Add to Technorati Favorites http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping architecture design: Mei 2009

Minggu, 31 Mei 2009

concept

Introduction
Selection of the greenhouse design is determined by the expectations, needs and experience of the grower. Consider what crop(s) will be grown, how they will be managed, and the grower experiences in the type of growing system. With this initial information, a workable design can be completed, and then modified by the financial realities of the required investment.


Basic Design Requirements

Assume a greenhouse layout, that efficiently uses the land space available. Begin with a small, but complete, free-standing greenhouse unit, which readily fits within a plan for future additions to this initial unit, or with modular blocks of separate, larger greenhouses. Consider the location and size of a headhouse work area, storage space and office space. Select a greenhouse design with structural integrity sufficient for the weather conditions (winds, snow) of the site. The greenhouse structure must not only be of sufficient overall size, but also be proportioned to fit the modular size (row spacing or bench width) of the crop production system, such that use of interior space is maximized.

The land should be well-drained and level, with access to roads for transport of materials and products. Utilities such as fuel, electrical power and telephone should be readily available. Sufficient quantity of good quality water is a necessity. Consider pH, hardness, salinity, and dissolved minerals when determining water quality. Have a lab test completed!

An important consideration for future expansion is whether a ground-to-ground (Quonset style), or gutter-connected structure should be initially selected. The Quonset can initially be less expensive. However, its maximum width is limited to approximately 9 m (30 ft), and for expansion, additional and separate units must be built. The gutter-connected design allows for future expansion by moving its sidewall and adding more bays. The entire module is under one roof, which provides for common access, and the capability of sharing environmental control systems, and other mechanical systems.

Multiple, separate structures can potentially offer isolation for disease and insect control measures, which seems less possible within gutter-connected facilities. However, pest control practices are more difficult and time consuming in the separated, smaller structures.


Greenhouse Orientation
Orientation is determined by the direction of the greenhouse roof ridge or gutters, relative to the line of movement of the sun. There is no optimal orientation, but there are costs/benefits to be considered for either choice. The primary concern is for the maximum quantity, duration and uniform availability of solar radiation for plant growth. At geographic locations greater than 30o from the equator, the seasonal reduction of solar radiation is the most limiting plant growth and development factor.

The free-standing, Quonset greenhouse will provide more solar radiation than a gutter-connected greenhouse, with a similar orientation. The total yearly light received will be greatest for the Quonset or gutter-connected greenhouses if oriented with a N-S (North to South) roof ridge. Much of this total, however, is received in the summer season when light is not limiting.

Considering only the winter season, that is, the lowest light intensity and shortest daylength period of the year, an E-W ridge orientation will gain more total light than a N-S orientation.

For uniformity of light distribution to the plant canopy, the N-S oriented greenhouse is always better than the E-W. The shadow patterns caused by the overhead greenhouse supporting structures continually move across the crops (from west to east), as the sun travels from sunrise in the east to sunset in the west. This is especially important during the light-limiting season.


Glazings and Coverings
The types of greenhouse coverings range from traditional glass to the polymer plastics, such as thin films or multi-layer rigid plastic panels. Enhancements to covering materials include: ultra-violet radiation (UV) degradation inhibitors, infrared radiation (IR) absorbency, and anti-condensation drip surfaces, as well as, other unique radiation transmission properties.

Plastic glazing includes: rigid plastic structured panels, such as fiberglass reinforced polyester (FRP), polycarbonate (PC), acrylic (PMMA, polymethylmethacrylate), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) panels.

Thin film coverings include low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polyvinylchloride (PVC), and ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA). These materials have been used in single, double and even triple layers to cover the greenhouse.

Glass is quite inert, in contrast to plastic, and it can function for 40 to 50 years without failure. It is non-combustible, resistant to UV radiation and air pollutant degradation, and it maintains its initial radiation transmission if regularly cleaned. The greatest drawback of glass is its vulnerability to catastrophic losses caused by hail.

Polyethylene film covered greenhouses have been developed so that they are reliable, and usually have a lower initial cost than most other greenhouse glazing systems. All plastic coverings are affected by weathering and have useful lives of 3-5 years for films, and 10-15 years for rigid panels. Low air infiltration rates resulting from the continuous film cover have improved energy savings, but contribute to high greenhouse air humidity conditions. Moisture condensation, especially on flattened arch-shaped roofs, promotes dripping on the crop below. The open-roof greenhouse structures, where the entire roof can be mechanically opened and closed, have resolved some of these problems.

