Project #5: THE
OASIS: A PLACE OF THERMAL DIFFERENCE AND CHOICE 35%
Problem
statement: A
study of the impact of the primary climatic zones on the design of spaces.
THIS
IS A SINGLE PERSON PROJECT
Please
note: you are free to choose between: COLD, HOT-ARID OR HOT-HUMID. Once you have decided "where in the world" you would like to locate your oasis, validate its climate using Climate Consultant. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you truly understand the climate data and not your impression of the climate. http://www.energy-design-tools.aud.ucla.edu/
The Oasis suggests a place
of choice and evokes images of destination: a grove or orchard, a market
or crossroads, an arcade or verandah-- a sanctuary. The Oasis is a small
compartment in the large scaleless boundary, where sun becomes shade,
harsh light becomes dappled, still air becomes a breeze and monotony gives
way to transition and variation. An Oasis is where you go for renewal
and experience a ritual in your life like cool drink after a long trek
or the cold spot under the warm blankets; like the warmth of a fireplace
after a walk through the snow gathering firewood.
The inherent value in the oasis
lies in awareness that thermal transitions are an essential element of
our daily rituals. Special moments are recalled through associations with
thermal and other sensual experiences- certain smells, breezes, sounds
or tactile textures which define the uniqueness of a point in space/time,
marking a transitional experience. In direct or subtle ways, we purposely
seek relief and familiarity in the oasis. The value and richness of thermal
variations in our day-to-day lives allows us to appreciate (and design
for) meaningful experience of the built environment.
The
Oasis speaks to architectural invention whose purpose is to create sublime
comfort and the sensual experience of space -- much more than mediation
or correction of the exterior environment -- much more than SHELTER --
beyond PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS and FUNCTION -- ACCOMMODATION OF THE BODY,
THE SOUL AND REFRESHING THE SPIRIT...
Our OASIS project additionally is seeking to do all of this in an "unplugged" building. We wish to reduce our Carbon Footprint, through the use of passive "unplugged" strategies, but yet create BETTER architecture! Comfort is important as well as aesthetics. What are the appropriate low energy, passive aesthetics that define the Oasis architecture for hot arid, hot humid or cold climates? This is up to you to investigate.
An oasis is:
* a small but highly identifiable place in a large homogeneous field,
like the classic desert oasis.
* a special destination, a stopping place but not a permanent habitation.
* a place of thermal differences created by architectural or natural elements.
* place of refuge from the primary environment.
* place of ritual.
* associated with sensual experience much more than with visual appearance.
“The
character of climate cannot but become the character of self-understanding...
As we find our gladdened or pained selves in a wind that scatters the
cherry blossoms, so do we apprehend our wilting selves in the very
heat of summer that scorches down on plants and trees in a spell of
dry weather. In other words, we find ourselves as an element in the
mutual relationship with climate.”
Watsuji Tetsoro, CLIMATE, A PHILOSOPHICAL STUDY
“Building
systems, machines, appliances come to be regarded as having a reality
independent of human beliefs, their form and function determined solely
by physical laws. They are, however, most fundamentally, artifacts.
They all have their origins in the human mind and therefore are inevitably
formed by, and expressions of, the values, attitudes, and prejudices
of their makers.”
Lisa Heschong, THERMAL DELIGHT IN ARCHITECTURE
Goals: familiarize
yourself with human experience of the environment and how comfort and
variety of sensation can be controlled architecturally; examine relationships
of climate, site and building; explore/create an example.
The comfort zone chart from "Design with Climate" by
Victor Olgyay
(hint - use this chart to determine appropriate responses)
You are asked to design an Oasis that responds to the particular climate issues of ONE of the climate zones (cold, hot arid or hot humid). This is an ARCHITECTURAL RESPONSE. It is intended to be a small building that might be able to be occuped by one to four people on a transient basis. It is to be designed completely with passive design. Passive solar heating. Passive shading. Passive cooling. NO electricity. No PV. No fans. No pumps. Use building materials, the sun, wind and light to create the comfort of the space. Use solar orientation to modify the ability of the space to use its natural environment. Concentrate your architectural response as a focus on the most severe aspect of the climate that you have chosen to design form. Make sure that you have supplied places for the occupants to sit or relax (unless you really expect them to stand for the entire stay). Think about those materials as well. What materials hold heat? Which ones are cool? What does the texture of the material feel like that you are sitting on?
