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THE CONTAGIOUS RETROFIT: GREEN REDESIGNING FOR SINGLE DWELLING

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A suburban community becoming a sustainable network of gardens.

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Page 1: Contagious Retrofit

THE CONTAGIOUS RETROFIT:

GREEN REDESIGNING FOR SINGLE DWELLING

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This thesis is submitted to the Department of Architecture,

at Hampton University in partial fulfillment toward

the degree of Master of Architecture.

By Tyshawna Antoinette Spell

ARC 601-602: 5th

Year Thesis Studios

Professors S. Robertson and Professor C. Sanchez-del-Valle, Studio Professors

Professor Shannon Chance, Thesis Advisor

Spring 2009

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me great spirits to

produce and excel in what lies before me. I also want to thank my professors in the

Hampton University Architecture Department for their full time knowledge and energy

that helped me develop as an architecture graduate student. I appreciate the love and

support from my family in New Jersey who have been the most loving and supportive

people in my life. I would also like to give thanks to my colleagues at Hampton

University for all of their support and prayers. May we all be blessed and succeed within

our own expectations.

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Table of Contents

Section I: Thesis Argument and Research Proposal .................................................................. 5

Abstract ................................................................................................................................... 6

Introduction: The Dream Needs Alterations ........................................................................... 8

Background: Architecture vs. Global Warming ..................................................................... 11

Reason I: Green Strategies can Become Consistent .............................................................. 17

Reason II: Green Hybrid Dwellings......................................................................................... 22

Reason III: Communicating Communities = Acceleration ...................................................... 27

Design Research Proposal ...................................................................................................... 32

Section II: Thesis Design Research......................................................................................... 44

Introduction: Recap of Research ........................................................................................... 45

Design Research Agenda and Approach ................................................................................ 49

Design Research Summative Essay: Green Infrastructure Provocation ................................ 74

Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 89

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Section I: Thesis Argument and Research Proposal.........

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A Contagious Retrofit

As the American Dream promotes living farther and larger,

the consumption of energy and materials increases.

Suburban single dwellings have been one of the greatest

contributors to Global Warming and if this state remains,

the dream will become a nightmare. One must realize that

our finite resources must be used wisely.

Global Warming has caused us to rethink the way we live. Many suggestions have been

given on how Architecture can assist in reducing energy and waste consumption. We

must consider multiple ways of sustaining finite resources and applying this insight to

what we know best, architecture.

I argue that when green systems are applied to a single dwelling a contagious

reaction will begin: a hybrid style emerges, the site conditions change, and the study of

this new site will be a beneficial catalyst for the neighboring homes that follow suit. This

is a contagious retrofit. I propose rethinking the design of these homes by initiating

architectural green systems, utilizing green spaces, and integrating shared built spaces

that bring more interaction between neighbors.

To investigate this argument I searched for provocations of yielding in

sustainable green systems by studying linear formations of the vegetative gardens,

developing studies of green walls, while considering irrigation and water harvesting

techniques that can work together as one system. This was studied using a suburban

site in Newport News, VA.

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“Contagious Retrofit” must be considered because green vegetative

infrastructure penetrating the current landscape and climbing the walls of the home will

reduce global warming in multiple ways as each home begin this retrofit. Relationships

will develop with a respect to ones passion for living a green lifestyle. American housing

will gain a new responsive architectural style that will develop and contribute to

reducing current emissions. Each retrofit will begin to take its own form that will extend

new insight into how we reside in the twenty first century.

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Introduction: The Dream Needs Alterations

“Each group reveals harmony, and every house gains something from its

neighbor as well as the broad picture formed by natural surroundings.” 1

As Americans, we value living a lifestyle that represents success. Success in the

United States of America is deeply rooted in what we call the American Dream. The

American dream is to become educated, get a fantastic job, buy your dream home, and

to have two kids and a dog. Well, for what I could remember, that is the image that this

country’s advertisements and television consistently featured during my childhood and

even today. “Freeways, shopping malls, commuters, lawns, detached homes, soccer

games, mortgage payments and home fix-it jobs define the texture of life for many of

us, as we go through our daily routines shaped by the suburban framework of life.”2 Yes,

this is a situation for many, but not for all.

When this dream was advertised in the 1870’s, those who moved to the new

suburbs were assured of an escape from the problems of poor health, social unrest, and

vice associated with urban life.3 The suburbs were a getaway, a place that defined who

you were, and how you deserved to live. Today the suburbs have sprawled and

consumed a great amount of energy, while producing plenty of waste. The suburbs have

also has a consistency when it comes to style. Journalist Charles McGrath observes:

“...suburbs have become the aluminum-sided theme parks -celebrations of

sameness- and nowhere else on earth can you find architecture of such awfulness and

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pretension”4 However, as he stayed he grew an appreciation. It is quite interesting how

we adapt to what is new for the sake of doing what is best.

It is now 2008 and we are in a recession, people are losing their homes, and we

have finite resources. The dangers of global warming are not only a discussion between

environmentalists, but it is now being considered in every field of study. What was a

dream is now the problem.

Suburbia must now adapt. Our wants, dreams, habits, and intentions for a great

life are leading us to a disastrous future for generations to come. As an architecture

student who is coming into a career of integrity, with a concern for the user’s health,

safety, and welfare I asked: “How can an architect design for sustainable living?”

I agreed with Our Ecological Footprint that humans’ wasteful habits are affecting

the emission rate on earth.5 As we live in larger homes, we need more materials, waste

space, and use HVAC systems for spaces that are not being used. I recognize that LEED,

(Leadership in Environmental Design), test new commercial buildings for sustainable

design. The materials and techniques used have not been explored in many older

American suburban housing neighborhoods.

Homeowners must keep up with updates on their home, and at many times fall

short of what is needed today under the circumstances of global warming. It is time to

educate ourselves and each other on how far an older home can go when it comes to

maximizing energy conservation. For that very reason, I suggest that energy

conservation can be maximized by designing dwelling so that retrofitting one will

benefit neighbors if they follow suit. This is a contagious retrofit.

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Suburban homes are the first place to start because they offer space and

opportunity to explore sustainable design techniques, while offering an opportunity for

neighbors to work together on living and building green. Home is where we began our

journey of life. Home is where we can establish a place as being ours.

In this argument, I will explore the strategies that are being used to reduce

energy and material consumption in building, while considering ways it can be applied

to an older residential single dwelling. I will also be exploring how the style of the home

in its neighborhood will be affected. One other thing that will be considered is how

effective relationships with neighbors can be, when making physical changes to ones

neighborhood. This will be the root of what can make this retrofit so contagious.

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Background: Architecture vs. Global Warming

“They use forty percent of the worlds energy, emit fifty percent of its

greenhouse gases, they are not the cars we drive, they are the buildings where we work

live and grow.”6 Architecture has made its contribution to global warming; now we must

consider a better way to design.

Global warming is defined as the observed gradual increase in average global

temperatures attributed to greenhouse gases that started in about 1850, coincided with

the Industrial Revolution.7 Since the Industrial Revolution architecture has played its

part in increasing hazardous emissions in our environment very quickly. As architects,

we have designed tall buildings using materials from other countries, and we have

introduced heating and cooling systems in buildings that control the environment’s

conditions.

To further understand the possibility of what I am studying, I have defined some

key terms. These key terms are energy conservation, sustainable design technologies,

green lifestyle, and my own contagious retrofit.

Energy conservation simply means reducing the amount of energy that is being

used in all contexts.8 This thesis will focus on the energy used in one’s home and within

the neighborhood as a whole. Conserving energy is a way of reducing the emissions rate

that creates global warming. Sustainable design techniques are creative physical

solutions that can be applied to architecture.9 The goal of the solution is to create a

comfortable space that does not fully depend on systems that uses excessive energy.

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I define green lifestyle as living life without consuming unnecessarily. One must

always keep in mind what is necessary to live and what is not. This is a lifestyle that does

not keep up with trends, but recognize the value in the things one have already and find

ways to reuse it at its highest potential. This is what is intended for the retrofit of each

home. Instead of building new, let us preserve what we have and make it better. A

contagious retrofit is when a retrofit of a dwelling maximizes energy conservation

through architectural design, so that its neighboring homes will benefit if they follow

suit. This definition gives my goal, by what means it will be accomplished, and its effect.

Each of those key terms contributes to the reason I am exploring the possibility of a

contagious retrofit. So what have we done so far?

Buildings are now being designed under LEED, Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design, Certification. The purpose of LEED Green Building Rating System

is to encourage and accelerate global adoption of sustainable green building and

development practices through the creation and implementation of universally

understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.10 These tools have not applied

to a single dwelling home.The LEED Green Building Rating System is used to guide the

professional about designing sustainable buildings, and to teach owners and users of

buildings about the value of green design.11

What are sustainable buildings? Sustainable

buildings are defined as buildings that have been deliberately designed to have a

minimal impact on the environment.12

What is green design? Green design is the design

techniques used to create a built atmosphere that does not emit green house gases, as

well as using a limited amount of the earth’s energy.13

Although this has been very

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effective in the latest building construction, we must not forget the one thing America

thrives from financially, that is the single dwelling suburban home.

This is a time where extreme effects are calling to immediate and long term

suggestions. A newer suggestion given in Architectural Record is “Glassy Reclads”. This

involves removing the original façade and to reclad an old building with a glass curtain

Glassy Reclads are used on old skyscrapers to boost their energy efficiency.14

Old

skyscrapers are so old that they tend to use more energy as time progress. Gensler

notes that many office buildings entering their fourth decade leak fresh air, or generate

so much heat that they require extra air conditioning. So a host of structures with

similar weaknesses need new skins—and fast. 15

This new skin covers the old creating a

new visual façade for each building.16

This idea of changing the exterior was an idea that

was started by Gensler who has completed four, and currently has another seventeen

energy efficient design projects. Some argue that because the new cladding is so simple,

it may strip the building of its distinctive architectural qualities.17

I argue that until a

better solution comes, we must continue to move forward with anything that will

reduce emissions, and that a new distinctive quality will come through this era of

change.