Selection of the type of covering material to use on new construction or on renovation projects requires many practical considerations. The flexible and forming properties of the film simplify the covering process compared to rigid plastics or glass. The attachment procedures for plastic film range from the simplicity of wooden nailer strips to the reusable aluminum extrusion inter-locking strips. The need for replacing the film every three to four years requires that the recovering process be rapid and easy. A means of recycling or disposing of spent film must also be considered.

Glass or rigid structured plastic panels require the more elaborate aluminum extrusions for their attachment to the greenhouse structure. These must be designed for the longer life of these covering materials.

Rigid plastic structured panels made of acrylic, polycarbonate, PVC and FRP, are initially more expensive as a cover than polyethylene film, but they require less maintenance and provide a longer useful life. Re-glazing systems for acrylic and polycarbonate panels use fewer, stronger support elements which are spaced wider apart. This has effectively reduced the amount of structural shading typically associated with glass.

Ultraviolet radiation promotes photochemical degradation processes in all plastics and is generally the major reason for their replacement. Temperature extremes and their duration can weaken film coverings, and this is especially a problem where the film contacts the greenhouse metal structure. Air pollutants also reduce the usable life of plastic coverings. These may be from sources external to the greenhouse which are attracted to the outer plastic layers and reduce radiation transmission. They may also come from internal sources such as chemicals used for pest control, which can cause premature failure of the plastic.


Environmental Control
Environmental control for heating and cooling uniformity is a very important design consideration to maintain desired environmental setpoint conditions. However, the distribution of heat is difficult, and a uniformly heated environment may not result. Non-uniform environments cause differential plant growth rates, potential disease problems, unpredictable results with nutrition or hormonal application, and generally a more difficult plant production system to manage.

For the most effective and uniform cooling and heating, the rows of plants should be arranged in the direction parallel with the ridge or gutters of the greenhouse structure. For ventilation, this assumes that the ventilation system (fans and air inlets) would be located on the endwalls (perpendicular to the direction of the gutters). Should airflow be restricted and non-uniform, then the ventilation system cannot effectively cool the plant, nor provide for sufficient air exchange for humidity reduction (disease control) and replenishing carbon dioxide.

Evaporative cooling systems, whether pad and fan, or high-pressure fog, are highly dependent upon effective and uniform ventilation, as well. Similarly, row orientation can improve air movement and more effective heating of each plant.

The capability of a hot water heating system for distributing the heat the plants is less affected by plant row direction within the greenhouse than a hot air system. The heating pipe network is uniformly spaced throughout the entire greenhouse area, and typically distributes the heat more uniformly. The hot water pipes may be placed at the perimeter walls, overhead, at the base of the plant, or in a combination of each. Heating pipes near the base of the plant provide warmed air near the floor which rises through the plant canopy, providing a desirable plant microclimate.

A taller greenhouse is better for improved climate uniformity. In gutter-connected greenhouses, a minimum of 3 m (10 ft) from floor surface to gutter, plus an additional 1.2 m (4 ft) from the gutter up to the ridge, is desirable. Tall greenhouses provide a large internal air volume, which reduces rapid changes of the greenhouse climate caused by the natural daily fluctuations of the outside environmental conditions.

In addition, a tall greenhouse provides sufficient space required for other greenhouse systems such as: an energy blanket or shade cloth, supplemental lights, raised benches (reducing usable height to overhead systems), irrigation boom, overhead misting systems, tall crops such as tomatoes, or hanging basket plants.

The most common energy conservation technique related directly to the design of the structure is the internal energy blanket. This system could also be used as a shading system with proper selection of blanket material. In all greenhouse structure designs, a space for the energy blanket should be provided, whether the systems is initially installed or not. Within a gutter-connected greenhouse, the blanket can be located at the height of the gutter. When not in use it can be tightly packed beneath the gutter to minimize shading to the plants below.


Management, Labor, Internal Transport, Space Utilization, and Materials Flow
Greenhouse crop production has work conditions that can be modified and improved as a result of the mechanization, automation, or environmental control systems. The labor demand is nearly continuous, which helps to maintain a skilled, dependable workforce. The regularity and repetitiveness of the work tasks allows for improvement of work conditions, work procedures, and mechanization, which ultimately lead to increased productivity and safety for the worker.

