ACSA/AIA Housing Design Education Award
2013-2014 Winner: Submission Materials
Excellence in Housing Education Course or Activity Award
Elemental Encounters: The Architectural Detail and Elderly Housing
MICK KENNEDY
University of Michigan
TONY PATTERSON
22
23
24
25
40
41
Window
47.867
Wall
50.9415
Roof
51.9961
Courtyard
54.938045
Pathway
91.224
Porch
92.90638
Wi
Wa
Ro
Co
Pa
Po
42
43
Kitchen
95.96
Stair
(97.9072)
Ki
St
E l e m e n t a l E n c o u n t e r s : The Architectural Detail and Elderly Housing
Architectural Elements: Pedagogy and Practice
Elemental Encounters focused on the generative power of singular details and their impact on the
broader development of spatial organization in plan, section, mass and volume in response to the
specific design challenges posed by housing for the elderly. Typical housing studios often view the
‘unit’ (and its aggregation) as an irreducible cell. This studio sought to break that unit down further
to Architectural Elements (and their aggregation) at a nested set of scales from the architectural
fragment, to the street, and urban block. These Architectural and Urban Elements form the loci of
intergenerational encounters in the home, courtyard and in the city.
Comprehensive Design
As the penultimate studio before thesis, Elemental Encounters required each student to
demonstrate an overall aptitude in generating a comprehensive architectural project. The
goal of this studio was to engage, negotiate, and synthesize comprehensive design from
a broad range of agendas.
Architectural Elements: Kitchens, Walls, Windows, Roofs, Stairs, Porches, Gardens, Courtyards,
Pathways were explored and designed across a range of scales and material languages. These are
the sites of both personal, familial and community interaction. The studio considered these Elements
simultaneously as programmable spaces as well as fully detailed architectural constructions. The
aggregation and hybridization of these Elements formed the architectural textures and collective
identity of the building projects developed in the studio.
2) Schematics: Each mixed-use residential project will be developed with clear analysis
of its site parameters alongside code and density requirements. Manipulating and/or
hybridizing the studied precedents is encouraged to develop a coherent strategy of unit
types, circulation, systems, sustainability approach, and overall massing. Issues of siting,
address, landscape, and scalability of the design is a necessary component for all studios.
The studio pedagogy developed a series of assignments with critically targeted deliverables each of
which focused student design work on the simultaneous evaluation of key issues relating to Elderly /
Intergenerational Housing (circulation, movement, patterns of daily activities, eating, sleeping) and the
specific detail, material and construction propositions to accommodate and enrich these experiences.
These Elements became the building blocks for developing residential building strategies, through
aggregation, clustering and their engagement with site conditions. Each assignment sought to focus
design learning through specific deliverables carefully chosen to require students to analyze problems,
distill research, input and feedback, and then to develop specific, articulated design propositions.
As a subject for studio learning, Elderly / Intergenerational Housing requires re-framing many basic
assumptions about the spatial organization of dwelling units. Private and communal spaces inherently
need to be reconfigured to allow a wider range of ages, uses, and abilities. The manner in which
various spaces are re-conceptualized to allow a diversity of individual and shared activities became a
critical design study.
“If you go to a school where there are classes in writing, these classes should not be to teach you how to
write, but to teach you the limits and possibilities of words and the respect due them.”
Flannery O’Connor
1) Research: Each student analyzed a housing precedent to understand considerations of
massing, unit type, fenestration, circulation, and building systems. All students executed
this analysis with the use of Revit software guided by a series of video tutorials targeted
at each set of deliverables.
3) Development: The final phase of work is dedicated to the production of models and
drawings that address the comprehensive design criteria. The pedagogical methodology is
designed to continually advance design without hesitation. The goal is push the schematic
project through a refinement of organizational and performative diagrams, exterior wall
section details, and high resolution models and drawings.
Expertise Lecture Series
Within the context of the comprehensive design studio, five distinguished consultants
were invited to speak to their expertise related to housing.
James Davidson, Partner, SLCE. SLCE Architects is known for their excellence at negotiating
zoning, economic efficiencies, marketing trends and interior organization in housing
design.
Nat Oppenheimer, Principal, Silman Associates. A leading practitioner and educator in the
field of Structural Engineering who has worked on numerous low income housing designs
in the greater NYC area.
Kiel Moe, Assistant Professor, Harvard GSD. Director of the Energy, Environments and
Design Research Lab at Harvard’s GSD.
Michael Ra, Partner, Front Inc. Front, a leading facade design firm, developed high
performance envelope systems for the Toledo Glass Museum among many other highprofile designs.
U. Sean Vance, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan. Former Director, NC State
Center for Universal Design.
Studio Overview
Assignment 1:
Elemental Precedents
PORCH + WINDOW
22
74
41
Window
47.867
Bed
183.84
Porch
92.90638
Wi
Be
Po
One of the most distinguishing features of the building’s programatic organization is the interior series
of ‘front porches that sit inside the East-facing, floor
to ceiling windows. This environment is flooded with
morning light, encouraging early morning gathering;
and shaded from the harsher afternoon sun while
still providing views to the surrounding mountains.
