+ SHOPHOUSE TYPOLOGY STREETWARE STREETWARE STREETWARE STREETWARE + BLOCK and DENSITY + REFLECTOSCOPE + GREEN STRAATEGY Penang summer AA visiting project 2012
+ SHOPHOUSE TYPOLOGY
STREETWARE
STREETWARESTREETWARE
STRE
ETWA
RE + BLOCK and DENSITY
+ REFLECTOSCOPE
+ GREEN STRAATEGY
Penang summer AA visiting project 2012
Signage
Hardware
Sidewalk
Temple
Infrastructure
TransportTree
Boundary
Block
Stalls
Park
Ornament
Building
Square
Urban Furniture
Network
Work
Live
Play
Art
Activity
Tradition
Rules
Law
Climate
Event
Community
Neighbourhood
Gathering
Food
Music
Event
Software
Network
Work
Live
Play
Art
Activity
Tradition
Rules
Law
Climate
Event
Community
Neighbourhood
Gathering
Food
Music
Event
Software
Signage
Hardware
Sidewalk
Temple
Infrastructure
TransportTree
Boundary
Block
Stalls
Park
Ornament
Building
Square
Urban Furniture
StreetWare
001 Streetware
001 Programme Timeline
002 Photographic Journey
002 Workshop Brief003 AA
004 George Town
005 UNESCO World Heritage site
006 Think City
007 Fundacion Metropoli
01SET
EXPERIENCE02
001 Projects Introduction
002 Project01 Agora Network001 Vision
002 Thank you’s
003 Bibliography-Iconography
003 Project02 Shophouse typology potentials
004 Project03 Shophouse typology evolution
005 Project04 Reflectoscope
PROJECTSOUT
SET
03
04
What about the street?
For the first AA Alumni Workshop (AAaw), the capital of Malaysia’s ‘heaven island’ is
inviting the AA alumni community to reflect upon its newly acquired UNESCO Heritage
listing. This unique gathering will be an opportunity to demonstrate the AA’s unique
way of approaching architectural thinking by tackling a world heritage site in George
Town, Penang.
This year’s question will tackle the ubiquitous street, whose death and revival has
been constantly chanted to no avail. We will engage in an open workshop aiming at
answering the proposed challenge of rethinking the obvious – the street - within the
protected – the listed town. Finding the interstitial and necessary space where con-
temporaneity can exist, the street as a surprisingly generic term for a chaotic and
vivid setting, will be our main subject of investigation. Novel design, whereby the
cultural layers perceived sequentially will inform specific interventions on the for-
gotten voids, will aim to highlight the possible and illustrate the unseen. Proposals
will question the specificity of the “The Pearl of the Orient” which sits within the
straits of Malacca as a crossover of civilisations shaping an intrinsic multicultural
society.
The AAaw, is open to members of the AA alumni worldwide community. It is an occasion
for the institution to continue prospective discussions, hands on. The workshop will
provide a setting based on studio work and presentation, together with a platform for
newly developing digital and manufacturing tools. The consideration of the tropical
climate and the traditional multicultural background will define sustainable and sen-
sitive responses that act in coherence with the place, while questioning materiality
and performance. The workshop intends to reflect on the merging of traditional and
contemporary architecture beyond traditional preservation strategies, for the 21st
century development of George Town.
AA. Architecture AssociateThe Visiting School Research Programme of Penang
George Town is a historic city of the Straits of Malacca that has developed over 500
years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Ma-
lacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the town with a specific multi-
cultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible.
Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British
era from the end of the 18th century. The town constitutes a unique architectural and
cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.
George Town
|1798| |1803|
The development of the city over the centuries was based on the merging of diverse
ethnic and cultural traditions, including Malay, European, Muslim, Indian and Chinese
influences. All this resulted in a human and cultural tapestry that is expressed in a
rich, intangible heritage that includes languages, religious practices, gastronomy,
ceremonies and festivals.
|1893| |2010|
This multi-cultural tangible and intangible heritage is expressed in the great vari-
ety of religious buildings of different faiths, ethnic quarters, the many languages,
worship and religious festivals, dances, costumes, art and music, food, and daily
life.
Unesco Site
Buffer Zone
Peneng growth
Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca.
UNESCO recognised both cites as World Heritage sites in 2008.
Remarkable examples of historic colonial towns on the Straits of Malacca they demon-
strate a succession of historical and cultural influences arising from their former
function as a trading port linking East and West.
