Primary Research
Primary Research
Barbican Conservatory
High Rise Photo Research
To explore the formal qualities of a project dealing with themes such as architectural density and high rise residential living, I wanted to go to Kings Cross in London as it is currently experiencing an explosion of new development in terms of urban residential buildings. I took photos of large residential and commercial properties across the whole of Kings Cross, focusing on the facade and with the intention of making an exciting, dense collage later on Photoshop. The resulting selection of images were perfect; aesthetically diverse and showing a broad spectrum of high rise/dense architectural design.
I realised whilst walking around Kings Cross that there seemed to be a lack of green space, especially when you count vertical surface area as green space. It got me thinking, due to how tall some of these sky scrapers are, it seems that developers are missing out on a chance to fill some of this 'environmental real estate' with natural growing bushes and plants, as the architects of Parkroyal Hotel in Singapore, WOHA, have achieved.
Secondary Research
Secondary Research
17.03.20 - Bjarke Ingels group IQON building
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has proposed a new residential building in Quito, Ecuador. It is made of concrete and will be 33 storeys tall, the tallest building in the city. Formally, I am not really that inspired by the design however, I appreciate the fact that the design and the concept is symbiotically linked. For example, the twisting apartment rooms are twisted in that way so that space, light and views are maximised for each resident. Each apartment is dual aspect, which is something I think is really important for comfortable living as it provides more light for the residents and prevents a certain feeling of claustrophobia and living in a box that one can feel in a high density residential building.
The building has been called an 'urban tree farm' as each floor features a full balcony with a living roof and lots of natural life. Each terrace will apparently feature a different species of plant. This is a great idea as it gives each resident a sense of duty of care for the nature and in turn, the building, and also it gives them a sense of independence where they can discuss what plants are unique to their apartment with each other. This is a clever way of building a sense of unity and community within the building which again, helps to break the monotony and claustrophobia that can come with living in a high density residential structure.
‘we are letting la carolina park climb up and into the building by planting native trees and plants on the terraces: the closer to the park, the taller the trees,’ explains the design team. ‘a hollow wall underneath each balcony has enough space to hold the roots of each tree. the planters become a concrete sculpture inside the apartments, which is the root zone of the tree for the apartment above.’
I really like the idea of letting nature make its way up from the ground level and construct its own building structure as it grows. Also, once the trees outgrow the terraces, which will be in about five years, they will be replanted in the local park as a conservation effort. Due to the large amount of deforestation in the world, and especially in South America, where this is situated, this is a really interesting effort from the designers to try and protect certain species and reintroduce them into the local natural environment.
Sustainable Design Outside Architecture
Petit Pli
A genius invention that uses origami techniques to form clothes that grow with the user. They claim that with their patent pending technology, a child can fit into the same pair of trousers from 9 months to 4 years old. Of course, to top off this extraordinary environmental innovation, the clothes are also made out of recycled plastic bottles. This is such an inventive use of materials and techniques combined with what is a fairly simple form and idea. The fashion industry is the largest contributor to climate change as the dyes are bad for the environment and the workshops used to make new clothes consume huge amounts of electricity. Therefore, this is a critical area for new technology
Ted Talks on Sustainablilty
The Trade offs of Building Green
How to Grow Fresh Air
Architecture that Repairs Itself?
Using Nature's Genius in Architecture
Don't Build Your Home, Grow it!
Historical Research
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were the fabled gardens which adorned the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, built by its greatest king Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 605-562 BCE). One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, they are the only wonder whose existence is disputed amongst historians.
In the Ancient World, and indeed it is still true, although less obvious nowadays, gardens were a sign of the wealth and success of a city or country as they are essentially luxury items that indicated that a civilization was thriving instead of just surviving. If a place like this did actually exist, it would have been incredible to walk amongst the gardens and take a prolonged brake from the pressure of the city. There are still places like this, especially in relatively 'green' cities like London, such as Regents Park or the Hampstead heath.
Aqueducts of Rome
Arguably the best Roman invention, after the arch, aqueducts were the lifeblood of Rome, and are what made it such a successful empire. The ability to transport clean drinking water to the citizens despite being miles away from the water source was an incredibly important innovation in human history. Clean, running water represents peace, tranquility, cleanliness and wealth.
Since the invention of water tanks and pipes, however, aqueducts are reduced to expensive, long winded ways to transport water, however, I really like the idea of incorporating water into my designs as it is such a key part in making a place seem desirable for human life.