Additionally, this space is connected to type 1 unit’s
kitchens via a large window place directly over the
sink. This feature helps to knit the community together by allowing for the connection between public
and private space.
Deliverables
_Overview and Massing:
All building plans and at least one building section. Massing
diagrams described interaction of mass with context, ground
plane, and natural light.
_Unit Types:
Individual unit arrangements (plan) and global unit distributions
(axonometric massing).
_Fenestration:
Described at the level of the individual window (section) and
overall facade composition (elevation).
_Circulation:
Described in relation to typical and emergency situations, for
overall building and within units (x-ray axonometric).
_Systems:
Exploded Axon Diagram of Structural system, envelope, and mechanical systems.
_Elements:
Diagram of selected elements distributed across the building
and site, including residents interaction with these elements
for an array of activities in the course of their daily lives.
PETER ZUMTHOR
CHUR, SWITZERLAND, 1993
WINDOWS + PORCHES
TOTAL PORCH AREA
300 SF
Pedagogy
Elemental Encounters began with an in-depth case study of select
Elderly and Courtyard Housing precedents documenting unit types,
circulation and egress, building structure, building systems and facade
design.
In addition to these basic requirements, we focused on the related
roles that an array of architectural elements: Walls, Windows, Roofs,
Stairs, Kitchens, Baths, Porches, Gardens, Courtyards, Pathways, play
within these case studies, shaping space and inhabitation. Student
teams generated a series of diagrams studying the distribution of these
elements across the Precedent building and site. Further diagrams
documented the residents’ engagement with particular inter-related
sets of elements as they are organized across each architectural project.
HOME FOR THE ELDERLY
UNIT 1 SECTION
SCALE:
1/4” = 1’
TOTAL PORCH AREA
66 SF
PORCH - WINDOW
UNIT 2 SECTION
SCALE:
While not provided with a visual connection to the
East-facing communal porches, all units are fully
glazed along the western facade. Provided with ample shading devices to keep out the harsh afternoon
sun, this expansive glass allows for views down the
valley, as well as ample natural light throughout the
unit space. The balconey sitting outside this glazing
forms a small amount of private outdoor space, visually connected to the interior private living quarters
within the units.
1/4” = 1’
41
22
Porch
92.90638
Window
47.867
Po
Wi
Drawings prepared by:
Luke Rondel
HOUSING FOR SENIORS
MAURIER + ORSI
MAXENT, FRANCE, 1995
ELEMENTS
1
2
1
2
4
4
5
5
Section | Summer Condition
Section | Winter Condition
1| Arcade/Social Circulation
movement from private to
central amenities
4
3
2| Threshold
moment of pause + place for
unit identity + view
3| Social Node
1
3
Plan | Arcade + Threshold Elements
spontaneous interaction
4| Plant Buffer
enhance view + clean air +
opportunity for activity
2
5| Systems/Bldg Support
grouped networks bldg feed
Drawings prepared by:
Jhana R Frederiksen
Studio Assignments
Assignment 1:
Elemental Precedents
Elderly Housing Precedents:
Elderly Housing Project. Chur, CH. Peter Zumthor
House for Elderly. Alcacer do Sal, PORT. Aires Mateus
Kenyuen Home for the Elderly. Wakayama, JA. Motoyasu Muramatsu
Housing for the Elderly. Maxent, FR. Maurer+Orsi
Multi Generational Housing. Vienna, AU. Ullmann and Ebner
Courtyard Housing Precedents:
El Pueblo Ribera Court. La Jolla, CA. Rudolph Schindler
Step Up on Fifth. Santa Monica, CA. Brooks+Scarpa
Rehab Basel. Basel, CH. Herzog and de Meuron
Rue de Meaux Housing. Paris, FR. Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Bikuben Student Residences. Copenhagen, DK. AART
Outcomes
The study of Elements within selected precedents provoked a more indepth study of relationships between unit design and the daily activities
of elderly and handicapped residents.
Detailed diagrams of unit layouts, wall sections and details provided more
precise methods of analyzing and discussing the successes and failures
within these precedents for meeting the needs of their inhabitants.
They also served to redirect the scale of our studio inquiry and provided
important areas of interest for further development in the students’ own
design work.
REHAB
Center for Spinal Cord
and Brain Injuries
HERZOG & de MUERON
BASEL, SWITZERLAND, 2002
Exterior “Porch” Circulation
Skylight
RELATIONSHIP OF ELEMENTS
Bed, Skylight, “Porch”
KENYUEN HOME
MOTOYASU MURAMATSU
WAKAYAMA, JAPAN, 2001
HANDRAIL l SURFACES TO TOUCH
The integration of window sills and table tops
The integration of window mullions and handrails
Skylight
Patient Bed
datum of surfaces to touch
outdoor handrail
counter top
grab bar
indoor handrail
outdoor handrail
Exterior “Porch” Circulation
Skylight
Patient Bed
Drawings prepared by:
Claire Kang
Patient Bed
Exterior “Porch” Circulation
Drawings prepared by:
Brian Koehler
Studio Assignments
Multigenerational Housing | Los Angeles
Assignment 2:
Elemental Aggregation
Element
Purpose
Aggregate
Elements / Clusters
22
22
Wi
Window
47.867
+
74
Be
Bed
183.84
+
Wi
43
22
Wi
Window
47.867
St
Window
47.867
Stair
(97.9072)
74
Be
Bed
183.84
Pedagogy
Assignment 2 required each student team to study the aggregation of a
select series of Architectural Elements in model and graphic form. These
Elements (operating individually and collectively) were considered in a
fully architectural context, one where material, space, and the activities
of inhabitation all play an integrated role. Student teams carefully
developed the overlap/interplay/alchemy/chemical reactions between
these Elements centering on material character and relationship to
inhabitants of different ages, sizes, mobilities, and daily rhythms.
