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X-TOWN
Better Livable Town:
ZEUS
Marco Leong Wong Ka Henn | 0320026
FNBE APR 2014 | Taylor’s University
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CONTEXT
1. Introduction 3
2. A TOWN 4~5
3. Investigation & Data Collection: Shibam,Yeemen 6~9
4. Investigation & Data Collection: Queenstown 10~13
5. Investigation & Data Collection: The future and better township 14~17
6. Investigation & Data Collection 2: The future and better township 18~20
7. The New “X” Town: Zeus 21~24
8. The Conclusion 25
9. References list 26~27
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1. INTRODUCTION
This is the final project of Elements of Natural Built Environment. In this
project, students are required to write a report of understanding the meaning of
“TOWN” and its development, history, components, elements and what makes
a better liveable town.
Students are required to understand, investigate and collect data about
the “TOWN”. First, they have to study about old town, present town and future
town. Second, researching about the type of town that they have chosen. Then,
planning how to build a better liveable town. After doing these kind of works,
students are required to make a proposal for their own “X” CITY. The proposal
included base plan, zoning plan, a transportation and linkages layout, a simple
overview perspective, components or elements that students would like to
improve of the “X” TOWN.
Lastly, students need to record a video to propose their proposal.
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2. A TOWN
2.1 Definition
A built-up area with a name, defined boundaries, and local government, that
is larger than a village and generally smaller than a city. The size definition for
what constitutes a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world. In
some cases, "town" is an alternate name for "city" or "village" (especially a
larger village). Sometimes, the word "town" is short for "township". In general,
today towns can be differentiated from townships, villages, or hamlets on the
basis of their economic character, in that most of a town's population will tend
to derive their living from manufacturing industry, commerce, and public
services rather than primary industry such as agriculture or related activities. A
place's population size is not a reliable determinant of urban character.
2.2 Brief History
The word town shares an origin with the german aword Zaun, the Dutch word
tuin, and the Old Norse tun. The German word Zaun comes closest to the
original meaning of the word: a fence of any material. An early borrowing from
Celtic dunom (cf. Old Irish dun, Weish din “fortress, fortified place, camp,” dinas
“city.”
2.3 What makes a town
A town are basically made up by few characteristics such as population with an
area in excess of 2.5 square kilometres, government departments, residential
area, commercial area, educational area, public facilities, services and
transportation.
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2.4 What makes a good town/township
A good town must have sustainable development, comfortable environment,
nice government departments, well maintenance public facilities and zero-
pollution.
-Well organised zoning of the town
-Electricity supplied by renewable energy
-Every zones focus in the centre of the town
-Well plan of the road connection
-Lots of plants surround the town
-Having urban design for the town
-Good laws enforcement
-Convenient for citizens
2.5 What is the future towns
It’s impossible to predict what future towns are. For me, the standard of
architecture will be mature and it will have an evolution of future towns in the
future. It will be independent non-profit organisation committed to building a
democracy around the future towns. They will be creating platforms for dialogue
and action about the future towns, inspiring people to become active citizens,
promoting city to citizen engagement, reinforce young people in the area of
urbanism and building a voice for more liveable, inclusive and sustainable
towns. The technical level in the future will be very high so that it will be very
convenient for the citizens.
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3. Investigation & Data Collection:
Ancient Towns
Shibam
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3.1 When did it start? History and all
In the 3rd century, Shabwa, the capital
of the Hadramaout at the time of the incense
trade, was replaced by Shibam. Shibam played
an increasingly important role at the beginning
of the Hegira, when it became the capital of the
Islamic government of western Hadramaout.
In 746, it became a centre for the Hadramout's opposition to the
Omayyad Dynasty. Later, it became the seat of Ibadite power for the Kharijite
sect, a status it maintained until the 11th century.
In the 10th century, Shibam became the major trade centre, especially
for dates and textiles, in the Hadramaout Valley. This commercial role
continued for centuries.
After it was conquered by the Ayubides of Yemen in 1219, Shimam
became their seat of authority for western Hadramaout. In 1520, the role of
capital city was taken over by Tarim.
In 1298 and 1532, Shibam was the victim of disastrous floods.
In the 18th century - thanks to the remittance of its emigrants from
eastern Africa, India and especially Southeast Asia - Shibam enjoyed a period
of prosperity.
3.2 What ancient town are you concentrating on
The ancient town that I am concentrating on is Shibam. It is a town in
Hadramawt, Yemen, considered to have the world’s oldest skyscrapers.