Management and labor for crop production is a major expense for a greenhouse operation, thus any means to increase labor productivity or improve labor management is beneficial. Generally, a larger facility under one roof, such as with gutter-connected greenhouse, can improve the labor management situation. The preparation and work areas for specific tasks can be centralized for more efficient labor productivity. Supplies and raw materials can be readily available from central storage. The layout or relative locations of preparation area, growing area, storage, and shipping (input/output), directly affects the production capacity, flow of materials, and labor productivity of the greenhouse. The plant production space within the greenhouse bays, accounts for the largest of these locations.

The type of growing system, its physical layout, and its environment and plant culture systems (water, nutrients, heat) directly affect labor efficiency and flow of materials. Within the plant production area, the greenhouse bays consists of crop rows which are typically organized in a repetitive fashion. The bays have aisles for worker access to the plants. It is desirable to minimize both the number and the size of the aisles, in order to increase the greenhouse floor space for plant production.

The limitations on these minimum sizes are based on the light availability to the plant canopy, and the need for sufficient access to the plants to complete the tasks associated with plant care, maintenance, and most importantly, harvest.

The crop rows within the bay must be inter-connected to each other for easy access by the workers, as well as, to the input/output location (typically a shed) of the greenhouse. The number and size of pathways which make this connection need to be minimized, however, they must be of sufficient capacity to prevent labor or transport bottlenecks. They should be sized for the required machinery that must be transported.


Automation, Mechanization and Labor Aids
The importance of mechanization and automation is directly proportional to the amount of handling and maintenance operations required for the crop. Handling is determined whether the crop requires regular (daily) handling/transport to complete an operation (pinch, prune) during its growth period, and whether these operations can remain within the greenhouse growing area, or must be transported to a work area outside the growing area. A general rule of internal transport to make the most efficient use of labor is, to move the largest unit size of materials or crop over the shortest possible distance within each labor transport cycle.

There are several options for locating the work area (i.e. the area where hands-on maintenance operations will be performed on the crop) for efficient crop transportation. It could be near by but removed from the production area, for example, within an adjacent shed building. There is also the option for a mobile work station, which is moved to the plants in the growing area.

Machinery and hand equipment which can improve the capability of the workers to perform their tasks, or improve the working conditions should be considered in the design. Automation and mechanization have an investment cost which must outweigh the costs of a manual operation. Automated machinery or manual labor aids increase the uniformity and consistency of the product, and the work force. Mechanization of an operation can provide mechanical power, speed, repetition, safety and a greater potential for consistency and quality control. Automation includes these attributes but with greater flexibility, and potentially, some automated decision-making.

5 Star HomeDesigns

Built on budget on a difficult site in suburban Brisbane (why do I get all the steep sites!), this 200m2 5 star house cost $105,000 (in 1998). It has 3 bedrooms, a walk-through bathroom, an office, and a large open living dining & kitchen area adjoining a generous lounge and verandah. It even has a wine cellar under the living space.









This house, built in the Glasshouse Mountains area of Queensland's Sunshine Coast was also built on budget. For $120,000 (in 1997), its owners have a 3 bedroom house with spacious walk-through ensuite bathroom, a Tasmanian Oak kitchen, an office, and a billiard room with a full size table. The rear south facing verandah overlooks natural bushland and is a wonderful spot to get away from the summer heat. This dwelling is so much better than its owners last home, they haven't stopped raving about it since its completion!












Originally designed to have a slow combustion heater for those cool winter nights, Bob and Gwen have never got around to making the purchase as their home is so cosy in winter, it doesn't need any heating. The solar water heater and the composting toilet round out this environmentally sustainable home.

This budget home was built in Eaton's Hill on the outskirts of Brisbane for $76,000 in 1999. Built of polystyrene (not the stuff that disposable cups are made of, but building grade high density polystyrene), its owner calls it his ESKY house . . . and during heat waves, all his friends come to visit him because his house is so cooooooool.

Polystyrene BEFORE rendering ......and AFTER


With its gas boosted solar water heater, this house barely generates one third of the average Queensland house greenhouse emissions. Surrounded by environmentally disastrous brick veneereal development, this unpretentious home doesn't stand out from the suburb as an oddity.

It has 3 bedrooms, a single garage on the western end to further protect the occupants from afternoon summer heat. and a clay block 'backbone' wall under the clerestory windows to maximise thermal mass.

Another happy customer.

