ABSTRACT The report starts off by looking at the Cape Town urban context and what my urban scheme hopes WR DFKLHYH ,W WKHQ ]RRPV LQWR WKH VSHFLÀF DUHD and site and how my urban scheme applies there. I talk about my programme and what concerns have lead me to choose this idea on this site and what it hope to achieve on the greater scheme of things. The site and its components are then closely analysed before I go into my brief and design intent. I then explain a detailed linear progression of my ideas and design process and how they begin to manifest themselves in the physical building. The report looks more at the development of single ideas across schemes rather than the development from a whole scheme to the next. After the concept developments I talk about the structural process by its self with explicit description of the technology and construction methods used. The following chapter looks at the various environmental responses of the building and other enerJ\ PDWHULDO HIÀFLHQF\ SURSRVDOV I end with an analysis of key design ideas that I’ve deeply explored and that have played vital roles in my design development and creation.
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INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to show an account of the process I followed to reach the current design. It follows a linear progression of my ideas and how they progressed into the design of an actual building. The report describes the context from the urban scale, GRZQ WR WKH VSHFLĂ€F VLWH ZKDW LQKHUHQW FKDOlenges and opportunities were found and how they were dealt with. It summarizes my thought process and how I engaged on an urban, social and environmental level to the task at hand of creating an integrated and sustainable future urban environment.
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CONTENTS 5. SITE AND URBAN FRAME 16. BRIEF DEVELOPMENT 24. DESIGN INTENT 25.DESIGN PROCESS 56. STRUCTURAL CONCERNS 64. E & S 76. DESIGN ANALYSIS 83. THOUGHT PIECE 84.TABLE OF FIGURES 85. APPENDICES
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SITE
URBAN FRAME
Salt River’s location and urban history has always been one of a mixed use industrial area where diverse people have lived, worked and interacted. It remains an ever changing place with new paradigms constantly coming into play. Its location and close proximity to the city around it has allowed it to become an important transport and infrastructural node where the rail and road routes leaving the city diYHUJH DQG VSUHDG DFURVV WKH à DWV Most of the surrounding areas are largely single use industrial or residential, whereas Salt River has been one of the few truly mixed use industrial and residential areas. Its success in the past has come from diverse communities forming and creating a robust urban environment where they had easy access to economic opportunity and social spaces.
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SITE The opportunity created by the busy main roads, the rail system and the integration of industry with residential has allowed the urban context of Salt River to become a diverse hub of activity within the city context. The proximity of industrial buildings to the city fabric have allowed people to live close to their work, creating an important place of craft for the city. The main roads have become places of diverse economic opportunity, forming important social spaces. The typology of the merchant house has helped in creating robust well established communities and safe city spaces. The good line on the rail system was once an important part of the indusWU\ LQ WKH DUHD JRRGV ZHUH HIĂ€FLHQWO\ delivered to factories in and around the city. This created a culture of locally produced and crafted goods. Today now that the good line is not functioning, trucks have become the main system of goods transport. Some industries (such as the textile trade) have dwindled as we start importing goods, slowing down the growth of the local industry.
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URBAN FRAME
URBAN DESIGN
ISSUES OF TRANSFORMATION
Cape Town has a huge potential to be a great urbanised African city. There is a huge amount of diversity, culture, ingenuity and beauty. The XUEDQ HQYLURQPHQW LV LQ QHHG RI VRPH FKDQJH DQG UHGHÀQLWLRQ LQ RUGHU IRU it to become an inclusive city for all. The current economic systems, agendas and regulations are preventing our cities from becoming the great African cities of the future that they have the potential to be. We are still living in apartheid. The city planning that was set in place has not changed, our cities still follow the same structure that was used to divide and segregate us in the past. It has been 2 decades and we have not seen any real transformation taking place. Our society and our government blindly follow an exploitative capitalist system. The rich get rich while the poor stay poor. This is why our cities still look the way they do. We spend most of our effort on maintaining the upper class sectors yet so little is done to alleviate the areas that are really in need of upliftment. The solutions lie in relieving the binds that tie people to a perpetual disadvantage.
