Design Studio 2 Modular Housing By Imaan Bhuta
contents project brief & site intro analyses client profiles precedent study module variations module layout floor plan stack development working model site arrangement and logistics elevations
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
project brief & site introduction The aim of this project is to design a compact living module which can be made suitable for many different individuals or families, for a various number of occupants, which will be a suitable representation of future living. They will be volumetrically prefabricated units and 120 units will be arranged on the site for residents to live in. (site highlighted in red on map- image from Google Earth)
The site sits on the next to Transport House, which is on the corner of the junction between Chapel Street (A6) and Oldfield Road (A5066). When I visited the site, the first thing that struck me was the stark juxtaposition between the wild urban landscape on one side of Chapel Street and the seemingly tame nature on the other side. Whilst these may be normally described oppositely, I found it striking how in this situation, due to the many different styles and purposes of buildings, the urban section was actually far more chaotic whilst the serenity of the nature, coupled with the far less busy banks of the River Irwell seemed like a panacea in comparison. Looking at this, I wanted to find a way to incorporate the calming effects of the nature into my design to act as a stress relief for not only the inhabitants but also anyone who passes by.
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
analyses
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
analyses
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
analyses and artifact
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
client 2: The Joneses
client 1: Eli Eli studies radiology at the University of Salford. He usually walks everywhere, but has a motorcycle for long journeys, for example, if he wanted to visit his parents in Leeds or to get to his hospital placements. As a key member of the university’s varsity basketball team, Eli only uses home as his base, spending more time in lectures, the library, basketball courts and the gym. He is, however, an avid experimental cook, having grown up with the strong influence of his Jamaican grandmother, with whom he has frequent cook offs whenever he goes to stay with her. He is currently single as he would rather focus on his studies and his sport, and attends clubs and parties in order to relax at the weekend after his hectic schedule.
A young family of 3 with plans to expand, the Joneses are a young couple with a son just entering primary school. Mr Alistair Jones has just got a new job as a teacher at St Philip’s CE Primary School just around the corner on Barrow Street, which will also be the school that the couple’s 5-year-old son, Billy, will be attending. He and his son often go cycling together as they have the most time together. Mr Jones also enjoys Mrs Jones works as a chemical engineer at Davyhulme Waterworks, just off the motorway near Trafford Centre. She likes to sew clothes for Billy as a hobby in her down time as she cannot exercise with the boys due to poor health.
client 3: Holly As a Receptionist at the Lowry Theatre and Art Gallery and part time actress, Holly needs somewhere close to live to her job so that she can get there quickly in case she needs to stand in for someone in event of an emergency. A selfproclaimed free-spirit, Holly is a vegan, and tries her best to make the lowest impact on the environment. Her main modes of transport are the bus, train, and walking or cycling. Holly likes to garden and is a big fan of allotments, which ties with her aim to live an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. She volunteers at the primary school and holds drama classes there as she is very fond of children.
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
precedent study:VM Houses Project Name: VM Houses Location: Copenhagen Architect: Bjarke Ingels Year completed: 2005
As Bjarke Ingel’s first project after graduating, he pitched the idea to the developer, Per Hopfner, that he and his team, who were brilliant, creative architects, could plan the apartments he wanted on the site very cheaply. The two apartment buildings, which look like the letters V and M from an aerial perspective, are designed differently to provide different living environments. The M house is designed to allow one level of entry for 3 levels of accommodation, much like Le Corbusier’s Unites d’Habitation. This has led to people describing it as an urban Tetris. Each apartment was given 30% extra depth which allowed views from two sides of the building, and due to the M shape of the building, avoid a vis-à-vis look into any opposite or neighbouring apartments. (see image below)
The main point of inspiration that I took from this design was the interlocking apartments which allowed for a reduced entry space. My idea was to create a space near the entry of each apartment that could be treated as a small communal space, allowing for the residents to form closer relationships with each other. The cluster idea would also reduce the corridor space thus minimising the size of the building. This leaves more land with which I can work with in order to synthesise green spaces into my design.
All Images are sourced from: Gallery of VM Houses / BIG + JDS - 26. (2021). Retrieved 19 January 2021, from https://www.archdaily.com/970/vm-houses-plot-big-jds/500ec25d28ba0d0cc70002cf-vm-houses-plot-big-jds-image?next_project=no
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
module variations The layouts either side of this paragraph are single-unit apartments, typically for single users like Eli (client 1) and Holly (client 3). The single units will have one or two levels ( the model to the right can be tessellated so that it stands on 2 of the small cubes while the other two epresent the volume of the upper level), where all activity takes place. The basic areas in each apartment are a living area, a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom. Smart storage solutions will be used in every apartment to optimise the space there.
