Resistance & Release

Resistance & Release

An Anemochorous Landscape Jack Cripps & Rachel Braude

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ONTOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS

FIELDWORK STUDIES

ONTOLOGICAL MODEL

INSTRUMENT

ENERGY EXCHANGE RECORDING

INSTRUMENT RECORDINGS

- VIDEO RECORDING - CODED DRAWING

SITE SURVEY

UNIT 1: FILL, FLOW, TRACK LISA MOFFITT + VICTORIA CLARE BERNIE

3 ISLAND MEDIATIONS

MACROSCALE: SITE STRATEGY PROGRAMMATIC PROPOSAL

3A

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MESOSCALE: BUILDING

DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIDES - ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTION MICROSCALE: DETAILED COMPONENTS

3B

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MESOSCALE: BUILDING

DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIDES - ARCHITECTURAL INTERVENTION MICROSCALE: DETAILED COMPONENTS

4 ONTOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS (2)

ENERGY EXCHANGE IN RELATION TO BUILDING

BRIEF Environment encompasses a broad range of externalised conditions, which range from the temporally and materially mutable (atmospheric and hydrological conditions, for example) to the fixed (geological conditions, for example).

Particular focus will be placed on environmental negotiation between shifting site conditions and fixed conditions of architectural interventions. It is where these conditions meet and negotiate, in the indeterminate interstitial zones, the boundary layers, that architecture engages with environment most directly.

How does building meet ground, water, sky, conditions in between? Particular focus will be directed to the relationship between temporalities and material exchanges between fixed inert materials and shifting fluid conditions such as tidal shifts, river flows and meteorological conditions.

Fieldwork is the discipline of collection, collation and archive on site.

Fieldwork plays a fundamental role in the research methods of disciplines such as sociology, anthropology and geology, and is an emerging field of interest in architecture. For our purposes, fieldwork is an intentional act of occupying a site and a revealing a situation initially obscured. Only by engaging with the full dimensions of a place can we gain a sense of stewardship of it. Through direct prolonged exposure to and measure of the site, you will gain an awareness of its finer dimensions and respect and understanding of its shifting qualities. In this course, we will take a fieldtrip to Rum in order to enact fieldwork. This fieldwork will test the relationship between environmental information gathered off site and the geophysical conditions only perceivable when present on it.

Hydrological, meteorological and geological environmental exchanges operate at the radical scales of the giga and nano. At the scale of the Island, Rum as a whole is an island battered by wind, waves, and rain. At finer scales, however, there are pockets that register, resist, collect much finer exchanges.

Stone absorbs and reradiates heat, evaporating water cools, crags and nooks collect and channel rain, trees shade and redirect wind. Enclosure modifies weather further, introducing possible slippages between interior and exterior, unexpected moments of light/heat.

In this course, we will gain an understanding of how to work with information gleaned at multiple scales and we will reconcile the macro with the micro and the giga with the nano by building at two scales on a site with an understanding that environmental exchanges often operate at scales radically diverging from the conventional scales of architectural design. We will also look at the technical and procedural implication of scaling up conditions tested in the studio to the full-scale conditions of site and then back down from site conditions tothe scaled world of the survey drawing.

Long Exposure Photographs

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ONTOLOGICAL MODEL INTENTIONS: Within our ontological model we hoped to explore wind flow and specifically how obstacles and materials of different porosities within a landscape could effect that flow.

Through the medium of light and the incorporation of fibre optics we developed a technique of recording wind flow. Our intentions were to make the invisible nature of wind visible.

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Linen Sheet

Crepe Paper

Wide Apertures

Small Apertures

Louvers

Obstacle

Linen Sheet:

Movement of fibres was visible as a result of the slight porous nature of the linen.

Crepe Paper:

Movement of fibres was minimal due to the low porosity of the screen.

Wide Apertures: Movement of fibres corresponded to the openings of the apertures in the screen.

Narrow Apertures:

Movement of fibres took place over a larger number of ‘pockets’ due to the number of apertures yet the range of movement was much less.

Louvers: Movement of the fibres was directed at a 45 degree angle as a result of the screen.

Obstacle: Movement of the fibres was directed around the obstacle in the tunnel therefore defining its shape.

Following on from our studies the intent then became to draw the exchanges between the static and fluid conditions in our model. The fluid condition of the wind and the static being the field of fibre optics within the tunnel.

The drawings, created through inktipped fibre optics, clearly demonstate the difference in exchanges for each tested condition.

Wind Direction

Linen Sheet

Crepe Paper

Wide Apertures

Narrow Apertures

Louver

Obstacle

Overlaying frames within the video allowed us to map more closely the exhchanges between each individual fibre optic and the wind acting upon it.

