11th EAEA Envisioning Architecture: Design, Evaluation, Communication Conference in 2013

Track 2 | Experiential Simulation | The sensory perception of the built environment

Taming Sari’s virtual living-street museum

Rashidah Ab. Rahman, Mohd. Saufi Zakaria, Nur Amzar Mhd Noor, Nik Mohd Faizal Nik Yaakob, Ahmad Faizal Kamaruddin, Fatimah Norain Ismail, Farah Hanna Ahmad Fuad

Keywords: heritage; conservation; urban development; virtual; street-museum

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates Track 2 - ‘Experiential Simulation’ within the context of architectural heritage and urban development. The issue is about incorporating the past whilst building for the future. The project thus explores an option to integrate sensorial aspects in the design process. Typically the design process refers to the stage of design before the scheme is completed. In this investigation, an important component of the design process must continue into the post-completion period. The basis of argument is that the way users use the place and space informs the design process. This investigation is set at Jalan Taming Sari, Taiping. Taiping is a historical town, one of the oldest in Malaysia. It has recorded many firsts in its time. Parts of the town have now been included as a conservation zone. The drawback is that this is turning it into a sleepy-hollow. The intention of this project is to conserve the heritage and historical memories but allow for physical development to change the faces of the street. Since memory plays a huge and vital role in all visual thinking, capturing those historical memories into perceivable images become a primary concern. The proposition is to turn the stretch of Jalan Taming Sari into a Virtual Living Street-museum. Simultaneously, plans for new urban functions are also developed.
‘Visions’ of the past, present and future become the starting point to illustrate a subjective approach for urban design. These bring out the emotional reaction, evocation of memories and experiences, instinctive and continuous bodily habit of the street-users to relate to the street’s environment. Layering the past, present and future urban design schemes in this manner will benefit the local community and visitors. Besides, the value of the lay people to the success of the streets in the city has been proven. Whilst the new physical urban development will have direct impact on both groups, the memories of the past might have greater interest for the visitors. The past impression along the street is digitally modeled in 3D based on traces of remaining historical edifices. Similarly, future plans of development are envisioned for this street to boost its economy and enhance community live-ability. Tourists’ touch-bases are inserted in strategic pockets along the street as part of the modern plan. The tourists will use these touch-bases as registration point to download applications onto their smartphones that will also activate viewing sunglasses. The tourists’ smartphone will automatically detect the past (or future) imagery of the street complemented by relevant historical description of the building, related figures and events as the tourists move along Jalan Taming Sari. The whole street could be lived virtually either in the past conditions or in the future envisaged development. This project is still ongoing and what is presented in this paper is the conceptual framework. Nevertheless, the scheme has offered insights into how visualization from the past could be woven seamlessly into the future plans as a form of experiential architecture and urbanism.

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