Laura Pomfret – Dunster – Tuesday 10/11/2015

Tuesday began with with students situated at their own individual colleges. Kevin, Aidan and I were at the University of Brighton focusing on the development of the design as well as the buildability and appropriateness of the structure, we were also beginning to specify materials and components. Sam and Charlie were at Chichester College focusing, beginning to manufacture parts of the model, and Haroon was at Hazelwick School beginning to look at precedents for the project.

The internal layout of the structure portrayed quite a large issue throughout the development on Tuesday, we came up with a few different floor plan solutions to fit the essential furniture into the cabin however they all included their own problems. We were required to fit four people within the eco-cabin with the requirement for one disabled wheelchair user.

Figure 1, Showing Internal layout sketches (Pomfret, 2015)

Figure 2, Showing Internal layout sketches (Pomfret, 2015)

Throughout the day, we began to research caravan and volkwagen camper furniture, which can incorporate a range of different functions within a single component of furniture, as well as furniture, which can be folded up or hidden away when it is not in use. The research included covers that folded up for the hob and sink, which would allow for extra kitchen food preperation surface, this type of furniture is widely used within caravans, which can be seen in Figure 3. The main development we made whilst looking at this specific type of compact furniture was the small proportions of the carvan kitchens which provide sufficient cooking, washing up and preperation space whilst only requiring a very small space. We also determined that due to the residents of the eco-cabin only using the space for a short stay period fewer items of furniture are essential.

Figure 3, Showing interior of a VW camper,(sjsvwcamperinteriors, n.d)

The space around furniture and components was also a limitation due to the requirement for a wheelchair to be able to gain access to all areas within the cabin. To adhere to the building regulations (shown in figure 4) for ease of access for a wheelchair user, we decided that the external door for the structure would be a double opening door to allow for a larger amount of space for the wheelchair user to gain access through, this double door feature would also allow for more light to enter the structure, and will also open up the cabin in the summer to make it more spacious. Similarly, the internal door into the toilet/shower area would be a sliding door, which allows for a larger width for the wheelchair to pass through, as well as preventing the requirement of space for doorswings which would limit where furniture could be placed.

Figure 4, Showing minimum requirements for wheelchair access (HM Government, TBR 2010)

The external wall was also discussed on this day, as well as other uses of materials within the structure. Charlie recommended the use of cork for the internal insulation of the structure however this provided very high costs, as would also not be the best material to use in terms of sustainability due to the sourcing and slow growth of this certain type of tree. Furthermore, after discussion we decided on a high performance insulation of 40mm Kingspan, which would provide a barrier to keep the heat within the structure as well as providing a very thin layer, which would allow for optimised internal space. The Kingspan insulation would be used throughout each wall as well as the floor insulation for the structure due to its qualities. The external cladding was also recommended by Charlie, which would use a material known as Neowood, this type of cladding is sourced from compilation of recycled plastics therefore it is waterproof lightweight and environmentally friendly.

The day was concluded with a finalised internal floor plan (shown in Figure 5), which would allow for sufficient sleeping space, sleeping space, food prepration as well as a sufficient bathroom space for use of a wheelchair user.

Figure 5, Final floor plan sketch (Pomfret, 2015)

References:

Sjsvwcamperinteriors, n.d. [image online] Available at: <http://www.sjsvwcamperinteriors.co.uk/SL372110%20-%20Copy.JPG> [Accessed 10 November 2015]

HM Government, The Building Regulations, 2010 (TBR 2010), [online] Available at: <http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADM_2004.pdf> [Accessed 10 November 2015]