Urban Typologies

20.017 / SUTD / ASD Course Elective / Spring 2015 URBAN HOUSING TYPOLOGY Case Studies & Essays

Case Study Markthal Rotterdam / Rotterdam, The Netherlands / 2014 Lina Fong

Bus stop Train station

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TRAFFIC NETWORK, 1:20.000

MORPHOLOGY, 1:20.000

The Markthal Rotterdam’s prominent location is along a series of bus stops and a major train station (Blaak Station) at its crossroads

In Rotterdam, the mass to void ratio seem to be close to 50:50. This is due to idea of seeking the needs of the public to have ample space to breathe rather than being compact together

Consumption/Food

Water bodies

Leisure Malls

Green spaces

Culture/Religion Schools/Education Other Public Facilities & Amenities

SOCIAL NETWORK, 1:20.000 In this hustling city, it is surrounded with mostly food outlets and malls. In addition to that, it is also surrounded by the cultural side of Rotterdam - educational institutions and religious buildings.

Urban Morphology & Connectivity The Markthal Rotterdam is seen as a new and fresh approach to integrate commerical and housing together. This is done by

GREEN SPACES & WATER BODIES, 1:20.000 Markthal Rotterdam is in close proximity to the vast river Rotte and various pockets of greens near residential areas as well as along the roads

Building type: 16 stories, perimeter block with cut in atria facing NE/SW Date of construction: 2014 Number of units: 228 Site of units: 2 (+1) room apts., approx. 140 m² 3 (+1) room apts., approx. 150 m² 4 (+1) room apts., approx. 160 m² 5 (+1) room apts., approx. 200 m² 6 (+2) room apts., approx. 230 m² (in brackets the number of servants rooms) Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Dwelling density: 380 dwellings/hectare Residents density: 1855 residents/hectare Area per user: 4.9 m² Building depth: approx. 16 m Access: Ground floor market hall as open horizontal circulation level, several vertical cores that service 3-4 apartments on each level, elevators are used as the main direct access to these apartments Open spaces: A market hall is the main atrium in between the two arched residential towers - granting access for all in the city Parking: 4 stories underground market hall Architect: MVRDV

Zoning

Exterior

Circulation

2nd Storey

003 2nd Storey - 3 room & 4 room configuration

Interior

Fixed spaces

10th Storey

Flexible spaces

Load-bearing structure

Light in open areas

Exterior

11th Storey

Scale 1:2.000 0

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Fixed spaces

Flexible spaces

Load-bearing structure

Light in open areas

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11th Storey - Penthouses configuration (accessible from 10th storey)

Interior

Scale 1:3.000

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Diversity: Occupancies & Allocation The diversity of apartments within Markthal is quite a spectrum.

In total, there are a total of 228 apartments. There are also 5

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religious buildings.

Urban Morphology & Connectivity

Divers

The Markthal Rotterdam is seen as a new and fresh approach to integrate commerical and housing together. This is done by having an open air fresh food and hardware market, with an arch of apartments above it. Markthal is now admired by many at this grand scale due to these two important program spaces.

The dive In total, different ments to type, the main typ each hou

Westewagenstraat

The centrally located building is rooted in the city’s history, located parallel to the late medieval ‘Laurenskerk’ (Laurens church) and at the location of the former dike along the river Rotte.

With this new addition to the city, it aims to create a coherent connection to the existing neighborhood by allowing them to enter Markthal through its covered market hall.

Architecturally, this aim was conceived by have two residential slabs with an economically constructible market hall in between. By flipping the two slabs to form an arch, this helped to create wide openings towards the city on both sides.

Each apa unit - en ings. Due opportu compare

Verlengde Nieuwstraat Blaak

Hoogstraat

Dominee Jan Scharpstraat

Westnieuwland

Scale 1:10.000

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1:7.37 45:10 Spatial Composition

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200

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2.000

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2.000 1.855 1.000

Dwellings / Hectare

Owners have the flexibility of entering their apartments through convenient circulatory routes. There are a total of 6 entrances at the street level as well as 6 vertical cores - 3 on each sides.

