Influence of interface components on the street level

Abstract

Buildings and streets are essential components of the city. Building form along the street space generates a sensitive area known as interface area. It is determined between the building edge and street curb. The street and building events such as interaction and communication happens in the components of this area as well. These interface components are responsible in making connection between building and street. The issue is centered on the ambiguity and lack of clarity of this relationship. The issue also concentrates on the vague relationship between the components and their activities which are responsible in strengthening or reducing the building and the street interrelationship. Hence; to find out this relationship, the influence of the interface components are studied. The components are complex and complicated but work collectively in animating the street. This thesis dismantles the complexity of components into individual component in accordance with their location and function weather on horizontal aspect (street level) or in the vertical aspect (building’s façade) or between the both. The study based on the principle theories of the interface which determine the interface limitations. Hence, this thesis highlights the character of the component and studied them independently in order to find out the influence of each one on the street level. Wong Ah Fook Street in Johor bahru was selected to emphasis the influence of interface components highlighted in the literature. It considers being the functional and the most active street in Johor Bahru region. The street is divided into five parts; the interface components in each part were enumerated, analyzed and evaluated with their influence on the street level. The result highlighted the utilization of the interface components to animate the street level. The finding indicated that the side walk, the corridors, the street corners as well as the ground level doors are the essential interface components in animating the street. They also can help in improving the building and street relationship.