Image showing the density dispesal of cape town comPXQLWLHV ÀJ
Image showing the segregation of racial communities as D UHVXOW RI DSDUWKHLW SODQQLQJ ÀJ
If we can provide sustainable and progressive urban frameworks that are inclusive of everybody and that make an integrated society a primary concern, human ingenuity will take over, people and communities will create the city spaces themselves. It is a balance between giving just HQRXJK WRS GRZQ FRQWURO DQG OHDYLQJ WKH UHVW XS WR WKH VSHFLÀF QHHGV RI the individual and the community. Thus it is also about a certain amount of decentralization where people are allowed freedom within an equal framework. Us as architects have the ability to see the potential of not only our city spaces but also our societal constructs. We have the power to create powerful utopian visions and therefore I believe we also have inherent responsibilities to make real change towards a better world.
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URBAN DESIGN
DENSIFICATION
7KH ÀUVW JRDO ZH QHHG WR ZRUN WRZDUGV LV GHQVLÀFDWLRQ ,Q RUGHU IRU &DSH 7RZQ WR EHFRPH HIÀFLHQW DQG VXVWDLQDEOH ZH ZRXOG QHHG WR ULVH up to a general density of 4-7 storeys in and around the CBD. According to the 2011 census there are only 6000 people living in the CBD and a total of 31 200 people living in the city bowl. Considering Cape Town has a total population of 3.7mil this represents 0.8% of the total population(1). 'HQVLÀFDWLRQ DOORZV WKLQJV VXFK DV HIÀFLHQW VHUvice delivery as well as sustainable economic, social and recreational activity. A denser city means less travel for goods and people and more access to opportunity. For density to be successful it requires diversity. People need easy access to economic opportunity such as industry and business. In the Salt River context I propose a mix of uses where economically locations such as edges of main roads and rail lines become places of larger urban activity and past that the edge blurs into smaller residential activity. Civic space is also an important aspect to city life. People need to be able to interact with their city and each other in a personal way. Thus my urban proposal looks at and tries to integrate possible locations for civic structures.
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URBAN DESIGN
DENSIFICATION
The map on the right is the combination of my investigation on how to improve the current urban condition. In my belief the cities of the future will grow out of the old cities. There will be no starting over. We must work with the existing paradigms, push and pull, change it where we can, in order for us to cheaply and effectively create our dream cities of the future. All the potential already exists, it is about investigating and challenging the status quo in order for us to ÀQG DQG XQFRYHU WKH SRVVLELOLWLHV RI the future. My urban proposal talks about how we can diversify the area with a mix of uses while substantially increasing the density. The key is to try and provide all the necessities of societal daily life within a tight knit urban frame. This is the step to sustainability as well as resilience.
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URBAN DESIGN
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DENSIFICATION
SITE
SURROUNDING CONTEXT
7KH VLWH LV FXUUHQWO\ D EURZQĂ€HOG VLWH with old rail infrastructure that was used to serve the adjacent factory. The Salt River train station is right next to the site and across the road are RWKHU EURZQĂ€HOG VLWHV VRRQ WR EH GHveloped. The site has access to the rail infrastructure on the northern side and to the street on the southern side. There is a large pedestrian bridge to the west of the site which holds a lot of potential in creating a public space integrated into my building. The street is also a My Citi bus route. The area currently experiences a large amount of thoroughfare of pedestrians crossing the rail lines, coming from and going to the train station. With the other new public square and other development taking place in this area, it will form into a public, transport and industrial hub.
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SITE With the proposal of the new public square just south of my site it will be possible to transform this area into a truly dense urban precinct. Buildings around the square will be able to easily rise 4-7 story’s, making use of a public ground plane, retail and business sections and residential opportunity. The access to the rail infrastructure, main road, the train station and the pedestrian thorough fare will make this a feasible hub of development for investors and the city looking to build urban environments. The square will also open up access through the existing park, creating an opportunity for a well-used green urban space
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SITE CONTEXT AND URBAN PROPOSAL
SITE
MOVEMENT CONDITIONS
The site lies within an interchange of three different types of movement. The rail servicing public transport and possibly goods delivery, the roads for vehicular movement and the pedestrian route for the public travelling to or past the train station. My site is in a key location to make use of all three of these opportunities. The goods line if reinstated can provide material and resource delivery to the back of the building. The ramp and pedestrian route can provide multi-storey public access and interaction. The street gives the building an opportunity to interact with the city interface and the daily occurrences of public life. The building is in the perfect space to become a micro hub of civic, economic and residential activity.