Shibam which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, owes its fame to its
distinct architecture. It is often called “The Manhattan of the desert”. It has about
7,000 inhabitants and all of the town’s house are made out of mud bricks. Some
of these structures rise 5 to 9 stories high.
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Shibam has some of the tallest
mud buildings in the world, with some of
them over 30 meters (100 feet) high,
thus being early high-rise apartment
buildings. In order to protect the
buildings from rain and erosion, the
walls must be routinely maintained by
applying fresh layers of mud.
The technique of building was implemented in order to protect residents
from Bedouin attacks. While Shibam has existed for around 2,000 years, most
of the city’s houses come mainly from 16th century.
3.3 What makes is a significant town and what are the details?
It is significant because it has a unique design and the best examples
of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction which we can
learn and draw inspiration.
It was built to suit geography, location, the climate and available
materials. They have by necessity had to “work with” the local conditions and
in so doing have developed over generations knowledge and craft specific to
the locality and people.
This is demonstrated in the Wadi Hadhramaut, an area of Eastern
Yemen at the edge of the desert or “Empty Quarter”, where it becomes a
plateau cut with deep valleys or “wadis”. As the source of water and therefore
food, all settlements occurred along these wadis, both buildings, agriculture and
the way of life adapted to the extreme conditions, hot and dry with one short
sharp rainy season.
The focus and best known town in the area is Shibam, a UNESCO World
Heritage site, known in touristic terms as “The Manhattan of the Desert”,a
walled town of approximately 500 houses which rise up to ten storeys from the
wadi floor. These traditional “tower houses” accommodate livestock and
storage on the ground floor and living quarters above. Often there is a social
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space, the “majlis” with a terrace on the top floor. In Shibam there are also
mosques, schools and administration buildings. Shibam is built solely of mud
bricks made by hand and baked dry in the sun.
Buildings made from earth tend to be associated with mud huts and to
be seen as primitive and unsophisticated; the architecture of the Hadhramaut
shows you otherwise revealing the flexibility of mud brick and you get the
impression that almost anything can be done with it.
3.4 Conclusion about the town
In conclusion, although shibam is the oldest skyscrapers town, but it can
be last long due to the materials that they used to build shiba’s buildings.
According to the design, it makes the town very unique in the world. The town
inspires me on my design for my Zeus Town.
3.5 What information or element that you can use to your new future town
After collecting the data, I will use the zoning of the town to my new future
town.
3.6 The plan of the town
PLAN
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4. Investigation & Data Collection:
Present Towns/Township
Queenstown
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4.1 When did it start? History and all
Queenstown was named after
Queen Elizabeth to mark her coronation
in 1953. The arterial road Queensway
was officially named in 1955. A British
military camp called Buller Camp was
also set up there until 1953 when it was cleared for the new housing estate.
Queenstown was Singapore's first satellite town. Built before Toa Payoh
and Ang Mo Kio, Queenstown was a test bed for much of Singapore's public
housing. Before the Second World War, people lived in huts and grew
vegetables and fruits and reared pigs and chickens. A total of 19,372 dwelling
units were constructed between 1952 and 1968 in Queenstown estate.
Pasir Panjang, which means 'long sandy beach' in Malay, was once a
fishing area with agricultural activity.
4.2 What town are you concentrating on
The town that I’m concentrating on is Queenstown. Queenstown is
located at the central-western end of the island about five to eight kilometres
from the city.
4.3 What makes is a significant town and what are the details?
It is significant because of its well planning
area and sufficient facilities. The town is planned
with a comprehensive range of facilities to meet
the needs of current and future residents. These
include housing, shops, schools, libraries, sports
facilities, community clubs and parks – all
important in ensuring a liveable, self-sufficient
town. The facilities are carefully distributed
across each town to ensure good accessibility, supported by an efficient
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transport network. Most towns also have commercial nodes and other
employment centres such as industrial estates and business parks within the
town or nearby, to provide job opportunities close to homes. These facilities
and employment centres will be developed according to demand. The detailed
planning and implementation of plans for each town is a joint effort of many
government agencies.
There are a lot of facilities in Queenstown such as Alexandra Hospital,
Anchorpoint Shopping Centre, IKEA, MDIS University Campus, New Town
Primary School, Queenstown Fire Station, Queenstown MRT Station,
Queenstown Neighbourhood Police Centre and Queensway Shopping Centre.
