SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGNBachelor of Science (Honours) in Architecture

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC2224) (ARC61303)

PROJECT PART B

NAME : CHIN JOVI

ID:0317924

LECTURER:MR NICHOLAS NG

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Figure 1: Zone D Brickfields

The site assigned for this project is located at the area enclosed by Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Jalan

Damansara Expressway as well as Jalan Tebing along the Klang River. Jalan Tun Sambanthan is one of

the prominent roads connecting Jalan Syed Putra, the major highway that links to Kuala Lumpur across the

Klang River. The rapid evolvement of Brickfields has left this North-East side of site suspended in time.

Small village type housing amidst the high-rise modern living complexes being constructed.

Jalan Tun Sambanthan in Brickfields is an interesting composition of swanky, imposing buildings

that overshadow much smaller and older structures across the road. The two lines culminate in a zone

called Little India, characterised by purple buildings and decorative arches. All these areas are bound

together with a one-way but complicated traffic system.

2.0 COGNITIVE MAPPING

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To understand one’s perception and spatial behavior of Brickfields city, a cognitive mapping is carried out to

create a mental map of that particular site. The experiment started at Vishalatchi Food Catering located at Jalan

Scott at the north-east side of the city. Sri Kandaswamy Kovil, an Hindu temple at the end of the road is the

next stop across a T-junction. The following path, Jalan Tebing is taken along the Klang River which leads

to the Tun Sambanthan Monorail Station and the Malaysian Association for the Blind. A path directed to the

main city is taken subsequently after the juncture at the station. This path leads to the main business

district of the city. Along the street, Vista Sentral is marked as a landmark, Another turn is taken before the

exit to the main Jalan Tun Sambanthan. Opposing the YMCA building is another path to the old commercial

district of the city. A distinguishable red temple (Sam Kow Tong) and blue louvered façade post-modernist

structure (Kompleks TLK Brickfields) is identified. The exit to the main Jalan Tun Sambanthan is taken

leading to the gable roofed modernist building (Pusat Poslaju Kuala Lumpur) as well as the barricading

landmark of NU Sentral. Along Jalan Tun Sambanthan is the high end business district, and a heritage

building (Vivekananda Ashram). At the end is the Little India across the boulevard.

Figure 2: Cognitive Mapping of Zone D Brickfields

3.0 ANALYSIS

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The city of Brickfields is not a city of origin to everyone. To a local commoner who has a real sense

of Brickfields, it is a city that evokes all kinds of emotions, one can navigate its paths on a regular basis,

visiting landmarks and nodes of activity within city districts or even cross over the intangible edges between

neighborhoods and along the outskirts of town to Kuala Lumpur or Bangsar.

Brickfields is a developing city with rich historical backdrops. This goes to prove that majority of the

landmarks in the city are of old structures which has sentimental values of the past. Vishal’s food and

catering was set as a starting point for the wayfinding. At the north-east side of the city where most of the

old modernist commercial lots and religious establishment as well as well new residences are located.

Zoning in this area is particularly ambiguous due to the mix land use therefore an obvious choice of

reference point for navigation would be the temples that creates spatial predominance through contrast with

surrounding elements. The architectonic of the temple design with elaborate ornamentation becomes a

vantage point in a form of architecture beacon. Majority of the residents in Brickfields are of Indian descents

with Hinduism background therefore temples have become a prominent wayfinding element for locals as

well as first-timers visually.

Figure 3: A node that leads to Sri Kandaswamy Kovil

The Klang River serves as an edge that separate the fringe of Brickfields from the highway while

slabs of concrete monorail railway overhead takes the attention of the public buildings on the other side.

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Klang River is an example of Lynch’s theory of a strong impenetrable edge. The railway line is another

example of a unity seams rather than isolating barriers which effectively blurs the continuity of the open

space and the public buildings.

Figure 4: Jalan Tebing (left: Klang River, right: public buildings)

The developments of Brickfields has spouted many construction sites around the city. These

constructions becomes a form of edge that disrupt the flow the circulation. Construction site embodies both

the isolating barrier as well as visual barrier.