The module examples to the left and right are examples of the double units; they are either cubical or comprise of the two different single units stacked together. I limited the variation of these arrangements to make things as simple as possible when trying to stack the apartments and to maintain some regularity.
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
layout 1 variation 1 1:20
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layout 1 variation 2 1:20
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layout 2 variation 1 1:20
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layout 2 variation 2 1:20
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layout 3 1:20
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floor plan
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stack development
The above was the first variation of arrangements of apartments I did. I used the idea of having a few openings near each other to create a sense of community with the residents; doing this helps build friendships and this can be beneficial for the wellbeing and mental health of a resident, knowing that they have people they can rely on living within a few steps. This is especially important in certain situations such as the lockdown we are currently experiencing. I wasn’t too sure whether this was necessarily the best solution, though, so I rearranged this to see whether there were any improvements to be made. I coloured the blocks representing the apartments so I could clearly see that one of each colour was in each entry and to help me easily differentiate each apartment. Each entry point had 4 apartment entrances. I used the tetris- like
By the next variation, I started to get an idea of how I wanted to arrange the apartments in a stack. Taking inspiration from a tree, I wanted to use clusters as offsprings of a sort from a main thoroughfare like branches from a tree trunk. The clusters would consist of 12 apartments, 8 single units and 4 doubles, with 3 entries and 4 apartment entrances at each entry. The sketch above shows how I had envisioned this, with the club symbols representing the apartment clusters. I found from this arrangement, that it would be easier to arrange the entries of groups so that they came together to one access point. I also considered that it would be better to have a limit of 2 levels to each cluster for load bering purposes.
The third arrangement seemed like the best solution so far. My one issue, however, was that not only would the resulting overall structure be too big for the site, but a single cluster would take up most of the site. I thought of stacking the cluster, but decided against it as it wouldn’t be able to bring the residents together as effectively as if I had changed the cluster. I decided the tree arrangement wouldn’t work as well as I had maybe hoped, so I changed this and decided to focus on improving the cluster arrangement, with the idea that the final idea would inform my next steps.
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
stack development
In previous clusters I had constructed, I just placed whatever fit, however I made an effort with these clusters to stick to 4 main shapes (see module variations). This surprisingly was much easier to achieve than I thought, and I was thus able to create 3 new clusters. Instead of just selecting one of the clusters, I decided that I could use all 3 and create separate stacks. This would help lessen the load on lower levels and decrease the strength of structural support required, and would also help me make good use of all the space available to me.
After rearranging the cluster, I came up with 3 equally effective solutions, and decided that stacking them was the best way forward. I didn’t, however, want to just put one cluster on top of another, which presented a challenge. Whilst it would be the easy thing to do, I didn’t think it would be the best thing to do. I also had the dilemma of trying to incorporate communal spaces within my design. I took inspiration from a peer and got the idea to intersperse each tier of apartments with a communal area or shelf which could be used as a zen garden (see image to the right) or a skatepark area. Then, I thought of bridging together each stack at certain points to further bring together the residents.
Sketch to briefly illustrate an idea of a green roof. Due to arrangements of apartments, I decided not to go ahead with this, as due to strong winds from a western direction, there could be a risk with the balance of the building.
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
working model Test of arrangements of apartments that could be stacked; Criteria: -12 apartments per arrangement -no higher than 2 levels -3 entryways each shared by 4 apartments -cannot sprawl too far and entry cannot be too large
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
site arrangement and logistics Depicted on the site plan is an arrangement of the apartment building on site. There will be temporary access from the main road for larger vehicles and machinery, so that minimal disturbance is caused to the traffic, whilst a back path will be open for smaller vehicles to enable a smoother flow of traffic. Once foundations are laid, the framework for the blue tower and the parking block will start to go up; the apartments for the blue tower will be filled into the framework and the framework for the yellow tower will simultaneously be erected. This will repeat for the purle tower until the internal construction is complete.
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231
elevations 1:200
Above: North Elevation Left: West Elevation Right: South Elevation.
Bhuta, I. 2021, CTA Coursework 2 (previous submission, based on same design, therefore same elevations utilised)
Imaan Bhuta - I.Bhuta@edu.salford.ac.uk - @00574231