Xiao Krosschell Thesis - Fall Book 2022

copyright © 2022 by xiao krosschell

all rights reserved. this book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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acknowledgements

i just want to say thank you to my mom and dad who have always been there to support me through school. i definitely wouldn’t be where i am now in my academic career without them. they taught me how to persevere and work hard to achieve my goals

i also want to thank my co-workers at catch architecture. as they have taught me so much about this profession and i am always learning from them i am eternally grateful to nina nazarov-hambly for being willing to teach me and hiring me as an intern. i feel i have grown to love architecture more because of her

xiao krosschell is a 5th year at cal poly san luis obispo prusuing her architecture degree. she is currently working at catch architecture in paso robles. after college she hopes to pursue her architectural license while specializing in residential architecture. she finds residential architecture fascinating because of the personal relationships one is able to develop with the client this coupled with the gratification of being able to bring someone ’ s dream house to life is what drives her to pursue residential architecture.

Table of ConTenTs

Project Intent

Site Info

Project Intro Design

17

27

5 43

ProjeCT InTro

Abstract Introduction Challenges with Contemporary Food Food and Culture

Growing Your Own Food

Quality of life an individual ’ s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns.

fresh food food that is either completely unprocessed or minimally processed. ex: vegetables and fruits (including fresh, frozen, or unsweetened dried produce), grains, legumes, 100% fruit/vegetable juice, nuts, and seeds

Processed food food that has been chemically processed and made only from refined ingredients and artificial substances. ex: carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, sweetened breakfast cereals, and frozen meals such as pizza and tv dinners.

fast food (restaurants)

mass-produced food [typically in restaurants] that can be prepared and/or served quickly ex: mcdonalds, taco bell, and panda express

given the industrialized food chain as well as current economic strains, having access to home-grown food may provide an alternative not only for struggling households but for any one concerned about personal health with rising food prices people are having a harder and harder time being able to afford food. according to the us department of agriculture “in 2022, all food prices are predicted to increase between 9.0 and 10.0 percent, [while] food-at-home prices [groceries] are predicted to increase between 10.5 and 11.0 percent….”. this, coupled with industrial agriculture means that people in america would benefit from alternative methods of sustaining themselves in today ’ s society. this thesis proposes the design of a case study duplex that not only allows the client to house their multigenerational family [or create another source of income through renting] but also focuses on homegrown food as a way to sustain oneself and heighten one ’ s qualITy of lIfe. through the integrated use of cultural design principles and thoughtful passive strategies, the house will begin to reflect its surroundings and blur the line between man and the living environment. this is where finding innovative ways to create a selfsustaining lifestyle while being situated in an urban environment is crucial.

by definition, a house is a dwelling made for people or a family to occupy. this dwelling consists of four enclosed walls made of brick, wood, and concrete. it doesn ’ t have to be occupied to be called a house. a home can be defined differently depending on who you to talk to, but as clare marcus cooper theorized through her research, home is where people tend to have a stronger emotional relationship “...to the land and nature, and memories of extended family… [than] in a particular dwelling.” this brings to light the question of when does a house become a home? through cooper’s research, it can be said that the first step to analyzing this big question is recalling memories and emotions linked to physical places. these memories can guide a person as to why one may live a

a

feelInG a memory

a Person a PlaCe

particular way. this then requires self-reflection so that one can fully understand that the environment one lives in can affect their quality of life Quality of life, as defined by the world health organization (who), is “...an individual ’ s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns.” when thinking about how to heighten one ’ s quality of life, there are multiple lenses that could be explored. in this particular context, food will be what’s focused on in relation to the urban context. food is a connector; it bonds us physically to the earth, as well as mentally to the people around us through the sharing of it. the problem though is that we are losing the ability to make these connections because of industrialized agriculture and the “western diet”.

CHallenGes wITH ConTemPorary

walking into a grocery store, one doesn ’ t have to really think about where all the “food” that is carefully displayed on shelves comes from. if one was to stop for a moment and really think about where this “food” comes from… would they be able to name a city, or better yet a culture? as consumers, we need to be aware of where our food is coming from and its journey to our kitchens at home. but first, this requires a concise definition of what “food” is. holistically, food is defined as a “...material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy.” using this definition as a base of reference, food can then be categorized into three main distinctions: fresh food, processed food, and fast food. fresh food is food that is either completely unprocessed or minimally processed. some examples of this would be: vegetables and fruits (including fresh, frozen, or unsweetened dried produce), grains, legumes, 100% fruit/vegetable juice, nuts, and seeds processed food is “...food that has been chemically processed and made only from refined ingredients and artificial substances.” as michael pollan states, it is food that is “...processed in ways specifically designed to sell us more food by pushing our evolutionary buttons - our inborn preferences for sweetness and fat and salt.” examples of this would be carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, sweetened breakfast cereals, and frozen meals such as pizza and tv dinners. fast food is mass-produced “...food [typically in restaurants] that can be prepared and/or served

