Final project: Arkwings

Here is my final project for Arkwings.  There is a total of four posters which include plan views, perspectives, and elevations.  This project was intended to help the people at Arkwings in their goal to help promote spiritual, emotional, and physical help in the community of Frayser, Tn.

To learn about Arkwings, check out the following link to their website: http://www.arkwings.com/

Proposed Housing for Arkwings

Here is a bird's-eye perspective as well as an elevation of the large gathering/ housing space for the Arkwings project.  I would like to point out the three Dogtrot style inspired houses. Each house is split into two cabins, housing eight people.  Each cabin contains two composting toilets.  Additionally, the houses utilize solar hot water heaters. Ultimately, the three cabins hold up to 48 people (sixteen in each house), and are equipped with a total of twelve composting toilets.

Composting Toilet

http://www.enviro-loo.com/index.html

Here is the Enviro Loo composting toilet.  It uses no water and safely stores and breaks down human water.  I incorporated these toilets in both the hermitage and houses in the Arkwings project.  These toilets need more attention and should be incorporated in more designs.

Final Hermitage Design

Here are two eye level perspectives of my hermitage, for the Arkwings project.  The dimensions of the hermitage are 12'x14'.  The back deck is 6' in depth.  The hermitage, including the sleeping loft, is just around 200 sq. ft. in space. Also, the hermitage incorporates a composting toilet and solar hot water panels on the roof.  Do you notice similar design cues from some of the previous blogs?

Solar Village Project Poster

Here is the poster that I created for my project on Solar Villages.  I briefly introduced several passive heating and cooling techniques.  Additionally, I showcased two of my case studies: Masdar City in Abu Dhabi and The Solar Village in Freiburg, Germany.

The Solar Village

http://www.thesolarvillage.com/index.cfm?page=Introduction&tab=Village#.Uqihr_RDv-5

This website talks about a solar village located in Freiburg, Germany.  It talks about the design of the buildings and interviews both the designers and the residents of the community.  Upon reading the articles and watching the short videos about this community, it is odd that this hasn't inspired a larger world-wide shift in the way buildings are constructed.
This community was also one of the case studies that I focused on in my paper about Solar Villages.

Additional Passive Heating and Cooling Ideas

http://passivesolar.sustainablesources.com/

Just like my previous post, this website contains valuable information about passive heating and cooling techniques.  This information was helpful to me while writing my paper about Solar Villages.  I will reference this information when designing buildings in the future.

Passive Heating and Cooling Ideas

http://architecturerevived.blogspot.com/2013/10/designing-passive-solar-heating-and.html

This website was very helpful in providing passive heating and cooling design techniques.  This techniques should be incorporated in our projects.  I will go here before beginning to design buildings for my projects.  I used the website to explain ideas about solar heating and cooling in my paper about Solar Villages.

Short film: Masdar City

http://masdar.ae/en/#media/detail/masdar-releases-sustainability-report

Video: http://www.bloomberg.com/video/masdar-a-green-city-bloomberg-brink-05-13-azsX~xTlSsOJO3BGwX0ufg.html 

Masdar City located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates is one of the world's leading sustainable communities.  This short film on Masdar City, created by Bloomberg Brink, examines the city and explains the unique technologies and designs found throughout the city.  This video helped me in my paper about Solar Villages.

Masdar City

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/apr/26/masdar-city-desert-future

This is a picture of Masdar City, one of the planets' leading sustainable communities located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.  I incorporated this site as a case study for my paper on Solar Villages.  Masdar City takes advantage of building orientation.  The buildings are close to one another and are located on a southeast-northwest axis, which allows buildings to provide shade and offers comfortable breezes throughout the day.  Even the stylish screen shades in front of the windows help keep sunlight out of building interiors.  Additionally, all energy used on the site comes from renewable sources, including photo voltaic cells. 
 

Roundabout

http://deosound.org/sites/default/files/CarParkRound1024x768.jpg?1342399961

In my project for Arkwings, I decided that a roundabout would be necessary for vehicle traffic.  I was also trying to incorporate more parking on the site.  I thought this round about with parking would be the perfect solution.  Unfortunately, I did not have enough room for both the roundabout and the parking; thus, I only incorporated the roundabout.  I will try to use this feature in future designs.

String Lights

http://www.plowhearth.com/cafand%23233%3b-solar-string-lights_p1012536_s2008_d3064_c1125.html

String lights are not given enough credit as a design accent.  I used to write them off as cheap and tacky.  However,  I recently experienced an evening on a patio that was lit with dozens of feet of string lights.  Not only does the soft light set a comforting mood, it also creates a warm "ceiling."  String lights can range from small LED lights all the way to the lamps pictured above.  Don't write string lights off; instead, experience them for yourself and include them in a design.

Garbage Warrior

http://www.garbagewarrior.com/press

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7h1eRiJwow

Check out this great documentary about architect Michael Reynolds. Witness trash re-used to build structures.  Follow Reynolds' journey as he struggles to change the world through his idea of design.  This one is an eye-opener and is definitely worth your time to watch.

Sustainable Development

http://panacea-bocaf.org/ecohousing.htm

Our design professor, Taze Fulford, introduced our class to this interesting website that has compiled many videos and articles pertaining to sustainable building.  Articles range from hemp walls, to cob insulation, to building with trash. This will open your eyes to alternate construction techniques.

