Structuring Urban Fragments

Structuring Urban Fragments

By Radhika Mathur

Abstract

The present scenario of suburbanization and gentrification has lead to a sudden expansion of cities to meet the demands of newer world views. The process has lead to fragmented growth of cities both spatially and experientially. The problem therefore is creation of isolated and detached urban fragments creating a dispersed urbanscape. The intent of the project is to bring about a structure within these fragments by diffusing, wedging and integrating existing fragments at strategic locations. The intent is achieved by characterization of the fragments on basis of density, use, built vs. open ratio, space character etc. namely – large impregnable voids (industrial estates), small insignificant patches, high density areas (slums), inherently structured and lost spaces (open spaces). The design attempts to structure the fragments through strategies of densification (redevelopment), network of movement, system of open spaces and appropriate accessibility. The major principles applied here for structuring are – continuity (visual and spatial), linkages, extension of an existing structure of uses and density, point overlap or stitching through multi use open spaces, seam like network of spaces and programs connecting high density fragments and patch like development of smaller fragments. The project is an attempt to provide a structure for transformation of existing areas and also to set guidelines for the future development of the site and city considered.

Keywords

Urban Fragmentation; isolation; characterisation; structuring; diffusing; integrating

The present scenario of suburbanization and gentrification has lead to a sudden expansion of cities to meet the demands of newer world views. The process has lead to fragmented growth of cities both spatially and experientially. The problem therefore is creation of isolated and detached urban fragments creating a dispersed urban scape.

The intent of this project was to bring about a structure within these fragments by diffusing, wedging and integrating existing fragments at strategic locations. The intent is achieved by characterization of the fragments on basis of density, use, built vs. open ratio, space character etc. namely – large impregnable voids (industrial estates), small insignificant patches, high density areas (slums), inherently structured and lost spaces (open spaces).

Concept of Urban Fragmentation

Term Fragmentation can be defined on the following basis:

· A process or action of breaking or separating into parts which form new individual units

· As a state of being fragmented

With respect to urban fabric and cities the fragmentation is understood in the following manner:

· As a generating process or a way of operating in the city

· A spatial phenomenon or state

· As urban experience or way of perceiving the city

Urban fragments

“One of the main lessons of the past two decades is that economic composition of places seems

to have become less and less permanent.”

(Harvey, 1989).

Urban fragments here define spaces or collection of spaces within the city which may either be

isolated from their neighboring unit or might be interdependent on definite terms and activities.

An Urban fragment might be a result of the historical pattern, economic systems, natural systems or spatial arrangement.

City of fragments 

Fragmentation may at times be a pessimistic vision of contemporary cities depicting them as

socially and spatially fragmented. But the idea is to rather be more optimistic in deciding that

what process or which fragment adds to the urban experience.

“Cities now are primarily understood as either collection of “urban fragments” that enhance the

“diverse” & “fragmentary urban experience” or as “inter related nodes” that bypasses

“unconnected fragmented areas”. Any city with such fragments ceases to be conceptualized as a

whole.” 

Kozak, Daniel, World Cities & Urban Form: Fragmented, Polycentric, Sustainable?, Assessing Urban

Fragmentation: The emergence of new Typologies in Central Buenos Aires, Ed.Mike Jenks, Daniel Kizak &

Pataranan Takkanon

Overview - Theory of Fragmentation 

Method - Characterizing Fragments 

Urban fragments are a result of a process and cannot be reversed. But completely isolated

fragments do not add to an urban fabric rather create a broken urban scape. A basic structuring

through strategic stitching of these can maintain the variation yet the continuity of experience

and character.

To validate the fragments existence and functioning, the site chosen was studied and the

following observations were made: The site (Thane Maharashtra) considered has distinct fragments which can be characterized on the basis of the following:

Density; Built Vs. Open; Usage; Texture; Accessibility; Movement Network; Porosity of fabric

The metropolises today are experiencing rapid change and very little consideration has been given on the character and structure of the surrounding agglomerations. It’s here that urban fragmentation is witnessed not only in the existing areas which are transforming at a high rate but also in new additions which do not directly comply with the surroundings. The idea is not to disagree with fragmentation but rather to achieve a suitable correlation between fragments. Some fragments are bound to be isolated at present and do not necessarily need to interact with their contiguous areas but in such cases it becomes solemnly important to at least envision an appropriate transformation of such parcels as they will apparently need to be a part of a living city.

