Contents
01 02
Mission Statement The Manifesto
Sustainability as Feminist Practice - Deconstruction of Gender - MatriArch: Infiltrating the Profession
03 04
The Approach
Material Amendment (& Energy) - The Studio Tactic - Themes Permeate
05
Death & Life of a Neolithic Settlement - Becoming a Relic - Revering the Dead
06 07
Determining Value: Left & Taken
A Lifecycle Approach to Death - Fabricating Waste - Emerging Materials - Wasted Remains - Recompose
08
Material Breakdown - Exponential Degradation - Material Assessment - The Future of Sustainability
09
Into Fruition - The House - The Compostorium
10
The Surroundings - Access - Housing - Flood Resilience - Death Care
11 Erosive Development 12 Design for Decomposition 13 Bibliography 14 Figures
1 2 4 6 6 8
10 13 16 20 22 26 28 34 36 38 40 42 44 50 52 58 62 66 70 72 84 86 88 90 92 94 96
100
This I know
1
Design for Decomposition is a method to consider the sustainability of a project beyond its occupancy, and how a scheme can mutate when it no longer serves its users. It is not a solution for every context. We also need more homes, we need to retrofit, we need to produce less waste.
Mission Statement
This thesis probes the notion of a building’s life cycle. What is it? How do we understand sustainability in this context? When we say cradle-to-grave, should we discuss decomposition rather than demolition? Can a new ecology flourish in the wake of human occupation? What can we take from a building to sustain our lives in another setting, and what can be left?
2
The Manifesto Manifestos are typically produced to signal change, and the promotion of a new agenda and policies by an organisation. Architectural manifestos have a long history and range in style from Bjarke Ingels’s 400-page Yes Is More book, through to Peter Barber’s (2019) brief assertion that ‘(…) architecture can create the potential for social action and activity’. It is hard to develop a manifesto in a fluctuating political, economic and environmental climate, where agendas and ambitions might change in a few months’ time. We Made That’s Things We Won’t Do (2019) provides the antithesis of the
traditional manifesto: instead of stipulating their intentions as a practice, they offer a comprehensive list of things they will not engage with or do. It is an ethical manifesto highlighting the key contemporary issues within the profession - a statement that they will not be part of the problem. My manifesto will act as statement of intent, a declaration of what I don’t intend to do as a designer. It is formed of facts (that are true at the time of writing), and opinions that I hold (at the time of writing). I believe the architecture profession, and construction sector, need to radically and swiftly address overconsumption and greed.
3
Never!
NO
We cannot
NO NO
We Made That, ‘Thing’s we won’t do’ Author’s annotations
4
Sustainability as Feminist Practice Addressing climate change is pivotal to all society, but the repercussions of global warming will disproportionately affect women. In a report published by the United Nation’s Development Programme it was stated that 80% of those displaced by climate change are women (Baumwoll et al. 2016, p.5). A further assessment by the UN’s Environment Programme asserted that in the wake of climate catastrophes women are reportedly more likely to be victims of exploitation and violence than men (Nellemann et al. 2011, p.7). Moreover, research into pollution has even attributed to climate change an increase in asthma in adolescent girls, and dementia in older women (Climate Reality Project 2018).
In Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology, Donna Merten outlines that central to feminist research is the objective of reversing gender inequality that can lead to ‘social injustice’ (2015, p.22). Ackerly and True further stipulate that feminist research recognises that knowledge production always takes place within a political and social context (2010, p.465). My research will use a feminist framework, developing upon existing knowledge and lived experiences of gender inequality. My design project should not contribute to climate change, which sustains and encourages gender inequality.
5 No Poverty
Zero Hunger
Gender Equality
1
Good Health and Well-being
2
4
3
Clean Water and Sanitation
5
Quality Education
Affordable and Clean Energy
Decent Work and Economic Growth
7
6
8
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Reduced Inequalities
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
9 Responsible Consumption and Production
12
Climate Action
13
Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
16
10
Life Below Water
Life on Land
14
Partnerships for the Goals
17
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015 all United Nations Member States agreed to adopt the 17 Sustainable Development goals, set to be achieved by 2030. The goals set an agenda for a more sustainable future for both people and the planet, including the eradication of poverty, and enhanced climate action. My research and design work should recognise these goals, and I have highlighted key objectives I believe it is integral to engage with.
11
15
6
Architect
awards
Architecture (Denise Scott Brown)
Guerrilla Girls, ‘The Advantages of being a Woman Artist’ Author’s annotations (Guerrilla Girls n.d.)
Deconstruction of Gender.
My dissertation Deconstructing Gender: Can choices in building method address gender inequality in the construction sector? explored how different building approaches could be utilised to increase female representation within the construction sector, arguing that to fulfil the demands of the industry would require greater diversity. The dissertation presented the homogeneity of the industry, before examining the potential role of off-site manufacturing, self-build homes and robotics as methods to increase the employment of women in the industry. My thesis will build on this research, reasoning that the sustainability of the architecture profession and construction industries is only viable with a diverse workforce.
MatriArch: Infiltrating the Profession.
The student-led feminist collective MatriArch raises issues facing women and non-binary people in the architecture education system and profession, aiming to represent the lived experiences of women in the profession. As a platform, we aim to progress gender equality in architecture, ensuring our profession is reflective of the population it designs for. This work is fundamental to my approach to design; my work has to be inclusive and has to generate some positive contribution to experiences of women in the profession and the built environment.
7
WO Men at work Deconstructing Gender Can choices in building method address gender inequality in the construction sector?
Rosa Turner Wood
An approach based on the lived experiences of women.
Steel erectors
Bricklayers and masons
Roofers, roof tilers and tilers Carpenters and joiners
Construction and building trades
Production managers and directors in consruction
Construction project managers and related professions Scaffolders, stagers and riggers Key
Men 8,000
Women 8,000
8
Are we making assumptions?
Do we understand the needs of the users of our design?
Who can support us in this inquiry?
Is this appropriate for the context?
The Approach The book Open Source Architecture argues that architectural practitioners should act as facilitators for a project, setting the parameters of a scheme, but allowing the projects’ users to drive the output – thereby eradicating the trope of architect as visionary (Ratti and Claudel 2015, p.103). The architect Alejandro Aravena further argues that residents must be involved in the development of their housing schemes, due to the slow nature of delivering a project which
can span multiple political administrations. Through occupants’ involvement Aravena states, ‘residents can guarantee that the next administration implements the decisions and ideas that were discussed’ (Ruby et al. 2014, p.282). My approach to inquiry allows for challenges that can ensure my project develops and adapts, catering adequately to the needs of occupants and users.
