Self-sufficient Housing

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

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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