32
Si
Sink
65.142
75.146
23
Wa
Wall
50.9415
7:00 am
wake up
(skylight embedded in wall
provides gentle natural light)
7:15 am
walk down hallway past window
(mullions gradually space out allowing
more light into the hallway)
7:20 am
cook breakfast
(neighbor gets home from night shift at work)
Multigenerational Housing | Los Angeles
Elemental / Aggregation
This required a careful study in the design of many basic architectural
elements: the pace of a stair, the profile of a handrail and its traced path
through a space. It demanded a reconsideration of the location of walls
and windows and their integration/hybridization with other elements:
seating, reclining, cooking, eating, working. Places for bathing and basic
human ‘body rituals’ became intensified design questions--beyond the
notional requirements of accessibility--searching for qualitative spatial
and material solutions.
34
Pa
Path
Element
Purpose
Elements / Clusters
Aggregate
Elements / Clusters
Floor
Porch
Floor
Window
Porch
Window
Cabinet
Ceiling
Cabinet
Stair
Ceiling
Wall
Stair
Wall
Floor
Porch
Window
Bed
Cabinet
Dining
Ceiling
Bed
Window
Stair
Dining
Wall
Window
Bed
Dining
Window
Floor
Porch
Window
Cabinet
Ceiling
Stair
Wall
Bed
Dining
Window
Elements / Clusters
Deliverables
_Elemental Aggregation Diagrams and Model 1/2”:
Diagrams focused on internal relationships between Elements, without regard to a totalized residential unit.
Large Scale Models utilized carefully selected materials (thickness/thinness/texture/color) and crafted to closely
relate dimensional constraints and opportunities with architectural intention.
Outcomes
This proved to be the most challenging studio assignment. The work
began to challenge the definition of residential unit as the building block
of a normative housing studio. Studies were successfully defined by the
limits of activity and the inter-relationships of small scale Architectural
Elements rather than whole unit volumes. Student teams produced
diagrammatic studies for a range of materials and activities to guide
multiple iterations, resulting in a flood of thoughtful and engaged design
work that became a valuable resource throughout the term.
Elements / Street Condition
Elements / Street Condition
Studio Assignments
Assignment 3:
Aggregation Clusters
43
22
Stair
(97.9072)
Window
47.867
St
Wi
+
22
Wi
Window
47.867
+
+
74
23
Bed
183.84
Wall
50.9415
Be
Wa
+
42
Ki
Kitchen
95.96
Pedagogy
Assignment 3 explored the clustering of aggregated Architectural
Elements already under development. Each project team studied the
relationships emerging between clusters of Elemental Aggregates
through diagrams, models, and other graphic means.
These Clusters now centered on both spatial and structural
relationships between Element Aggregations. Material, space, and
activities of inhabitation continued to play a seminal role while teams
began considering thresholds between interior/exterior and between
architecture/ground/sky.
31
Bt
Bathtub
From these new Clusters students composed what might be considered
residential units, although particular domestic amenities may be
distributed, shared, or otherwise unbound by a singularly defined space.
Work focused on the material character of these Elements. Elderly and
Intergenerational Housing must respond to inhabitants of different
ages, sizes, mobilities, and offers an alternative quotidian rhythm in
the life of an architectural work. Intergenerational programming also
The normative patterns of Sleep-School-Work-Play-Dine re-shuffle from
a linear to non-linear sequence, emphasizing the accommodation and
control of sunlight, air/ventilation, and acoustics.
22
Si
Sink
48.867
42
23
95.96
50.9415
Ki
Kitchen
32
Pa
Path
65.142
Wa
Wall
23
Wa
Wall
50.9415
Section B-B: Bathtub, Sink, Kitchen, Wall, Pathway, Bed, Bedroom, Window
56
22
112.541
48.867
Br
Bedroom
23
A
Wa
Wall
22
Wi
Window
47.867
A
50.9415
Be
Bed
B
B
Key Studio Readings
Everything That Rises Must Converge. Flannery O’Connor
From Communities of Care to Communities of Meaning. Maria Dwight
One’s Bed, Room and House in Old Age. Eckhard Fedderson
Floor Plan Design for the Elderly. Detmar Eberle
New Forms of Living for the Elderly. Marie-Theres Krings-Heckmeier
Courtyard Housing as Type. Polyzoides, Sherwood, Tice, Shulman
Courtyard Housing: Typological Definition and Development. Polyzoides
62.351
Section A-A: Bathtub, Sink, Kitchen, Wall, Pathway, Bed, Bedroom, Window
Plan: Bathtub, Sink, Kitchen, Wall, Pathway, Bed, Bedroom, Window
Section A-A: Window, Social Space, Wall, Pathway, Bedroom, Desk
C
Section A-A: Window, Social Space, Wall, Pathway, Bedroom, Desk
Studio Assignments
Assignment 3:
Aggregation Clusters
Deliverables
While each team member produced their own individual Elemental
Aggregation Cluster, each team developed shared representation
techniques and formatting. Teams were encouraged to develop multiple
design strategies for the Aggregation Clusters. Each team-member was
responsible for developing one new construct, represented by:
_Element Cluster Model 1/2”:
Describing relationships between elements rather than a
totalized residential unit. Structural slabs plus bearing walls
and/or columns, were to be considered as part of the full
architectural context.