2 out of 5 americans are obese the average american eats 3 BurGers and 4 french fries a weeK

quickly.” it also falls under the category of processed foods but for the purposes of this research, it will be used through the lens of restaurant fast-food, such as mcdonalds, taco bell, and panda express now that food has been defined in its various forms it ’ s time to analyze it. the problem with the modern food system is that food is becoming simplified through the industrialization of crops. it all starts at the roots, chemical fertiliZers and pesticides are introduced to the soil to help the crops yield more and grow bigger and “better.” however these chemical fertilizers don ’ t deliver the entire plate of nutrients a plant needs, it only provides just enough. but just like the saying “ you are what you eat,” it applies to plants as well. if the plants aren ’ t receiving all the nutrients needed to maximize their nutritional value, then the stuff they produce isn ’ t going to contain all the necessary nutrients either. after growing the crops the food is simplified further by processing them, which “...depletes them of many nutrients, which are then added back…” to fortify them with the missing nutrients. but the nutrients being added back are being selectively chosen, and are also accompanied by food additives such as preservatives and sweeteners (to name a few). this in turn affects our health because we may not be receiving all the nutrients we need, while also receiving more calories and refined sugars that aren ’ t necessary.

food and CulTure

food is a central component of not only one ’ s health but also one ’ s culture. “beyond merely nourishing the body, what we eat and with whom we eat can inspire and strengthen the bonds between individuals, communities, and even countries.” imagine the type of meals that were served within the family home growing up. what memories are linked to these meals? are they memories of family coming together to create home-cooked meals, or are they memories of eating fast food? the fast food delineation is important in this context because the “western diet” has often suppressed culture and tradition with the industrialization of food. processed “ethnic” foods often don ’ t have a culturally significant origin anymore, they are just made to be sold to the masses. for example, take panda express which is supposed to embody authentic chinese cuisine. it is an american fast-food chain that has altered traditional foods to cater to the western diet. people rely on food as a way to connect to their culture as theodore and victoria bestor state, “food is nature transformed by culture, and culture is a powerful force with which to fasten symbolism and meaning to the mundane facts of life, such as cooking and eating.” in other words, it is essential to examine the practices and preferences of how one prepares and partakes in the act of growing, harvesting and preparing food. for example, in japanese culture culinary seasonality is prioritized, which means their cuisine focuses on the use of fresh or raw ingredients that are available during the particular season. japanese culture also practices and celebrates the idea of “...hatsumono (first things), the first products of a season: the first bonito; the first apples from aomori…” this example coincides with the notion of tradition and food being interrelated.

Image Source: google

GrowInG your own food

“cook and, if you can, plant a garden ” - michael pollan, in defense of food

the idea of heightening one ’ s quality of life through food relates to the topic of how growing your own food can be even more beneficial to one ’ s health and mental state having a personal garden produces a number of benefits for the owner. firstly it would allow one to have access to a variety of fresh produce yearround (depending on the climate zone), at a much more reduced cost than if they were to buy that same product. second, a garden could lend itself to being a green space with a purpose on the more qualitative side of things, a garden allows for physical activity that can then yield benefits tenfold. essentially gardening is a low-cost high reward activity in the context of monetary and mental applications. as a simple “...prefabricated wooden trellis purchased from a store can cost less than $40.” then add in the price of the seeds and plant nutrients, the cost would come out to around $70 for an initial garden setup - not accounting for the price of water or land. when looking at the cost of water, let ’ s examine how much water one were to use if they were to have a 32 square foot bed. it is recommended to use...“

“1 inch of water over the surface area of the garden bed per week”.

equivalent to .623 gallons per sq ft ex: if you have a 32 sq. ft bed, that requires 20 gallons of water per week.

therefore the cost of maintaining a garden would likely cost around $0.80 per month when using 20 gallons of water a week within los angeles county. it is also important to look at the median cost of land within los angeles county, which according to realtor.com ’ s study is around $1.38/sq. ft. this is a 67% increase over one year

1 out of 10 PeoPle

buIldInG ProPosal

studies have shown that having access to green space has positive effects on people ’ s mental health. some have shown that these spaces can reduce rates of depression and anxiety and also reduce cortisol (stress) levels there is a theory as to why nature helps our well-being, it ’ s called the stress reduction theory (srt) was coined by ulrich. it suggests that “...nature promotes recovery from stress and that urban environments have the opposite effect.” ulrich also proposes “... that being in unthreatening natural environments (a green space you would consider safe) activates a positive emotional response.” from these studies it can be suggested that incorporating green space into one ’ s environment can be beneficial to their health. so why not combine the concept of a green space with growing a vegetable garden within an urban space this proposal would tackle the problem of urban spaces not having enough green spaces while also tackling the idea of food within the home.

