BOOMHouse 2017 Final Journal by Stephanie Ng

STEPHANIE NG

STUDIO 16 BOOMHOUSE 2017 SEMESTER 1

SPECIAL THANKS TO

TUTORS JOEL BENICHOU and SINEAD LIM ESD COORDINATOR AND TUTOR DAVID RITTER and Dinkums on Swanston Street

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 COURSE BRIEF

1.2 BABY BOOM / AGE CARE 1.3 COURSE TIMELINE

1.4 DESIGN CONCEPT

1.5 CLIENT DETAIL 1.6 SITE RESPONSE

brief Studio16 - BOOMHouse Retirement villages and nursing homes do not appeal to everyone. Australians

born in the decades between 1946 and 1961 are either retired, or close to it. This ‘Baby Boomer’ generation is searching for dignified and attractive solutions to their twilight living needs.

Boomers enjoy the houses they have worked hard to acquire, with the consensus

being they want to stay in their current home as long as possible. They like the established communities and patterns of their normal lives and while many

have benefited from huge increases in property prices, the idea of selling the family home to move to a retirement village can be an unattractive prospect.

With a large portion of the aging boomers not financially prepared for retirement,

opportunities other than stale retirement villages and nursing homes need to be explored.

Through a series of case studies, Studio 16 will investigate the notion of

housing for the retired and elderly. Join us in the pursuit to develop new and exciting options that encourage the integration of ‘young’ seniors into the large community and maintain their contribution and relevance in society. The first

weeks of semester will be used to research and identify examples of relevant projects and alternative retirement living options. With an initial focus on research and data collection, the students will develop a strong conceptual

grounding for their projects. The remainder of semester will be spent formulating solutions to a series of case studies at varying scales. These include the Granny flat (BOOMFlat), the extension (BOOMReno) and the share house (BOOMHouse).

In the early- to mid-1970s, following the Second World War, there is a temporary

marked increase in the birth rate. Some historians have argued that it was a part of a desire for normalcy after 16 years of depression and war. Others have argued

that it was a part of a Cold War campaign to fight communism by outnumbering communists.

People in the postwar era looked forward to have children because they were

confident that the future would be one of comfort and prosperity.

Today, the oldest boomers are already in their 60s. By 2030, about one in five

Australians will be older than 65, and some experts believe that the aging of the population will place a strain on social welfare system.

baby boom / age care In the class, we discussed what we thought about agae-care, especially for

the baby boomers, with different cultural background. We also shared some of our personal experience so as to have more understanding to how government is doing to treat age-care.

Here are some of the notes from the class on Monday: • One child policy in China • Public houses for elderlies from the government to buy with a cheaper price in Hong Kong • Types of age-care: Residence (housing sponsorship), Medicare, Palliative care (end of life care), Respite care, Specialized Dementia care • More public space from the government to share • Social well-being • Private and public facilities • Healthcare center from mental issues • Malaysian grandparents fly to different families to live when they lost their partners to feel less lonely • Communication space • Bring emotions to this project • Increase social activity, active community life with private space as well • “What do you want to do in your retirements?” • Personal feeling when people with one child policy, the responsibility of taking care the elderlies together with own working and social life • Attraction point for young adults to move • Finding balance and finding reality “reality is really hard for young adults to support the family, is it really that ideal to be living together?”

I have been living with my grandmother since I was born, we are very close

together. My parents used to have full-time job so the responsibility of taking

me was given to my grandmother. She has grown a lot older and I cannot imagine

how life will be like without her in the future. I always ask her about how she thinks about the age-care that Hong Kong government has provided to them.

I understand being sent to nursery home is disaster, just like how I felt in

the first year when I was sent to Australia, being neglected and abandoned. They

should be treated well, even though the reality is that no enough space for us to live with them together, their living environment should be considered with care.

CONTEXT

STUDIO INTRODUCTION SPACE ASSIGNMENT PRECEDENT RESEARCH AND PRESENTATION SITE VISIT

BOOMFLAT

MID SEMESTER PRESENTATION

BOOMRENO

BOOMHOUSE

DESIGN CONCEPT Have you thought about how your future life would be like? For myself, I do. I

always imagine what will I be doing years later. For this studio, we are required

to design 3 proposals with different types of buildings for the baby boomers. And I have immediately thought of my parents, they are just at that age range. I have applied their 3 stages into these 3 design proposals. BOOMFlat - Holiday House at working stage BOOMReno - Retirement House after migration BOOMHouse - House when they need more care and support at later age