Multi-cultural living heritage originated from the trade routes from Great Britain
and Europe through the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and the Malay Archipelago
to China. Both towns bear testimony to a living multi-cultural heritage and tradition
of Asia, where the many religions and cultures met and coexisted. They reflect the
coming together of cultural elements from the Malay Archipelago, India and China with
those of Europe, to create a unique architecture, culture and townscape.
UNESCO George Town site
“UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue among
civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly
shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve
global visions of sustainable development encompassing observance
of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of
which are at the heart of UNESCO’S mission and activities”.www.unesco.org
Unesco Site
Buffer Zone
Projects scale of Intervention
SHOPHOUSE TYPOLOGY BLOCKSHOPHOUSE TYPOLOGY
PEOPLE
BLOCK
COMMUNITYPEOPLE COMMUNITY
HARDWARE
SOFTWARE
STREETWARE concept inspire the character projects for thetransformation of Geoge Town
Eat
Study
Read
Cook
Sleep
Cycle
Sing
Shop
Paint
Talk
WalkInformation
Work
Relax
LiveLearn
Leisure
Play
Library
Surface
Stalls
BoundaryStair
Temple
Airport
Supermarket
Street Light
Traffic light
School
Shop
Signage
Playground
House
TransportMuseum
Car Ornaments
Tree
Square
Festival
Gathering
Celebration
Rules
Community
Craftmanship
Traditions
Culture
Concert
Law
Market
Art
Activity
NetworkCommunity
Climate
NeighboursEvents
Parking
Tunels
Highways
Bridges
University Campus
Port
Sewage system
Signage
Ornaments
Tree InfrastructureRoads
Buildings
Green
Stalls
Urban Furniture
Block
Sidewalks
Penang + STREETWARE + Project 001
Penang + STREETWARE + Project 002
Penang + STREETWARE + Project 003
Penang + STREETWARE + Project 004
Pedestrian and Green Strategies Relax, Leisure, Tree, Neighbours, Craft, Climate, Infrastructure,
SHOPHOUSE Typology
Block and Density
Reflectoscope
Work, Live, Shop, House, Museum, Library, Neighbours, Buildings,
Works, Live, House, Ornaments, Buildings,Culture
Works, Play, Leisure, Neighbours, Events, Square, Buildings, Network, Climate
Proposed projects
Work, Live, Shop, House, Museum, Library, Neighbours, Buildings,
Works, Play, Leisure, Neighbours, Events, Square, Buildings, Network, Climate
Sidewalk
BLock
Climate, BLock
Block, Square, Stalls
The pedestrian network is studied with the aim to increment the circulation comfort by introducing a green strategy
Shophouse typology is studied to adapt it to new uses and
opportunities
The Shophouse typology is studied from its evolution and throughout a set of
experiments to get a new volumetric result in block and densities
Digital and material experimentation is used to develop a sophisticated design of simple
application. The reactivation of a new urban fabric guides the areas of implementation
Pedestrian and Green Strategies
The goal of the proposal is to provide the already identity-rich ur-ban site with the necessary qualities for an optimal pedestrian use. This, taking in consideration the UNESCO World Heritage status and the governmental plans for the regeneration of city centre.
Kapitan Keling Street (Pitt Street)One of the four major streets in the Original Grid of George Town laid out by Captain Francis Light.Provides a cross section view of the cosmopolitan nature of GeorgeTown, where influences of British, Malay, Chinese, and Indian can be found along the street.The different religious centers include a Christian church at thenorthernmost, followed by Chinese and Hindu temples, and a mosque at the end.
Pedestrian Flow
Others
St. Geoge Church community
Chiness community
Sri Mahamaria Temple Community
Kapitan Keling Mosque community
Khoo Clan Community
Acheen Street Mosque Community
The diagram shows the main pedestrian flow associating to each of the Cult centers
the residential area of the corresponding community. Such association is made pos-
sible through a careful reading of the cultural and architectural expression of the
different ethnicities present around the site.
The emerged pattern emphasizes the high pedestrian use of the Kapitan Keling Street,
providing also the main driver for the strategy of the intervention.
Fig 00.Future Traffic Planform Thnik City
Site - Future Traffic Plan
Main One-way Traffic
Main Two-way traffic
Secondary One-way traffic
Secondary Two-way traffic
In order to articulate a meaningful strategy for the intervention, it is required a
full integration with the Government’s plans for the area.