The Harper House

Terry and Liesl Harper, after replanting the cleared land they had purchased at Eumundi on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, decided to build a state of the art environment friendly house on it. To achieve this, they hired the professional assistanceof a building designer, Graeme Rickard. The home had to have as little impact on the environment as possible. It had to capture its own water, recycle as much of it as possible, and produce as few greenhouse gases as possible. To achieve the latter, solar energy and energy efficiency were of paramount importance.

As Mr Rickard had never designed an energy efficient home before this brief, he and the Harpers spent many hours poring over many books on the matter, and then put pen to paper. A concept was arrived at, and architectural drawings were commissioned. Because the Harpers were very keen on promoting this project to the general public after its completion, they felt the need to have the design energy rated to be important. To do this, they approached the Brisbane college of TAFE’s Renewable Energy Faculty, who hired the services of GREENhouse design.

At first glance, the concept looked well thought out. However, to the Harpers' utter disappointment, when the design data was first entered in BERS, it proved to be quite ordinary, rating just 2 stars.

So what was the problem?

It took many hours of analysis to establish why this concept did not live up to its expectations.

Initially, the building envelope was too complex. If the perimeter of a building is too great with respect to its floor area, then much more energy can enter/leave the building through the walls.
The initial design also incorporated no fewer than 5 rows of clerestory windows. Too much glass simply weakens the building envelope, and far too much ambient external heat was entering the house, causing it to overheat in summer. So this was reduced to just one row.

Using BERS, other window sizes were also fine tuned to achieve the Harpers’ requirement

Another obvious error was the total lack of thermal mass. This is no easy site to design for: sloping steeply to the southwest, it was impossible to build this house on a concrete slab over its entire floor plan; however, it was decided to introduce one underneath the higher section of the house where the wet areas were sited. This also allowed the use of massive walls (as seen opposite), this time built of earth to fulfill the client’s environmental commitment. It was suggested that the eastern and western louvres be fitted with timber rather than glass slats to minimise solar gain during summer mornings and afternoon.

Whilst GREENhouse design was not the originator of this design, our input had a major impact on the final results, and particularly the house's thermal performance.

Jumat, 29 Mei 2009

Garell Residence by Syndesis, Inc

This Garell Residence was designed for a retiring doctor, who after falling in love with the small town of Yachats, Oregon, decided to relocate to a quiet hillside along its border. The site is characterized by its coastal relationship, both in terms of its beautiful ties to nature as well as in terms of its exposure to severe weather conditions that can take shape in the form of horizontal wind driven rainstorms that can reach speeds up to 140 mph.

The project is a 3,500 square foot residence located on a south-facing slope above the Yachats River. The area is heavily wooded with spruce, pine, and alder. The house is organized around its scenic views of its surroundings as well as defining a central courtyard that puts the focal point onto the hill above.

The courtyard was designed following the Japanese garden or “Angawa”, which allows for shelter from prevailing winds while still allowing for a connection to the outdoors. Large overhangs also protect the home from the strong winds. The high volume of annual rainfall was considered within the design by incorporating large copper scuppers that divert the water into falling streams above large collection basins.

The entry frames a view onto the central courtyard and allows the residents the convenience of an accessible mudroom to quickly and easily clean themselves after being exposed to the outdoors. The living and dining areas of the home continue to frame views of the courtyard and rock garden while opening up large views on the opposite wall of the canyon and ocean below.

About Syndesis, Inc

Syndesis, Inc. is a design firm which manufactures, fabricates, and installs custom architectural products and surfaces using Syndecrete® as a primary medium. It is committed to innovation, craftsmanship, and integrity. Syndesis is a single source supplier with full services ranging from research and development to design, communication, and coordination through prototyping and mold making from conception to installation.

La Reserva House by Sebastian Irarrazaval

La Reserva House was designesd by Sebastián Irarrázaval and would be built on the outskirts of Santiago and therefore monitoring of the construction could not be very exhaustive. As a result it was decided by a simple cubic matrix.

Moreover, the reduced budget forced us to opt for a constructive economic system and fast. As’ we decided to use one, widely developed in the U.S. and Canada and here in Chile is beginning to be used in the georgian houses. which consists of a structure of galvanized iron profiles, chipboard panels OSB siding and sheathing PVC imitation wood.

It is a low-cost housing, 140 m2, to be sold and repeated in many places as concerned people exist. In this regard it relates to the idea of the container since it has no place. With the purpose of reducing construction time, geometry is simple and the construction system is on prefabricated basis. Its arrangement is a cross shaped where, in order to embrace the nearby landscape, public areas are placed in second level in a 4 meters high cube.

