31.3.09

A good interior design planning/pricing web application



"It lets you design whole rooms or houses and get estimated pricing on your designs.
They allow you to import your own floor plans, build and furnish the rooms from huge selections. Then they allow for 2D or 3D rendering of the designs.

The main website is: http://mydeco.com/
The planning/pricing application is at: http://mydeco.com/rooms/planner/"

From: Basel (thank you!)

images:
mydeco.com (created using their 'planner')

29.3.09

Sunday 'final thoughts'...



"As the groups wrap up individual designs and we begin prototype construction, the pace in the lab changes from relaxed to frantic. All of the major decisions have been finalized, and work for the open house has been divided up with 3 teams; sketchup, presentation and construction. Tasks for the open house for set up, presentation and take down have been divided up amongst group members.
In our final week of preparation, we hope to complete all aspects of the model including a list of features and information for all lab members to aid them in preparation. The groups are no longer working in their original groups."

image layout:
Black D

image link:
http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/linx_2.jpg

Quotes from Architecture Teams




“We got together with the interior design, civil, and costing teams, and discussed what changes needed to be made to the unit.”
“Made compromises to designs to accommodate with civil and sustainability issues. Designs soon to be completed.”
“The Architecture group has completed the final dimensions of the building. They plan to include a Laundromat, dry-cleaners, bike shop and café/internet café. By the end of next week they will have completed the designs of the exterior, including the courtyard to the front of the building, and the parking lo to the rear. In addition to supervising the construction of the prototype, they will provide a detailed google sketch-up of the interior and exterior of the building that will be shown on a television during the final presentation.”
“Architecture met with the Sustainability group to discuss the layout of the green spaces on the west side of the building. They also finalized most of the exterior dimensions of the building including the atrium and "Habitat 67" style units.”
“Goals:
- finalize landscaping and design of exterior based on neighborhood bylaws
- begin construction of prototype”

image links:
http://cac.mcgill.ca/safdie/habitat/images/matrix-images/original/hab67-section.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Habitat_67_Montreal_Close-up.jpg
http://cac.mcgill.ca/safdie/habitat/images/matrix-images/original/hab67assemb.jpg

Quotes from Interior Design Teams





“The interior team has finalized the single unit floor plan. There will be no
shared bathrooms. Each room will feature a small individual washroom;
however, there will be a shared kitchen space between 2 single units. For
the larger unit, two units will simply be put together (and the shared kitchen
becomes an individual kitchen for that family unit).”
“Research regarding layout, lighting, materials, psychology, privacy, appliances, and team overlap.”
“Completion of included built-ins, kitchen/kitchenette (depends on need), storage,
size of the space, accessibility for all, inclusivity, general layout.”
“- Thinness of walls inside the unit does not allow for build-in furniture on the walls
- Taking into account seniors/wheelchair users, toilet seats must be raised and handle bars appropriately laid out.”

image links:
http://www.square-mag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/kitchenette.jpg
http://www.a-castle-for-rent.com/images/kitchenette.jpg
http://www.wierzoch.de/work/consumer/images/kitchenette.jpg
http://tiffanygwong.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/kitchenette-with-fold-out-chairs-and-counter.jpg

Quotes from Costing Teams


“Costing has completed the preliminary budget and continually updates it as
groups bring in their information. The costing team has prepared the budget
on a cost-per-unit basis. The cost-per-unit was updated after researching
the materials civil and architecture have requested and has gone up.”
“The focus of this week was completing interim reports
A green materials list was compiled and green construction practices have been researched
The dimensions of the units have been determined
Materials for roofing and siding have been finalized
Community integration has been evaluated
Additional research was done to support design decisions
Space saving elements have been evaluated
Sketches of the interior and exterior have been completed
Initial planning for the prototype has been completed”