More specifically, it is necessary to understand the bigger scale strategies
regarding the public transport and the plans for the management of the
traffic flow in the future.
Main One-way Traffic
Main Two-way traffic
Secondary One-way traffic
Secondary Two-way traffic
Pedestrian and Green Strategy : Bamboo Structure
The intervention strategy driven by the main points identified during the site analy-
sis consists in the following steps:
-Improve the Pedestrian connectivity along the Site, regarding both, the quantitative
and qualitative aspects.
-Integrate the use of Vegetation and the qualitative aspects of the pedestrian con-
nectivity.
-Resize the traffic lanes in the Kapitan Keling Street and introduce specific cycling
and public transport lanes, in concordance with the George Town Area Plan.
-Identify available spots for the introduction of public services and installations,
together with urban furniture.
-Make use of the local knowledge and craftsmanship in appropriate level, scale and
interpretation for the proposed intervention.
2500
2500
2500
4500 2500
6000
6000
3000
3000
9000
8000
Respect Existing Trees
Respect Existing Trees
RE STRENGTHEN THEPUBLIC DOMIAN IN FRONT
OF MOSQUE
Corridor for walking
Corridor for walking
Pedestrian and Green Strategy : Bamboo Structure
existing condition
proposal
proposal
MAIN NORTH SOUTHPEDESTRIAN SPINECONNECTING ALL
RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS
GREEN LANSCAPEACTING AS VISUAL
CONNECTIVITY
EXISTING STREETPARKING IS REMOVED
TO PROVIDE MOREPUBLIC OPEN SPACE
COOLING OFF ZONESTHE SUPER STRUCTURE
ACTS AS A SCULPTUREAND PROVIDE SPACE
FOR A MEETING SPACE
Pavement
Pedestrian zone
Traffic zone
RE STRENGTHEN THEPUBLIC DOMIAN IN FRONT
OF MOSQUE
Light Structure
Fig 00. lksdjflsdkjflsdkjfljdlfkjlsdkjf,nf,msdnf,smdnf
dsfmnsdfn
Fig 00. lksdjflsdkjflsdkjfljdlfkjlsdkjf,nf,msdnf,smdnf
dsfmnsdfn
Precedents of the structural principles, material choice or
formal experssion can be found in a series of examples that
could be explore in detail in order to learn how those con-
cepts where best adapted to their specific sites and require-
ments
Fig 00. lksdjflsdkjflsdkjfljdlfkjlsdkjf,nf,msdnf,smdnfdsfmnsdfn
Fig 00. lksdjflsdkjflsdkjfljdlfkjlsdkjf,nf,msdnf,smdnfdsfmnsdfn
The bamboo structure will allow for a Green Strategy that goes beyond the idea of
planting trees into the idea of providing green in a top layer that can help provid-
ing shadow and coolness.
The formal outcome as a dialogue between local craftmen techniques and the contempo-
rary formal languages that relates to existing trees defines the unique presence of
the ligh structure to enhnace the pedestrian confort of people of Penang.
Pedestrian and Green Strategy : Bamboo Structure
Potential spatial configurations of the shophouse typology.
The traditional functionality of the shophouse typology can be interpreted into an specific spatial configuration. An exploration of potential spatial reconfigurations thought at the scale of the block rather than the individual type reveals a series of opportunities that endow the evolution of George Town within a contemporary vision.
SHOPHOUSE Tupology
Shophouse Typology Study
The shophouse is composed by a series of sequencial
spaces with specific programmatic arrangement. A
private-public dialogue together with a respond to
environmental-weather conditions determine the ar-
rangement of the spaces.
The configuration can be interpreted into outdoor,
indoor, semi indoor spaces.