This severe volume is covered with steel plates that create a double facade that gets hot and therefore increases ventilation of the space in between , refreshing the inner side of the wall

With regard to materials, the building recognizes the inherent uncertainty and inevitability of weathering as a continuation of the building process rather than as a force antagonistic to it.

Architect: Sebastián Irarrázaval
Associate Architect: Andrea Von Chrismar
Location: La Reserva, Colina, Chile
Constructed Area: 140 m2
Project year: 2005-2006
Photographs: Carlos Eguiguren

Binder Residence by Syndesis,Inc

This Binder Residence is another residential project of Syndesis,Inc beside the previous one Garell Residence. This Binder Residence is located on a small, 37 foot wide lot on a pedestrian “Walk Street” in Venice, CA. Rather than create one “object building,” two buildings attached by an open-air bridge was conceived to create a courtyard space to give the occupant the feeling of being outside or underneath the second floor while maintaining privacy.

The larger of the structures is used as a residence while the other is used as an art studio and guestroom over a garage. The ground floor extends from the exterior courtyard into the interior and vise versa to blur the definition of interior and exterior space.

Large, sliding doors are concealed so that the ground floor appears to be open to the exterior courtyards. A large exterior 2-story chimney wall frames the terminus of the courtyard while concealing the adjacent 2-story neighboring residence. The exterior fireplace at the second floor flanks an outdoor sleeping porch and seating area off of the perforated breezeway bridge.

Walls on the first floor are intentionally held from touching the ceiling of the second floor to allow for a clear line of site over neighboring residences and giving the illusion that the second story is floating above the first floor. The mass of the second floor elevations is divided into sections of positive and negative spaces that reinforce the destabilization of the wall plane. Some of the vertical slices are specific to selective views of nearby palm trees. A central floating stair divides the spaces and leads to a usable roof deck framed by high solid parapet walls providing privacy and strategically edited views of the distant landscape.

A continuous skylight, that opens to serve as a shaft to facilitate stack effect ventilation, frames the stair that will float from the ceiling of the second story. The exterior walls of the second story are covered in a smooth, steel troweled, integrally pigmented stucco and turn inside horizontally to form the interior ceiling of the first floor further emphasizing the weight of the “floating” mass above.

Jackson Clements Burrows Architects | Cape Schanck House

Architects: Jackson Clements Burrows Pty Ltd Architects
Location: Cape Schanck, Victoria, Australia
Project Team: Tim Jackson, Jon Clements, Graham Burrows, Kim Stapleton, George Fortey, Brett Nixon
Design duration: 12 months
Construction duration: 18 months
Landscape: Site Office Landscape Architects
Mechanical: Griepink & Ward Pty Ltd
Structural: Adams Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd
Contractor: BD Projects
Constructed Area: 400 sqm
Photographs: John Gollings

The undulating landscape at Cape Schanck is primarily a combination of cleared grass dunes (locally known as the Cups region) and expansive areas of dense Coastal Heath and Ti-tree shrub. The site is a designated wildfire zone and prior to the landscape being significantly cleared by early European farmers the area was inhabited by local aborigines.

On our first site visit we discovered the remnants of a hollowed out burnt log. This informed a starting point for an architectural exploration for the interiors and exterior where the form of the hollowed log suggested possibilities for an architectural solution.

The site is located on a high inland dune amongst dense coastal ti-tree shrub with expansive western views. On approach, the visitor is fronted by an expansive wall which conceals the primary upper level form. The lower level extends from the steep ground plane as a rendered plinth and forms a base much like the surrounding dunes. A winding driveway climbs the steep dune accessing the upper level behind a screen fence which conceals the view beyond. From here the entry experience opens to expansive views over the living area, deck and pool.

Kyneton House by John Wardle Architects

The only piece of joinery that strays from rectilinear simplicity is a unit surrounding a wood-fired heater. This centre piece to the living area acts as an explanatory maquette for the house.” John Wardle

On a vineyard in country Victoria, this house has a simple plan, and a complex roof. The roof creates a silhouette, a geometric landscape floating within the expansive rural setting. Once inside, floor to ceiling glass connects the main living space with the landscape. The floating roof defines this space. Other- wise flat, it is cut and folded up to form skylights, or cut and folded down to create shade to the north. The incised plane hovers above the roof level of the rest of the house, the gap between ceiling and walls made up with glass.

