected sites as prototypical conditions and confronts the existing status quo by research through design: vision, action and production.
the task is to develop:
1_ a vision for the larger context around the intersection (urban framework) as mixed use environment, for equally pedestrians and motorized transport, scale 1:10 000, 1: 5000
2_ a design for diverse and vibrant edge conditions on the indicated sites that follow that vision and negotiates between building envelope (form), public space (for anyone), programme (activities) and various speeds (from slow to fast), scale 1: 500, 1:200
the indicated scales are recommendations and have to be determined by the overall concept.
3_ visualize: a format (graphics, print or animation) to communicate the spatial narrative to different audiences, architects, urban designers and ultimately the common citizen to stir a public debate. one of the major challenges is the urban design for structures which define their own dual sequence of the public and private realm in open and closed spaces to accommodate pedestrians and motorists. thus specific attention has to be paid to the following subjects from the beginning till final design: back & front, edge, section, ground floor, porosity, access, yards, eye-level, density, scripting, performance.
production
the project has 4 major phases with specific deadlines and weighting in the overall evaluation in addition to the final presentation at the end of the project. each component will get an individual hand out with specific requirements and hand in formats.
phase 1 analysis _mapping w1-3 15%
phase 2 evaluation w4-6 15%
phase 3 urban design framework w7-9 30%
phase 4 final narrative_document w10-12 40%
this structure refers to the programme in course outline.
dates
week 7, 12 April
consolidation of analysis and evaluation material for provisional hand format A3 landscape Monday 16 April, formulation of initial concept ideas
week 8, 16, 19 April
provisional hand in analysis and evaluation A3 landscape 16 April,
presentation pin up conceptual ideas udf 19 April
week 9, 23, 26 April
vision_udf: development of a vision for the future urban development of the indicated area as individual work, description in text format (brief) and visual representation, crit 23 April, hand in 26 April, format A3 landscape
week 10, 3 May (phase 4)
beginning of the final phase: the preparation of the final report, which will include the editing of the material produced so far and additional work with specific attention to graphic representation.
phase 3
previously: evaluation
the evaluation is a critical review of the analysis. the intention is to identify possible conflicts and opportunities that can feed into the concept of the design. the task is to graphically illustrate those constraints and possibilities and discuss the spatial development on a multitude of layers in various scales that go beyond the immediate and visible, like political issues, legal affairs, land values, historical development, sustainability. in this phase the larger context of possible interventions will be finally framed. the work can be done in groups with an individual conclusion that prepares the following phase. groups can develop a common strategy that will be worked out individually by each student, students could for example zoom into different areas of a larger context.
urban design framework
the vision for an urban framework is a logical follow up/ implementation of findings in the analysis and evaluation. three principles of contextual urbanism:… will constitute the process.
- it starts with a precise description of everything empirically encountered, while making no distinction between the planned and the unplanned or the physical and the non-physical. it aims to avoid qualitative judgements.
- it endeavours to distil a story, an image and a distinguishing characteristic from what it has encountered, while treating complexity and in some cases paradox as positive qualities.
- it formulates projects from the standpoint of the continuity of the city as analysed, and implements these projects as a series or more or less mutuallty independent interventions, of limited scale although with an impact on the whole.
from: wimby! hoogvliet, future, past and present of a new town, 2007, nai publishers
in other words: the framework is not intended to cover every sqm of the entire area identified in the evaluation but rather asks for a strong idea for the specific identity of area and punctual interventions as points of magnitude to trigger further change for a mixed use environment. concentrate on specifics rather than generalities. the focus is always on the set up of a public realm as consistent and accessible network through built structure. an imaginary set of spatial rules, the project code, should be customized for each framework. at this stage, the work will be concentrated on the organisation of the cross-section, the most important but strongly under valuated instruments of architecture and urbanism. volumetrical studies, plans and elevations will be complement the explorations of edge conditions, which will be the essential design component within the framework. the aim is to develop valuable open space by means of built space. buildings are to be considered a frame for the public space, which it is creating, bordering, sheltering.