Feel free to include landscape elements around your building to perfect its microclimate.
The environment or site is completely of your choosing, however, you must provide climate specific information for your site. Latitude. Longitude. Temperature range for the year. Amount of rainfall. Solar geometry.
These links might help with the solar geometry:
http://www.susdesign.com/sunangle/
http://solardat.uoregon.edu/SunChartProgram.html
Address the following
points:
How does the
oasis differ from the general environment? What separates and defines
the oasis from its surroundings?
What architectural
features influence perception and sensation of thermal conditions?
* the surfaces, shape, size and containment of the oasis
* color and light
* circulation, entry and sequence of movement
* sources of thermal variation
What other
sensory clues (sight, smell, taste and touch) provide information linked
to corresponding thermal sensations? How are they experienced? How is
heat/cool experienced and by what mechanisms (conduction, convection,
radiation, evaporation) does the human body communicate with thermal energies?
· To
what extent is the thermal environment controlled by occupants of the
oasis? Are the adjustments architectural (windows, rugs, shades...)
or are they remedial (fans, heaters and air conditioners)?
· Think about ideas of daily and seasonal
variation. To what extent do these reinforce the sense of oasis
and how do architectural elements contribute to these ideas?
· What rituals of daily life are practiced here and how are they
tied to the idea of oasis? What is the purpose of this place and who
visits it when?
· What elements of choice do occupants have? How do they understand
and express their options?
· What elements of seduction occur here that invite people to the
oasis and insure their comfort and return?
· What is specific about the climatic region that is reflected
in the oasis by allusion, inclusion, exclusion, similarity and/or contrast?
· What symbols or icons of thermal significance are encountered
here and what is their place in creating an oasis?
GOALS
As an introduction to the non-visual realms of architecture, this project
seeks to explore the experiential context of architecture. Through this
exercise we approach an appreciation for the way spaces/places are experienced
and an understanding of how the architect is influenced and inspired by
the notion of Oasis. The project also represents the basic spring point for contemplating Carbon Neutral Design as this type of intention requires that we do our utmost to use the sun, wind and light, as well as building materials, to create environments that have minimal need of "power". So small, that it can be supplied by renewable energy.
A byproduct of this project
should be a broadening of thought about architectural significance and
increased interest in design for and about thermal comfort.
OBJECTIVES
1. Create or remember physical and romantic experiences of thermal significance.
2. Consider the architectural contribution to that experience.
3. Communicate/document findings and exploration in a professional and
compelling way.
TRAPS
Don't forget this is about architecture and thermal comfort. Don't do
a park or a nature walk.
Don't forget seasonal variation.
Don't simply copy a traditional response, either vernacular or indigenous. You must improve upon these concepts and elevate them into Architecture.
DO NOT DESIGN A BEACH HUT OR A BUNKER. THINK ABOUT HOW THESE IDEAS FIT INTO CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE.
TRICKS
Let go of visual descriptions of facades and concentrate on tactile sensations
as they are facilitated by architectural components. What does a window
mean to you? What does the sound or experience of water and wind do to
your psychological experience of space? What does warm sunshine feel like
on your body through a window on a frosty winter day?
SUGGESTED READING
*Banham, Reyner, THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE WELL TEMPERED ENVIRONMENT.
Tetsoro, Watsuiji, CLIMATE, A PHILOSOPHY.
*Heschong, Lisa, THERMAL DELIGHT IN ARCHITECTURE.
*Rasmussen, EXPERIENCING ARCHITECTURE.
*Bachelard, Gaston, A SENSE OF PLACE.
Williamson, Ray, LIVING THE SKY, THE COSMOS OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN.
Fitch, James Marston, AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL FORCES
THAT SHAPED IT.
Witold Rybczynski, HOME
*Available at UW libraries.
“During
the six years of my architectural education the subject of comfort
was mentioned only once. It was by a mechanical engineer whose job
it was to initiate my classmates and me into the mysteries of air conditioning
and heating. He described something called the ' comfort zone' which,
as far as / can remember, was a kidney-shaped, crosshatched area on
a graph that showed the relationship between temperature and humidity.
