Reduce Resource Use: Scaffold Housing pgs. 29-36
Kimberley Nichols Urban and Architectural Designer
01 MISSING MIDDLE: SOME SANDY
This project seeks to create better missing middle multi-family housing by improving access to natural light, addressing the need for quiet and privacy, encouraging social connectedness through a socio-petal design, and incorporating passive cooling for resiliency.
SANDY APARTMENTS
By Awar Meman
The site straddles a noisy commercial road, Sandy Boulevard, which cuts the Portland grid at an angle, and a quiet residential neighborhood.
To address this, the Sandy edge is created and activated with a public interactive theater space and an art deco nod to the historic theater at the site which burned down.
The neighborhood is addressed with a roof line that provides natural light and the building angles back to match the setback of the neighborhood, as well as an iconographic gabled silhouette.
Graphical Parti - showing sanctuary in the center of the project, a quiet response to the neighborhood on the left side, and a public response to the busy street that cuts diagonally across the bottom of the project.
Photographed
Double Courtyards are the heart of the apartment complex - they support entry circulation for the apartments and create louder and quieter zones to meet the needs of different residents.
Unfolded West to South Elevation. This 2.5 dimension paper model was used to study how the massing and lighting of the model turns the corner and relates both to the residential street on one side, and the commercial on the other. .
The ground floor plan features a community play theater space and bar on the very busy Sandy Blvd. to the south of the project. Behind, we see the play courtyard and the first few apartments steping back to meet the residential setback.
Ground Floor Plan N
Courtyard Section Perspec-
On the floors above, residential spaces surround an upper courtyard - all the apartments have cross-ventilation and shaded windows to provide passive cooling. All entrances are around the courtyard to increase social interactions.
02 URBAN DENSITY: JENGA TOWER
This project explores development of a 10 story infill building on a very visible corner in Portland’s Central Eastside Industrial District. A building this visible belongs to the city. This concept creates flexible spaces whose program can be re-imagined over time.
This project was developed primarily by model building. Large volumes were shifted to develop a dynamic courtyard space - a secret gift to those who know the shortcut through the block. Texture and Form followed an initial massing model and developed with the project.
Partner Project with Jorge Burke
Physical models and model photography was an essential part of the design process.
Creating a hidden courtyard connection with layers of building scale and a ton of light was a key design move.
Birds eye view of the courtyard that space which connects the North and South streets and provides a secret sanctuary space for those who stumble upon it.
The interstitial spaces created by the massing were key to the experience of the building throughout all it’s layers.
Physical model light quality studies.
These two plans represent the typical massing organizations of different floors. On the left we have the “book-end” plan which features large double heigh outdoor spaces on the East and West. The plan on the right is the “double-l” plans which span across on a huge truss system.
This project was program-less but instead designed to be flexible in it’s use over time. In the plan on the far left, we imagined one area as a day care and community gardens, in the plan to the near right we imagined the floor as housing.
Section views of the project show the variety of spaces created on different floors as well as the huge double height openings that give the building it’s formal interest.
03 DESIGN FOR DIGNITY: PORTUGAL
Design development of a home for the elderly on a steep site in rural Portugal. The project aims to open both to the community and create a private garden the opens to the vineyards in the hills below.
EDEN VERDE
PORTUGAL ELDERLY HOME
The project opens up to the community by creation of a plaza and greeting area in the front and opens up to the countryside via a private residential garden in the back.
All units have a southern facing protected balcony for access to light and shadow, open cross ventilation, and a variety of public spaces are created on each floor.
Partner Project with Caitlyn Tino.
The massing model of this site was crucial for understanding the project due to the steep slope - the upslope edge is on a town road, and the downslope edge leads to vineyards idea for walking.
PUBLIC ENTRY GARDEN
The street view of the building opens to the public community, it becomes a place to greet loved ones, gather, and creates an entry transition to the home.
PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL GARDEN
PUBLIC
SEMI-PUBLIC
SEMI-PRIVATE
PRIVATE
This project is about connection through a steep site and connection at the center of the x-massing for residents.
This site has double plazas that are created through form - one opens up to the main road in the village and is designed for greetings. The other is more private and creates a connection and views to the vineyards below.
The residential garden at the back opens to the landscape and view beyond. The space is sheltered by the building and connects to the lower road for access to quiet paths.
