Overview of design features and how it addresses the problem statement.
ReDESIGN considers the foremost concern for Circularity House to be investigating waste-derived or recycled alternatives for common building materials. This includes researching current vendors and manufacturers while seeking relevant but exemplary precedents. There is potential for ReDESIGN to undertake explorations into developing novel materials that are waste-derived or easily recycled and processes that enable them to degrade quickly and easily. Ideally these materials would be low-cost and have little-to-no risk to occupants or the environment during sourcing, processing, or manufacture. ReDESIGN would also examine the construction process and consider ways to reduce waste or use waste from one stage of the construction in another.
In designing Circularity House, solar passive design techniques would be implemented wherever possible along with systems that reduce water and energy consumption without infringing on liveability. These would combine with technologies providing self-sufficiency for both dwellings and their residents.
To account for the needs of our occupant and her community as she enters retirement, Circularity House aims to respond to the lifestyle requirements of various demographics and allow current and future occupants to engage with their families and community in a holistic way. It would be expected that the current occupant would receive regular visits from her adult children and young grandchildren, while also acting as host to members of her community, of whom she is an Elder. As such, the home will be adaptable and suitable for a range of ages and abilities – allowing future occupants to enjoy the building to the same capacity.
The team has made the decision to explore how a family can live comfortably in a small footprint that takes advantage of all possibilities for storage and the facilitation of functional spaces. There is potential for any occupant’s family circumstance to change; children are born, grow, and need spaces to study or play and the adults around them may require spaces for work. Included is the need for private spaces for individuals, with an emphasis on spaces where occupants can spend time as a family or welcome neighbours and community members into their home.
To cater for people that experience decreased mobility - including the current occupant - and the needs of others with disabilities; combined with sustainability, designing a new standard where accessibility is a driving force rather than an afterthought is paramount. A system of easily replicated techniques in residential builds would allow for longer occupancy periods by negating the need to renovate or move.
Design
The design for Circularity House reflects on the need for occupants to engage with the community and the needs of the individual. The following strategies are an exploration on how these needs may be met.
Height
Raising the ceiling height of a space creates a perception of greater space, which is crucial in a residence with a small footprint.
Light
When opportunities for apertures are limited, it becomes important to open up a space to the sky; drawing in light at all times of day and fostering a sense of openness within an enclosure.
Porosity through:
Partitions
Moveable partitions throughout the house allow for the opening and enclosing of spaces by the occupants as they feel it is needed. The living space is shared, but the movement of a partition allows for many configurations depending on function. Smaller areas may be suitable for work or study, and the change in and out of a working mentality shifts as the partitions do.
Softness
Just as the height of the ceiling and the light from above diffuse the feeling of being in a small space, so too does creating boundaries that have softness and permeability. Using layers of textiles for partitions pairs acoustic dampening and ability to block sightlines with ease of manoeuvrability. The choice of material used reflects the intention of the occupant in the space: a sheer textile still gives a sense of being connected to the whole; a thick fabric denotes a wish for privacy.
Flexibility
Having flexible boundaries in a residence gives the occupants freedom to inhabit the space in a way that best suits them.
Public Integration
Does delineation between dwellings need to be constant? By replicating the methods of the internal spaces in external spaces, a fluid movement can extend from the street through the community. This need not disrupt private spaces if they are offset or raised above the informal public spaces that punctuate the matrix.
Global events in recent years have demonstrated a need for many to reconnect to a community. Circularity has removes boundaries for individual backyards and creates a shared corridor. This space could do and be many things: urban farm, play space, a place to rest, a place to socialise, a place to prepare and share meals and activities with people that an occupant would see often. The community green corridor would also host parking and laundry facilities, sparing individuals the cost of amenities they may only use on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
Implementation of passive design
Effective passive solar design will be a critical cornerstone to our design. Maximising solar gain through the orientation of windows will be a particular challenge for this site as the street runs North-South causing most of the townhouses to not have a north facing façade. It will also be necessary to implement shading ensuring that light enters the space only in times of year when it is required consequently keeping the building cool during summer. Natural ventilation will be employed to cool the space and bring in fresh air essential to a healthy home using a smart building system removing the burden from the occupant. The design will ensure cross ventilation as well as the opportunity to utilise the stack effect to freely move air between the two levels of the building. On top of this high levels of insulation in both the walls and roof will be incorporated, including an airtight seal to minimize unwanted heat transfer through the building fabric.
Video to be included of walkthrough of design, video of physical model or compilation of photos/pictures of design or key elements.