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Figure 5: Hoardings and Formworks form an edge

One of the major elements along this street is the Sentral Vista that stood out as a landmark.

Amidst the high rise in this commercial area this structure of post-modernism stood out amongst the rest.

Mainly due to its peculiar roof that outshine its neighbouring context. In accord of elements are

interconnected to create an integrated city image, the business district in this area is dominated by the

Sentral Vista. In terms of local architecture typology Sentral Vista is of the post-modernist style which

closely relate to the building typologies in the main business district located at upper north-west of the city..

Figure 6: Sentral Vista as a landmark

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According to Lynch, paths are dominant elements in urban space. Paths with clear and well-known

origins and destinations have stronger identities similarly with feeder road Jalan Tun Sambanthan. The

path down towards the city center is one the road that connects to the main Jalan Tun Sambanthan. This

straight path is strengthened by its heading where it is pointed to a picturesque view of the city skyline

making it one of the busiest streets in Brickfields that help tie the city together.

Figure 7: Feeder road Jalan Tun Sambanthan

Along the sidewalks of the street lies the local community which runs business selling food in the

form of food stalls. The intended sidewalk was transformed into a commercial belt in a smaller form.

However, this spot is often flocked with crowd particularly eaters who are looking for cheaps eats despite

being located just beside a vehicular road. This goes hand in hand with the Malaysian culture of having

afternoon tea. Aside from being a more local and cheap alternatives, one of the reasons this space is

favoured by the community is mainly due to it is shaded, Based on Jan Gehl’s Life between Buidlings, the

quality of outdoor space directly affects the activities carried out. In this case, the quality of outdoor space is

fulfilled. Gehl brands sidewalk cafes as well as life on the sidewalk in front of the café as the prime

attraction. The hawker business that is carried out in this intimate scale successfully created a communal

space that provide people to meet and get together thus making the street more lively because as Gehl put

it life in buildings and between buildings seems in nearly all situations to rank as more essential and more

relevant than the spaces and buildings themselves.

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Figure 8: Food stalls along the street

A turn in taken before the exit to Jalan Tun Sambanthan at the node point located in front of the

YMCA building. One structure of distinct colour stood out thus creating a foci and landmark to this old

business district. The temple Sam Kow Tong plays vital role in mental mapping for its prominent position as

seen from far at the junction and near distance up front. One of the prominent cues taken place in

identifying the environment here is the visual sensations of colour. Its striking red coloured vibrancy stood

out as a place of spatial decision making when it is located at a focal point along the route.

Figure 9: Som Kow Tong temple along Jalan Thambipillay.

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At the end of Jalan Thambipillay, a post-modernist structure with distinctive louvered

façade is identified to mark the end of the street. Kompleks TLK Brickfields is a newly built multi levels

parking lots to accommodate to the increasing demands of parking spaces around the city. Its façade area

reflects the degree of contrast between the object and surrounding. Its design that does not conform to the

surrounding context makes it a point of interest regardless of its functions.

Figure 10: Kompleks TLK Brickdields.

At Jalan Tun Sambanthan, one element that is readily distinguishable is the road. The combination

of conventional tarmac and the unconventional brick pavements in the local context accentuates the image

as well as identity of this path as the main road of Brickfields city. The contrast in the two different districts

high end business district and the old business districts contributes to the identity of this road. Visually the

road stretches from Little India district to the high end business district around NU Sentral. It has the

longest viewing distance amongst all the other roads in the city due to its long continuity. The heavy

vehicular traffic from both sides of the lanes shows that there is a strong directional quality of two way

street. At the core, Jalan Tun Sambanthan is a very strong and highly identifiable path.

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Juhani Pallasmaa’s The Eye of the Skin stresses that the sense of touch is the unconscious of

vision that also provides three-dimensional information of material bodies. The uneven texture created by

the brick pavements provide the sense of hardness and depth. According to Pallasmaa, vision leads one to

the destination while touch solves the curiosity. The information registered into the mental map from this

differentiation of the material strengthens the paths and give it explicit identity, Jalan Tun Sambanthan is

therefore the most prominent path in this city.

Figure 11: Road texture of Jalan Tun Sambanthan.

