Delatorre Arch496 R3-C2 Activity 04
Delatorre Arch496 R3-C2 Activity 04
Delatorre Arch496 R3-C2 Activity 04
ARCH496 – R3/C2
URBAN DESIGN STUDIO
ACTIVITY 4
VISUAL DIMENSION
1. Describe the visual aspects of your chosen locality by making/sketching serial visions of
places (showing the urban aesthetic) and make a narration of your kinesthetic experience
on those places.
a. b.
(Sketches: (a.) Natalio B. Bacalso Ave, (b.) Holy Cross Parish, (c.) Cebu South Road Properties,
(d.) Basak Pardo Barangay Hall, (e.) Road outside Jumalon Butterfly Sanctuary and Art Gallery)
2. Use an aerial map/view of your chosen locality and assess the arrangement of the building
blocks.
Buildings of various types surround Barangay Basak Pardo, including residential,
commercial, and institutional structures. These structures comprise the barangay, which
is still evolving as a place for people. As seen in the aerial map above, the majority of the
building arrangements are similar, and most are close to each other. When you zoom in
on these building blocks, you can see that the arrangement usually has no basis and just
depends on how the lot was facing, with no real specific orientation or pattern for the
arrangement of these buildings. This is somehow the result of urbanization over time.
People require areas immediately to build their homes and businesses, as well as
commercial buildings to carry out their operations.
3. Overlay and sketch the arrangement of the buildings and make an assessment if you could
recognize if there are similarity, proximity, orientation, closure & continuity as being
discussed in the patterns and aesthetic order.
These are mostly representations of the building in Barangay Basak Pardo, which
was based on an aerial map. The majority of the building arrangements share
characteristics such as similarity, proximity, orientation, and continuity. Some sitios have
similar building arrangements, such as Sitio Laguna, which is depicted in the first sketch
above. The majority of these are residential structures with similar layouts. They also
show proximity because these buildings are grouped by barangay sitios and are spatially
closer together, contributing to their proximity. Orientation can also be depicted because
they are grouped according to the same common orientation, such as how it was
arranged parallel to their respective lots. It also demonstrates continuity because these
buildings have mostly the same patterns and styles and were not designed to be built in
that manner, which shows the characteristic of being continuous.
4. Look/asses if there are positive and negative space and discuss the use of the given space.
Today, Barangay Basak Pardo is mostly occupied by buildings. Based on the aerial
map, these are the only available spaces that have not yet been occupied by buildings.
These open available spaces are near the Holy Cross Parish, as shown in the first image,
and some other spaces are near the barangay's southern part sitios. There were both
positive and negative spaces in these areas. The first image depicts positive spaces
because, as you can see, they were relatively closed and had a distinct shape that could
be used for further urban expansion. They are measurable and have defined boundaries.
They have that shape because they serve as open spaces usable in the future. The second
image appears to show positive spaces, but in my opinion, it shows negative. It produced
complicated shapes, which are left over spaces around built buildings. They lack form and
edges, and they don't indicate why the space looks the way it does.
TEMPORAL DIMENSION
1. Assess your locality and take pictures of spaces which you think experiences a passage of
time which you think has a particular value (aesthetic. Architectural diversity, resource,
heritage, or economic & commercial value)
2. What time management plan will you make off with these public places/buildings to
control these progressive changes done due to the passage of time.
We know that time has passed not only through the repetitive rhythms of time,
but also through evidence of progressive and irreversible change. While we may desire to
return to the city we admired before or relive a surreal moment, we are unable to do so
because change is inevitable. It is something over which we have no control. However,
changes can be controlled, but only after a specific change appears. We can accomplish
this by managing the timing of activities, which is essential. People should engage in
activities such as providing solutions to environmental problems that exist in a specific
location, and some activities may be prohibited at certain times to avoid conflicts. They
may be separated in time to relieve congestion or brought together in time to allow
connections and a sufficient density of use. Rules and regulations must be developed to
at least control the progressive changes brought about by the passage of time.
Fraternities, for example, are prevalent in Barangay Basak Pardo. Clogged canals
are another issue in the barangay that must be addressed. To address these issues,
activities such as commanding barangay tanods to roam around at midnight to disrupt
the activities of these fraternities and repairing the canals to address the clogged issue
will be implemented. Another example of an activity to be implemented is the installation
of proper road signs and passageways, as the main road in Barangay Basak Pardo is
currently congested due to the Mambaling underpass plus the ongoing traffic in Cebu
City. Because these issues are the result of drastic changes over time, solutions must be
provided to mitigate the effects of these issues specifically on the affected areas. These
issues can only be mitigated through well-planned programs supervised by local leaders
who encourage people to follow rules and regulations in order to keep the community
peaceful and organized.