urban naTural

Vs

ProGram CollaGe

the Kitchen

for most, the kitchen is seen as a space for cooking and eating. but if we take a closer look, it is so much more. it’s a healing space. it’s a space for family to come together and bond over the shared love for food. it’s a space where traditions are passed down from generation to generation the kitchen is the heart of the home

the Garden

the smell of dirt, the buzz of bees, the garden is alive. plants big and small producing food for you to consume. it’s a special kind of excitement when it comes time to pick the first crops of the season. especially when you have put in the time and effort to maintain this luscious green space.

PreCedenTs

completed n/a area 861 sq. Ft. location nara, Japan restoring the place of food production by making it accessible gabled roof for solar panels sub floor in kitchen to allow for window access to plants bath area is at ground level - allows for germination and watering the plants with leftover water

garden house & dupleX

Toledano Architects

completed 2012 area 861 sq. Ft. location paris, 6th arrondissement long promenade to connect public to private spaces each program area is characterized by different material work space separate garden central role - felt from both levels

completed 2015 area n/a location bridgeport, chicago living ecology changes with the seasons demoed old grocery store office, live, landfill mound

History of the Area Climate Analyses Site Analyses Zoning

HIsTory of THe area

in 1897 the new town of barrett villa was developed from 225 acres of land that hosted a number of veterans who were able to purchase vacant lots and construct house on them. then in 1899 the town was renamed sawtelle after william e. sawtelle, who was one of the chief citizens and owners of the barret township. due to the large amount of veterans in the area, it was also known as the solidiers’ home (city). in 1906 sawtelle decided against being annexed into santa monica and decided to become their own municipality within los angeles. this only lasts until 1922 because “sawtelle” then decided to annex themselves to the city of los angeles. thus renmaing themselves west lost angeles. this was done because the leaders believed that this was a step in the right direction for sawtelle to become better developed in the future. this is important because in the 1930s, west los angeles was labeled a “red zoned poverty area” by the holc federal government during the depression. this happened because the area wasn’t properly developed, as the homes had been built by civil war veterans

Age & Sex

and not done by architectural geniuses. with the dying population of veterans, low-income mexicans and japanese miniorities ended up filling and densifying the area. during this time the name “sawtelle” “...represented poverty, smallness, ridicule, lower class, poor minorities, shacks and slums.” as the surrounding areas of westwood, brentwood, and bel-air all seemed to be filled with much higher-income people and had a better development history. during the 1950s and 1960s, the area started to transition from old single family housing to gentrified apartment communities. while other areas were rezoned to industrial and commerial areas. this change in development can still be seen today with many new apartment buildings being built in that area. this is due to the area becoming a bustling area of commerce with sawtelle road being the epi-center of a variety of restaurants. zoning in sawtelle is mainly multi-family, and you can see that a lot of the single-family houses are being replaced with large duplexes that tower over 30 feet tall. thus making the area seem a lot more urban compared to the classic small community it used to be.

Education Level Sawtelle Median Sale Price for Single Family Homes

$1,377,500 $1,341,500 2022

$1,640,000

PsyCHomeTrIC CHarT

86% comfort indoors

winter months benefit the most from passive solar heating to hit the winter comfort zone. this means heat gain from lights, people, and equipment reduces heating needs, but they also increase cooling needs in the summer thermal mass will also help heat the space. just make sure to design overhangs to fully shade during the summer months and also design for natural ventilation

heat gain

passive

solar

heating

solar shading natural ventilation

month inches of rainfall received gallons of harvest potential january 2.4 3,512 february 2.5 3,673 march 2.0 2,897 april 0.7 1,054 may 0.1 205 june 0.0 44 july 0.0 15 august 0.2 219 september 0.3 454 october 0.3 497 november 1.8 2,575 december 1.7 2,429 annual rainfall 12.0 17,573

maCro

breakdown of ladwP Power sourCes

los angeles gets their energy from a number of different sources such as hyrdoelectric, natural gas, solar, wind, etc with la rapidly moving towards their goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2035, natural gas and coal useage will start to drop. as city departments will start “... to end the use and purchase of all gas-powered vehicles, building appliances and equipment.”1

one source to note is the hydroelectric stations. as there are eight of them that follow the la aqueduct. these alone produce more energy they consume. “the owen’s valley powerplants can generate approximately 122 megawatts of energy when running at maximum capacity, which is enough to serve about 179,000 homes.”2