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SITE
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VISTAS
SITE
SITE CONDITIONS
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BRIEF
DEVELOPMENT
Sustainability plan: (Adapted from British sustainability plan 2009) Respecting environmental limits Monitoring our use and pressure on the environment, resources and biodiversity to maintain a constant balance and ensure continuity for the future Ensuring a functional, just and cohesive society Understanding the diverse needs of culture and people to promote human health, social cohesion and to obtain equal opportunity for current and future generations. Creating a sustainable economy An economy that is strong and stable, providing equal balanced opportunity for all. Maintaining the sustainability and constancy of social and environmental capital to ensure future continuity and development. Promoting collective governance Engaging people’s responsibility to participate and contribute in all levels of society with their creative diverse energy. Development through rational science and responsibility (QVXULQJ SROLF\ LV XS WR GDWH ZLWK UDWLRQDO VFLHQWLÀF HYLGHQFH ZKLOVW WDNing into account uncertainty and maintaining responsible moral values. Sustainable building We must promote building to smaller and denser footprints while deVLJQLQJ IRU ORQJ WHUP GXUDELOLW\ DV ZHOO DV ÁH[LELOLW\ 3URGXFW VHOHFWLRQ should be done holistically and kept local while taking into consideration the life cycles of materials as well as the building as a whole. Cost HIÀFLHQF\ PXVW DOVR EH HQVXUHG RYHU WKH OLIH RI D EXLOGLQJ (Keeler. M, Burke. B, (2009), Integrated Design for Sustainable Building, New Jersey, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.)
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BRIEF
DEVELOPMENT
Natural resources This is capital that we draw from the environment around us. They can be renewable or not and it is our responsibility to maintain sustainable use and reuse of these resources. We must assess their value to human and natural environPHQWV DQG GHYHORS D PHWKRG RI PD[LPLVLQJ WKHLU \LHOG DQG HIÀFLHQF\ UHVSRQVLEO\ :H PXVW PD[LPLVH WKHLU EHQHÀWV ZKLOH PDLQWDLQLQJ FRQVWDQW KHDOWK DQG renewability. Human and natural capital must be assigned value and its management must be incorporated into general business practice. This can further secure future sustainability while increasing economic growth. 5HVRXUFH HIÀFLHQF\ • Reducing the amount of raw materials used • Products that minimise impacts of new construction and renovation • Flexibility and adaptability using reusable components • Designing for deconstruction • Using prefabricated components • Understanding a materials durability and its life cycle • Packaging and excess materials and their impact/recyclability • Waste produced from manufacturing and closed loop possibilities • Recycled content of materials • Location of material production relative to construction site • Water and its proximity and availability • Virgin and non-renewable resources are best avoided • Reuse of materials where we salvage and repurpose current content • Renewability whereby we can easily restore the materials we harvest • Bio based materials that are created from agricultural waste • Low maintenance materials and cleaning products ‡ 0DWHULDO HIÀFLHQF\ XVLQJ OHVV RI D PDWHULDO WR DFKLHYH WKH GHVLUHG HIIHFW • Disassembly of smaller components for repurpose and reuse
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BRIEF
DEVELOPMENT
Brief proposal My urban goals seek to create sustainable urban IUDPHZRUNV WKDW FDQ WKHQ EH LQÀOOHG VSHFLDOLVHG WR suit smaller sections of communities and contexts. This played a huge role in my choice of brief as I needed to ask myself how we can apply this type of thinking on a multitude of scales. As the global population rapidly urbanises, the infrastructural needs of cities are growing at an unprecedented rate. Acording to UNEP (20090 buildings are responsible for over 40% of global energy consumption as well as one third of global greenhouse gas emissions in developed and developing countries (2). We need to critically asses our ckurrent methods- they are undoubtedly unsustainable. Buildings are long term investments and thus implementing sustainable solutions now will have long term impacts economic and environmental health. Governments need to be prioritising the long term sustainability of the building sector. The materials, techniques and mind-sets we KDYH DGRSWHG DUH JRLQJ WR KDYH QHJDWLYH UDPLÀFDWLRQV LI ZH FRQWLQXH WKHLU XVH LQGHÀQLWHO\ I propose we begin immediately implementing other possible methods of building as well as thinking as there are alternatives long term sustainable solutions. Thus my design will be based on researching and implementing new ways of building with sustainable building materials
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BRIEF
PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT
