Baugruppe on the spree: A sustainable solution to Berlin's housing crisis Shawn Sullivan / Isabella Whitehill December 9, 2016
Precedents
"Brain of brian" Floating office barge Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom Marraum Architecture
- reuses existing barge structure (WWII Ferro concrete barge) as a basement level with storage, utilities, and a workspace - uses a wood pellet boiler and compost toilets, as well as sustainable and durable materials such as aluminum and resin - developed as an office space for Robotmother, the company that manages Jubilee Wharf, a highly sustainable development next door with workshops, small businesses, a cafe, and a community space - includes a kitchenette, bathroom, office space, and mezzanine level that can be used for bunking (ultimately a very flexible space) - freedom in design because building codes don’t apply to boats - shaded clerestory windows bring in light without heat gain
http://inhabitat.com/experimental-floating-office-takes-over-a-converted-wwii-barge/ http://www.jubileewharf.co.uk/home http://www.archdaily.com/617868/the-brain-of-brian-floating-office-barge-marraumarchitecture http://www.marraum.co.uk/projects/the-barge
Precedents
DE ceuvel Amsterdam, Netehrlands Developed by a team of architects, engineers, social entrepreneurs & creatives - retrofitted, reused houseboats are placed on top of an old shipyard (these were obtained at no cost, because its actually usually costly and difficult for owners to get rid of them) - the soil was highly contaminated so remediating plants were planted throughout, and a winding jetty was built as a path throughout the site in order to access each of the houseboats -the project features many other sustainable aspects such as compost toilets, heat ecchangers, helophyte filters (for processing wastewater), struvite reactors (for regaining nutrients from urine), and solar panels. The whole complex is basically a playground for testing new sustainable strategies and technologies.
http://deceuvel.nl/en/ http://www.metabolic.nl/projects/de-ceuvel/ https://archiscapes.wordpress.com/2014/12/02/de-ceuvel-amsterdam-sustainable-community/tumblr_m3peb0jdnq1r0lg4so1_1280/ http://citiscope.org/story/2016/how-amsterdam-turned-polluted-industrial-site-its-most-interesting-neighborhood
Precedents
BADESCHIFF Berlin, Germany Fernando Menis F.A. Rufino, J.M. Rodriguez – Pastrana with Gil Wilk. - In this case, an old barge has become a swimming pool that floats on the Spree. The top of the barge rests almost level with the surface of the river, which makes it feel as though you are swimming within it (impossible as its so dirty) - The Badeschiff is wildly popular, and proves that building on barges in the Spree is not only viable but also accpeted/interesting to residents of the city - Added docks provide a bar and lounging area - In the winter, the docks and pool are covered with a lightweight structure so they can continue to be used as a sauna
http://architizer.com/projects/badeschiff/ http://www.amusingplanet.com/2010/11/badeschiff-floating-swimming-pool-in.html http://www.archdaily.com/433692/badeschiff-wilk-salinas-architekten http://inhabitat.com/berlins-winter-badeschiff/
Sustainable Aspects
Environmental Sustainability: Solar orientation: • All: The barges all have south-facing, long façades to maximize natural light. The river water also helps reflect natural lighting into the spaces. Exterior shades can be deployed to block unwanted light and also act as a basic storm shield. • Residential: The two barges also place the living areas along this south façade to minimize the use of artificial lighting. Ventilation: • Piano Barge: Each space reaches the full width of the barge and can open to allow breezes to travel through. • Residential Barge: Every unit is full width and can be opened for fresh air and breezes. Each kitchen area also has at least one exterior wall for ventilation. The bedrooms all have dedicated windows. • Flex Barge: Each division has an entry space that can be opened on two sides to allow for breezes. Most also reach the full width on the bottom level to allow for windows and ventilation on two sides. Integration of nature/greenery: • Site: The new boardwalk is lined with floating planters that help to clean the Spree and offer a habitat for aquatic life. • Piano Barge: The roof has a large portion of greenery above the bar area. • Residential Barge: Every unit has a large garden space that also acts as a natural privacy shield, and the lower roof spaces are modular green roofing. • Flex Barge: The large outdoor spaces have expansive areas of planters and large gardens. Recycled Materials: • All: Each barge is meant to be built atop a recycled industrial barge. The new architecture is then inserted into the existing barge. This creates a double wall on the lower level to ensure there is limited thermal transfer to the interior spaces. Renewable materials: • All: Each barge will use sustainable timber for all areas of new construction. Heating/Cooling: • All: A closed loop, marine thermal system is utilized in the residential barge in conjunction with a wood pellet boiler to produce in-floor heating. The pellets would be delivered by boat which would reduce emissions related to vehicular traffic from such an urban site. Once heated, the water would be transferred through insulated piping beneath the boardwalk to heat the other barges. Transport options: • Piano Barge & Flex Barge: There is the Firlstrasse tram/bus stop and the Schöneweide Station within walking distance. There are also a number of boat parking docks adjacent to the barges. • Residential Barge: The promenade connects the barges to the Treskowbrüke and provides easy access to the Wilhelminenhofstrasse/Edisonstrasse tram/bus stop. Schöneweide Station is also a short walk away. The residential barges have designated boat parking. Shared Facilities: • All: The dock system acts as a connection between the different barges to share utilities including electricity, water, and heating. This eliminates redundant mechanical systems and extra connections to city/private utility systems. Energy: • All: Solar panels on each of the barges create a shared pool of electricity that can be allocated as needed. The Piano Salon serves as the main electricity hub due to its expansive solar array, but connection lines beneath the boardwalk connect to the other barges and to Berlin’s electricity grid.
