Tiny House Floor Plan Progress

This is the progress I have made on the floor plan of my tiny house.

I have taken the casework and appliances out of the kitchen until I can find out from my heating source manufacturer whether the masonry heater that I intend to use can be located on an exterior wall. If it can, it will be centrally located on the short horizontal wall with the kitchen directly across from it. If it cannot, I have to reconfigure the kitchen or find a different heating source.

Tiny Houses Revisted

Tiny House Development

After work shopping my initial form ideas to my group, they suggested that I continue to develop the second form (the one that was based on Legos). I considered doing that but I felt more connected to the first form, which was a derivation of the typical style and plan of the region. But I wasn’t sure where to take the design…

Our class was given the opportunity to visit the site where our tiny house might be built. The site is beautiful! It is situated on a ridge between a river and a tributary with interesting boulder formations dispersed on the wooded property. I took photos of the lot, its surroundings, and the general property. After reviewing my photos of the trees, I started thinking about how the houses could be part of the environment without being visually intrusive. I immediately thought of two precedents that I have admired in the past and could prove to be informative to my new idea about camouflaging the house.

The first precedent is an old farmhouse in France that has been converted into a luxury rental property. It is in a historic district with similar, un-renovated structures surrounding it. This precedent is interesting to me because the architect sticks to vernacular architecture while modernizing it. The converted has a modern aesthetic AND fits with the historic fabric of the area.

The second precedent is Thorncrown Chapel. This chapel uses linear structure to mimic the trees that surround it. This precedent was especially interesting to be as I questioned whether to use straight elements to represent trees or more organic, natural forms.

I decided to move forward with the idea of camouflaging the houses on the site. I used my original form, which is a variation on the vernacular central-hall, two-room plan of the mill houses that are common in the town. I chose to orient the house on the lot at an angle to expose the majority of the house to sunlight throughout the day. The new form and orientation does not indicate a definite front or back to the house. I not only considered the orientation of the house on the single lot but how, when clustered, the group of houses would help foster the social and cooperative dimensions that are so important in the co-housing model.

Based on my own observations and the feedback I received, I now have to more closely consider energy efficiency, green energy, and cost of materials. Additionally, I am still unsure if the vertical elements on the façade of my design should be linear or organic in form.

Trash Model Concepts for Tiny House

The following models are my initial ideas about tiny house designs:

The first idea looks very similar to the small homes dotted throughout countryside in North Carolina and the southeast. I would like to reinvent the basic form into a contemporary tiny house. The design separates the space into two distinct parts that allows for maximum privacy in the bedroom.

The second idea is based on stacking Legos. It takes advantage of the site by allowing or blocking sun and wind in its orientation and using louvers on the west patio for control of the amounts of sunlight and wind that enter the space.

The third idea came from my children. They suggested that my concept should be based on the Tardis from Dr. Who. This idea is based on the interior space appearing and feeling unexpectedly larger than the exterior appears. One way this can be achieved is with a substructure that offers unexpected volume to the interior.

After workshopping these ideas with a small group, I have decided to continue working on the first two ideas.

Vernacular Architecture Research

Vernacular Architecture

Vernacular architecture as a means of promoting sustainable design and building practices is a topic in which I am very interested. Historically, non-colloquial architecture communicated the wealth and power of the occupant because of the expense and difficulty importing foreign materials, methods, and craftspeople. As architecture moved to promote international design and prove that any type of structure could be built, using any type of materials in any location, regional architectural traditions and identities were considered less valuable, or in some cases, lost completely. Now as architects and designers are more aware of and concerned with resource conservation and sustainability, there is a trend toward reinvestigating colloquial methods and materials and that, somehow, these are inherently sustainable. While it is true that many of these methods are more environmentally sustainable, it is a mistake to assume that vernacular architecture is wholly sustainable.

When deciding on vernacular architecture’s level of sustainability it is as important to consider social conditions as it is building traditions. The built environment needs to respond to the things that make us human and not become limited by an architect’s or designer’s inability to consider those needs. Therefore, social sustainability is an important consideration when discussing the overall sustainability of a built environment. And social considerations can often be evident in vernacular architecture, however, in some cases, may need updating. That being said, vernacular architecture can offer solutions for sustainable building practices while preserving, or in some cases, reinventing regional identities.

Vernacular architecture is dependent on regional/local materials that are built in response to specific geographical, climatic, geological, and social conditions. By studying vernacular architecture, designers and architects can make informed design decisions about orientation, siting, and plantings that will help to create more sustainable methods of building, as well as employ methods or aesthetics that are reminiscent to the region.

References

Cromley, E. (2008). Cultural Embeddedness in Vernacular Architecture. Building Research &

            Information. 36:3, 301-304.