image link:
http://www.chiefarchitect.com/remodelers/material-list.jpg

Quotes from Civil Teams


“Our goals are to finalize the materials used for our structural design, and to complete our engineering analysis on this design. We are looking forward to starting on our prototype with architecture soon. Unfortunately this has been delayed because of our dependence on other groups.”
“Current Goal: To select effective, efficient and environmentally friendly methods of construction for the housing construction using the new information we have.
Progress:
− Consulted Civil Engineering professors at the U of C
− Decided on using mainly steel and concrete for construction, using modular designs
− Rationale for material choices: Steel and concrete have the same expansion rate, we can alter the use of each as the building height changes to keep the right type of strength
− Idea: Assemble modular components like a jigsaw puzzle to create each floor”
“They have decided where they will be placing all of their main load bearing walls. At this point they're also looking at the final floor plans to determine how they can maximize materials for plumbing.”
“The civil group has done extensive research on the insulation to use and its environmental effects (numerous calls to environment Canada).”
“- Fully researched use of materials.
- Have decided on exactly which materials will correspond to which walls and elements.
- Foundation – Pillar system composed of steel bars enclosed in concrete
- Exterior non load bearing walls – Carbon fiber reinforced concrete sheets
- Interior non load bearing walls – Basic lumber frame
- Load bearing walls – Basic steel frame consisting of various columns and I-beams
- Moment Frame attached to steel frames will be necessary to counteract the non-vertical forces present”

image link:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsapp/BT/LEVER/moment.gif

Quotes from Sustainability Teams


“Our research has found that most green appliances cost more initially, but the energy that they save more than covers the initial deficit.”
“We feel that a build team should be made (a team of volunteers, or one representative from each small team) so that the prototype can be designed and constructed as this will be an integral part of this project.”
“Meeting for select Neighborhood
Finalize Neighborhood
Meeting for select area, units
Finalize area, number of units, and floors.
Meeting for Graphs
Graphs of Civil and Interior Design
Facebook posts
Interim report
Print Interim Report”
“Progress:
− Planned the use of geothermal energy along with passive solar to lower long term energy use
− Plan to use bamboo instead of timber as it is a renewable resource”
“We will also be receiving materials lists and dimensions of materials in order to calculate environmental impact using a trial version impact calculator, called the ATHENA Impact calculator.”
“Also, for the social sustainability aspect which Ben mentioned, I researched the guidelines for the triple bottom line policy. This is basically a policy which would evaluate the overall sustainability of a project. The policy itself is used by the City of Calgary Council. It has 23 themes, each of which falls under the categories of environment, social, economical, or integrated. It’s basically a guideline to evaluate sustainability.”
“Work Completed:
- research water uses, construction practices, heat recovery, appliances, solar
- estimate costs and practicalities of environmentally friendly practices”

'ecodrain' image link:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/03/23/the-ecodrain-cuts-water-heater-use-by-40/#more-21490

Quotes from Urban Planning Teams


“This week the survey was also completed this week. From the survey
results, we determined that a walk-in clinic was desired to be
incorporated in the project. Another trend that was noticed was that most
participants were worried about an increase in both crime and traffic. 
This suggests that a security system should be put in place. As for the
traffic issue, it needs to be addressed by assessing possible vehicle
routes into the underground parking structure.”
“Health related amenities that we considered were EMS emergency dispatch buildings, health clinics, pharmacies, counseling and Medical Centers. We used mapquest and google maps to calculate the distance between these buildings and the chosen lots for the three possible locations. Only locations within 2 kilometers distance or along connecting bus lines were selected.”
“In a similar fashion, the design team researched the location of grocery stores, churches, sport centers, fire stations and high-density commercial areas. To cater to the single male and temporary worker clients, the design team researched the transit bus loops and train lines that ran through the three communities.”
“Work Completed:
- contacted Alderman for Hemlock, set up appointment for information session
- research neighborhood for potential needs for value added space”
"Talked with a realtor about pricing of property. Received his professional advice with regards to locations."
"When Surveying, People were very reluctant to gives their opinion.
Property values are high in Calgary, so Affordable housing is really hard in the sense that purchase price of the property will make the whole project less affordable.
Zoning restrictions prevent the construction of a four story structure in many areas
The attitude of “Not in my backyard” is present among many residents of different communities."


image link:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/03/16/stuttgart-lotto-turm/#more-20889