Social Sustainability Social Contact: • Site: Each barge is connected to a new public boardwalk that both links the different barges and creates an uninterrupted path between the plaza and the Treskowbrüke. • Piano Barge: There are new seating and gathering spaces in the plaza and on the new dock for the public to directly interact with individuals on the piano barge. The piano salon will also draw many new people to the area. • Residential Barge: The single walkway access to both barges would help facilitate social interactions between residents. There is a common space in-between the barges for shared use. • Flex Barge: The barge offers new public outdoor spaces: one covered and one exposed. Accessibility: • Piano Barge: There are two ramps on either side of the barge that offer assessable entry. Once inside, there is an accessible bathroom and elevator. • Flex Barge: The barge is bridged to the dock with no gaps to offer easy access. There are three moving lobbies that act as elevators for individuals to reach all three levels of the barge. Privacy: • Residential: When residents desire privacy, each unit has its own designated garden and outdoor space. The barges are offset from the public boardwalk to offer privacy. • Piano Barge: Windows that face the public areas tend to be smaller than those that are oriented to views beyond the barge.
Economic Sustainability: Density/compactness: • Residential Barge: The interlocking housing units fit within the small square meter allotment and fully encompass the two barges in order to maximize the number of units and eliminate wasted material and space. Acoustics: • Piano Barge: The piano salon mimics the precedent’s longitudinal plan and high ceiling. This proved to be a viable shape for optimal acoustics and would help draw large audiences and excellent musicians. Costs: • All: Building on barges eliminates the cost of buying land and possibly demolishing existing structures in order to build new (water rights are less expensive than land in Berlin). Costs are also saved by eliminating excavation and foundation work as the “foundations” of our project are the recycled barges. These cost savings would help to offset the expenses of implementing the public boardwalk system.
Design Sustainability: Plan flexibility: • Piano Barge: The entire auditorium can be opened to allow more seating on the new dock for piano concerts, and the auditorium hall itself can act as stage for performances to be viewed from the dock/plaza. • Flex Barge: The structural grid system and multiple lobby areas allow for many different plan arrangements as tenants grow and change. Replication: • All: The concept of using industrial barges as a platform for architecture allows for expansion on the Oberschöneweide site and for replication elsewhere in Berlin and beyond. Our three barge types, Residential, Flex, and Culture (Piano Salon), could be repeated. The design schemes for the Residential and Flex barges are not specific to the site and could be exactly replicated while the Piano Salon could be altered to fit a cultural purposed of the new site.
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SITING DIAGRAM
SUNLIGHT
WIND & VENTILATION
SOLAR CELLS & GREENERY SOLAR CELLS
MODULAR GREEN ROOF
GARDEN BEDS
RESIDENTIAL BARGES
FLEX BARGE
PIANO BARGE
STRUCTURAL SYSTEM RESIDENTIAL BARGES 1:500
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OPEN-AIR MARKET & EVENT SPACE flat-top barges can still be used prior to renovations
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replication exploration: BERLIN
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replication exploration: BERLIN
replication exploration: HAMBURG
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replication exploration: HAMBURG
replication exploration: BOSTON
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EXISTING ATLANTIC WARF FERRY DOCK
NEW CHILDREN’S MUSEUM DOCK SYSTEM
replication exploration: BOSTON