The plan is a straightforward division into three rectangular zones, or pavilions. The approach is from a long driveway that winds around the back to a rear courtyard. This contemplative space creates a pause before a view of tree-covered hills to the north is revealed on entry. Only a narrow vertical slot in the blank wall gives a preview glimpse, like a core-sample of the view.

Architect : John Wardle Architects
Category : Residential
Date Completed : 2007
Photography : Trevor Mein

Kevin Low | The ventblock house

This ventblock house was designed by Kevin Low. It was the second in a series of houses with a roof system based on cross ventilated insulation. A decision was made early to conceptually enclose some sort of garden space in the heart of the building, privacy being the issue.
The side facing walls were built from overburnt clay brick, hard but warm, punctured in parts by narrow windows. Thin concrete roofs characterize much of the shading on the lower level, with large glazed doors and window walls only on the inside faces of the protected garden. Cement vent block was used in this house for screening; this was to become the guiding character for the safari roof house.

Satoshi Okada Architects | House in Aobadai

Location : Aobadai, Tokyo, Japan

Architect : Satoshi Okada Architects
Type : residence
Size : 238.46 sqm.
Structure : RC
Completion : 2004
Project team : Daikichi Honma
Structural designer : Kenta Masaki
General contractor : Fukazawa Construction Co.
Photo credit: Satoshi Okada architects

The house is located in the Daikanyama Hill, next to Shibuya district, one of the most fashionable areas in Tokyo, today. On the sloping terrain from north to south, the site figures a trapezoid shape of approx. 9.2m in width by 25.2m in depth upon a narrow front road to the west. The east end boundary is only tilted by 4.19 degree from the right angle.

The client is a young executive person, a car maniac, purchased an expensive lot for his own dwelling as well as for holding a private party with business partners or friends just behind the hot spot. His primary request is to make a garage in order to store 4 cars in the house made of a rigid and safe reinforced concrete structure against fires or earthquakes. This condition demands, proportionally, a large area only for cars in the limited property; at last, it occupies a half of the whole site. Also, in terms of architectural laws to the cosmopolitan area, tall buildings cannot be realized for maintaining a well-preserved housing environment particularly on the right of light. On the north boundary, a setback regulation in architectural laws restricts the building height less than 5.6meters.

Because the big garage is required to place on the ground floor to the front street, and because the rest half of the site area is not enough large for a public realm, the ground floor is automatically decided to plan a master bedroom, a bathroom, storages, an entrance, an anteroom to the garage. While on the first floor, living, dining, kitchen, a public restroom, and two terraces are planned not only for family’s private living, but for a public use of inviting guests.

A row of bathroom and laundry is on the ground floor along the south end wall. The bathroom faces to a tiny garden which functions as a light well and ventilator, which also connects the master bedroom. Landry directly links to the garage, which is convenient for sweaty works of the vehicle enthusiast.

Composition

The house is basically composed of two structural elements. One is reinforced concrete walls and slabs; the other is an iron structured flat roof. In the plan, I set up a tilted wall which is perpendicular to the east end boundary of the site. It divides the house into two portions; the smaller part on north is exposed to the sky by a series of glass roof, the larger one is under a single opaque roof. The transparent / translucent roof, made of anti-heat and anti-ultra-violet ray glass, on the north is effective for introducing sunlight into the hall on the ground floor level as well as providing a spatial openness to the interior.


Materials

On the ground floor, concrete surface is remained for a finishing except white marble on the floor, which is continuous from the outside walkway to entrance inside. While on the first floor, a hard water-resistant wood is used for both places inside and terraces outside. Sash is made of steel painted in black, and all glass is air tighten paired glasses. On small windows, their frames are industrially made of aluminum. Glass roof along the north end wall has a quality of anti-heat and anti-ultra-violet ray. A flat opaque roof above the living is proofed by rubber-asphalt sheet on steel structure.

House in Mt. Fuji by Satoshi Okada Architects

Project : House in Mt. Fuji by Satoshi Okada Architects
Location : Narusawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
Architect : Satoshi Okada
Type : villa (guest-house)
Size : 138.65 sqm.
Structure : wooden construction
project team : Lisa Tomiyama, Eisuke Aida
Structural designer : Kenta Masaki
General contractor : Ide Kogyo Co. Ltd.
Completion : 2000
Photo credit : Satoshi Okada architects & Katsuhisa Kida

The house is a weekend villa for inviting guests. The site is situated among the plantation of broadleaf trees in the northern foothills of Mt. Fuji, 1200m above sea level. Its ground, molded out of lava flows back in antiquity, undulates to a great extent in the east-west direction, inclining gently with a mean gradient of approximately 1/10 from southwest to northeast.