The future of architecture is what we have started now. The future of

architecture is going towards building ‘green’. All architects will have to be LEED

certified, and new habits will have to develop in order to push this need into reality. The

development of a green building is an architectural reaction to the crisis, not just in

America, but in the world. This issue of “green” architecture will be the global stimulus

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to the current Global Warming problem. In the article “Inconvenient truths: Get Ready

to Rethink what it Means to be Green” Allex Stephen argues that the planet is heating

up and will be at the point of no return in a few decades, therefore making it our focus

will threaten our progress on any other issues18

This green architecture will affect our

design with integrity to the global issue at hand. Then we must address the local issue of

building community, and interaction of people with building by understanding their

culture and habits. In the book Building Green, Clarke Snell and Tim Callahan it states:

Once we remember that a house’s job is to be a conduit and filter between an

exact environment and an exact group of people, our course is clear: each act of

building is to grow out of the site it inhabits; it needs to work with the

environment and climate that surround it; and it needs to fit its inhabitants like a

glove and a house are augmentations of a human body. 19

That statement so eloquently puts what I truly believe the future of architecture must

be. We must create places that react with our environment not act as separate entities.

Our environment is not a backdrop; we are weaved within one another. So becoming a

conduit and filter is creating an easy passageway that can benefit the built environment

as well as the natural environment. This way we can live off each other, rather than

acting as separate pieces that do not have a need for each other, because it is obvious

that we do.

From the statistics presented by Steven Alex, one cannot believe that the

lifestyle that we have been living will be able to continue. Things will have to change

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radically to start the battle.20

The key word is "start". The options that were given by

Steven Alex were life changing for many and yet we are still not guaranteed changes

that will be seen in our own lifetime. This reminds me of a person going on a diet after

having eaten all their life what they wanted, then when all the weight is gained and

health is in trouble, the diet starts. But before one can see results one becomes

discouraged, and goes back to old habits. This is not speaking for everyone, but it is

something that happens psychologically with many. In a scenario such as sustainability,

dieting, and others; we must work in groups. We will need diligence and dedication for

the rest of our lives, as well as the lives of our children. Education and updated

information needs to be extending to the masses and become as familiar as the Star

Spangled Banner. This can only be done when there are facts that prove the issues of

global warming and the solutions began to become consistent.

Griffin Burgh and John Wilson argue that false information has been given about

the issue of global warming. In this text it was stated that "The widespread disregard for

the factual truth has resulted in the promotion of several popular but questionable

assumptions regarding our energy options for the twenty first century."21

Doing

research to find ways to fight against global warming can be very difficult because of the

different views involved. Many disagree with its causes. I suggest that we find ways to

counteract what has happened since the Industrial Revolution, to make sure it does not

get worse. Although there is no agreement on the main causes, and exactly what will

come of global warming, the steps towards better living conditions seem to be

consistent. Burgh and Wilson state:

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Increasing utilization of environmentally friendly alternatives such as wind, solar,

nuclear energy, or the conversion of coal into clean fuel, and employing clean

processing technologies represent a step in the right direction, but the scale of

the substitution challenge is so large that a return to energy independence

seems impossible for the next century.22

Although the numbers are staggering, and it seems to be an endless problem, we must

be proactive in every aspect that we can. The cities have been a great solution to the

problem, and we are proactively working to get them at that their best. I have decided

to analyze a suburban home, which has a high energy use with its aggressive heating

and cooling systems, and evaluate the problem and give potential solutions and ways of

implementation.

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Reason 1: Green Strategies can Become Consistent

When retrofitting a suburban home one may get advice such as: change your

light bulbs, get some solar panels, and invest in energy star appliances. These are

definitely good ways to start, but it is not the way to maximize energy conservation. We

can take it much further. As architects and engineers have explored sustainable design

techniques that are being practiced in new built environments, one must also consider

single dwellings that will need upgrades every ten to fifteen years anyhow. I can imagine

the gossip and inquiry in the neighborhood when the building envelope and landscape

begins to transform. When one house is done it will give opportunity for others to learn

and began to invest.

The strategies that have caught my attention are double envelopes, green

infrastructure for storm water, and front lawn mini farms. Each technique represents a

different part of what can make a home work at its best. Double envelopes affect the

exterior of the home, the storm water system affects the infrastructure and mini-farms

affect the residential landscape.

The ‘double envelope’ is a system that has been practiced on commercial

buildings starting with the Hooker's office building designed by HOK and Canon

Associates. 23

This double skin wall of the Hookers office Building was constructed in

1983.24

The outer wall was double glazed and the inner wall was single glazed; they

were separated by five feet.25

The blue green iron oxide glass on the exterior maximizes

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light penetration and limits solar gain.26

Another example of the double skin wall is

Genzyme Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts designed by Behnisch and Partner, which

was rated platinum by LEED Building Rating System.27

This building glazing worked

opposite of Hookers office building. The outer wall has single glazing while the inner wall

had double glazing. The double glazing on the inner wall provides an optimum thermal

barrier, while the single glazing on the outer wall provides a buffer space.28

From the

Hooker building that was designed in 1983 to the Genzyme Center in 2003, there has

not been consistency in this technique. Very little buildings have been designed using

the double envelope although it has proved to be a great insulator. So how does this

apply to a home?

Let us go back to 1977 when the double envelope house was designed by Lee

Porter Butler and Tom Smith. These architects used a two shell concept that was initially

theoretical.29

This concept was one that created a circulation pattern that began in the

green room, and went up towards the clerestory windows back around to the north wall

and back down to the crawl space. Eighty percent of its thermal needs were generated

by the sun.30

Twelve inches of airspace separated the roof from the ceiling, the north

wall from a separate interior wall and the floor from the earth fill beneath.31

On this

house the outer wall was the load bearing wall, unlike many of the curtain wall

structures we design today. This double envelope created an R-value of 30. This R value

is very high considering some of our strongest insulation materials only guarantee us an

R-value of 18. The R value is the measure of the thermal transfer’s resistance.32

Why is

this double envelope important? This is a feature that can insulate older homes, while

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creating a green room which gives plenty of options. Using glass cladding will change the

face of a home and may even change the way we live within the space. This may be

refreshing to some and may be uncomfortable to others, but its design must be tested

in this contagious retrofit.

Now that we have discussed the building envelope let us discuss the front

landscape. Many have started gardens in a corner of their yard, or an area of their

backyard, but Kip Nash from Boulder Colorado has taken it further and has started an

agricultural business. Since 2006 Kip Nash has uprooted his front and backyard and has

done the same to the lots of eight neighbors.33

Some neighbors are uncomfortable with

what the front lawns are turning into, and the disturbing smell of the manure. Kip starts

his day by driving the school bus at 5 a.m., completes his shift, spends the day planting

and watering his yard farms, and then stores the seedlings in the greenhouse behind his

house. 34

This greenhouse that is used by Kip Nash can be the same green house that is

created by using as a double envelope of a home, therefore having this mini-farm will

give great use to the idea of the double envelope acting as the greenhouse for the idea

of the contagious retrofit. So what is this mini-farm about? Having a mini-farm not only

helps to create our own fresh produce, but it is an opportunity to sell to local

consumers, while saving energy from traveling from a farm that is at farther away.

Roxanne Christensen has been contributing ways to make this happen to anyone

anywhere, she calls it ‘spin farming’. Spin stands for small plot intensive.35

Spin makes it

simple for someone to start a farm on a small piece of land. It offers the opportunity to

rent land. Roxanne’s Partner in Spin Farming, Wally Satzewich, operates Wally’s Urban

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Market garden which is a multi-location sub acre urban farm. It is dispersed over 25

residential backyard plots in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.36

While resources are finite, land

surrounding single dwelling residential can be put spin farming to use. The

Environmental Protection Agency estimates that nearly a third of all residential water

uses go to landscaping; why not use it to grow food instead?37

Considering Spin Farming

in a residential neighborhood would definitely change the streetscape, and get people

involved in creating resources for their neighborhood services.

On the issue of water, storm water techniques have been highly considered

when it comes to infrastructure of sustainable design. Green Infrastructure has been

adopted by many areas and has been helpful with controlling storm water. This

technique requires neighborhood involvement for it to work successfully. Green

infrastructure is defined by Steve Wise as the interconnected network of open spaces

and natural areas --greenways, wetlands, parks, forest preserves, and native plant

reserves, and native plant vegetation—that naturally manages storm water, reduces the

risk of floods, captures pollution, and improves water quality.38

How is this related to

the single dwelling? Certainly this network can be extended by green roofs and tree

planting. A green network can also connect homes and the use of its green roofs.

Communities around the US are expanding their green infrastructure practices to

embrace entire neighborhoods and cities. Washington D.C. and Portland Oregon are

investing funding to green roofs.39

A green roof is a roof covered with vegetation. Green

roofs can be used to provide rainwater detention or retention, to increase the thermal

resistance and capacitance of a building roof. Green roofs also reduce the urban heat

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island effect and to provide green space for animals and people on what would

otherwise be a hard surfaced area.40

There are two types of green roofs: extensive and

intensive. Extensive green roofs are shallow and limit the type of planting that is used.41

Extensive green roofs work on slopes up to thirty five degrees, although slopes above

twenty degrees require a baffle system to prevent soil slump.42

Intensive green roofs

has deeper a deeper soil base and can hold all kinds of planting.43

The intensive green

roof is not one that will be considered for a retrofit for a single dwelling because it

requires the strength of a larger commercial building. The extensive green roof will work

well to accept the storm water, as well as increasing thermal resistance. The green roof

will also give opportunity to create what was once the front lawn before the mini-farm,

on top of the home.

The research indicates the three green systems that were described can be

beneficial when retrofitting a single dwelling, but it will change the face of the

neighborhood while providing opportunities to reconnect to the natural environment.

New habits will form through the use of these systems such as farming, roof lounging,

and looking at views of the neighborhood through the glazed double wall green house

solarium.

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Reason 2: Green Hybrid Dwellings

What do I mean by green hybrid dwelling? We know green represents ways in

which we practice sustainability. Webster’s dictionary defines hybrid as consisting of

diverse components. Dwelling is the place in which we reside, home. So a green hybrid

dwelling represents a home that integrates green systems and materials with existing

building construction and materials to create an architectural design that represents this

contagious retrofit. This home wants to benefit from the features of a new sustainable

house design, but will not be built from scratch. Such a transformation can bring interest

and controversy to those who seek traditional housing design. One must first compare

what has been consistent in the traditional design of the American dream house, to

then consider the design of newer sustainable homes. After those comparisons we

must consider the current retrofits, and determine whether the integration was a

successful one. Understanding each will begin to give clues as to how far this green

hybrid dwelling can go.

