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ARC 2224 Theories of Architecture and Urbanism

Project One Part Two

Analyzing and Theorizing Architecture

Tan Jia- Qi 0310107

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Contents Page

1.0 Introduction 3

2.0 Analyzing and Theorizing Setia City Convention Centre

2.1 Diversity of Usage 5

2.2 Spatial Planning and Circulation 9

2.3 Parks and Open Space 12

3.0 Conclusion 15

4.0 Reference 16

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1.0 Introduction

Published in 1961, The Death and Life of Great American Cities is a book written by

Jane Jacobs on urban planning and cities. Despite having no professional training as a city

planner, Jane Jacobs critiqued the urban renewal policies by urban planners in the 1950s and

wrote based on her own observations about cities as she was either living in or frequently made

trips to the cities mentioned in the book. (Project for Public Spaces, 2012) Divided into four parts,

the book studied about the way cities work, discussed and recommended factors and strategies

that affect the city performance.

In the first part of the book The Peculiar Natures of Cities, Jacobs introduced her idea

of sidewalk safety and contact, which emphasizes on the need for users and eyes to ensure

the safety and security of the sidewalks. According to her, the local public on streets acts as

eyes, with mutual trust and responsibilities built in a neighborhood over time, these pedestrians

and public who watches the flow of people strengthen and give a sense of security when these

sidewalks are occupied with people. In the next part of the book, Jane Jacobs explains the

factors that build up a lively city, which are the need for mixed primary uses, short blocks, aged

buildings and sufficient concentration of people. While mixed primary used spaces ensure

presence of people at different times of the day, short blocks provide different options of path

which enhances the social and economic development of a particular area. Besides that,

buildings at varying ages accommodate different people and concentration of people promotes

healthier city life. In the second half of the book Jane Jacobs also discussed about the forces

that cause decline and regeneration in city cycles, such as population instability, effects of

massive single elements or self-destructive diversity when the area is popular with one

particular use that brings good profit. Last but not least, Jacobs also recommended effective

ways to improve city performance. Some of the tactics suggested by her are subsidized

dwellings and reduction of the usage of automobiles that causes erosion. She then concluded

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the book by saying that cities are organized but also complex at the same time and proper

planning is significant in allowing cities to work better. (Jacobs, 1961)

Besides the theory, the chosen building to be analyzed for this project is the Setia City

Convention Centre. Located in Setia Alam, the convention centre is one of the strategic

alternative destination in Selangor that cater to Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition

(MICE) activities which is an important part of the tourism and economy development in the

country. Built on a four hectare plot of land, the convention centre was designed as a two

stories high single mass building with a large landscaped open space. The arrangement of the

facilities is straightforward as the ground floor consists of 3 halls that could be merged into a

grand ballroom and the first floor has eight smaller rooms for different functions. Besides that,

activities and events are sometimes held at the other outdoor venues in front of the building.

Overall, the Setia City Convention Centre provides a great variety of facilities and venues for

events and is an important part of the whole Setia City development for the impact it brings in

terms of social and economy. (Archinesia, 2014)

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2.1 Diversity of Usage

According to Jane Jacobs theory, it is important to integrate different primary uses in a

district or a building to make sure there is presence of people at different times of the day.

Primary uses are defined as activities or functions that induce people to spend time in that

particular area, such as residences, businesses, public facilities like park and libraries. By

having mixed primary uses, it improves the liveliness of the city and avoids the zone or area to

be underused which can cause some safety issues. (Jacobs, 1961) As a district, Setia Alam

quite successfully demonstrated how mixed primary uses allowed the area to be vibrant and

balanced with different types of activities.

In terms of a small scale building, Setia City Convention Centre itself provides venue

and facilities for a variety of functions and events. The ballrooms on the ground floor each

houses up to 780 people and approximately 2600 people when they are combined into a grand

ballroom. Besides that, these ballrooms also have the ability of serving different functions such

as banquet hall, event hall, theatre, or even as a lecture hall. Other than that, the pre-function

foyer in front of the ballrooms which serves as the welcoming reception can also host up to

1000 users. Due to the number of people and the types and scale of event that these ballrooms

cater for, the ground floor of the building is often effortlessly occupied with a large amount

people whenever there is an event. (Setia City Convention Centre, 2015)

2.1 (a) Ballrooms on ground floor merged into different sizes (Author, 2015)

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2.1 (b) Openable partition walls (Setia City Convention Centre, 2015)

2.1 (c) Ballroom in banquet setting (Setia City Convention Centre, 2015)

2.1 (d) Ballroom used as exhibition hall (The Star, 2014)

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As for the 8 function rooms on the first floor, the seating capacities are ranging from 20

to 90 persons depending on the sizes of the room. Moreover, like the ballrooms on the ground

floor, the smaller rooms can also be combined to suit different functions if a larger space is

required. In terms of functions, this room can be rented as a theatre, classrooms, small banquet

rooms or even as a meeting room. By having different room sizes from the halls on the ground

floor, the first floor provides more options of venues for users and opens up more opportunity for

the building to be occupied. Besides the indoor venues, the large landscaped garden in front of

the building are also perfect for huge gathering events or outdoor activities such as concerts,

carnivals, and sports events.