MID SEMESTER

55-65 ... present

65-75 ... 10 years later

0.0 BACKGROUND | CONCEPT

75+ 15 years later

CLIENT DETAIL As I have mentioned, I am going to set my client as my parents, recording their

stages of life and applying and designing appropriate housing for them. REALITY

IDEAL RETIREMENT HOUSE

• Packed life [working intense living] • Like a holiday house • Working parents

• Maybe traveling than stay home

• Work too much, seldom enjoy life

• Keep them active

• Scared of boredom

• Find some interest to do

• Love traveling but no time • Seldom cook or gardening

• Relaxed in there

• Wants to feel “young” than “retired”

• Needs time to adapt this life and

get the transition capability (the

• Have enough money for retirement

lifestyle)

but still wants to invest in me DAD’S PERSONALITY

MUM’S PERSONALITY

• Working dad

• Social and active mum

• Love privacy

• Can ask for leave at anytime

• Serious

• Does not know how to cook • Wants everything quick • Plan ahead

• Needs to feel relaxed when working at home

• Working part-time at the moment • Flexible timetable

• Love family activities and gathering • Can cook a bit • Plan ahead

• Always want holiday

SITE CONTEXT / RESPONSE GLENROY, vic 3046 In the research stage, before site visiting, this suburb gives an idea of a

typical Melbourne suburb, being located in the North from the Melbourne CBD. The population has grown significantly while the house pricing has increased accordingly at the same time. It is easily accessed and closed to the Melbourne airports especially the Essendon Airport.

Even though it is not a widely known suburb, it is growing fast economically,

buildings have increased from the main streets inwards, from one building on a slot of land to three to five units on the piece of land.

People who have visited there or are currently living there have commented it

as a great suburb in living and it is changing fast, population being doubled over the past decade.

“Improving everyday, great value for money” “We’re never moving elsewhere.” “Nice quiet area for families” “A suburb in transformation” “Good location but changing fast”

2013

2017

SITE CONTEXT / RESPONSE 80 ISLA AVENUE On the day of site visit, every inch of the whole site has been measured and

analyzed. From the overview, the land is being seen as a really big piece as the existing building only occupies 1/4 of the land and the whole piece of concrete/ grass area has been left deserted at the back.

Except the existing house, there are two shed houses being placed at the

backyard for storage. If rearrange the shed houses, the vegetation area or the

backyard can be utilized better. The existing trees give many shading area to

the site. The biggest existing tree can cover nearly the whole backyard. It is nicely placed to give half of the backyard being under the shade. However, there are some of the existing trees that are nearly withered.

There is also a nicely placed clotheslines and a single chair in the middle

of the concrete area at the backyard, looking back at the existing house. It is

a nice area, appreciating the existing house, daydream while enjoying the North sun.

Overall, there are many potentials that can be designed on this big piece

of land, being incorporating with the existing trees and building, linking the existing layout of the building is also another way of designing.

50 X 50 COLUMN

BEDROOM

TOILET

STUDY ROOM

DESERTED SHED HOUSE

MAIN EXISTING TREES AREA

UNUSED AREA

SHED HOUSE FOR STORAGE

PRIMARY & CAR ENTRANCE

SECONDARY ENTRANCE EX. TREE

TIMBER PALING FENCE

LAUNDRY ROOM

SHED 1 CORRUGATED ROOF CLOTHSLINE

CANOPY CORRUGATED ROOF

EX. TREE KITCHEN

TITLE BOUNDARY

+2.363 HEIGHT

LIVING ROOM

EX. TREE

DINING ROOM +2.680 HEIGHT

EX. TREE

~45 X 90 RAFTER

SHED 2 CORRUGATED ROOF

EXISTING SITE CONTEXT PLAN 0

10m

0.0 BACKGROUND | SITE RESPONSE

EX. TREE

2.0 PROPOSALS 2.1 PROPOSAL #1 - BOOMFLAT

2.2 PROPOSAL #2 - BOOMRENO

2.3 PROPOSAL #3 - BOOMHOUSE

BOOMFlat

form generation This form comes from the analysis of the existing house, in order to design

a connected granny house while they are not attached, the communal activities are designed in between the two buildings. The communal areas of the granny flat (kitchen, living and dining room) are placed contra-distinctly with the existing

house. Private area is aligned to the true North so as to separate it from the communal area. Courtyard areas cannot be neglected where you always want to see green to feel relaxed. Therefore, the granny flat can be perceived as a whole.