What appeared was a language of microscopic dots that increased in density the more the wind’s flow affected them. This image reveals the path of the optics for the Obstacle experiment. It clearly shows the optics outlining the boundary of the obstruction as they move around it. This language of representation seemed successful in its attempt to present the exchanges between a fixed and fluid condition.

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FIELDWORK STUDIES INTENTIONS To take our project further into the fieldwork studies we continued the theme previously studied as obstructions within the field of wind flow. What we hoped to determine was how wind responds at characteristically different points and junctures in the landscape. For example criteria such as areas of high and low density woodland or high and low topographical elevation.

In progression we moved our attentions from light to flight and hoped that our studies in the natural environment would emulate/replicate flight and how wind affects that?

Our intentions were to go to the Isle of Rum to gain an understanding of wind patterns on a microscale across the different sites selected as well as gauge how the landscape reacts at a territorial scale.

The ambition of our instrument was for the helium balloon to act as a visual register of surface wind flow and for that flow to then be scribed onto paper to act as a material recording that could then be viewed and studied. Initial testings of the device proved successful although at a larger scale the materials and frame would need to be more robust.

Our aims for this instrument were for it to give us a better understanding of how currents exist in the landscape. We used our balloon instrument/ drawing machine to document these condtions to help us to acquire further knowledge of the landscape we were investigating. The balloon and the drawing were used to make an invisible condition visible. We aimed to create an insight into normally unseen phenomenon.

By tethering the balloon to the instrument and releasing it into the sky the machine has a direct relationship between the environment of the sky and balloon. Further tethering of the instrument to the ground forms a connection between sky and ground.

FIELDTRIP TO RUM

Weather Conditions The west coast of Scotland is fully exposed to the Atlantic and is closest to the passage of areas of low pressure.

The south westerly prevailing winds are exaggerated in Rum as they are funnelled between the mainland and the neighbouring Isle of Skye.

Rum is also susceptible to north easterly winds, as experienced in our visit, because of build ups of high pressure over Scandinavia which then move south.

When looking at the surface pressure chart for the day of investigation what can be seen is the cold front approaching from the west and bringing with it low pressure and therefore a windier condition.

Met Office Surface Pressure Chart Thursday 10th October 2013

Southern Hebrides

October 2013 Wind Rose

Route through landscape

* For further information please see ‘Findings’ booklet*

Artefacts Site (a)

Machine drawing

Instrument drawing

Wind Rose: The wind rose in this case is a representation of the extents of the movement of the balloon in conjunction with the beaufort scale for the specific site.

Site (b)

SITE 1 description of site

Site 1 is positioned in dense woodland directly adjacent to the Allt Slugan a Choilich river towards the bottom of the Coire. It is heavily sheltered by foliage and neighbouring buildings meaning the wind’s effect is minimal.

Video stills at Site 1.

Sectional diagram of balloon movement

Balloon Movement

Wind Rose Time : 12:10 Temperature : 15.6 Degrees Celsius Wind Speed : 1.0 m/s Wind Direction : North Easterly Beaufort Scale : 1

Instrument Movement

Drawing Produced

Our recordings and findings became influenced by how the instrument worked within itself. The drawings created by the machine appeared not to exhibit a great deal of variety. It became evident that due to our craftsmanship, our machine had many points of resistance.

SITE 2 description of site

Site 2 is located on a ridge further up the hillside.

The protrusion of the ridge from the immediate landscape means that the site is highly susceptivle to the effects of the wind.

Video stills at Site 2.

Sectional diagram of balloon movement

Balloon Movement

Wind Rose Time : 14:50 Temperature : 12.2 Degrees Celsius Wind Speed : 8.1 m/s Wind Direction : North Easterly Beaufort Scale : 4

Instrument Movement

Drawing Produced

The meetings of materials of different rigidities such the meeting between string and metal wire created an inconsistency in the flow from energy from the balloon through to the drawing.

Elastic bands constricted the movement of the ball joint

Weight of the chain acted against, and not with the movement of the wind.

This technique of mapping wind flow is a continuation of the methods used in the previous ontological studies. The key below explains how darker and denser areas correspond to the highest intensity of wind and visa versa.

250 M

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ISLAND MEDIATIONS TWO BUILDINGS - LANDSCAPE STRATEGY

1800

2013

2050

2100

Scenario Drawings

PROGRAMME

As with many of the islands in the Inner Hebrides, there is little natural woodland remaining on the Isle of Rum. The majority of the island is open heath, grassland, peatland and blanket bog. Since the time Rum has been habited by man the woodland has dissappeared and reappeared cyclically due to arable reasons or natural occurances. Currently there is a distinct lack of woodland on the island and specifically on the eastern side of the island, our area of investigation. Our project proposes to attempt to re-establish the once thriving woodland to improve and enrich the ecosystem on the island.

