Exercise 4

SKETCH PROBLEM 4: Transitional Shelter
Assigned: May 6, 2019
Due: May 13, 2019, Interim Review, Location TBA
Desk Crits: 5.8.19,  5.10.19 (with Kendall Blake)

VERSION 2 

OVERVIEW

The rapid shelter displaced people studio will focus on a more case specific architectural program. The program should be adaptable to different groups of people. At the same time it should be customized to respond to the needs of a particular community. A narrative for a UNCHR sized “Community” of 16 family units should be proposed. This can be developed from literature in the  bibliography or other sources. For example, this narrative may be based upon a hypothetical scenario of local residents from the Coos Bay area displaced  to one of the higher elevation state parks nearby by a Tsunami and who have inadequate time to evacuate the region, or it may be based upon a current events scenario of unaccompanied forcibly displaced children put within a special custodial program.

Get some healthful sleep the night before May 13th.

SIZE SHELTER

The floor area for the current exercise will remain at  450 square feet for each family unit. The “family” unit should include accommodation for non-traditional households. The design of one unit should be represented in detail. A cluster of from 2 to 4 family units should be represented abstractly in terms of shared site use and possibly common social uses. A full 16 family units should be studied at this stage in plan only as the default approach, but can be developed more three dimensionally if your work processes permit.

In sketch problem 5, the exercise that follows this one,  the square footage will itself be open to individual proposition and argument for a family of 4 to 6 people. That is, in exercise 5, you will able to argue that the scale could be anywhere from as small as 200 square to a much larger size, but probably no greater than 600 square feet per unit. It’s possible that even smaller single person units could be aggregated to make a so-called “family unit”.

Note that the current floor area of 450 square feet is just over twice the square footage of a standard rapidly deployed UNHCR shelter which is typically just under 200 square feet (see UNHCR shelter solutions) or about the size of a typical tiny house (Wikipedia, 2019). By contrast, a two bedroom apartment in Japan may be about 600 square feet. In England it is closer to 700 square feet. In Eugene, one bedroom apartments for rent appear to also be at about 700 square feet. Thus, our sense about private space may be more generous in the USA  than is true in other parts of the world

TYPE FABRIC STRUCTURE

In sketch problems 1 and 2 the studio worked on developing a “soft” architectural type shelter that relied upon fabric tensioning and tensegrity methods as part of the structural solution. For contrast, in sketch problem 3 the studio worked on developing a “hard”  rigid frame folding type shelter where fabric was used as skin but not as a part of the primary structural method. Now in the current sketch problem the choice of type fabric structure is discretionary. It may even be a hybrid of the two types.

Moreover, the earlier sketch problems concentrated on experimenting with fabric and with paper folding in a predominantly physical hands on type study, but were not fully developed in architectural drawings, specifications and computer modeling.  Moreover, these earlier sketches were less site specific. In contrast,  this current exercise begins to more completely address the ground , site, circulation, public to private space, environment and site features.This sketch exercise also takes on the objective of accommodating a longer term stay of an uncertain time length. A greater range of design representations and methods become more integral to the process.

SITE

The field trip to OIMB established three potential sites for the UNHCR community of 16 residential units. They included the adjacent parks Sunset Bay State Park, Shore Acres State Park (a new option), and Cape Arago State Park.  One of the sites should be chosen and the layout of the 16 family units should be developed in plan.  Secondary units (e.g., dining, infirmary, meditation, picnic areas, gardens) may also be placed on the site either now or in the sketch problem 5 to follow.

The studio has access to 2′ contour digital terrain models for two of the three state park sites. Note: at the time of editing this description we do not yet have a digital terrain model of Shore Acres State Park since it wasn’t on the original site list, and so until this is provided a more abstract site study or a more speculative terrain model for it is appropriate. Hand drawing sketches made in the field should be incorporated into your review on May 13 where possible unless you weren’t able to participate in the trip.

The two complete Digital Terrain Model files are posted in Rhino on aaafileserver/2019-Spring-ARCH484-584-Mark/DTM_contours:

  • aapeAragoDTM.3dm – two digital terrain models including whole site and target area
  • sunsetBay_DTM2ft.3dm – single digital terrain model

Aerial images of the three site parks are shown in the following figures, and can easily be remade from Google Earth or Google Maps. Select any image below for a full resolution version.


Sunset Bay State Park closeup and context aerials, Google Maps


Shore Acres State Park closeup and context aerials,Google Maps


Cape Arago State Park closeup and context aerials, Google Maps

SiteMap_Base Aerial images for Sunset Bay State Park and Cape Arago State Park rescaled at 1/64″ scale  by John Green, 4.29.18.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The review should include photographic references to and if feasible physical inclusion of study models from the earlier exercises as they reflect the primary method of investigation through the first half of the term.

