MP for Brighton Pavillion. Former leader of the Green Party.
In 2014 the Patchwork foundation named Caroline mp of the year for her work with deprived and minority communities in Brighton and across the country.
In relation to this particular architectural project, we hope to walk in the Eco-Heroes footsteps by delivering a sustainable Eco-Cabin for this local reputable social enterprise.
Day one :
Tis’ 9 a.m and as we gather with intent on Monday morning there is something of a buzz in the air over the anticipation of the design week brief.
Our course leader Poorang takes the stage to introduce the client and some of the other guest representatives of Chichester College and Hazelwick school are welcomed as Poorang lays down the modus operandi for the weeks activities.
We are to be put into six groups of six people, three University of Brighton students, one Chichester College and two from Haslewick school.
The aim of the activity week is to increase our awareness of low Impact eco-friendly sustainable design in the form of a small temporary and deployable residential unit, an ‘Eco-Cabin ‘ with high flexibility reusability and transportability.
The eco-cabin will be designed, constructed and transported from the UK to be placed in situ on-site at the eco-chateau in ‘La Tupiniere’ in the serene countryside of Basse-Normandie approximately 1 mile from the village of Frenes and 10 minutes drive away from the small airport at Caen.
As three architectural technologists, we take it upon ourselves to liaise with our allocated art and design students in terms of illustration and 3D depiction while reinforcing our ideas structurally with the help of the Chichester College carpenter.
Thoughts of rustic rural settings fill our minds and some basic brainstorming begins. (Figure1)
Material usage takes precedence and sustainability is divulged at which point I mention the 3R’s: Reuse, Recycle and Reduce. At which point I stand corrected by my younger, more knowledgeable colleague..
“No, William there are 6R’s” says Tom the carpenter: reduce, rethink, refuse, recycle, reuse and repair. I bow my head in shame and in quiet admiration and respect for my new co-worker we are interrupted by the announcement of a presentation by an ex-University of Brighton student is about to commence. As he is introduced by Poorang I recognise him from last years critiques in the Huxley foyer, an obvious affiliation with the university as he discusses his time at the University of Brighton as a student some eight years ago. The focus is on his final year dissertation on the subject matter of shipping containers and his present companies achievements and successful use of them as formidable sustainable architectural structures. This well-rounded informative presentation seems to clear the air somewhat. The undeniable fact of cost effectiveness is the direction we were looking for as this £7000 budget seems to be a tall order in attracting the shabby chic eco-tourist and disabled adaptability costs we could incur. At this point we break for lunch and as I reflect upon the days events over a salad the concept and context of the project becomes satisfyingly clear to me. On return to the studio with my new newly found clarity we end the days events with talk of arts and crafts, rustic, holistic and low impact on the natural surroundings of the site location. (Figure2)
After getting to know the team members and an overview of the client brief, I start some basic preliminary sketches that try to resolve the space issue and its relationship with the site location.
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green roof possibilities in keeping with the Eco' brief ..
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Some quick modular ideas development
Further form layouts and general green roof possibilities ..
As we get to know each others strengths and weaknesses, tasks are allocated to individual team members by our team leader ..
My particular focus, alongside the carpenter would be the drawing development and the physical model making ..
Basic maquette making
Day 2 Tuesday
As Monday evening is filled with ideas development the constraints of the brief become apparent and it is this immediate fact that is discussed on Tuesday morning with my colleagues. Still not 100% convinced about the container usage I have explored a timber possibility. (Figure 3) In terms of aesthetics I found the container idea obtuse and too rectilinear for such natural surroundings, (Figure 4) naturally, negative input is unwanted and rather discuss the cant’s and the don’ts we immediately develop our ideas and possible layout solutions as can’s and do’s. A quick reference to the metric handbook reveals the dims for wheelchair access and minimum space requirements. Following the previous night’s sketches and modular possibilities we are unanimous in the decision to only use one container as opposed to 2 or even 3 as transportation has limited possibilities. We all agree that a simplistic approach would best resolve the issue and the notion of floor plan and layout resolution is of paramount importance in preparation for Wednesdays workshop visit and modelmaking representation. By the end of Tuesday afternoon we have a definite idea of layout and are concrete on our rustic direction in keeping with the project brief. Fit-out options seem simple at first glance but it rapidly becomes apparent that with many choices available we try to focus our efforts on sustainable living. With a view to caravan installations. WC choices, amenities, services, sensory exterior and interior spaces are explored and basic functionality is the order of the day. The ladies in the group take to the task and deal with the bare necessities masterfully. Sourcing the toilet septic tank, grey water flush system layout, water pump specifications and high-capacity water storage. Photovoltaic panelling equated to 9 units at 150 W output each. The manufacturers guides are always at the optimum level so an average of 1000 W would suffice considering the fact there are very few components that require power in the dwelling .. We end the day with some organisation skills and news of the model progress is relayed via social networking. There is excitement in the air for the anticipation of the following morning.(Figure7)
Richard Rogers zip house, affordable prefab housing
No introduction needed, the bridge between industrial and domestic dwelling is realised by Charles and Ray Eames
Day three : Wednesday
Wednesday morning is an early start and an exodus of Architectural Tech students begins Chichester bound. Some exciting feedback of model making progress is relayed and we look forward to involvement in the workshop. A hands on physical day awaits. On arrival my first impressions are of the venue, real hand crafts immensity, reminiscent of the technical Colleges of the past. We’re shown to our allocated workshops and at which point we split the pack. The ladies follow up their research in a nearby computer room where they deal with costings and number crunching. Tom the carpenter and I set to work on the construction and deconstruction ability of the cabin, we discuss removable hook and clip cladding and in terms of pallet dimensions we quickly realise that an exact scale replica would be time-consuming and we push forward with the basic representation of the idea. With the modular possibilities laid to rest we are all agreed on a stand-alone approach to the cabin and its purpose.
