Project 'Habitat' 2. Process

From the very beginning of presence at Kenmore and the first sketches I have thought about relationships between my design and its surroundings – local townscape, the lake and the hills.

In the book ' Thinking Architecture', Peter Zumthor writes, that architecture that is made entirely only from tradition and by dictates of its site is false and without connection to contemporary world. Whereas architectural design speaks only contemporary approach without sense of its site, this design does not fit in its environment and has not found its place.

I found very important to follow this idea and pay close attention to the dialogue between projected house and the environment where it sits and to find a balance between these extremes.

The most important aspect in the process of designing my idea was clients. Their needs, habits and life style is totally different, therefore I decided build my idea on something which represents these contraries. The first sketches shows very ordinary scheme – living volume along the street side and perpendicular volume for common needs. 

In process of sketching crystallises the idea about triangular form of the house's plan with functional argument – individualistic inhabitants need separate space. Each of 3 inhabitants could accommodate another (their own) 'corner' of the house.   
  

For me designing always starts from plans - to locate functions and get notion about scale

Volumetric model: blue colour – Tony, green - Bella, red – Tracy, yellow – common area,
black – garage and technical room.

This is base of further countless transformations in ground floor plan.

Triangular form in a plan is simple and strong and it demands strongly articulated 3^rd dimension - walls, roofs, elevations.

The first sketches had very simple, static and

conventional design.

Triangular form in plan is dynamic – 3 corners pull form each to another direction. It demands dynamic in the 3^rd dimension too.

In process of designing form I worked with models to gain

proportions and dynamic and dialogue with surrounding environment.

The main idea of this solution was getting better insolation in

deep living space simultaneously avoiding over shining.

Insolation in Tracy's and living area

on the SW side of the house

SW elevation 

E elevation

Insolation in Tony's and Bella's area

on the E side of the house

Weak point of this solution is rhythm of openings which makes the

whole volume more fragile and flimsy. 

And then I got final solution - where Tracy's volume get 

analogue form as two storey volume where live Tony and Bella. 

Argument – high space for artist needs.

 

Final stage - two solutions for form and location of openings. 

  

 

More static solution

More dynamic solution








And the winner is... dynamic solution with spontaneously located 

windows.