_Cluster Floor Plan(s) 1/4” + Cluster Section 1/4”:
Floor plans developed to describe the full extent of these
Elemental Aggregation Clusters. Quantitative and
qualitative design factors (natural light, shadow, natural
ventilation, materiality) were given equal consideration
exploring fine-grain detail dimensions and experiential impact.
_Elemental Aggregation Cluster Diagram:
Using the shared studio ‘Element Icons’, each team developed
a clear diagram representing the updated Element Aggregation
Cluster. Relative positioning and proximity, element name,
atomic weight, element imagery, and added text description
were used to load the diagram with meaningful information
relating program activities to specific detail development.
Outcomes
Through the aggregation of Architectural Elements into related Clusters,
the studio was better able to explore and understand the interrelationships of small scale design decisions and their impact on resident
activities: sleeping, bathing, sharing food, sharing company. By keeping
the focus at this stage of the design process on Elemental Clusters rather
than paradigmatic unit types, we were better able to draw upon the
useful lessons from precedent studies without the need to transpose
given housing typologies to the unique challenges (spatial, material,
programmatic) of Elderly Housing.
Studio Assignments
Assignment 4:
Elements, Aggregates, Clusters, Courtyards, Sites
43
St
Stair
(97.9072)
+
+
74
Be
Bed
183.84
+
23
41
Wall
50.9415
Porch
92.90638
Wa
22
23
Window
47.867
Wall
50.9415
Wi
Wa
Po
Parking
Amenity
+
+
22
Wi
Window
47.867
+
Commercial
Site A, view 1
42
Ki
A
Kitchen
95.96
Courtyard
Parking
B
Site A, view 2
Pedagogy
Assignment 4 asked studio teams to consider the relationship of their
Elemental Aggregation Clusters to a series of potential site locations in
Los Angeles, California. The varied opportunities of the site included:
lot size, proportions, solar orientation, types of street frontage, and
programmatic adjacencies.
Parking
Site B, view 1
Amenity
Courtyard
Site Plan
Site B, view 2
Scale 1/128”=1’
+
3 BR + Studio
+
2 BR + Studio
1 BR + Studio
In evaluating sites for development, studio teams clarified program
strategies for housing in the service of intergenerational and/or elderly
clientele as well as other housing amenities and additional program
(social service, commercial, educational, hotel, etc).
C
+
Parking
Deliverables
Each team prepared propositions exploring three site options related to
their developing programmatic and architectural ambitions including:
_Project Data:
Program Description/Clientele/Unit Types/Unit Mix/Amenities
_Site Plan:
Including streets, sidewalks, alleys, courts, parking strategies
Amenity
Site A
Site B
Site C
Site A Statistics
Site B Statistics
Site C Statistics
Total # of Units: 90-100
Efficiency:45-50
One Bedroom: 14-15
Two Bedroom: 22-25
Three Bedroom: 9-10
Total # of Units: 85-90
Efficiency:38-40
One Bedroom: 17-18
Two Bedroom: 15-16
Three Bedroom: 15-16
Total # of Units: 125-134
Efficiency: 55-60
One Bedroom: 20-22
Two Bedroom: 39-40
Three Bedroom: 11-12
Amenity: 1,700 SF
Courtyard: 7,200 SF
Commercial: 9,100 SF
Amenity: 6,100 SF
Courtyard: 18,200 SF
Amenity: 5,200 SF
Courtyard: 10,500 SF
Possible Massing Diagram
Unit Aggregation
Diagram
Site C, view 1
Courtyard
Site C, view 2
_Site/Building Cross Section:
Including site context, streets, sidewalks, alleys, courts
_Building Massing Studies:
Including site context, streets, sidewalks, alleys, courts
_Cluster Model:
Describing relationship of Cluster to site edge conditions,
interior courtyard space, ground, and sky
_Updated Element Studies:
Relevant to program development strategies
Courtyard Housing Typology
The studio focused on warm-climate courtyard housing typologies at multiple scales. Close attention was on
a range of Architectural and Urban Elements that form the loci of intergenerational encounters in the home,
courtyard and in the city. The ‘courtyard’ lies at the root of the architectural discipline, providing security through
defensible space, establishing communal outdoor space with varying degrees of privacy, allowing internal access
to natural light and cooling breezes. Particularly for warm climates, the courtyard offers invaluable cooling
and ventilation solutions that serve to anchor entire cultures. On a range of sites in Los Angeles, chosen for
their relationships to existing housing patterns and topographical diversity, the projects explored a multitude of
possibilities within this robust typology in search of alternative approaches to dense suburban housing.
