Masdar City is an ambitious city design by Norman Foster and partners which is intended to be completed in 2025 in Abu Dhabi. Currently, the city has not been completed but it hopes to implement sustainable ideas through energy-reducing design which would then cause the city to become self-sufficient. As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the buildings are densely packed and centered around public courtyards with thin pedestrian paths between the individual structures and many green terraces. Because it is intended to become a fully functioning and independent city, Masdar City will provide housing, industry, entertainment, food, education, and safety accommodations. Cars will be prohibited within the city to limit the carbon footprint, so residents can walk, ride bikes, or utilize “personal, rapid transports between spaces.” Similarly, this all must be packed into an approximate 65 million square foot space, so different traditional Islamic architecture materials and patterns are being utilized to break up the densely packed space.
The Forbidden City of Beijing, China began in the 15th century and is composed of many buildings contained within a “walled complex” as seen in Figure 4. This city is a perfect example of the Chinese design principles of rectilinearity, axiality, and the even distribution of heights among buildings in a city as seen in Figure 3. The distribution of rooms and ornamentation within buildings were built around the Chinese belief of good luck in odd numbers and inferior buildings would contain fewer ornamentation or rooms but still in an odd number. Similarly, because of Chinese belief in axiality with cosmology, the palace was centered around the north-south axis and faced southward similarly to all significant Chinese architecture. Within the east sector, the Temple of ancestor was housed because it symbolized spring and growth. Conversely, the emperor always faced away from the north side because it represented the cold and destruction and as such that was where all less than desirable trades such as commerce and markets were kept. All walk-ways and streets dimensions were laid out for pedestrian transportation.
Center
In terms of architecture, center traditionally describes the middle or base point of a city or building layout which everything is built around. Often times all other architectural elements are designed to either enhance or at the very least not distract from the central focal point. In Masdar City, the central point is the public exterior spaces as shown in Figure 2. Because Masdar City’s goal is to be self-sustainable, most of the buildings do not contain the elaborate curtain walls which are typical to the rich residents of Abu Dhabi. Because of this, the public outdoor meeting spaces are required as a central space to make the densely packed city layout more livable. Similarly, the exterior spaces represent a physical center because the buildings are built around it. Conversely, the Forbidden City is built around the solid structure of the Hall of Supreme Harmony which represents the strength of the Emperor and by extension China. Further, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was constructed directly in the middle of the central axis of the city making it the physical center of the city as shown in Figure 3. It is also the tallest building in the city, so it truly represents a visual center and focal point of strength for the city as shown in Figure 4.
Boundaries
Boundary within architecture defines anything which hinders, restricts, or alters the possible design scope of a building or city. Typically, boundary is most directly restricted because of geography or climate. Within both Masdar and the Forbidden City, there is a boundary created between the physical space and the exterior space which the designer has attempted to eliminate. In Masdar City, the architect has designed terraces which help unite the indoors and the outdoors. Conversely, in the Forbidden City, the boundary between the physical space and exterior space has been deliberately created through massive walls within the city and walls which separate the city from the outside world. To combat this boundary, most homes were designed to have courtyard spaces similar to the social spaces used within Masdar, just on a much smaller more intimate scale since the Chinese people place more importance with family rather than community.
Path
Path within architecture is the route or direction a designer constructs for the user to enter, travel throughout, and leave the space. For example, one aspect of path that is integral in urban planning is streets and walkways. In Masdar, they are deliberately designing the city so that the only path for transportation are narrow pedestrian walkways. This design implementation ensures that the only path individuals can take within the city now and in the future is to walk which helped them further their goal of having an extremely low carbon footprint. This is an example of how form and function can influence the path throughout a city. Similarly, as shown in Figure 1, the buildings were designed so that they are not interconnected through sky bridges or any other connecting systems which forces the resident to enter and exit the build from and to the outside and enjoy the nearby social spaces rather than walk in confined stiff structures for travel. Conversely, the path design within the Forbidden city was influenced heavily by Chinese design concepts of axiality and rectilinearity. For example, all street dimensions were designed based on standard specifications, and rectangular loop homes typically had a courtyard in the center which was the most convenient path from either side of a home, connecting the interior and exterior paths similar to Masdar. This idea of rectilinearity was demonstrated within the large walls of the city but also on smaller scale home design.
Alignments or Orientation
Alignment and orientation define how all aspects of a building and city are connected and designed in relation to one another. In terms of orientation, Masdar City is located in Abu Dhabi which has a very hot climate, however, in the effort to be a carbon free city, the designers attempted to limit energy and carbon use by prohibiting cars which makes walking during the heat very uncomfortable. To increase outdoor comfort, the architects designed the streets and pedestrian pathways to face towards winds to create cool and shaded areas for residents’ commute by walking or biking. Conversely, the alignment and orientation of the Forbidden City was heavily influenced by Fung Shui and Chinese spiritual ideals such as the Palace being centered on the north-south axis and facing south along with all other important buildings because the north represents destruction which is why all commerce and trade is conducted there. Similarly, the Temple of the ancestors is in the east sector which symbolizes growth.
Conclusion
Masdar City in Abu Dhabi is a theoretical building design which is built around the idea of green, sustainable living with exterior social spaces and transportation at the heart of it. On the other hand, the Forbidden City of Beijing, China began is a “walled complex” which perfectly demonstrates Chinese design principles of rectilinearity and axiality. In terms of center, Masdar City is built around social outdoor public spaces whereas the Forbidden City is centered around Hall of Supreme Harmony which represents the strength of China. In both cities, one of their most significant boundaries was between the interior and exterior spaces. Further, the path in Masdar is defined by pedestrian walkways whereas in Beijing it was defined by Chinese principles of axiality and rectilinearity. Finally, the orientation in Masdar centered on providing adequate wind for comfort for pedestrians, and in the forbidden City it was built around Feng Shui and Chinese principles of axiality.