9 Student Undergraduate Education (RIBA Part I) Employment (RIBA Part I) Postgraduate Education (RIBA Part II)
Accumulating knowledge, style and expertise
Employment (RIBA Part II RIBA Part III)
Architect Project
“Moments Moments ofofOpenness openness and Collaboration collaboration”
Integration of “own aesthetic (...) contributing expertise and personality to the specific project”
Moments “Closed honing of Openness and and decision Collaboration making” Strategy for Community Engagement
Project Delivery
Choral Architect Redrawn by author (Ratti and Claudel 2015, p.107)
In Open Source Architecture Ratti and Claudel discuss the role of the ‘choral architect’. The choral architect facilitates community engagement by creating instants of ‘openness and collaboration’ before using their own experience to hone in a project (Ratti and Claudel 2015, p.101). This cyclical process is orchestrated to ensure the scheme addresses the needs of the community, while also recognising that an architect has specific expertise that guarantee a project can be delivered.
10
Scotland’s Oil & Gas Supply Redrawn by author (Scotland 2018b)
Material Amendment (& Energy) Globally, it is anticipated that by 2071 oil and gas reserves will have been used up (Labrecque 2018, p.9). However, according to research by the University of Edinburgh (2017), the UK retains a mere 10% of its original recoverable gas and oil supply, with estimates suggesting it will be exhausted by
2030. The implications of this are manifold, from the impact it will have on transportation, to refrigeration of our foods. To ensure people can have a good quality of life, it’s essential that we look to sustainable technologies, avoiding using materials that use crude oil and gas in their production.
11
Oil & Gas Production History, Scotland (Per Million Tonnes) Redrawn by author (Scotland 2018a)
Production Occuring in Scottish Waters (% of UK Production) Redrawn by author (Scotland 2018a) Key Scotland Offshore Oil Fields in North Sea Crude Oil & Natural Gas Liquid Total Oil and Gas
Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundary Offshore Gas Fields in North Sea
Natural Gas
12
SKARA BRAE ST MARGRET’S HOPE
DOUNREAY
THURSO
GILLS BAY
DORNOCH
03
02
01
INVERNESS Inverness
KYLE OF LOCHALSH
ISLE OF SKYE
04
FORT WILLIAM
GLENCOE DUNDEE
DUNDEE
EDINBURGH
GLASGOW
Materiality in Scotland
Renewable Energy Resources
WINDERMERE
LAKE DISTRICT
SHEFFIELD
Carbon Emissions kg CO2e
s m
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Paprika
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Carbon Emissions (kg) Unknown Source
*Based on air miles for wieght of produce from country of origin. Retailers are not required to disclose transportation methods or additional transportation to warehouses/packaging plants on the way.
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Scottish Oats
Honey
Hot
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Harissa Paste
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Chees
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Sult
Sprin Smoked
Garlic
Ham
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Scottish Oats
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Carbon Emissions kg CO
Estimated Food Production
Estimated Food transportation - Country of production to UK*
Sourced in UK/EU
*There is little information on the producti emissions of processed/compound foods mechanical processes
Produce in Sea Winter Produce Carrots Cauliflower Kale Leeks Mushrooms Onions Parsnips Pears Potatoes Swede Turnips
Embodied Energy, Transport
Embodied Energy, Food
13
The Trip The Van/Mobile Studio, Aberdeen
The Studio Tactic
This year Studio Material Amendment has had a dual line of inquiry; its preliminary focus is on the production of energy across Scotland, and the communities these industries sustain; additionally, as a collective we have explored natural materials available in Scotland, with the intention of developing architectural responses that utilise sustainable resources. This investigation has simultaneously been framed by the repercussions of climate change, and an endeavour to deliver schemes that don’t harm the environment. Our studio began with a road trip across
Scotland, with the intention of travelling to sites of historical and vernacular significance and towns transformed by the oil industry. Before our visit we researched the context and the impact of our trip. We were keen to understand the environmental repercussions of three vehicles transporting 13 people around Scotland, investigating the CO2 generated by this excursion and the materials necessary to facilitate this. This research became important in the honing of my project, illuminating the impacts of our lifestyle from the minutiae of the carbon footprint of rice, to the damaging emissions of a car.
Key Lower Old Red Sandstone Conglomerate, Sandstone, Siltstone and Mudstone (LORS-CSSM) Carboniferous sandstones, mudstones, limestones and coles Sleat Group - Sandstone, Mudstone, Siltstone and Conglomerate (TB-SMSC) Silurian, Devonian, and older granites
Torridon Group - Sandstone and Mudstone (TC-STMD)
Wave, Tidal and Biofuels Facilities
Sandstone buff quarry
Coal-fired Power Stations
Skara Brae
Oil and Gas Fired Power Stations
Old Red Sandstone Supergroup Conglomerate, Sandstone, Siltstone and Mudstone (ORS-CSSM)
Hydroelectric Plants
Sandstone grey quarry Operational Windpower farms Planned Windpower farms
Nuclear Power Stations Carbon Emissions (kg) Unknown Source Source in UK/EU
14
15
Skara Brae
Cromarty Firth
Studio Material Amendment
Ecovillage Findhorn
As a group, we acknowledged that the only means of justifying our trip was to use it as a tool to collect artefacts and materials, housing them in our mobile studio, and creating a findings document post-trip. We equipped a van with materials necessary to become a mobile studio, a library, and a place for eating. Bespoke units were created, and on the trip we collected photos, objects, and guides, artefacts we could reflect upon on when back in our Studio.
Footdee, Aberdeen, offers an example of vernacular architecture, with the mid-19th century cottages formed into squares that once supported a thriving fishing community. Here the backdrop of Aberdeen’s industry starkly contrasts with the residential scale of Footdee. Findhorn’s eco-village stands as a testament to a community ambition to create sustainable housing whilst being unique to its occupants. Whilst on Orkney, Skara Brae stands as an example of a Neolithic settlement, distributed into several similarly proportioned homes and a workshop.
16
Footdee Shed, Aberdeen
Themes Permeate
On the trip I reflected upon the dynamic created by our constant transience. The van allowed our group to come together as a collective, and all our possessions fitted within the vehicles, bundled into carriers and plastic bags. We stopped in hostels overnight, but their function was purely as spaces to sleep. While the architecture was left behind as we progressed, it was our personal possessions that remained constant. Orkney also revealed a Neolithic tradition
of tomb architecture, with Cairns scattered across the island. The Cairns had formerly acted as burial sites and places of religious ceremony. The traditions of death enacted by the Neolithic people were no longer visible, but the architecture remained. The trip allowed different themes to emerge; settlements and their significance; the value of possessions; the life and death of people and communities; and an exploration of materials and their sustainability.
