SELF-SUFFICIENT H
O
U
S
I
N
G
STUDIO SIXTEEN, LIAN CHEN NG
‘Cities are ecosystems of people, nature, and infrastructure’
a collective life support system
ECO-SYSTEMATIC LIVING Since modernisation, we have been focusing on reshaping environment to make our life more convenient, but we rarely take into account of the nature systems. While celebrating industrialisation by introducing highways, machine livings and large malls into our cities, we are replacing our natural ecosystem which essentially provide us clean water, food, and shelter, into a fragile system relying on expensive technical infrastructure. All the resources we consumed amount to half of the global ecosystem production. However, current cities development clearly displayed an unhealthy biosystem which segregated from the nature. This phenomenon called the ‘urban sprawling’ has silently destroyed our existing ecological networks and replaced with ‘large-scale exploitation’ of industrial activities, farms and open space low rise housings. Consequently, we gradually disconnected from the biotic and abiotic interactions, which cost us more to reconnect or mimic the system using built infrastucture to sustain our living. Human, like every other species, we depend upon healthy ecosystems to survive, sustain and grow. It is our relationships with nature that make us part of the ecosystem. A selfsustaining living only exists in healthy functioning biodiversity ecosystem, relies on all species participating in a coordinative way. If we could redesign autonomous biodiversity living which harmonize built infrastructure with different types of ecosystems according to exisiting characteristic of the site, all the energy and materials flows can be channeled in almost natural ways as a collective life support system. Our future development should enhance ecosystem and increase biodiversity. Rather than urban sprawl taking over nature, perhaps nature can take over cities in such way that children could play in the creeks, wildlife could navigate around, and we could listen to the running streams or crickets chirpings. After all, contact with biodiverse world is fundamental to stimulate our emotions, cognitive and social development.
‘Nature is resilient. It ultimately bring planet into balance. It is humanity’s decision whether that balance include human race.’
FROM SEGREGATION TO INTEGRATION
CONVENTIONAL DEVELOPMENT : SEGREGATED
large footprint, low density
nature
wildlife habitat cores push to the perimeter of the site extensive clearing for housing, commerce, parking, recreation
loss of abiotic and biotic interactions, extinction of experience and emtional attachment to nature
ECOSTEMATIC DEVELOPMENT : INTEGRATED
small footprint, high density
nature
promote ecological connectivity with rehabitated vegetative networks green roofs as stepping -stone corridors for various species take advantage of earth thermal insulation & greenery as buffer
integrated energy flows within different systems enhance quality of collective life (human & wildlife occupants) day-day contact with the wild
SITE ASSESSMENT study habitat that coxist to create ecosystems that support its surroundings biodiversity
HIGHWAY
repurpose existing infra to wildlife conservation and observation deck
ANTHROPOSOLS HEAVY CLAY>45%
SODOSOLS SAND <10% retain overburden soil as ‘desert’ site feature
KUROSOLS CLAY 30%
HYDROLOGICAL FLOW
EXISTING OPPORTUNITIES
SOIL CLASS
DESERT
ROAD NETWORK
BIODIVERSITY BANK & RESEARCH CENTRE
FOREST
DETENTION BASIN GRASSLAND
CIVIC BUILDINGS
WETLAND
WILDLIFE STACKS & FOREST RESERVE
ECOSYSTEMS
PROGRAM
RESIDENTIAL
DEMOGRAPHIC STUDIES
48%
15,649 English Australian
52%
Technicians & Trades Worker Administrative Workers Professionals
82.3%
Separate
9.9%
Semi detached/ townhouse
6.7%
Apartment
Mobility %
Weekly Income $
Car
67.6
Personal
591
Train
3.1
Family
1548
Walked
1.7
Household
1284
Above studies show the community of Lilydale mainly made up of industrial professions workers which related to the nature activities of the site. Most of the houses are single house which built on landed property with extensive lawn. These houses usually occupied by family that has children. It is assumed that most of the people own cars and have families, hence townhouse and apartment are not popular. This conclude that there is a need to emphasis on community infrastructure for the families need, however this must be considered along with other dwellers, to provide an affordable living for students and new couples and families.
ECO-SYSTEMATIC LIVING
WETLAND
s cie pe es int
r ee
er
ion
m
|p
ed
e iat
iat
ed
m
er
int
climax community
GRASSLAND
ax c
ies
clim
air & water regulator, erosion control
clim
ec
o
c ax
FOREST
sp
y
nit
u mm
om
mu
nit
y
pioneer species
DESERT
native habitat, basic food
nutrients & minerals
A self-sustaining system relies on all species participating in a coordinative way. If we could redesign autonomous biodiversity living which harmonize built infrastructure with different types of ecosystems according to exisiting characteristic of the site, all the energy and materials flows can be channeled in almost natural ways as a collective life support system.