the framework is individual work.
general guidelines:
your framework needs to show your objectives for the overall area where your punctual interventions will be located. by large the objective is to create sustainable environments that enable individual creativity to thrive and contribute to community development, identity, cohesion and efficiency. this will be done through alteration of the physical environment. based on your design approach and its localities the following three levels should be revealed in your project:
i. metropolitan scale (city)
explains the location of your site in the citywide context and makes the connection of the contribution of your design to the creation of a sustainable city.
ii. local scale (neighbourhood)
explains the location of your site within an identifiable functional area. it shows the hierarchy of routes and distribution of public infrastructure. furthermore, it addresses the broader issues of access, circulation and open space networks.
iii. precinct area (block, street and building) –
explains the immediate locational areas of the chosen site with distinct characteristics, which will guide the proposed design of edge conditions. it shows the nature of the proposed interventions within its immediate surroundings i.e. relationships at street level.
urban design approach
it should be guided by a vision of what needs to be achieved. the vision should be informed by a set of design principles:
- principles for creation of vibrant, inclusive communities
- principles of establishing economic sustainability
- principles for creating sustainable environments
structure
the framework should consist of the following:
- problem statement
- objectives
- design framework – showing all components of the concept
- traffic flows – hierarchy of transport routes, a new design of appropriately scaled local movement network
- key installation and infrastructure – hierarchy of nodes
- open spaces – hierarchy, structure of open spaces, hard and soft urban landscape
- design criteria – strategy for the urban fabric in relation to sustainability, porosity, programme, form, accessibility and legibility
- implementation strategy
the implementation strategy consdider the following:
- possible phases of future developments
- analysis and application of the design framework, positive and negative aspects. how does the framework integrate with the precinct and neighbourhood as a whole? how does it envisage economic upliftment in the area? how does it address social integration and attempt to avoid exclusionary gentrification?
to produce:
please note that the framework is not intended to be a ‘text heavy’ document but rather asking for illustrations of spatial development. make use of as many images, diagrams, plans, sections, elevations, 3D models, photo collages, axonometric views or perspectives as you need to demonstrate your argument. produce the following using the material from your analysis as base material:
- concept plan that shows the design approach within the wider urban context (metro scale), based on your broader context analysis from phase 1+2. this should be accompanied by strategic diagrams that explain your general principles in plan, section and 3D illustrations. The scale has to be determined by the general design idea, but should be between 1:5000 and 1:1000.
this concept plan should point out areas where specific interventions are proposed and translate your principles into spatial layout. the plan can be the result of the evaluation, a larger strategy developed in your group where every students then zooms into one of the identified areas.
- layout plan of a minimum of 1 selected precinct/ block (per student) at a scale of 1:500.
- cross sections at a scale of 1:500 and 1:200 that show the organisation of your spatial argument. the final number of sections will be determined by your design, but a minimum of 4 sections are expected. remember, it is important to illustrate the complexity of your design, not to tick off requirements from this list. these drawings will help you to define the edge conditions of your selected area.
- basic three dimensional models or axonometric drawings for each area, that illustrate the design principles in this format. Again, a minimum of 3 drawings per area is expected, but your design determines the final number. these drawings constitute a base for part 4 of the project, the final narrative.
- project code: a set of imaginary spatial rules, that should be based on real by-laws and, if requires, transformed according to your principles. a valid reference for this part would be michael sorkin’s book ‘local code’.
- project text: 500 – 800 words that describe the objectives of the urban design framework.
- any additional material that you need to explore and illustrate your ideas.
general requirements phase 3:
consolidated visual analysis with relevant relation to final concept
constraints and opportunities
diagrammatic principles for the development of an urban design framework
diagrammatic exploration of voids and solids, public and build space
edge condition: plan, section, elevation, 3d
before/ after 3d illustration
preparation of a visual narrative
further details to be communicated on hand-outs if necessary.