The town’s planning is really sustainable for citizens due to there is 22 Square
Km with an estimated 130,000 residents. It can be seen that how good the
town’s planning is.
4.4 Conclusion about the town
After doing the research of the town, the conclusion that I have realised
about the town is the efficient and convenient planning. Nowadays, the steps
of people are very fast so the present town’s planning must be planned to make
the citizens more convenience and efficient.
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4.5 What information or element that you can use to your new future town
I will choose the public transportation planning of the town. It is very
convenience for citizens by using the public transportation. The Queenstown
Lrt station is connected every parts of the city.
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5. Investigation & Data Collection:
The future of towns and Better Towns
Citadel Skyscraper
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5.1 About the town
Natural disasters, the threat of technological meltdown and even the
possibility of visitors from space all present a need for towns and even countries
to reorganize to implement infrastructure that can protect people from possible
catastrophes.
The “Citadel Skyscraper” project is imagined for Japan because of the
numerous natural and manmade disasters that have struck the region in recent
years. The project proposes a three-part implementation of new structures with
an end result of protecting the island with a fortress-like defence shield. The
first part involves a restructuring of the land use of all of the country’s major
cities as residents are moved out of the town proper. Businesses and
commercial happenings will stay located within the town, but residents will
move out to sea and live in self-supporting residential skyscrapers, or citadels.
The second part specifies the location of these citadels: They will be lined up
as a single “sheet”, creating a barrier 2-3 km from the shoreline that can protect
the mainland from tsunamis. The skyscrapers themselves are connected by a
system of breakwaters and drainage channels, and are able to withstand waves
up to 50 meters tall. These are further bolstered by a connected series of fiber
sails, buried as deep as 1,200 meters that surround the island. When the waves
hit the sails and meet the oscillations of its stretched fibers, such a dissonance
is created that the wave is reduced to nothing.
The third part of this plan involves a skyscraper design that can protect
its inhabitants. The prototypical skyscraper for this project has a metal frame;
its foundation is poured at a depth of 1,200 meters and it reaches 500 meters
into the sky. By burying the structure so far into the earth, it is protected from
seismic activity (earthquakes up to a magnitude 11), waves (up to 40 feet tall)
and man-made disasters (such as the explosion of atomic weapons). A system
of bars forming a single, one-piece shield around the building serves as its
protection system. They are energetically self-sustaining, using wave power for
energy generation, and they have live fish tanks to provide food for residents.
The citadels mainly function as residential structures, but every 50
meters there are recreation areas and mini parks. The buildings also feature
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restaurants, cafes, shops, cinemas and laundromats. If the citadel’s outer shield
is closed completely in anticipation of disaster outside, the building is ventilated
by blowers located every 100 meters that are connected to a system of niches
filled with hydroponic algae that produce oxygen by absorbing carbon dioxide.
The citadels are connected with the city and the coastal zone by above ground,
high-speed trains that run through 4 systems of tunnels.
5.2 Conclusion about the town
In the future, the main focus of the town is that how to protect from
natural disasters because it will be more natural disasters happening.
5.3 What information or element that you can use to your new future town
I will use concept of defending the citizens when natural disasters are
happening with protective design buildings.
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5.4 Section of the skyscrapers town
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6. Investigation & Data Collection 2:
The future of towns and Better Towns
Himalaya Water Tower
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6.1 About the town
Housed within 55,000 glaciers in the Himalaya Mountains sits 40 percent
of the world’s fresh water. The massive ice sheets are melting at a faster-than-
ever pace due to climate change, posing possible dire consequences for the
continent of Asia and the entire world stand, and especially for the villages and
cities that sit on the seven rivers that come are fed from the Himalayas’ runoff
as they respond with erratic flooding or drought.
The “Himalaya Water Tower” is a skyscraper located high in the
mountain range that serves to store water and helps regulate its dispersal to
the land below as the mountains’ natural supplies dry up. The skyscraper, which
can be replicated en masse, will collect water in the rainy season, purify it,
freeze it into ice and store it for future use. The water distribution schedule will
evolve with the needs of residents below; while it can be used to help in times
of current drought, it’s also meant to store plentiful water for future generations.
