WHY DENSITY?
Debunking the myth of the
cubic watermelon
research group
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01.
The cubic watermelon
What is density? This is a very simple question at first sight that
makes us wonder about for years.
Before trying to answer this question, let’s see what density is not.
Very often, when you hear about density and city you associate
with images from Hong Kong or Benidorm, -the hyperdense city,
¬with skyscrapers put together and small apartments inside.
It reminds us the story of the cubic watermelon.
Around the 80s, a farmer, on the island of Shikoku, south of Japan came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon
which could easily be packed and stored.
He created a cubic mould, where each seed would grow adopting a cubic form.
The result was a wonderful cubic watermelon, which remained
stable and it was easier to be stored, packed and shipped.
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NATURAL FLUXES
They are those which affect the ecosystem of a territory, such as
watercourses, air or sunlight
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VIRTUAL FLUXES
They are streams of decisions produced by the agents. There
are economical, political and social decision fluxes
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01.
Urban forms
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TRADITIONAL URBAN FORMS
Analyzed by a+t research group
Trying to obtain a more accurate picture of Density, we’ve
developed an analysis comparing nine traditional forms with six
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SELECTED URBAN BLOCKS
Published in a+t Density series
of the most significant urban blocks published by a+t during
the last fifteen years.
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THE HYBRID BLOCK
The most significant value is a FAR of 4.18.
The COVERAGE is only 0.34, because there is a lot of
public space at the interior of the block.
FAR=4.18 - COV=0.34 - HEI=12.41
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EXTERIOR SPACES
ORGY OF SPACES
Plazas, courtyards, stepped streets,
quays, front gardens and roof gardens
Bjarke Ingels refers to an “Orgy of
spaces” when he speaks about 8 House
because the variety of types.
Some of them are public, some semipublic, some private and recreate the
diversity of exterior spaces in the historic city.
01. North courtyard, in a Japanese style, with
cobblestones and grass mounds.
02. South courtyard, with a lot of sunlight and
exterior space for the kindergarten.
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They recreate the diversity of exterior spaces in the historic city
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Building the clean density
01. SYSTEMS
Highly efficient underfloor heating
Narrow floor plans to enable
natural ventilation
Utilising excess heat from building
High performance ventilation
heat recovery 6%
Installations along the
perimeter of the building.
02. MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
Laminated wood structure
for the dwellings
Recycled concrete for the
podium structure
Lightweight cladding with
high solar heat gain.
03. GREEN AND
CULTIVATION SPACES
Level 0. “Wood layers” at ground level
Level 3. Semi-public gardens above the
base
Levels 3-6. South orientation greenhouses
Green roof + rainwater storage tank
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DENSITY IS HOME
Housing by a+t research group
ISBN 978-84-615-1237-9 201I English/Español edition
NEXT
Collective Housing in progress
ISBN 978-84-613-8676-5 2010 English/Español edition
HOCO
Density Housing Construction & Costs
ISBN 978-84-613-3080-5 2009 English/Español edition
DENSITY PROJECTS
36 new concepts on collective housing
ISBN 978-84-612-1335-1 2007 English/Español edition
DBOOK
Density, Data, Diagrams, Dwellings
ISBN 978-84-611-5900-0 2007 English/Español edition
DENSITY. CONDENSED EDITION
New collective housing
ISBN 84-611-1203-2 2006 English/Español edition
architecture publishers
Calle General Álava, 15 2°A. 01005 Vitoria-Gasteiz. Spain
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