Shophouse Typology Study
Shophouse Circulation Pattern
Room
Room
Room
Courtyard
Terrace
Rear Court
Shop
Shophouse Circulation Pattern
Outdoor Space
Semi Indoor Space
Indoor Space
Hall
Kitchen Toilet
Five step-way
Shophouse Typology Shophouse Typology
|One House|
|One Block|
Option 1-Linear
Shophouse Typology : Rethinking Circulation
The evolution of the one-way linear circulation of
the shophouse can create opportunities that have an
impact at the block scale
Street circulation
Street circulation
SHOPHOUSE circulation
SHOPHOUSE circulation
Opprtunity: Community Bond
Activate GATHERING areas WITHIN the BLOCK
Densification
Requestion
The spatial configuration at the back
Shop-LABS
Opprtunity: SHOPLABS
Opportunity for Interaction
Business incubators that Foster interaction
Street
Arcade
Courtyard
Private Use
Active Frontage
Street
Arcade
Courtyard
Private Use
Active Frontage
Courtyard
Business 1 Business 2 Business 3 Business 4
Courtyard
Oppotunities to support Local craft activities
Promote local art by foster-ing and art comunity
Opportunity to create small start ups with interdisci-plinary interaction
Promote new generation of technical and virtual disci-plines
Foster local textile busi-nesses and orientation to international markets
Local craft Artist
Artist
Business man
Computer engineer
Fashion designer
Frontage Activation
A
A
Activation of back street by densifying border Civic Use + Outdoor Public Gathering Opportunity
Back Activation that
Retail and Market Activation
Densification of site-south street activation Public Realm with in and out the Hybrid
Public Realm ActivationRetail and Market Activation
Densification of site-south street activation Public Realm with in and out the Hybrid
Public Realm Activation
We do not propose to ‘invent’ or ‘solve’ a Malaysian architecture, but aim to work in the context that is raised by this question. Aware of our position, following the many other groups who have brought to Penang their own cultural export, we seek to perpetuate the cultural synthesis in this contemporary moment, pursued in har-mony with local need.
Block and Density
Site Observation
It has been deemed by UNESCO that George Town is of ‘outstanding value to humanity’
owing to it being a ‘reflection of the coming together of cultural elements from the
Malay Archipelago, India and China with those of Europe to create a unique architec-
ture, culture and townscape without parallel’. As Malaysia moves towards a ‘One Ma-
laysia’ as initiated by the government in recent years questions of national identity
are at the forefront of Malaysian thinking, and in turn the question of a Malaysian
architecture emerges. Located as it is, historically and geographically, at a meeting
place for cultures, George Town is a particularly rich location from where to phrase
questions about architecture at a specific set of cultural crossroads.
The synthesis of cultures evident in the architecture of George Town up until the mid
twentieth century has generated both diversity and commonality, in response to local
climate with elements of design rooted in the multiple cultures that have had a stake
in the city. After the Second World War this pattern of eclecticism coupled with a
sympathy to climatic needs was to a degree lost in favour of what can be described as
the ‘International Style’, characterised by standardisation, industrialisation over
craft, and a limited palette of materials; notably steel, glass, and concrete.
Architecture At A Set of Cultural Crossroads
19th century European style
European louvre shutters
Rows of tall unglazed windows
20th century new materials
19th century European style
European louvre shutters
Rows of tall unglazed windows
20th century new materials
Ideologically the International Style was driven by an emphasis upon functionality,
but examples in George Town are found to be wholly unsuited to the climate with their
flat roofs and panoramic windows. The architecture in George Town that gave precedent
to this style loses its link with the local climate or any reference to the complex-
ity of existing cultures.
Heritage protection as offered by UNESCO seeks in part to maintain specificity
against processes that may be described as globalisation. The question here is: how
might one perpetuate the cultural synthesis that has produced Georgetown while re-
taining its specificity? In seeking to continue the flux of the living city we pursue
this tension along a course of traditions; those which we observe and those which we
join, while aiming to gain the knowledge and empathy to root our endeavour in the
landscape, environment, and social practices of Georgetown.
neo classical
Southern Chinese Anglo-Indian
Southern China
England Victorian
Neo classical
Southern Chinese Anglo-Indian
Southern China
England Victorian
We interrogate the notion of tradition but do not aim to create the traditional. Situating
ourselves firmly in the present, tradition describes not just that which is transmitted through
the generations but specifically that which is made use of and shaped by the contemporary mo-
ment. Tradition is not taken to be the cradling of the heirloom as its contemporary moment
recedes from view. But rather the putting to use that which has been inherited, and its shaping
by the contemporary moment to be passed on again.
PAST
Statement
Internationally agreed terms upon which conservation is practiced hold that all additions
to a historic fabric should be reversible. Keeping this proposition in mind, we do not take
for granted the permanence of our intervention and in our addressing of materials and con-
struction we ask how our intervention might sit benignly upon the temporal fabric.
PRESENT
FUTURE
The preservation of the living city of Georgetown must be aligned with continuity. We address
Georgetown as the perpetual rather than the static and oppose the possibility of the current moment,
that in which Georgetown is formally addressed as a body of heritage, as becoming a stagnating force
upon the built fabric of George Town.