Jalan Tun Sambanthan is also an edge that defines the border between the high end business

district and the old business district. The high end district is a concrete jungle of skyscrapers and high rise

most of which are of post-modernist buildings while on the other hand the old business district which are of

the modernist structure of shop houses. A visual distinctive difference is the height of the buildings where

highrise such as the NU Sentral and Shell Corporate office dominates the modern skyline of the city and

the medium height old shop house overshadowed and appear to be stucked in time. The contrast between

these two major districts is very noticeable thus creating a strong district barrier between these two

themetic units.

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Figure 12: Two major districts of Brickfields..

Amidst the skyscraper, there is a Pusat Poslaju Kuala Lumpur which is a single story public building. The

break in continuities and homogeneities of facades materials, textures, spaces, forms, details, symbols,

building type, uses, Activities, inhabitants, colors, skyline topography created a seam between the districts.

Primarily, this landmark turns into the point of reference for the high end business district. This is how NU

Sentral district is identifiable from the Shell Corporation district.

Figure 13: Pusat Poslaju Kuala Lumpur

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Vivekananda Ashram Brickfields is a very old structure with rich historical backdrop. It is a

semantic attraction as well as a landmark. The distinctive building typology and the statue makes itself

clear that it is visually attractive. However, this structure holds sentimental values to those who are socially

bounded by it. Jencks ‘s semiotic groups says that users will divide themselves according to their

preference. The divisions grow not only according to class culture (social and economic background), but

more importantly to preferences of meaning which transgress classes. Sri Kandaswamy Kovil is a symbol

of heritage that some part of the community holds dear. Amidst the capitalism lies a historical building that

preserves the identity of the city of Brickfields.

Figure 14: Vivekananda Ashram Brickfields

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4.0 CONCLUSION

Based on Kevin Lynch’s theory on Image of the City & Imageability, the path is depicted as a

network of habitual lines of movement in and out of the urban complex. Some special paths such as Jalan

Tun Sambanthan possess quality such as texture or coherent typology that enhance the spatial quality

associated with it. Thus it creates a network of routes that has clarity and simplistic to the perspectives.

Nodes such as junctions located at the intersection of Jalan Scott and Lorong Padang Belia which

has a sharp boundary and a foci of attention Sri Kandaswamy Kovil temple coincides with the breaks in

decision. This nodes creates strong mental image of the site.

Brickfields is considered a historical site. Thus containing memorable and distinguishable

landmarks in the urban landscape. Based on Lynch’s theory where a landmark is yet stronger if visible over

extended range of time or distance, more useful if the direction of view can be distinguished. The visibility

of the landmarks such as Sentral Vista can clearly be identified from further distance. Therefore is serves

as a directional cues by the people where it serves as an anchor point for wayfinding.

One of the major edge that helps users determine the boundary is the Klang River. It separate and

draws the boundary clearly as it is impenetrable. A strong edge becomes effective orientation element

because it gives users a sense of closure.

In a way. Brickfields is almost a successful city based on Jane Jacobs’s four conditions, to

generate exuberant diversity city. The need for primary uses, where every district in Brickfields has a

primary purpose from the Little India district which focus in a more vivid and culture centric activities; the old

business district with local commercial activities; as well as schools and temples zones. Secondly, apart

from the high end business district, most of the structures allow for a greater cross-use within a

neighbourhood or District as residents are able to explore streets which they would not have explored

beforehand. This leads to more feasible spots for commerce due to the increased routes available for

citizens. Third, there are sufficient aged buildings at the lower east side to cater for lower rental preference

group. Lastly, Brickfields is a multi diversed concentration of people to increase the eyes on the street.

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REFERENCE LIST

Gehl, J. (1987). Life between buildings: Using public space. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Jacobs, J. (1992). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage Books.

Jencks, C. (1991). Language of Post-Modern Architecture. New York: Rizzoli.

Lynch, K. (1960). The image of the city. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Pallasmaa, J. (2005). The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the senses. Chichester: Wiley-Academy.

Tolman E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men. Retrieved from

http://psc.dss.ucdavis.edu/sommerb/sommerdemo/mapping/cogmap.htm#mor

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