The project has been a mere attempt to understand the phenomenon of fragmentation and address it with appropriate design strategies as it’s a pressing issue of expanding cities all over the world. There have been no biases towards the process and existence of urban fragments. Fragments cannot be certified as “good” or “bad”, it’s the correlation between them that makes them valid and a boon for gaining an urban character. There cannot be a single verdict about the aptness of urban fragmentation; it’s a result of a process of city building and expansion which can be only directed in the right direction for the future.

About author:

Radhika Mathur, is an architect and urban designer, presently working with an Urban Design Cell in Mumbai. It was her fascination with the city and its processes which lead to the following research. In practice too shes trying to make a niche for the profession by working with the implementing agencies and convincing them about the role urban design can play in shaping the future of our (read Indian) cities.

This article is edited version to suit the space on blog. For complete article readers can contact author  on radhika.mthr@gmail.com

Spatial Role Of Glass: Effect Of Glass In Interior Spaces Of Indian Palaces

 This article is an award winning article entry for Glazzete Magazine. SALT would like to extend hearty congratulations to Richa Gupta(Author) for this success.

As of now we are publishing abstract of the article and hope to publish complete article soon.



Glass as a building material through the ages.A History

Architectural background reveals a long period of evolution of glass as a material that catered not only the physical need of enclosure and surface in a space but also imparted visual and spatial experience to it.

It made it possible to erect transparent, open and seemingly weightless buildings and appreciate both the inside and the outside simultaneously by staying in the same place. Traditionally light was introduced in the interior spaces, through openings in solid walls and roof. But with the introduction of glass, light gained a spatial role of dematerialization, taking away solidity of the structure, and dissolving the surfaces through transparent panels and shimmering mosaics. Thus, the dematerialization of architectural spaces engaged both structure and surface, and was physical, spiritual and symbolic.

The dematerialization of architecture for spiritually symbolic reasons was most prominent in the Gothic period, through the Scholastics’ revival of the Greek metaphysics of light.

Transparency is the vital property that gives important character to glass for its diverse performance. The evolution of glass also saw in architecture the development of the word ‘Transparency’ in theoretic terms. Transparency has come to signify more than what is physically non-opaque or able to allow movement of light through it. The word transparency has taken its role in the description of architectural form, as a tool in design, and as an objective method for analyzing architectural layouts. Thus, glass also found its correlation with the form and function of a space.

Glass along with controlling the physical qualities of an interior space also proved to be an expressive, artistic tool which goes beyond the practical demands of daily life. The understanding of two differential aspects calls for an account of how this material became incorporated within the architectural theory and practice, or in words of architect Bruno Taut, how it became endowed with “architectonic quality”, as the ‘The historical accounts, written mostly in the pragmatic framework of technological development assume a consistent linear development in the use of glass and disregard the diversity of interpretations.’[1]

Bruno Taut said, “If we want our culture to rise to a higher level, we are obligated for better or for worse, to change our architecture. And this only becomes possible if we take away the closed character from the rooms in which we live. We can only do that by introducing glass architecture, which lets in the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars.

But if we look towards the Indian context, concept of openness and visual connection to outside can be introduced with regulated flow of light inside the spaces as there is an important requirement to cut down the glare. In the present scenario, where use of glass is inevitable in all building typologies, there is a wide possibility of assimilating the constructional materiality and artistic expression with modern life conditions.

With this premise this study attempts to understand the spatial transformation that glass imparts and find its appropriateness in present context which is important for a versatile material like glass.




[1] Ersoy Ufuk, ‘Seeing through glass: The fictive role of glass in shaping architecture from Joseph Paxton's "Crystal Palace" to Bruno Taut's "Glashaus’, arq (Vol 11), 2007. This dissertation concentrates on the metaphors that Taut and Paxton employed in order to solve the theoretical riddle between this mass-produced material and architectural principles. Deciphering these metaphors, the dissertation reveals that, far from displaying a structural truth, glass appealed to Paxton and Taut by virtue of its fictive attributes.