17
Moss
Sheepswool
Slate
Driftwood
Seaweed
Weave
Sand
Rope
Granite
Woven Polypropylene
Clay Brick
Steel Mesh
Material Collection Objects and materials accumulated by the group
18
Skara Brae
Orkney
Stromness St Margaret's Dounreay Thurso
Isle of Skye
Gills Bay
Dornoch Findhorn Inverness
Aberdeen
Fort William
Scotland Glencoe Dundee
Edinburgh Glasgow
Windermere
England
Sheffield
The Route
19
Ecovillage Findhorn
Maeshowe Chambered Cairn, Orkney
Ring of Brodgar, Orkney
Settlements
Valued Possessions
Van, Aberdeen
Orkney
Footdee, Aberdeen
Skara Brae, Orkney
Death & Life
Establishing Key Themes
Materiality
20
Me!
Skara Brae
The Death & Life of a Neolithic Settlement On the north-eastern coast of Scotland are the islands that form Orkney, defined by rolling landscapes, and abundance of archaeological sites. Skara Brae sits on the west coast of Mainland Orkney, a Neolithic settlement compromising eight housÂŹes which over six hundred years
expanded to accommodate a community (Towrie n.d.). The site was deserted by residents, remaining hidden until 1850 when a storm revealed the ruins. From 1850 excavation ensued, with archaeologists searching to discover why the site had been abandoned.
21
2019 1999
Skara Brae declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
1927
Professional excavation and preservation efforts begin at Skara Brae under V. G. Childe and J.W. Paterson.
1924
Skara Brae is placed under guardianship of H.M. Commissioners of Works.
1850
Buried Neolithic Age village of Skara Brae uncovered by storm.
2500 BCE 2600 BCE
Village of Skara Brae is abandoned for unknown reasons.
3000 BCE 3100 BCE
Occupied
Occupied
2800 BCE
The Neolithic chambered cairn known as Maeshowe constructed and in use.
Neolithic village of Skara Brae inhabited.
3300 BCE
22
Maeshowe Chambered Cairn (Skara Brae Scotland n.d.)
It has generally agreed by archaeologists that the site simply no longer served the needs of its community and so they relocatÂŹed, moving away from their shared community to individual farms (Orkneyology n.d.). Although some furniture and material objects were left, others were taken with them by former residents because they had a perceived value. The houses, however, had lost their value.
Becoming a Relic
When we move, we leave stuff behind, often we leave buildings. We leave them to rot, to deteriorate, becoming ruins of a bygone era. When people find these spaces years later, they call them relics. Skara Brae stands as an example of this; it no longer served its users, but we preserve and celebrate the architecture nonetheless because it offers an insight into the past.
Key Periods 1 & 2 Period 3
Period Later
23
No. 01
No. 03
No. 08 No. 02 No. 05
No. 04
No. 06
No. 10 No. 07
No. 09
Skara Brae Layout
Dresser
Bed
Living Area
No. 01
Hearth
Cell
No.01 Skara Brae
24
Michigan Theater Car Park, Detroit
Relic of a former industry.
25
Colosseum, Rome
Relic of a former empire.
26
Maeshowe Chambered Cairn (Orkneyology n.d.)
Revering the Dead
The Cairns stood as places to bury and worship the deceased, with excavations on these sites finding pottery, animal bones, and other artefacts, offerings provided by the Neolithic communities to the dead (Tait 2002).
These spaces are sacred. They were places where a community could grieve for an individual and ensure their wellbeing in the afterlife, and also where the dead could be left to decay in confines close to their community.
27
Maeshowe Chambered Cairn Section
Cell
Passage
Central Chamber
Doorway
Maeshowe Chambered Cairn Plan
28
Determining Value: Left and Taken Twenty-first century societies are tending to be more transitory. There are multiple reasons for this from changing labour markets, to our ambitions to sustain family and personal relationships, through to migration as a result of climate change.
During my lifetime I have moved for education, employment and my social life. It is a lifestyle based on impermanence, with houses occupied until they no longer serve my requirements. The only consistency has been through my possessions, objects that I shelter in theses space to create my home.
29
All the Places I’ve Lived since 2013
01
02
03
05
06
07
04
30
House: Jean Turner, Surrey Nana
House: Helen Turner, London Mum
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Valued Possessions: Jean Turner, Surrey
Valued Possessions: Helen Turner, London
32
Often houses are treated as assets. However, I believe that it is the objects we preserve within that are of real value. It is the collection of ceramic houses that adorn my shelves, the artwork framed on my nana’s walls that offer an insight into her communist principles, and it is the stacks of photo albums my mum has lovingly assembled, constructing a timeline of our family’s combined lives. This line of inquiry started to inform my project:
•
If we know our houses will be deliberately abandoned, how does this change their appearance?
•
What if the value of a home isn’t defined by its occupation, or its monetary worth, but its ability to be left behind?
•
If architecture is left behind, might there be potential for it to offer another contribution to a site in its wake?
33
Inhabited
Left Behind
Taken
Inhabited
Left Behind
Taken
34
My House A Life Cycle Approach to Death Emissions not dependent on occupants. Energy consumed based on choice of materiality and its embodied energy
Initial Embodied Emissions
Operational emissions directly related to occupants
Recurrent Embodied Energy
2-3 Years
40 - 60 Years
The energy consumed in maintenance, replacement and retrofitting Demolition and recycling
Operational Emissions End of Life
A Building Life Cycle
35
Me
Initial Embodied Emissions
Emissions generated by mother in gestation period
9 Months
Emissions related to the lifestyle of the individual
Energy used to sustain life, i.e medication, diet Disposal of body
Life Emissions Death Care Embodied Energy 80 Years (Average Life Expectancy UK) A Human Life
36
Daniele Del Nero, After Effects (Voynovskaya 2012)
Fabricating Waste
The construction sector is responsible for 44% of Scotland’s waste (Scotland 2013), and an additional estimated 50% of the globes landfill waste (Willmott Dixon 2010). Furthermore, evaluations made by Dr Mohamed Osmani (2012) state that 13 million tonnes of the sectors annual waste goes to landfill unused (2012, p.367), with this material having a value of £1.5 billion per annum (p.38). Dr Paola Sassi discusses the necessity of reducing construction waste, outlining the scarcity of available land for
landfill in densely inhabited countries, and the detrimental impact of waste incineration (Brebbia 2006, p.92). The architectural and construction sectors bear responsibility for considerable pollution and land damage, both in the construction phase and, notably, in the building’s operational period (United Nations 2009, p. 3). As practitioners we must look at the materials we choose, the repercussions they have in a structures lifetime, and in their disposal.