Gardening Idea

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/174655291769051084/

Our second project, Arkwings, has vegetable gardens near the house.  The gardens are grown in their own small plots according to world region.  The pictured garden is a fun way to separate the different vegetables.  Unfortunately, I think this would reduce the amount of water and nutrients for the plants.  Also, it is not practical for large scale gardening.  Thus, this could be created on a small scale, just to inform people about which plant is found in a particular part of the world.

Dogtrot Style Housing

http://www.builderhouseplans.com/dogtrot-from-the-southern-living/pid/114110103

This is the Dogtrot style of housing, which like the shotgun style, is very unique to the South.  This website includes plans with dimensions to build a dogtrot style house.  I used these plans, but also altered the design in order to address community and shade.  I made the porches face each other in order to create a courtyard, making people face each other and ultimately trying to create community interaction.  Also, I added a porch and extended roof on the southern side of the house in order to shade the southern walls and windows.

Hermitage Inspiration

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/132293307776342832/

This small cottage was the main inspiration for my hermitage design.  I made the roof steeper in order to add a sleeping loft.  This structure, along with a porch, would make a great retreat for someone who wants to get away.  See my other blogs that talk about the porch ideas.

Shotgun Style Housing

http://dornob.com/shotgun-style-historic-small-plan-homes-have-no-hallways/#axzz2hiT1HJWN

This is a shotgun style house design, which is very common in the southern United States.  This housing style was the initial inspiration of my house design.  Although I did not use this exact style of housing in my project, it led my to my final product.  These houses take advantage of space, and can sleep a surprising large number of people.  This is a good housing option for the cabins I plan to design for project 2 at Arkwings.

Additional Shipping Container Ideas

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/132293307773491388/

Although I did not design a structure using a shipping container, I picked up on a few design ideas from this structure.  I used a very similar overhang in my hermitage (the final design was slightly smaller and was constructed with different materials).  I also liked the idea of all the windows which allowed natural lighting to enter the structure. Look for these design ideas in my hermitage design.

Deck Inspiration for Hermitage

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/132293307773506509/

This deck was the inspiration for my hermitage in my project for Arkwings.  I placed the small house in similar terrain.  I wanted to get the sense of an infinity edge looking out over the creek.  Additionally, I took notes on this structure's overhang, and included one on the hermitage.

Shipping Container Structure

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/132293307773506627/

This house was created from, you guessed it, 18 wheeler shipping containers. This structure is a good example of adaptive reuse of materials.  Although I did not end up using shipping containers in my project, I thought this was a great idea.  This use of material would have been appropriate for my second project: Arkwings, located just outside outside of Memphis in Frayser, Tn.  This is a major shipping hub, with a  large number of 18 wheelers and shipping containers.  Thus, a structure made out of this material could be found locally and would connect to the culture in the area.

Solar Chart

http://www.archidude.com/solar-chart-full-presentation-ppt-rar-zip/

Do you know how to use a solar chart, and what it's importance is when designing a passive solar structure?  This chart is based on 36 degree north latitude. Starkville, Ms is about 33.5 degrees north, so this chart may not be 100 percent accurate.  This site provides formulas that help you determine the size of overhangs and fins (fins block the sun from the side of the window, instead of above the window).  This information helped me design structures with overhangs in all of my projects in design III.

Trees Atlanta Stormwater BMP

http://www.workingbuildings.com/wp-content/uploads/Trees-Atlanta-Kendeda-Center-LEED-building-commissioning-pro-bono-sustainability-renovation-offices-AIA-Committee-on-the-Environment-Grand-Award-Greenprints-Conference-300x224.jpg

This stormwater bmp was created by Trees Atlanta ( http://treesatlanta.org/ ), a non-profit organization who sets out to preserve and protect the urban forest of Atlanta.  This area inspired part of my first project  for design III.

Video of Sevilla Patio de Los Naranjos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJDdxm3A0V4

Here is a video of the Sevilla Patio de Los Naranjos.  This gives one a good feel for the space.  Through this video, you can get a sense of the scale.  The surrounding buildings enclose the courtyard, while the trees continue to carry the "ceiling" throughout the space.  Notice there are no grates covering the runnels.  Perhaps this is a safety issue that needs to be addressed.

Sevilla Patio De Los Naranjos

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/SevillaPatioDeLosNaranjos.jpg

This is the famous Sevilla Patio De Los Naranjos, or the courtyard of orange trees located in Sevilla, Spain.  Runnels connect to all of the orange trees, which serves as irrigation.  This courtyard inspired my courtyard orchard in my first project for design III.  I will add this destination to my travel bucket list.

Meditation in a Tree

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOP4FQcjFzhIh7CmSXkPxIiKT_GpIaw5wp3zVIOnDeR69Nr3bdaucZZZnz1wTM8NJN3UW4N0sg4vH6HVp8r2QT8GJ_schrQqYkyGXdqYnuCK_bIjyMMnXEOoBN1j7aiOCFygqhRR8Z3iH/s400/caddo+lake+shack.JPG

Tree house nestled among cypress trees in East Texas' Caddo Lake.  The climate and flora are very similar to Mississippi.  This structure would make for a great tree house or meditation area.  In my first project, I decided to create a similar space as a meditation area located within a large stormwater bmp.

biking solution?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/13/tech/the-laser-light-that-could-cyclist/index.html?hpt=hp_c4

Some think this new technology could help save lives.  However, this is only a temporary fix for a problem. This issue could be solved with more intelligent design.