THEORIES OF ASIAN ARCHITECTURE (ARC 60704)

Project 1: Contextual Study Sketch Journal of a Traditional Street

In this project through the concrete aspects of architecture and space, as well as the intangible sociocultural attributes, this assignment presents techniques to read the important lexicons of traditional streets of Malaysia. This assignment also makes it possible for us to comprehend the particular circumstances that shape the unique place identity and social significance of the historic streets. All observations are recorded in a 10 drawing journal along with a written synopsis and annotations.

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From this project it really immersed me in the culture and spaces of the streets. I gained a higher appreciation for the history and stories behind the street. it made me realize that we should preserve these cultures as they give a huge impact to the community and the space that they occupy with their own uniquenes.I felt I could have engage more with the members of these street so I may have appreciated and gained a deeper understanding of the place as i felt like I did my work in a silo rather then being one with the street.

Project 2: Poster and Seminar-Contemporary issues in Asian Architecture

In this project we were engaged in the critical analysis of the important features observed during the visit to the street. Using the problem and deduction based learning approach an evaluation framework is built within the defined scope through weekly tutor-led group discussions. The process of learning leads to the proposal of potential solutions. At the end of this assignment we submitted a A1 poster and a online meeting presentation.

Image Credit*

Chinatown/Steve Bristow & Edwin Lee

James Whitaker 2016

Tinagaren Ramkumar 2024

This project made me realize the rapid invasiveness and suffocation gentrification of traditional streets are. The rapid wave of modernization washes away the culture and character of the space leaving a husk of a street with no history left for the next generations to enjoy. It made me also think how a compromise between the modern and traditional must be made to sustainably keep intact both parties which was surprising. I felt like I could have delved deeper into the researching part as it was quite interesting but I was limited due to time constraints but I would definitely revisit this topic to get a better grasp of this situation in the future.