2.1 (e) Mergeable function rooms on first floor (Author, 2015)

2.1(f)(g) Function room in Theatre Setting and Classroom Setting (Setia City Convention Centre, 2015)

2.1(h)(i) Banquet and Meeting Room Setting (Setia City Convention Centre, 2015)

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While Setia City Convention Centre has the ability to cater for a great variety of functions

and events, there could still be room for improvement in terms of activities that allow the building

to be occupied at different times. This is because events such as conventions, fairs and

carnivals do not occur daily and the building is often left unoccupied during the rest of the time.

To apply Jane Jacobs theory of mixed primary use to this building, different usages can be

proposed to allow the building to be more frequently used. One possible way is to open up

rental of the hall as a sports hall at night during non-peak period. By doing so, the flow of people

into the building is ensured even during non-peak hours at night. With the building occupied, it

also unintentionally strengthens the passive security as mentioned by Jane Jacobs. Other than

that, the smaller function rooms on the first floor could also possibly be used as a workshop

where educational activities are held. This might help to make the most of the building and bring

more variety of activities and benefits to the users at the same time.

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2.2 Spatial Planning and Circulation

In terms of the spatial planning of interior spaces, the building has a linear layout where

the ballrooms and function rooms are arranged adjacently. This linear approach of spatial

arrangement also formed a corridor as the circulation space in front the halls and rooms.

According to Jane Jacobs (1961), the zoning and arrangement of spaces also play a big role in

affecting the efficiency of a district. She further explained that shorter blocks provide

opportunities to turn corners and offer an alternate path for users to get to their destinations.

Besides that, shorter blocks create more intersecting spots which are ideal for businesses. If

such theory is applied to Setia City Convention Centre, there will be effects on the efficiency or

the effectiveness of the spaces.

2.2 (a) Short Blocks provide opportunities to turn corners and offer an alternate path (Jacobs, 1961)

2.2 (b) Spatial Arrangement on Ground Floor and First Floor (Author, 2015)

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Supposing that the theory of short blocks is applied to the convention centre, the halls

and function rooms are to be separated with circulation spaces in between. With these small

corridors created, extra exits could be created for the halls and function rooms. These corridors

provide more circulation options for the users which is the result intended by Jane Jacobs.

However, before deciding if the theory is suitable to be applied to a small scale building, the

necessity of extra pathways and corner spaces needs to be considered. The original plan of the

convention centre is designed with the flexibility to be merged or separated depending on the

event and its required space. With Jane Jacobs theory applied, such flexibility will be taken

away and therefore limiting the type of activities and events that these halls could cater for.

2.2 (c) Comparisons of Original and Amended Circulation Paths on Ground Floor (Author, 2015)

2.2 (d) Comparisons of Original and Amended Circulation Paths on First Floor (Author, 2015)

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Moreover, as a convention centre, intersecting points of circulation are not exactly

required as they only bring little impact unlike in districts where corner lots are often considered

as ideal spot for businesses. In fact, the extra corridors and circulation areas could be

considered as a waste of space when they could be utilized as profitable functional spaces

instead. Besides that, in the original plan, two to three exits are provided for each hall before

merging which is considered sufficient for the users to enter or exit. Furthermore, the toilets and

facilities are located at both ends of the building. With the zoning of facilities so spread out, even

if more exits are provided at the side of halls, the new circulation paths would be longer than the

original path provided to reach both ends of the hall. Once again, this proves that the extra

circulation might not be necessary and that they could be considered as a waste of space. For

the reasons mentioned above, the theory of short blocks, streets and corners by Jane Jacobs

might not be ideal to be applied for small scale spatial planning, especially in the case of a plan

with a linear layout.

