RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 56
forward Today, designers have the opportunity to shape and rethink the world. technologies are now available to more people than ever, as needs for better design in everyday life cries out for attention. this is an essay taking a brief look the way we look at architecture and its relation with the way we live and interact. Are we walking blindly into a future of careless use of resource? and what is design doing about it?
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 2
Contents Dreams for a Suburban Lifestyle 17th, October, 1973 Alternative energy sources. Lessons learnt and forgotten. Today’s examples Today Open source architecture. The future?
3 17 18 27 28 38 45 47
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 4
Dreams for a Suburban lifestyle the Antidote to Industrialization
top and left: 19th century industrial work place.
As industrialization arrives in Europe and North America, a whole new way of living never seen before in the history of man kind was developing. At first, the effects of the industrialization starts to be evident as industries exhale its pollution into the cities, close quarters in the city centres became horrible centres of disease and filth. Population levels was also rising exponentially to a point that old ways of organizing communities simply was not ready for this kind of mass scale development.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 5
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 6
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 7
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 8
previous page: 19th century city smog. left: cable car transporting to suburbs. above: 19th century suburb. top right cable car system. bottom right: British style masions as inspiration for suburbs.
the beginnings of suburbia So at first, those with a fair amount of money would try and escape the horrid of city living. Developments were introduced around the 1880’s, with the basic concept of “manors in the park”. These were the styles of the Charles Dickens feeling of England, where a large cottage like building that was in the centre of a large estate. No doubt, these would have been quite comfortable properties to live in. As streets
cars, or trams, were introduced, more and more people started moving slightly further away form the city centres, however the distance compared to today are still quite close. These were connected by these tram systems that would transport people to and from the social quarters. However, in between social places, were still quite walkable.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 9
The arrival of model t 1903, Henry Ford incorporated Ford Motor Company, and the first automobile success, the Model T, sold 15.5 million models in the U.S. alone. The affordability of the car, and the doubling of wages while cutting down workers hour was unheard of, all helped the success of the automobile industry. As the distribution of motor cars hits the roads of the U.S. so does the development housing in relation to the automobiles. This leads to the boom of the economy as other industries related to housing development also increased. Now, more and more people wanted to move out of the cities, with their automobiles, drive to their new suburban homes. RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 10
right: the motor industry boom, driving home cars by the millions. far right: early examples of traffic jam travelling back home.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 11
from left to right: people lining up for rationing during the great depression; march of the nazi army during wwii; advertisement of the veterans emergency fund; millions of new suburban housing built
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 12
full growth of suburbia
The Great Depression spreads across the United States, and other parts of the world. Soon after, World War II erupted as nations fight for land and resources. Europe is in turmoil, and the world looks at United States to lead the way. Meanwhile in the States, the government provided the Veterans Emergency Housing Program, which supplied 2.7 million new homes and apartments by the end of 1947. This was the answer for those who fought for their country, to return to their homeland, and have a home package
in the suburbs. After WWII, each year, around a million homes across the U.S. was constructed. All based on the cul-de-sac suburbia planning, and became the new standard of living for the country. This was also designed around the automobile interactions within the society, as well as the increasing size of the middle class. However these standards of living gave away false impressions.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 13
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 14
highway of suburbia left: new solutions of mass transportation: the highway. next page left: oil crisis hitting the streets. next page right: empty highways as automobiles are left empty without oil.
The developments were selling packages of dreams that every family can now live in a country lifestyle, still with access to the city. However, these were illusions of country living, as it has no connections to organic systems such as farms, forests, river systems, agriculture systems. Instead, it provides sectioned off lawn space to imitate such atmosphere. At the same time, it has no characteristics of a town, in fact, it has only disadvantages of both. As the population moves out from the city, and into these “country housing� the city buildings become abandoned. What follows was a transformation of the way the city functioned, with highways that connects far stretched suburbs, and shopping centres to serve these outer regions. Naturally, the city planners had to find a way to transport the people from their homes, to shopping areas, offices, schools, leisure, and home again.