HOUSING TYPOLOGY retirement
floating microbial filtration, retreat
WETLAND
single family
sunken
elevated
thermal comfort, closer to landscape
nature as ground, easy maintain, budget
GRASSLAND
DESERT
Our future houses should enhance ecosystem and increase biodiversity, leaving some space for other species to wonder around and let the nature heal our living systems.
BIODIVERSITY BANK
CIVIC & RECREATIONAL
RESIDENTIAL
ROAD NETWORK
MASTER PLAN Introducing Biodiversity Bank and its livelihood
RESIDENTIAL 1 GRASSLAND FAMILY RESIDENCE 2 WETLAND RETREAT FLOATING VILLA 3 DESERT ELEVATED TOWNHOUSE BIODIVERSITY BANK 4 TRAIN STATION & COMPLEX 5 OBSERVATION CENTRE 6 INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT 7 SEED BANK RESEARCH CENTRE 8 BIODIVERSITY PLATFORMS 9 WILDLIFE STACK 10 WATERFALL
2
12
10
CIVIC & RECREATIONAL 11 BIRD SANCTUARY 12 FISHING PARK 13 AQUATIC CENTRE 14 DUEST HOUSE 15 NURSERY 16 GUEST HOUSE 17 GUEST HOUSE
1 5
9 17
7
13
4 1
8
10 3 13
16
14
6 1
15
1 2
L I LY D A L E C A V E H I L L PROPOSED MASTERPLAN 1:10000
BIODIVERS
Introducing platforms to suppor t a va
30
CANOPY
20
UNDERSTORY
10
SHRUB
100 80 60
HERBACEOUS MOSS ROOT
0
40 20 0
3 DESERT ELEVATED TOWNHOUSE 7 SEED BANK RESEARCH CENTRE 3 DESERT ELEVATED TOWNHOUSE 5 OBSERVATION CENTRE
10 WAT
SITY BANK
ariety of lifeforms at different layers
TERFALL
1 GRASSLAND FAMILY RESIDENCE
6 INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
FAMILY
building rich habitat that allow the occupants interact wit
TYPE: GRASSLAND SUNKEN HOUSE SITE: MID WEST | -37.767392, 145.333948 LOT SIZE: 300sqm BUILD UP AREA: 160sqm
HOUSE
th wilflife & benefits from the microbial ecosystem design
SPACE COMPOSITION
hot breeze max daylight
L
B
L
L
B K
K
K
B
cold winds
no direct interaction to external environment from inside
push circulation to the back of house
split for transitional space to allow nature continue into the house
forest
L K
L B
incorporate microbial waste treatment system
animals shelter
K
B
introduce wildlife habitat & nature features inside house
layout for the microbial system function & interaction to the nature
MAIN ENTRANCE
WETLAND
GL-600
FOREST
UP
GL+0
GL+0
DN
GL-1000 (FL+0)
DN
living FL+400
master bedroom
UP
DN GL-1000 (FL+0)
bath
HERB
UP
kitchen | dining
laundry
mech
FL+0
BACK ENTRANCE GL+0
UP
SUNKEN FLOOR PLAN
MAIN ENTRANCE WETLAND
FOREST
G
L
+
0
UP
GL+0
DN
DN
FL+0 living
bedroom
play corner
GL-1000 HERB
UP
library/piano
study/work
BACK ENTRANCE
UP
ELEVATED FLOOR PLAN
1: 200
FA M I LY R E S I D E N C E LILYDALE CAVE HILL
TYPOLOGY & FORM
inside
outside
connect bath
reed bed
herb
kitchen
connect
inside
outside
connect
to centra se a e station
e tend to inside
nutrients u take
drain ie d
layout for the microbial system function & interaction to the nature
DESIGN FEATURES SPLIT ROOF ATTRACT AVIAN SPECIES NEST IN & CREATE VISUAL CONNECTION FROM BACK TO FRONT OF THE HOUSE
STEEL & GLASS RECYCLED STEEL STRUCTURE & GLASS FOR FLUID OPEN SPACE & NATURAL DAYLIGHT FENESTRATION
ELEVATED FLOOR ALLOW NATURE EXTEND UNDERNEATH TO INTERIOR & PROVIDE SHELTER FOR SMALL ANIMALS
SUNKEN FLOOR PROVIDE THERMAL COMFORT & CREATE UNDIVIDED INTERIOR FROM THE LANDSCAPE WITH CLOSER EYE LEVEL TO NATURE
MICROBIAL ECOSYSTEM GREYWATER TREATED THROUGH CONSTRUCTED WETLAND REED BED TO REUSE FOR GARDEN IRRIGATION & DISCHARGE TO OPEN POND FOR AQUATIC LIFE SEWAGE DISPOSAL THROUGH DRAINFIELD TRENCHES TO DRAIN ORGANIC LIQUID INTO THE GROUND