Quotes from Project Management Teams


“We conducted a group leader meeting to get all the teams to collaborate their efforts and exchange information. This gave the group leaders a more thorough understanding on the work that our other teams have completed. The group leaders relayed this information to their respective teams, which resulted in less questions to the project management team. We also arranged to work on the project outside of lab time on Saturday, Mar. 28 to begin the construction of our prototype.”
“At this point, we are developing plans for both a high rise structure for urban implementation and a wide, low building designed specifically for suburban areas.
Two presentations on the areas being considered have been given and the search will be narrowed down to two locations by our next long lab. At this time we will also be given a presentation on possible floor plans by the Interior Design group so that further developments can be made by Sustainability, Civil Engineering, Architecture and Costing groups.”
“Lab group dynamic:
Each table group is pulling their own weight
There are interaction between groups
Clear and civil communication within the lab group”
“Because the building of the prototype is now in progress we have made a budget sheet and asked each team to give us receipts for the materials they buy. This will allow us to monitor each team’s spending and be sure that every lab member has spent the same at the end of the project.”

image link:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/03/02/chinatrust-headquarters-by-nbbj-architects/#more-19902

28.3.09

Living Home


We are the Sustainability group of Red C, wanting to share this with the rest of the
labs.

This is the break down we are using of the goals of sustainability in residential
homes, inspired by a number of sources, amongst which is one of the pioneers of
modern residential sustainable architecture (so we learned): Steve Glenn:
a.. Zero Energy: Reducing the use of energy and production of needed from
renewable resources.
b.. Zero Water: Reduction of water consumption, and use of greywater.
c.. Zero Emissions: Reduction of emissions of toxic gases inside, and green house
gases to the outside.
d.. Zero Ignorance: Tackling the issue of the inhabitants and their attitude
towards sustainability in the home.
e.. Zero Waste: Minimizing waste generated from construction sites.
f.. Zero Carbon: Making decisions towards the environmental impact of materials to
the environment.

video link:
http://blip.tv/play/jSbVqjiH4F0

image link:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/65/206154789_804625d336_o.jpg

Thank you, Red C!

27.3.09

280 slides - perhaps useful...

"Create beautiful presentations, access them from anywhere, and share them with the world. With 280 Slides, there's no software to download and nothing to pay for – and when you're done building your presentation you can share it any way you like."

freeware link:
http://280slides.com/
http://280north.com/about.php

26.3.09

Reduce your water footprint

More report quotes



"With the clients chosen by the lab and the informal oral presentations finished, the
teams started refining ideas and designs this week. Major strides have been taken in designing
the exterior shape and interior layouts are being discussed. Research on materials and
sustainable ideas also continues, with the costing team working on the costs of procuring such
material, construction and maintenance costs. The week concluded with formal oral
presentations on Friday where teams presented their progress thus far."
"After researching piping materials on the market, the civil
team has chosen a relatively new material called PEX piping. PEX is flexible, can carry hot water
safely (unlike PVC), is a good insulator preserving heat in the water and is also easy to install
with competitive pricing."
"Architecture has
also been working on the type of landscaping and value added spaces to be incorporated
around the structure such as green space and is considering a space for small businesses such
as a coffee shop and convenience store to provide job opportunities and integrate the structure
with the community."
"Rent for the tenants is also
being looked at and appears to definitely fall into the affordable housing category with rent
well below the average Calgary apartment. Costing has taken into account the cellulose
insulation as decided by civil as well as the PEX piping and used preliminary ideas from the
interior and architecture teams to base their budget. It will be revised and finalized as the
project continues."
"Windows have been considered and it was
found that for the extra cost, plexiglass does not provide sufficient energy benefits. Thus, sheet
glass with an argon layer between has been chosen as the argon is the main factor in the
energy efficiency of the windows. Research has also begun on capturing rain water and the
possibility of reusing grey water (water that is relatively clean from showers, taps etc.) but such
decisions are pending a cost-benefit analysis."

images:
Larissa + Red D

Keeping Homeless Kids in School

By KATHLEEN KINGSBURY / MINNEAPOLIS

Right now, nearly 1 in 10 children attending public school in Minneapolis is homeless. Read that sentence again.