The lower part of the Himalaya Water tower is comprised of six stem-like
pipes that curve and wind together and collect and store water. Like the stem
of a plant, these pipes grow strong as they absorb their maximum water
capacity. In each of the six stems, a core tube is flanked by levels and levels of
cells, which hold the water. The upper part of the building – the part that is
visible above the snow line – is used for frozen storage. Four massive cores
support steel cylindrical frames that, like the stems below, hold levels that
radiate out, creating four steel tubes filled with ice. In between the two sections
are mechanical systems that help freeze the water when the climatic conditions
aren’t able to do so, purify the water and regulate the distribution of water and
ice throughout the structure.
At the bottom of the structure, surrounding the six intertwined water
tubes is a transport system that regulates fresh water distribution to the towns
and cities below. The curving channels connect the mountains to the villages,
and are also hold within them a railway for the transport of people and goods.
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6.2 Conclusion about the town
The most important thing that I have learnt is about the system of storing water.
Saving water is the most important part of life in the future.
6.3 Sector of the skyscrapers town
6.4 What information or element that you can use to your new future town
I will use the technic of storing water for my future town.
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7. The New “X” Town: ZEUS
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7.1 How did you came up with the solution to create this new town
After investigate ancient, present and future city, I realized that there are many
disadvantages of living on the ground so as a mayor, I should move my citizens
to a skyscrapers city. In the future, there will be more disasters such as tsunami
so I decided to move them to the skyscrapers town, so that, they will be
protected and avoid from the numerous natural and manmade disasters. Also,
the sea level keeps rising so earth will be covers by water in the future then I
choose to create this skyscrapers town.
7.2 Aim of the town
The aim of the town is to create a protective and sustainable town for humans.
Also, create a town with a well planning zone to make humans convenience.
Furthermore, foundation of the town must be very hard as a defense shield to
protect humans.
Zoning of the town
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The education area sticks with park and lake because I need to provide a good
environment for students. And, residential area is with government area and
commercial area because it is very convenience for people.
Public transportation line of the town
In my new future town, people don’t have to buy their own transportation
because I will provide the efficient public transportation line for them such as
LRT train and bus. There will be 5 LRT stations built in the town and it is
available 24hours. Also, I will provide a inter bus line in each part of the town.
What is the important characteristic and elements
-Its foundation is poured at a depth of 1,000 meters and metal shields to protect
people from earthquakes, waves and man-made disasters.
- In order to protect the base from rain and erosion, the base must be routinely
maintained by applying fresh layers of mud.
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-The town is energetically self-sustaining, using wave power for energy
generation.
-The town is inspired by the shape of pizza.
Conclusion about the new X town
The town is designed to protect people and also let them have a better livable
place. Further, the town is a zero-pollution place so that it can save our earth.
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THE CONCLUSION
After few weeks of researching, planning and designing, I have learnt a
lot from it. For me, develop a town isn’t easy but it is really fun and I think it will
be very useful in the future.
This is my first time of designing my own town because of this
assignment. I appreciate what I did and hope to create a real town in the future.
I think we can’t create a perfect town in the earth but we can create a better
town. To be honest, I have put a lot of afford on it and spent a lot of time to
create this town. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Lastly, Zeus town provides a better livable place for people to live in.
What I gain in this assignment is that sustainable development is the first thing
that you have to concern while you are planning a town.
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References
Shibam
1.http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2008/05/19/worlds-oldest-skyscrapers/
2.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terri-colby/in-spain-cuenca-is-
magica_b_1076932.html
3.http://www.ovpm.org/en/yemen/shibam
4.http://sometimes-interesting.com/2011/06/29/the-manhattan-of-the-desert-
shibam/
5.http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2013/06/04/the_mud_skyscrapers
_of_the_walled_city_of_shibam_yemen_known_as_the_manhattan.html
6.http://www.hotelclub.com/blog/oldest-skyscraper-yemens-shibam/
7.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibam#History
8.http://www.theglobaldispatches.com/articles/mud-brick-architecture-of-
yemen
Queenstown
1.http://www.queenstown.org.sg/origins-of-queenstown-57.html
2.http://chenghuisyen.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/architecture-and-memories-
of-queenswayqueenstown-theatre-in-singapore/
3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenstown,_Singapore
4.http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/singapore/singapore_district/29
1/queenstown.php
5.http://www.ura.gov.sg/MS/DMP2013/regional-
highlights/~/media/dmp2013/Planning%20Area%20Brochures/Brochure_Que
enstown.ashx
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Citadel SKyscrapers
1.http://www.evolo.us/competition/citadel-skyscraper/#more-16703
Himalaya Water Tower
1.http://www.evolo.us/competition/himalaya-water-tower/