The American Dream House established itself with the Bungalows of 1920’s, to

the Cape Cod Cottages in the 1940’s, to the Ranch House in the 1950’s, to the Split level

house in the 1960’s.44

Each of these homes made changes to its space from the inside,

but materials and common shapes had not change that much. The hip roof is

incorporated in each style. All of the houses required a fireplace. All had shingled roofs.

One thing that started with the Bungalow that did not continue is the porch. I contend

that when the porch was lost communication between neighbors took more effort.

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The Bungalow was an inexpensive one and a half story cottage with pleasant

front porch and an easy open plan, the bungalow was a very livable house and

surprisingly commodious for its size.45

Cape Cod Cottages, introduced by Beaux Arts

architects for individual clients became the first assembly line house of the mass

subdivision, its parts clicking together in programmed sequence, like parts of an

automobile.46

This was a house that was easily mass produced; this house still

represents suburbia today. The Ranch House came just in time for the returning

veterans of World War II. The Ranch house was sold for as little as 8,000 to 10,000 with

no down payment.47

After the Depression, in the prosperous Eisenhower years, the split

level house was born.48

These homes are shaping the suburban neighborhoods and has

expanded into larger square footage today, but what will happen when brick, shingles,

and hip roofs begin to transform into glass facades, flat green roofs, and useful

farmland?

New sustainable homes get a fresh start to be designed using sustainable

techniques, although I argue that sustainability is truly accomplished through reusing

what we already have. These sustainable homes initially incorporate green design which

begins to look different than the American home that many of us reside in today. A new

sustainable home was built in Boston, Massachusetts, designed by Maryann Thompson.

This house was organized on the site to take advantage of the daily paths of the sun.49

Their advantage of the daily paths of the sun is something that will be considered when

retrofitting the traditional home. Although the house cannot move, the way the facades

are used to absorb the sun’s energy will be beneficial. All rooms of this house receive

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light on two sides and the combined living room, dining room, and kitchen area receive

light on four sides with the use of clerestory, enabling the sun to always be an ever

changing presence in the main body of the house.50

Natural lighting helps to conserve

energy and using clerestory windows will benefit traditional homes. Natural light coming

through spaces that were previously lit by electricity will give its user a different, yet

natural experience.

The sustainable features on this home include a more insular north façade, while

the south façade opens the house to the site and the sun.51

This can be accomplished in

the retrofit by making sure the north façade is insulated well and making use of open

glass facades on the south side. All rooms use cross ventilation.52

For cross ventilation to

work successfully in the traditional home, the floor plan must open up. This will create

opportunity to use rooms in creative ways. Ultimately there are a few things that can be

used in a retrofit that currently benefit new sustainable homes, although it may be a

costly upgrade.

One example of a retrofit was done in Mottingham, South East London, by ECD

Architects. According to PassiveHaus-standards, it was recognized that the average

household can save up to 25 per cent of its annual carbon emissions through energy

efficiency, and retrofitting is one way to achieve this.53

ECD put their goal extensively

higher with the goal of achieving at let three times the conservation. "This Hyde Housing

Association property is a nondescript brick terraced house built in the 1930s, with a flat-

roofed rear extension added in the 1980s.”54

The project adheres to PassivHaus-

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standard U-values of 0.15W/m[sup2]K for external walls and 0.1W/m[sup2]K for the

roof, and has an air tightness value of 3.55

The term 'PassivHaus' refers to a specific

construction standard for residential buildings in UK which have excellent comfort

conditions in both winter and summer.56

These principles can be applied not only to the

residential sector as the name suggests, but also to commercial, industrial and public

buildings.57

This retrofit included solar thermal panels, breathable multi-foil insulation,

photovoltaic paneling, LED lighting, rainwater harvesting, and passive-haus standard

windows. This house was started in October of this year and will be a two year project.

This architecture firm does refurbishing projects, and is a strong initiator in green

design. This retrofit gives us insight on what this architect is considering to achieve 80%

conservation. These are options that can be helpful in the contagious retrofit that I

propose, but I am interested in the systems that will affect the architecture the most.

Another example of a retrofit done in Louisville, Colorado; was improved in

2006. Its retrofit included; energy audit (an assessment of how much energy your home

consumes combined with suggestions on how you can make your home more energy-

efficient), 4.7 kW grid-tied PV system, flat-plate solar collector for domestic water

heating with tankless high-efficiency electric boiler for backup, a ground source heat

pump, evaporative cooler, CFLs (A modern light bulb with integral ballast using a

fraction of the electricity used by a regular incandescent light bulb),programmable

thermostats, separable upstairs/downstairs zoned heating, Energy Star appliances, use

of clotheslines for drying, and ceiling fan in the living room58

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All of the items listed besides the clothes line are technological ways in which a

home can benefit, which can be highly supportive, but this does not change how the

older exterior affects our emissions rates. The architecture must undergo the make-over

also. This home was fairly new, built in 1990; its retrofit took place in 2006.59

This house

involved multiple contractors but no architect. The integration of new design techniques

did not happen in this retrofit.

It is important to consider what can happen with this green hybrid design because it

gives the home an opportunity to use systems that does not involve intense technology

to operate at its best. Technology is very helpful, but it has its problems also. The green

systems I propose takes a dwelling further, so that it engage in a relationship with its

natural environment and create a working relationship with earth itself.

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Reason 3: Communicating Communities = Acceleration

We have heard sayings like, “two heads are better than one”. Working in

numbers gets the job done. This was proved in communities who came together to

proactively create their green community. What is interesting is that two examples of

these communities were in Colorado. Through research of energy efficiency I have

noticed that Boulder County in Colorado has been very effective in greening their city.

Techniques have been used to create a place that is quite different from what these

neighbors were use to. These communities are Harmony Village and Smart Grid City,

which are both places in Colorado, and North Street Cohousing in Daly, California.

Harmony Village used a technique where the people who were interested in

making a new community that was green, would come together in meetings that

incorporated creative ways to make design decisions. Their participation method

involved understanding ways that their lifestyle can change to become one that can be

sustainable. Harmony Village was a dream of Architect Matt Worswick and his wife

Linda, in the early 1990’s.60

Matt Worswick also designed other sustainable

communities. His firm is called Synergy Design and he focuses on the design of energy

efficient and environmentally responsible residences, including cohousing communities,

custom homes, remodels and additions.61

Matt defines synergy as the exciting

chemistry that can happen between the homeowner and the designer, which enhances

the effectiveness of both parties.62

Synergy goes back to the two heads are better than

one theory. This technique that Warswick uses has been very effective in creating a

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knowledgeable relationship of what is needed to be sustainable and how participation

can assist in it getting done cost effectively.

The Harmony Village had much frustration when trying to find land, but then

they found what they would call a gift from the cohousing Gods. They found land that

was only eight blocks from downtown.63

It was now time to build. Step by step they

created design criteria for homes and landscapes to guide their thinking as they co-

created the features of their community.64

Harmony Village team agreed that the style

of architecture they wanted was south-western.65

This was not a choice of sustainability,

but just an agreed aesthetic.

What was specifically interesting and valuable about Harmony Village is how

they would come together to build for their community while saving thousands. So

much was learned while working, getting to know each other, and respecting the place

they live because they had physically put in work. Their first project was called the tiling

cooperative, where they tiled each other floors together one house at a time.66

The

tiling initiative started a new community custom where they would take off their shoes

when entering each other’s home.67

Another cooperative project was thinning a

mountain forest owned by the project superintendent in order to harvest logs for the

rustic front porches, this project saved 6,000. 68

They did landscaping themselves and

saved 6,000 and bricked their center walking area over a summer. This project was

complete in May 1997 and immediately received the National Building Innovation

Award presented by the assistant secretary for housing.69

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Smart Grid City, Boulder Colorado, had a different technique. Since the smart

grid program started they were able to produce 590.7 fewer pounds of carbon.70

Smart

Grid is using sustainable technology that will exist as a network that everyone will

benefit from. "We like to think of Smart Grid as bringing the world of Thomas Edison

together with the world of Bill Gates," said Ray Gogel of Xcel Energy, a utility company

involved in the system's installation.71

Soon, 50,000 homes in Boulder will soon be

decked out with the latest in environmentally-friendly, energy-saving technology --

including solar panels, electric cars and, for some, a specialized heating, cooling and

lighting system -- all of which will be integrated into a monitoring system that reports

the home's carbon footprint to the homeowner.72

Smart grid will be very effective and

be able to give an idea of how much energy is being used. This type of technological

advance can fulfill awareness to consumption.

University of Colorado Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson and his wife, Val, were the

first to let Xcel transform their home. Xcel energy put solar panels on the house, gave

them a new smart meter and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that literally plugs in to

their house.73

His wife Val states "I pretty much get on my computer, tell my house and

my car what to do and then I walk away," she said. "My solar panels are talking to my

house, are talking to my car, and are talking to my house. It's a beautiful system." This

system is very intelligent and has created a way to tell people how to conserve energy.

This system excludes architecture. Is this system proving that architecture does not have

to change to become more efficient? I disagree, newer homes are able to react to

technology without as much concern for changes of their wall systems, but older homes

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built thirty years or more are using old systems with high emissions, and that must be

eliminated.

North Street Co-Housing was not just technologically driven, it was community

driven. North Street had a goal of developing a common house and other facilities that

meet the priorities and needs of the evolving community.74

Cohousing can be defined as

a living arrangement that combines private living quarters with common dining and

activity areas in a community whose residents share in tasks such as childcare.75

As of June 2007, we have grown to 19 houses by a process of adding one house

at a time as they become available. We have taken down the fences between 17

houses and integrated the backyard landscaping. We also added two houses

from across the street. The ownership structure is very diverse - some houses

are owned by community residents, some by absentee landlords, and others as

partnerships of (former) tenants in the community.76

What I find interesting about this community is its use of in-between spaces. N.

Street cohousing addresses the issues of increase population and continues to add

homes in spaces available. All of the suburban fences are gone. Since the first two

houses were joined in 1986, the community has grown to 50 adults and 14 kids.77

This

community promotes sharing space and doing everything together.

All three of these communities prove how sustainability is a group effort and a

whole community can maximize its energy efficiency. The green technique that was

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most effective that can work in a contagious retrofit is the technique used for

cohousing. Making shared spaces will bring the community together while sharing

greener ways to live. This will then create an atmosphere that supports my argument

which states:

“Energy conservation can be maximized by designing dwelling so that retrofitting

one will benefit neighbors if they follow suit. This is a contagious retrofit.”