My Material Proposal My research and goals for sustainability have lead me to further develop materials that aid in a reversal process of the damage we have caused to the planet thus far. The building industry has the highest impact on the earth at large out of any other single industry. Rethinking certain elements in this industry will help to have a greater and lasting change in our imperative move towards sustainability. By changing the way we think of certain things such as material properties, buildings lifecycles and the construction process, we can make a shift from destroying the planet to regenerating the planet. The urban context is the most important area that needs to undergo a shift in consciousness. Our cities can become a part of the natural world rather than a parasite. As you will see in further pages my idea is to develop wood as a large scale urban structural material and then to hybridise this with recycled waste materials such as plastic and rubber. The materials should all be able to be recycled and reused again and again, thus reducing the amount of raw material harvesting. Wood will essentially form the bulk of the materials and then LQĂ€OO SDQHOV ODUJHO\ IUHH RI VWHHO DQG FRQFUHWH ZLOO EH developed for the building envelope
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BRIEF
PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT
Wood Wood is a completely renewable resource provided that I is harvested and grown susWDLQDEO\ 0RLVWXUH WHUPLWH DQG ÀUH FRQWURO DUH VRPH WKH PRVW LPSRUWDQW IDFWRUV WR FRQVLGer when building with wood. Wood is recyclable, durable, has a low embodied energy, ELRGHJUDGDEOH DQG KDV D EHWWHU WKHUPDO HIÀFLHQF\ WKDQ PRVW PHWDOV 9DVVLJK In large scale timber, wood is engineered into composite structures such as Cross laminated timber panels (CLT) or glue-laminated timber beams and columns which provide HIÀFLHQF\ DQG FRQVLVWHQW SURSHUWLHV 7KLV XVXDOO\ PDNHV XVH RI VPDOOHU WUHHV ZKLFK FDQ grow and be replaced faster. This manufacturing process does consume more energy and the adhesives used can be toxic. Engineered wood can also be harder to recycle (Konig 2010). Today the limits of building with wood are constantly being pushed further, we have the technology to use it on a large scale as a viable renewable material. The demand for new infrastructure is growing. If we continue to use the technology of the previous century, the state of the environment and human health will only get worse. I feel that changing our ways now is of utmost important. Building with wood is not going to be our saving grace but it is a sure way to begin the reversal process that we need to in order to maintain natural balance. Wood naturally produced carbon negative material. When a tree grows it essentially uses water and energy from the sun to capture and transform carbon from the atmosphere into a solid organic material. It has an amazing ability to reverse the damaging presence of carbon in the atmosphere and turn it into something useful and valuable to us. As wood technology develops and the perceptions of people change, we can start employing a material like this on a large urban scale to truly have an impact on global sustainability.
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BRIEF
ROLE PLAYERS
Investors: government and private companies Primary users: craftsman; students and researchers Secondary users: general public In my view the building and its programme could be taken on by either the local government, a private company such as Cape Pine or a combination of both. I feel that it would be best for a company such as Cape Pine to take it on and then for it to be subsidised and regulated by the government in order to prevent it from becoming a capitalist enterprise. This would be a way for government to start tackling the expected rapid urbanisation in a sustainable way that is appropriate and feasible in the Cape Town context. The building would be run as a multifunctional centre where education; research; retail and living can take place. Vital functions: cleaning; administration; maintenance; security and management Education: public interaction; student participation and research; apprentice craftsman Research: scientists; engineers; craftsman and students Retail: informal traders and craftsman Living: part time researchers/engineers/craftsman/students; families of trainees and apprentices; employees and permanent staff The building and its functions would be subsidised by the government and D SULYDWH FRPSDQ\ 7KH EHQHĂ€W IRU WKHP ZRXOG EH WKDW WKH LQIRUPDWLRQ DQG research generated by it would lead to new opportunities on larger scales. There would be revenue opportunities for the building in the form of the cafĂŠ, the retail workshops, markets, space letting as well as the apartments. Craftsman and students would be able to develop new skill sets, further developing their careers as well as providing important services to society. Educational courses, workshops and public interaction would be mostly free and fairly available.