About Author :

Richa Gupta is a student of  Masters Programme of Interior Achitecture and Design in  CEPT University, Ahmedabad.

Link to article on Glazzete magazine:
http://www.glazette.com/24-spatial-role-of-glass-effect-of-glass-in-interior-spaces-of-indian-palaces.html

"Idea of Blog"

In an ‘Ashram’ on one chilling winter evening, guruji(Preacher) explained his shishyas (pupils) about Sharstraarth(learning through discussion and critiques). Few students seemed dissatisfied with the explanations and logics given by the guruji. Guruji understood it and asked one of seemingly unsatisfied shishya to bring the most shining and brightest burning coal from fireplace and put it next to him. The shishyadid exactly as asked. Guruji kept on discussing and after some time layer of ashes deposited on the shining and bright burning coal next to guruji. Pointing to that piece of coal guruji asked the same shishya “where is that shine, fire and beauty of this coal gone while ones in the fireplace are still shining and burning”. Student replied, “Fire and beauty of coals in fireplace is intact because of others”. Guruji smiled and replied, “if you wish to retain fire inside you, be in company of man with fire and one of the process retain this fire is Sharstraarth”.

We propose, acquiring knowledge can be defined as a system. A system of ‘constants’ and ‘variable. Here we refer ‘Constant’ to ‘set of knowledge’ which one possess and ‘variable’ to ‘set of inquires’ or questions which one has. Values of both sets are independent as well as interdependent. ‘Constant’ is the base which projects some values to ‘variable’. On this platform our search is in exploring values of the ‘variables’ on basis of our current ‘constants’, these values can convert variable to constant and vice-versa. This exploration adds to both sets of ‘Constants’ and ‘Variables’. We strongly believe that this system holds the second law of thermodynamics and will find its stability in ‘entropy’. By entropy, I mean the knowledge of various aspect and dimensions, which deconstruct single opinion on issue and these opinions, change as per situations.

Architects as thinkers contribute to forces, which shape our physical world. Here idea is to identify, explore and review forces, which shape our already shaped ideas or us. Here we do not intend to win debate but to come on terms with various igniting thoughts. Purpose here is neither to neutralize or nullify nor to prove opinion but to understand hidden logic of variety of opinions. We do not intend to conclude but express and initiate a platform as proposed above.

* this post was in 'Introduction' of 'SALT' which is removed 'on suggestion'.

Narratives in Interior Architecture- Stone Crafts a Narrative Medium

Narratives in Interior Architecture

Stone Crafts a Narrative Medium

By: Smriti Saraswat

Currently pursuing Masters in Interior Architecture & Design (MIAD)

Abstract:

“People don’t see the world before their eyes until it’s put in a narrative mode.”

-       Palma, Brian De quoted in Harrison, Eric. “De Palma”, Los Angeles Times, Calendar Section, 2 August 1998, p.30, quoted in Abott, H.Porter. “Cambridge Introduction to Narrative”, Univ. Press, Cambridge, U.K., 2002, p.6

I was always interested in finding out relationship between Interior Architecture and narratives (as a communicative system). I thought what better way than Stone Crafts to be chosen as a tool for exploring narratives in Interior Architecture.

Stone Crafts for a long time now have enhanced the value and the language of Interior Architecture. Carvings, motifs, arrangement of patterns, recurrent patterns; all of these, can be considered as narratives. Narrative simply means saying something or to construct the meaning of something, through the act of telling. It originates from the Latin word, ‘narro’, which essentially means ‘to tell’. Every stone is a piece of communication, and can be like a word. Stone Craft has an inherent possibility of being integral to the grammar of the structure, forming a discourse, and structuring/creating a narrative, just like human language.

“The first monuments were simple masses of rock, "which the iron had not touched", as Moses says. Architecture began like all writing. It was first an alphabet. Men planted a stone upright, it was a letter, and each letter was a hieroglyph, and upon each hieroglyph rested a group of ideas, like the capital on the column. This is what the earliest races did everywhere, at the same moment, on the surface of the entire world.”

-       Hugo, Victor. “This will kill that” in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, Volume I, Book V, Ch. II

Hierarchy in elements within a formal pattern, presence as well as absence of any element, are all aspects and techniques that create a narrative. Functionality of the construction of stone crafts itself can be a narrative.  