Our proposal concerns anemochory and the process of seed dispersal via wind. Wind transportation is particularly important in mountaneous and hilly regions where seeds are blown from a low to high elevation or visa versa yet due to human intervention and the resultant lack of trees on site this natural process is unable to occur and so the trees cannot grow. We want to investigate how the wind affects the ecology of the island and how it can give life. We propose to re-establish 3 species of trees; Alder, Ash and Birch. As outlined in the ‘Scottish National Heritage publication No. 89: Isle of Rum NNR: vegetation history nd landscape change by j John Low, 1998’, these trees were once abundant in the area of interest. By planting different species we are encouraging interspecies interaction between different ecological neighbourhoods and communities. It also allows for the assessment of growth and development across species. The tree works at both a micro and macro scale. It creates rich environments for the ecosystem at a micro scale while simultaneously becoming navigations of the wind at a macro scale, evident through wind paths, pockets and shadows through the landscape.

Our architectural scheme proposes to create two synergetic environmental stations. The first station is located within dense woodland 20 metres above sea level and the second further up the Coire at 131 metres above sea level. The two stations work together to implement the objective outlined above.

Station (a): The Collector - This station collects the birch, alder and ash seeds which fall from their respective trees and into the river. Through this process of hydrochory (seed dispersal by water) the station bridges over the river and sets traps for these seeds to be collected. These seeds are then identified, prepared and stored so that they can be transported to Station (b).

Station (b): The Disperser - is predominantly concerned with redispersing the collected seeds over the landscape in an attempt to re-establish the woodland that once densely populated the area of Kinloch.

Site (a)

Site (b)

The site strategy shows the relationship between Station (a) and Station (b), along with the dispersal radius of each respective seed. Combining these radii with supplementary knowledge of tree growth it became clear that the selected trees would be likely to flourish on the irrigated land surrounding the river.

To improve the chance of the trees expanding past the boundary of the irrigated land we have proposed a secondary system of bird perches.

These perches are set within a 2 metre changable grid so that they may be relocated to areas struggling to induce growth. The perches encourage the growth of trees through the excretion of birds which has previously ingested the seeds at their source.

Initial Site Strategy

SITE VEGETATION ARTEFACTS POLLARDING TERRITORY RENEWABLE HEATING SYSTEM POLLARD HEIGHT _ 2.5M (RED DEER BROWSE LINE)

3a 3b

COLLECTOR [a] SITE ELEVATION _ 20M 57°00’44.98”N, 6°17’06.30”W

BIRD PERCHES SECONDARY STRATEGY 2.0 M

WIND INTENSITY

HIGH

LOW PREVAILING WIND DIRECTION

STRATEGY DRAWING

BALLOON DISPLACEMENT ROSE

SITE RECORDINGS: TEMPERATURE _ 15.6° WIND SPEED _ 1.0 m/s BEAUFORT SCALE _ 1

BIRCH SEEDS DISPERSAL RADIUS 1600 M SEED WEIGHT _ 0.002g SEED DIAMETER _ 1-2mm

2.0 M BIRD PERCHES SECONDARY STRATEGY

DISPERSER [b] SITE ELEVATION _ 131M 57°00’13.51”N, 6°17’35.33”W

ASH SEEDS DISPERSAL RADIUS 125.0M SEED LENGTH _ 25-45mm SEED BREDTH _ 5-8mm

MICRO HYDRO POWER SYSTEM DAM SOURCE

120.0 M

ALDER SEEDS DISPERSAL RADIUS 60 M SEED DIAMETER _ 1.0-2.0mm APPROX. 320,000 SEEDS TO 0.45kg

250.0 M

3200.0 M

BALLOON DISPLACEMENT ROSE

SITE VEGETATION ARTEFACTS

SITE RECORDINGS: TEMPERATURE _ 12.2° WIND SPEED _ 8.1 m/s BEAUFORT SCALE _ 4

Developed Site Strategy

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Site Topography

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Site Topography

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ISLAND MEDIATIONS

Collector The first proposal begins by lightly bridging over the river but also begins to regulate the water flow by a system of carefully designed apertures within a dam. These apertures increase and decrease water flow through the build up of pressure. The apertures open and close dependent on whether the flow of water is great enough to carry the seeds into a crossing channel which is then used to sweep the seeds up the site and into the main chamber.

The seeds enter and work their way through the architecture by gravity, where human intervention is minimal.