Ancient Persian Wind Towers
Wind catchers are tall, chimney-like structures that protrude from the rooftops of older houses in many of Iran’s desert cities. In their simplest form, wind catchers harness the cool breezes and redirect them downwards either into the home or into underground storage rooms to refrigerate perishable foods. Studies have shown that wind catchers can reduce indoor temperatures by around 10 degrees.
This is a really inventive example of how architecture can be adapted to the environment and would be interesting to find out if this could be applied to a modern high rise block, as air conditioning is one of the biggest factors contributing to global warming and therefore climate change.
Roman Thermal Baths
Public baths heated via geothermal energy, utilizing hot spouts of water from the ground that was even used in a rudimentary central heating system. I could easily see how this technology was phased out for greater control over the temperature of the water and the ability to turn the flow on and off through the use of electronic equipment or a boiler/pump however, these are essentially luxury items that people could bath and stay perfectly clean without. Cleanliness is a really important thing, especially when conceptualizing a high density residential community. Communal baths, like the Roman baths build a sense of community and help to form a cohesive society.
Ideas for Housing the Multitude
Tower Block
- People cycle every weekend to create energy and maintain healthy physique. Obesity is huge spend on the NHS, this would both reduce public spending and save electricity
- Old clothes/furniture get recycled for insulation?
- Origami clothes that grow with people
Dense and Green
Richard Giblet
I found Richard Giblet by searching for architects who explore urban living and I was immediately drawn to his somewhat abstract yet somehow eerily recognizable portrayals of cities in his monochromatic visualizations.
'Richard Giblett (B.1966, Hong Kong), an artist living and working in Melbourne, creates bi and three-dimensional works as explorations of urban environments. Over-development, growth and dystopia are recurring themes in his axonometric projections, which depict new found cities from a vantage point, with simple geometries as though computer rendered. The built structures in Giblett’s scenario appears as complex algorithms of growth signifying a distinct urban strategy.'
This is more of an abstract visual but I can still see Giblet's representation of a crowded city in this knotted network of painted pipes.
Reminds me of my concept art for the Thresholds project. I really like exploring the themes of overcrowded urban living and how the local environment would have to adapt to this. Would be really exciting to explore how a city concept such as this could be made carbon neutral.
Le Corbusier
I have studied and written about Le Corbusier extensively and think that his philosophy on human interaction with architecture is fascinating. He states that a building is a 'machine for living' and this is certainly true with my favorite structure of his, the block of flats called Unite D'Habitiation. Even the name suggests how Corbusier is trying to unite people in how they live and sculpt community using architecture as a tool. These flats have a nursery, gym, swimming pool, pharmacist and nursery actually constructed within the apartment block which cements a sense of society and community into the inhabitants. Unfortunately, the failure of projects like these is the funding that is given to them. I would love to investigate why this crucial funding is missing.
Unite D'Habitation
Villa Savoye is much less community minded as it is a private property for one individual, however, it is inspiring in terms of its revolutionary forms and invention of a new style of living.
In the Victorian era, there were many philanthropists such as Sir Sydney Hedley Waterlow who bought land from the city, built a park (Waterlow Park) and then gifted it back to the city to ensure that it would forever be land that anyone can use and enjoy. Nowadays, more and more I see private apartments and office blocks being squeezed into every possible crevice of the city. Most recently, a small petrol station run by a family business on Holloway Road was demolished and immediately replaced by private accommodation. As a city and as architects, we need to be building more for the greater good than for profit or simply as a matter of means without an end.
Construct Lab
When designing a high density housing solution, it is absolutely vital that there is a strong sense of community to hold the project together. With so many people in one space, community engagement is something that I really need to investigate, which is why I have researched Construct Lab and their philosophy of communal engagement.
ConstructLab is a collaborative design and construction practice founded by the carpenter-slash-architect Alexander Römer in the early 2000s. Working on both ephemeral and permanent projects, ConstructLab gathers architects, designers, builders, social scientists, curators, graphic designers, photographers, gardeners and cooks around the ideas of bringing sites to life and creating a sense of place. But beyond construction and design, what really binds those individuals is the notion of ‘togetherness’.
Photo from the Osthang Project in 2014
From this project, I took away the idea of community involvement and was more inspired by this than the actual building or aesthetics of the project. Obviously, the main driving force behind this project was its 'togetherness' concept, not the aesthetics, however, I dont believe that you should have to compromise on the formal qualities of a project as, when designing something so cutting edge and radical, it is important that people will actually want to exist in that space, which is achieved through the formal qualities of the building.
Relevant Websites and Sources