This is a brief about what I am attempting in my thesis. But, to be precise, this small movie is simply about the base work which would sort of explain the initial spark that set this research on fire. It does not talk about the particular case studied, investigative roadmaps and the analysis.

BIONIC ARCHITECTURE- exploring new realms through nature

Initially titled ‘Looking into the future’, which sounded too rhetorical, this paper was an attempt to understand the new theoretical standpoints in architecture. Right from Vitruvius to Serlio, and F.L.Wright (not including the list of architectural theorists) we are aware of architectural theories, and interestingly the inclusion of nature and its ‘symbiotic’ relationship with architecture has been immense. The new architectural paradigm and most talked about is ‘energy and sustainability’. Architectural theories have gone through vast changes and this new paradigm needs to be firstly understood and then probable dissection of things can happen to further analysis these kinds of theoretical standpoints which relate architecture to energy and sustainability through nature. Hence we see a shift in the kind of architectural theories, and the future in architecture is hung with ideas of BIONIC ARCHITECTURE, BIO MIMICRY and etc ( mentioning only to give a fair idea of what is coming up).

note: this is not the full paper (due to word restriction) so in case any doubts please do let know the author obliges for any inconvenience.

What does representation mean in terms of architecture? For me, it is architecture’s physical or carnal quality or to put in another way, the labyrinthine quality of the body. I am reminded of the etching of the imaginary prisons by Piranesi entitled carceri. Their overwhelming power and extraordinary power of sense of space have long remained vivid in my memory. The oneiric and fictional prison of Piranesi, so like the trick pictures of Escher, is precisely what I imagine the maze of the body to be. TADAO ANDO.

Introduction: Nature has always been an inspiration for designers. Through advancements in science and technology; humans have challenged their own intelligence to go as far as possible in building technologies and achieved quite a feat. Architects through decades have been trying to imitate natural forms in built-forms. Bionics is one of the most advanced methodologies in this genre and is now been considered widely.

Bionics is a science of imitating biological (living) forms in the construction of mechanical and technical devices. Bionic architecture is process in design and construction of built-forms whose lines and layouts are borrowed from biological forms present in nature. These designs are in a way an opposition to the regular and rigid rectangular design layouts, in other terms relying more on curved forms of nature and the concept of fractal mathematics. This idea has not only been restricted to the form of the building but to the actual natural processes that living forms undergoes in its life cycle. A new perspective needs to be adopted, so that sustainability can be given a new ground to think on and a whole new dimension needs to be discovered.

From organic architecture to bionic architecture:

“I bring you a new declaration of independence ... an organic architecture means more or less an organic society. Organic ideals of integral building reject rules imposed by exterior aestheticism or mere taste, and so would the people to whom such architecture would belong reject such external impositions upon life as were not in accord with the nature and character of the man who had found his work and the place where he could be happy and useful because of it... beauty seems to have made no sense long at any time. I believe the time has come when beauty must make sense for our time at least... in this modern era art , science , religion – these 3 will unite and be one, unity achieved with organic architecture as center”.[1]

These are some of the apocalyptic phrases in Frank Lloyd Wright’s message to the British architects in 1939. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright not only coined this term but he also had certain fixed set rules and one could not merely ‘bend steel into a flower and call it organic’. According to him organic architecture was the structure like an organism that grows in accord with the law of its own individual existence, with its own specific order in harmony with its own functions and with its environment, like a plant or any other living organism. There was a specific search for a particularity and not just randomly one could buildings with curves as organic.

This was probably the 1^st step towards the ‘imitation of natural forms’. But this was bounded with certain criteria’s. What followed was a chaos. A chaos so pre-determined because the idea of such architecture was both accepted and opposed. Where some people thought it was just an outlook to break away from the regular ideas of design, some saw it as an opportunity to move forward, but again it was restricted to design of spaces and the sustainability was not the criteria for such a movement.

Nature & technology:

Nature and technology are one to the mutual benefits of both and natural processes are integral with public consciousness. Technology is meant to make nature “subservient” to be exploited to create an unnecessary consumer need[2]. If nature has built, tested and perfected architectural structures for more than 5 billion years then what could our human –made structures and environment look like if we directly applied this knowledge from nature? What would nature produce if we had to design structures for human beings? If we can assimilate the wisdom of nature’s architecture and apply this wisdom t human-made architecture then would we benefit from this synthesis?