House size and type Evolution
Earl
y Pe
nang
sty
le
1700
1840
s -
1900
s
1890
s -
1910
s
Geoge Town house typology
Sout
hern
Chi
nese
Ecl
ecti
cic
styl
e
Earl
y St
rait
s Ec
lect
ic s
tyle
Thou
gh c
lay
bric
ks a
re u
sed
foll
ow-
ing
Brit
ish
regu
lati
ons
rega
rdin
g
flam
mabl
e ma
teri
als,
the
re i
s a
sugg
esti
on o
f th
e Ch
ines
e co
lumn
and
beam
con
stru
ctio
n wi
th i
ts
prec
eden
t in
tra
diti
onal
Chi
nese
timb
er b
uild
ing.
Sett
led
Chin
ese
comm
unit
ies
beca
me i
ncre
asin
gly
affl
uent
and, wishing
to s
et t
hems
elve
s ap
art
from
the
mor
e tr
ansi
ent
immi
gran
t groups who
came
to
Geor
geto
wn s
eeki
ng w
ork,
inc
reas
ed t
he u
se o
f or
namentation. A
Chin
ese
gabl
e sh
ape
and
func
tion
al d
etai
l su
ch a
s th
e ce
ramic air vent
is c
ombi
ned
with
Eur
opea
n .
As c
ommu
niti
es f
rom
Sout
hern
Chi
na
sett
led
in G
eorg
etow
n th
ey e
mplo
yed
Chin
ese
arti
sans
to
prod
uce
deco
ra-
tive
car
ving
and
ado
pted
ter
roco
tta
roof
til
es f
rom
Euro
pe a
nd I
ndia
1800
Lond
one
hous
etypology
1910
s -
1940
s
1930
s -
1960
s
1950
s -
1970
s
Late
Str
aits
Ecl
ecti
c st
yle
Art
Deco
sty
le
Earl
y Mo
dern
ism
styl
e
Full
len
gth
wind
ows
emph
asis
e th
e fi
rst
stor
ey i
n th
e Eu
ropean manner.
Furt
her
feat
ures
of
neo-
clas
sica
l la
ngua
ge a
re a
rtic
ulat
ed in project-
ing
colu
mns
and
scro
lled
bra
cket
s an
d pl
aste
r re
lief
on
columns while
pron
ounc
ed s
offi
ts d
raw
on C
hine
se a
nd E
urop
ean
moti
fs
Pros
peri
ty,
prog
ress
and
mod
erni
ty w
ere
evok
ed i
nter
nati
on-
ally
thr
ough
the
art
dec
o ae
sthe
tic
of t
echn
olog
y co
mbin
ed
with
lux
ury.
Cin
ema
quic
kly
spre
ad t
his
aspi
rati
onal
yet
obta
inab
le s
tyle
.
Thou
gh s
ugge
stiv
e of
a m
oder
n ma
chin
e ae
sthe
tic
such
sty
le
stil
l ma
de r
oom
for
ecle
ctic
ism
and
roma
ntic
ism,
dra
wing
on
imag
ery
from
all
con
tine
nts
as p
opul
aris
ed b
y co
ntem
pora
ry
arch
aeol
ogic
al d
isco
very
.
Arch
itec
ts e
duca
ted
abro
ad s
eek
to a
pply
the
Inte
rnat
iona
l St
yle
to t
he s
hoph
ouse
. Ch
arac
teri
s-
tic
are
the
reje
ctio
n of
orn
amen
t, a
nd h
isto
rica
l
revi
val.
Wi
de g
laze
d wi
ndow
s cr
eate
the
nee
d fo
r
shad
ing
fins
. Ne
w, m
ass
prod
uced
mat
eria
ls p
reva
il
and
colu
mns,
pre
viou
sly
mark
ing
indi
vidu
al b
ound
-
arie
s, a
re l
ost
from
the
fiv
e fo
ot w
ay i
n fa
vour
of a
can
tile
ver
cons
truc
tion
.
‘Sustainable Timber Building in Malaysia.’
The traditional Malay House found in the village or ‘kampong’ is of a timber post
and lintel construction with timber or bamboo walls and a thatched roof of attap,
a local palm. The house is raised on stilts, providing a semi-private area beneath
while lifting the house clear of potential flooding.
An abundance of forest materials allowed for the building of such houses and their
continued adaptation via an established flexible building system.