PUBLIC GARDEN
FRONT ENTRY
COMMUNITY COFFEE AREA
SINGLE UNIT
DOUBLE UNIT
PRIVATE
Each floor is created to have two different “neighborhoods” which meet in the center for games and connection. Every floor has ample shared outdoor space via tiered terraces and the entrances are all exterior, taking advantage of the beautiful Mediterranean weather.
RESIDENTIAL UNIT
Each generous residential unit has south-facing outdoor access and adjustable sunshades. A connection to nature is created through a living facade and cross-ventilation is provided to every unit for healthy air quality.
CROSS - VENTILATION
SHADING AND PRIVACY
PRIVATE ACCESS TO NATURE
COMMUNITY ROOM
Although places to connect are scattered throughout the building, the community room a core location with a strong indoor-outdoor connection. It frames a beautiful view of vineyards beyond.
SEVEN PRAYER ROOM WINDOWS
CONTEMPLATIVE PATH TO PRAYER ROOM
CONNECTION TO NATURE
COMMUNITY SPACE
INDOOR/OUTDOOR COMMUNITY SPACE
PATH TO QUIET ROAD
PARKING
Every unit is designed to have a southfacing outdoor patio which allows cross-ventilation and access to light and shadows for all residents. The patio also gives a place for gardening, ritual, or hobby space for the residents.
The community space on the bottom floor is an essential place of connection for residents to both connect with each other and with nature through the stunning views and adjacent garden.
Lastly, a private prayer room is accessed through a journey down a ramp and around a corner only to be revealed after turning the corner, the room has spectacular western light in the afternoons through seven floor to ceiling windows.
PRAYER ROOM
The prayer room is accessed through an entry sequence that takes one into the landscape before revealing the sacred space. Seven full height south-facing windows cast light and shaodow. The space is welcoming to all.
04 REDUCE RESOURCE USE: SCAFFOLD
This project explores resource reduction by creating minimal dwelling units with an emphasis on creating communal spaces that support the need for much less personal space. IN PROCESS
SCAFFOLD HOUSING
“Less is Enough” is the axiom that Pierre Vittorio Aureli espouses. As a response to over-consumption and the debt-economy, this housing project attempts to reduce the need for space and “stuff” by creating social density, resources, and shared spaces that are attractive. Further, this project creates units that although minimal, allow for the ability to flex and create individuality and customization in terms of porch spaces, paint-able entries, and generous terrace which can transition to enclosed space.
The customizable nature of this project is intended to make the community more permanent and allow residents to feel ownership, indivdualization, and agency over their spaces.
Physical site model of the neighborhood and final massing.
The units are designed to be minimal and allow inhabitants to define their own lives. A typical unit unexpanded.
An expanded unit that gives additional interior conditioned space when needed.
The facade is created with large poly-carbonate sliding panels which function as overlapping shingles.
When the facade is opened - which creates numerous passive cooling benefits, the character of the units peeks out.
Typical Residential floor plan. Units have outward facing flex terraces and their entries have porch areas towards the central courtyard. The project is bookended with community amenities such as kitchens and work spaces. Additional amenities are found on the bottom floor.
Building section. The central courtyard connects the units and units can be connected via smaller spiral staircases as well. All units feature cross ventilation and large terraces.
05 EXPERIENCE DESIGN: PHYSICS
The series of chunk models that follow are an exploration of showing physical forces through visual architectural elements. These were all created in grasshopper - some with Kangaroo Physics Simulations.
BASED DESIGN
Worms eye view of a ceiling structure that makes visible the force density increasing near the columns.
This design was about showing the strength of forces required by creating a gradient effect of elements towards the structural columns. The thickness and length of the design elements increase as they get close to the supporting structure, ultimately turning into the columns. This same effect starts to become the facade of the design by creating openings that respond to the forces.
This design is an exploration of the voronoi pattern to create maps of thickness at the center of floor plates where the floor/ceiling meets the columns - the point of most force. This exploration was a study in structural efficiency based on physics. The skin of the building also reflects a density of variation depending on the distance to the openings.
This building was designed as a physics based vault with a Kangaroo simulation in grasshopper, the mesh of the done was rationalised to become the supporting structure. The floor plates here follow the voronoi structure.