Precedents Studies
Uluru Kata-Tjuta Cultural Centre - Gregory Burgess Architects
http://www.gregoryburgessarchitects.com.au/projects/1995/uluru-kata-tjuta-cultural-centre/
- Located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
- The building has been designed from inspiration of the Aboriginal culture, through its integral display and interpretative themes
- Through its animated relationship with its powerful site, extensive use of sustainable materials, low energy consumption and sympathetic responsiveness to people and the environment, the building celebrates the spirit of the Anangu culture
- Low lying in a vast landscape
- Fits into the landscape
- Uses organic forms
Toad Hall, Running in Circles, Just for Looks- Patrick Dougherty
http://www.archdaily.com/224561/stickwork-patrick-dougherty/toad-hall/
- Built from primarily tree saplings, woven together
- Each sculpture is approximately a three-week construction project where Dougherty and a group of volunteers create the habitat of this tangled web of all natural materials
- As the sculptures are made or organic matter they disintegrate, break down and fall apart, becoming part of the landscape once again
Hot House, Sauna Pavilion, USA, Artifact Design + Construction
http://onedesignaday.blogspot.co.uk/2007/12/hot-house-sauna-pavilion-massachusetts.html
- Combines copper cladding, cedar plank, green slate and quadruple glazed windows to create a building refreshingly refined but deeply alluring.
- Both copper and cedar will age and weather naturally, becoming more intrinsic to the surrounding scenery as time passes.
- The reflective nature of the copper and glass conjures up ideas of mutual beauty, adoration and reflection.
Train station O - Endo Shuhei Architect Institute
http://www.designboom.com/architecture/endo-shuhei-architect-institute-trainstation-o/
- The train station was created to rejuvenate an unmanned station in Sakai Cho
- Due to the shape of the site, a long corridor was incorporated into the architecture as an open gallery, making it very accessible
- Its continuous form is made from corrugated steel plates
Falling Water - Frank LLoyd Wright
http://www.fallingwater.org
- Fallingwater stands as one of Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest archetypes both for its dynamism and for its integration with the natural surrounding and context
- Wright's passion for Japanese architecture was strongly reflected in the design of Fallingwater, particularly in the importance of interpenetrating exterior and interior spaces and the strong emphasis placed on the link between man and nature
Wadi Resort - Oppenheim Architecture and Design
http://www.dezeen.com/2011/05/01/wadi-rum-by-oppenheim-architecture-design/
- In this design proposal, 47 desert lodges are to be built in the resort of Wadi Rum, Jordan
- The lodges will be carved directly into the sandstone cliff face and the building elements will be made from rammed earth and cement mixed with local red sand
- The project merges silently with its wondrous setting, exploiting and enhancing the natural beauty of the desert to establish accommodations that are uniquely elemental and luxurious
Interactive Museum of the History of Lugo - Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos
http://www.dezeen.com/2011/08/08/interactive-museum-of-the-history-of-lugo-by-nieto-sobejano-arquitectos/
- Completed an underground museum with weathered steel towers and cylinders that emerge above a grass lawn
- Visitors enter the building through a spiralling staircase that descends into a submerged circular courtyard
Fortress of Franzensfeste - Markus Scherer and Walter Dietl
http://www.dezeen.com/2011/09/12/fortress-of-franzensfeste-by-markus-scherer-and-walter-dietl/
- Steel bridges emerge from windows to create external routes between first and second floor rooms, crossing an artificial lake
- Elsewhere, the granite walls of all existing buildings onsite have been restored, and roofs have been made waterproof
- Restored vaults provide exhibition rooms with newly exposed brick arches and steel staircases
Green Architecture
Black-painted S House by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher raised up on stilts
http://www.dezeen.com/2014/02/10/s-house-stilts-hammerschmid-pachl-seebacher-architekten/
- This black wooden house is raised off the ground on wonky metal stilts to frame views of the landscape and allow room underneath for a sheltered garden
- Rooms are arranged on a U-shaped plan that wraps around an elevated terrace. Bedrooms and a study run along one side and the other half contains a large living, dining and kitchen space
- Exterior walls are clad with roughly sawn spruce and were painted matte black using traditional Swedish paint
- "We chose the black paint because the U-shaped building has a very large surface and a dark building integrates better into the surrounding landscape" (Hammerschmid)
Blackened timber house extension hidden in the forest - Marchi Architectes
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/12/11/black-timber-house-extension-marchi-architectes/
- Marchi Architectes layered up timber slats of different thicknesses and proportions to give an irregular texture to the walls of this sunken house extension