N PRIVATE

COMMUNAL

BEDROOM

DINING

STUDY

LIVING STUDY

KITCHEN

CONNECTION KITCHEN LIVING

DINING BEDROOM

COMMUNAL EXISTING BUILDING

SET BACK

PRIVATE

1.1 FORM GENERATION BOOMFlat

site plan To perceive the granny flat and existing house as a whole, the two houses are

not placed separately but connected by the timber decking. A private access is designed at the North entrance for the granny flat so as not to disturb the people at the existing house.

BOOMFlat SITE PLAN 0

10m

floor plan It can be seen in detailed how the areas are distributed. The indoor floors are

divided into three levels with living and dining area on one, lounge on another

and bedroom on another. This can show the hierarchy of privacy and how one space has changed to another without using actual door. There are two entranced to this

granny flat, one to the living and dining area and the other is a private one from the car parking area straight to the bedroom without passing the communal area.

BOOMFlat FLOOR PLAN AREA: 59.78m2 - 5.92m2 = 53.86m2

0.5m

1.5m

2.5m

ELEVATION This isometric image of BOOMFlat shows every side of the building. As any side

of this building shows different elements, none can be neglected, this is the best way of presenting the elevations.

North Elevation: the extended roof for the North sun and the main entrance East Elevation: steps the private courtyard and little platform from bedroom South Elevation: entrance from carpark straight to the bedroom West Elevation: big connected sliding window of the living and dining area

IO AT EV

L HE

EV AT IO

IO AT EV

L HE

EV AT IO

1.4 ELEVATIONS BOOMFlat

SECTION This sectional perspective is cutting horizontally showing the sun shading

system of the ESD. The extended North roof blocks the summer sun while the winter sun can still enter into the living area.

SUMMER SUN ( 76.5o )

WINTER SUN ( 29.5o )

1.5 ESD SECTION BOOMFlat

ISOMETRIC A new private pathway is added to the existing site. This angle of isometric

diagram can briefly outline the whole site being utilized, timber decking is used

in between the two buildings to show the connection and shared activities can

be held on that platform. The green planting roof is installed to create more vegetation area for the boom couple.

1.6 ISOMETRIC BOOMFlat

PERSPECTIVES These exterior and interior abstract rendering shots identify the activities

being done on the site.

Top: the timber decking area outside connecting the existing building Middle: the private pathway / entrance pass by the existing to the BOOMFlat Bottom: the built in sitting area next to central courtyard

1.7 3D GRAPHICS BOOMFlat

BOOMReno

form generation For the BOOMReno, firstly the existing building is being analyzed to decide

which areas are retained and which are going to be taken off. My idea is basically to separate the house into 3 private zones and add communal area in between each and incorporate with vegetation areas. Private areas can be designed vertically and horizontally, it is also placed according to the active hours during the day.

RETAIN

SEPERATION

MULTIPLE

TE IVA

RETAIN

M CO

+ TE E IVA IBL PR ESS C AC

LEVEL OF HIRARCHY

2.1 FORM GENERATION BOOMReno

ZONING

site plan This site plan clearly shows the zoning of the house and the progression from

more private areas to a more opened and communal area. I have put the communal

area towards the backyard so to connect it with the biggest courtyard area. The front private areas are placed horizontally and they are for the retired grand parents and the studying grandkids. And the area in between can be opened as outdoor or covered with sheltering blinds and become the communal area between these two generations during the time the working parents are not back from work.

BOOMReno SITE PLAN SCALE 1:200 0

10m

2.2 SITE PLAN BOOMReno

floor plan The floor plan detailedly shows the areas and zoning especially the middle

brick tunnel area. It is the area connecting the existing area and the extension

area. The whole plan or form is followed by the concept, transforming from the more private zone (existing) to the communal zone (renovation and extension part). The second floor is designed as the bedroom for the middle generation.

BOOMReno FLOOR PLAN AREA: 173.81m2 + 27.24m2 = 201.05m2

SCALE 1:50 0

2.3 FLOOR PLAN BOOMReno

0.5m

1.5m

2.5m

ELEVATION This isometric image of BOOMReno shows every side of the building. It also

signifies the materiality being used from the texture. It also shows the roof form, the roofs of all three parts are all different in form. The window design

and shape is also another differentiation point in between the three zones. The existing part has traditional small window, the middle renovation area has

windows with different sizes and the windows for the back extension building are mostly sliding windows or sliding doors.

EAS

T EL

WES

AT LEV

T NOR

EVA TIO

ION

TH SOU

T EL

EVA TIO

2.4 ELEVATIONS BOOMReno

ELE

IO VAT

SECTION This section is cutting through the kitchen at the back communal building. The

kitchen is situated in between two outdoor courtyards. The roof facing North is

extruded up and becoming a triangular shape to capture sunlight from the North.