37
44.00% Percentage of Scotland’s waste generated by Construction and Demolition (Scotland 2013)
66 Million Million tonnes of non-hazardous C&D generated annually in the UK, of which 91% is recovered (United Kingdom European Commission 2016) “The industry may claim around 90% diversion from landfill but there is a huge element of energy recovery through incinerators in that, rather than recycling, and precious little attempt at reuse or waste reduction.” Robin Latchem, (The Construction Index 2019)
1.06 Million Million tonnes of hazardous C&D generated annually in the UK (England 2015)
20.00% Biodegradable waste of total demolition waste (Brebbia 2006) Other Wood based Asphalt Paper/Plastic /Cardboard Masonry Concrete
1% 3% 15%
17% 24% 40%
Demolition waste by weight (Brebbia 2006)
38
Mycelium Brick (Hewitt 2018)
Emerging Materials
In 2014 practice ‘The Living’ collaborated with the biomaterials company Ecovative Design to develop Hy-Fi, a structure built outside the courtyard of MoMA PS1 (Stinson 2014). The organic form comprised 10,000 loadbearing bricks, made of corn stalks and mycelium. The material is a compostable alternative to traditional brick, but its application poses more widespread outcomes. Artist, Philip Ross has described the potential for the
A Precedent Study
material as insulation, in furniture, and even ambitions to use the material for foundations (Morlin-Yron 2014). In relation to the material the founder of The Living, David Benjamin, has stated the need to think of the cyclical process of material production: ‘It’s important to think about where the raw materials come from, how much energy is used to make the building and where the materials go at the end of the building’s life’ (Stinson 2014).
39
Form
Custom shape with thermoformed mold
Stack
Mix
Bricks into designed form with living mortar and thermo-formed molds into pool form
Agricultural waste and mycellium
January
Spray Dye
Grow
Bricks with natural compostable dye
5 days
Dry out
Forcing the mycellium to stop growing while hardening the brick
Mycelium Brick Process
Mycelium Bricks (Shabd n.d.)
A Precedent Study
40
Crematorium Smoke Wasted Remains
As a society we are making endeavours to reduce our carbon footprint. Individual sacrifices include moves towards veganism, and alternative forms of travel, whilst groups try to hold corporations accountable for unsustainable practices. However, when we die, our choices in death are still unsustainable. In 2005 16% of the UK’s mercury emissions came from cremation fumes, with further pollutants emitted from the burning of prosthetics and cement found in surgical procedures (Kahlia 2019). It is also suggested that 6.8m metric tons of CO2 are released
every year from cremation (Chestney 2012). When we discuss lifestyles, and our ambitions to be environmentally conscientious, we mustn’t stop at the point of death. We should measure sustainability in the same manner in which we review material credentials, ensuring the decomposition of our bodies doesn’t contribute further to pollution. I suggest we look for alternative practices. As stated by Sandy Sullivan, founder of the sustainable death Resomation system ‘we need to look after the planet even once we die, since we keep on destroying it while we live’ (Kahlia 2019).
Key Burials
Cremations
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3.5 Gallons Formaldehyde used per body in burials (Beach 2016)
30 Million Feet of hardwood used per year in burials (Beach 2016)
22.95% Percentage of those in the UK buried after death (Dignity Funerals 2018)
77.05%
Percentage of those in the UK cremated after death (Dignity Funerals 2018)
160kg CO2 emitted into atmosphere per body (Beach 2016)
3 Million Btus per body (Beach 2016)
No. 01 No. 100 No. 200 No. 299
£1070 £850 Alfreton Middlesborough £735 £364 Belfast Beckenham
Cost of cremation in the UK (The Cremation Society 2019)
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Urban Death Project (Ross 2018) Recompose
The Urban Death Project presents an alternative solution to the wastefulness and pollution of traditional death practice. Instead of burying or cremation, the facility offers a place for bodies to be composted, allowing them to decompose in wood chips. There is an intended poetics to the act – the project founder, Katrina Spade, draws parallels between the composting process and the flourishing of new ecosystems: ‘your body is transformed into a usable soil, to grow new life. Your family can then grow a tree and maybe your great-grandchildren will swing from its branches someday’ (Kahlia 2019).
A Precedent Study
Step 01 The body is carried up by mourners, and deposited in bay, before being covered in wood chips. The door is closed, and the body begins the process of decomposition. Step 02 Over a period of 4 to 6 weeks the body will begin to decompose, and traverse down the bay. Fans accelerate this process. Step 03 Staff at the facility remove soil, and screen material for such as fillings. Soil is available to mourners.
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Conveyance
Material Input
Urban Death Project: Step 01
Testing Ports
Aeration
Urban Death Project: Step 02
Soil Removal
Redrawn by author (Ross 2018)
Urban Death Project: Step 03
A Precedent Study
44
In our modern-day human culture, decomposition and decay have often come to be viewed quite negatively ... However, they are vital processes in nature, playing an essential role in the breakdown of organic matter, recycling it and making it available again for new organisms to utilise. (Trees for Life n.d.)
Material Breakdown The Scottish conservation charity Trees For Life (n.d.) insists there is a necessity for decomposition: Everything dies, and without the process of decomposition and decay the world would quickly become not only overflowing with the remains of dead plants and animals, but also would experience a decline in new growth, due to a shortage of nutrients, that would be locked up and unavailable in the dead forms. In The Economy of Sustainable Construction Lena Kleinheinz describes designers’ seemingly insatiable desire to make
buildings durable, equating permanence with sustainability. However, she argues that ‘we struggle endlessly with the inadequacy of buildings that reflect the parameters and challenges of past times’ (Ruby et al 2014, p.322). If our architecture might not be appropriate for future climatic and site conditions, can we ensure there are other ways to ensure its continued usefulness? What if we applied the worth of decomposition in nature to architecture and the construction sector? Can material sustainability includes its degradation phase?