Studio Assignments
Assignment 4:
Elements, Aggregates, Clusters, Courtyards, Sites
Outcomes
The ambition of beginning work with the Architectural Element was
fully tested by the need to organize 10-15 units per acre on our sites in
Los Angeles. The design of courtyard housing demanded a fine-grain
resolution of spatial thresholds, Element and unit proximities, plus an
overall reappraisal of individual/shared/communal spaces provoking
students to probe beyond the over-simplified tropes of ‘private’ and
‘public’ realms.
By exploring multiple site options and building organization strategies,
students were challenged to evaluate circulation paths and accessibility,
unit level changes and mobility as well as the incorporation of sun, shade
and ventilation strategies relative to Element and unit arrangements.
The earlier Elemental studies helped students simultaneously
evaluate site conditions, building strategies, and small scale program
relationships. This integrated set of variables at multiple scales made
for very productive and informative student work, studio discussion, and
rapid progress/growth for these young designers.
One Bedroom Units
Two Bedroom Units
Senior Unit - 1200 SF
One Bedroom Unit - 1600 SF
Three Bedroom Units
Commercial/ Amenities
Base Units
Bedrooms
Commercial/ Amenities
Two Bedroom Unit - 1600 SF
Three Bedroom Unit - 2000 SF
Courtyard Spaces created by unit stacking
Site Scheme Statistics
Site Scheme Statistics
23 Total Units - 36,800 SF
2 Senior
2 Three Bedroom
7 Two Bedroom
12 One Bedroom
Total Unit Space - 22,720 SF
15 Base Units - 12,000 SF
32 Bedrooms - 10,720 SF
Commercial/Amenities Space - 5,560 SF
Commercial - 2,546 SF
Ammenities - 3,014 SF
Commercial/Amenities Space - 19,000 SF
Commercial - 10,500 SF
Ammenities - 8,500 SF
16 Covered Parking Spaces
Studio Assignments
Assignment 5:
Inhabiting Wall Sections
1 - 50 Tube Solar Water Heater
1
23
Wa
Wall
50.9415
65
Fl
Floor
73.3462
23
Wa
Wall
50.9415
41
Po
Porch
92.90638
22
Wi
74
Be
Window
47.867
Bed
183.84
23
65
Wa
Wall
50.9415
Fl
1 - 50 Tube Solar Water Heater
2 - Weatherproof Membrane, 6” Rigid Insulation,
2% Slope To Gutter Drain, 3-ply Panel Wood Sheathing,
Vapor Barrier, 2 x 8” Structural Grade Southern Pine
3 - Skylight With Aluminum Frame And Flashing Placed On
Steel I-Beam
4 - Galvanized Steel Parapet Bracing Mounted To Typ. Wall
5 - Non-operable Double-glazed Window With Wooden Frame
6 - Typical Wall (5/16” Black Satin Finish Trespa VFT, 5/16”
Gray Rock Finish Trespa VFT (120 x 60” and 100 x 73”
panel sizes), Waterproof Membrane, Rigid Insulation,
2 x 6” Structural Grade Southern Pine Studs With
Perpendicular Bracing @ 20’ Intervals, Gypsum Board
With Painted Plaster Finish)
7 - Fir Handrail, Stainless Steel Support Framing, Stainless
Steel Cable, Attachment Bracket Connected To Joist
8 - Hung Ceiling (1” White Plastered Gypsum), 5” Recessed
Can Lighting Typ.