As Wall Street tries to right itself, the global economic crisis is punishing many of the youngest Americans. Preliminary nationwide figures indicate that there were nearly 16% more homeless students in the 2007-08 academic year than in the previous year. And the number of homeless students continues to climb as more parents face foreclosure or the unemployment line. Of some 1,700 school districts surveyed this fall in a separate study, 69% said they had already counted at least half as many homeless students during the first few months of this academic year as they did in all of the last one. By Thanksgiving, 330 districts — including Las Vegas; Albuquerque, N.M.; and San Bernardino, Calif. — had equaled or surpassed the previous year's total. At these rates, 2008-09 could top the 2005-06 academic year, when Hurricane Katrina wrecked the Gulf Coast and 1 in 50 American children experienced homelessness, according to another report released this month. (See pictures of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis.)

Over the past two decades, Minneapolis' 33,000-student district has seen a steady increase in the number of homeless kids, as the Twin Cities area has hemorrhaged manufacturing jobs and the supply of affordable housing has dwindled. The recession has worsened the problem: between July and December, Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) tallied nearly 20% more homeless students than during the same period the year before. Perhaps out of necessity, the district has become a national model for how to identify what it refers to as "highly mobile students" and ensure that their education is not interrupted. Case in point: Since September, when second-grader Ty'jhanae Walker moved with her family to a shelter across town from her school, the 7-year-old has ridden a bus an hour each way so she can keep going to Ramsey International Fine Arts Center. Her mother Denise Powe wants her to stick with the K-8 school — which currently has at least 24 other students classified as highly mobile — because she doesn't want Ty'jhanae to fall behind. "Different schools learn at different paces, so I'm really pushing for her to stay in Ramsey," Powe says. "Moving Ty'jhanae is going to be my very last resort. Her education is my life."

Since 1987, federal law has required districts to help homeless children stay enrolled at one school continuously, as any move could set these kids back several months academically. Under the law, a district must provide free transportation — whether by taxi, city bus or school bus — even if the child is staying in a shelter outside its boundaries. Every year, MPS spends more than $1.5 million transporting homeless students. On a recent morning, seven buses arrived at Ty'jhanae's shelter to deliver 21 kids to eight different schools.
Teachers and school social workers at MPS are trained to recognize signs that a child may be between homes: hoarding food, wearing the same clothes every day, regularly falling asleep in class. Sometimes it's just a matter of asking the right questions. When a second-grader at Longfellow Elementary School couldn't stay awake during reading time, his teacher gently asked him why. "He told her that the rats and roaches were keeping him up," says one of the school's social workers, Cheryl Flugaur-Levitt. "We discovered he'd been sleeping on a relative's floor, and he was scared to death about things crawling on him at night." So she went to work on getting him at least a mattress to sleep on until his family could find a more permanent home.

MPS gives each homeless child a new backpack full of school supplies paid for by private donations and federal dollars. And these aren't cheapo knapsacks. "We don't want backpacks that look like they came from a shelter," says Elizabeth Hinz, district liaison for homeless and highly mobile students. In the winter, her staff members hand out coats, mittens and hats. Year-round, they find free medical clinics to treat earaches and provide dental services. School social workers take kids to get glasses and vaccinations. Many high schools offer laundry or shower facilities for teenagers — who are often left to fend for themselves when a family becomes homeless — as well as a secure locker for their belongings. "We've seen students put their whole lives in those lockers," says Elena Shaw, MPS's high school support liaison. (See pictures of a diverse group of American teens.)

The district provides funding to make sure kids don't get left out of sports, field trips, school dances or special projects like the science fair. And when two homeless students at Cityview Performing Arts Magnet won a regional science fair, teacher Pamela Holland-Mills did their laundry so they would have clean clothes for the celebratory dinner.

Nationwide, the federal stimulus package allocated $70 million to help homeless students, more than doubling the $65 million slated for this year. But those dollars will be meted out across the country's 15,000 school districts. And as the recession wears on, shelters are getting maxed out: the one where Powe and her two kids are staying has room for 32 people but received 50 calls from people seeking shelter in October 2006, 100 in October 2007 and about 300 last October. School districts know they'll have to fight one another to get enough resources for their homeless students. "It's our gravest concern that we'll lose more federal dollars," says MPS superintendent Bill Green. "Because staying in school is these kids' only shot at a better life."

Powe has been looking for a job for more than a year since the beauty shop at which she worked cut all full-time positions. She appreciates the stability her daughter's school provides as well as the instrument the school is lending Ty'jhanae for the year. "She just loves playing her violin," Powe says. "Every time we go to a different church, she plays it for the volunteers."