It is extending from northeast to southwest, facing two roads on its northeastern and southeastern boundaries respectively. On the premises are a number of deciduous trees such as Japanese beech or magnolia. A forest of white birch extends towards north. Peace and calm reign over the area, only to be broken by an adjacent log-house on the west.

The client requested to build a small house in order to appreciate its surrounding nature. In the site, the building was brought closer to the northwestern boundary, offering a pleasant sight filled with sunlight, trees, along with a panoramic rise and fall of the land stretching out to the southeast, and also shielding as much as possible the daily sight of the neighboring log-house on the west.

The house volume is divided into two realms by a diagonally folded wall. One is a big space of living for accommodating guests; the other is for private bedrooms with a bathroom. In the living, its ceiling height is gradually coming down from 5.3m (max.) to 3.8m (min.) in accordance with the sloping roof. Beneath the loft, dining and kitchen are placed as a compressed space with 2.0m ceiling height.

K-Lofts by Jonathan Segal Architect

This Klofts Residence was designed by Jonathan Segal, whose considered one of downtown San Diego’s most successful and pioneering residential architectural/development companies and has a reputation for providing superior housing at a lower cost than comparable properties. KLofts was designed with a participatory design process creating positive connections between and among residents, community stakeholders, local government officials and civic groups. The design outcome provides a building with public and private space that enhances human scale and further promotes social interaction, shared use of space, defensible space to help revitalize this deteriorating community while at the same time enhancing the community’s physical fabric. The project was built at a cost of $82/sf and utilized no governmental subsidy.

KLofts is a collection of simple architectural forms collaged to create a nine unit loft building on a nine thousand square foot urban property in the Golden Hill area of Downtown, San Diego. The former Circle K convenience store and gas station were saved and integrated into the new design to minimize the deconstruction and make adaptive reuse of the existing building. The modern building integrates urban living environments for a mixture of very low income (50% of median income) affordable and market rate rental units with each unit containing large private outdoor spaces and oversize glazing.

The sustainable project provides 50% renewable electricity and a unit set aside for very low income families. The architect/developer worked closely with the community for nine months to ensure a project that is well received by the neighborhood and provides needed affordable housing in San Diego.

KLofts Awards

National

2008 AIA/HUD Secretary’s Housing and Community Design Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing Design (1 of 1 in nation)
2007 National American Architecture Award , given by the Chicageo Atheneum (1 of 35 in the nation)
2006 PCBC Gold Nugget Award
2006 National American Institute of Architects, AIA Honor Awards for housing (PIA) (1 of 12 in the nation)
2006 Residential Architect Magazine Grand Award for multifamily affordable housing (1 of 13 in the nation) california
2008 Concrete Masonry Association of California and Nevada (CMACN) Merit Award

Local

2007 San Diego AIA Merit Award
2005 San Diego Chapter AIA Honor Awards, Citation

Aatrial House, Opole, Poland by Robert Konieczny

architect : Robert Konieczny
collaboration : Marlena Wolnik, ?ukasz Pra?uch
site area : 10 057 m2
usable floor area : 659,57 m2
volume : 2 055 m3
design : 2002-2003
construction : 2003-2006

Location

Designed by Robert Konieczny, The Aatrial House is situated in Poland, close to Opole. Majority of low density settlement in the surroundings is formed of “cube – houses”, buildings typical for the 1970’s.

Idea
One hectare site near the forest, where the building is designed has only one weak
point: south-western access. An obvious conflict develops between the driveway and
the garden. The idea arose to lower the driveway in order to separate it from the
garden. This prompted another idea - of a driveway leading inside to the ground floor
level, from underneath the building, which became possible thanks to the creation of
an inner atrium with the driveway in it.

New type of the house
As a result, the building opens up onto all sides with its terraces in an unrestricted
manner, and the only way to get into the garden is through the atrium and the house.
This in turn has made it possible to obtain a new spatial model of the house, which is
the reverse of an atrial building. The aatrial house is closed to the inside and opened
to the surroundings.