3.2 THE ISL AND ART FOR CHANGE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
p.2
INTRODUCTION
p.17
RIVER THEATRE
p.24
BOOK ROOM
p.33
THE LOT
p.3
COMPENDIUM
p.18
MISSING TOPOGRAPHIES
p.25
SILENT ZONE
p.34
DERELICT CAR LOT
p.4
POMONA A WASTELAND
p.19
OVERVIEW
p.26
OVERVIEW
p.35
OVERVIEW
p.5
POMONA REBORN
p.20-21
GENERAL ARRANGEMENT
GENERAL ARRANGEMENT
p.36
ROOF SLITS
p.6
POMONA ISN’T DEAD
p.22-23
STEPPED PLATFORMS
p.7
A NON-EVENT
p.8
MINIMAL INTERVENTION
p.9
FLOATING UNIVERSITY
p.42
MATERIAL SOURCING AND CONSTRUCTION
p.10
HIGHLIGHTING CHANGE
p.43
A FLUSH SPACE
p.11-13 p.14 p.15-16
CORRIDOR LINKS REDUCING THE FOOTPRINT MINIMAL INTERVENTION AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY
p.27-28 p.29 p.30-32
SELF-SUSTAINED TIMBER BATTEN SCREEN
p.37-38 p.39 p.40-41
p.44-46
GENERAL ARRANGEMENT REGULATION COMPLIANCE RADIANT ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM
A SNEAK PEEK
POMON A A COMPENDIUM Collective work by the USE atelier encompassing a detailed analysis of all aspects on Pomona Island.
POMON A BA3 USE 2019-2020 Compiled & Edited by: Z. Ahmed D. Edmondson G. Gedeon
David Connor Karsten Huneck Alice D’Andrea Zakia Ahmed Aqilah Akmal
Mansi Agrawal Piumi Algama Anna Bezulska Ryan Dunkley Dara Edmondson
Eliott Flynn Georges Gedeon Louie Levison Alfred McIlwain Sofia Pamilo
Edmund Skelton Polly Thompson Maira Tini Jennifer Tu Karolina Vachalova
Alice Vetrugno Jordan Wong Yasin Bin Yahya Ethan Yap Polina Zakharova
ONLINE PDF
http://bit.ly/POMONA19 Gedeon - 2020
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POMON A A WASTEL AND Once home to a variety of programmes, ranging from entertainment centres to major shipping docks, Pomona Island played a significant role as part of Greater Manchester’s socio-economic scene. However, since the 1980s, little use has been given to the island. Having been left to rot, the general consensus of the neighbouring communities is that it is a dangerous wasteland, offering nothing more valuable than a transitional road for pet-walking and cycling through. Gedeon - 2020
Today, the most value found in Pomona was by the Peel Developments group, whose vision of the abandoned patch is one of rapid housing schemes. A southwestern spot is already undergoing construction, with plans to develop the entire 1.5km strip of land. This brings anger to some activists in the area, but begs the question: Why were no initiatives taken prior to the construction? If the island had been given more cultural value, the project may have never seen light of day. 4
POMON A REBORN Today, after over 30 years of being left quasi-untouched, nature has taken over Pomona once again, with most areas populated with overgrown biodiverse patches of vegetation and thriving insectile life. Some artefacts of human activity remain to remind us of what this place once was, and the actual temporality of our distorted idea of permanence. Gedeon - 2020
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POMON A ISN’T DEAD THE COMMUNITY IS
T O P O M O N A - 3 0 / 0 9 / 2 019 I hear droplets crashing on this strip of asphalt, As if it were nature trying to cleanse you. I feel the ground vibrate as trains pass you by, Passengers, ignorant to your beauty. I smell the water of rivers you shape, Poisoned by your vicinities. You sit there, passive to your spiteful surroundings, Large and destructive, lifeless containers encircle you, Containing no more than you do. In the distance, tall, blood red cranes, Eternally yearning for the skies, Failing to grasp what is right beneath them. You must forgive them, for they know not what they truly need. Drops get heavier, Trains go faster, Cranes get louder, Yet you persist. Claimed abandoned, A dystopian end for some. But for Nature, a revival, Right at the nexus of death. -Georges Gedeon
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A NON-EVENT A non-event is a metaphysical concept, of a rather paradoxical nature. It describes the existence of consequences, without the presence of a direct causality. Something happening, and also not, simultaneously. For example, the potential Nuclear War between Russia and the U.S.A during the Cold War, is a non-event. It is an event which never really took place, yet changed the world as we know it. We cannot imagine what our home would have been like had it happened, for it would have likely erased all trace of our existence. The conditions of a Nuclear War’s possibility, are also the conditions of its impossibility. Likewise, Pomona, a deserted Island on which no event has taken place in over 30 years, has seen an exponential rise in its biodiversity and wild life, still rising to this day. The lack of event is what rendered this possible. Meaning that Pomona in itself is a non-event, and is in fact very much alive and thriving. Pomona is not a wasteland, but simply a non-event, a place of perpetual change and reinvention. This virtue must be protected, but also amplified and clarified to the surrounding community in order for it to be appreciated for its intrinsic value.