Marie Bell, one of two social workers at Ty'jhanae's school, says music serves as a balance for homeless kids. "Students are more resilient if they are able to develop musical skills," she says. The school encourages students to write daily journal entries that can help officials identify children who are between homes. "There may be some homeless kids here we don't know about," Bell admits. "Just letting them unscrew their valve and let some steam out helps."

Floorplanner



"This site is very user friendly and convenient as it is located online and we can access it to make adjustments to our layouts from any computer." from Baldwin | Green Lab (thank you!)

image link:
http://www.floorplanner.com/projects/18365213-futura-casa/floors/18383392-ground-floor/designs/19364719-plante1

software link:
http://www.floorplanner.com/

Cocktails for a cause: Nursing students aim to help homeless teens


Third-year nursing students at the University of Calgary have partnered with a local business to help fund their cause: challenging the public’s erroneous perception of homeless teens. The group of eight students are hoping that their April Fool’s party at local lounge Opus on Eighth will net enough money for them to start a poster awareness campaign dispelling the myths that at-risk teens are not productive members of society. The project arose from a community health practicum with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary (BGCC).

“We conducted an assessment process with the residents of the BGCC’s shelters like Avenue 15, Safe House and Eleanor’s House, and the people who work with them,” says Lara McRitchie, a student involved in the initiative. “We were really shocked to find there was an overwhelming stigma in society around homeless youth and we felt like we needed to do something to combat it.”

The idea for the poster campaign seemed like a good starting point for the group, but the funding was harder to figure out. That’s when one of the students approached Opus co-owner Alim Velji with their idea.

“We see some homeless kids around here from time to time and really applaud what the students are trying to do to help,” says Velji. “We are usually closed on Wednesday nights so we figured we would make it an event, open our doors and raise some money.”

Everyone is welcome to attend the party which begins at 8 p.m. on April Fool’s Day. The students will be selling tickets in Science Theatres at the University of Calgary from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday March 26 and Tuesday March 31 at a cost of $10 each. Tickets are also available at the door on the night of April 1. All proceeds from ticket sales for that night will go toward the design, production and placing of the posters. Opus on Eighth is located at 628 8th Avenue SW.

Shazin Charania, a Youth Worker with BGCC, says that even though homeless youth are talented individuals, in the public’s eye, they are homeless first and youth second.

“This stigma does not make it easy to integrate into mainstream society and overcome obstacles that they are facing,” Charania said. “The nursing students rebranding initiative is an exciting opportunity to remove labels and have the teens seen, instead, as young people experiencing issues of homelessness.”

For information e-mail supportyouthnow@gmail.com

story link:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/utoday/march26-09/cocktails

image:
Ken Bendiktsen

24.3.09

A project out of Vancouver




Canadian ID students design low-cost homes for homeless, but the government's not interested
ID students at Canada's Emily Carr University had an interesting class assignment to tackle last Spring: "Come up with a 64 square-foot living space for homeless citizens that would have a price point of $1,500."
Students in the 15-week course interviewed homeless people and directors of shelters and support agencies to design structures made of pine beetle wood and 30 per cent recycled building material.
The result is cheap, basic shelters capable of giving homeless people a place to live. The concept would be to cluster 10 or 12 of the little houses around a communal kitchen and washroom. Improvements could be made for about what the government is paying to renovate a single suite in one of their Single Resident Occupancy (SRO) hotels scattered around the city.

Unfortunately, calls to municipal governments in Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster have failed to drum up any interest, despite the project's financial similarity to SRO renovations.
The takeaway: Design with even the best of intentions is nothing without (shudder) good marketing.

image links:
http://megaphonemagazine.com/content/homes_less_emily_carr’s_homeless_housing_project_finally_finds_home.html
http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/canadian_id_students_design_lowcost_homes_for_homeless_but_the_governments_not_interested_11755.asp

video link:
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20081115/BC_64_foot_housing_081115/20081115/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

600 sq ft house


link:
http://www.taliesin.edu/pages/MODFAB.htm

Interesting site + building video link


This may have some useful information for you...have a look through the links - it has costing info and videos on the building process...

links:
http://www.quik-build.com/quikHouse/99KHouse/99K_intro.html
http://www.quik-build.com/quikHouse/QH_main.htm
http://www.quik-build.com/quikHouse/QuikHouseBooklet.pdf
http://www.quik-build.com/quikHouse/QH_video.htm

Hoping for summer...


image link:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Faro_beach_1.JPG

23.3.09

"Room for one" by Hannah Booth



The humble caravan is often thought of as the perfect compact home: seats that transform into beds; tiny toilets; and storage space where none should rightly exist. But for architect Richard Horden, who specialises in small spaces - or "micro architecture" - inspiration is somewhat loftier: business air travel.