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Design Research Proposal

What I have claimed does not give detail to what type of retrofit is taking place.

Now that the perimeters have been established; there is an understanding of what the

retrofit consists of. This is a retrofit that has specific components that will contribute to

creating a comfortable home that lives off nature, while feeding nature as well.

Through the research of the green systems, understanding how new design will

affect the old design, and neighborhood participation; there is now a strong base of how

this retrofit will indeed began and then be unstoppable. I argued that energy

conservation can be maximized by designing dwelling so that retrofitting one will

benefit its neighbor if they follow suit. It is now understood that three main components

established through reasoning has built a recipe for making these dwellings efficient,

therefore maximizing energy. The application of the three components; green systems

(double envelope, farming, green roof, green wall, and water catchment system), hybrid

design solutions, and communal activity, will be what can be applied to make an

architecturally green retrofit of a dwelling. I stress that because the facades and

structure integrated with nature will form the future of architecture for not only new,

but applied to the old. This retrofit is not just an application of technology, or exterior

buffers, but it is a chance to renew the relationship between ground, structure, and the

building envelope.

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I now claim that when green systems are applied to a single dwelling a

contagious reaction will begin: a hybrid style emerges, the site conditions change, and

the study of this new site will be a beneficial catalyst for the neighboring homes that

follow suit. This is a contagious retrofit that maximizes energy conservation. I have come

to this conclusion by understanding the connection of how each piece opens the

opportunity for the next to be beneficial and supportive. Each evidentiary component

researched provides a link that benefits the next. Let’s began with the mini-farm, the

mini-farm provides an opportunity for neighbors to come together and learn a new way

to use the land that they own. It provides an income, food, and land that are able to

absorb and recycle water. Hence, neither land nor water gets wasted. The connector to

the mini-farm is the double envelope; this space provides a green house for planting and

holding vegetables grown in the yard, while creating a buffer space that holds heat and

provides a house with a comfy atmosphere in the winter. In the summer this same

envelope will use its openings and shades to offer vertical circulation. With the use of a

green room to store crops it opens up the house to views. These views are what will

make neighbors aware of each other; it makes another layer that extends itself to a less

private atmosphere before being outside.

The connection to the double envelope is the opportunity to create other ways

to keep the house warm while enhancing water retention and detention by using green

roofs and green walls. The green roof, wall, and mini-farm need water so the water

catchment system will circulate the water while tying in all the benefits of these systems

working together. These systems may support each other, but they are not enough.

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To be contagious and effective, the present style of the home must be

recognized and must easily show a smooth integration while having an architectural

aesthetic appeal. One will not want their home to follow suit, if their home is going to

look worst than what it had been initially. The home must generate an inspired sense of

built materials knitted with nature. How will I know when that is accomplished? That

can only be accomplished by understanding how materials can work together, designing

and sketching different options will began to show whether they can become cohesive. I

believe that this is accomplished when nature is no longer a backdrop but a ‘house

hugger’, becoming one whole and using each other to survive.

The portions of my claim that will be studied through design are green systems

applied to a dwelling, emerging hybrid design, and site condition changes used as a

catalyst. These three areas will be studied as each additional green system is applied.

Once each one is explored, it will be studied by design when all green systems are

working together. It is understood that the structure may be affected, so studies of the

process of what will stay, what will go, and what will be added to the home, will be

beneficial to exploring this transformation.

The claim is a full design research claim that can only be tested by application

and reacting to each step. Each component will give clues on how the next will work if

identified properly during the design. I will be using multiple forms of media as a guide

in exploring what is truly happening on this site and in what ways they can support each

other. This design proposal is one that begins with ground, moves to rooftop, and then

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extends out to neighbors. Its contagious outbreak must be studied the same way I

intend for it to take place.

Through this research by design, I imagine nature having its own way with

dwelling while communities take interest in a green lifestyle. Once these principles are

adopted I expect it to continue all over the globe. It is an architectural solution to the

problem of global warming. It is also a chance to enhance what we have before it is too

late. Each single dwelling has a different style that varies from community to

community, but it gives architects an opportunity to adapt every style of home, and

prove their personal design competence. Architects will no longer have a fear of

becoming obsolete and have a chance to offer something that contributes to a bigger

picture.

Objects to be Studied

I will be studying a small street of single dwelling in Newport News VA. These

dwellings are fairly new being built in the 90’s. All of them consume great amounts of

energy and waste tons of water through there upkeep and household needs. One of

these dwellings is owned by my classmate Bruce Firestone. I will document analysis of

what is currently taking place at his home, and how it relates to the site. I will also be

doing a study of the homes that are neighboring. In this study there will be more site

analysis to assist me in the design research as well as material investigation. All of the

original site studies will take place during winter break 2008.

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During the semester after all initial investigation is done, I will study the mini-

farm and understanding how it can work on Bruce’s yard. I will investigate ways this has

been done to enhance the relationship between street curb, lawn, and house. Through

the investigation I will create a mini-farm prototype that will represent Bruce’s new

yard. It is important that this study prove its benefits not only financially and

ecologically, but also aesthetically. I will also study the double envelope and consider

where it is most applicable to Bruce’s home. The double envelope will be studied by

understanding ways a glass façade can be incorporated with the initial house design.

Green roofs will be studied next. The roof that is on this home must be

understood structurally. The structure will began to give hints to what can change and

what will not change. The location of the green roof is preferably one that can be

accessed by users of the home. That will be a goal that drives the green roof’s location. I

consider that to be important because the users will no longer lounge in their front

yards due to the produce growing in the front and back, so the green roof gives

opportunity to have that same feeling, but literally on a much higher level.

The next study will be green wall. The green wall will be a great contributor to

insulation and must fall along the north side of the home. This will create a strong

barrier for the northerly wind, while not getting too much sun exposure, yet enough

light to grow. This study will determine how much green wall is too much. The hybrid

design must be kept in mind to make that decision. From there I will study how the

water catchment system will work to connect each green system and house uses. These

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green systems studies constantly incorporate how it will affect the new hybrid style of

the home.

As each piece is designed and applied I must consider the step that came before

hand, making sure that the design of the next system is applicable right along with the

system that was previously applied. They will not necessarily be studied all at once,

rather each piece will be added and must adapt to the last piece, unless the last design

solution cannot work with the next green system because of its location or structure.

Next I will study the site changes; I will be looking for clearer wind patterns, new

views, green infrastructure line up, and any other parts that may not be as obvious but

beneficial. These sight studies will be used to began this process again on the next

home.

Approach

Week 1

Using sketch vignettes of this neighborhood, street elevations, and physical

models generated during the Christmas break, I will began the semester by studying the

idea of the mini-farm. For ideas to generate by using specific information I will be

drawing some landscape sketches. These sketches will explore the idea of what can

happen in the yard with these fruits and vegetables. Being sensitive to the space needed

and its linear form used so one may walk through to pick the produce, I will diagram

ways this can happen using the landscape sketches that was drawn simply by placing

trace over the drawings and drawing routes that are logical. I will then study this in plan

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view, then elevation view to understand ground with façade. The farm will then be

applied to the original site study models and documented.

Week 2

The green roof studies will be applied to structural models of the house, these

models will inform me of what is needed and what load bearing walls are most

important. This model will help me construct a new structural model that is ready for

the green roof. Next I must draw sections and consider how the accessibility to the roof

will affect the household. I will question, what is the best way to enter the green roof?

Next there will be synthesis plan drawings including green roofs and farm. These

drawings will show me where roof and ground is lining up in ways to benefit water. The

green roof will then be applied to the initial site study model and documented.

Week 3

The green wall will be built and applied to the site study model to where it can

be moved and played with. I will take photographs of how it is affecting the style of the

house while drawing elevations that come to mind, by trying different solutions on the

model. Once one is found to be effective, then it will be applied to the original site

model with the first two green systems. This will now be the time to stop and draw

elevations of the changes that are made. To see how the materials are working together

clearer, there will also be a computer generated model rendering that brings it all

together. This information will then be documented.

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Week 4

Next I will create diagrams of how the water catchment system will work while

noting places in which the system is exposed. These are the places in which will give me

room to bring the hybrid design together using green columns or any other details that

will take it further. In those exposed places I will do a digital model of the water

catchment system with the original digital model and explore solutions. These new

design pieces that enclosed the water catchment system will consider water spills and

any other precautions, while using materials that will benefit the hybrid design.

Week 5

I will create a drawing of the site that now exists from the new retrofit of Bruce’s home.

This model will be examined and drawn in plan noting considerable site changes due to

his retrofit. I will then generate a 3D animation showing this transformation

Week 6-10

A new site analysis diagram and model will be created to specify changes and the steps

used in week 1-5 will began again in the same pattern.

Criteria

The criteria for week one is to understand what it takes to start this process

beginning with the uprooting and cleaning of the soil, to creating a landscape design

that functions well. I will have to understand each step and apply the solution chosen

from the diagrams and drawings made that were the most effective. I would like to

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make at least six options to choose from with each option being distinctively different,

so I can cover a broad range of what is possible in the yard area.

Week two criteria involve structure models, I have to create a structural model

of the house to find the best place to change the roof from sloped to flat or add a

structural grid to carry the load of the green roof. The house will conclude its own

possibilities. I will be choosing the green roof’s location by understanding what is best

for the structure and also if it is easily accessible by the inhabitants.

Week three criteria will be the ultimate test of the hybrid design; the green wall

will be determined by whether it is on a northern façade, as well as its cohesiveness

with the original house design. There will be multiple tests and drawings used to find

out how the facades design can be carried out at its best.

Week four criteria is to create a water catchment system that reuses the

rainwater and circulates it to the system that waters the yard, the green wall, and is use

within the home. The main concern is how it moves about in this new retrofit and how it

can happen without being exposed. Once there is a main circulation path for the water,

the architectural elements of this new design must be embracive and hold the water

systems discreetly.

Week 5 criteria is to document the changes in many ways, one including a digital

animation. This will show where the retrofit starts and how the house changes right

before it becomes contagious.