The automobile industry saw a great advantage in this situation, as mass transit becomes a new demand, and what better way to make money than to have the people rely on cars. Originally, developers of suburbs also contracted railway or tram systems to connect the housings with the cities. However, with the growing power of the automobile industry, including General Motors, which produced the cars, Firestone, which produced the rubber tires, and Standard Oil, which produced the oil for the cars to run with, had incredible buying power, with which they bought out and destroyed the light rail way systems. General Motors then commissioned for a competition to start planning for highways across the United States. From this point, the interstate highways were developed, and today, one can travel from one side of the U.S. to the other, never seeing open space, but continuous housing and suburbia. This kind of de-
velopment has been highly subsidized by the government and the industries. This led to a natural onset of urban sprawl, with which the only efficient way of travel is by the use of individual automobiles, as it is completely inefficient to build railroads or bus services. However, thanks to the cheap fossil fuel, this system has been made possible. The amount of energy needed to fuel this lifestyle has not been a concern, as there was a feeling of unlimited amount of resources. In the early 20th century, in the state of Texas, fossil fuel was been discovered at an alarming rate, and it became so cheap that it was cheaper than water. Even till today, everything from cars to busses, from planes to trains, from heating to cooling, everything is dependant on this cheap fossil fuel energy system.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 15
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 16
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 17
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 18
17th, October, 1973 the ride is ending On this day, OPEC declared to decrease oil production by 5%, and double the cost. Three months later, in January, 1973, the price of oil increased from $2.59 to $11.65. The following years, the price of oil steadily increased until 1978, where price of oil per barrel rose from $14 to a shocking $38 by 1985. The urban landscapes never looked so different. This period of time, the West started to see a slow turn around in the view of the world.
left: men on horseback as cars deem useless. right: people waiting to fill up as oil dries up across the nation.
A shift in view on the growth and development of society started to rise. As the abundance in energy decreased, people started to look for alternative ways to solve the energy crisis.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 19
Alternative energy sources. Solar energy Before the crisis, solar related projects were almost exclusively scientific research purposes only. As the sudden disappearance with fossil fuel, one of the first and best alternative seen was solar energy. Within solar energy, the category can be separated into passive and active solar.
concentrating or ‘flat-plate’, or of various concentrating designs. Most solar-thermal collectors have fixed mounting, but can have a higher performance if they track the path of the sun through the sky. Solar trackers, used to orient photovoltaic arrays, may be driven by either passive or active technology.
Active solar technologies are employed to convert solar energy into usable heat, cause air-movement for ventilation or cooling, or store heat for future use. Active solar uses electrical or mechanical equipment, such as pumps and fans, to increase the usable heat in a system. Systems can be implemented into existing homes and structures without major changes into the existing designs. Solar hot water systems, except those based on the thermosiphon, use pumps or fans to circulate water, an anti-freeze mixture, or air through solar collectors, and are therefore classified under active solar technology. The solar collectors can be non-
Passive solar incorporates the design to the entire building in terms of architecture, orientation and architectonic components: from materials to the thickness of the walls to the finishing details act together as both a heat collector and thermal storage, without any mechanical devices. Active solar devices includes most commonly the solar panels, which today plays one of the biggest parts in renewable energy resources. These include photovoltaics through heating transfer liquid.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 20
When Jimmy Carter took presidency, having also
studied to be a nuclear engineer in the 50’s, he saw the significance of solar energy. During his term, came the Department of Energy, the Solar Energy Research Institute, the National Energy Act, all in 1977, and the first Sun Day, on the 3rd of May, 1978. Efforts were also made in the public sector, with the government subsidizing a third of the costs of the installation of solar panels. After the oil crisis, many design solutions came about for the public, with many do-it-yourself packs which the public can fit solar panels onto their homes.
right: jimmy carter’s installment of solar panels on the white house.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 21
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 22
from top left, clockwise: trombe wall, an invention to increase heat stabilization between winter and summer, chart for passive solar energy solution; using the sun for natural lighting; using earth and sun to power and insulate; Berlin’s free uni. library; insulating roofs for climate control; examples from morocco of using local materials; using earth as insulation material.