"Airlines do compact spaces very well - everything is carefully designed and scaled," says Horden. "It's about calmness, indirect lighting and neutral colours." More importantly, he says, aircraft interiors have raised the bar in terms of the aesthetics of small living environments. In other words, his inspiration is more a Swiss airline's simplicity than brown patterned seats and Formica.

Horden has designed a village of seven tiny, prefabricated homes, called "m-ch" (micro-compact home), for students at the University of Munich. It sits on the edge of the leafy campus by the city's Englischer Garten. Look past the garish O2 branding (the company stumped up 85% of the production costs) and the village, with its raised walkways and bucolic setting, is attractive. At night, each unit, lit from beneath, appears to float.

The homes are now heading to the UK - the Irwell Valley Housing Association is building six in Manchester to provide temporary accommodation for key workers, and a private client in London has made a planning application to build one on their land. And one is about to go on show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, as part of an exhibition on contemporary living.

Each m-ch is just 2.6m sq - the size of an average living room - but has two pull-down beds, toilet (with pull-across screen), shower, table with seating for four, bookshelves and a kitchen area with sink, two-ring cooking hob, microwave, fridge, freezer and cupboards. Even more impressively, thanks to light flooding in by day and elegant spotlighting at night, it doesn't feel claustrophobic.

"You actually feel less lonely [living in an m-ch] than you would in a large apartment alone," says Horden, who lives in his own compact home among the students two nights a week while he lectures at the Technical University. "There's no pressure to fill the space; you can personalise it with just a postcard."

Inside, design is everything: clean, contemporary and barely a soft furnishing in sight. There is no overhead lighting - recessed LED spotlights illuminate surfaces and cupboard interiors, and small, portable "Zed" folding task lights provide indirect light where needed. The idea is to wash surfaces with light to make them appear wider, and to illuminate different "zones" - bed, kitchen, loo - to make them feel like individual rooms.

Surfaces are easy to clean, warm to the touch and mid-grey in colour. "Bright colours detract from the nature outside and are too easily seen by onlookers," Horden says. Each home has long horizontal lines - shelving, cupboards, levered windows - designed to trick the eye into thinking there is more room than there actually is. A large wall-length mirror adds to this effect. The kitchen fittings are high-spec Swiss from Arwa, and there is an iPod dock, wall-mounted TV, wireless internet and air conditioning. The main bed flips up on to the wall by day; another appears by folding down the table. You shower by hosing yourself down next to the toilet.

The homes are energy efficient, too. "Our aim is to be carbon neutral, using solar panels," says Horden, a partner at UK practice Horden Cherry Lee architects. "With all the fixed lights on, you are using the same energy as a single 80w bulb."

But what are they like to live in? Matthias Franz, an architecture student, lived in student halls until he moved into his m-ch in April. "It's better quality living," he says. "I have my own kitchen, I can hear the birds singing, and I can sit out. It's sociable - I have barbecues with my neighbours." And rent is €150 a month - half what he paid before.

Is there anything he misses? "Some proper hanging space, and a shoe rack - my trainers sit under the toilet. But I had 22 people round for a party once." Franz cooks "noodles, salads, nothing complicated" in the evening. Such compact living isn't for everyone, he says. "You have to be neat, tidy, pretty organised - and open to new experiences." But the homes have proved popular: erected in November 2005, they were expected to be inhabited for one or two semesters at a time. But one student has lived in hers for two and a half years.

If funding allows, Horden wants to see his homes put to widespread use. They could, he says, house media at sporting events; provide short-stay business accommodation in city centres; and house relatives of hospital patients. They would make ideal ski chalets, or short-term starter homes, he says. Each unit costs around £26,000.