  1. Develop a 450 sq. ft. collapsible fabric architecture structure based on either one or a hybrid of both of the type structures studied thus far.
  2. Develop the physical connection to the ground or foundation system.
  3. Deploy the structure on one of the three sites studied on the field trip: Sunset Bay State Park, Shore Acres State Park or Cape Arago State Park.
  4. Depict in plan the deployment of a community of 16 shelters. Optionally add additional service structures (e.g., dining, infirmary, etc.).
  5. Develop a 3D layout of four unit clusters and their spatial or physical connections.
  6. Based upon your own review of the literature in the bibliography or from other sources determine a narrative of a particular group of forcibly displaced people that would form the community.
  7. Establish roughly five discussion points and one key question that you have regarding your own proposition and that may help to shape the discussion for the mid-review.

Constraints:

  • The armature itself should fully flatten and collapse to the degree possible.
  • At least two entrances/exits.
  • Operable openings for fresh air, natural light and views.
  • 4 to 6 places for sleeping.
  • 4 to 6 writing surfaces and/or one common surface for dining.
  • Daylighting.
  • Minimal artificial lighting.
  • Explicit renderings of building transformation / assembly process.
  • Passive solar design principles.
  • Consideration of wind, rain and snow.
  • Consideration of environmental impact on habitats and marine conditions.

Exclude:

  • Washing or WC facilities.
  • Kitchen

Media:

Investigate the structure concurrently in physical model form and through drawing and computer modeling. The joints in the structure may be studied with off-the-shelf hardware (e.g., Michael’s, Lowes, etc.) and/or 3D printed components. More specifically, consider fabric connection devices that help with retraction and unfurling of the structure. Consider the degrees of freedom in the movement of the joints. Begin to establish interchangeable parts that can assembled and disassembled for more than one purpose. Note that computer renderings or drawings can be used to supplant the physical modeling of joints if you aren’t able to complete them in time.  Plot size will be 24″ x 72″ maximum. Up to two plots is recommended. However, the full width of the plots should not exceed 8′.  Compile and place a PDF file of your full presentation under your name “LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_SKETCH4.PDF” in the aaafileserver for the class and under the sub-folder “SUBMIT/LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME/SKETCH4/. Bring as many of your study models to the review as possible.

  • Requirements:
    • An operable and detailed joint minimally at ½” scale (i.e., ½” = 1 foot).
    • At least one physical prototype of the shelter at discretionary model scale, hand-made and optionally with the integration of CNC fabricated components or off the shelf hardware store components. Re-use or modification of an existing prototype is OK.
    • Computer based axonometric or perspective rendering of exterior and one of the interior  of a single unit, showing light, shadow, interior elements and people.
    • Two sections, one elevation, and plan, of the family structure at 1/4” or 1/8” scale.
    • Axonometric or perspective rendering of 3 to 4 units having a “communicating” or physically adjacent relationship to each other, ideally in both daytime and nighttime conditions..
    • Schematic site plan for the single unit, consideration of sun, wind, and the environmental phenomenon.
    • A larger area plan showing the site context of the park as a whole with your more site specific plan included.
    • One wall type section showing material connections to the ground and also to the roof structure at 1/4″ to 1/2″ scale.
    • Abstract site plan layout only for a community of 16 units, unless your process allows you to go into more detail at this stage.
  • Extracurricular:
    • Depict a physically animated transformation of your structure as an image series.
    • Two larger area site sections showing the full scope of your park site with schematic representation of units at discretionary scale. 

Scenarios:

  • Eating/sleeping/meeting.
  • Warm day ventilation/cold day or night insulation.
  • Light power supply for reading/laptop recharging/night-time activity).

NOTES/MISCELLANY OF ADDITIONAL PRESENTATION OPTIONS AT YOUR DISCRETION

  1. Show variable site conditions in renderings (i.e, wind, sunshine, rain, runoff etc).
  2.  Account for site features (e.g, terrain, semi private to public spaces, gardens, etc.).
  3. Specify hardware and materials used (e.g., wood, fabric, pin joints, etc.).
  4. Help each other with respect to sewing machine use, 3D modeling, and, if it is available, 3D printing.
  5. Incorporate precedents and earlier investigations into your study.
  6. Incorporate on site sketches, field notes and photos into your study.
  7. Show active connections between four units with people from your narrative.
  8. Include a rough virtual site model from the digital terrain models provided or from other secondary sources (e.g, sketchup) . A physical site model is not expected.

EXTRACURRICULAR DESIGN OPTIONS

These options are more easily related the next sketch problem, sketch problem 5, but you may want to investigate some of them now at your discretion.

  1. Develop a method of full retraction into a box that can be transported as flattened cargo.
  2. Integrate insulation into the fabric structure per the discussion with visiting guest Joseph Buccini, WJE Associates.
  3. Develop an option to incorporate thermal mass.