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Infiltrating Materials
46
Ring of Brodgar
In a previous submission I established my own criteria of what I believed a low impact material should embrace:
once the building is deconstructed. (Turner Wood 2019, p.1)
Point four should expand, to not just include 1. Be sourced locally, sustainably and the capacity for reuse or recycling, but a renewably. determination to allow materials to decay. What can I learn from the moss growth on 2. Not negatively impact those Ring of Brodgar, and its ability to speed up corrosion? Conversely, should the use of a constructing it, or future users of a timber structure on Orkney be allowed to building. decay, or should we ensure its maintenance as a method of carbon storage? How do 3. Work in tandem with passive we weigh up our use of materials, to fit a design strategies. sustainable agenda? 4. Be able to be reused or recycled
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Moss at the Ring of Brodgar
Ecovillage Fiindhorn
Housing in Footdee
Timber in Orkney
48
Studio Nienke Hoogvliet, based in the Netherlands, have explored seaweed as an alternative to other unsustainable dyes. Their natural dye system creates a spectrum of shades from different seaweed species. Sea Me Collection: (Franklin and Till 2018, p.56) The company NYVIDD, based in the Netherlands, use waste fish skin from the food industry to create fish leather an attempt to create a more circular economy that considers the full life cycle of a product.
Fish Leather (Solanki 2018, p.26)
The clothing brand Freitag, have developed F-abric, a range of products that are designed to last, until they are no longer of value to the wearer. At this point, the product can begin to compost.
Designed to Disappear (Franklin and Till 2018, 189)
49
Taking the idea that animal and human biological waste could be re-appropriated in design, as an abundant and sustainable resource.
Shit, Hair, Dust (Franklin and Till 2018, p.75)
Micaella Pedros, developed the Joining Bottles project, a system that uses discarded water bottles to create joints between pieces of wood by heating the plastic until it shrinks.
Joining Bottles (Franklin and Till 2018, p.41) Jade Ruijzenaars, a designer from South Africa, has developed a decorative glaze that uses waste from the Dutch shrimp industry in Rotterdam. The glazing process creates many variations, unique to the shrimps themselves. Shrimp Glaze (Solanki 2018, p.28)
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Exponential Degradation
Terms such as ‘biodegradable’ are associated with sustainable products, and yet there is no scientific measure for breakdown of a biodegradable material - the degradation may require very specific environmental conditions unattainable in certain settings (Smith 2019). By contrast, composting is a process that involves human intervention,
creating the optimal conditions for microbes to break down organic matter. In industrial composting processes, the European Union specifies that there must be an ‘absence of negative effects on the composting process’, thereby preventing the use of harmful chemicals to encourage the process of composting (European Bioplastics 2015).
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Compostable Regulated by scientific standards
Within 3 months, 60-90% of the product will have broken down
90% of the material will break down in pieces smaller than 2mm in size
In its break down, the product will not leave behind toxic materials
A compostable material is always biodegradable
Biodegradable Not regulated by standards
Product will eventually break down by natural processess
Product can take between 6 months to 1000 years to breakdown, no regulated time frame As any product will eventually break down, most things can be labeled ‘biodegradable’
Biodegradable materials are not necessarily compostable
Compostable vs Biodegradable
52
Material
Embodied Carbon CO2/KG Biodegradable
Straw
0.01 (Cradle to Gate)
Sheep Wool
*Sequesters CO2 -
*Sequesters CO2 during life
Cork
0.19 (Cradle to Gate)
Timber (Softwood)
*Sequesters CO2
Usage
UK Source
X
X
Insulation and structure
X
X
X
Insulation
X
X
X
Flooring and insulation
X
*Sequesters CO2
X
X
Cladding, structure and flooring
Linoleum
-
1.21 (Cradle to Grave)
X
X
Flooring
X
Concrete
0.45 (Cradle to Gate)
Compostable
0.159 (Cradle to Gate)
-
Structure, flooring and foundations
X
-
Material Assessment
Dr Paola Sassi argues that the realisation of biodegradable and compostable architecture is one approach that could be utilised, contributing ‘to a comprehensive agenda for sustainable design’, and insisting it is a means not just to reduce construction and
demolition waste, but also to create zero waste buildings (Brebbia 2006, p.91). As ethical practitioners we must interrogate the viability of materials that we specify in their production, transportation and use, and then in their disposal and corrosion.
Key
X
Applicable
-
Not Applicable
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0.38 (Cradle to Gate)
-
-
Compostable
Predominant Usage
UK Source
-
Interior walls and ceilings
X
Thatch, pigmentation, mattress industry
X
-
-
Roofing and flooring
X X
Slate
X
0.006 - 0.056 (Cradle to Gate)
Brick
X
0.22 (Cradle to Gate)
-
-
Walls, loadbearing and otherwise
PVC
*Sequesters CO2
2.41 (Cradle to Gate)
-
-
Cable insulation and piping
Limestone
Seaweed
Plasterboard
Material
Embodied Carbon CO2/KG Biodegradable
0.017 (Cradle to Gate)
-
Aggregate, mortar, tiles and panels
X
Bamboo
-
Copper
-
*Sequesters CO2
2.19 to 3.83 (Cradle to Gate)
-
-
Roofing, wall cladding, and flashings
Steel
Scaffolding, bridges, and structures
1.77 (Cradle to Gate)
X
-
Structure
-
Sandstone
0.620 - 1.018 (Cradle to Gate)
-
(?)
-
-
Walls, flooring, facades
X
X
X
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12 years
60 years
Plasterboard
Sheeps Wool
Straw
40+ years
20 years
Sandstone
Copper
70 years (Usable as piping)
0 Year
Beyond Material Lifespan
Can we also evaluate materials with regard to their life expectancy? If we take the RIBA’s assumed building life expectancy as being 60 years (RIBA 2017), then we need a building to last until 2080 before it can deteriorate. This will require maintenance, and the replacement of elements to sustain the architecture. However, if after 2080, the users then decide the architecture should
be preserved for a further period, as it adequately supports their needs, how then can these materials adapt or be substituted? The issue then becomes one of prolonging a building’s life, and then when users decide it no longer has any meaningful value, deliberately allowing materials to decompose and return to the soil.
55
Day 1 Inhabitation?
Day 29200?
Day 29200?
56
Structural cork bricks are designed for a whole-life approach to design.
Compostable
Cork House, England Matthew Barnett Howland with Dido Milne and Oliver Wilton The scheme uses expanded cork blocks and timber components to create a self-build home that can be manufactured off-site before being constructed onsite with minimal labour. The house considers the full lifespan of a development, allowing for the blocks to be disassembled, reused and composted at the building’s end of life. Key Cork Brick
A Precedent Study
57
The crumbling cottage is exposed, contrasting the new building’s skin with the existing frame.