The vertical core brings you all the way up to the penthouse level. The structure of the elevator hall is gradually - floor by floor - changing in size and location too. This is carefully planned in order to accommodate this circulation route to all apartments.

Residents / Hectare

The openness of the market hall could give the illusion that the apartments are not as densely designed as one would hope for. However, upon close inspection, one would notice the repeated levels with various apartment types being fitted into these two slabs. The arch is formed with each floor inching inwards the centre - slowly forming the arch as seen.

shared-individual spaces (Bldg.)

Connectivity & Density

external-internal spaces (per Apt.)

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500 380

Density

Gates(s)/entrance(s) Public Semi-public Circulation Semi Private Circulation Atrium

Vertical Core

Corridor

Connectivity: Circulation System

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Diversity: Occupancies & Allocation The diversity of apartments within Markthal is quite a spectrum.

In total, there are a total of 228 apartments. There are also 5 dierent types of apartments ranging from free layout loft apartments to duplex with multiple bedroom conďŹ gurations. For each type, there are a total of 19 other sub-types derived from these 5 main types. This creates a diverse number of apartments that each household could choose according to their preferences.

Unit Turijn (2 types 145-160sqm) 4 Bedroom Flat

160 sqm 107 units

Each apartment has an outside terrace over the full width of the unit - encouraging residents to look out and enjoy its surroundings. Due to the arch shape being constructed, it also created an opportunity for the penthouses to have a wide roof terrace as compared to the other apartments.

Unit Stockholm (2 types 185-200sqm) 5 Bedroom Flat

200 sqm 33 units

Unit Rotterdam (5 types 220-475sqm) 230 sqm 6 Bedroom Flat 24 units

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Unit Barcelona (4 types 140-155 sqm) 140 sqm 2 Bedroom Flat 22 units

Unit Valencia (6 types 115-150sqm) 3 Bedroom Flat

150 sqm 42 units

Stairs Apt. Entrance(S) Void Space above Void Space below Circulation Common Spaces Individual Spaces Outdoor Indoor Market Hall

Scale 1:600 100

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The Skinny House Lina Fong Measuring between 2.5 to 4.5 metres in width, ‘Skinny Houses’, as they are called, have evolved from the historical past to our present times. Many architects have transformed ‘skinny houses’ into a great model for land efficiency as well as bringing new light into the interpretation of limited spaces. Precedents illustrated in this essay include the ‘ANH House’ by Sanuki + Nishizawa, the ‘Glass Shutter House’ by Shigeru Ban and the ‘Kanamori House’ by Tadao Ando. Through the investigation of these precedents, these examples would illustrate the different out-of-the-box solutions that architects were able to tackle within the confined boundary of the skinny house.

History & Introduction The term ‘Skinny House’ is used to describe a dwelling that has a narrow width and a long depth. It is a type of building that makes use of the underutilized lot and transforms it into a positive space for living. From historical times, the “skinny house” came about through a system that aims to have an even distribution of land for all units. Through this economical distribution of land, landlords utilise this to their advantage in maximizing their income by taxing homeowners according to the width of their houses. However, this system proved to have a loophole when homeowners started building deeper within their leasable area in order to gain an increase in land area.

Its narrow width proves to be disadvantageous with the restriction of interior flexibility, insufficiency of natural light and poor ventilation coming into the middle zones. However, contemporary skinny houses are seen to reinvent itself by reconfiguring rooms to take advantage of surrounding views and building spaces that are only necessary for the owner. Hence, instead of the inward focus that the old houses possess, the new home is based on looking outward from the interior. (Friedman, p. 229)

this is the largest surface that could be altered. The manipulation of materials and openings would provide a different environment for the users within. The interior organization or space planning of the ‘skinny house’ is another important factor to consider. Owing to the long and narrow layout, the main problem would be the presence of many darken and under ventilated spaces. What some architects did to resolve this issue is to organize the house into a zonal layout with pockets of light wells and open spaces. Moreover, with its narrow passageways, circulatory routes can be planned according to the approach of each floor level. Through understanding the interior organizational principles from these architects, one can evaluate whether the spaces created are as efficient as intended to be.