?
NON-EVENT
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MINIMAL INTERVENTION In an attempt to re-unite with the nature of Pomona, the public’s perspective of it must be shifted. However, this must be done with minimal intervention in order to maintain the island’s true state and not repeat the history of mistakes commited on this space. Communnities must observe closely and learn to appreciate the place for its real value and potential for serving society as a platform for change. This is translated architecturally through Frei Otto’s values of: - Building in harmony with nature, making a lot out of little. - Using lightweight construction as a socio-political ideology. - Not building “for eternity”. - Mobility, growing/shrinking. - Rather than a technical domestication of time & space, architecture should be primarily concerned with an organisation of human time & space. - Using architecture as a response to existential requirements.
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FLOATING UNIVERSIT Y
BY RAUML ABOR BERLIN
The theme of abandonement continues. The Floating University, a collaboration between Raumlabor and students, sits within a forgotten Nazi rainwater basin, which served as a water research facility in its prime. Today, they’ve set a platform for social collision, and unexpected collaboration. A place (not a space) which breaks the routine of interaction. With minimal setup, artists are able to Gedeon - 2020
share their vision with society, and likewise, society is offered an opportunity to learn in unorthodox mannners. One could argue they have taken the first step towards redefining education and communication as we know it. By allowing this clash of professions and interests to take place, this spatial and social experiment tests the limits of learning and the capacity for change. 9
CHANGE 1
CHANGE 2
CHANGE 3
Topographical Change
Auditory Change
Textural Change
Performance
Literarture
Visual Arts
HIGHLIGHTING CHANGE Changes and communication give birth to three “hubs” on Pomona. One for each artistic category, paired with one of the mentioned physical changes on the island.
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CORRIDOR LINKS The three hubs of change are connected through vectors, or corridors of collaboration and communal engagement. Places (not spaces) where innovation is harnessed from moments of social collision and collaboration. Whether these corridors are physical spaces or not, they serve the same purpose.
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CORRIDOR LINKS Experimenting with and testing different materialities and a variety of formfinding methods to create connecting elements between the three interventions. Seen here, is a 1:50 model of the Book Room connecting to a canopy structure on either ends. The idea is to attempt a seamless link between the spaces.
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CORRIDOR LINKS As more exploration is undertaken on Pomona, more subtleties are unearthed, leading to a larger surface area that needs covering. This develops into a largescale canopy in an attempt to reach every one of the changes. However, it also begs the question of whether this aligns with the initial philosphy of minimal intervention, and the goal of allowing users to discover the island on their own.
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REDUCING THE FOOTPRINT TURNING POMONA INTO THE CORRIDOR
Physical connections are discarded, aligning better with the original approach of minimal intervention. This allows for a casual and informal discovery of Pomona, using the island itself as the connecting element in between the three hubs. Not only does this amplify the inherent values of Pomona, but it also redcues the physical footprint of the intervention. The absence of a physical connection is an explicit design choice. Bearing resemblance to Peter Zumthor’s “Zinc Mine”, spaces react solely to their contextual parameters, making use of the island as the actual connection. And thus, true minimal intervention is achieved.
Zinc Mine Museum at Allmannajuvet. Sauda, Norway. Peter Zumthor, 2016.