Inspired by the manual labour of the work so far we construct in rhythmic horizontal cladding assembly. At lunch time I take the opportunity to make some final adjustments to the interior layout and Takuya takes on the task of interior furniture modelmaking. After a few minor adjustments to the floor plan the openings are resolved that seem to be limited in choices but circular form prevails and structural integrity is preserved. We leave the college last of all the groups hopeful in the fact of the simplistic rustic function of our cabin design as we trundle to the station on a real high note.
Work in progress
Tom works his magic
Floor plan
Trellis for living wall
Final layout options : An able bodied and disabled solution ..
Some last minute plot idea development
Day 5: Friday
Some last minute compilation fills the frantic morning and the focus this time is on the choice of natural insulation.
The notion of added weight becomes apparent as we’re already adding at least a ton to the mass of the building in terms of the high water storage capacity, nine PV panels and completely cladding three sides of the building : therefore, things like crushed glass and wood fibre are out but sheep’s wool, hemp, cellulose and newsprint quilts are in.
The risks of fire become apparent but in compliance to the building regs all are treated with fire retardants and insecticides, unfortunately natural insulation materials are currently up to 4 times more expensive than conventional materials and chemical treatments aren’t exactly eco-friendly.
As Chichester College and Hazelwick School arrive with the 1:5 model cabin and our poster is printed up we have a visual representation of the work done up to that point in situ.
The budget is adhered to and some last minute discussion on who should lead the presentation takes place. I am allocated the task but make my colleagues aware of the fact it is not a strong point of mine and no preparation is in place.
I have quiet confidence in the simplicity and independence of our design but I lack some technical data.
Needless to say everything I wanted to say leaves my thoughts and they are only filled with um’s and er’s. The critique goes backward and forward in a scrambled attempt to respond to some of the criticism. I definitely undersold our creation but I felt it was the least problematic simplistic effective interpretation of the Care co-op’s ethos and humanitarian direction .. It dealt with the problem of transportation and represented the robust structural integrity and deployability by having smaller portholes strategically positioned where the light requirements were most and above all offered complete independence to all services
All in all I may not have sold the technicalities of design very well but I am more disappointed in my absent-minded mention of the honour I felt to work with such forward thinking young people and in particular the carpentry legend Tom, whom without his production line approach to construction none of this would’ve been possible.
All in a steep learning curve but immensely enjoyable with some amazing people.
Presentation day
Final Presentation ..
Bibliography
Boonstra, C., Anink, D., Mak, J. and Morris, A. (1996) Handbook of sustainable building: An environmental preference method for selection of materials for use in construction and refurbishment. United Kingdom: James & James (Science Publishers).
Cohen, J.-L. (2009) Le Corbusier 1887-1965: The lyricism of architecture in the machine age. Edited by Peter Gossel. Germany: Taschen GmbH.
Feireiss, L. and Klanten, R. (2009) Spacecraft: More fleeting architecture and hideouts: V. 2. Edited by Robert Klanten and B. Meyer. Berlin: Die Gestalten Verlag.
Koenig, G. and Gossel, P. (2013) Eames. Germany: Taschen GmbH.
Mollerup, P. (2006) Collapsibles: A design album of space-saving objects. United Kingdom: Thames Hudson Ltd, United Kingdom.
Citations, Quotes & Annotations
Boonstra, C., Anink, D., Mak, J. and Morris, A. (1996) Handbook of sustainable building: An environmental preference method for selection of materials for use in construction and refurbishment. United Kingdom: James & James (Science Publishers).
(Boonstra et al., 1996)
Cohen, J.-L. (2009) Le Corbusier 1887-1965: The lyricism of architecture in the machine age. Edited by Peter Gossel. Germany: Taschen GmbH.
(Cohen, 2009)
Feireiss, L. and Klanten, R. (2009) Spacecraft: More fleeting architecture and hideouts: V. 2. Edited by Robert Klanten and B. Meyer. Berlin: Die Gestalten Verlag.
(Feireiss and Klanten, 2009)
Koenig, G. and Gossel, P. (2013) Eames. Germany: Taschen GmbH.
(Koenig and Gossel, 2013)
Mollerup, P. (2006) Collapsibles: A design album of space-saving objects. United Kingdom: Thames Hudson Ltd, United Kingdom.