He has designed variations on the standard m-ch, too - a family compact home and a vertical "tree" of units for building upwards when land is in short supply. All he needs are some forward-thinking clients.

Story link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/jul/12/homes7

Image link:
http://www.microcompacthome.com/

22.3.09

Micro Compact Home



image link:
http://www.microcompacthome.com/company/

Quotes from Project Management Teams


“Information and opinions by the presenters from the Calgary Homeless Foundation have been recorded and is and will continue to impact decisions regarding the design of our unit and building.”
“We also requested that each group complete a timeline specific to their tasks. These timelines will then be combined into a large lab timeline and gantt chart so that we may monitor the lab’s progress. We also plan to have a large lab meeting during long lab to finalize all details and begin discussing how we will approach the prototype construction.”
“We are experiencing minor problems.
Trying to find a happy medium when integrating from group to group.
Finding a design that will best fit the neighbourhood.”
“Oversaw the integration of design teams’ preliminary ideas. Finalized schedule. Researched effective prototype construction techniques. Design conflicts between civil and architecture. Might need more land than previously thought.”

image link:
http://www.stacypeh.com/?page_id=3

Quotes from Interior Design Teams




“Communal areas will be created with kitchen, dinning and common areas.”
“Another reason we decided not to use a communal washroom was that it led to a more symmetrical design and it gave civil more leeway in the positioning of pillars.”
“Preliminary design includes integrating the “Smart Cube,” which combines the bathroom and kitchen on the same wall.”

image:
Jason

image links:
http://blogs.realestate.com.au/outthere/upload/2008/01/little%20house.JPG
http://freshome.com/tag/small/

Quotes from Urban Planning Teams


“Conducted site visits to four locations”
“We have chosen three potential areas for the affordable housing to be built on. The three areas are Whitehorn, Rundle, and Sunnyside. After going down to City Hall and talking to one of the representatives at the building permits counter, we have chosen the final location for the affordable housing project and we have chosen a lot in the NE neighborhood of Whitehorn.”
“Surveys by Urban Planning, sent out, received, analyzed:
• Most residents worried about potential increase in crime, traffic.
• Would be better with the idea of affordable housing with a higher police presence.
• Prefer the Carver LA, style as opposed to typical apartment look, or the Spacebox look
• Not necessarily worried about the need to match the style of the neighborhood - just
make it look nice, modern.”
“On Thursday, the group took a trip to the community where they documented the surrounding businesses, services, and modes of transportation. In addition, they took several pictures of the surrounding community including pre-existing affordable housing projects. All of this information was then made available to the rest of the lab.”
“We believe that the best course of action is to construct 3 separate affordable housing units in different areas of the city. This will avoid creating ghettos and also ensure that there will be variation in the type of services we can provide.”
“Narrowed possible neighborhoods to 3. Did Community Surveys. Worked with costing team to compare property values.”

image:
Orange D

Quotes from Costing Teams


“Some more radical and new ideas to include within the construction are actually very expensive and this counteracts the "affordable" part of this project. While we continue on this project we will probably need to avoid these and lean more towards the norms.”
“The costing team interviewed a civil engineer to help them budget the project effectively. Using estimated dimensions, they calculated a rough budget for the civil, architecture and interior teams. Along with this, they researched ways to minimize costs and materials. Some of these included designing the structure to coincide with the size increments of the materials that will be bought. This will minimize the amount of wasted material.”
“This week in costing we researched and accomplished many things. Among these include:
• Found average income in Alberta, and min wage
• Found info about the cost of living in Calgary
• Construction & labor costs
• We came up with ideas to offset costs
• Began to make a budget made for the civil, sustainability, and interior teams”

image:
Colton

Quotes from Civil Teams


“During the lab of March 19, the civil team collaborated with the architecture and interior design teams in order to decide on a basic building and unit structure that would allow the civil team to continue with their research.”
“This week we fine-tuned the design we will be using. We decided that the base of the building would be made out of concrete as this part wouldn’t need to be modular and could hold more weight.”
“Researched and compared different sidings and framing materials. Compared design layout design alternatives.”

image link:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/09/10/the-concrete-house/

Quotes from Architecture Teams


“The basic final design uses two shipping containers per unit, at about 600 ft2 per unit. The entire project is composed of four towers, two are 2 levels high and two are 3 levels high. The complex will hold 30 units in total.”
“Envelope chosen!
• Modular units, rectangular
• In a U shape, units facing away from each other
• This gives a nicer view from each unit
• In the center there will be a parking lot, green space
• Decided to place shops on first floor
Considering best methods of security- guards, intercoms, etc.”