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INTERVENTION 2 Book Room
INTERVENTION 3 The Lot
INTERVENTION 1 River Theatre
THE ISL AND Site Plan 1:5000
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INTERVENTION 2 Book Room
250 m2
INTERVENTION 3 The Lot
1000 m2
INTERVENTION 1 River Theatre
250 m2
THE ISL AND 80,000 m2
MINIMAL INTERVENTION AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY 1,500/80,000 m2 2% of Pomona’s surface area
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INTERVENTION 1 River Theatre
RIVER THEATRE Site Plan 1:5000
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MISSING TOPOGRAPHIES A MAN-MADE GAP
By the furthest dock, a steep slope creates an opportunity for naturally occuring steps and seating. However, the lock’s infrastructure intersects the topography at an angle and the retaining concrete wall creates a gap. Once again, to ensure minimal intervention and create a commentary regarding human presence, a pop-up wooden amphitheatre uses the wall for its main support. Furthermore, according to the U.K Government’s flood risk assessments, it seems the Ship Canal is likely to rise in levels over coming years. As a response, a floating stage is pesented for the sake of the place’s longevity.
A seating platform attaches to the retaining wall, looks onto floating stage
Low-tech floating stage ideation
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RIVER THEATRE
A PUBLIC PERFORMANCE SPACE Stepped bench-like seats attach to the retaining concrete wall, and fill in the missing topography. The steppinng subtly enforces a feeling of connection to those surrounding oneself, encouraging moments of collaboration and discussion. They face a floating stage in the Manchester Ship Canal. The setup allows for informal performances, capitalizing on the importance of casual, everyday learning. When not in use, the structure serves as public seating. A top platform and a ground-level Pomona function as break-out spaces allowing for the harnessing of unexpected social moments.
Platform seating ideation
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
Plan 1:500 PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
Platform seating structure and floating stage Axonometric 1:100
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PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION
Missing topography is filled in by the platform seating. Elevation 1:50
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N
An intimate and informal interaction. Perspective Plan 1:100
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S TEPPED PL ATFORMS A LOW-TECH SOLUTION
A simple, multi-use seating solution is provided, minimally impacting its site. Platforms can comfortably fit up to two individuals, but more importantly, their lightweight structure and opennnes create a true feeling of connection not only to the surroundings but also in between users. A system of braced timber colunns and beams serves as a main structure onto which pathways and seats are overlayed. A non-invasive method, only penetrating the ground plate at 6 points per module.
Pathway Seat support
Seat substructure
Primary Beams
Seat
Platform seating structure Axonometric 1:100
Stepped platform seats, held together by a primary timber structure.
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River Theatre
INTERVENTION 2 Book Room
BOOK ROOM Site Plan 1:5000
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SILENT ZONE
A VOID AT THE CENTER OF HUMAN CHAOS 300m away from the Lot, in between the overgrown bushes, a zone is riddled with silence, as if it were a void in a Manchester washed out with traffic and construction noises. A modern and casual take on the library is proposed; a space promoting the sharing of knowledge in informal ways. A space at the heart of unexpected learning and collaboration.
A wooden screen appears in the distance, in between the bushes
Juxtaposition of indoor and outdoor spaces
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BOOK ROOM
AN INFORMAL LIBRARY Within the silent zone, sits a book room, a place for informal sharing of knowledge, a place to share old books and discover new ones. This cozy room, made of rammed earth, rises directly from its site, and is isolated from the world by a screen of timber battens, which ivn turn form a corridor for social interaction and collaboration. The timber screen focuses the space, while allowing surrounding nature to subtly seep in, placing users right at the heart of Pomona.
Semi-outdoor social space blends in with its surroundings through a timber array.
Plan 1:200
Corridor, reading room, and skylight. Stripped Axonometric 1:100
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NEEDS COMPLETING
A seamless transition between inside and out. Section, Elevation 1:50 Gedeon - 2020
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N
Mixed Programme Perspective Plan 1:50 @ A1
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SELF -SUS TAINED
PASSIVE VENTIL ATION & THERMAL MASS To ensure the longevity of this place, the design takes on very simplistic values, allowing for long-term use and re-use. Moreover, it incorporates concepts of passive ventilation and heating, meaning the absence of any mechanical HVAC systems. Timber battens break up drifts of wind and sunlight creating a subtle breeze, with a well shaded space. The phase difference and mirroring of fresh-holes allows for cross ventilation by design, needing only to prop open the room doors to ventilate the space. Inside, the monolithic rammed earth walls act as thermal mass to preserve heat from sunlight, slowly dissipatinng it back into the room. Not only this, but their high insulating properties paired with a 600mm thickness means the room can be constantly temperate regardless of external weather conditions.