1 “PoWer geNeraTIoN - laDWP eaSTerN SIerra” 2 “la couNcIl aPProVeS moVeS ToWarD 100% reNeWaBle eNergY.”

waTer sourCes

la aqueduct built in 1913, it pulls water from the eastern sierra to the san fernando valley for 233 miles purchased water la also purchases and imports water from the colorado river (COLORADO RIVER AQUEDUCT) and the state department water proJect (CALIFORNIA AQUEDUCT) water recyling la also takes wastewater from homes and businesses and purifies it so it can be used for irrigation stormwater capture water runoff after storms are caputred from buildings and streets before it gets to the ocean so that it can be purified and reused groundwater under la there are underground aquifiers that the city protects and maintains, so that the water can be used for future uses

due to the county of los angeles being a very populated area, utility services are broken down into smaller areas. as you can see in the map below utilites that are meant to serve the larger populous are spread out throughout southern california sawtelle gets serviced by athens for trash and recyla for recycling. the trash then gets dumped at scholl canyon landfill, which is inbetween glendale and pasadena on the map. the local area also has a few public waste/recycyling disposal sites such as west la collection yard and southern california disposal & recyclcing company.waste water gets treated at santa monica water treatment plant and hyperion water reclamation plant compost center 37

water treatment center power plant landfill

site recycling center

Site

analysIs mICro

summer sun (79°) winter sun (32°) southwest wind

power lines (La Grange Ave)

road noise (subtle) >>

backyard neighbors walk/bike access

site

purdue ave neighborhood traffic

new duplex across the street neighbors

Zoning type r-2 | multi-Family or single-Family parking 2 spots, 1 covered front setback 20% oF lot depth or 20’ maX rear seTbaCk 15’ sIde yard seTbaCk 5’ max buIldInG HeIGHT 45’ f.a .r. 3:1 loT sIze 147’ - 6” X 50’ = 7,375 sq. Ft seTbaCk area 4,880’ allowable buIldInG area (awb) seTbaCk area x f.a.r. = awb 14,640 sq. Ft.

50’

Rear

ConsTraInTs need to setbacK building 5’ when wall is >45’ long and >14’ tall one Foot shall be added to the width oF each required side yard For each increment oF ten Feet, or Fraction thereoF, above the First 18 Feet oF height oF the main building

Vellum

Initial Design Study

a C en T er PI e C e ...

for C on V ersa

on

Ingredients

6 Pallets

# of scrap 2x4s & 2x6s

1 3/4” x 4’ x 8’ Maple Plywood Sheet

4 3’ x 3/4” Metal Poles

2 1’-9 1/2” Metal Poles

1 3’-3 1/2” Metal Poles

2 24” Full Extension Drawer Slide

1 24” Soft-close Full Extension Drawer Slide

4 3/4” Iron Floor Flange

4 3/4” Pipe Fitting Floor Flange 4 3” Rubber Swivel Caster w/ Lock 6 #8 Screw Hooks

6 3/4” 90 Pipe Fitting Tee 2 3/4” Pipe Fitting Hook 32 #12 x 1” Wood Screws 40 #12 x 2” Wood Screws 48 #12 x 3/4” Wood Screws

1 Half-Pint Gloss Black Enamel Paint

1 Pint Clear Food-Grade Butcher Block 32 Fl. Oz Titebond III Wood Glue

Directions

Utensils

18” Indexable Wrecking Bar Hammer Mallet 4 x 3/4” Pipe Clamps Jointer Planar Table Saw Panel Saw Chop Saw Band Saw Router w/ Rounding Over Bit Orbital Sander w/ 100 grit Drill / Driver 120 / 220 / 320 Grit Sandpaper

Prep Time

3.5 hours picking-up / loading / unloading pallets

9 hours to take apart pallets 50 hours in shop 10 hours to assemble

This rolling kitchen island allows one to add extra counter space to their kitchen prep area with style and functionality. It gives the user an extra 2’-6” x 4’ of useable counterspace both on top and below it. In addition to that it has a pot holder, shelf, and spice rack attached to the underside of the countertop that fully extend out for easy access. It even has little hooks on the legs where you can hang a hand towel!

The butcher block countertop is made of competely free and reclaimed wood from either pallets or scrap 2x4s. After breaking down the pallets all the wood needed to be cleaned up and cut into strips that measured 5/8” wide x 1-1/2” thick. They were then laid out and separated into three 10” sections to be glued up so that they could be sent through the planar after they dried. This process ended up making the countertop about 1-3/8” thick. After they were all cleaned up, the final step was to glue them all up and do the final sanding and oiling.

InITIal desIGn sTudy