9 - 1“ Precast Concrete Counter Top Slab, 1” Santosh Stone
Veneer, Wooden Blocking As Req’d For Millwork
Cabinets And Drawers
10 - 2 X 12 Reclaimed Wood Floor Boards on 1 X 4 Sleepers,
2 x 8” Structural Grade Southern Pine Joists
11 - Precast Polished Concrete Bath And Sink With Stainless
Steel Fixtures, 8” X 4” Slate Tile On Vertical Face
12 - 8” X 4” Slate Tile, Sub-floor Radiant Heating With 3/4”
Dia. Tubes, 2 x 8” Structural Grade Southern Pine Joists
13 - Polished Concrete Stair With 1” X 72” Reclaimed Wood
Tread Inset, Reinforcing Steel Angle
14 - Haiku Bamboo Ceiling Fan Model S3150-a0
15 - Operable Double-glazed Window With Wood Frame
Below Wooden Bench With Interior Skylight Inset
Over Reinforcing Steel Beam
16 - Stainless Steel Stove Hood Vent To Outside
17 - Precast Polished Concrete Planter, 12” Planting Soil,
Blocking As Req’d
18 - Double-glazed Skylight With Aluminum Frame, Flashing,
Blocking As Req’d
19 - 1.5” Reclaimed Wood Slat Bench Mounted With Steel
Brackets To Site Cast Concrete Structure Over Skylight
With Drain Collection Seep Holes Into Concrete Planter
20 - 2’ X 2’ Precast Concrete Tile With Stainless Steel Pedestal,
Waterproof Membrane, Rigid Insulation, 8” Concrete
Slab With 2-way Reinforcing Steel
21 - Intensive Green Roof (Deer Grass, 1/4” Drainage Mat, Sealant
Layer, 1/8” Plastic, 3” Rigid Thermal Insulation, 3-ply
Panel Wood Sheathing, Vapor Barrier, 8” Cast In Place
Concrete With 2-way Steel Reinforcement)
22 - Hung Gyp. Ceiling, Painted White; T5 Fluorescent Pendant
With Perf. Diffuser
23 - 12” Cast In Place Reinforced Concrete With 15’ Deep Planting
Soil For Coast Live Oak
24 - Water-fed Fan Coil Units For Active Heating/cooling System
Fed By Solar Heated Hot Water
25 - Cast In Place Concrete Retaining Wall
26 - Polished Precast Concrete Parking Curb
2 - Weatherproof Membrane, 6” Rigid Insulation,
2% Slope To Gutter Drain, 3-ply Panel Wood Sheathing,
3
4
2
A
Vapor Barrier, 2 x 8” Structural Grade Southern Pine
3 - Skylight With Aluminum Frame And Flashing Placed On
Steel I-Beam
4 - Galvanized Steel Parapet Bracing Mounted To Typ. Wall
B
5 - Non-operable Double-glazed Window With Wooden Frame
6 - Typical Wall (5/16” Black Satin Finish Trespa VFT, 5/16”
Gray Rock Finish Trespa VFT (120 x 60” and 100 x 73”
panel sizes), Waterproof Membrane, Rigid Insulation,
5
KEY PLAN
2 x 6” Structural Grade Southern Pine Studs With
7
Perpendicular Bracing @ 20’ Intervals, Gypsum Board
With Painted Plaster Finish)
6
7 - Fir Handrail, Stainless Steel Support Framing, Stainless
8
Steel Cable, Attachment Bracket Connected To Joist
8 - Hung Ceiling (1” White Plastered Gypsum), 5” Recessed
Can Lighting Typ.
9 - 1“ Precast Concrete Counter Top Slab, 1” Santosh Stone
Veneer, Wooden Blocking As Req’d For Millwork
9
Cabinets And Drawers
10 - 2 X 12 Reclaimed Wood Floor Boards on 1 X 4 Sleepers,
2 x 8” Structural Grade Southern Pine Joists
10
Floor
73.3462
11 - Precast Polished Concrete Bath And Sink With Stainless
Steel Fixtures, 8” X 4” Slate Tile On Vertical Face
12 - 8” X 4” Slate Tile, Sub-floor Radiant Heating With 3/4”
Dia. Tubes, 2 x 8” Structural Grade Southern Pine Joists
Pedagogy
Assignment 5 was a key studio direction that sought to hybridize the
goals of the collective comprehensive design studios with the ambitions
of this particular studio. Student teams developed comprehensive wall
section drawings exploring the material, structural, thermal, solar and
moisture performance of their architecture.
13 - Polished Concrete Stair With 1” X 72” Reclaimed Wood
Tread Inset, Reinforcing Steel Angle
14 - Haiku Bamboo Ceiling Fan Model S3150-a0
15 - Operable Double-glazed Window With Wood Frame
11
Below Wooden Bench With Interior Skylight Inset
Over Reinforcing Steel Beam
12
16 - Stainless Steel Stove Hood Vent To Outside
17 - Precast Polished Concrete Planter, 12” Planting Soil,
13
Blocking As Req’d
14
18 - Double-glazed Skylight With Aluminum Frame, Flashing,
Blocking As Req’d
19 - 1.5” Reclaimed Wood Slat Bench Mounted With Steel
Brackets To Site Cast Concrete Structure Over Skylight
With Drain Collection Seep Holes Into Concrete Planter
15
20 - 2’ X 2’ Precast Concrete Tile With Stainless Steel Pedestal,
These wall sections, however, were considered as critical design
documents to understand the thresholds and places of encounter
between interior and exterior spaces which have the potential
to qualitatively improve the living conditions for elderly and
intergenerational housing. Wall section drawings were developed
to closely explore the intertwined relationships between resident
activities and the particulars of architectural materials, assemblies, and
performance.
Places of human contact and inhabitation were paramount: inhabitable
window spaces; seating embedded in walls; the proximity of bathing
facilities to light, air, and view prospects; social aspects of spaces for
cooking and eating; all important considerations to be intensely studied
as part of a thoroughly detailed wall section.