Non-symmetrical fresh-holes for imrpoved ventilation
Wind-breaking, cross ventilation, and rain protection.
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Sunlight & thermal mass
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TIMBER BATTEN SCREEN A LOOK INSIDE, AND OUT
Timber battens are attached to the perimeter of the structure’s roof using stainless steel plates, and drawn down into the ground where they sit on concrete pad footings, and are fastened to one another to increase stability.
REALISTIC DETAIL RENDER LIKE IN PREVIOUS INTERVENTION
The screen allows a sort of visual permeability into and out of the corridors, playing on light and overlapping materials.
Concrete roof
Timber batten
Galvanised steel bracket
Concrete floor
Concrete footing
Timber screen structure Axonometric 1:10
Timber screen, galvanised steel connections, looking onto raised concrete floor and rammed earth wall.
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Book Room
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Book Room
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INTERVENTION 3 The Lot
THE LOT Site Plan 1:5000
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DERELICT C AR LOT
A SATIRICAL COMMENTARY ON HUMAN INTERVENTION North of Pomona sits an abandoned car park, connected to a road with two blocked ends. As the damage of its footprint on the island has already been done, a gallery is proposed underneath it, keeping its surface intact to amplify and highlight the failure of past human intervention through an ironic juxtaposition.
A long ramp subtly descends users into the gallery.
Parking lines are used as feature skylights.
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THE LOT
SPATIAL COMPOSITION AN UNDERGROUND GALLERY SPACE A void in its landscape, barely visible, only a ramp and skylights hint to the existence of the casual gallery underneath. A gentle slope replaces the existing road, and leads into the excavated space, formed of four symmetrical rammed earth walls. Parking lines from the lot above pierce through the roof to light up the walls for hanging works. Inside, the gallery is divided by a series of 16 columns, curating specific areas for local artists’ exhibitions. More importantly, central to the gallery and right under the spotlight, is the Maker space; a casual workshop area for said artists to prepare work to be later on exhibited.
Natural & artificial lighting
Plan
Ramp, gallery space, and lighting.
1:500
Stripped Axonometric 1:200
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THE LOT ROOF SLIT S
SPATIALEXPERIMENTATION COMPOSITION LIGHT As previously mentioned, parking lines are cut out of the asphalt to allow thin slits of light to seep into the gallery and light up the exhibition walls and corridors. Here, a 1:50 model is used to iterate the effectiveness and quality of light penetration from such thin inlets, resulting in a successful integration of these skylights into the space.
PHOTO TO ADD
Lighting study. Foamboard, greycard model. 1:50
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A juxtaposition of the used and unused Section & Elevation 1:100 Gedeon - 2020
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N Mixed Programme Perspective Plan 1:100 @ A1
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REGUL ATION COMPLIANCE PARTS B, M & K.
Compliance to regulation guidelines is crucial to the safety of the space for all users, as well as ensuring its accessibility. The Lot takes into consideration all major regulation guidelines, namely parts B, M, & K.
800mm
>45m ≈ 25m
Part B: - 3 x escape routes all under 45m in 3 directions. - A fire protected tunnel core connects the gallery from the back to the main exit ramp. - Fire resistant doors have a 30min delay, allowing safe transfer through the tunnel onto the ramp and into open air.
≈ 28m
1m 3m
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0.72m
12.6m
3o
Part K: - Subtle sloping ramp at 3o exceeds the recommended 1:20 ratio for maximum accessibility. - 3m landings at every 10m crossed allows for speed reduction and maneuverability. - Handrails at 1000mm height.
- All door openings within the building are sized to surpass the recommended 800mm according to Part M.
1500mm
≈ 30m
1200mm
1600mm
2400mm
- Accessible sanitary facilities (WC) are situated in appropriate locations. - Facilities are sized according to Part M provisions, with 2400mmx1500mm.
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RADIANT HEATING/COOLING SYS TEM TEMPERATURE CONTROL AND VENTIL ATION
Sustainability plays a major role in this project’s conception, being an inherent factor of minimal intervention. It is crucial to adopt a system that does not interfere with the walls’ or roof ’s appearance. A radiant heating/cooling system is incorporated, controlling the space’s internal temperature through radiation of heat/cold. This eliminates the need for large HVAC unit systems. Subsequently, a much smaller system is required simply for the circulation of fresh air. This is implemented underneath a raised-floor.
