roots and flows

just got a cool book through the post – a german ‘floor plan manual’ with the double house in it and some baumshlager + eberle – really useful.

project is plodding along nicely – except for the presentation – i have been researching today about flows of stuff down slopes – such as flooded rivers – and found a good website for a flood simulation programme. and this looks at deflected flows by riverbank shapes, deflections in the flow that devide he force, or stepped systems that reduce the force of the flow, but would drop more sediment, so would need some thought.

the idea is to integrate a form/system into the housing design that affects the flow of stuff (water, mud, snow) past the buildings without damage, and direct the flow to a non-destructive outcome.

the second idea of the interlocking housing is actually what i was looking at before the flow issues and involves the stablising qualities of tree roots on a steep bank. the way that they bind and weave together, dig into the ground and break their way into the rock.  this is an interesting situation as it also combines my chosen materials of wood and stone, but in a naturally ocouring situation.

trying to think about getting a model done for next thursdays postponed crit -  (postponed to my 30th birthday – thankyou very much…) but the combination of curves and straight surfaces, with quite a lot of detail, makes for a tricky form to construct in a model and look good…

the other thing that is bothering me that i am not sure of the exact hand in date, is the work after christmas. we have an interim portfolio hand in, and a project for ‘energy, comfort and buildings’ – which i have been thinking about, but not actually made much of a move towards yet. – i needs to be an assessment of one of the university buildings, that we visited and i photographed – and then propose environmental improvements to the building (calcutta house).   eeek.

i also realised today that if i am not back from china until 24th of dec (which i am not) then i have to pack for christmas and new year before i go. matt will take me direct from airport to mums, and then we go directly up to the lakes for new year…

we are also off to austria next weekend from the 29th to the 2nd. to hopefully look at avalanche protection systems, timber architecture and rooves that deal with safe snow loading and slipping.

wow – i shouldn’t complain, as i am very lucky to have so many exciting trips and experiences lined up. but i think that after christmas and newyear my resoloution will be not try to cram in too much.

anyway – here we go.

noodle headed but feeling a little calmer for writing it down – cont.

brain splurge to clear head :

things looked at so far (in rough order):

interlocking space – to work with the idea of the terrace in the way that houses can share walls, warmth and protect each other too.

interlocking addaptable space – adaptable to condition in community, needs of occupant or condition change in terrain.

effects of climate change – on architectural and infrastructural design and society as a whole. flooding danger – on low lying areas and on hill/mountainsides (deforestation creates potential for soil erosion and land/mud slides, glaciers melting and un seasonal heavy rain cause flooding.

timber – as a sustainable construction material, possible to harvest responsibly, and locally. good when wet – if allowed to dry out and breath.

snow loads in mountainous regions, and avalanche danger.

rising snow line – means increasing altitude and danger in locating mountain architecture – see french ski resorts.

assimilation into natural environment, and economy of space – charlotte perriand.

austrian (NW) timber architecture – vernacular styles of mountain house, combining covered balconies, stone and timber construction combined and live/work spaces under one roof. new, young austrian architects working in timber, and developing an assimilatory mountain style.

stilts or caves – looking at ways to cut into the hillside to grip the slope or prop it upto level and sit more lightly, but mor precariously on the hillside – or a combination of both.

use of group project unit shape – as potential tessellating form on slope, tipping and pivoting to create balconies.

ingredients list.

overlaping – creates some protected space under the front of the house above, and raises the front of the house above up to maximise daylight into balconies.

courtyard spaces – cut in from one side and can be oriented to stay east-west even if the house unit swivels a bit as it follows the water channel flow lines down the hill. also provides daylight into the partly underground part of the house.

more fluid shape – to allow flow of flood/snow/landslide to pass with minimal damage and maximum daylight penetration.

rivulet channels – natural paths taken by water, and channels worn into material that it is passing over (rock, earth, sand), possible patterns of development where terraces run up-down the hill rather than across.

interlocking materials – from the austrian livework houses, looking at the cmbination of heavy protective material – stone – and lighter sheltering material – wood. how can the livework spaces combine and merge, and stay defined as different.

richard serra – amazing, huge swooping structures – cave-like and protective.

livework both with balconies and views – side by side, separate materials but merging into one under the overlap of the next house. providing a more private courtyard at the front and a light crevasse into the centre of the house.

need pages of development of type – diagrammed and labeled.

sizes of units – possible interlocking with different sized units with one typology.