- The strucutre extends from the rear of the property, but is set at the lowest level of the site so that it is barely noticeable from a road running alongside
- Black-stained timber cladding covers the walls and roof of the extension, allowing it to look like the shadow of the main house, while the textured surface was designed to help it blend in with the surrounding woodland
Maison Sylvestre - Matali Crasset
http://www.maisons-sylvestres.fr/#
http://www.livegreenblog.com/sustainable-architecture/ecological-overnight-accommodations-in-the-woods-matali-crasset-and-her-andldquomaison-sylvestreandrdquo--7463/
http://www.livegreenblog.com/sustainable-architecture/ecological-overnight-accommodations-in-the-woods-matali-crasset-and-her-andldquomaison-sylvestreandrdquo--7463/
- Matali Crasset developed a unit called the 'metaform' which she then divided into four themes, four shelters set in the woods to explore their ecosystem without altering it
- These lightweight constructions, made out of a combination of acacia wood, douglas fir and galvanised steel, have no foundations and can be freely moved around in the forest without harming nature
- The form of these units allows them to fit perfectly into their setting, inviting us to approach nature in a sustainable way
BedZED (Beddington Zero Energy Development)
http://www.zedfactory.com/zed/?q=node/102
- Designed by architect Bill Dunster to support a more sustainable lifestyle
- An environmentally friendly housing development in Hackbridge, London
- ZEDlife is an alternative way of delivering affordable volume zero carbon and zero bills housing
- The BedZED urban system reconciles high-density with amenity, providing each dwelling with a sky garden or terrace. A combination of passive measures and proven, cost effective active technologies form the strategy of an integrated, sustainable development. A rigorous specification process helped reduce the environmental impact of the construction process
- The scheme includes a biomass combined heat and power plant, an onsite sewage treatment and rainwater recycling system, and natural wind driven ventilation.The idea was to show how it was possible to combine workspace with housing whilst matching the residential densities of the surrounding dormitory suburb, and actually increasing overall standards of amenity - particularly gardens and public open space. This was achieved by matching south facing rows of single aspect residential terraces with north facing live / work units or workspace. By placing gardens on the workspace roof, it was possible to give almost every home a garden or terrace, whilst achieving high levels of cool northlight within the office space.
Sun Path Diagram
This Sun Path Diagram has allowed me to locate where I am going to face my unit which relies heavily on solar power.
Solar Power
- Solar panel electricity systems, also known as solar photovoltaics (PV), capture the sun's energy using photovoltaic cells. These cells don't need direct sunlight to work – they can still generate some electricity on a cloudy day. The cells convert the sunlight into electricity, which can be used to run household appliances and lighting.
- Solar Panels can cut your carbon footprint: solar electricity is green, renewables energy and doesn't release any harmful carbon dioxide or other pollutants. A typical home solar PV system could save over a tonne of carbon dioxide per year.
- Solar Panels need very little maintenance – you'll just need to keep the panels relatively clean and make sure trees don't begin to overshadow them.
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generating-energy/Choosing-a-renewable-technology/Solar-panels-PV
Wind Power
- A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into electrical power.
- The smallest turbines are used for applications such as battery charging for auxiliary power for boats or caravans or to power traffic warning signs. Slightly larger turbines can be used for making small contributions to a domestic power supply while selling unused power back to the utility supplier via the electrical grid. Arrays of large turbines, known as wind farms, are becoming an increasingly important source of renewable energy and are used by many countries as part of a strategy to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
- Forty percent of all the wind energy in Europe blows over the UK, making it an ideal country for domestic turbines (known as 'microwind' or 'small-wind' turbines). A typical system in an exposed site could easily generate more power than your lights and electrical appliances use.
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generating-energy/Choosing-a-renewable-technology/Wind-turbines
Hydropower
- A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power.
- Vertical wheels can transmit power either through the axle or via a ring gear and typically drive belts or gears; horizontal wheels usually directly drive their load.
- Historically waterwheels were used to turn milling stones and other mechanical tasks. However they are now being reconsidered for the generation of electricity. A waterwheel for example has a lot less environmental impact than hyroelectric power generation since rivers do not need to be diverted, and the pressure of the water is not increased so fish are less likely to be injured or killed.
http://www.reuk.co.uk/Introduction-to-Water-Wheels.htm