Architecture And Urban Design In A Nutshell

 

Architecture and urban design deals mainly with the design and construction of buildings for metropolitan areas such as towns and cities. Things to be considered for such urban buildings include housing capacities, workplace capacities, and energy efficient designs. With the lucrative real estate market, architecture and urban design has become a topic of interest not only to architects and urban planners, but investors as well. Urban design usually considers the following factors – urban structure, topology, accessibility, animation, functionality and suitability, character and meaning and civil society among several other factors.

 

 

Like many art forms, architecture is not static. It changes with time as do people’s tastes and preferences. Art forms that were the most commonly used ones about one hundred years ago in architecture are more often than not irrelevant, unmarketable and without demand in today’s world. Advances in technology, such as telecommunication improvements and the advent of the internet, have enabled people to live and work in the same place and this has necessitated the architectural profession to adapt to such changes. Few people have the time to go on long lunch breaks to cafes and restaurants out of town, what with the busy schedule of today’s working class person and the ever present traffic jams. This has necessitated the construction of buildings that contain shops, cafeterias and even dining halls within them.

 

Environmental awareness has been a hot topic in recent years and it has affected almost every area of our lives – urban architecture has not been left out. Nowadays structures for the placement of solar panels in homes are not uncommon. Big industrial buildings in major cities have gone to the step of having gardens put up in the rooftops of buildings just to counter carbon emission in these cities. Construction materials have also had to change with construction companies preferring to use more environmental friendly construction materials. Construction and architecture go hand in hand and so change in construction materials means architectural designs have to take into account these changes.

 

Today’s urban architecture has also seen the construction of what would have otherwise been dubbed ‘unorthodox’ designs in previous decades. For instance, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, there exists a market that was built in the shape of a tunnel. The building was designed and developed by MVRDV and Provast respectively. LCD screens don have been put up all over the market’s walls displaying images of vegetables, fruits and other commodities that are available for sale within the market. The market contains 228 units that are available for sale or hire depending on what one’s tastes may be.

 

Mangal City has been described by some as the crème de la crème of modern urban architecture. Mangal City, which is found in London, comprises of futuristic and luxurious sky scrapers. A complex ecosystem created by the mangrove tree is the inspiration for this city. The skyscrapers have pods or capsules that move throughout the day to adapt to the environmental conditions at that moment.

 

Architecture is usually one of the major attractions to a city. Many of the world’s largest cities contain buildings that are a part and parcel of that particular city’s soul and identity. The image of Paris is inseparable with the Eiffel Tower. When one thinks of New York City, he or she thinks about the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge next.

 

London is defined by the Big Ben, while Sydney is well identified by the Opera House, which is one of the most beautiful architectural designs ever made. Major cities in the Far East such as Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong also have buildings that make their architecture and urban design deserve a seat at the table of the most beautiful designs in the world.