Flexible air outlet grid does not interfere with prorgramme.
VENTILATION SYSTEM DIAGRAM AND CALCULATIONS
Radiant cooling system, paired with sub-floor ventilation. Stripped Axonometric.
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Raised floor ventilation system. 1:10
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RADIANT & GEOTHERMAL SYS TEMS PAIRING TWO SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES
A radiant system functions by pumping heated/cooled water through wall-cast pipes, which in turn radiate the energy through the walls’ mass, into the space. The incorporation of a second Geothermal system here is beneficial, as it sources water from deep beneath the site, at a constant temperature. This allows it to be re-circulated constantly heating and cooling it on demand.
De Krook Library. Large building utilising geothermal technologies to maintain temperate internal climates.
Geo-thermal system sustainably recycles water and accomodates
Wall-cast radiation pipes.
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for all seasons.
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SUS TAIN ABLE MATERIAL SOURCING RAMMED EARTH CONSTRUCTION PROCESS
Rammed earth walls, sourced directly from the site, makes use of the excavated soil, reducing the project’s carbon footprint. Moreover, it highly reduces material costs and minimises transportation. The walls consist of a soil-aggregate-cement mix, which are layered and pressed either manually or mechanically inside of the formwork. The material boasts much faster drying times than in-situ concrete, and is far more environmentally friendly as it uses only a fraction of the cement used in concrete.
1. Ground excavation
2. Excavated soil is mixed with cement and aggregate, and filled into formwork
Rammed earth formwork disassembly
The Great Wall of WA Luigi Rosselli 3. Soil is layered and compressed
4. Formwork is removed, and wall is left to dry
Locally sourced materials, used from excavation remains.
Rammed earth wall construction process.
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7
1
A FLUSH SPACE
17
DETAIL
18
1. Existing soil, approx. 4m 2. Retaining wall; 220mm concrete blocks reinforced. 3. Rammed Earth wall; 200mm, non load-bearing. 4. 225mm concrete footing; elevates wall from ground and protects from moisture. 5. 400mm concrete raft foundation. 6. 50 mm gutters on ramp sides to protect R.E wall bases. 7. 300mm new-build concrete bonding beam. 8. 250mm rammed earth, 100mm solid insul., 250mm rammed earth, loadbearing. 9. 300mm reinforced concrete lintel to support overhang in wall apertures. 10. Fire resistant double-glazing; 8mm lam. safety glass, 15mm cavity, 8mm. lam. safety glass. U value 2.1 W/m2K. 11. 100mm solid insulation sandwiched. 12. Ă˜ 20mm radiant heating/cooling pipes. 13. Raised floor, D.P.M, 50mm insul., 5mm concrete-look vinyl. 14. Sub-floor HVAC unit. Inlet for fresh air circulation. 15. 450mm extruded rammed earth block for seating. 16. Walkable skylight, 20mm toughened laminated glass; steel support. 17. 300mm R.C slab acting as roof and floor. 18. In-situ PVC pipe for light fittings. 19. 60m long ramp at 3o slope with appropriate landings every 10m.
9 2
3
10
19 8 6 11
20mm laminated glass
12
Sealant
15
Extruded silicone cushion Steel angle support
13 4
Insulation Reinforced concrete roof
14
5
Flush walkable rooflight. 1:5
Structure and servicing. Detail section. 1:20
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THE LOT SNEAK PEEK
A series of sleek, slim windows cut through the walls along the ramp, creating moments of anticipation and surprise. Although simple-seeming, each of these windows requires a heavy concrete lintel above to support the weight of the cantilevering rammed earth. It is designed to a quasi-flush detail.
250mm Rammed Earth 100mm Solid Insulation
300mm Reinforced Concrete Lintel Ă˜ 20mm Steel Rebar Insulated Aluminium Frame Fire Resistant Double-Glazing
45mm Frame Insulation
100mm Solid Insulation
Rammed Earth layers 500-800mm
Rammed earth and window junction. Axonometric 1:20 (Originally 1:5)
A window slit through the wall along the ramp.
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The Lot
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The Lot
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THE ISL AND
ART FOR CHANGE