Week 6-10 criteria involves taking clear note of sight changes. These site changes

must expose new design decisions that create the scenario previously followed. The

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mini-farm must be free to connect with the neighbor’s yard previously done, this needs

to happen to create a continuous field that makes friendly neighbor interaction or

partnerships. The green wall might work differently but must still uphold the same

standards as the first home. The green roof to the second home should give some clear

view of the first home’s green roof; this is where neighbors can interact with each other

from roof to roof. The green roof will act as their new lawn, it should be used more

frequently in a social manner than previously. The water catchment system will not be

fully determined from the sight conditions, this system will be determined from the

homes form, and will follow the rain water and where it naturally begins to accumulate

in order to help guide a new circulative diagram that recycles the water. The same

embracive design decision to keep this system unexposed will be applied, just as the

initial house was considered and designed. When these two homes sit together, they

must prove to be developed enough to where the next house looks lost without the

same kind of retrofit, this element will be one that is of opinion, but must spark the

sense of curiosity of what if I joined the new crowd of retrofits. The 3D animation will

then be continued showing the retrofit extending to this site.

Scale

This project will discover how much a single dwelling can be changed without

destructing its main structural components. To understand this, I must understand how

each home is brought together and where the load bearing walls lie. This will create a

clear diagram of what can and cannot happen. The exploration will cause for a green

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roof to placed well to hold dead and live loads. The structure is very important and I will

not be testing the exact amount it can hold, but I will make an educated decision on

whether a wider beam is needed for a span, or whether the house will take on an extra

column.

The house will become contagious to the neighbor on the right side, the

neighbor to the left has an extreme buffer between itself and Bruce’s home, and it is

oriented on the street adjacent to the street in which I am focusing. I may give a touch

of what can happen as a scenario but the depth will happen with the home to the right.

The home on the right embraces the corner. As far as the homes across the street, they

will be minimally developed as a scenario also within a conclusive state of the project to

show what it might be like, if it were to continue.

The two homes that will receive the retrofit will cover exterior effects more than

interior. Assuming the house would want to upgrade to energy star, and other

technological systems, the area can be controlled to conserve. My focus is on the

building envelope integrated with landscape. I will understand the steps of spin farming

from the cleaning of the soil to the growth of the crops. This is an in-depth exploration

to help me understand the time table of this retrofit. It will also give hints of how far this

mini-farm can go when it comes to designing its landscape. I will also calculate the

square foot to determine how much this household can make annually according

Roxanne Christensen. Although some of these details are not architectural, they are a

base of what can make this retrofit contagious. The worldly conditions give opportunity

for extreme changes like this to prosper.

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The green wall will be designed showing planting, but there is no specificity to

what type of plant should grow on the green wall, I will be trying a few combinations of

things but it will ultimately be user’s choice. They key component in the green wall is

finding a way it can be put onto the wall using its metal framing, and what is the best

place for it to be located without becoming an ugly disturbing piece that looks like one

just placed it on the wall with no consideration of architectural aesthetics. As these

things are discovered they will be documented with a written piece stating, in journal

form; what is working, how I arrived to the solution, what does not work well, and

whether it should no longer be considered. This is what I propose for a contagious

retrofit to come to life.

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Section II: Thesis Design Research.........

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Introduction: Recap of Research

When green systems are applied to a single dwelling a contagious reaction will begin: a

hybrid style emerges, the site conditions change, and the study of this new site will be a

beneficial catalyst for the neighboring homes that follow suit while conserving maximum

energy.

Green strategies used on contemporary architecture projects must be

considered when retrofitting an older home. One strategy that can be applied is The

Double Envelope. The Double Envelope House was the first house that applied such a

technique. The double envelope was discovered through a concept that created high

insulation, but was not continually practiced on houses over time. It was designed by Lee

Porter Butler and Tom Smith and constructed in 1977. Hookers Office Building (Niagara, NY)

was the first commercial building that introduced the double envelope. Designed by

HOK and Canon Associates and constructed in 1983. Today we see it more often for

example the Genzyme Center (Cambridge, MA) shows that we are practicing the double

envelope as a sustainable technique but once again its applied to commercial buildings.

Genzyme Center was designed by Behnisch and Partner an rated platinum by LEED Building

Rating System when constructed in 2003.

Another green strategy that is applicable are Mini-farms. Kip Nash (Boulder, CO)

disturbed his neighborhood by farming on front lawns. He spends the day planting and

watering his yard farms and stores the seedlings in the greenhouse behind his house. Roxanne

Christensen’s book and practice of Spin-farming proves that this can be economical and self

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efficient. Spin-farming makes it simple for someone to start a farm on a small piece of land. It

also offers the opportunity to rent land.

Green infrastructure brings together a system of natural vegetative structures

which has high benefits. Green Roofs began to connect the green surfaces needed to create

joint vegetative planes. The roof is covered with vegetation and provides rainwater retention

and detention. It also increases the thermal resistance and capacitance of a building roof while

reduces the urban heat island effect. Let’s not forget that it even provides green space for

animals and people on what would otherwise be a hard surfaced area. One other joint plane is

the vertical green wall. A vertical green wall is a direct connector from green roof to lawn for a

more sustainable infrastructure. It cools the building significantly, is a water absorber, and has

aesthetic appeal. This can be applied in panels with choice of species. Then one should consider

bioswales to control the water runoff while removing silt and pollution from surface runoff

water. Bioswales have a drainage course filled with vegetation or compost that slows down

the flow of rainwater runoff. The Bioswales will give opportunity tomake use of a

good water catchment system that will recycle the storm water. This will complete a

strong green infrastructure. This system accumulates storm water in storage in

preparation for future water usage.

A Retrofit on a home gives opportunity to create a hybrid architectural style that

can represent the sustainable housing transformation. The American Dream House is

where consumption began, so it is best to recognize them and consider how far the

transformation can go. The homes that represented the American dream are the

Bungalow of 1920, the Cape Cottage of 1940, the Ranch of1950, and the Split Level of

1960. We must consider applying things we see in ne sustainable homes. Geothermal

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Residence (Boston, MA), designed by MaryAnn Thompson, helps recognize sustainable

techniques that can transfer and develop in the retrofit. This house was organized on

site to take advantage of the sun. All rooms of this house receive light on two sides and

the combined living room, dining room, and kitchen area receive light on four sides with

the use of clerestory. This home has an insular north façade, while the south façade

opens the house to the site and the sun.

Brick Terrace House Retrofit (Mottingham, London) shows how a retrofit has

taken place and but not much difference is made to the exterior. This is a retrofit by

ECD Architects in Mottingham London. This Hyde Housing Association property is a

nondescript brick terraced house built in the 1930s The project adheres to PassiveHaus-

standards which uses techniques very similar to LEED.

Contemporary green strategies used in a retrofit can create a sustainable

lifestyle can be shared by more than one home, which will save money and energy while

building relationships. One can see this in Harmony Village (Golden, CO) whom

developed their own sustainable lifestyle together through meetings. This community

was designed by Matt and Linda Worswick whom designed other sustainable

communities. Their firm is called Synergy Design and focuses on the design of energy

efficient and environmentally responsible residences. These community members had

meetings that incorporated creative ways to make design decisions.

Smart Grid City (Boulder, CO), designed by Xcel Energy, uses technology only;

while inhabitants still have the choice of not reaching out to each other to become

sustainable.

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Since the smart grid program started they were able to produce 590.7 fewer pounds of

carbon.

50,000 homes in Boulder will soon be decked out with the latest in environmentally-

friendly, energy-saving technology. This system is very intelligent and has created a way

to tell people how to conserve energy. A community that does not use technology is

North Street Cohousing.

North Street Cohousing defines community through an open house relationship. North

Street had a goal of developing a common house and other facilities that meet the

priorities and needs of the evolving community. Since 2007 this community has grown

to 19 houses by a process of adding one house at a time as they become available. They

have taken down the fences between 17 houses and integrated the backyard

landscaping. Their ownership structure is very diverse. This community promotes

sharing space and doing everything together.

I will be investigating whether the integration of the double envelope and green

infrastructure will bring a cohesive hybrid design into discovery. This retrofit is of high

importance because the current techniques, tried by each individual homeowner, have

brought an aesthetic appeal that is under par for neighborhood streetscapes . With a

clear understanding of the benefit of the green systems discussed, they must be applied

with site conditions being its ammunition.

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Research Proposal The Contagious Retrofit: GREEN REDESIGNING FOR SINGLE

DWELLING

By Tyshawna A Spell Hampton University Architecture Department

Prof. C. Sanchez + S. Robinson

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Stages 1

Green Systems Application FARMING

VEGETATIVE WALL

GREEN ROOF

2 Glazing the Sunny Side

DOUBLE ENVELOPE SRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT

3 Hybrid Design Development

SYNTHESIS OF SYSTEMS

AESTHETIC DETAILS DEVELOPED

4

Site Conditions Exposes Extended Development SITE ANALYSIS

PROPOSED CHANGES FOR NEXT HOME

SCHEMATICS OF OPTIONS

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Site 452 Burnham Place

Newport News, VA 23606

United States of America

North America

This two story home

with a garage makes us

of a small porch and a

connected garage. This

home’s front façade

faces west while the

back façade faces east.

The south façade is the

right façade of the

home. This street gets

very little traffic and

ends as a dead end on

its south route.

This site is adjacent to Warwick Avenue which

includes services such as Harris Teeter, Food

Lion, Firestone, Plaza Azteca, Sun Trust Bank,

7-Eleven, Asian Grill, Centre Court Indoor

Tennis Club, and Glendale Shoppe Pharmacy.

This neighborhood is very close to Christopher

Newport University.

Newport News is a part of the Peninsula in

South East VA. It is on the inner water side of

the James River with Hampton to its right and

Williamsburg to its North West.

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Front View Left Side Sun Porch left-back

Back Right Side Front Landscape

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Newport News GISViewer

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54 | T S p e l l

Newport News GISViewer

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55 | T S p e l l

1 Green Systems Application

FARMING, VEGETATIVE WALL, GREEN ROOF

THEME- Greening the Connective Surfaces

Thematic Focus In this stage the focus will be on greening the landscape through farming, creating a

vertical green wall for the north side of the home, and breaking down pitches to create

green roof capabilities and applying the extensive green roof.

Part of Argument Addressed

I argue that when green systems are applied to a single dwelling a

contagious reaction will begin: a hybrid style emerges, the site conditions change, and

the study of this new site will be a beneficial catalyst for the neighboring homes that follow suit.

Because the contagious retrofit starts with green systems applied it will also start as the first

stage. I argue this because these green systems have benefits of sustainability.

Hypothesis Applying Farming to the front lawn and connecting this vegetative process to the

vertical green wall with choice of species, and developing the green roof will create a

green infrastructure that will circulate water well, cool the house, give opportunity to

produce one’s own produce, reduce the heat island effect, and reveal new architectural

techniques to be further developed.

