Architecture as Direct Respond to Immediate Environment

The traditional architecture illustrates the intelligence of our forefathers in dealing and responding to the surrounding environment and climate. The sense of belonging to the immediate context is clearly felt as the traditional architecture is very much inter-dependence with the surrounding greenery that provide the first layer of filter against the climate. Thus, the real performance of the traditional architecture is not solitary but in symphony with friendly act of nature.

Unfortunately, recent researches and studies on the thermal comfort performance of the traditional houses demonstrated that they were not performing as claimed or read in many reference books as thermally comfortable or cooling. This could be due to the changing surrounding. The traditional buildings in today’s context stand within the climatic condition unprotected thus unable to provide the expected comfort. Architects need to be reminded on how our traditional buildings used to provide comfort but at the same time made aware that, the same buildings need to perform differently within different context. It is not enough to emulate traditional solution physically but rather more towards understanding the intelligent response to its immediate context which may still be very natural or disturbed. There are also other issues that must be considered specifically towards achieving appropriate and beneficial solution in contemporary tropical environment.

A Sociable Approach to Planning

Jan Gehl addresses in his book 'Life between buildings' how communication is a key factor for promoting social activities in a city. He summarizes his ideas on communication in a figure (see figure on the right), which describes how visual and auditorical communication can be either prevented or promoted by the physical environment. These aspects are all fundamentals; without the possibility for communication between people, the urban environment will never become sociable. For a space to be sociable however, it is not enough that people can communicate there. Regardless if there are walls or not, if there is nothing in the urban environment that attracts people to be there, communication will never occur. Based on this notion we have tried to find a reason for why people choose to spend time in an urban environment instead of staying in the comfort of their homes.

So... do human beings have certain needs that the urban environment can fulfil? Anthony Robbins offers a classification of human needs in his book 'Unleash the Power within' where he suggests that we are motivated by six principal needs: certainty, uncertainty, significance, love, growth & contribution. These, he argues, are both conscious and unconscious needs which feed our identity and personality with influence. We found his ideas intriguing and we wanted to see if these could be relevant to consider when planning urban environments. We feel it is important to keep a holistical perspective where man's needs are in focus. There might be other classifications on human principal needs, but we feel that the classification Robbins suggests, can be adequately adopted into the field of spatial planning.

Through thorough observations in Southeast Asia and Europe, we have been able to classify the multitude of activities taking place in the urban environment. These activities seem all originating from people's desire to fulfil the six human needs mentioned above, in one way or another. People seek certainty and comfort, but also a feeling of variety, uniqueness and connection to others. If the environment provides opportunities for challenge and learning we can grow as individuals and if the environment encourages people to contribute it will undoubtedly result in more creativity, activity and sociability.

Forming a thought...
Our aim has long been to acquire an understanding of how the physical structure interplays with the social neighbourliness and how and why sociable spaces emerge. The Sociable Space concept is an attempt to devise the possible aspects and functions that affect and initiate sociability in the urban environments. It further aims to illustrate the link between the physical structure and the people who will live and work in it.

Within the structure, a large amount of activities require their space. We have categorized these activities into five main subdivisions and their sources into three. Each of these categories aims to comprise an important aspect of the human behaviour. The dividing into five categories of activities originates from our field study experiences.

For an urban environment to become sociable it is of great importance that neither necessary nor voluntary activities are restrained by the physical environment. If one strives to create an urban environment which appeals to a large amount of the inhabitants, it is important to be aware also of human’s representational system. We perceive our surroundings differently depending on if we focus visually, auditorically or kinaesthetically. We use all our senses to take in our surroundings and through our senses we judge whether we like a place or not.

We have found support to our thoughts in the work of William H. Whyte. His work is however mainly focusing on human behaviour in streets and plazas whereas our studies include behaviours and activities related also to the private sphere. Whyte learnt from his studies of public open spaces in New York ('The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces') that the downtown area was full of plazas and streets that were empty of people, despite the fact that the area was densely populated. Other spaces were full of people playing, sitting, lingering, walking and observing others. A conclusion he could draw regarding people and public spaces, was the simple fact that ‘people attract people’.

We do not seek up the most isolated back streets during our lunch break - we are instead drawn to spaces which are already populated by others. If one could create a reason for people to linger or hang around, others would soon do the same.

The Design Brief stage

The Design Brief is necessary when the client is not clear what the brief should be. This is not as extraordinary as it sounds; often clients are aware that new space needs to be provided or existing space rearranged but the problem may be so complex, and the number of people that need to be consulted so large, that the client is not in a position to analyse this.

This is an area where the designer can provide a service in space planning (sometimes called 'interior architecture') which clients are often unaware exists. This helps the client to determine his/her needs in detail and to set the parameters for the whole project that may follow.

This can be a relatively simple exercise, e.g. examining how an existing building can be adapted to a new use, or a complex process, consulting exhaustively with the client's key staff, utilising adjacency theory to provide a detailed analysis of the client's requirements, developing this into planning diagrams from which floor plans can be developed.

All About Detail Architecture

With all advances in technology, as architects, we all still rely strongly on our ability to sketch. Therefore the most traditional tool of them all is the architect's pencil.
 

Traditional detailing and the contemporary use or adaptation today are still as important as they were in yesteryear. With all buildings, their success or failure often comes down to the smallest details. It is incredibly difficult to describe these in words alone, therefore we fall on our skill of drawing to convey this. These detail, however small, are extremely important to the outcome of every project.

Local Architectural Character, including Prevalent Forms and Materials

The traditional Balinese house is usually a compound housing two or three generations of the same family in a village grouping called a banjar. Each compound is a microcosm of the universe with realms for the gods, man, and the impure spirits. Balinese homes are not architect designed, rather villagers build their own homes, or a community will pool their resources for a structure built under the direction of a master builder and/or a carpenter. The norm is a post and beam structural system with either wood or bamboo non-load bearing infill panels. Traditionally, rather than nails, mortis and tenon joints and wooden pegs are used. The roofs are a thatch material that can be made of coconut or sugar palm leaves, alang alang grass or rice straw.

Evolution of Design Concepts

The Green School creates a sustainable campus straddling both sides of the Ayung River in Sibang Kaja, Bali. The campus is situated in a lush jungle with native plants and trees along with sustainable organic gardens. The campus is powered by a number of alternative energy sources including bamboo sawdust hot water and cooking system and a hydro-powered vortex generator and solar panels. Campus buildings include: classrooms, gym, assembly spaces, classrooms, faculty housing, offices, cafes, and bathrooms. On the Green School campus are a range of inspiring architecturally significant spaces from large multi-storey communal spaces to much smaller classroom spaces. Bamboo is a local sustainable material used in innovative and experimental ways demonstrating its architectural possibilities. The result is a holistic green community with a strong educational mandate that seeks to inspire students to be more curious, more engaged and more passionate about our environment and our planet.

‘We are building Green School to create a new paradigm for learning. We want children to
cultivate physical sensibilities that will enable them to adapt and be capable in the world. We
want children to develop spiritual awareness and emotional intuition, and to encourage them
to be in awe of life's possibilities.’ (John and Cynthia Hardy)