Framework Envelope
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“If we succeeded in inserting humanistic discourse back into the city, Can we create a city of details and proportions within the city of maximum quantities and simulacrum?” – “Hong Kong: City of maximum quantities” , Li Shiqiao This thesis aims to develop an adaptive framework structure as transitional space between exterior and interior, that allows architecture to breath and creates opportunities for interaction. WHY? Fundamentally, architecture is about creating shelter for human to gain protection against external environment, to provide a more comfortable living condition. Vernacular architecture such as Persian housing made use of form and building structure to allow air ventilation within the building among the extreme environmental condition. In the nature, termites build tower mounds that allows air breathe in order to regulate the underground temperature to secure their food resources. These amazing structure serves well for its ventilation purpose, structurally rigid and within the structure created interesting spatial condition. In comparison to Hong Kong, nowadays most residential housing has developed into high rise tower to maximize space use and economic profit, that fundamental human needs of comfort environment is less concerned. The fixed facade bounded the internal spatial condition, regulates our activities and behavior, as well as created undesirable indoor micro climate. We highly depends on air conditioning and heating. Could we maximize the use of building design in tower typology to reduce the use of these passive control? The House NA by Sou Fujimoto, is a suggestive housing prototype that breaks the concept of plane facade and slabs. The design plays with glass and leveling to create different spatial conditions and provides greater flexibility for inhabitants. This was not specifically intended for environmental ventilation, however, I see great potential from this design. Although space is limited in tower typology, I believe there are potential on the building facade to address these fundamental issue. The ambition is to fully explore the potential of framework structure, taking the properties of framework, temporarily, flexibility, transformability and structural stability, to develop specific building envelope, an adaptive framework structure as transitional space between exterior and interior, that allows habitants to have larger degree of control on their living environment in terms of spatial use and indoor climate. The structure also acts as the building skin that allow air movement.
WHAT? The investigation focuses on residential towers existing in Hong Kong. The building envelop of different types of residential towers from different class and different built time will be studied in terms of design, environmental impact and habitant behavior. The study would start from room scale to flat and to the overall housing typology. With the above study, the following stage is to focus on studying the potential of framework in terms of geometry and spatial relationship, proportion and human scale. The project focus on room scale at first to develop a design component tool kit, then ultimately in assembly would develop to a new residential building design. The site is set to be in old Wan Chai residential fabric, where active urban redevelopment happening, densely populated with rich historical background. It has mixed building types, height, density and scale, such diversity provided a good test ground for this thesis. Since this place has heavily developed, the design faces challenges in dealing with internal environmental spatial condition as well as neighborhood building interaction.
HOW?
With understanding on Hong Kong typical housing typology, the facade design and the needs, the research would contribute to the study on the potential of framework design. The thesis would look into different scale ranging from installation scale, room scale to building scale, studies proportion, geometry, environment and human.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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