Foundation • Kip Nash (Boulder, CO) disturbed his neighborhood by farming on front lawns.

• Roxanne Christensen’s Spin Farming proves that this can be economical and self

efficient.

• Green Roofs began to connect the green surfaces needed to create joint

vegetative planes needed to create this green infrastructure.

• Vertical Green Wall is a direct connector from green roof to lawn for a more

sustainable infrastructure.

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Task/Context/Media- Greening the Connective Surfaces

When?

Dates of

Exploration

What?

Task Identified

How?

To do Method

Media?

Idea

expression

Who?

Beneficiaries

01/25/09

Sunday

Measure out site

and determine

rows and widths

of farming beds.

Draw out

property line

and measure

lawn footprint.

Draw the site

and label

square

footage.

Using the

width of beds

and width of

walkways,

calculate

potential linear

formations.

Note

Findings...

Sketch Pad

Documentatio

n as

reference.

AutoCAD 2D

Drawing in

plan view

Photoshop

show

potential

diagrammatic

linear

formation

options

This will

benefit the

homeowner;

this

information

will give an

estimate of

yearly gross.

I will

understand

the

limitations of

design

through

formation of

vegetative

bedding.

01/26/09

Monday

Diagram Possible

Circulation lines

two and from

home.

Diagram linear

passages for

front and

backyard

bedding of

Using diagrams

formed, layout

how one would

circulate from

street side to

door, driveway

to door, front

to back, and to

neighbor.

In Photoshop

make solid

circulation

paths with

linear

diagrams

slightly

transparent.

Print out

The visitor

and the

residency.

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57 | T S p e l l

vegetation. Create multiple

Possibilities

Note

Findings...

multiple

possibilities.

01/27/09

Tuesday

Do Synthesis Draw

Landscape

Perspective

Drawing

Note

Findings...

On an 11x14

Sheet of

Vellum Draw

out one of the

combinations

in perspective

using color

pencils.

A vision to

the

homeowner

of possible

vegetative

landscaping.

01/28/09

Wednesday

Identify home

materials and

wall structure

Take photos of

walls and

identify history

of materials

Note

Findings...

Photographs

Matrix of

material

usage and

capabilities.

This will

benefit me in

understandin

g how the

vegetative

wall can be

applied.

01/29/09

Thursday

Rest Day

(Reflect)

--------- ---------- ------------

01/30/09

Friday

Identify home

materials and

wall structure.

Identify inside

effects of

programming.

Draw wall

section by

hand.

Draw wall

showing

interior

programming

and exterior

landscaping.

Note Findings

11x14 sheet

of vellum and

lead pencil.

11x14 sheet

of Vellum in

color pencil.

This is to

benefit the

residence

and their

way of life.

01/31/09

Saturday

Diagram best places

for vertical

In Diagram Form

mark out great

places to vegetate

Create

Diagrams by

hand using ink

This will be

beneficial to

design

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58 | T S p e l l

vegetation.

Look up Breeds

with lawn

vegetation

choices in mind.

and show why

diagrammatically.

Show Multiple

Diagrams.

Draw

vegetation

options.

Note Findings

and markers.

Using Ebony

Pencil & Color

pencils Draw a

few options of

planting for

wall

decisions and

panel setup.

02/01/09

Sunday

Sketch out three

potential ideas

for application of

green wall, using

resources found.

Make three

exploded

axons in of

wall, showing

materials

through

rendering.

Note Findings

Form Z This will be

helpful to the

contractor

applying this

wall system.

This will also

benefit the

residence by

keeping the

house cool

during the

warmer

months.

02/02/09

Monday

Physically apply

to small wall

section detail.

Take materials

similar to

house and

make a square

ft. wall detail

model applying

vertical green

wall.

Note Findings

Supply list will

come through

research

steps.

3D Physical

Model

This provides

a full visual

to user.

02/03/09

Tuesday

Rest Day (reflect) ------------- --------------- ---------------

02/04/09

Wednesday

Evaluate wall

section detail.

Generate free

hand sketches

showing details

Small detailed

sketches in

4x6 sketch

Designer

concerns in

which one

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59 | T S p e l l

and areas of

concern.

Note

Findings...

pad might

address and

create new

ideas.

02/05/09

Thursday

Identify

Structural

changes to roof.

Create current

structural

diagram of

home.

Make changes

to

accommodate

green roof.

Note

Findings...

Form Z 3D

models

This tells how

the structure

will directly

be affected

due to slope

change and

green roof.

02/07/09

Saturday

Diagram

circulation to

green roof.

Identify

programming

changes

Create a

Section Cut of

the house

showing the

circulation

access to roof.

Draw original

Section of

house

AutoCAD

Section

Drawings of

house

including site.

This will

show access

and

programs

changes and

whether it is

feasible for

home-owner.

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Goals- Greening the Connective Surfaces

Criteria- Greening the Connective Surfaces

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2 Glazing the Sunny Side...

DOUBLE ENVELOPE STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT

THEME- The Sun is My Light and My Heat

Thematic Focus The focus of this theme is to create a double envelope that will be a buffer and heat

absorber for this household in the winter but also gives controls through its joints for sun

shades and other possibilities.

Part of Argument Addressed

I argue that when green systems are applied to a single dwelling a

contagious reaction will begin: a hybrid style emerges, the site conditions change, and

the study of this new site will be a beneficial catalyst for the neighboring homes that follow suit.

The double envelope is a green system that is used to bring in natural light and create a warm

atmosphere for the house’s inhabitants.

Hypothesis Using a double envelope will bring in light through the home, give views out into

neighborhood, and create a buffer zone that can be used as a sun porch, or garden. This

beneficial element will bring a sense of nature into the household.

Foundation • The Double Envelope House was the first house the double envelope was

discovered through a concept that created high insulation, but was not

continually practiced on houses over time.

• Hookers Office Building (Niagara, NY) was the first commercial building that

introduced the double envelope.

• Genzyme Center (Cambridge, MA) shows that we are practicing the

double envelope as a sustainable technique but once again its applied to commercial

buildings.

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Task/Context/Media- The Sun is My Light and My Heat

When?

Dates of Exploration

What?

Task

Identified

How?

To do Method

Media?

Idea

expression

Who?

Beneficiaries

02/08/09

Sunday

Rest Day

(reflect)

-------------------- -------------- ---------------

02/09/09-02/10/09

Monday-Tuesday

Understand

components

(interior

spaces vs.

exterior)

Make a break

apart 3D

Model of

house that

diagrams

program and

exterior

current

materials.

Note

Findings...

Chipboard

and

transparent

sheets for

physical

model.

The user

private and

public

spaces must

be

recognized

and treated

in a manner

where

glazing is

chosen

correctly.

02/11/09- 02/12/09

Wednesday- Thursday

Design

three ideas

of double

envelope.

Make sketches

of multiple

renditions

Create 3D

model

Note

Findings...

4x6

Sketchpad

and ebony

pencil

Form Z

Renderings

The User

will

experience

a more

exposed

experience.

02/13/09

Friday

Research

best glass

choices for

design

options

Go to library

and find

information on

latest

materials

Matrix User and

designers

choice.

Must be

eco-friendly.

02/14/09

Saturday

Rest Day

(Reflect)

--------- ---------- ------------

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63 | T S p e l l

Valentine’s

Day

02/15/09-02/16/09

Sunday-Monday

Draw

section

detail of

wall

proposed

Take

schematics of

wall and

develop

double

envelope

section

labeled.

Draw wall

showing

interior

programming

and exterior

landscaping.

Note Findings

AutoCad

Give

designer

view of

options.

02/17/09-02/19/09

Tuesday-Thursday

Develop

multiple

possibilities

of what can

happen

with section

due to site

conditions

and user

lifestyle.

Create

diagrams

showing what

is happening

with new wall

using intuition

and sun

studies.

Sketch

possibilities of

new double

envelope

Create Drafts

of four new

Sketch

diagrams

on sketch.

Hand

Drawings

on Vellum

AutoCAD

Section

Drawing

Details

labeled

Designer

develops

detail for

best

options.

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64 | T S p e l l

options

Note Findings

02/20/09

Friday

Rest Day

(Reflect)

-------------------- ------------ ------------

02/21/09-02/22/09

Saturday-Sunday

Gather

research

and fill in

gaps

Take all

research

material and

put I

presentation

order.

Photoshop Audience

and

Professors

02/23/09-02/27/09 MIDTERMS MIDTERMS MIDTERMS MIDTERMS

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Goals- The Sun is My Light and My Heat

Criteria- The Sun is My Light and My Heat

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3 Hybrid Design Development SYNTHESIS OF SYSTEMS AESTHETIC DETAILS DEVELOPED

THEME- Traditional Embraces Contemporary

Thematic Focus The focus of this theme is to do a synthesis of the green systems working together.

Through viewing what is happening solutions shall develop. Can this really work, is it

appealing? These are the questions we are looking to answer in this development.

Part of Argument Addressed I argue that when green systems are applied to a single dwelling a contagious reaction will

begin: a hybrid style emerges, the site conditions change, and the study of this new site

will be a beneficial catalyst for the neighboring homes that follow suit. The systems applied are

used in contemporary designed architecture and will cause an interesting dynamic when applied

to traditional American housing.

Hypothesis The study of how these elements can work together will bring a solution for this hybrid

aesthetically, structurally, and functionally. (firmness, commodity, delight)

Foundation • The American Dream House is where consumption began, so it is best to

recognize them and consider how far the transformation can go.

• Geothermal Residence (Boston, MA) helps recognize sustainable techniques that

can transfer and develop in the retrofit.

• Brick Terrace House Retrofit (Mottingham, London)shows how a retrofit has

taken place and what difference it made to the exterior.

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67 | T S p e l l

Task/Context/Media- Traditional Embraces Contemporary

When?

Dates of

Exploration

What?

Task

Identified

How?

To do Method

Media?

Idea

expression

Who?

Beneficiaries

03/02/09-03/04/09

Sunday- Tuesday

Take info

Gathered

and make

3D Model

of Original

Home

Digitally build

the original

house from

structure to

landscape.

Form Z

Renderings

This will be

the before

model image.

03/05/09-03/06/09

Wednesday-

Thursday

Add

landscape

d farming

to Model

Digitally add

the farming

chosen from

earlier studies

with

circulation

paths

included.

