LECTURE 13
ARTICLE READING
Based on your current design project on which you are working on. Discuss the characteristics of the project in regards of it having a “phenomenology of place”. How does your work illustrate a sense of being “place-based” or does it focus on “placelessness”.
During mid February we went to Balik Pulau which is the southwestern part of Penang. Balik Pulau is located far
form the hustle and bustle of city life., it took around one hour ride from the city. It is very well known for their
vegetation and agriculture, especially during durian season. I was attracted to the greenery of Balik Pulau,
having a big contrast from George Town, Penang.
Our project is to design a artist village, adaptive reuse the existing buildings and provide commercial area and
gallery.
I wanted to use architecture to enhance the appreciation of the natural landscaping qualities. Balik Pulau is
overwhelm and surround by nature, so my intervention is to blend the design into the landscape by the choice
of materials and the building placement and volume. Just like Relph mention in the article, he asserted that place-based design was being substituted by “placelessness,” a devastating result of uniformity, standardization and
globalization. I believe we should bring back placebased design, to connect and bringing out the characteristics of the landscape with architecture.
My first intention is not to demolish any site landscape, trees and the nature elements. So I start to think to design
with place bases instead of placelessness. I want the building represent and blend in with the environment itself.
So for the two existing buildings I extend it to the resounding trees and plants to create a new spaces. A tree
located near the workshop becoming a space for cafe. I want even when the artist or visitors using the space
will experience that Norburshulz described natural and constructed environments, together as a set of complex
and “concrete phenomena,” affect human perceptions, experiences, and emotions.
When the visitors enter the place they have to pass a walk way that fill with existing trees that using the nature to
lead them to the center. Also the floor materials is to use timber to the gallery, and for some places the walk way
use the stones that lead to the workshop. The idea is to use nature and material as a guidance form space to
space.
Even for the interior the workshop is fully glazed to allow for a fully daylight space for the artist to have enough
natural light penetrate into the work space. I design some walk way to the out door and even inside the building
there is views towards the surrounding landscape.
All in all, I think relationships with places are necessary, in order to achieve “the quality of being a place” or “the spirit of place”. For me design ‘place based’ is also to create a diverse and rich lived-in space that enriches experience and our lives. People will feel the design is meant for this place because there is no place anything like this place.