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2.3 Parks and Open Space

Generally, Jane Jacobs acknowledged that parks are good for communities and agreed

that the overall existing parks in the past brought positive impact to the neighborhood. However,

if parks are not designed properly, it can bring threats and safety issues to the surrounding as

well. She further explained that an unoccupied park is both dangerous and boring, therefore

people would not want to visit poorly designed parks. When the situation snowballs, the park

eventually becomes unused and empty which could possibly end up as a liability to the

community as a spot for crimes. She then recommended a few ways to create a good park,

which are intricacy, centering, sunlight, and diversity in types of surrounding buildings. (Jacobs,

1961)

In Setia City Convention Centre, the landscaped open space in front of the building does

not only serve as a park, it also functions as an outdoor event area. Divided into the event lawn

and oval lawn, the park cater to a variety of outdoor events such as kite flying, picnics,

recreational sports, concert and so on. (Setia City Convention Centre, 2015) This responds to

the first factor mentioned by Jane Jacobs, which is to stimulate a variety of uses and repeat

users. The second and third point, which is the need of a center and exposure to sunlight, could

be observed from the oval lawn in the middle of the lake that connects to the rest of the parks

with bridges. By having an open space so grand and significant in terms of scale and location, it

creates a climax and a center for the park experience which draws people in. Other than the

convention centre, the park is also located adjacent to Setia City Mall and around a 5 minute

walk away from the residential areas, and that relates to the last point, that is the diversity of

buildings surrounding the park. Different building types brings in people for different reasons

who end up using the park for a variety of purposes, which once again stimulate variety of uses

or bring in repeat users.

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2.3 (a) The park and its neighbouring buildings (Author, 2015)

2.4 (b)(c) Past events such as concerts and pet fiestas were held outdoors. (Setia City Convention Centre, 2015)

Besides that, Jane Jacobs also mentioned about the sizes of park and its effect. She

further explained that small parks can benefit a neighborhood by making it livelier, but they must

fit their context. In contrast, out of place or excessively huge parks interrupts the continuity of

street life and can be hard to control in terms of security and safety issues. In terms of scale and

size in relation to the convention centre, the park does seem huge, but with the shopping centre

and residences around sharing the same park, it could be justified as reasonable as it needs to

cater for a large amount of people. Moreover, the convention centre also holds massive events

at the park when an open space is required for the activities. For example, carnivals and fairs

like Pet Fiesta was held at the oval lawn in the past where open spaces are needed for

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performances and for pets to move around. Once again, this further justified the need for the

convention centre to have such a huge park or open area. In terms of security, the park is

visible from both the shopping mall and the convention centre, therefore it is safe to say that the

park is constantly being watched and there is a certain level of passive security to ensure the

safety of the users. Besides that, the park was designed as an extremely open space, with

nothing obstructing the views to the spaces, it is less likely for crime to happen.

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3.0 Conclusion

In conclusion, as the theories from the book by Jane Jacobs were originally written for

urban planning, some of the theories were not applicable to small scale buildings such as Setia

City Convention Centre. In terms of spatial planning, Jane Jacobs short block theory worked

well in the scale of a city as these extra corner lots are perfect for businesses. However, in the

scale of a building, the extra pathways and intersection points from the theory is not necessary

and might even be considered as a waste of space. On the other hand, the rest of the theories

applied to Setia City Convention Centre are applicable and they bring benefits to the building.

Mixed primary use and parks in the building allows the building to be livelier and frequently

occupied, which also improved the buildings passive security.

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4.0 Reference List

1. Archicentre, (2015). Setia City Convention Centre. [online] Available at:

http://www.archicentre.com.my/work.php?id=6&projectid=46 [Accessed 12 June

2015]

2. Archinesia. (2014) Archicentre, Malaysia. Setia City Convention Centre, Selangor.

Retrieved June 12 2015 from

http://archicentre.com.my/userfiles/data/201501/ARCHINESIA_6_-

_ArchiCentre_SCCC.pdf

3. Jacobs, J. (1961), The Death and Life of Great American Cities, New York:

Vintage Books.

4. WNYC, (2012). Jane Jacobs Defends Urbanism in 1960s New York City

Planning. [online] Available at: http://www.wnyc.org/story/192689-jane-jacobs/

[Accessed 10 June 2015]

5. Project for Public Spaces, (2012). Jane Jacobs Project for Public Spaces.

[online] Available at: http://www.pps.org/reference/jjacobs-2/ [Accessed 12 June

2015]

6. The Manhattan Institutes Center for Rethinking Development, (2007). Four Jane

Jacobs Ideas that Should Have Made a Difference. Retrieved June 13 2015 from

http://www.manhattan-institute.org/email/crd_newsletter09-07.html

7. Setia City Convention Centre, (2015). Setia City Convention Centre. [online]

Available at: http://www.setiacitycc.com/ [Accessed 10 June 2015]