HOUSE-SCAPES: ECOLOGIES OF DWELLINGWSA2 SEP-DEC. 2011

CORAL GROWTH BRANCHING PATERNS

CATHERINE LEUNG

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PHASE 1: FORMFINDING CORAL AS AN ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM

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The task was to choose an ecological system and analyze it in terms of its material economy through the structural form.

Here, I chose to examine coral in terms of its growth through branching patterns. I began with exploring different coral types and structures as well as simulating its growth by aggregation.

OBSERVATION

CORAL TYPES GROWTH BY AGGREGATION

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Initially I began to choose five main phases of the coral branching growth stages. By using salt dough and candle wax, I made physical models of this coral growth. This was a way of symbolizing the random process of the growth pattern.

SYNTHESIS

STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3

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STAGE 4 STAGE 5

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PARAMETRICS

These are some digital models of the coral ecological system. Here I used parametrics to generate the branching patterns. The layered images illustrate the stages in which the coral branches.

PARAMETRIC BRANCHING GROWTH MODEL

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CORAL BRANCHING GROWTH PATTERNS (LAYERED DIGITAL MODEL)

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2

3

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FORMFINDING PRECEDENTS

After exploring the coral ecological system, I then looked at how it could be applied to architecture. Here are some precedents I looked at that used coral branching systems in their architecture.

1. RENAULT CENTRE - FOSTER2. STANSTED AIRPORT -FOSTER3. EXHIBITION CENTRE - ALSOP4. JEWISH MUSEUM - LIBESKIND

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PHASE 2: SITE ANALYSIS CARDIFF CENTRAL

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SITE ANALYSIS

Our given site was in Cardiff City Centre, adjacent to the Railway Station and within close proximity of the Millenium Stadium.

THe site analysis helped in the subsequent stages particularly when designing the housing scheme to fit within the site’s surroundings.

TO RESIDENTIAL AREA

MILLENIUM STADIUM

CARDIFF CENTRALRAILWAY

SITE

TO CITY CENTRE

MATERIALS PALETTE

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PANORAMIC VIEWSNORTH-EAST

WEST

SOUTH

SITE SECTIONSSHORT SECTION (NORTH-SOUTH)

LONG SECTION (WEST-EAST)

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PHASE 3: IMPLEMENTATION INITIAL MASTERPLANNING

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MASTERPLAN CONCEPTS

The brief was to create a schematic proposal for a housing complex on the given site. The aim was to derive a formal logic for the massing of the site according to the parameters of the ecological study.

Here are my initial masterplan concepts that have been influenced by the parametric branching growth patterns of the coral ecological system.

INITIAL SKETCH

BRANCHING PATTERNS AS A DRIVER FOR MASTERPLAN MASSING.

MASSING IN THE ‘NEGATIVE SPACES’ BETWEEN THE BRANCHES.

INNER COMMUNITIES, COURTYARDS, MICROCLIMATES, DOUGHNUT DWELLING UNITS.

SITE INFLUENCE:

BIGGER COMMUNITIES FACE DENSER CITY MASS.

SMALLER COMMUNITIES AGAINST SPARSE MASS.

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MASTERPLANMETHODOLOGY

After establishing my main masterplan concepts, I then went onto use the research from the ecological formfinding to process a masterplan.

I considered how the parameters I previously studied could generate formal structures, as well as being sensitive to site’s landscape.

Here’s the methodology I went through in designing the housing scheme.

MAPPING CORAL BRANCHING GROWTH PATTERNS (3D MODELLING)

USING CORAL BRANCHING AS A FORM OF MASSING

USING CORAL BRANCHING AS A FORM OF URBAN LANDSCAPING

USING CORAL BRANCHING AS A FORM OF NEGATIVE SPACE. LIVING AREAS ‘IN-BETWEEN’ BRANCHING PATTERNS

USING RAISING DWELLING UNITS TO CREATE MICRO-CLIMATES AND INNER COURTYARDS

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ROUGH MASTERPLAN SKETCHES

These are my very first masterplan designs. I focused on the use of negative spaces as a form of massing and the ‘doughnut’ dwelling unit shapes for micro-climates and inner communities.

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

CORAL BRANCHING PATTERNS

INITIAL MASTERPLAN MASSING MODEL

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MASTERPLANGROWTH

CONCEPTUAL IMAGE SHOWING HOW MY HOUSING SCHEME CAN EXPAND OVER TIME. THIS IDEA WAS DERRIVED FROM HOW CORAL BRANCHES TO GROW OVER TIME.

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PHASE 4: FINAL DESIGNS MASTERPLAN FINAL DESIGNS

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PUBLIC-PRIVATE ZONING

When developing my final design, I first thought about the public/private areas.

This is a model that shows how I divided up my space into different public/private zones.

