Coromandel Earth Ship

This is a built house on a plot of farmland in the coromandel. Its also a great source of information for my build, as they make a great use of rammed earth, and also an example of how volunteer work can be utilised in a build, which are two things that I would like to involve.

EARTHSHIP Grand Designs

^ Link to Grand Designs episode

This episode has been incredibly useful in understanding some of the limitations of earth walls, while this family used tires inside of the walls, rammed earth both makes up some of the main supportive structure, and also make up the walls backing up into the clay hillside, much like I want to do. While I don’t want to use tires, a steel and wooden frame will do the same thing. Crucially, this house is in New Zealand, where there are very few rammed earth structures, due to the climate and high moisture levels. This would definitely be an aspect in the Mt Vic climate, as the house would be surrounded by trees and in some parts, near constant shade. This family solved the issue by using a clay outer seal to keep out moisture and reduce the chances of structural compromise and mould developing within the structure.

 

 

 

Summative Assessment Finals

Though I didn’t present yet, these images were on the wall for a little bit!

Extended Structure and Layout (Final?)

Really been struggling with how to place the buildings, and how to accomodate all the needs of the people living there, on both tough to imagine terrain, and how i want the space to feel/ reflect the inspirations

Workbook of attempts to create this curve and relation to roots/ connection to the space

While i liked the idea of using a curve in the space, i eventually brought it down to that no matter where the curve sat, it felt forced and unusable, and i struggled a lot with the logicality of furnishing and living in a curved space, even though it would create some interesting images/spaces. Maybe could play with curves more in the finer details, in some of the stairs/walkways etc.

Settled on this series of structures – As I was playing with where the dwellings could go, I realised as its on a slope, that designing for the flat, even in theory only is using space that is non existing, and ignoring possible space and interesting ways of using it.

Placing the living blocks up the hill and behind the main structures takes away the campsite vibe i was trying to avoid, optimises the view from the central building, opens up the deck area as a simultaneously sheltered and open area, as the two tall and long buildings allow for both. The distance between the living blocks and living area isn’t far, but they are far enough to cut out noise/ disruption coming from the living area if they wish. More roof space over more hillside area allows for more opportunity for solar charge, and utilising the hillside slope also helps with rainwater collection and therefore grey water systems in place.

The excavation around settling these long thin blocks into the hillside creates the earth needed to form the outer walls, and the rest of the structure is lightweight wood or glass.

While the curved structure didn’t really fit how i wanted it to feel, I think this series of buildings does show the inspiration coming from the root systems, as when i first saw them they were in the form of a tree using its roots dug into the length of the slope to create strength. This together with the natural slope, and the various points of attachment (10 buildings in total) act as if they are roots, cementing the site into the hillside in a very organic way.

This layout also keeps the feeling of walking up the dirt/bush paths, especially in behind and among the dwellings.

The curved aspect is still visible in the shape and layout of the deck space, in that the wide stairs descend down the slope a little, forming a semi replica of the topography of the area.

 

 

Development of Structure and Layout

 

Workbook Pages on thoughts/ planning/ conversations

Current layout/ working space in section? Section perspective

 

Top + Bottom level floor/building placement plan

Deck + Stairs Included

Notes and working on design aspects (irrelevant possibly)

Indication of (possible) layout of top/mezzanine level

And the Bottom Half – Layout having difficulty – May create entrances? Corner Entrance

 

 

House in Chau Doc, Southern Vietnam

Designed by NISHIZAWAARCHITECTS

Dwelling in Southern Vietnam – Designed for three families to live in at any one time. Following a Local/Regional budget restriction, the walls had to be built using corrugated iron, but instead of hiding this, the architects decided to embrace it, and make use of it.

This structure doesn’t have many immediately obvious connections to what Im trying to do, but I was drawn in firstly by the stairs, and in the way that the structure is kept very open, but still having compartments and set apart areas for communal vs semi privacy. I feel thats an important thing to have in a shared space, especially when you would be dealing with strangers, and may need the space, or the community, to make sense of the reasons why you came, or simply for peace of mind.

I also was drawn in by the materials used, and how what is essentially a box is then allowed to have space, warmth and connection to the outside environment, using insulation, structure and supports as part of the look.

 

 

Layout, Shaping and space

Modelling off precedents/inspiration

Workbook and sketching of shape, texture, angles etc.

Sketchup Model Testing shaping and space makeup – Very large space, I wanted it somehow large and spacious, but this structure covers approx 25x15m (375m^2)

(Over three levels makes this over 900m squared, could overdo the space available, and definitely isn’t necessary)

Attempt at developing roof line and space availability, working on shrinking the space by organising needs of the space

• Shared Bathrooms, unisex but still need privacy, for 10 tenants approx 5 showers, 4 toilets (glancing at building code)
• Bedrooms – at least 10 (may not fill all ten at one time)
• Common Spaces – Kitchen of a decent size, Communal Facilities, Lounge/shared space, Dining Area, Outside Space

Will keep ceilings as higher than average (2.8m vs 2.4) to keep the illusion of space, but making the actual footprint smaller

 

Design, Palette and material testing and ideas

Collage renderings of possibilities available with Materials and textures

• Rammed Earth (feature and structure)
• Small Paneled Glass (ceiling and wall? Recycled Glass?)
• Concrete (Base + structure? Heated indoors)
• Natural/native wood (Dark/Light alike, Heavy)
• Black Steel Roofing (Colorsteel? Slight angle to collect water)

Inspiration and precedent images

Common Points

• Rectangle/ hard edged structure, contrast with the outer forest life but blends through material and colouring
• Steeped entrance, sense of being below or dwarfed by something (is important in the act of ‘retreat’?)
• Connection to the outer land but still private, dark, look found, almost as if needing to be discovered/ are being discovered
• Large Scale and relatively high storey buildings – Ability to see over treeline level maybe? Avoiding the feeling of being cramped and trapped, instead creates a comfortable space (more wrapped around than strangled?)
• Uneven Ground, Steeper slopes, Existing Greenery kept intact, ideally creating as little earth disruption as possible? Maybe angled square shapes better for this?
• Terraced or different angles of levels, platforms and rooves mimic nature and natural levels of the earth