“No human being can deny that the study of nature has made them closer to an unknown and fascinating universe and that things have been profoundly changed by the study. To create as nature creates is to fulfil the birth right of human intelligence and dignity”.[3]

Architecture inspired from nature would definitely mean that a particular built-form would be able to give what nature is giving. Bionic architecture is an attempt to create what nature has created in terms of built-forms. And the process does not stop only there, it has been tried and tested out in various other fields like bio-technology. The idea is to extract the right ingredient from nature to make ‘something’ more adaptable like nature and more flexible. Again one cannot deny the fact that everything that exists in nature decays, but with a certain time line, so it needs to be understood that a building would have its own life cycle, probably through this it would be much more sensitive towards the environment. Architects have been trying out various methods to make a built-form more sustainable. Incorporating new technologies like use of photovoltaic cells and panels have increased in the recent years. But would that make a building ‘sustainable’. It would definitely reduce the amount of load on a building but the question here is on a larger perspective, if one needs to understand the concept of ‘energy and sustainability’.

Everything that exists has structure. Nature has the ability to provide a structure for every element it creates and evolves. Everything has to be adequate and appropriate for its purpose to survive and thrive. It s similar in case of architecture, where the built-forms need to act like a living organism, to understand to react to climatic conditions, adapting to the changing environment and the surrounding environment it evolves in. The question is “can nature teach us to emulate the same processes creating the same flexible behaviour in man-made materials”? According to research a single orchid flower contains more variety and flexibility of structural actions than the most remarkable buildings. [4] The processes of nature is what one would like to understand and incorporate in a building system, then probably a new perception, a new perspective would develop in terms of sustainability. The whole new dimension would perhaps change the lines and layout in which a building design is done. Architects have been trying out methods where nature could be dealt in a way where the building is given more depth. Mere imitation of forms from nature would only mean that it s restricted to a level of aesthetics. “Nature forms patterns. Some are orderly in space but disorderly in time. Some patterns are fractal, exhibiting structures self-similar in scale. Others give rise to steady states and oscillating one…[5]” For example most of the spirals in nature which are termed as gnomonic growth patterns are a result of a progression known as fibonnaci series.

Bionic provides a platform for this learning through and from nature. Form imitation from nature is probably the easiest way in this scenario. However buildings at this level do not aspire to any greater environmental responsibility. It is extremely important to understand the relation between the environment and the building, unless being sensitive towards it; it would not be possible to achieve a balance between the two. Again there should be no compromise in the aesthetic part of the building, and designers should not lose that ‘artistic’ touch in a building design. For example trees are another structural miracle. They collect solar energy using molecular devices, the photosynthetic reaction centres of chloroplasts, and that use of energy to drive molecular machines, which process carbon dioxide and water into the oxygen and molecular building bock that form the whole plant.[6]

Bionics is concerned with the systematic technical implementation and application of the construction, processes and principles of biological systems. For e.g. it s like developing a prototype which is based on nature’s law responding with nature , towards nature and most importantly getting sucked into it as a whole, not making it seem new to the environment yet sustaining in the system. It could call as a system within the system. The concept of bionics could also be based on instrumental approach, making form and function less of a dualism and more of a synergy that aspires to integral design solutions and an alternative model for sustainability. The basic fundamental would always remain constant. What one should be concerned is that nature gives examples of structures created with minimum energy consumption and maximum environmental compatibility. The idea of ‘self-assembly’ comes into the picture, where actually like in nature how an organism assembles ‘itself’ through cell structures, a building is imagined in much more simple way. Like a living body, a building could be broken down in a much simpler way. This is referred as ‘bottom-up’ technique.[7]

The idea of bionics relies on the mapping of biological forms and understanding the structure within them. The concept is simple, involving the mapping down of the entire structural system of a living organism and then a thorough understanding of their forms in the environment they live. But then how does it help architects to design buildings which would be sustainable? The idea here is to imitate living organisms and not their forms only. The details need to be understood in a different perspective altogether. In architecture design if one understands the processes of nature and would directly or indirectly apply this technique in built-forms then it would make much more sensibility.