Design Principles of the ‘Skinny House’ For the purpose of this investigation, I’ll be focusing on three key aspects in each precedents namely its 1.

Façade treatment 2.

Interior organization and 3.

Space efficiency.

In accordance to the architect’s intentions, these three aspects would vary and interesting lessons could be driven from these precedents.

In a ‘skinny house’, the façade is the first observable character. The treatment of the façade is essential as

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Figure 01: (left to right) Facade treatment and widths of ‘Skinny House’ precedents: ANH House, Glass Shutter House and Kanamori House

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Precedent 1: The “ANH House” The first precedent is the ‘ANH House’ by Sanuki Nishizawa. It measures 4.5 metres in width and has a floor area of 270sqm. This house is built with the intention of allowing spaces within to be connected to the greens and the outside environment. As Ho Chi Minh City is located in a tropical climate, Nishizawa created openings on the front façade and the back to allow for cross ventilation to occur. Its façade treatment is simply a mixture of green plants and a metal railing that is repeated from the second floor onwards while the front is also kept cool by recessing the entrance and creating a front porch. These strategies are implemented to allow ample light to enter as well as to keep the interiors cool for the residents.

The interior organization of the ‘ANH House’ saw the possibility of not including any fixed partition walls and keeping an open-planned house. This was done by having light, movable and translucent partitions for separating bedrooms and other individual spaces.

(Frearson, 2013). While maintaining an open-planned house, this 4-storey house also has the concept of stacking levels together with hints of natural light coming in from the 3 openings punctured through the slabs

floors, the staircase is hidden away from the openplanned house via a fixed partition all along the party wall. In addition to that, one would also have a choice of using the spiral staircase from the second to third storey for easy access to the bedroom.

In terms of its space efficiency, the ‘ANH House’ was able to tuck circulatory and plumbing spaces to the sides – away from the central open area on each level.

By doing this, the efficiency of movement, wind ventilation as well as natural light was easily maintained within the house. Moreover, besides having greens near the balconies which are attached to the bedrooms, trees were also planted at each level to form a cohesive outdoor environment area within.

Thus, with the combination of natural light and ventilation coming in from the front, back and the top of the ‘ANH House’, they were able to resolve the problems of dark and humid spaces that the ‘skinny house’ usually possess.

Precedent 2: The Glass Shutter House The ‘Glass Shutter House’ by Shigeru Ban, measuring 4 metres in width and having a floor area of 73.7sqm, brings a lightness with the installation of the alumin-

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Figure 02: (left to right) Internally, the precedents show different strategies taken within their limited space. The ANH House used an open plan concept with greens and pockets of light wells, the Glass Shutter House implemented a flexible facade and the Kanamori House manipulated its circulatory routes to create a different environment within.

on the second and fourth floors. Circulatory routes are planned such that they create different options for the owner. From the first storey, one would be greeted almost immediately by a free-standing staircase that guides you to the second storey. For the subsequent

ium-framed glass shutters as its facade. This façade treatment gives a sharpness in its structure and the flexibility of changing the façade according to the programs’ needs. Within its building footprint, Ban did not build the Glass Shutter House right up to its boundary

but leaves a portion of it as an outdoor alfresco seating area for the restaurant on its first floor. By incorporating this into the design as well as installing the glass shutters façade, it helps to resolve the issue of having dark interiors due to its long footprint.