Solar energy Passive solar energy evoked architects and builders to rethink on the actual constructions and usage of the built environment. These technologies were already available and used by the ancient Greeks, Chinese and native Americans, who warmed their buildings by orienting or positioning them in strategic ways towards the sun. Together, with active solar energy plans, using the sun has many benefits, which can lower energy consumption as well as increasing comfort level in places where we rest and work.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 23
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 24
Earth Another solution was to use the earth. Throughout the world, this technique has been used and proven successfully. After the oil crisis there was a reinvestigation in the use of earth as a form of insulation. Covering homes using earth is like putting a big blanket over the structure, preventing external weather conditions and also insulation.
Clockwise from far left: earth shelter with high light usage; earth bunker; ancient use of earth shelter; living areas of earth shelters.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 25
non-lasting solutions Despite Carter’s efforts, upon Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980, most of the work in the development of solar energy was almost destroyed. Reagan communicated to the American people that the energy problem was simply a matter of politics and economics, and that the resources were in an actual fact plentiful and abundant. By 1986, the solar panels above the White House which Jimmy Carter had installed, were removed. Since the 70’s there is an actual decline in the area of solar panels installed in the United States, particular in the commercial and industrial sectors.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 26
right: Ronald reagan’s presidency showed decline in alternative energy.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 27
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 28
Lessons learnt and forgotten. left and bottom: aerial photos of the monotonous suburbia.
2003 Blackout The biggest blackout in North American history. It effected 10 million people in the province of Ontario, Canada, and 40 million people in the United States. Financial losses were estimated at around $6 billion v. In August 2003, as the continuous heat sweeping across the northern parts of the U.S. and parts of Canada, electrical consumption was reaching 100% capacity as air conditioning was used intensively. The problem came about in the afternoon, around 4 to 5pm, at one of the hottest parts of the day, with also peak usage of electricity with residential, commercial and industrial sectors. So at 16.13, August 14th, 2003, the blackout occurred. With this, for the next few days, 50 million people underwent life without electricity. Everything that modern society treasures was out of order during the
blackout. This was not a suggestion for the change in our way of living and development, but a big indication of the red zone we are now living in. Despite warnings such as this, today, society continues to develop without learning the lesson. Some concerns have been voiced from public figures such as Matthew Simmons, CEO of Simmons & Company International, who deals with the investment banking for oil companies and served as the U.S. President George W. Bush as his energy advisor. Despite his background, he is extremely worried with how the world’s growth is heading. Our habits of extraordinarily high amounts of resources consumption cannot continue at the same rate as our growth. How we let ourselves get to this point is obvious: the causes and reasons are there, yet we let it pass everyday. continuing to drive through the suburban streets.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 29
Today’s examples Copenhagen vs Detroit left: interstate highway connecting Detroit. right: pedestrian central in copenhagen.
A great example today are cities like Detroit and Copenhagen. One, a typical suburban heavy city, where the city model is based on suburban living, with six lane highways as the answer of mass transportation method. Copenhagen on the other hand, a typical European city that has a high density living, with a majority of its population walking or driving close distances within the city. Copenhagen Detroit
5,800 people/km 2 2,600 people/km 2
With close to three times the density in Copenhagen, Detroit however uses 10 times more amounts of energy. Obviously this model of city planning is not sustainable. The simple promise of the small slice of the American dream, with your own house in the suburbs, with a piece of land and an automobile each, is now costing ridiculous amounts of resources and energy. Furthermore, it is obvious that the quality of living does not improve with this kind of development, as the population spends most of their time in their very won private automobile. What’s more is RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 30
that Suburbia does not allow the people of a society to recognize and describe the sense of place of their society, a public realm. The suburbia does not include any spaces which encourages the care of from its users, or spend time in. The redesign of architecture in a sustainable way depends highly on the social and geographic planning. A look on the energy consumption split in any given society, generally gives the following: 44% housing 34% transport of which 26% on people 8% on goods 22% on industries. Therefore it is obvious that together, with the design of individual housing must be energy efficient, the general layout of a city must also work together to increase efficiency on the movement of its people.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 31
Urban sprawl, the national automobile slum, the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 32
answers? What’s needed today, is a shift of perception on resources. It is obvious that as the world population exponentially grows, it is impossible to simply extract resources and use them. These resources will run out before we finish the debate on sustainability. Through good design, changing the social consciousness, and effecting policy makers and commerce, a new form of living and organizing the population of tomorrow is a task that needs to have been completed yesterday. Some small good news however are slowly forming. Since the later parts of the 20th century, serious designers and architects are now talking, thinking, breathing and eating green designs. Sustainability has finally entered the social vocabulary especially in the design circles, and it is slowly growing and seeping into the general public.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 33
Green Designers Gianni Botsford Architects, created a project in Costa Rica, taking upon the slow food concept, by which one preserves and promotes local ingredients and resources, By coupling indigenous techniques and materials with modern design technologies and aesthetics Gianni Botsford Architects has created this intimate double pavilion for a writer in Costa Rica. The design benefits from the well ventilated space through a completely louvered glazed end faรงade. Another local material used was the corrugated steel sheeting, which contains the sleeping quarters and bathroom. Overall the effect was low cost on materials and maintains low cost on energy consumption, while visually and aesthetically pleasing.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 34
GBA’s green construction for local writer in residence.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 35
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 36
renzo piano’s Jean Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center, New Caledonia.
