NIGHTSCAPE IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNAnalysis and Evaluations on Nightscape of Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur
DEPARTMENT OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREKULLIYYAH OF ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (KAED)
INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA
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INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS NIGHTSCAPE
?
The design of night time environments that instil feelings of both safety and enjoyment is of critical importance to the social and cultural vitality of urban centres around the world.
A city’s nightscape can be treated as a re-introduction of the city during the night. Due to the development of city economy and citizens’ leisure life, people are paying more attention to their nightlife. With appropriate lighting design and illumination systems, a city can draw very impressive pictures as its ‘identification card’ to the whole world.
This study aims to improve effective use of spaces built in the urban square and establish the standard model of night landscape lighting and adaptable human-behavioural conditions by analyzing and solving the problems found the existing neighbourhood urban squares
Most cities have a misunderstanding on
nightscape design, only focus on the brightness of the
cities in the night, especially the spaces around their
landmarks (Yuan Hongxiang, 2014)
> To analyse the perception of the
community
> To redefine nightscape
> To examine the Relationship
LITERATURE REVIEW
Urban Nightscape | Image of the City | Nightscape in Impacting Human Behaviour | Urban Square and its Roles
URBAN NIGHTSCAPE
Nightscape in urban spaces can be included in the generalized concept of urban landscape and will be taken in the scope of the night landscape and the illumination systems
Nightscape is a re-performance of the day time landscape in urban spaces; the key factors that make nightscape distinguished from day time landscape are the differences between the natural lighting and man-made lighting on different time (Shen Xinrong, 2002).
IMAGE OF THE CITYImage of the City
Good City Form
“Leading to a definition of Imageability: that quality in a physical object which gives it a high probability of evoking a strong image in any given observer”
(Lynch, 1959)
NIGHTSCAPE IN IMPACTING HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
“ Light has the capability to create shape, emotional response, even a new reality to a familiar space through the use of luminious composition”
(Janet Lennox Moyer, 1992)
URBAN SQUARE AND ITS ROLES
“The comprehensive characters in a city or an urban space, including the interactions between different landscape factors, its spatial structure, local functions, cultural features and also its visual images to people” (Yu Kongjian, 1987).
METHODOLOGY
Method 1: Literature Review This method is based on book references, magazines, journals, internet and reports. The references are gathered in order to have a comprehensive study on the topic and relevant methods to be applied.
Method 2: Observation and Behavioural Mapping, the types and characteristics of the urban squares can be documented. Observation will also be made on people’s behaviour and reaction at the space where the public art is located.
Method 3: Questionnaire Survey and Interview Questionnaire, survey and interview will be conducted at a specific public art sites to gather more information about the users’ perceptions, views, values and opinions on the nightscape of urban squares. The target groups for this method will be the users of the campus public space that include students, staffs and visitors.
• The study of illumination physics• The restricted time feasibility for research at
site.
L I M I TAT I ON
FINDINGS
SITE
M
APPI
NGCE
NTRA
L VI
SIBI
LITY
RAD
IUS
CONT
EXTU
AL V
ISIB
ILIT
Y RA
DIUS
SITE
M
APPI
NGPE
DEST
RIAN
WAL
KWAY
ORNA
MEN
TAL
LIGH
TING
BOUN
DARY
LIG
HTIN
G
QUES
TION
AIR
E 66% MALE
46% ARE
20-30 YEARS OLD
57% SPM
HOLDER
1) Gender
Respondent Characteristics
Percentage (n=71)
a) Maleb) Female
66%43%
1) Age
a) 10-20b) 20-30c) 30-40d) 40 and above
25%46%19%10%
1) Academic Background
a) SPMb) Diploma/
Matriculationc) Undergraduate d) Postgraduate
57%25%11%6%
RESPONDENT PROFILE
Table 1: Percentage of design and non-design based respondents and their academic
background
Zebracki (2013) said that the higher the education level of a person, the more he/ she is able to understand the artwork in relation to the site.
Percentage of Nightscape Values Perceived by Users
FearCrimesUnsafe WalkwayReligious AffairsOthers
QUES
TION
AIR
EPE
RCEP
TION
S
56% thinks nightscape is subject to fearful matters.
