Cabin Design
My cabin design drew much inspiration from the Marika-Alderton house, which was the exemplar building analysed for the purpose of this assignment. The cabin design utilizes much of the same design elements that were discovered through analysis to have made the exemplar house an outstanding architectural achievement.
House as an Environmental Filter
The most prominent design elements of the Marika-Alderton house are the wooden flaps, which allowed the house to be completely opened up to achieve optimal ventilation and natural lighting. Taking into account the context in which the cabin is to be built, I have decided that the wooden flaps would work well in the cabin design as it would utilize the pleasant Brisbane climate rather than closing off from it. The wooden flaps on the cabin can be opened up or closed to achieve the desired amount of natural light and ventilation by the users. The absence of glass windows or screens allows maximum airflow for ventilation and natural light to enter the cabin when the wooden flaps are fully opened. The roof overhangs protect the building from summer sun to create a comfortable and pleasant interior experience for the cabin’s users throughout the year.
Another design element which made the exemplar house successful in terms of being an environmental filter are the metal tubes which are installed along the roof to drive hot air out of the interior spaces. I have decided to incorporate this design element in my cabin design as it would help inhabitants achieve a comfortable living space on hot summer days in Brisbane without having to resort to using artificial cooling systems to cool down the cabin. The installation of the metal tubes would help to achieve a comfortable living space with little to no negative impact on the environment, thus making it a sensible and sustainable structural solution to cool down interior spaces.
Furthermore, the cabin is raised off the ground on metal beams which creates room for air to circulate underneath the cabin to naturally cool down the floorboards. For this structural solution I drew inspiration from the Marika-Alderton house, which is also raised off the ground, as well as traditional Queenslander houses which are local architecture responsive to the local climate. By raising the whole building off the ground, not only does it create space for air circulation under the building, it also helps protect the house during floods. Seeing that a flood happened just recently in Brisbane, I decided that raising the cabin would be both desirable and necessary in this context.
The cabin is a timber and steel construction, which makes the building lightweight. The lightweight choice of materials helps reduce cost and pollution due to transportation of materials to the site for construction and also makes the building easier to construct.
House as a Container of Human Activities
Like in the Marika-Alderton house, the journey through my cabin starts from the public space and ends with the private space. Also like in the exemplar house, there is a clear distinction between the public and private spaces as they are kept on different sides of the building with the public space kept on the west side (where the entrance is) and the private space on the east side. Having the private space the farthest away from the entrance and separated from the public space maximizes its privacy as people are less likely to come across or circulate in the private space unintentionally.
The reason why I have arranged the private spaces to be on the east side is due a taller residential building under construction on the west of the site, with openings facing the site. To minimize view into the private spaces in the cabin and also to reduce noise from construction and residential activities from the neighbouring building, I have decided to place the private spaces on the east side, furthest away from the neighbouring residential building.
To further enhance the public or private qualities of the spaces, I have used open plan for the public space whereas the private spaces, on the other hand, are formed by smaller spaces separated by thick walls. This creates a public space that feels more open and spacious to give the impression of it being an area that is able to house many people at a time whereas the private spaces are smaller and should be used by only a small number of individuals at a time. Access and circulation between the public spaces are easier due to the fact that it is an open plan and all the public spaces are in one area of the cabin only.
As for the private spaces, the bedroom and workspace/study are open plan to make it easier for the client to carry out his job of designing late into the night without having to travel through different spaces to the bedroom to rest. Also, having the workspace within the private space ensures that there is minimal distraction from human circulation or noise to allow for maximum concentration on the client’s work.
House is a Delightful Experience
I have purposely designed certain parts of the cabin where the walls can be fully opened from top to bottom. These walls exist on the northern and eastern facades of the building, as can be seen from the north elevation and section drawings of the cabin. These parts were chosen because of the desirable and appealing views offered from these facades. As the upper as well as the lower parts of the walls can be opened up, these areas become like an open shelter where users may sit on the floorboards and experience the natural surroundings. These areas become the reflecting space, where the clients may sit and reflect while facing the spacious and open views of the surrounding parks.
The open nature of the building allows the clients to experience the natural surrounding with all of their senses, thus giving them delight through their ability to experience and interact with nature while still being comfortably indoors. Much like the Marika-Alderton house, the cabin acts as an open shelter from which users may experience the outdoors while still being protected from sun and rain.
Since the building itself may act as an open structure which lets users fully experience the outdoors, I have decided not to have much outside space (i.e. gardens etc.). The cabin is rectangular in form which expresses the physical form of the site. This was done to make full use of the available space due to the limited amount of land provided by the uniquely small site. The cabin’s open form would be particularly successful in providing a delightful experience within the limited land space because of its strong relationship with the surroundings of the site. The open nature of the cabin utilizes the spacious parks and open land area surrounding the small site to make the interior space feel even more spacious than it is.
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