Unit 07: Self Build: Furniture, House and Housing with an Emphasis on Timber Construction

SELF BUILD Fur niture, House, Housing M A rc h Un i t 7 L M U 2020-21

Ta u g h t b y D a v i d G r a n d o r g e & Te d S w i f t

This ye ar, un i t 7 i n ves t i g a t ed t h e plaus ibility o f s e lf-build at th re e s cales, tha t of fur n i t ure , a ho u s e a n d c o m m unal h o us ing , with an e m ph as is o n timber cons t r uc ti on i n m a s s i ve a n d f i l i gre e e le m e nts .

At the smal l e s t s c a l e, s t u d en t s u nd e r to o k a critical s tud y o f Enzo Mari’s inte l l i g e n t, e l e g a n t , yet r a d i c a l s e lf-build furniture pro j e ct, “Auto pro g etta zi one” fro m 1 9 7 4 , t h ro u g h d r a wn a n a l y s is and th e fabricatio n o f 1:1 pro to types tha t could b e use d in s i d e o r o u t s i d e of th e ir h o m e s .

This p r i me r i n s el f - rel i a n c e wa s f o llowe d by th e d e s ign o f a s e lf-build house that addre sse d t h e c o n d it i o n s o f Hack ne y’s Se lf-Build C h alle ng e launched i n the summ e r of 2 02 0 f o r a s it e i n Ba l co rne Stre e t, E 9, j us t no r th o f Victo ri a Pa rk i n Eas t Lon don .

Stud e n ts we re a s k ed t o a d d res s is s ue s o f build -ability, ad aptability, co s t a nd archi te c tur al q u a l i t y. T h ei r d es ig ns we re info rm e d by th e pre m is e o f rigorous simp l i fi c ati on ( a n i d ea id en t if i ed by Hug h Strange in h is analys is o f Wa lter Se gal’s se l f-b u i l d m et h o d ) a n d we re h igh ly re s o lve d in te rm s o f th e ir s etti ng out, the ir c al i b r atio n o f s pa c e, t hei r us e o f a le an m ate rial pale tte and th e integra ti on of s e r vi c e s. Th e m a t er i a l a n d l a bo ur co s ts o f th e ir d e s ig ns we re as ce r tai ned wi th a le ve l of r i g o u r n o t u s u a l l y p u r s ue d in arch ite ctural e d ucatio n.

The fi n al an d m a j o r d es ig n p ro j ect o f th e ye ar was fo r a s pe culative an d urba n -sc al e d s el f - b u i l d pro j ec t f o r a s ite at 337-357 K ing s land Ro ad . For thi s sce nar i o, st ud en t s were a s k ed , in g ro ups o f th re e o r two , to d e s ign co mmuna l hous i n g w i th a d en s it y t h a t t h ey d e e m e d was appro priate fo r th e give n si te. They would addre ss t h e s c a l e a n d m a s s ing o f th e ove rall as s e m blage , th e are a s a nd the foot p r i n t o f t he s i t e t ha t s h o uld be built upo n and th e re s id ual s paces tha t shou l d b e use d t o c rea t e s ha red p rivate o r public s pace fo r th e h o us ing.

The stude n ts’ d es ig n s a d d res s ed th e ad j ace nt s tre e t co nd itio ns and attemp ted to re c on c i l e the n ec es s it i es o f s ecurity and privacy with re taining a s e n se of ope n n e ss. C a ref u l c o n s id er a t i o n was g ive n to th e d e s ig n o f circulatio n a nd othe r c om m on a rea s .

Se lf- b ui l d at a m ed i u m - r is e s c a l e us ually re late s m o re to pro cure m e nt t ha n cons t r uc ti on , b u t in t h is pro j ec t s tud e nts we re as k e d to as ce r tain wh ich p a r ts could b e un der t a k en by t he s el f - b uild e rs as a m e ans o f info rm ing th e ir sp a ti a l and t e c ton i c d ec is i o n s .

The p rop ose d s u p er s t r u c t u res o f th e co m m unal h o us ing pro j e cts e m ployed timbe r i n tr ue o r c o m p o s it e f o r m . Co ns id e ratio n was give n to th e e ncap su l ati on a n d / o r in t u m es c en t finis h e s re quire d to give pro te ctio n f rom fire . St ude n ts d ef in ed a t a n ea r l y s tag e , a pre cis e ly d e fine d te cto nic s tra tegy and i n ve n tor y o f m a t er ia l s a n d de tails . Only th e fo und atio ns , lift co re s a nd stre et l e ve l str u c t u re em pl oyed re-e nfo rce d co ncre te in th e ir co ns tr ucti on.

The c om p l e x i t y a n d d ep t h o f t h e co ns id e ratio ns o f s e lf-build at th is s c a le a re diffic u l t t o c o m m u n ic a t e in t h is fo rm at, as yo u wo uld no t want to lo o k a t criti c al p at h s a n d s p rea d s h eet s . But it is th e s e ad m inis trative tas k s th at ma ke se lf-b ui l d vi ab l e. Sel f - b u i l d , a s a m e ans o f pro cure m e nt, is but a s m all a ct i n addre ssi n g t h e ho u s in g a n d c l i m a te cris e s we curre ntly face .

Taug h t by: Da v i d Gr a n d o r g e & Te d Swift Criti c s: Matt h e w Ba r n et t - Howl a nd , To m Em e rs o n, Co lin Wh arr y Str uc tur al En g i n eer : An d re w Sk i n ne r (Eurban)

Remaking Mari (1123xQ) Daniel Stilwell

Self-Build House, 37 Balcorne Street, London E9 Drew Yates

Self-Build House, 37 Balcorne Street, London E9 Sintija Norberte

Self-Build House, 37 Balcorne Street, London E9 Aleksandra Kuchta & Samuel Newton

Self-Build House, Balcorne Street, London E9 Angel Madix & Jim Jim Wyatt Gosebruch

Self-Build Housing Site, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Jim Jim Wyatt Gosebruch

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Dylan Luke, Sintija Norberte, Francesca Tattersall

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Sintija Norberte

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Francesca Tattersall

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Francesca Tattersall

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 James Thormod

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Drew Yates

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Samuel Newton

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Samuel Newton

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Aleksandra Kuchta

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Jim Wyatt Gosebruch

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Morgan MacGregor

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Morgan MacGregor

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Jonathan Oliver Evans

Self-Build Housing, 337-357 Kingsland Road, London E8 Jack Osmond

SELF BUILD Fur niture, House, Housing M A rc h Un i t 7 L M U 2020-21

Ta u g h t b y D a v i d G r a n d o r g e & Te d S w i f t