Comfort was inside the kidney, discomfort was everywhere else. This,
apparently, was all that we needed to know about the subject. It was
a curious omission from an otherwise rigorous curriculum; one would
have thought that comfort was a crucial issue in preparing for the
architectural profession, like justice in law, or health in medicine.”
Witold Rybczynski, HOME
“Imagine
yourself on a winter afternoon with a pot of tea, a book, a reading
light, and two or three pillows to lean back against. Now make yourself
comfortable.......”
Christopher Alexander, author of A PATTERN LANGUAGE,
as quoted in Rybczynski's HOME.
“...a
fundamental weakness in most discussions of architectural aesthetics
is a failure to relate it to its matrix of experiential reality ...
this leads immediately to serious misconceptions as to the actual relationship
between the building and its human occupants.”
James Marston Fitch, 'Experiential Context of the Aesthetic
Process', JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION, Winter 1988.
“The
dynamic natural process of sun and wind, light and shade, heat and cold,
are the ever present forces that the architect must address in enclosing
or defining space. An understanding of these forces is essential in interpreting
and responding to place. In a world of increasing concern about global
environmental problems, the architect’s understanding of natural
climatic forces is essential in order to design buildings that belong
to a place, that minimize the reliance on fossil fuels, and respond to
the rhythms of nature for the well being of man.”
Steven Dent, Associate Dean, 'Portfolio', Third Annual
Publication of the University of Mexico, School of Architecture and Planning.
March 20,1991.
DELIVERABLES:
Prepare two 11" x 17" "boards" in digital format, HORIZONTAL ORIENTATION (I am grading these on my computer, which has a horizontal screen).
Include your written/graphic
description of the OASIS as you experience/ remember/imagine it on your boards.
Include graphic representations of your climate data so that I can understand the nature of the place for which you are designing. It is important that the data you include supports your claim of the environment. If hot, show hot temperatures. If cold, cold as the dominant temperatures. Some climates may be humid but not as hot as you think. A psychrometric chart will reveal humidity best.
Use Climate Consultant 6, a free program, to generate your Psychrometric Chart http://www.energy-design-tools.aud.ucla.edu/
Illustrate your oasis. Use
architectural graphic representation to describe your idea of place. I am expecting some mix of hand drawing, Photoshop, 3-D modeling, text, all amazingly worked together with InDesign so that you can submit your boards as one good quality pdf document.
The
above listed points will be used in evaluating your presentation you
must address them fully and clearly.
The full set of projects will be posted at the end of term so that you can see the overall results.
PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOUR PDF INCLUDES BOTH BOARDS AND THAT THE NAME OF THE PROJECT FILE IS YOUR LAST NAME AND ID NUMBER! (if you all label it "oasis" or "enviro project" it makes them difficult to manage.
So.... BOAKE_1234567
YOU MAY PUT YOUR NAME ON YOUR BOARD BUT NOT YOUR ID NUMBER. I WILL POST THESE ONLINE AND YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE YOUR ID NUMBER AND NAME POSTED TOGETHER AS IT COMPROMISES YOUR SECURITY/IDENTITY/PRIVACY.
GRADE BREAKDOWN:
/10 Suitability to Climate: How well does it work in arid vs humid vs cold. Does the project really speak to the specific climate and would it be quite unsuitable in another.
/10 Success as an Oasis: Does it really work? Is is a wonderful place to hang out?
/10 Use of Vernacular/Indigenous: We saw many examples in class of how people have made places work and be environmentally responsive without architects. Have you used these attributes?
/10 Innovation: What "new" have you brought to the indigenous solutions? How have they been improved by your solution?
/10 Architectural Quality: This course is about architecture. How does yours appear? Is it refined and tasteful, as well as sublimely comfortable?
/10 Quality of Presentation: Are the boards complete, tell everything we need to know, cleanly laid out, graphically engaging?
/10 Climate Data: Make sure to use a variety of methods of graphic representation that support your claims of climate. Simple text based references are not enough. Include your psychrometric chart and the Climate Consultant graph that overlays temperature, relative humidity and the solar levels. Also a wind rose for the season you are orienting your openings for.
/70 TOTAL (35% of term grade)
DUE DATE: April 15, 2015 @ 5pm.
As per main course outline.
The project is to be uploaded to LEARN.
Late penalties will be applied. Deductions of 5% per day. |