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BRIEF
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OLD SA FACTORTY TYPOLOGIES
BRIEF
ACCOMODATION PROGRAMME
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BRIEF Design intent • Sustainable building technology for growing needs of future urbanisation • Creating and growing industrial opportunity • Diverse, mixed use urban environments (industrial/retail/residential) • Upgrading urban infrastructure with a move towards human oriented design • Mixed use typologies that break down the divides of rail infrastructure • Preserving cultural value • Public interaction and displays of sustainability • Hub of socialist learning and development • Diverse economic opportunity • Development of public space that is safe and pleasant • Engaging the street • Building becomes a continuation of public space: ramp and street merge into building
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DESIGN INTENT
DESIGN PROCESS
CONCEPT- FLUIDITY AND MOTION The RAMP The ramp caught my attention the second I saw the site. It was a mathematically designed, concrete machine designed purely to get people up and over the UDLOZD\V ,W UHSUHVHQWHG D FHUWDLQ à XLGLW\ DQG PRYHPHQW WKDW ZDV HPEHGGHG railway context. It was also a public space in desperate need of upliftment. As ZH ZLOO VHH ODWHU P\ LGHDV RI WKH œIUDPH DQG LQÀOO¡ DOORZHG PH WR VHH WKH UDPS DV an existing empty infrastructural frame. It ties in with my broader ideas of urban frame works as well as my buildings programme of timber frames.
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PROCESS
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CONCEPT- FLUIDITY AND MOTION
PROCESS
• responsible political and communal framework • allowance for change and adaptability • transport infrastructure, services, regulations, building parts
CONCEPT- FRAME AND INFILL
• human ingenuity • cultural identity and diversity • the individual amoungst the collective • tradition, culture, skills, tallents, ambition, creativity, ingenuity, passion
• sustainable urban environments • cities integrated with natural systems • decentralised contributionalism • collective cohesion
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PROCESS
INCRIMENTAL HOUSING; FRAMES, INFILL; MODULATION
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PROCESS
INCRIMENTAL HOUSING; FRAMES, INFILL; MODULATION
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PROCESS
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INCRIMENTAL HOUSING; FRAMES, INFILL; MODULATION
PROCESS
INCRIMENTAL HOUSING; FRAMES, INFILL; MODULATION
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PROCESS 7KH JURXQG ÁRRU • nollie map to explore public movement • courtyard of bridge becomes one space with internal atrium • modulation becomes bulk of building • main access into building • functions on the street vs functions on the rail line: public/private; open/ closed • street coming into building vs building going into railways
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INCRIMENTAL HOUSING; FRAMES, INFILL; MODULATION
PROCESS
INCRIMENTAL HOUSING; FRAMES, INFILL; MODULATION
• ordering space heirachy • spatial integration of ramp to building • early structural order • access • open; semi enclosed and closed spcae
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PRECEDENT
TALL WOOD
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PROCESS
SITE MOVEMENT
Site Investigating the movement on and around the site it’s found that once the public square is open people will be moving through the park from main road to the rail station. The idea is that my building opens up from the square and works with WKH ÁRZ RI SHRSOH IURP WKH ramp through the square. The ramp is used as an entrance way into the building and the façade of the building is a continuation of the PRYHPHQW ÁRZ LQWR WKH DGjacent site. The timber frame will work with the movement ÁRZ
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PROCESS
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FIRST PROPOSAL
PROCESS
RAMP- WERDMULLER STUDY
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ÀJ XFW VSRUWV FHQWUH
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PROCESS
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CIRCULATION
PROCESS
CIRCULATION
