Architecture Design Studio 6
Year 3 Trimester 3
Project: Urban Community Centre- REMINISCENCE of PUDU
Community centre functions as a place where people get to gather and interact with each other, having all sorts of social activities and occasions, thus, it plays an important role in the current urban society such as in Pudu.
The proposed site is located at Jalan Sayur, Pudu, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which has a strong cultural background and its own characteristics. The major group occupying the area is mostly Chinese, which forms a strong Chinese community since the olden days. Despite the fact that it used to be a very happening district that contains lots of memories and affections in the past, the poorly planned building arrangement and traffic, with the busy commercial activities lead to the current bad image and grab less attention from the locals and even tourists.
Jalan Sayur used to be a wet market, food stalls started gathered along the sides past noon and soon became today's night market. Now, Jalan Sayur is a popular food street to the locals that home more than 30 food stalls selling various delicacaies and has stood for more than half a century.
Site Analysis
Night market at Jalan Sayur selling local Chinese foods.
The design concept of this community centre is retrieved from the history of Pudu, which used to be a significant leisure place for the locals during the 70s, where the ancient cinemas playing monochrome screen martial arts and Hong Kong movies are blooming everywhere. This project was designed to retrace the nostalgic ambience of the old district, while inheriting the story of Pudu to the locals. An outdoor amphitheatre was provided in the community centre to bring back the culture of Pudu. The intention is to create a space where the locals can gather around to enjoy the old movies with their neighbours and family, meanwhile the visitors at the food street are also able to enjoy the shows as well. This culture can be conveyed to the younger generations which consequently help to revive the town activities and strengthen the bond of the Pudu community.
The food street in Jalan Sayur was preserved and became part of the community centre in order to remain the essence of Pudu activities. However, the food stalls were relocated to one side which allows more spaces for tables and seatings. Besides, homeless issue is getting viral in Pudu that mainly consists of the elderly group. As a result, a half-way home catering the elderly was designed in the community centre to provide a temporary shelter for them.
In order to respond to the original building typology in Pudu, the typical five-foot-way design of the old shop houses is introduced at the ground floor shops and cafeteria. The materials used are mainly fair faced bricks and raw finished cemented walls, as to match with the history of Pudu that used to be a brick supplier town in the olden days before it turns into the current commercial area.
Outdoor amphitheater playing 70s monochrome movie.
Amphitheater shaded by building and trees serves as recreational space during day time.
Steel stairs linking each floor and corridor with skylight.
Cafeteria with fair faced bricks interior and nostalgic furnitures overlooking Jalan Sayur.
Landscape view of urban farming from library.
Present by:
Pwi Shwu Ching