inspiration from the indigenous Renzo Piano’s Jean Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center in New Caledonia was a design chosen to honour Jean Marie Tjibaou who was killed in 1989 while leading the fight for the country’s freedom against the French government. The building is held by the indigenous people as a building that the people can identify with, despite the French client and the Italian architect. The buildings were designed to have similarities to local hut designs, with also representations of hierarchies and differences in functions through the different sizes. The building takes advantage of the prevailing winds of the Pacific Ocean which receives its share of storms
and cyclones. The building proves to provide great shelter while not denying the occupants the feeling of being close to nature. The structure features also mechanical structures and mechanisms to adjust itself to withstand the high wind velocities. The buildings are composed of iroko wood on the surface, which is selected for its specialty to withstand cyclone winds. The inner facade of glass louvers which can open or close depending on wind speed, allowing passive ventilation. The double layer of ‘skin’ allows the building to filter the warm air up to the tops of the building like a chimney.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 37
computer aided designs
computer renders of swiss re, london. foster+associates.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 38
Since the birth of computers and the commercial use of them together with designers, revolutionary ideas can now be realized at speeds never thought of before. Together with the research of materials, it seems as though sky really isn’t even the limit anymore. Norman Foster’s Swiss Re is a fine example. The designers asked themselves what was a better way of using a space in a more functional way. Through the use of computer modelling, the designers rethought
the use of the block of land to shape the structure. The space incorporates public areas for better interaction within the building as well as surrounding areas. Grooves were cut into the sides of the building to give views, light and ventilation. The use of triangulation around the building provides strength to the structure, but also gives it a sense of identity, as design is something that cannot be measured such as carbon emissions, but proves just as important.
Instead of creating real simulations for wind tunnels, now with a click of a button, the building can be thoroughly tested for wind turbulence and light visibility. Emissions can now be accurately calculated and reduced thanks to the computers and new research in materials. Now it serves as a great inspirational design to the architectural world.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 39
Today overpopulation The green agenda has become one of the most important issues of the day. Thomas Freeman, stated that, “I think the most important thing to happen in 2006, was that living and thinking green, hit main street. It has reached a tipping point this year, where living, acting, designing, investing and manufacturing green, came to be understood by a critical mass of citizens, entrepreneurs and officials as the most patriotic, capitalistic, geopolitical and competitive thing they can do. Hence my motto, ‘Green is the new Red, White and Blue’ (referring to the flag United States of America)”.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 40
A new social development problem that the planet faces in the 21st century is that we have the births of megacities, all over the world. Megacities, cities with population that exceeds 10 million people, were non existent before 1950s, with New York City the only urban space with over 20million. In 1985, there were only nine, then 19 in 2004, and a jump to 25 in 2005. Of the megacities today, around 70% of the megacities are found in developing countries. Today, these large populations are found in China and India, where the transferring of people from rural to urban which took place over 200 years in Europe, is
happening in 20 years. For a many number of years, the population in China has relied heavily on bicycles for transportation. However, now with the economic boom, also comes together with the boom of the automotive industry like the 1920’s in the U.S. Today, an approximate 1000 new cars are sold in China, becoming world’s largest growing automobile industry. If China goes through the same though process and development that the United States underwent over the last 100 years, we will simply not function in an environment worth living in.