Once these seeds have mediated into the station they are collected on a grill from which cast concrete channels lead them away and collect into examining dishes. The station worker then takes these dishes and views them under a microscope where the seeds are identitied into their respective species and sorted accordingly. At every 100th seed of each species a detailed recording is taken which includes a humidity reading alongside dimensions. An acumulative reading is input into a digital database held at Station (b) which stores recordings forming a generative understanding of the surrounding tree ecology. The seeds then pass down further channels and collect on another grill where the seeds are then cleaned. Once cleaned they are allowed to dry adjacent to a woodburning stove. When dry, the seeds are transferred and stored into small canisters which are then housed on cast plinths extruding from the ground. This gradual build up of canisters acts as a representative way of the inhabitant clearly being able to view his progress. Once the quota of seeds is fullfilled they are transported to Station (b) for dispersal.

Charcoal kiln uses pollarded wood as fuel for heating system

Pollarding territory as an energy strategy for producing heat in buildings

Seed channel connecting river and building

Development of Plan 1:750

Model Explorations of Roofscape These studies began to explore the proposal in section. Undulating facets began to grow out of the ground and then retreat back into it.

Planimetric Progression

Planimetric Intervention

Seed Chamber: Identification and Sorting 1:100

Seed Chamber: Cleaning and Storing 1:100

Longitudinal Section 1:200

This series of photographs looks at the articulation of the outer skins surface and its relationship with the inner core and internal spaces. The dappled effect of the light is a continuation of the theme of changing densities within an environment. The studies also highlight the buildings connection with the inner core and how the outer skin wraps itself around and encloses the space within.

Collection System

River Dam Section 1:100

The dam apertures respond to seasonal changes in river levels as the seeds float of the surface of that fluxuating river surface. The water and seeds then pass through the dam and are let out the other side at a different rate of flow.

3b

ISLAND MEDIATIONS TWO BUILDINGS - LANDSCAPE STRATEGY The second proposal positioned on a much more exposed site has a much greater sense of verticality compared to Station (a).

The building is constructed of two skins, enclosing a main central core and an intermediary zone. The inhabitant would enter at ground level at points where the external skin is peeled away and only the frame of the architecture remains.

In order to make use of the core of the building the user must pass through the ‘laboratory’, the intermediary zone. The seed canisters from Site A are further transported through this between-skin space and are inserted into machines housed within the perforated density of the exterior skin. These machines open according to wind direction and speed, in turn releasing the seeds over the landscape.

Within the central core, dwelling is housed, along with a workshop for cleaning and fixing the bird perches. The building culminates at an observation point, allowing for views out over the landscape.

This space also houses the database which collects data from both sites over time, forming a digital and historical record of the ecological transformations.

two core - circulation in between - relationship between interior and exterior - resistance between aesthetic of materials like instrument

The micro-hydro electric system requires energy from a dam higher up the river. The water is redirected through the ground floor of the building, turning a waterwheel and providing energy for the building. This water is transported through the core to desired floors through a water well. This oculus continues through the height of the building providing light to all floors.

A constant connection between ground and sky is formed.

Sketch of morphing form Exploring the idea of the building ‘breaking away’ from the landscape with the prevailing winds. Further manopulation of the skin to tether and counteract this force.

Overlay Testing Models

Planimetric Intervention

Internal Moments

This drawing highllights the important of the circulatory system in Station (b). The staircase asks as the ‘laboratory’.

section1:100 Cross Section 1:100

1:50 Detail Section

Dispersal Machine 1:1

The machine which perforates the entirity of the building’s skin opens in relation to the wind speed and direction, which is sensed through the building’s surface.

Through a link with the Digital Ecologies course it has been possible to show how the ‘arms’ of the machine would open at increments dependent on the closeness to the optimum angle of difference between the wall face and wind direction.

The density of perforations and machines increases as the height of the building increases.

This occurs due to the relationship between increased height and increased distance of seed dispersal. This effects the atmosphere created within the circulatory zone as the amount of light and wind entering the space changes.

Light Stody of Model

In order to gain a further understanding of our building’s performance within a windy environment we placed scaled models of our proposals into our ontological model. The response provided us with an outcome which certified our preconceptions that our architecture’s would act as obstructions against the wind therefore fullfilling our initial investigations and research.

In memory of our ontological model we took the cladding detail from our proposals and tested them as screen in our wind tunnel. The results of this test showed to us that the perforations are more suitable as a lighting strategy than a ventilation system. It suggested that the density of perforations may need to be more extreme in order for it to be successful as a cooling system.

Lower Density Perforations

Higher Density Perforations