Architecture today needs sustainable solutions to cope with the existing environment. Growing industries, mass-production, over-population to name a few are now an integral part of a built-environment. In the sense we cannot detach a building just for the sake of aesthetics and forget about the facts. High-tech technologies are incorporated in the building system making it a more complex affair.

Bionic architecture is a feat of hyper-technology. It is the highest and most advanced in terms of architectural design because it takes into account all the various natural forces and human concerns in a way that is ecologically and humanly productive. An evolutionary approach towards design of buildings which allows one to apply principles that have developed in nature over great span of time without reference to past and present stylistic aesthetics. It’s actually a cross-breed between architects and biologist where the first is concerned with spaces and making a building more efficient in terms of use of minimum energy, the latter is trying to find out ways through nature. The fusion of both is what makes ‘bionic’ more interesting and creates an urge of curiosity to understand the various complexities involved. Every species evolved in nature has the ability to sustain and create a mechanism to stay in the eco-system. A designer’s ability to give such attributes to a built-form and or create such an envelope is in itself a challenge to explore limits in design.

Bionic architecture is concerned more with the idea of incorporating the various systems found in a living organism to cope up with the environment, against climate and various others factors. This would be the ‘post-occupancy’ factor in a living organism. Once a living organism has undergone various processes, it s capable of producing a type of mechanism which would avoid things that would affect it. It s the nature which then test, and if an organism survives it s sustainable towards the environment and the two (energy & sustainability) come together when minimum energy is used, thus the two act in synergy.

Architecture is the strongest form of representation in the physical world. So visually appealing and dominating that one cannot deny its presence. Bionic architecture may be one of the ways of environmental architecture. It may be even called as ‘a new evolution’ in architecture. With such complexities being tried to achieve it becomes important to know that how far human intelligence should go far. The complex and unpredictable interaction between different aspects of nature and built-form would always remain, where nature would always have an advantage. Nature has the power to actually flex itself in different ways to cope up with nature itself. It would be very complex issue as to how that could be achieved in architecture[8]?

Conclusion:

In recent times architecture and nature have been together in different ways. This duality in response to the environment has brought changes. Changes so wide, that there have been considerable thoughts on how architecture and the idea of sustainability & energy need to be looked on together. A new humanity is what one s looking for, bionic may not provide 100% solution but it certainly provides a big platform for this type of ideology where nature meets nature in a more matured way. The fusion of technology, material expression, and aesthetics would actually create an exploration and open ways to think more maturely. We need to look back, but not for imitation but in terms of traditions and culture value which have changed in a way to fit in today’s context. Bionic has helped in parametric designs and further explorations are done. It s change so small but on cannot deny the fact that this change is needed. The post industrial phase would be looking and hoping on new technologies which would take this conquest further and not let it down by just making it another movement. What we need to ask is what would be the grounds for objecting if the environmental case were answered democratically and desired?

[1] Hagan,Susannah. “Taking shape-a new contract between architecture & nature”.architectural press.2001.pg141.

[2] F.l.wright , towards organic architecture. Pg 27.faber and faber lmtd.

[3] Tsui,Eugene. “evolutionary architecture-nature as basis for design”. John wily sons. NY Canada.1999.

[4] Ibid.pg.26

[6] Ibid.pg 65

[7] Gleick, james. “chaos-making new science, penguin, London.pg.308.

[8] Thorne,Robert. “towards a social architecture”.. Thames & Hudson. 1987. pg.32

.

References

1. Ramaswamy, sakthivel. “Bio mimicry – an analysis of contemporary bio mimetic

Approaches”. Published thesis, CEPT University. 2007.

2. Gleick, James. “Chaos – a making of a new science”. Penguin publications. London.

3. Tsui, Eugene. “Evolutionary architecture – nature as a basis for design”. John wily & sons.

NY, Canada. 1999.

4. Hagan, Susannah. “Taking shape‐a new contract between architecture & nature”.

Architectural press. 2001.

5. Wright, F.L. “Towards an organic architecture”. Faber & Faber publications.

6. Thorne, Robert. “Towards a social structure”. Thames & Hudson. 1987

7. Wikipedia.org. “self-assembly”