Croft Lodge Studio, England Kate Darby & David Connor This project involved the renovation and retention of an 18th century cottage to house a new home and studio for the architect Kate Darby. The ruins of the former cottage were clad in a new high-performance envelope, creating a sustainable design that worked in tandem photovoltaic panels. Key New envelope
A Precedent Study
58
Innovation in the built environment does not necessarily come from new materials, new techniques, or new systems; it comes from the having the courage to follow common sense rather than commonplace ideas. Alejandro Aravena (Ruby et al. 2014, p.295)
The Future of Sustainability
In 2019 the RIBA published the RIBA Sustainable Outcomes Guide. The RIBA acknowledged the excesses of the profession and, drawing upon the UN Sustainable Development Goals, created an interpretation that presented the ways in which designers could ensure their schemes had environmentally feasible outcomes (2019, p.6). The RIBA concluded that by 2030 we
must reduce carbon emissions from the built environment by 75%, with a focus on new and refurbished buildings (2019, p.12). We must critique what a build’s lifespan looks like, and how our buildings might adapt or collapse. I believe we must take a holistic approach to architecture, embracing innovation in design and environmental viability in our material choices.
Whole Life Car E l n a e n r g o i y t bo a Use Oper n
ity bil a n lue tai Va us le
Em bo die
75% Reduction R 50 ed u
Re
20% Reduction
40% Reduction
Sustainable Outcomes
Re
30% Reduction
Pr Be ac
Mo de ra te
ain ab le Li Un f sus tai na b Min im um
35%
able Water Cycle Sustain
st ce ti
20 %
on cti du
ice act Pr
d 50% Re uction
% ion ct
y Susta inable Land Use & Ecolog
Env
iro
na
ta i
us
e bl ina sta u S
lS
b il
Co nn ec
na
tiv ity
h alt He od Go it y
stai
ty
l Su an dW ell be ing
b ili
S o cia
nable Communities Sustai
25% Reduction
e tic ac Pr
on rb Ca
tice rac P le
d
yc eC
on cti du
Eco no mi cS Sus t
59
e nm
nt
a
RIBA Core Sustainable Outcomes Target Redrawn by author (RIBA 2019)
Furniture Dividing Elements Services Access Structure Facade Location
| Renewed Frequently | 3 - 30 years Lifespan | 7 - 15 years Lifespan | Variable | 30 - 300 years Lifespan | 20 years Lifespan | Variable
Seven system based layers, a building’s lifespan Redrawn by author (Hinte 2003)
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Solid Wood Wall
Scarce use of materials that are unsustainable. The deliberate choice to express materiality is economical and architecturally innovative.
House, Vacarisses, Spain H Arquitectes In this housing development, only walls with servicing hidden behind are covered in plasterboard. The solid wood walls in the house are punctured where sockets and switches are required, while the rest of the wood is left exposed where services are not necessary. As a result, 50% of cladding material was saved. Key Plasterboard
A Precedent Study
Punctures in wall
61
The retrofit scheme has transformed the living spaces of inhabitants of the tower. The extensions show how an existing frame can be adapted to sustain the lives of new tenants.
Tour Bois Le Pretre, France Druot, Lacaton & Vassal Architects The 17-story residential building was originally completed in 1959 by the architect Raymond Lopez, followed by a renovation programme in the 1980s. In 2011, the development was renovated once more, this time providing residents with additional conservatories and balconies, extending their usable spaces, and allowing more light and air to penetrate the homes. Key Heated Extension
Winter Garden Balcony Extension
A Precedent Study
62
The alternative, the dynamic condition of sustainability, is by definition generous and forgiving. There are limits to our ability to plan the future ... The more we look ahead, the greater the chance that we’re wrong. (Hinte et al. 2003, p.13)
Into Fruition
Design for Decomposition is a proposition for the development of a housing scheme and compostorium for sustainable human burials. It is a two-pronged project that develops upon the themes of sustainability, the value of our possessions, and an understanding that
we cannot fully calculate the repercussions of climate change. This project isn’t about noninvasive architecture, it is about designing buildings that are deeply entrenched in their landscape.
63
Our Scotland study trip
My transient Skara Brae Construction experience (Orkney) waste
Emissions generated in life
What we value
Emissions generated in death
Rituals of death
What we value
New ecologies
Architecture left Compostable & possessions taken architecture
Remnants of a past
Unpredictable future
Compostorium
Housing
Design for Decomposition rium
Composto
Reduce consumption
Sustainable material choices
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01
Resource Extraction
02
Manufacturing
04
Occupancy, Maintenance and Renovation
03
Construction
05
Demolition
06
Disposal
Cradle-to-Grave
65
01
02
Resource Extraction
Manufacturing
04
03
Occupancy, Maintenance and Renovation
Construction
05
Removal of Elements
06
Decomposition & New Ecology
Design for Decomposition
66
Between the world and our idea of the world is a fascinating kink. Architecture, we imagine, is permanent. And so our buildings thwart us. Because they discount time, they misuse time. (Brand 1994, p.2)
The House
In the book Radical Matters, Franklin and Till describe the closed loop or circular economy as being the most ‘desirable model for sustainability – materials that come from nature go back to nature (…)’ (2018, p.168).
Can we design housing that decomposes? I suggest that although our society may be more transient, it is not always plausible to take a whole home on your next move – and that’s ok. It may not be the structures that make a home, but the possessions held within.
67
Housing: 30 years after first inhabitation?
68
To achieve zero waste buildings, inspiration can be drawn and lessons can be learnt from nature. The cyclical characteristic of natural processes, where plants grow, die and biodegrade becoming a resource for new growth, can be applied to building construction. Paola Sassi (Brebbia 2006, p.91)
If we were to leave a home behind, what aspects would be necessary to take? Would we want to take furniture? Appliances? Electrics? Which materials could be inconceivable to take and what should be left to decay? Can we define worth through decay and its contribution to the natural environment?
Instead of the design becoming a relic of an era defined by over-consumption, environmental erosion and political tensions, what if the building could instead disappear, and in the process make an ecological contribution?
69
Housing: 120 years after first inhabitation?
70
rium
Composto
And where would I deposit it?
When I die, what will I leave?
What artifacts would I want retained of my existence?