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PROCESS Looking at public movement through the site, the ramp and the building, my immediDWH UHDFWLRQ ZDV Ă RZLQJ FXUYHV $V , ZRUNHG ZLWK WKLV WKURXJK D SURFHVV RI VLPSOLĂ€FDWLRQ I moved away from cuves due to the internal room spaces and the geometry created with the timber grid. It became an exploration of the ‘Ladder of interconnection’ seen in Aldo van Eyck’s Amsterdam Orphanage. ,WV DERXW Ă€QGLQJ ZD\V RI HQWHULQJ PXOWLSOH spaces while creating smaller aclove break away spaces that people can inhabit, either those who work there everyday or people passing though to take a break. I also worked on creating the same effect of a curve using a regular grid on the same order as the structural grid of the building Ă€J
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ENTRANCE AND MOVEMENT
PROCESS
ENTRANCE AND MOVEMENT
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PROCESS
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VERTICAL SPATIAL HEIRACHY
PROCESS
SECOND PROPOSAL • stepping circulation to create pause and chill space • circulation cores allow restricted vertical access; rams allow public access • DWULXP JHWV EURDGHU DV ÁRRUV go up, creating an internal auditorium • programme becomes more DQG PRUH SULYDWH DV ÁRRUV JR up
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PROCESS Ground Floor • market space follows ramp geometry and leads into building • entrance from courtyard of ramp • cafe connects ramp courtyard to street • smaller workshops can open onto street and can become carpenter shops • large workshop connects rail to street • WUHH FROORQDGH IROORZV ÁXLGLW\ of movement • array of movement and pause spaces
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GROUND FLOOR ECOLOGY
PROCESS
VERTICAL HEIRACHY
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PROCESS • 7KH à RRUV VWHS EDFN RQ HYHU\ level so that the atrium opens out, allowing natural light in from the roof into all the rooms and workshops. The atrium can also double as a large auditorium for conferences and demonstrations • the building becomes more private on each level with free pubOLF à RZ RQ WKH ÀUVW OHYHV FRQference space on the third and SULYDWH RIÀFHV RQ WKH IRXUWK
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VERTICAL HEIRACHY
PROCESS
VERTICAL PROGRAMME
• a dynamic programme with spaces and functions DOORZLQJ IRU ÁH[LELOLW\ DQG adaptability • a selection of potentially interactive programmes allows for a coherent communal centre • timber workshop, retail outlets face the street and also connect back into the atrium of the building • workshops and rail yard storage spaces face onto the rail infrastructure • classrooms and public H[KLELWLRQV RQ WKH ÀUVW ÁRRU allow for a changing 24hr programme • a mixture of classrooms and workshops on the upper levels for a variety of training opportunities • PRUH SULYDWH RIÀFH VSDFH RQ WKH XSSHUÁRRU WKDW ORRNV down into the atrium that can be divided and enclosed with partition walls
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PROCESS 7KHUH LV D FHUWDLQ à XLGLW\ RI PRYHPHQW found in the commute of pedestrians to and from the train station. This is also manifested in the machine but plastic quality of the concrete ramp. It works purely for movement. The building and the ramp sit in a certain duality. The building has a very UHFWLOLQHDU JHRPHWU\ GHÀQHG E\ WKH construction methods of the timber frame and the modulated grid meant for pause and learning. 7KH à XLGLW\ RI WKH VLWH G\QDPLF LV WKHQ picked up again in the roof which overhangs towards the public square DQG à RDWV RYHU WKH PDLQ DWULXP LW then wraps up the side of the building and becomes the façade for the apartments.
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FLUIDITY
PROCESS
PUBLIC GESTURE
The roof overhang towards the proposed public square mirrors the way the ramp lifts up towards the square. This created a certain public gesture that is a marker of the entrance to the building through the ramp. This can be seen in the Hans Niehaus gallery, how the roof over hang onto the street is a public gesture of entrance. The roof also form a kind of blanket WKDW à RZV RYHU WKH PDVV RI WKH EXLOGing. ÀJ +DQV 1LHKDXV JDOOHU\ FODUHmont
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PROCESS
station road elevation
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FACADE DEVELOPMENT
PROCESS
FACADE DEVELOPMENT: SOUTH
Module Facade With the large timber buildings, the structure must be largely covered and internal in order for it to resist weathering. The façade is then an exterior protection applied to the frame. From my early ideas of modulation I have worked on ordered JULGV RI DQG P WKLV DOORZV IRU D ÁH[LEOH façade (as well as interior walls) to be interchanged as needed.
