URBAN DESIGN 1

(SPACE AND FORM)

ARCH 353

L4
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 Lecture 04

Introduction
To

Elements of
Urban Space

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 URBAN SPACE
urban spaces can be considered as two (2) generic types:

FORMAL or URBAN SPACES

INFORMAL or OPEN SPACES

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FORMAL or
URBAN SPACES
urban space must be distinguished
by predominant characteristics:

1. the quality of its

enclosure,
2. the quality of its
detailed treatment or out
fittings,
and
3. the activity that occurs
in it.
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An urban space should,
ideally, be enclosed by
surrounding walls, have a floor
which suits its purpose, and
have a distinct purpose to
serve.

urban spaces can be

linear corridors (spaces for
linear movement) - STREET
and
islands or oasis spaces
(stopping places) –
SQUARE/PLAZA

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 the nodal spaces as well as the corridor spaces all
together would form the

spatial network .

URBAN MASS
?
?

URBAN CORRIDOR OR STREET

ISLAND OR URBAN SQUARE OR PLAZA

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INFORMAL or
OPEN SPACES

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open spaces, being nature brought into
the city or open expanses allowed to
remain in their original state, cannot be
describes in quite the same manner
used for urban spaces.
the scale of open spaces are given by the
trees, shrubs, rocks, and ground surface
rather than their gross width and length.
They are also reservoirs of land for
future use.

In urban design the

amount of open space
in relation to the city's
built-up areas is an
important factor
along with location and quality.

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 FORMAL
or

URBAN
SPACES
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SQUARE / PLAZA (RESERVOIR OF SPACE)

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STREET (CHANNEL OF SPACE)

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FIELD/ PARK/ TANK (RESERVOIR OF SPACE)
In our context!

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…….. distance scale of human vision

People are no longer visible

80’/ 450’/ 4000’

Intimate scale.
Within this distance
we can still distinguish a human face.

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a fundamental requirement of urban space is

actual physical enclosure

or its strong articulation of urban mass.

Degree of enclosure :
sense of space
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URBAN
MASS
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the components of urban mass

Ground surface
(floor-scape),
Buildings,
Objects in space
(Trees, Statues, etc.)

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floor-scape as urban mass

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 FLOORSCAPE

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floor-scape as urban mass

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floor-scape as urban mass

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floor-scape as urban mass

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floor-scape as urban mass

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building as urban mass

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building as urban mass

BUILDING ENCLOSURE

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building as urban mass

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building as urban mass

our eyes
and light
conditions
govern the
way we
experience
masses.
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Dark object seen against
light backgrounds recede,
while light objects seen
against dark backgrounds
advance visually.

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Façade articulation can bring large
buildings down to human scale.

Every new building

should be treated as
a partner in the
whole scene.
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URBAN activity
& circulation

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urban spaces
appear dull and
lifeless, devoid of
human presence
and activity.

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Multiple-use or Mixed-
use is better than
Single-use.
But intensity of use does
not mean overcrowding.
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 thanks
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