Waterproof Membrane, Rigid Insulation, 8” Concrete
Slab With 2-way Reinforcing Steel
16
21 - Intensive Green Roof (Deer Grass, 1/4” Drainage Mat, Sealant
Layer, 1/8” Plastic, 3” Rigid Thermal Insulation, 3-ply
Panel Wood Sheathing, Vapor Barrier, 8” Cast In Place
Concrete With 2-way Steel Reinforcement)
22 - Hung Gyp. Ceiling, Painted White; T5 Fluorescent Pendant
With Perf. Diffuser
19
17
23 - 12” Cast In Place Reinforced Concrete With 15’ Deep Planting
18
Soil For Coast Live Oak
20
24 - Water-fed Fan Coil Units For Active Heating/cooling System
Fed By Solar Heated Hot Water
25 - Cast In Place Concrete Retaining Wall
26 - Polished Precast Concrete Parking Curb
24
22
23
25
26
ARCH 562 · SYSTEMS STUDIO · WINTER 2012
Shadow Plans - Unit Type A
Main Floor
Loft
Studio Assignments
Assignment 5:
Inhabiting Wall Sections
Deliverables
All drawings (orthographic, axonometric, and perspectival) were
required to clearly articulate the design development of Architectural
Elements most relevant to programmatic, building, and site
development strategies.
_Wall Sections 1-1/2”
_Associated Exterior and Interior Elevations
_Perspective Wall Section Vignettes
_Passive and Active Heating/Cooling Diagram
_Unit/Building Ventilation Diagram
_Day-In-The-Life Study:
The studio asked the students to develop a detailed analysis
of the daily activities of their proposed elderly residents and
to provide a description of their spatial, environmental, and
functional needs.
This study was developed in parallel with wall sections to
further emphasize the qualities of human inhabitation
fostered within the detailed design of envelope.
Outcomes
The provocation to consider wall sections guided by programmatic
and building design/performance requirements was enthusiastically
embraced by the students.
The difficult challenges of incorporating spaces of bathing, cooking,
and eating into the building envelope design proved to be the catalyst
for a more focused studio-wide conversation about building materials,
construction methods, and performance. Rather than relying on given
wall section precedents from available resources, the students grappled
with a set of questions at the scale of human operability and inhabitation.
The actions of the hand and body: sitting, standing, grabbing, turning,
resting, all became measures to influence the location and quality of
materials, structure, windows, building systems, and their assemblies.
Studio Assignments
PROJECT 1_TERRACED REHAB
Conceived as a physical rehabilitation facility with wellness
center, housing for care-givers, patients and their families, as well
as assisted living, ‘Terraced Rehab’ leverages surface and gradechange on a sloped Los Angeles site to promote a heightened
awareness of both ground and sky. Ambulatory experiences,
physical training, and increased interaction between inhabitants
are all foregrounded through the design of the circulation path
through the project. All dwelling units are organized around two
central care-giver units which connect the community in a central
courtyard. Units are developed around centralized plumbing
cores, allowing interior/exterior conditions to mix through a
porous perimeter.
Selected Student Projects
Wall Section Development /
Intergenerational Encounters:
A focused study of individual architectural Elements
yields an interesting question: can the space of the
window and the space of the pathway be used as
a means to explore architecture’s role in promoting
wellness among rehab patients and their families?
Diagrams tracking movement patterns across times
of day for residents of various ages and abilities
provided the background understanding to more
finely manage small scale dimensional decisions
and craft wall sections that better integrate building
envelope performance with the pleasures of
inhabitation and encounter.
The act of moving through a set of gracious pathways as a daily routine may help promote a sense of community
by increasing the frequency of social interactions, or at least the opportunity to ‘see’ and ‘be seen’. Windows,
various window sill extensions, and associated program spaces at the windows, extend private space into the semipublic ‘street’, opening onto larger social courtyards. A greater sense of community through increased personal
encounters offers a productive approach to intergenerational housing, physical rehabilitation, and aging with grace.
Selected Student Projects
Architectural Details and Assisted Living (Window + Porch + Pathway): The articulated slatted facade helps shield south
light while providing areas of operability for unobstructed views and capturing southern breezes. Windows and porches
are developed programmatically and materially in relationship to the pathway. Window sills and countertops come into
alignment as a way to ‘program’ the perimeter of the dwelling, the critical zone between interior and exterior, public and
private.
Elemental Aggregate (Pathway + Stair + Courtyard): An extended
circulation path steps up the south-facing topography of the site, designed
specifically for a set of residents whose lives revolve around daily cycles
of rehabilitation and recuperation. The pathway incorporates numerous
opportunities for individuals to rest plus small courtyards for groups to
gather and socialize.
Selected Student Projects
PROJECT 2_ADAPTIVE CORES
A series of adaptive core elements structure and organize this
mixed-use multi-generational housing project for a sloping site on
Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. The cores have been developed
as tightly-packed, highly functional elements serving overall
building systems (structure, egress, mechanical, plumbing), as
well as housing residential necessities for each unit (kitchen/bath
fixtures, seating/sleeping areas, and storage).
Flexible interior and exterior living space is freely distributed
between cores, programmed by proximity to core and access
to envelope. Designed around a central courtyard to provide
all dual-aspect units, operable glazing walls to the communal
court and private balconies allow each unit to fully adjust levels
of privacy and environmental control. Precisely positioned cores
allow for a mix of one- and two-bedroom units with no interior
partitions, testing the limits of adaptable indoor/outdoor living.
Selected Student Projects
Typical Unit Cluster Plan
representing one corner of the
central courtyard scheme
Intergenerational Units: A variation of unit types accommodate different family sizes, and the development of
flexible furniture allows multiple unit configurations serving the needs of intergenerational families as they grow
and shrink. Bedrooms become extensions of living spaces as daily activity fluctuates.