The Compostorium
How do we deal with sustainable death practices, and what should the architecture that supports them look like? The Compostorium proposes a facility that not only allows for funeral practice, but also a site to deposit and retain those possessions that we place such significance upon. When I die, what object would I want revered as symbolic of my interests, style, or life? In How Buildings Learn Stewart Brand states that ‘all buildings (except monuments) adapt anyway, however poorly, because the usages
in and around them are changing constantly’ (1994, p.2). What if a facility for human composting was designed like a monument, and like Maeshowe Cairn, and distinct from the decomposing housing, was constructed for permanence? The housing scheme and compostorium are intended to be juxtaposed against one another. Whilst considerations for sustainable materials are common in both, their aesthetics, uses, and symbolism are presented as altogether different.
71
My artifact The Compostorium
72
Slow and steady incline
20,000
2000 Variance between death and birth rate 200
100
0 2008
2013
2018
2021 2023 2026
Death, birth, and changing population Redrawn by author (National Records of Scotland 2019)
The Surroundings Design for Decomposition is situated on Orkney, a chain of islands known for its Neolithic heritage, terrain and wildlife. The housing and Compostorium are designed to deliver facilities the community needs, and address issues of sustainability.
island group and physical well-being of its residents’ (Orkney Islands Council 2019). The dichotomy of this, is that Stromness, and other towns that lie on Orkney’s coastline, are likely to feel the impact of rising sea levels which will change the way residents inhabit areas.
In a committee meeting held by the Orkney Island Council in 2019 the demand for housing on Orkney was indicated, with particular emphasis placed on social and below market rent accommodation (p.39). The council emphasised that ‘good quality housing is vitally important to the social and economic sustainability of the
In addition, Orkney’s population shows signs of slowly increasing in the coming years, however, the natural change between Orkney residents (difference between birth and death rates) is projected to further widen in the coming decade (National Records of Scotland 2019). In the provision of funeral care, sustainable practices must be offered.
73 500 400 300 200 100 0 Social Rent
Below Market Rent
Private Rent
Market Purchase
Housing demand Orkney, by 2032 Redrawn by author (Orkney Islands Council 2019) A need for housing but, simultaneously, rising sea levels could mean that some areas are not habitable for an extended period of time.
Rise in relative sea level (medium emissions scenario), 2095 Redrawn by author (Marine Scotland 2019) Key Population estimates, Orkney
Births in Orkney
Future estimates, Orkney
45 cm
Population Stromness
42.5 cm
Population estimates, Stromness
40 cm
Deaths in Orkney
37.5 cm
74
Flood Risk - Vulnerable Areas
Landscape Character Key Flood Vulnerable Areas
Coastal Basins
Coastal Sands
Coastal Hills and Heath
Whaleback Island
Undulating Island Pasture
Glaciated Valley
Plateau Heaths and Pasture
Rugged Glaciated Hills
Enclosed Bay
Low Island Pastures
Loch Basins
Ridgeline Island
Cliff Landscapes
Moorland Hills
Stromness
75
Historic Sites Orkney
West Mainland Orkney, Neolithic Sites Key Archaeological sites, Orkney
06
Barnhouse Village
Mainland Orkney
07
Stones of Stenness
01
Skara Brae
08
Maes Howe
02
Ring of Bookan
03
Bookan
04
Rng of Brogar
05
Watchstone
Stromness
76
Large Islands, Orkney
Roads and Towns, Orkney Key Primary Roads Secondary Roads Significant Towns
77
Geology
Metres Above Sea Level Key Special Areas for Conservation
50-100m Above Sea Level
Rousay Flagstones
100-150m Above Sea Level
Stromness Flagstones
150-200m Above Sea Level
Metamorphic Basement
200-250m Above Sea Level
Hoy Sandstones / Eday
250-350m Above Sea Level
Watercourses/Lochs
350-400m Above Sea Level
0-50m Above Sea Level
78
Stromness, Orkney (Orkney.com n.d.)
The scheme is located in Stromness, a town that sits South West on mainland Orkney, and currently has a population of 2,100. Stromness has the second highest population after Orkney’s capital Kirkwall and offers
direct links between the town and the northern coast of Scotland. The community business and cultural spaces, as well as being home to the European Marine Energy Centre, from which scientists test wave and tidal energy.
79
The European Marine Energy Centre
Stromness Marina
Stromness Ferry Terminal Stromness Parish Church
Pier Arts Centre
Stromness Museum
The Site
Orkney Islands
Mainland Orkney
Stromness
The Stromness Golf Club
80
The Site 2218.0 m²
The Site?
32657.6 m² 9241.3 m²
The site, Stromness
In Stromness, currently an additional 62 social rent houses are needed, 22 below market rent, and 31 private rent houses by 2032. A further 11 houses are need for market purchase, and the council acknowledges a need for temporary accommodation. The National Records of Scotland has indicated that by 2026 most households in Orkney will comprise of one or two people. My scheme should try to provide these required accommodation sizes by 2026.
I propose my site is located on the southeastern tip of Stromness, land that runs parallel to the sea, and offers ample space to host the facilities. The land is currently underutilised, with some parts uninhabited, while a former boat-fishing repair shop goes unused. To the east of the site sits a golf course, with the potential for the project to expand into this land.
81 75 60 45 30 15 0 Social Rent My project should deliver a percentage of this demand.
Below Market Rent
Private Rent
Market Purchase
Housing demand Stromness, by 2032 Redrawn by author (Orkney Islands Council 2019) 4000
3000
2000
1000
0
ul Ad
e or m s n or s 3 ult ult dre ad e ad chil or e m or or m 2 or + 1 1 or n + re lt ild du ch 1 A ore m ts
2
lt du 1A
The scheme must acknowledge predicted household numbers.
2016 Households and projected 2026 households, Orkney Redrawn by author (National Records of Scotland 2019) Key 2016
2026
82
Impacts of flooding
3 2
5
1 4
The site & flooding, Stromness (SEPA 2015)
The site lies adjacent to land that is anticipated to flood in the near future, with the site itself vulnerable to sea level rises. This creates a unique opportunity to design with flooding as fundamental to the project, and also anticipate how this might change the decomposition time frame and properties of
materials in the housing scheme. The site gives the opportunity to meet Stromness’ housing needs and provide a calming space for mourners to grieve their loved ones.
83 Remnants of small-scale industry and fishing.
Looking towards the island Hoy.
01: Site, Stromness Adjacent to the North sea.
02: Site, Stromness
Looking through to the Stromness Golf Club
03: Site, Stromness
04: Site, Stromness
Graemsay and Hoy in the distance.