The roof is also designed to have 1m extended out to block the summer North sunlight. The kitchen also has sliding doors facing Northwest and Southeast for ventilation.

SUMMER SUN ( 76.5o )

WINTER SUN ( 29.5o )

LARGE SLIDING DOOR OPEN UP THE KITCHEN AND LIVING AREA TO THE TWO REAR GARDEN

THERMAL MASS

2.5 ESD SECTION BOOMReno

ISOMETRIC This isometric diagram has the same angle viewing the building as for the

BOOMFlat design. Similarly, this diagram shows the overall and especially the roof form of the building. There is a timber decking area at the backyard for barbecue or other communal activities.

2.6 ISOMETRIC BOOMReno

PERSPECTIVE Top: looking through the brick tunnel to the back communal area Middle: driving in from the car entrance, entering into the back entrance for the guest Bottom: the little courtyard existing out from the middle brick tunnel, surrounded by the three building zones.

2.7 3D GRAPHICS BOOMReno

BOOMHouse

concept refinement The concept statement for the final design stage: BOOMHouse is to maintain balanced and flexible life for the working boomers, living and working with the same generation in this environment. From the first two stages, it is stated that it relates to the personal life stages for my parents, after retirement, for the baby boomersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; thought of life standard, they prefer working than retirement. Therefore, after refinement, the final design for BOOMHouse is like a return from retirement.

MID SEMESTER

55-65 ... present

65-75 ... 10 years later

0.0 BACKGROUND | CONCEPT

75+ 15 years later

site plan This site plan has the site context of the neighbour houses around the designing area. The designed area stands out by colours and the zoning of area is signifying in this diagram such as the enclosed area under the solid roof, outdoor area under the timber frame, the outdoor garden or concrete area and the entrance for private entrance to bedroom or guest entrance to living room. The skylight even though faces the South, West sun can still goes into the room and give a bit of sunlight to the brick corridor. It enlightens the potential afternoon activities happening along the corridor.

10m

3.2 SITE PLAN BOOMHOUSE

FLOOR plan Even though the floor plan displays the whole site, the on a focal point in here. The whole building is identified area horizontally, with the communal living area and the They are being intersected and created the central brick derived from the previous design, BOOMReno.

internal area is more into two longitudinal private bedroom area. corridor. The idea is

The communal area is presented in a more open-able area with movable wall. The communal activities includes gym, mini-bar, reading room, big living area, kitchen and dining area. There are also a outdoor workshop area facing the North and a barbecue and dancing platform area facing the South. There are three different entrances for guest, car user and boomers privately.

cross-section _ a-a This section cut through first half of the building, mainly showing the minibar area, brick corridor and the window seats looking out to the little courtyard next to the bedroom. The skylight and the roof shape is also clearly shown in here.

0.5m

1.5m

2.5m

3.4 CROSS SECTION_A BOOMHOUSE

cross-section _ b-b This second section cut through the second half towards the back of the building, mainly showing the kitchen, brick corridor and bedroom. It also shows the interaction between the people internally and externally.

0.5m

1.5m

2.5m

3.5 CROSS SECTION_B BOOMHOUSE

front north isometric This angle of the isometric although does not shown much about the furniture layout of the room, can still be able to see the partition of the room, areas being utilized. The back side is mostly bedrooms and the front side is with the communal area. For this angle, the three entrance points are shown clearly.

Back south isometric This isometric is exactly looking at the other two sides of the building. The communal area is showing more in detailed of what activities can be done. The backyard, barbecue and dancing platform area are shown as well. The big existing tree is being kept with the reserved space from the timber frame.

interior perspective: bedroom Even though each bedroom is designed comparatively small, there are many designed sitting area around the room, this is an interesting spot, looking out to the restricted pathway with the brick wall from the neighbour.

interior perspective: brick corridor This is the brick corridor in between the bedrooms and living area. It gives an important role for relationship improvement from more communication. The shading from the West sun is also shown in here to show how it feels in the afternoon.

interior perspective: kitchen Even though few architectural elements can be seen in here, the connection to the exterior courtyard is the focal point. It is the idea of having relaxing life for the boom couples using this space.

interior perspective: dining area The dining area is located at the far East end of the building next to the kitchen. Outside the dining area is the barbecue area. The spatial experience in here is large with big pitch roof and high ceiling height.

interior perspective: gym The gym is located near to the workshop area at the front, looking out to the car parking space. The timber frame outside the gym gives the privacy idea to the users inside the gym.

exterior perspective: guest entrance For the guest entrance, the timber frame gives a different feel to the people walking pass, even it feels walking along an enclosed corridor, the shading from the timber frame makes it miracle.

exterior perspective: front entrance The abstract idea of having this exterior perspective shows the general form and look from the street.

exterior perspective: backyard The backyard perspective shows more of the activities in detail and the scale of the existing tree to the building.