Note

Findings...

Form Z.

Renderings

This will show

where retrofit

starts

03/07/09

Friday

Rest Day

(Reflect)

--------------------

-

---------------- ----------------

03/08/09

Saturday

Add

Vertical

Green

Wall

System

Digitally

configure

paneling

location and

add to 3D

Model

Note Findings

Form Z

renderings

This will show

connection

between

ground and

wall.

03/10/09-3/11/09

Sunday-Monday

Add

Green

Roof

Reconfigure

roof into a

green roof

Form Z

renderings

This will show

connection

between

ground and

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68 | T S p e l l

Show detail of

layers on

Model and off

model

Note Findings

wall and roof.

03/12/09

Tuesday

Rest Day

(Reflect)

-------------------

---

-----------------

------------------

-.

03/13/09-03/14/09

Wednesday-

Thursday

Add

double

envelope.

Use initial

drawings to

create double

envelope in

digital form in

detail

Note Findings

Form Z

renderings

Began to see

synthesis

3/15/09- 3/16/09

Friday- Saturday

Evaluate

Synthesis

Do Sun Studies

Diagram in

Elevation

details that

must change.

Form Z

AutoCAD

Elevations &

Hand

Renderings

See

difficulties

and successes

03/17/09-03/18/09

Sunday-Wednesday

Create

Schematic

of new

possibiliti

es

through

issues

found.

Make an

Exploded

Axonometric

AutoCAD hard

lined Axon

w/notes

Hand

Rendering

Photoshop

Details

Documentati

on of pieces

working

together.

03/19/09-03/21/09

Thursday-Saturday

Rest Days

(Reflect)

--------------------

-

--------------------

--

-----------------

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Goals- Traditional Embraces Contemporary

Criteria- Traditional Embraces Contemporary

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4 Site Conditions Exposes Extended Development SITE ANALYSIS, PROPOSED CHANGES TO NEW HOME, SCHEMATIC OPTIONS

THEME- Retrofit Catalyst

Thematic Focus The focus of this theme is to expose options for the neighboring home through the site

analysis of new design.

Part of Argument Addressed I argue that when green systems are applied to a single dwelling a contagious reaction

will begin: a hybrid style emerges, the site conditions change, and the study of this new

site will be a beneficial catalyst for the neighboring homes that follow suit. The

systems applied are used in contemporary designed architecture and will cause an

interesting dynamic when applied to traditional American housing.

Hypothesis The study of the changes on the new home will create a reactive effect on the

neighboring home that will be beneficial to conserving energy and building relationships.

Foundation • Harmony Village (Golden, CO) developed their own sustainable lifestyle together

through meetings.

• Smart Grid City (Boulder, CO) uses technology only while inhabitants still have

the choice of not reaching out to each other to become sustainable.

• North Street Cohousing (Daly, CA) defines community through an open house

relationship.

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Task/Context/Media- Retrofit Catalyst When?

Dates of

Exploration

What?

Task

Identified

How?

To do Method

Media?

Idea

expression

Who?

Beneficiarie

s

03/22/09-03/23/09

Sunday- Monday

Make a

intuitive

site

diagram.

Draw Site

including both

homes

including

changes.

Note Findings

AutoCAD Site

Plan

Hand

Rendering

Symbolism

Analysis

Photoshop

The

neighbors

03/24/09-03/26/09

Tuesday - Thursday

Create

Drawings of

possibilities.

Hand sketch

ideas formed

through study

of new site.

Perspectives of

specific areas.

Note

Findings...

Vellum and

pencil.

Neighbors

03/27/09

Friday

Rest Day

(Reflect)

--------------------

-

---------------- ----------------

03/28/09-04/04/09

Saturday-Sunday

Wrap up

Research

Finish any

finishing

touches and

details.

All Medias All

04/05/09

Sunday

Rest Day

(Reflect)

------------------- --------------------

--

----------------

-

04/06/09-04/12/09

Monday-Sunday

Presentatio

n Prep

Outline Verbal

Presentation

Format &

All

Audience.

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72 | T S p e l l

Ordering,

Last Research

Issues

04/13/09

Monday

All

Materials

are Due

--------------- ----------------- ---------------

Goals- Traditional Embraces Contemporary

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Criteria- Retrofit Catalyst

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Green Infrastructure Provocation.................

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75 | T S p e l l

The proposal helped me begin a design research process that was developed to

support the research and evidence that was provided in Section I. As I began this

process, what was intended within the proposed schedule was not efficient for the time

and observation needed to prove my claim. As the semester progressed I reached a

point where I focused on Stage I: Green Infrastructure. Green infrastructure provocation

is the initial setting of this retrofit and will provide the base of the following stages

which will be the design research done at a later time. Green infrastructure is the

connection of vegetative land from ground, to wall, then to the roof. Due to many

suburban homes having a roof pitch that gets sufficient sunlight, the options of solar

panels would be the best solution, rather than vegetation. So I explored the lawn and

the wall to understand the underlying point that makes this concept so contagious. This

idea had its own hidden agenda’s that included irrigation, soil properties, and an

understanding of transformation that may be accepted or rejected. With these issues

ahead, I began to understand and resolve through design.

Site When choosing the site, the objective

was to choose a neighborhood that had

a typical suburban atmosphere. Each

home was approximately 20 ft apart

and there was plenty of space to

cultivate the lawn. The aerial view map

shows how the home that is being

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76 | T S p e l l

studied relates to its neighbor’s home. The lot being studied has a lawn that covers

approximately 7, 773 square feet of the property.

The contour map reveals topography that gives a clear idea of how water drifts

along the site. In the far right corner of this map the topography goes down

approximately six ft. This is the location of a small stream that is in the backyards of

many of the homes in this neighborhood. This stream currently has a water pipe that

takes all of the access water into the city’s sewer system. As I viewed this map I also

noticed the land to built ratio. There is plenty of land but it has been mowed and

obtained by chemicals so that weeds and other sources do not sprout consistently.

I then created a zoning map that shows how this neighborhood fits into a larger

scale. The map shows that this area is majority single family homes but has a strip in the

middle, Warwick Boulevard, which has business/retail. There are also two park districts

on the left side of Warwick blvd. As one rides down Warwick Blvd, there is plenty of

traffic and parking for the current large strip malls. The single-family homes are tucked

behind these strip malls, yet they are very close.

Sun Studies

Vegetating land takes careful planning, space, sunlight, and wind.78

I began with sun

studies of my site and its neighboring home. Understanding the sun and its effect on

vegetation will assist in choosing which vegetation should grow where and what time of

the year it should be prepared. I chose to include the neighbor’s home because it is very

important to understand the effects that relate to the changes on this site. In this case

the neighbor affects the initial home due to the shadows it casts directly into the front

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77 | T S p e l l

and back yard. The neighbor lives on

the corner with little influence from

another home which gives plenty of

opportunity to use sunlight.

The site tends to get the

most sunlight in the front and

backyards simultaneously in each

season diagram around 10am-

12pm. The shadow from the home

is longer in the cooler seasons of fall

and winter. The shadow is shorter in

spring & summer. Knowing when to plant seeds is very important. The best time to

plant is between periods of frost, from spring to fall, when there is normally sufficient

warmth to germinate seeds and sufficient sunlight to mature vegetables.79

These

diagrams give me an idea of whether vegetation is a good idea on this site. The site gets

plenty of sun and air. It is a good candidate to vegetate upon according to these studies.

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Vegetation Bed Layout Observations

Option A explores traditional bedding. Traditional bedding is used on large farms

because it makes it easier to take large equipment through to till the soil and lay seeds.

Traditional bedding on this site may not be necessary. The site is smaller than the usual

farming landscape and has plenty of room to take different forms. Option A works well

for Dutch Beds which are highly recommended in How to Grow Vegetables. In Dutch

beds poor soil can be made into good soil and good soil can be made nearly perfect.80

These beds can be about three to four feet wide. Dutch beds are designed to have good

width but most importantly they are designed to come approximately twelve to

eighteen inches higher than ground level.81

This creates a cleaner layout that is easier to

obtain.

Option B takes a traditional linear formation that is horizontal. This option works better

than the last because the beds are at reasonable length. A reasonable length for a bed is

Option A Option B Option C

Option D Option E Option F

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79 | T S p e l l

approximately fifteen feet.82

Each Row extends from an inner portion of the property

line unlike option A which extended from the street to the end of the yard which made

the bed walkways that are between difficult to be accessed. This is one option that can

work for someone who wants something very simple and easy to layout.

Option C explores curved bedding. Curved bedding brings movement of the site. It

begins to tell a different story and is preferred by many as an aesthetic choice. Creating

bedding templates for this would explore using a material that may easily bend or many

short pieces of material that can be put together in a curved formation.

Option D is what I call pod bedding. Pod bedding creates walkways that curve and

creates a staggered effect from the street. What is interesting about the pod bedding is

that, if he pods are large enough in diameter, family or friends can gather around one

and seed or pull together. Creating this style can be very difficult; one might prefer to

make circular pods in different areas of the yard to create similar results.

Option E is a bedding design that is more complex. It breaks up the yard by creating

random linear walkways at different angles. So, if one was to begin by digging their

walkways first, it can be very simple to implement. The problem with this example is

that it creates bedding that is far too wide.

Option F is very similar to option E but it creates smaller width beds. When I looked at

this bedding design, I realized that the rows begin to make groups of beds that can give

the option to grow certain vegetables together at different ends of the yard. This option

can bring something very interesting to a neighborhood but may be too complicated to

layout.

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Out of all six options, option B, C, and F can be very successful depending on the

household and their personality type. These three options are very diverse and can fit

for someone who is simple, loves movement, or has a complex nature.

Treating Soil

Every yard may carry a different grade of soil, but not all soil can produce great yield.

The soil must be loose enough to hold water but not compact and stiff. Poor soil will

limit the plant growth. A method that I found to be the most natural, simple, and

promotes conservation, is creating your own compost. Compost loosens heavy soil,

facilitates drainage, and goes to work on clods to break them into smaller pieces. Well-

made compost have been shown to have plant growing benefits far in excess of its

simple ‘nutrient analysis’ and to be an active factor in enhancing plant resistance to

pets.83

This compost can be prepared before spring and lie approximately two to three

feet below the beds and covered with mulch to prepare for planting season. One can

also start compost piles in their backyard below the ground, holding all materials and

waste and can be covered and kept

shut. In this example I have

modeled a scenario where the

compost has its own box dug into

ground and covered with a solar panel. This solar panel will absorb the sunlight while

restoring electricity back into the grid.