right: china’s bicycle population. soon each one will be replaced with an automobile
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 41
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 42
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 43
sustainability design Outside of the human controls, are also natural disasters. Whether human emissions are to be blamed or not, it is a fact that we must live with. Major cyclones are appearing yearly that are causing major damages onshore. Events such as the 2004 tsunami, or the 2005 Hurricane Katrina caused major
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 44
housing shortage in a matter of days, and lasts for months or years after. Wars that devastate millions of lives across the world, where stainability becomes not an issue of being a tree hugging hippie, but essential when living on $3 a day does not allow careless use of resources. These are calls for serious thoughts and actions for sustainable living design.
Previous page left: favela in brazil. previous page right: housing in kenya. right: aftermath of kosovo
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 45
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 46
Open source architecture. sharing is caring above left: old un tents. above right: new un tents, with flaps after 20 years of design left: new submission within 2 years of open source architecture request.
Like the music industry, architecture, and many other disciplines of design will be going through a transformation to a sharing platform of thinking. Cameron Sinclair, one of the founders of the Open Architecture Network, developed the idea of sharing and promoting solutions to problems across the world. The projects incorporates the system of file sharing, open sourcing ideas to allow greater and faster development in designs, especially to people and places in need, when needed.
For example, aid workers from United Nations have been using simple tarps and rope to setup working spaces, and over a period of twenty years, they have only seen an implementation of an open flap for extra light. Since the start of the Open Architecture Network, hundreds of solutions have poured into the network, and solutions have been designed and produced. Designs needs to cut through the red tape and reach the destination if it wants to make any actual influences in today’s world. Projects are empha-
sized and rated based on its sustainability, innovative material usages and cost effectiveness. These projects are open to anyone across the globe and are funded by anyone who are capable of helping. Again with a slow food mentality, final selections are made by local people and built by local people because it is used by local people.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 47
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 48
The future? zero emission communities left: artist impression of masdar project in abu dhabi
Today architecture needs to take a big turning point in order to improve social living standards and quality. Foster + Partners perhaps will take lead with their design for Masdar in Abu Dhabi, the world’s first zero-carbon and zero-waste city. The city will be a completely planned six million square meter walled sustainable development. Funded by the Abu Dhabi future Energy Company, it will host its new headquarters, with a new university devoted to future energy production. Foster states, “The environmental ambitions of the Masdar Initiative – zero carbon and waste free – are a world first. They have provided us with a challenging design brief that promises to question conventional urban wisdom at a fundamental level. Masdar promises to set new benchmarks for the sustainable city of the future.” To remain zero-carbon within its walls, the city will be entirely car free. Carefully planned public transportation will ensure that none of the city’s inhabitants will have to walk more than 200 meters before
meeting some part of the transportation link. Included in the transportation system will be a network of shaded walkways and narrow streets, creating a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere for those who prefer to travel by foot. All of the transportation system is offset with the inclusion of personalized rapid transport, ensuring rapid transit within the city limits. Outside of the walls, the development of the city was strategically sited to link to Abu Dhabi’s principal transport infrastructure, the center hub of Abu Dhabi, and the international airport via the existing road infrastructure and new public rail routes.
ing process, the first of which is dependent on the development of a large photovoltaic power plant which will later become the site for the second of the city’s phases, encouraging urban growth while avoiding low density sprawl.
Along with the carefully planned intersection of transportation is the conscientious incorporation of wind, photovoltaic farms, research fields, and plantations, allowing for the Masdar to be entirely selfsustaining. Even the development phase of Masdar has been made sustainable through a two-step phas-
The question remains whether or not we can provide the same kind of standards and quality not for only a small selective class of citizens, but to the entire planet. This is the age of the designers.
Perhaps this will be the new Brasília of the modern world. Where we need a fresh start, with a complete rejection of past failing modules, such as petroleum based transportations, low density sprawl urban designs and high consumption, high waste lifestyles will be transformed.
RETHINKING ARCHITECTURE//PAGE 49
design history project, 2008 written and designed by paul pj cheng email | aestudios@gmail.com web | graphics2008.creativemindfactory.com/paul teacher: Diletta Toniolo