Partition walls can be replaced and altered with doors, windows and curtain walls. The façade can be interchanged with any kind of waterproof cladding that will essentially clip onto the structural IUDPHU DFFRUGLQJ WR WKH VSHFLÀF PRGXOH
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PROCESS
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FACADE DEVELOPMENT: SOUTH
PROCESS
FACADE DEVELOPMENT: SOUTH
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PROCESS
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FACADE DEVELOPMENT: SOUTH
PROCESS
FACADE DEVELOPMENT: EAST
The faรงade module changes slightly on the eastern faรงade to account for the eastern sun angles. Here vertical mullions in the curtain walls are employed to shade the interiors of the building. The modules below show variations of window and doors based on 2 and 3m module variations
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PROCESS
STRUCTURAL CONCERNS: FRAME
With the structural timber frame I chose to use a system of double beams and columns. This allows IRU FURVVLQJ FRQQHFWLRQV WKDW FDQ EH XVHG WR GHÀQH the space beyond the actual connection. The timber glulam beams and columns have an inKHUHQW ÀUH UDWLQJ GXH WR WKHLU WKLFNQHVV DQG WKXV WKH ÀUH VWDQGDUGV DUH HDVLO\ PHW The biggest issues came with creating the grid. The beams easily have a span of up to 9m. My largest VSDQV DUH P ZKLFK DOORZHG IRU D JUHDW à H[LELOLW\ of interior spaces but the timber grid has to follow an almost completely orthogonal grid due to the column to beam connections. 7KH à RRU V\VWHPV XVH D PL[WXUH RI SULPDU\ DQG VHFondary support. The primary support is exposed EXW WKH VHFRQGDU\ VXSSRUW LV FRQFHDOHG GXH WR ÀUH regs. The walls all follow a modulated system that works RII P LQWHUYDOV 7KLV DOORZV IRU à H[LELOLW\ DQG DGDSWability where the building can become an experiment for its own technology. As they develop new modules they can play with and change the FXUUHQW RQHV SOD\LQJ ZLWK QHZ FRQÀJXUDWLRQV RI walls and facades. Doors and windows can also be interchanged as per need. The modules would be prefabricated in factory conditions which would DOORZ IRU FRVW DQG DVVHPEO\ HIÀFLHQF\ 7KH PRGXOHV would then just clip into the exposed timber frames on the inside using standard connection details.
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PROCESS
STRUCTURAL CONCERNS: PLAN DETAILS
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PROCESS
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STRUCTURAL CONCERNS: COLUMNS/WALLS/FLOORS Double columns
Floors
Walls
The double coulms system runs on an orthoganal grid that sit on concrete pad footings. 7KH ULJLG IUDPH ÀWV DURXQG WKH ÁXLG ramp
The atrium steps back on each ÁRRU DOORZLQJ light into all rooms of the building. In some places ÁRRUV KDYH D P cantlever off the frame, other placHV WKH ÁRRUV DQG frame separate.
The walls follow a 1m modular syatem that attatches to the IUDPH 7KH ÁRRUV are made strong enough to support the partition walls at any one place. Lift shafts are made of a double box CLT pannel system
PROCESS
STRUCTURAL CONCERNS: COLUMN TO BEAM
The double system will work with two smaller beams in one direction and then a single deeper beam in the opposite direction. The column to beam joints will work with steel saddle connections. There will be groves cut into each of the beams where they will slot in and then the saddles will be bolted on to secure the connections. The ends of the beams extend past the joint and be cut at an angle to express the connection.
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PROCESS
The initial idea for my roof came from the kinetic GRPH , PDGH HDUOLHU RQ WKLV \HDU ,W ZDV WKLV ÁXid form that could move into an array of curves made of various size triangles that followed the golden rule. It gave me the idea to have a curving saw tooth roof that would vault over the internal space of the building. The idea was that the internal columns would branch out, supporting the truss’ for the roof with a tree column typology.
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STRUCTURAL CONCERNS: ROOF
PROCESS
STRUCTURAL CONCERNS: ROOF
Each column will have 4 branches coming off it diagonally attached with steel saddle connections. The branches would connect to steel triangle trusses that would run parallel to the openings. This would create a kind of timber space frame which would inherently be laterally braced. There would be smaller timber trusses to which the roof sheeting would connect running perpendicular between the steel trusses.
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PROCESS
STRUCTURAL CONCERNS: ROOF
The timber branches will be connected to the steel trusses using pin joints to allow for movement between the two materials. Unlike its drawn in the detail below, the smaller timber trusses connecting the steel trusses will continue from the top point of one steel truss to the bottom point of the next steel truss. This will ensure a rigidity across the entire roof. Also unlike the drawing below, the timber branches coming from the column will all connect to the bottom bar of the steel truss, further ensuring rigidity.
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E&S
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SOLAR SHADING
E&S
SOLAR SHADING
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E&S
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NATURAL VENTILATION
E&S
NATURAL VENTILATION
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E&S
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NATURAL VENTILATION
E&S
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
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E&S
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ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
E&S
RAIN WATER COLLECTION AND RECYCLING
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E&S
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PRECEDENT
E&S
PRECEDENT
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E&S
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E&S
SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL USE
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DESIGN ANALYSIS
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SEQUENCE CHAIN
DESIGN ANALYSIS
MOVEMENT
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DESIGN ANALYSIS
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MOVEMENT
DESIGN ANALYSIS
MOVEMENT
Studying the site movement conditions as well as anticipating the future changes in reaction to new infrastructure informed a great deal of my design. There were a lot of movement V\VWHPV LQﾃ々HQFLQJ P\ VLW 7KH UDLO V\Vtem has its own rigid route that connects my building all across the city. 7KH SHGHVWULDQ PRYHPHQW LV ﾃ々LG DQG plastic and changes predictably but erratically over time.