Tree
Material§
Timber continues to suggest practical use in the buildings of Malaysia, given that it holds
little heat and cools adequately at night.
Developments in timber construction materials, namely timber panel, now makes timber a vi-
able option for high density urban building, offering an acceptable degree of fire protec-
tion and resistance to water vapour diffusion.
Location
Spirit
Timber continues to suggest practical use in the buildings of Malaysia, given that it holds little heat and cools
adequately at night.
Developments in timber construction materials, namely timber panel, now makes timber a viable option for high density
urban building, offering an acceptable degree of fire protection and resistance to water vapour diffusion.
ShopHouse, Block and Density
These sketches show initial analysis of climatic behaviour in key features of the shop
house. These features are shared with the vernacular Malaysian house. Features observed are
the jack roof, which permits ventilation via the space beneath the secondary roof struc-
ture; the pitched roof which affords shade from projecting eaves; and the low fenestration
which creates cross ventilation at body height. In the traditional Malaysian kampong palms
provide shade throughout the compound. The air well, which can be traced to the shophous-
es precedent in Southern China, creates an open interior space within the building. This
provides ventilation and allows rain to fall on the granite base set at ground level. The
water’s evaporation from this shallow granite basin further aids cooling.
|Climate studies|
Street
Back yard
Shop House
Shop House
Shop House
The shophouse unit characteristically occupies a deep and narrow plot within the block. The
relation of the type within the block is being rethought with a view to creating increased
numbers of smaller units, as fitting with contemporary usage. Studies show the possible
evolution of proportions to achieve this densification within the block.
|The type within the block|
The idea of the raised ground floor allows access to the central blocks and can be used for
parking, markets, playing etc.
Individual stairs leading up to the private houses and flats
Minimun impact at street level
Maximun height at the center of the block
The introduction of high cross walls ensures privacy of the courtyards and living areas
Cantilevering pitched roofs which protect the windows from heavy rain and direct sunlight
The new tripartite arrangement allows for greater density of the block and affordable
houses and flats
The new shop-house applied to the site. The building heights follow the
existing context. The proposal offers a robust and UNESCO compliant re-
sponse to contemporary needs such as affordable housing, small-size flats
for single persons and small families, parking space etc. The ground
floor can be used for shops, markets or parking, or as shaded communal
areas with public courtyards. Higher density can be achieved by three
to five storey shop-houses which are set back from the street. Densely
filled with potted plants the private courtyards offer at least one small
oases for each house or building.
Proposed volumetric experience
In the last few years many Asian cities have suffered from the pressures of urban speed, encapsulating their historic fabrics within real estate developments and shoppings genericness.Cotinuing the Unesco endeavor, we will concentrate our interests andmaterial research on developing an intervention within the space inbetween. We consider capitalIzing on enhancing authenticitywithin the Penang:The common ground for locals and visitors, we propose a typological negotiation between the public and the private realm focusing on systematic thinking as a driver for architectural generation
Reflectoscope
When walking at street level, one realizes why Penang is truly the reflection of the many cultures that inhabit Asia. A melting pot of many the traditions and heritage of the far east, Penang still re-tains its own individual character. The colorful Chinese and Indian markets in Georgetown are specifically reflective of this coming together of cultures.
Penang as we saw it at street level, quickly became a colorless sur-face that reflected the many colors of its culture, conceptually, while retaining its own identity. We focused our studies in explor-ing little India. The first approach was site mapping in order to undertand movement, scale and activity.
Primary rd
Primary rd
Primary rd Primary rd
Penang - Street Life
Looking into statistical studies of the square meter usage of these protected sites,
reveals that fashion and clothing as well as textiles take on the lead in the number
of establishments per square foot.
However, our colleagues from the Malaysian University USM argue that despite that
fact, food and beverage should take the lead. Their argument is that these statistics
are based on stable occupancy of commercial retail spaces, while most of the streets
of Penang rely on ‘Hawkers’ to purchase cooked food.
Hawkers are an Asian street food vendor staple. These nomadic, often illegal, mobile
street vendors sell all kinds of cooked food that caters to the wide ethnic diversity
of the area.
An interesting cultural phenomena, the main characteristics of Hawkers is their no-
madic, weather dependent state, and the need for shaded areas to protect from the
elements.
Street life in George town
A quick look at the maps supplied by the UNESCO world heritage foundation reveals the
economic order of the fabric of George Town.