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81 | T S p e l l

Bed Design

Dutch bedding was one of the types of bedding that is very significant

and helpful in creating a yielding garden. I tried to understand how

these beds can be designed to create a simple layout. The first design

was a bed that was made of clay and created steps that would be easy

to sit on while seeding or pulling. These steps would be pretty low but

starts to create a uniform design to the home’s yard. It also can be a

style that symbolizes vinyl siding that is the exterior clad upon many

suburban homes. The second example was a

bed design that was made for kneeling on the knees. This

example shows a grassy felt that curves in from the top of the

bed to the ground holding the curve of the knee. The system

used to design this bed is very similar to Patrick Blanc green

wall systems where there is a metal framing, a pvc layer, then

the felt that the planting grows from. It will be very interesting

seeing it all at full bloom. As I came up with multiple examples

of what can happen with these beds, I was curious about what would happen along the

pathways. It was very common for mulch to be laid along the

paths, so I tried to find a more sustainable solution. Endurasafe

was that product that would be the substitute for mulch and is

one of the best alternatives. Endurasafe is a recycled rubber

product that is typically used as an alternative to natural based

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mulches in landscaping application, and as a resilient surfacing material for shock

absorption application in playgrounds and outside sports facilities.84

Endurasafe also

comes in different color choices and does not have to be re-laid constantly. Due to its

material it outlives natural based mulches. This is definitely the sustainable and easy to

implement solution.

Irrigation

Vegetating on the lawn will not be a success if there is no way to get water to the living

organisms. Many people use their water hoes,

sprinkler systems and many other ways to water

their lawn, but when it comes to vegetating upon

the land, too much water or too little water can be

a problem. I suggest that a few systems working together to begin a base grid will help

send an efficient amount of water to each plant.

This system recycles water and uses storm water.

This system was created using multiple systems

such as water harvesting, water filtering, drip irrigation, and bioswales. Water

harvesting is when one holds the water runoff in a cistern and uses the water at a later

time. This water being held in this cistern will then go through the filtration system that

clean the water and pumps it into the house and/or the drip irrigation system. The drip

irrigation system releases just the amount of water needed for the vegetation to grow

at its best. This reduces excessive use of water. Bioswales can also be created along the

property, but instead of creating ditches that catches water I suggest that we use it as

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an opportunity to create what I call Bioswale Structural Art. Bioswale structural art is a

frame designed to hold vegetation vertically. This frame can be constructed at the

midpoint of this bioswale as a signifier that this water system is located here. All water

from the site will drain into these bioswales and will be pumped up to the vegetation or

back into the cistern where it will be recycled as well.

Once these systems are integrated together it creates a garden that recycles

water and waste, produces food, and reduces the heat island effect. This organic

vegetation that will create a healthier household brings many benefits although these

are simple solutions. The systems brought together can create an atmosphere of

curiosity and talk around town. What

are they growing? Am I paying for

water that he/she is reusing? This will

begin the cycle of being contagious.

The network of water systems

connected will make a vast change in how water is conserved and penetrated through

the land to grow the vegetation that once resided on the same land many years ago.

Green Walls

Applying a green wall

to a home is very

different from

applying a green wall

to a larger commercial building. The home structural system is created to hold

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approximatelt only two floors, is usually wood framed, and has a light cladding material;

with the exception of brick homes or clay homes in our southern regions. With this in

mind I explored a few green walls to decide what would be best. Earth Cinch was a

green wall system that was very interesting to me. Earth cinch was proposed as a

transitional biodegradable growth system for vertical and horizontal surfaces.85

When

modeling this type of green wall. I realized that it would be considerably heavy and even

bulky for the traditional American home.

I then reviewed G-Sky green wall panels. G-Sky Green wall panels are patented modular

planting system for vertical walls.86

This system is low maintenance and is sent with the

planting ready to set up. The modular panels are made up of an ultraviolet resistant,

non flammable Polypropylene.87

This system is an investment but is very easy to create

oneself. I would recommend creating similar planting pots and creating a grid structure

to place them within each niche, which will create a similar effect.

Then I explored the planting shelf where all plants that are grown, line up

standing vertically on a shelving area. The model that I created produced double rows of

plants that would not be as effective if it was put against the wall of a home. A single

row would suffice to get plenty of sunlight and just enough shade from the shelf above.

A significant amount of both is very important when growing any leafy vegetation.

As I reviewed the previous options of green wall systems, I wanted to come up

with a design solution that would be much lighter on the home and creates a canopy

shaded area. I decided that a tensile structure extended from tall bamboo that is

mounted deep into the ground and pinned to the side of the home would be a solution

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to grow vine like vegetation that will begin from a garden bed and create a web of

vegetation. This wall will extend from home to ground but look as if the vegetation is

embracing the home’s exterior. This solution is not as heavy and creates a green wall

that will reduce the heat island effect.

Contagious?

As I focused on each system; understanding why it was the best for the context,

structure, and easy to implement by the homeowner; I realized that there are so many

things that I am still up against when creating such a contagious retrofit. Although these

systems bring benefits, will they really carry over? So I began to explore on a large-scale

to get an overview of what I am working with using such systems.

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The water system must be an easy grid system that can be

extended to each home as a simple twist pipe hook-up. If it is

hooked up initially vertically extending from street to backyard,

there will be one main hook-up space to a similar grid system of

the neighbor’s home. The second example hooks up to each

horizontal tube which is a more difficult option to implement.

Understanding the design of the grid water system helps me to

understand the larger scale in which this idea can potentially progress.

There are also great financial benefits to using

the produce that is grown on the lawn to sell to

neighboring businesses. Roxanne Christensen who

started spin farming has stated that a half an acre of

land is potentially 50,000 gross per year. Cultivating

one’s own land can pay as much as a second job or even

make up for a lost job. Due to the loss of homes

because of the economy, I suggest this as a very

sustainable, life fulfilling option that can bring a lot of

benefits to homeowners. With the site that I studied in

Newport news VA the area that can be vegetated was

aproximately 7,773 square feet. If I estimated using

Roxanne Christensen numbers. This home can make approximately 17, 884 a year. The

average mortgage in Hampton roads is about eight hundred dollars. Using the bar gaph

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below I calculated his mortgage range that would be covered if the owner chooses to

use this option. This is so important to analyse because, we have come too far from

living off our own land. Homewners have lost their control and are now loosing their

very home that they have invested so much in. Instead of taking the same procedures to

keep our homes. Growing food and selling our food will bring us closer to having a

grounded relationship with nature as well as create a permenant environment for

children who will know where their food comes from.

This implementaton is something I believe will accelerate if neighbors were to

come together and work as a team. Although it is very important to open up the

community to its residence as a full playground, it is also important to set boundaries

and not necessarily barriers. The design of the

vegetation beds and the choice of heights will

begin to distinquish where property lines are, yet

still show a more welcoming cohesiveness to the

neghborhod design. If one chooses to create a

full barrier, e.g. a green wall on the property line,

it will probably not work as well with creating a more inclusive environment. This wall

will block sun and also look as if the personal lot is not a part of a whole.

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Neighborhood Sun Study Observations

I decided to look at a full sun study of this

neighborhood including eleven lots. Each lot

created its own shadow. The trees on the site

created plenty of shade in certain areas which

may become future play areas for children. All

areas marked in green is potential vegetation

land. This is the level in which this idea

becomes contagious. Communities will begin

to see themselves as a whole community and

designate areas to do activities together with the

same goals of producing from their land and

providing organics to local groceries. These sun

studies also gave me an idea of where vegetation

should gow vertically. Each home has a wall that can potentially grow vegetation. The

best wall to vegetate would be one that is east, west, or south; and it must recieve

shade from the house next to it. In the photographs below I marked which walls they

would be in this scenario.

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Conclusion

It must be ‘Steadfast’: Learning from the 70’s

The issues we face today are the same ones we faced in the 1970’s when we

Had the energy crisis. America came up with solutions as President Jimmy Carter gave

incentives. It was a time of innovation and proactive solutions, but it began to fall short

as Ronald Raegan did not support the same venture. Today Global Warming is one of

the biggest obstacles we face on earth. The world has become more aware and green

lifestyle has been the marketing strategy that makes us knowledgabe of what each one

of us can do. With the support of Barack Obama and his administration, this will very

well work as the solution for suburban consumption. This can not end with Barack

Obama’s term as it did Jimmy Carter. In the 1970’s ideas where at its hieght when it

came to solutions for conserving energy which has been suported by my evidence (See

Apendix A). These solutions will prevail at higher rate today due to the advances in

technology in which we have progressed. I acknowledge the attempt to fight these

issues then and hope that this retrofit is one that will be supported now and for a long

time.

Simplicity an esquisite exhibition will help this follow through. With the

application being a clean simple institution as well as one that one would want to invest

in, a homeowner will not feel as if he is loosing a lifestyle but gaining a more preferable,

integral, and sustainable way of life that can bring longer lifespans to future

generations. Integrity is key when it comes the architectural profession and this concept

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provides a way of living that protects the health, safety, and welfare of people. I do

believe that my mission will be accomplished by 2020.

Through the design research I learned that less is more and there can be

complexities in things that seem so simple. I think that is the key to starting something

lifechanging. A friend of mine name Kory Saunders always says, “it takes a baby steps.”

The green infrastructure provocation is just one step to creating the contagious retrofit.

The double envelope must still be explored and the hybrid analysis study will also reveal

new things about the site. I call this initial mission green infrastructure provocation

because it provokes the steps that will follow. This first step was so important because it

creates such high results within this one idea. This very idea is being explored by Fritz

Haeg, author of edible estates. His idea exhibits the effect of community and how a

garden can bring them together. We have gone so far from protecting, feeding, and

knowing our children and families due to our fast paced economic system, but consider

this quote by Thomas Jefferson:

Whenever there are any country uncultivated lands and unemployed

poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to

violate natural right. The earth is given as a common stock for man to

labor and live on. The small landowners are the most precious part of

state.88

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So I claim one last time: when green systems are applied to a single dwelling a

contagious reaction will begin: a hybrid style emerges, the site conditions change, and

the study of this new site will be a beneficial catalyst for the neighboring homes that

follow suit. So let’s vegetate!

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Yeang, Ken. A Manual for Ecological Design. Great Britain: Wiley Academy, 2006.

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