DWELLINGS

COURTYARDS, PRIVATE CIRCULATION ROUTES

COMMUNITY CENTRE

RETAIL, PUBLIC PROMENADE

= PUBLIC

= SEMI-PUBLIC

= SEMI-PRIVATE

= PRIVATE

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DWELLING UNIT TYPES

After establishing the public-private zoning of the site, I then went on to look at the dwelling unit types.

There are 3 unit types:- 1 BED (50m2)- 1+ BED (60m2)- 2 BED (70m2)

This model shows how I chose to distribute these unit types over the site. In total, there are 21 dwelling units.

BIGGER COMMUNITIES FACE ONTO THE DENSER CITY MASS

SMALLER COMMUNITIES FACE ONTO THE SPARSER CITY MASS

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FINAL MASTERPLANS:GROUND FLOOR

KEY - PUBLIC SPACES

1 RETAIL UNITS A CAFE/RESTAURANT B FLORISTS C BUTCHERS D BAKERY E CANDLE STICK MAKERS F CHARITY SHOP G CRAFTS CENTRE H FARMERS’ MARKET I 24HR CORNER SHOP J LOCAL GP2 COMMUNITY CENTRE3 PUBLIC SQUARE4 STARS/SEATING/WALK-THROUGH5 PUBLIC PROMENADE

KEY - PRIVATE SPACES

6 RESIDENTS’ CAR PARK (UNDERGROUND07 DWELLING BLOCKS A 17 RESIDENTS B 14 RESIDENTS C 10 RESIDENTS D 10 RESIDENTS8 STAIR/LIFT TOWER9 PRIVATE COURTYARDS10 PRIVATE SQUARE11 PRIVATE DWELLING BLOCK STAIRS12 REFUSE AREA

RIVER TAFF

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1A

1B

1C

1D

1E1F

1G1H

1I1J

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7A

7B

7C7D

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99

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CAR PARK

MILLENIUM STADIUM

MAIN C

AR ROU

TES

BUS RANKS

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FINAL MASTERPLANS:FIRST FLOOR

KEY - PRIVATE SPACES

1 STAIR/LIFT TOWER2 UPPER CIRCULATION (‘SREETS IN THE SKY’)

MASTERPLAN MODEL

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2

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AA’

BB’

MASTERPLAN SECTIONS

These are my hand-drawn sections of my housing scheme proposal. I took one through the shortest axis and one through the longest axis of the site.

MAIN ROAD STAIR BLOCK DWELLINGS

LONG SECTION BB’

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MAIN ROAD DWELLINGS RETAIL PUBLIC SPACE

SHORT SECTION AA’

STAIRS/SEATING/WALK-THROUGH RETAIL PUBLIC SPACE

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URBANLANDSCAPING

After designing the overall massing of my housing scheme, I then thought about landscape strategies and how my initial chosen ecological theme (coral) could influence the exterior landscape.

The bulk of the urban landscape consists of the coral branching pattern, which is made up of a combination of paving and grass.

The materials used are influenced by the surrounding external site and their types encourage different activities (eg. soft grass for sitting on, hard paving for circulation routes).

INNER

COURTYARDS

BIRCH

TREES

PRIVATE

SQUARE

GRASS

PATHWAYS

ECOLOGICAL

SYSTEM

INFLUENCE

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STONE

SETTS

GREEN

WALLS

PLANTER

BENCHES

PUBLIC

SQUARE

CONCRETE

STAIRS

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MASTERPLANPERSPECTIVE

This is a perspective of my housing scheme showing the use of raised dwelling units and ‘streets in the sky’.

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MASTERPLANCONCEPT PERSPECTIVE

Concept perspective showing views from different areas of the site.

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COMPARATIVE BOARD

This comparative board is a technical illustration of my housing scheme proposal. I tried to convey and explain the main concepts of my design proposal through an exploded axonometric of my masterplan.

CORAL BRANCHING GROWTH PATTERNSBRANCHING GROWTH AS A FORM OF ARCHITECTURAL EXPANSION

CORAL BRANCHING GROWTH PATTERNS

‘IN-BETWEN’ LIVING SPACES

‘DOUGHNUT SPACES’ - MICROCLIMATES (HOUSING PRECEDENT - LAN ARCHITECTURE)

PUBLIC-PRIVATE ZONING

STREETS IN THE SKY

NEGATIVE LIVING SPACES

INNER COMMUNITY

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INNER COMMUNITYBRANCHES AS CIRCULATION

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PHASE 5: HOUSING UNIT DESIGN HOUSING UNIT FINAL DESIGNS

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UNIT CONCEPTS

When designing my housing unit, there were two main concepts I considered.

I thought mainly in terms of the public-private zoning and also how to integrate the original ecological system (coral branching growth patterns) into the design.