05: Site, Stromness Key The Site Impacts of flooding
Potential Site
84
Potential through route
Routes onto site
Site Occupation: Routes
Access
The site offers multiple opportunities; access to the surrounding sea, road access along the perimeter, and potential through
routes across the site. The organisation of the programme across the site will be influenced by this, creating questions about the connections between the housing development and compostorium.
85
Dujardin Mews, England Karakusevic Carson Architects The scheme is a mixed-use housing development, offering 38 residential units; 50% of which are for social rent. The project provides high quality accommodation, in mixes of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bed houses, arranged in two and 3 storey units. The project was designed to provide sustainable housing for Enfield residents, with the provision of photovoltaic panels, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), and achieves Codes for Sustainable Homes level 4.
A Precedent Study
86
Dujardin Mews - 38 residential units
Site Occupation: 115 Residential Units
Housing
The project intends to deliver the 115 rental properties required in Stromness, using the government’s minimum gross internal floor areas as the smallest basis for accommodation sizing (Great Britain 2015, p.5). Through analysing the future projections of Orkney’s household size, I have also
anticipated the percentage of houses needed of each dwelling size (National Records of Scotland 2019). Therefore, there will be a primary focus on delivering one-bedroom homes. Using the footprint of Karakusevic Carson Architects’ Dujardin Mews, I present how the density of the scheme may look like onsite.
87
70% - 1 Bed 4640m2 (Approx)
2 People 2 Storey
1 Person 1 Storey
39m2
3 People 2 Storey
58m2
4 Person 2 Storey
70m2
4 People 2 Storey
79m2
93m2
15% - 3 Bed 1581m2 (Approx)
106m2
5% - 4 Bed 636m2 (Approx)
5 People 2 Storey
84m2
6 People 2 Storey
5 People 2 Storey
97m2
10% - 2 Bed 948m2 (Approx)
(Great Britain 2015)
7805m2 (Approx)
88
Potential woodland buffer? Site Occupation: Addition of landscaping to mitigate flooding?
Flood Resilience
The architect Alejandro Aravena has demonstrated in Chile how the provision of park can work to prevent the destructive consequences of flooding. When tasked with delivering a masterplan for the city of Constitucion after the 2010 tsunami destroyed parts of the city, the practice Elemental suggested the placement of woodland close
to the coast. Not only would this help to reduce the impacts of any future tsunamis’ on the city, but also it would help with more common localised flooding (Ruby et al 2014, p.285). I suggest the addition of targeted landscaping on the Stromness site could work similarly, and also provide a sheltered space for mourners of the crematorium.
89
Mortuary
Prayer Room Arrival Area Reception
Bushey Cemetery, England Waugh Thistleton Architects The project presents a cemetery formed of exposed solid rammed walls, with different functions connected by a cloistered timber colonnade. The Jewish cemetery is set within 16-acres of landscaping, offering a tranquil setting for funeral processions and mourning. It is sensitive to the environment it sits within, and when the cemetery is full (expected in 60-years’ time), the building materials can be returned to the earth.
A Precedent Study
90
Bushey Cemetery Site Occupation: Compostorium
Death Care
The sizing of the compostorium is based off of traditional sizes offered by Crematoriums (Cremation.org 1992, p.3). I speculate that in the design process the Compostorium will grow in size, supporting other functions, including a library of people’s valued
possessions, and landscaped spaces that allow for quiet contemplation. The imprint of Waugh Thistleton Architects’ Bushey Cemetery has been overlaid onto the site, indicating the proportions of the facility onsite.
91
02
40m2
01
03
250m2
30m2 01
04
05
18m2
12m2
08
07
10
25m2
9m2
09
9m2
9m2
06
9m2
11 9m2
02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 +
Composting Facility Sanctuary / Chapel Entrance Hall Waiting room Office Reception Vestry Commital Room Room of Remembrance Prayer Space Toilets Additional Space
420m2 + (Approx)
92
Fairbourne in Gwynedd, North Wales (Future Climate Info n.d.)
Erosive Development Fairbourne is a village on the Welsh coastline, with a population of 850. As a consequence of climate change, and an anticipated sea level rise, the local authority Gwynedd council, is attempting to move occupants from their homes then dismantle the buildings (Wall 2019). Fairbourne residents are anticipated to be Britain’s first climate refugees. Yet, residents feel disinclined to abandon their homes before it is essential. While many residents know this area won’t necessarily be habitable by the end of the century, they are tied to their community and want to stay within its confines for as long as possible.
This project becomes not about treating houses as an appreciating asset, but as a space that we can inhabit, hoard our possessions, and then leave behind. I present this project as a part local authority and part private development scheme. The council will deliver social and below market rent accommodation, whilst the private developers deliver private rental housing. Where a profit is generated by the private developers, I suggest a percentage is used to support the maintenance of the council-owned accommodation, as part of the developer’s corporate social responsibility obligation.
Stromness will also be impacted by climate change, but the time frame is less certain. In Design for Decomposition I take reference from Skara Brae and propose that architecture could be designed to sustain communities for a period of time but then be abandoned when the context is no longer viable.
By contrast, the Compostorium operates as a business, generating an income through funeral care provision. However, I suggest a percentage of the profit produced funds the maintenance of the adjacent housing development.
93
A House is not an Asset it’s a Liability.
94
Buildings have lives in time, and those lives are intimately connected with the lives of the people who use them ... They change and perhaps grow as the lives of their users change. Eventually when, for whatever reason, people no longer find them useful - they die. Patricia Waddy (Brand 1994, p.210)
Design for Decomposition In the context of Orkney, we cannot completely anticipate how the climate, economy and commuÂŹnity might change over the next hundred years. We cannot anticipate if a resident of an Orkney community might choose to remain in 2045 when Scotland meets net-zero carbon emissions, or stay when the sea levels have risen at Skara Brae by one metre by 2100. This project allows for ambiguity and it should allow for adaption. It recognises that traditional architecture and construction, and their associated waste production, are unviable in the future. As designers we must ensure our projects do not further contribute to the irreparable consequences of climate change. .
Key Next Moves Test Materials: Their properties,
their constraints, and ultimately their decomposition – what does decay look like, and what can it offer? What is readily available on Orkney, and what must be sourced from mainland Scotland and neighbouring areas?
Interrogate the Site: What are the specific challenges it poses? How can I draw strengths from its potential flooding and any other anticipated changing climatic conditions? Defining Value: What objects is it integral
we retain - for sentiment or because their disposal would have negative consequences on the environment?
Death Practice: & how can we propagate sustainable death practices as a necessary objective when we die?
95
96
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