Elemental Aggregates (Bath + Kitchen + Wall): All spaces of the residential units hinge around cores containing
kitchen and bath functions. The building envelope is manipulated to ensure a portion of each core is on an exterior
wall, providing natural light and ventilation into the bathing areas.
Selected Student Projects
Elemental Aggregates:
Window + Bed + Porch
Wall + Window + Door
Bed + Wall + Cabinet
Cabinet + Social Space + Wall
Selected Student Projects
PROJECT 3_RE-[S]PACING RETIREMENT
This project posits its programmatic charge as intergenerational
housing for both young and retired actors in the form of a linear
courtyard scheme on an end-lot in West Hollywood. The program
is used as leverage to challenge the normative distribution and
allotment of spaces within a dwelling. The project proposes that
across generational differences there exists shared and continual
needs in caring for the body, the storage of memories, and a need
for inspired settings in the routines and dramas of everyday life.
In particular, bathing, spaces for personal body-care rituals, and
dressing were enlarged and intensified. Spaces for communal
entertaining were given priority over private spaces. Units were
provided with an enviable amount of poché space dedicated
to storage. Living spaces open directly onto private balconies
overlooking the central courtyard, carefully crafted in plan and
section to create layered spaces of intimacy and spectacle.
Selected Student Projects
Elemental Aggregates: Diagrams and Large Scale Model Studies
Sleeping Space + Porch: Sleeping spaces are a critical aspect of elderly housing. Direct connection between private,
interior areas of refuge and a great window or porch helps individuals maintain visual, acoustic, and thermal contact with
the outside world from bed.
Bathing Space + Bed: The ritual of bathing is another important consideration for dwelling that becomes amplified for
the elderly. The ability to transition with ease and grace between bathing/showering and sleeping is studied in terms of
proximity and planning as well as material impact, natural light, and passive ventilation.
Social Space + Kitchen: The act of preparing and eating meals is often the center of social life in elderly housing. Studies
into connections between kitchen and social space, kitchen design fostering social engagement, and various kitchen/
dining configurations are conducted in studio units, one, and two-bedroom units.
Selected Student Projects
Intergenerational and Elderly Housing: A range of dual-aspect unit types
were explored to accommodate larger/smaller families and individuals, while
maintaining Architectural Element connections and qualities. Sleeping, bathing,
cooking, and eating are all re-considered with heightened awareness.
Detailed Material Strategies: A concrete structural system is augmented with
a series of material ‘liners’ on walls, floors, and ceilings. Various wood elements
provide warmth and refinement at the scale of the hand, while ceramic tile
offers durability, reflectivity, and radiant heat in the wet zones.
Selected Student Projects
22
23
24
25
40
41
42
43
Window
47.867
Wall
50.9415
Roof
51.9961
Courtyard
54.938045
Pathway
91.224
Porch
92.90638
Kitchen
95.96
Stair
(97.9072)
Wi
Wa
Ro
Co
Pa
Po
Ki
St
E l e m e n t a l E n c o u n t e r s : The Architectural Detail and Elderly Housing
We believe the topic of Elderly / Intergenerational Housing combined with the goals of a
comprehensive studio provided an exceptionally fertile ground for student design learning. Rather
than relying heavily on housing typologies or construction precedents, the unique challenges of
designing for the elderly required a deeper level of research, study, design development, and a
closer attention paid to the small scale dimensions of detailing. This hybrid approach required a
more synthetic and engaged design process from our students while they addressed the topics
typically covered in housing (unit development, aggregation, massing, urban integration) as well
as those of a comprehensive studio (systems integration, structural development, wall section, and
building envelope design.)
As an alternative to a more traditional process of studio sequencing: programming/schematic
design/design development/construction documentation, the smaller scale of the Architectural
Elements brought issues of programming for residential inhabitation directly into the precise design
process in wall sections, detail drawings, and large format models. This re-framing of housing
program relationships charged the technical aspects of the comprehensive studio to investigate
new dimensional constraints and opportunities, revised spatial and building envelope adjacencies,
and most importantly material configuration and scaling in the service of a range of inhabitant ages,
sizes, and abilities.
Studio output: drawings, models, and diagrams were critically reconsidered towards these ends
without losing their exploratory value or technical rigor. The role of diagrams, in particular, were
emphasized as a means to communicate information and pedagogical intention. The role of
diagrams as both explanatory and generative of design thinking played a crucial role within the
structure of project assignments and required deliverables. These processes of design development
and documentation yielded a more precise level of discussion and critique avoiding an overly broad
examination of the complex topic of housing or the overly technical focus of a comprehensive
studio.
The ambitions of the studio were made manifest in the work produced by the students, among their
many successes, missteps, adjustments, and accommodations. This is the true measure of our
teaching goals: the growth evident in students as they proceeded through the assignments and
iterative development of design propositions. This growth was displayed in the increasing clarity
and sophistication of their discussions and critiques throughout the term as they grappled with the
challenges that this hybrid approach to housing studio pedagogy brought to their education.
Conclusion