“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness” – Frank Gehry Architecture often narrates open-ended stories. Architecture is an art of storytelling, a space or building should be able to narrate the story of a place and the activities that were present or the activities for which it is designed. However, it is difficult for every space to convey the same meaning to every user as the perception of spaces varies across individuals and is largely based upon their personal experiences, socio-cultural backgrounds, etc. Public spaces, skyscrapers, community areas, etc. are a few spaces that are difficult to interpret. The concept of the story behind such spaces is often left unknown to the common man and wouldn’t be understood unless interpreted by someone.
Public Spaces | Art of Storytelling
Public spaces could be defined as spaces that are open and accessible to the public. Roads, public squares, parks, and beaches are considered to be public spaces. Public spaces can be designed or naturally occurring. A well-designed public space should cater to the needs of all people across all age groups, ethnicity, etc. The perception of public space for a layman could be that it is a leisure area or a breathing space in the middle of a crowded city. As for an architect, public spaces are much more than leisure areas or breathing spaces in an urban context. It often defines the nature and character of a particular place. For example in an Urban Context the public spaces would mostly be children’s park, community park, etc., however in a rural context what would be treated as a public space could be the playground of a school or the backyards of houses that has been combined for community farming.
In the present-day context, even museums are considered public spaces. Museums are much more than enclosed spaces that exhibit artworks. Through the exhibition of works of art, they promote interaction between the public, the artists, the curators of the exhibition, and maybe even the volunteers. It can be further understood by taking into consideration, Biennales. Biennales often see the participation of people from all walks of life, all age groups, different occupations, etc. They take up various roles for the working of the biennale.
Skyscrapers
The definition of skyscrapers varies across individuals and regions. Certain regions consider buildings having more than 5 floors to be a skyscraper. The main reason why skyscrapers develop is due to lack of availability of land especially in urban areas or due to a hike In prices of land which forces the cities to adopt vertical stacking. Skyscrapers have become a standard or a trademark for identifying cities. Over the years it has developed into a symbol that narrates the character of a city.
Vertical stacking has created several problems in urban areas. More importance is being given to developing buildings and less importance is being given to developing open spaces which are integral for improving the quality of the life in cities. As much as cities are characterized by a large number of skyscrapers, it is also characterized by their lack of availability of useable open spaces. One would often be fascinated by these giant structures when they first visit a metropolitan city, however, once they start living there is when they realize, the congestion that is caused due to the large variation in open space to buildings ratio.
Community Areas | Art of Storytelling
Community Area means the area which consists of different amenities as well as commercial and mixed-use buildings to serve a surrounding population and other neighborhoods. It would often consist of supermarkets, grocery stores, community parks, daycare centers, walkways, offices, exhibition grounds, etc. Community areas play an integral role in both urban and rural contexts However in rural contexts, the availability of such facilities would be less and what is treated as a community area would most likely be small open grounds where people gather for village festivals, meetings, etc.
Community areas are often developed in the vicinity of residential areas. However, the general trend that is seen is that these community areas end up outgrowing the residential areas. The main issue this creates is that most of the time that particular area would have been designed as a residential area, and might not be having enough road networks to withstand the traffic congestion which often leads to bottleneck situations during peak hours.
To conclude the perception of spaces and buildings varies across individuals. The field of study that the person is undergoing or has undergone plays a vital role in how one perceives a space or a building. What was the focal point for a person after acquiring a skill set that’s related to architecture or planning would be completely different from what his or her focus points were before acquiring the skill set. The set of skills that one procures through any form of education would give the person certain parameters upon which the public places, skyscrapers, community areas, etc. would be analyzed by the person. This could again vary across individuals based on their degree of specialization.
Reference List
- Gregoletto, D. and Reis, A. (2012). High-rise buildings in the perception of the users of the urban space.
- Perović, S.K. and kurtovic folic, N. i (2012). Visual Perception of Public Open Spaces in Niksic. Art of storytelling.
- Birer, E. and AdemP.C. ̧ (2021). Role of public space design on the perception of historical environment: A pilot study in Amasya.
- Nasution, A.D. and Zahrah, W. (5AD). Community Perception on Public Open Space and Quality of Life in Medan, Indonesia.
- www.moussemagazine.it. (2020). Are Museums Like Parks? The ‘Public’ in Public Museums — Mousse Magazine and Publishing. [online] Available at: https://www.moussemagazine.it/magazine/are-museums-like-parks-the-public-in-public-museums-melanie-buheler-2020/ [Accessed 29 Sep. 2022].