“A honeycomb complex that would incorporate various elements such as a communal living space (Laundromat, extensive services, clinic, pharmacy, central heating, etc.), and is designed around the idea of ensuring accessibility for emergency services. This is achieved by having the front slope away from the road, allowing a road to be built that approaches the complex and runs out with enough of a turning radius for ambulances and buses to make a complete turn without having to reorient themselves (exact dimensions will be given later).”
“They have taken a trip to the location where we intend to build and taken photos of the surrounding buildings. They have also obtained a map of surrounding streets. The dimensions of a single unit have also been determined.”
“After taking inventory of nearby shops we decided to place in the bottom floor of our complex: a laundry mat, a coffee shop, an Internet cafe, and a walk in clinic/counseling. These services, in combination with those of the nearby community, would provide all the basic necessities for the individuals living within our facility.”
“In addition, on our trip to the professional faculties we viewed several models created by the students in the masters of architecture program. The standard of quality in construction of these models is something that inspired our lab to mimic such attention to detail. We discussed several potential materials for construction of our model, including: balsa wood, acrylic plastic, polystyrene, pulp board, basswood.”

image link:
http://students.iitk.ac.in/aeromodelling/assets/balsa1.jpg

Quotes from Sustainability Teams


“Cost estimates for solar, gray water, building materials,
research appliance energy usage, and other energy saving options”
“Research sustainability relating to societal implementation of affordable housing (i.e: ability of a community to support affordable projects)
Research sustainable practices relating to use of energy, non-renewable resources, and relegation of used materials and waste
Each member of the group is going to research their respective topics including: sustainable practices, sustainable materials and sustainable construction process.”
“Researched CHP heating device
Researched twin-use solar panels
Researched blue jean and cellulose insulation
Researched energy efficient appliances
Researched energy efficient lighting
Researched geothermal heating”
“Additional research, compared alternatives to incandescent lighting and researched other methods of reducing lighting cost such better usage of natural light. Also compared alternative designs for photovoltaic panels.”

image link:
http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/ut_batts_in_wall.jpg

More keywords + potential design


Altruism Nest Awaken Value Serenity Healthy Lock & key
Simplicity, Palisade, Interior, Penny-Wise, Keet, Compatible, Demeter


image:
Logan

Team goals + dates and deadlines


The team goals of one of the labs:
-Costing: create a very rough cost estimate based on very little information (23/03/09)
-Costing: format an Excel spreadsheet to manage and evaluate data (25/03/09)
-Architecture: finalize design choices (23/03/09)
-Architecture: have costing to set budget limitations on design (25/03/09)
-Project Management: Finalize new contract and have it signed (23/03/09)
-Project Management: Hold a meeting to finalize remaining lab decisions (23/03/09)
-All: Submit information for updated Gantt chart (25/03/09)
-Civil: Determine possible forces which could affect the integrity of the building (25/03/09)
-Civil: Familiarization of buildings with similar construction processes and methods (25/03/09)
-Interior Design: Acquire a rough spending cap from costing (23/03/09)
-Interior Design: Design Kitchen and Living Room Spaces for each potential floor layout (25/03/09)
-Sustainability: Familiarization regarding sustainable landscaping practices (23/03/09)
-Sustainability: Find energy efficient appliances which coincide with the room designed by Interior Design: (23/03/09)
-Urban Planning: Determine building regulations and community standards for Varsity (25/03/09)
-Urban Planning: Have researched regulations and community standards implemented Architecture’s and Civil’s design.
-Complete Interim Reports (25/03/09)

21.3.09

MVRDV’s Stackable Sky Village High Rise




image link:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/11/06/sky-village-by-mvrdv-and-adept/

Verbus System






image link and system link:
http://www.verbussystems.com/verbus-system/introduction.htm
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/08/22/travelodge-shipping-container-hotel/