GLOF – ‘glacial lake outburst floods’ – a serious global warming related phenomenon where the glacial lakes overflow with meltwater (for example 67% of Nepalese glaciers are in retreat and 20 lakes identified as at risk of GLOF).

excessive rainfall – 50,000 people killed and 500,000 homeless after after landslides, trees, rocks and mud flood down the mountain sides in venezuela in dec 1999.

book – ‘climate and hydrology of mountain areas’, edited by – carmen de jong, david n collins, roberto ranzi. isbn : 978-0-470-85814-1, april 2005.

reforestation in china to secure hillsides – in yunnan province they have banned logging, and made a rule that all land over 25 degrees gradient should be re-planted with forest to prevent soil erosion, landslides and mud-rock flows in an area with a population density of 211 people per km2. prevention of sedimet buildup washed into the main river, reducing its flow and causing more flooding. potential for hydro electricity. increased biodiversity. loggers become tree planters and caretakers. new homes and eco-tourism facilities.

landslide damage – on areas of precariously perched, hillside housing.

trees create stability – tree roots bind the soil and stablise the hillside. the roots can grow into the rock and spread out, breaking the rock open to grip into. they also wrap their roots around the rocks.

human examples – rock climbers sleeping on the rockface. attach clips or wedges into the rock and clip their sleeping pod to the face in a light way.

management practice and law – how will this be affected in my project if i designed for a site abroad. i should take the opportunity to lear as much about the UK system as far as possible, and will be harder to research in foreign country.

tutorial – noodled head

had a tutorial with jonas today with a bit of input from steve too, and i feel like everything is up in the air again.

i have made a decision – right or wrong – to move somewhat away from the brief (i decided to do this before the year even began, as stated in my learning agreement). i now have to deal with the fact that i need to write my own brief and strongly jutify why the hell i have decided to make my life ten times harder…

i have decided to take a different line as it is my 5th year and i really want to set myself up, in my final year of study doing a project that i am really passionate about. and mountains are what i am passionate about.

i have developed the parameters that i set myself from the groupwork project, and added some, these form the beginning of my recipe :

parameters taken forward :
- width of housing terrace in relation to depth (as depth decreases width increases to maintain area)
- direct access to open green space – maximum distance/travel time – with private courtyards
- shared party walls and interlocking space – for open plan living and heating/cooling efficiency by sharing mass
- scale of external circulation space in relation to housing area/mass – do we need ‘normal’ vehicular access right up to the residential areas?
- flexibility of space – allowance for adaption, extension and personalisation/ regional difference
- light and views – maximise

added parameters :
- gradient. technical and aesthetic issues with building on mountain sides
- privacy levels for different parts of the dwelling
- indoor/outdoor space as with ralph erskine’s ‘box’ and the Austrian mountain farm houses
- protected space from flash flooding down hill/mountain side due to excessive rain, spring/glacier melt water, glacial surges causing moraine discharge and lake overflow, mud slides and rock fall.

- overlaping space
- materials to be appropriate to use of parts of dwelling / workspaces to protect or shelter
- mixed use units with integrated workspaces

the ingredients are :

3x bedrooms 4×4m min
1x living/dining/kitchen 12×4m total

1x bathroom 3×3m

1x storage (bikes etc) 2×1.5m

1x courtyard 4×4m

1x balcony 2m deep min

1x hall (if not directly entering into living space) 3×3m

1x workshop/studio/office 6×4m min

optional 1x car space 2.5/3×5m

optional 1x garden/roof terrace

?x stairs 1m wide

magnificent richard serra

sol lewitt drawing