22% perceived that nightscape may contribute to crime factors
56%
SUSTAINABLIT
Y
72%LIGHT POLLUTI
ON
Reckless use of luminous consumption may lead to light pollution (Janet Moyer, 1992)
56%UNAWARE OF
NIGHTSCAPE
QUES
TION
AIR
E
72% of Urban square users does not know the importance or practices of Urban Nightscape
SOCIAL WELLBEI
NGSAF
E
AWAR
ENES
S
Aesthetic Safety Social Values Economical Educational0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
The Important Values of Nightscape of Urban Square
The Important values of Nightscape of Urban Square
T O TA L R E S P O N D E N T S ( n = 7 1 )
AESTHETIC AND SAFETY ARE THE TOP PRIORITY BY THE USER
NEEDS
A ‘real life’ picture can be create via a close contact with the subject, events or people’s behaviour; observed by the
researcher. (Rose and Grosvenor: 2009)
OBSE
RVAT
ION
FOUNTAINS NODESORNAMENTAL
WATER FEATURE LIGHTINGMAJESTIC GRANDEUR
AESTHETIC
LANDMARK
ORNAMENTALSULTAN ABDUL SAMAD
LIGHTING
VIST
IVELY
RELAXING PUBLIC SPACES ENJOYING
ORNAMENTALACTIVITIES
LIGHTING
SERENITY
IMAGEABILITY
ORNAMENTALMERDEKA SQUARE GARDEN
ENVIRONMENTAL
LIGHTING
RESPIRATE
COMPARISON
DISCUSSIONS
Throughout the study, the researcher has been able to come out with a list of design guidelines for nightscape of an urban square. These key design guidelines help both the researcher and designers in enhancing and improving the application of nightscape idea in specifically in urban square perimeter. Public participation and perceptions were also taken into consideration in providing the design guidelines to make sure the public art can integrate and blend to the environment.
Therefore, the researcher formulates the recommendation to improve the site while addressing all the design guidelines listed:
1) Aesthetic2) Safety3) Economical4) Educational (Historical)5) Social Values
This research aims to fill the theoretical gap between nightscape design and urban design and to contribute to the future nightscape components in the urban square of Kuala Lumpur city. As the rapid development in most area, nightscape has become an important part of their urban planning. Taking case studies all over the world, nightscape is a field topic that were forgotten and putting efforts into. One of the causes of these dilemmas is that the theoretical studies on nightscape have fallen behind the cities’ development. To help solve these problems, this research seeks a better understanding on nightscape to help the further studies on nightscape in the field of urban design.
SAFETY AESTHETIC
SOCIAL VALUES ECONOMI
CAL
Increasing Importance of Values Guidelines by Urban Square Users of Merdeka Square.
EDUCATIONAL
(HISTORY)
DESIGN GUIDELINES
• Nightscape are ornamental lighting that please the eyes of public and shape the image of the city.
• Nightscape are important in fortifying safety of surrounding and provide Sense of Direction
• Nightscape develops cultures, mind-settings and manipulate behaviours for the local community.
1
2
3
KEY
FINI
NGS
• A good lighting composition enrich the Sense of Belonging while diversify the activities of that specific area.
4
5
6• An excellence lighting construction promotes walkability and healthy lifestyle even at night.
• Excessive brightness from light exposure may lead to the light pollution and eyesore of public users.
KEY
FINI
NGS
CONCLUSION
Finally, this paper wishes to stimulate further discussions and researches on urban nightscape which treat it as a topic of urban design field. After achieving the main goals of this research, hopefully this paper could be a beginning from which we can get a better understanding on nightscape and find the right track of nightscape constructions. It is still possible to dig deeper into the typology of nightscape and there are still several types of urban nightscape need to be given strategies. And it would be interesting to move even further to discuss about the urban nightscape in bigger scale, like the overall night view of the whole city. In that context, it might be helpful for the field of urban planning.
This research aims to spark further discussions and researches on urban nightscape
Nightscape should interact something in a place, and it should serve a greater purpose or values hence develop comprehensive strategies in urban space planning.
Nightscape will make the city urban square as one of favourable place to visit by peoples.
Nightscape significantly affect the image of the city and creating a place for people (Lynch,1960)
Nightscape should distinctively manipulate the cultural settings and mood thus more elements are should taken consideration.
ACADEMIC POSTER
REFERENCES
1. Francis, M. (1987). Urban open spaces. Advances in environment, behavior, and design, 1, 7.2. Lynch, K. (1960). The image of the city (Vol. 11). MIT press.3. Lynch, K. (1981). A Theory of Good City Form. Cambridge: MIT Press.4. Ruzaini Roslan, Aqmal Azman, Khalilah Zakariya. (2014), Examining the Social and Communal
Values of Urban Square towards Families and Youth. UMRAN 2014.5. Rozot Nathalie, Landscape After Dark: Lighting as Project, 20136. Rozot Nathalie et al, “Drawing Light: a Graphical Investigation of Light,Space and Time in
Lighting Design”, Parsons Journal for Information Map-ping: Volume 2 Issue 4, 20107. Shen, X. (2002). The generation of the concepts of nightscape and nightscape design. Journal of
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Lessons Learned from other cities. China Illuminating Engineering Journal, 10(4), 60-66.10. Zakariya, K., &Harun, N. Z. (2013). The People's Dataran: Celebrating Historic Square as a
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