Ford, M., El Kadi, H., & Watson, L. (1999). The Relevance of GIS in the Elevation of Vernacular

            Architecture. Journal of Architectural Conservation. 5:3, 64-75. doi: 10.1080/13556207

            .1999.10785252

Foruzanmehr, A. & Vellinga, M. (2011). Vernacular Architecture:Questions of Comfort and

            Practability. Building Research & Information. 39:3, 274-285. doi: 10.1080/09613218

            .2011.562368

Heal, A., Paradise, C., Forster, W. (2006). The Vernacular as a Model for Sustainable Design.

            The 23^rd Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture.

Tiny Houses

Tiny House Studio Project

I am excited about the first studio assignment for this semester. The assignment is to design a 500 sq. ft. house that is easily replicable for a co-housing community in Franklinville, NC. The design must incorporate sustainable technologies and building practices to ensure that the project has a minimal lifetime footprint; from its inception to the structure’s end-life. The entire project will be a challenge, as there is a great deal of research that must occur in order to make appropriate design decisions. Perhaps most challenging, however, will be to be mindful of waste during the design process. As designers who need to design in an age of decreasing resources and increasing environmental concerns, it is imperative that we think about sustainability in the physical work that we do and not only in the structures and interiors that we create. This is an idea that I have not thought about before but, as challenging as it may be, it will be a priority for this project.

I am a firm believer that reviving or developing vernacular architecture is a major component of the green building movement and a key ingredient in sustainable design and building practices. For this project I intend to research the colloquial architecture of the past in the Piedmont of North Carolina, in which Franklinville is located. I also plan to pay special attention to the site, its orientation, climatic patterns, elevation, and its indigenous flora and fauna. I will also be interested in any gardening/planting traditions that may have been common to Franklinville and/or Randolph County that could be incorporated into the site’s design.

My goal is for my 500 sq. ft. design to easily accommodate two adults and possibly one child. Ideally, I want my design to be easily modified into a (slightly) larger space (700-1000 sq. ft.) to more easily accommodate a larger family.

I am currently in the “information-gathering” phase of my research and am a little overwhelmed by how much there is to learn. I would like to utilize a new skill that I learned last semester, developing a programming document, to sift through my research and help to inform my design decisions. I am enthusiastic and eager (if overwhelmed) to learn as much as I can. There is a lot to do!

Sound Sketch

 

 

 

sound effects + gatewood studio arts building

 

Hearing Architecture

Hearing Architecture

 

In the chapter, Hearing Architecture, the question was asked, “Can architecture be heard?” The answer is most definitely, YES. The chapter discussed arched and domed ceilings and the effect of those architectural details on the way in which we experience sound. Also discussed are materials and architectural details that provide sound absorption. The general synopsis of the chapter is that certain materials and architectural details that create poor acoustics in some instances can produce phenomenal acoustics in others. The job of a designer is to understand how materials and architectural details affect the way in which a space is experienced and design for the desired effect.

 

I think I am sensitive to sound and, for me, there is a fine line between sound and noise. I have experienced a variety of occasions in which sound played a significant role in my overall enjoyment of the space or activity.

 

For instance, many years ago I attended an International Festival in one of the permanent buildings at the fairgrounds in Raleigh. I was very excited to go because I was looking forward to sampling food from different countries. The building was long and open, individual spaces were delineated by food stalls; there were no permanent walls in the space. I am unsure of what the building was constructed, but my guess is that it was a pre-fabricated metal building. The floors were commercial tile. Because there were so many people crammed into the space there was a constant din of sound. Because there were few permanent sound absorptive materials, the din grew. The constant hum of people was tolerable for me at first, but the longer I was there, the more intolerable it became. There were not any specific loud noises, just that din. My anxiety level grew so much because of the noise that I had to leave the festival. When I exited the building I felt instant relief in the relative quiet of outside. I was disappointed to leave the festival early but the noise level in the space became intolerable to me.

 

On the other hand, I have experienced music performances that were an acoustical delight. As discussed in the chapter, some sound reverberation is critical to create an acoustic environment in which music sounds are at their richest. When I was young I went to music camp at Lake Junaluska in western North Carolina every summer. Most of the music performances that I attended there were held in an austere, casual (camp-like) auditorium. The auditorium was a huge octagonal building with concrete floors, wooden theater seats, and was surrounded by windows. The sound in that auditorium was great, although the seats were not too comfortable. The materials used in the space and the shape of the building allowed for reverberation that made human voices and instruments sound fantastic.

 

As a designer it is important for us to design for all of the senses, not just the visual. Sound in an interior plays a huge role in the comfort and enjoyment of the people in the space. Most people do not think about how architecture sounds until the sound in a space is uncomfortable/annoying or magnificently beautiful.