3.0 APPENDIX 3.1 MID SEMESTER PRESENTATION IMAGES

3.2 MODEL IMAGES

SITE MODEL 1:2500

1:200 SITE MODEL OF ALL DESIGNS

BOOMFLAT

BOOMReno

BOOMHouse

4.0 REFLECTION 4.1 REFLECTION OF BOOMFLAT AND BOOMRENO 4.2 REFLECTION OF MID-SEMESTER 4.3 REFLECTION OF BOOMHOUSE

4.4 REFLECTION OF THE SEMESTER

4.5 CLASS PHOTO

BOOMFLAT and boomreno Having this as the first building type design, I was very confused at the start, I worried about how this can relate to my thought on BabyBoom generation and my concept. I was trying to relate this to my own experience so that I can feel attached and can put in more emotions to the design. The site analysis took me so long to jump to the real design idea but that worths the wait because the analysis can bring me through to the other designs later on. BOOMFlat was very challenging, being restricted to be 60m2 and all the basic rooms have to be included. I still remembered I have designed around 10 options before this final one but those are all different with squared base and typical house type. I think the good things I did in BOOMFlat would be the linkage between the concept and client personalities to the final layout of the flat. Having all on open space with small level different and a courtyard in the middle can show the circulation clearly. However, I still think the facades should be worked on more to show the uniqueness. Having previous experience, this extension and renovation design becomes a lot easier to touch on. The concept brought me through from different stage of the client to this retirement concept so the whole thing is based on the idea of adapting new life. I really like the tunnel idea and transition to a more open area for guests and friends. Even though I could not successfully created a little courtyard area in between the grandkids and the retired grandparents area, I can keep back with my intention to the site of having little courtyard around the site. The improvement is clearly the roof design and structure that the section did not show anything and needs a lot more time to think about the ESD solution to this renovated house.

mid-semester Overall, I enjoy the whole studio structure even though we still have one more design to go and getting worried about not having enough time left for the BOOMHouse. This is the first time having so many design within a studio, normally we have one design and what we produced will be a set of drawings and at most 2 models. Only for the mid semester, we have doubled up the drawings and the models and I think that was the only thing I struggled the most. But really I have learnt so much from different design, yes, the workload is a lot but I have improved my design skills and the management of time in exporting my drawings. Last minute is not working for this studio. Getting prepared and finish things ahead is so important. For the next and last part, I do look forward to what design I will produce and ideas from my mind and how the three designs put together at the end. I hope I can do even better in planning things ahead so that I can create and produce drawings and models with better quality.

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boomhouse The final design is really challenging, with the brief of having 4 boomer couples being restricted to everyone. Even though everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designs are all going to either a big house with 4 separate rooms or having 4 independent houses on the site, there are still many designing directions and space for us. From the start of having a personal design project, it makes me easier in connecting the clients to the project, it brings me back to a more realistic world in designing. The time allocated for BOOMHouse is longer than the previous two designs, this let us do more research on what actual thought for the baby boomers and what they really want for living and life. Having the whole site and knocking down everything gives us more of the designing space where I see people are having curvy or circular buildings. Towards the end of the semester, everyone including me started stressing out with not developed design and refinement. But for my own final design for BOOMHouse, I really like the idea of having the brick corridor (idea bring from BOOMReno) for the intersection of the two houses, being used as a communication and linkage between the boom couples. From the model exercise, I learnt to design in a three dimensional world with making lots of models to tell my idea of house-in-house, never thought of displaying that on my final presentation as well.

overall Overall, I really enjoy this studio. It is not only what I have said about designing small scale is more of my interest, but also improve a lot of my designing from concept. I am a lack of selfconfidence, I always cannot jump the step from building the concept to designing a real architecture. This restricted time studio pushes me to go further and not stops too much in thinking. After the mid-semester I have been worried about bring everything together while the previous two designs are not solid enough with short period of time. I noticed that we do not need to link back to the previous designs, rather, learn from them and pick the favorite area from it and develop more on the final design. There is also one thing that I have learnt from this studio, which is my rendering skills, I used to render the interior or exterior perspective to real scenario with the real cars or materiality. Even though I am still in my learning process, I love how I presented for the final presentation. Next semester it will be my thesis, hopefully I can get into a residential design studio and develop more about my research on designing, maybe or maybe not for the elderly (... oh wait the baby boomers do not like being called as elderly).

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