Reading on the zoning laws as dictated by UNESCO, clarifies that the site is further
divided onto different zones of varying levels of permission for intervention within
the borders of the heritage preserved site. We decided to intervene with the infill
spaces, the spaces in between.
The sites where our intervention would be as passive as it is transparent and as
reflective of its surrounding cultural references as it is a bold expression of a
vibrant place.
Alleys in Urban Context
Colour as a reflection
In man made enviroments, structural colors are found in soap bubbles. Soap bubbles
are consistent of grease, water and soap molecules that have different densities that
do not mix.
That difference causes differentiation on the surface of the bubble, reflecting light
at different screening filters, which at varying speeds appear to be of different
colors to the human eye.
In nature, a similar effect at a more scientific level is reflected in the phenomena
of ‘Structural Colors’. Where layers of colorless, or white reflective material fil-
ter colors at different layers due to the varying density of that material.
The Malagasy Jewel beetle is one clear example of that phenomena. Layers of Chitin
fibre reflect light at deferent speeds due to the layering density of these materi-
als. The result is a spectrum of colors that are a filtered variation of a readily
available resource: sunlight.
This phenomena is also found in layered feathers of peacocks, where beuatiful colored
patterns emerge from the intricate positioning of each hair on the feathers, reflect-
ing elaborate patterns.
CD ROM’s also are a reflection for structural colors in the man-made environment.
Layers of ridges at the micro scale reflect bouncing colors at what appears to be
colors of the rainbow. CD’s quickly became an interesting medium to experiment with
due to their redundancy and wide availability. Most media that used to come in the
form of a CD is now replaced by soft alternatives to store it.
A lot of this media is stored on the web, or streamed directly from websites. The
idea of recycling abandoned CD ‘s to make use of their light reflecting properties,
quickly became the subject of our investigation. It made sense within the brief to
use this material as a transparent, widely available and recyclable component system,
that assembles to a continuos, scaly surface.
“Our intention is to build a 1mx1m standard block that would allow light into the CD layer and reflect that onto the tensile tent.
By repeating that block, a pattern would emerge that would make for the overall surface of the canopy”
“Our intention is to build a 1mx1m standard block that would allow light into the CD layer and reflect that onto the tensile tent.
By repeating that block, a pattern would emerge that would make for the overall surface of the canopy”
Moment 2 Moment 3
“Our intention is to build a 1mx1m standard block that would allow light into the CD layer and reflect that onto the tensile tent.
By repeating that block, a pattern would emerge that would make for the overall surface of the canopy”
Moment 2 Moment 3
“The time needed to assemble those blocks was calculated to approximate the amount of time needed to assemble a structure that would span the entire street level.”
Material experiment
CD use : 4
Time taken : 5 minutes
CD use in 1 block : 16
Time taken : 20 minutes
CD use in 4 blocks : 64
Time taken : 80 minutes
CD use in 1233 blocks : 4932
Time taken : 17 days 3 hours
3m
5m
6m
3.5m
Day and night
The undulating surface of the CDs is contrasted by the linear surface of the tensile
membranes. The undulation would also create differences in the intensity of the re-
flected light as it relates to the sun angles.
06:00 12:00 18:00 24:00 06:0009:00 15:00 21:00 03:00
We wanted the canopy to also act as a public space generator at night, so we tested
artificial light conditions and how the reflections from that could vary within the
structure of a tensile membrane surface.
06:00 12:00 18:00 24:00 06:0009:00 15:00 21:00 03:00
Thank you to
Think City
Fundacion Metropoli f
AA
for ..............
Thank you to the following people for their involment and suppert of the programme:
-Hamdan
-Neil
-Laurance
-Surya
-Veronica
Ken Yeang
Amna Emir
xxxxxx 1
xxxxxxx 2
xxxxxxx 3
xxxx USM
Nathalie
Michel
Spetial thanks to all the AA participants for all the hard work and enthusiam
Christopher Pierce
Judith Ryser
Alice Yanghee Lee
Thank you to
Think City
Fundacion Metropoli f
AA
for ..............
Thank you to the following people for their involment and suppert of the programme:
-Hamdan
-Neil
-Laurance
-Surya
-Veronica
Ken Yeang
Amna Emir
xxxxxx 1
xxxxxxx 2
xxxxxxx 3
xxxx USM
Nathalie
Michel
Spetial thanks to all the AA participants for all the hard work and enthusiam
Christopher Pierce
Judith Ryser
Alice Yanghee Lee