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DESIGN ANALYSIS An interesting dialectic plays out between the concrete plasticity of the ramp and the orthogonality of the timber frame. They intersect and create places of similar but emotively different movement. The building becomes an alternative route, it becomes a slower, more interactive journey. The machine curves of the concrete direct movement creating a journey with a destination, beginning and end, whereas the orthogonality of the timber building, the right angles, create various places of experience, they allow for a route that its self is a destination and can be experienced through interaction of chosen pauses.
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FLUID DUALITY
DESIGN ANALYSIS
FLUID DUALITY
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DESIGN ANALYSIS
FLUID DUALITY
With the roof I was allowed to break away from the orthogonality of the frame and intuitively the ramp inspired a relative motion. The roof became another exSUHVVLRQ RI Ă XLGLW\ WKLV WLPH VSHDNLQJ PRUH LQ OLQH ZLWK WKH JHRPHWU\ RI WKH UDPS 7KH URRI LV DOORZHG WR Ă RDW on columns about the building, similar to the ramp that Ă RDWV DERYH WKH JURXQG 7KH URRI DOVR KDQJV RXW DV D public gesture towards the future public square, much the same way that the ramp rises up in the same direction.
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THOUGHT PIECE The process for this building has been an incredibly interesting and meaningful process of my own individual values and experience. I’ve let the journey take me where it needs WR UHVWULFWLQJ P\VHOI WR PRUDOV EXW FRQVWDQWO\ UHà HFWLQJ FULWically on any preconceptions I might have all the way from programme to form. The building, its programme and the intent of the project were extremely strong drivers. I knew what I wanted to achieve, it was based on utopian ideals of societal and environmental harmony rooted it into the context and reality. What motivates me is the hope for a better world. I look around and I see so much possibility, so much we can do now to shift our current instability towards a future of resilience and peace. The South African context has so much potential. Our culture is rich with tradition and human ingenuity, our land diverse and beautiful. We have all the ingredients to become the enlightened African cities and societies of the future. The challenges we face are immense but they offer great opportunities and possibility for creative solutions. My ideas are at once pragmatic and humanistic. The choice for timber was a logical one for a number of reasons: it is the most sustainable building material we have access to, its qualities are desirable and friendly to humans, and we have not begun to explore its full potential on an urban scale. Our energy needs to be put into creating the sustainable cities of the future, urbanisation is a reality and will actually be the best way for our societies to reconnect to natural harmony. With this said, it is imperative that our cities develop in the right way. With tall wood technology
believe this is a way we can start to reverse man made damage on the planet while at the same time progressing the state of the built environment. Although my intent was pragmatic about creating sustainable future urban environments for people, it was the same factors that effected my buildings design on smaller and smaller scales. It was an interesting process as I let myself be inspired by the day to day qualities of people and their lives, the site and its history, and the potential of future possibility. In the end I am happy with what I have achieved thus far. I understand the architect cannot predict or the future nor can we dictate the direction things must follow. So much is achieved by everyday people living their lives and creating the world around them (This is something I hope to explore and understand more in the years to FRPH 7KXV LQ P\ EXLOGLQJ WKH QHHG IRU à H[LELOLW\ DQG adaptability was an issue from the beginning. I am also happy with how I have addressed the urban scheme and how my buildings role relates to the bigger unity of my urban scheme. I feel that I have made a good attempt to create a social building that responds to people and their different circumstances. In the end I do not see this building as a solution to a perfect future but I see it as an example of something that can become a social and political catalyst in altering our current unsustainable perceptions. People will take the lead and communities must KDYH WKH ÀQDO GHFLVLRQ DERXW WKHLU VXUURXQGLQJ ZRUOG 7KXV this building seeks to create a platform for the public to empower themselves and take control of their own future.
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TABLE OF FIGURES
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APPENDICES
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1: DESIGN PROPOSAL 1 2: DESIGN PROPOSAL 1
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1: DESIGN PROPOSAL 2 2: DESIGN PROPOSAL 2
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2: URBAN DESIGN
3: ‘UTEC’ FINAL DRAWINGS