DIVISION OF SPACES

SPECIAL SPACES (ENCLOSED, PRIVATE)

SHARED SPACES (OPEN PLAN, PUBLIC)

CORAL BRANCHING PATTERNS

BRANCHES AS CIRCULATION ROUTES

LIVING SPCAES IN-BETWEEN

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101111

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UNIT PLAN

Chosen Unit (50m2, 1 bed, 2 people)

KEY

1 ENTRANCE AREA2 STORE3 WARDROBE4 BEDROOM5 BATHROOM6 LIVING ROOM7 KITCHEN8 DINING ROOM9 BALCONY10 COURTYARD11 SURROUNDING UNITS12 CIRCULATION ROUTE

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AA’

BB’

UNIT SECTIONS

SHORT SECTION AA’

LONG SECTION BB’

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PHASE 6: FACADE DETAILING HOUSING UNIT FACADE DETAILING

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FACADE DETAILING

After designing the housing unit, I then went on to design the facade of the housing unit.

The design incorporates traditional materials, such as concrete, which are found in the site’s surroundings, as well as modern systems, such as living walls.

EXTRUDED WALLS

TIMBER SEATING

GREEN WALLS CONTINUOUS GLASS ROOF

PLANTERS

SASH WINDOWSSHUTTERED CONCRETE

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FACADE DETAILING

PENCIL DRAWING

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AA’

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TECHNICAL SECTION

When designing the facade of my chosen housing unit, I started to think about the technical details and construction systems. This is my tecnical section AA’ taken through the chosen housing unit, down to the ground floor.

KEY

1 CONCRETE FOOTING2 REINFORCED CONCRETE COLUMN3 185MM CORE REINFORCED CONCRETE WALL (SHUTTERED)

TECHNICAL

SECTION AA’

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- 4- 5

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8---------

------- 9

-----10-------11

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13-------14 ----15

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CLOSE-UP OF

TECHNICAL SECTION

KEY

4 40MM HARD URETHANE FOAM INSULATION5 12MM PLYWOOD6 14MM SOLID OAK FLOORING7 GREEN LIVING WALL UNIT8 SOIL (PLANTER BOX)9 INSULATION10 12MM PLASTERBOARD11 TIMBER LINTEL/WINDOW SILL12 DOUBLE GLAZED WINDOW UNIT13 TIMBER STUD14 GUTTERING15 DOUBLE GLAZED ROOFING16 TIMBER ROOF PURLINS17 10MM TIMBER VENEER FIXED TO CEILING BATTENS

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UNIT MODEL- EXTERIOR

GREEN WALLS

BALUSTRADE

FRONT ELEVATION

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BACK ELEVATION

BALCONY

CONTINUOUS GLASS ROOF

AXONOMETRIC

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UNIT MODEL- INTERIOR

ENTRANCE AREA

BEDROOM

WARDROBE

STORE

AXONOMETRIC PLAN

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CIRCULATION ROUTE

DINING ROOM

KITCHEN

AXONOMETRIC

BALCONY

LIVING ROOM

BATHROOM

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HOUSING COMMUNITY MODEL

This model represents one of the ‘doughnut’ dwelling units within my masterplan.

With these ‘doughtnut’ dwelling units a sense of community is created (with the inner courtyards) and micro-climates are formed.

INNER COURTYARDS/COMMUNITIES

VEGETABLE PATCHES

REFUSE AREA

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‘DOUGHNUT’ DWELLING UNITS

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TECTONIC BOARD

When designing the housing units, I thought about different ways I could convey an interesting aspect of the design.

I started by building a poly-model in 3DS MAX and then unfolding my model with Pepakura. I then laser cut this ‘net’ and used it as a mould for plaster casting.

Here I have used a negative space model to explore the tectonics of my housing unit proposal. The facade detailing is shown in negative space. It shows the space around the building and represents the continuous flow of the material it’ll be made of (concrete).

‘NET OF MODEL’RED = CUTTINGBLUE = ETCHING

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3D DIGITAL MODEL NEGATIVE SPACE PLASTER MODEL

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PHASE 7: INTERIORS HOUSING UNIT INTERIOR DESIGN

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INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE OF

HOUSING UNIT

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PHASE 8: SCHEME IN CONTEXT HOUSING SCHEME IN SITE CONTEXT

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SUNDAY LOCAL MARKET

MILLENIUM STADIUM

MILLENIUM PLAZA

CARDIFF RAILWAY

RIVER TAFF

BUS RANKS

TO CITY CENTRE

TO RESIDENTIAL AREA

CAR PARK

ACCESS

RAILWAY CAR PARK

HOUSING SCHEME IN SITE CONTEXT: EXISTING URBAN LANDSCAPE

JUXTAPOSED AGAINST AN IDEALISED NATURAL LANDSCAPE

HOUSE-SCAPES: ECOLOGIES OF DWELLING | WSA2 SEP-DEC. 2011 | CORAL GROWTH BRANCHING PATERNSCATHERINE LEUNG.