Acting as both a restaurant as well as a living quarter, Ban integrated both of the functions seamlessly through tucking the staircase onto one side of the party wall – freeing up space in the centre on all three storeys. The zoning of spaces work such that the restaurant is primarily located on the first storey, the resident’s kitchen and dining area on the second floor and the bedrooms on the third floor. The openness of each level is successful through the decrease in area as the floor area increases as well as the utilization of minimal partitions on each floor. Partitions were only installed for the privacy of the bathrooms which are neatly tucked towards the back of each floor. These partitions also act as a divider for the bedrooms on both floors which are organized to be placed furthest from the entrance of the restaurant. Evaluating on its efficiency of space, the ‘Glass Shutter House’ had the concept of simply zoning spaces alike to each other and slotting them into different floors. Without much issues on natural light coming into the different floors, there wasn’t a need for a central air well. Rather, floor area is maximized to allow the homeowners to integrate as much space for other programs as deemed fit.

Precedent 3: The “Kanamori House” The last precedent in this investigation of “skinny houses” is the ‘Kanamori House’ by Tadao Ando. It measures a mere 2.7 metres in width and a floor area of 43.5sqm. In its confined boundary, one would notice the simplistic façade that Ando designed, sandwiched between other more traditional ‘skinny houses’. Unlike the Glass Shutter House’s openness with its façade treatment, Ando considered privacy as well as ample light entering into living spaces for the residents. This is done by Ando maximizing the width of the lot’s footprint and proposed to have a clear sliding door for the store on the first floor and translucent panels as the façade treatment for the subsequent floors.

Acting as both an arts-and-crafts store as well as a living quarter for the owner, Ando had the concept of using circulation as a way to define how different programs could be zoned from each other in respect to the need for privacy. The staircases are again designed to be against the party wall but at different location on each floor. They are surrounding spaces that require plumbing such as the bathroom, as well as against structural elements, which divides the house into 4 sections. By doing so, this gave the residential quarters a maze-like quality (Friedman, 2010, p. 132) which allowed diversity of space even within this confined area. In terms of its interior arrangement, the ‘Kanamori House’ had

bedrooms tucked closest to the façade primarily to allow diffuse light to enter during the day. Moreover, the planning of the bedrooms at the front compliments the planning of circulatory routes kept at the back of the house.

The play of light is seen mainly on the fourth floor where Ando introduced an inner courtyard that highlights the two staircases which takes one up to the rooftop. This celebrated space highlights the linearity of the project as well as giving a breathing space towards the back to allow the darker areas of the house to be lited by natural lighting during the day. In this project, space efficiency could be argued to be less efficient than the ‘Glass Shutter House’ with the increase of circulatory routes that Ando implemented in the house rather than having a staircase against the party wall which brings the owner straight through all floors.

However, this project is able to gain a unique concept of allowing circulation to create a diversity of liveable spaces within.

Conclusion Through studying these 3 precedents, one can conclude that the space efficiency of each house varies with the differences in lifestyles that each owners has.

By knowing which spaces are more important to them enables the architect to take away less-used areas out of the equation.

However, there is a trend of similarities as to how these architects were able to tackle the main problem of illuminating the once dark and narrow passageways of a skinny house. The ‘Kanamori House’ uses a combination of translucent façade and an inner courtyard while the ‘Glass Shutter House’ used an almost transparent façade on two faces of its building. The ‘ANH House’ was able to use the combination of both of these precedents by introducing a balcony façade infused with greens, pockets of light wells as well as introducing light and movable partitions in order to reverse the notion of ‘skinny houses’ being dark and uninviting. These qualities proved to be successful in the precedents presented and should be followed after in reviving this type of dwelling – the ‘skinny house’.

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References

Figures

Friedman, A. (2010). Narrow Houses: New Directions in Efficient Design. New York, USA: Princeton Architectural Press.

Figure 01: Line drawing of facades from precedents: ANH House, Glass Shutter House and Kanamori House (source: illustrated by author)

Frearson, A. (2013). ANH House by Sanuki + Nishizawa. dezeen magazine, 1.

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Figure 02: Axometric line drawing of precedents: ANH House, Glass Shutter House and Kanamori House (source: illustrated by author)