2. Thesis Abstract
In today’s world, it is almost impossible to own a house that is affordable for most people. High labor cost, and increasing prices in building materials unable makes the building less in quality and design. As the results home builders replace architects place because of the economical factors. Furthermore, with the recent natural disasters we witnesses around the globe, people are desperately need new homes to replace their destroyed one. So, can the use of internet and computer technology come up with a simple system that is responsible and sensitive to design and solve the cost issue?
Inspiration could come from simple things, observing 2 kids playing with their lego drew an inspiration and the possibility of using the Lego system to create a real building. Everybody knows what lego is. The simplicity of red, blue, yellow blocks and how this part can be plug to their base and create fabulous creation. To explore and see if we can integrate the computer and internet to translate this "lego like" into a real structure. The house design consists of a central structural core, built in site, and factory made “plug-in” volumes to serve various program like; living room, bedroom, kitchen etc. The plug-in can be purchase, design and buy from Internet, where various designer, architect would offer their own unique “plug-in” volumes. Of course some “traditional developers” will find a way to put their own boring version typical stuff. But I think this is an opportunity for architect to use their imaginative and creative mind to compete with the developer. Why? Because the production cost would be very competitive, and should be affordable for everyone.
But how does this "prototype structure" could fit in different setting, situation and social economy?
Therefore this thesis will test a core set of parts against three different socio-economic conditions:
1. Suburb area
2. Rural/Emergency area
3. Urban area
Method of inquiry
Explore building construction system that can be easily built by unskilled labor.
Research Program
To conduct observation from two kids building house with lego, to see if there is a connection
between their social background, or race, or age when they built their lego structures. The simplicity of lego, could be use as a precedent method for the future structures.
This lego was built by Francesco 8 yrs. old, he is my nephew who lived in Indonesia.From my observation, coming from different countries does effect how they design their structures. Audrey from Australia, had her yard and garden in her design, while Francesco putting up fences around the perimeter with a guard booth in his design. I believe the design as a results from the environment they are from. For example, In Jakarta, Indonesia space is limited, due to the unstable political situation it is common to find house with high fences and guard booth, most houses have two stories. Unlike Audrey, who lived in gold coast Australia and living in suburb land is not as limited as in Indonesia, big garden and open yard with no fences just like suburb in America.
This observation report will continue in depth and more details.
Precedent analysis
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1997/lego.html
"Scaffolding Knowledge Construction through Robotic Technology: A Middle School Case Study" by Joan M. Chambers and Mike Carbonaro
http://ejite.isu.edu/Volume6/Chambers.pdf
analysis Lego digital designer
http://ldd.lego.com/
Bibliography
"Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises (Turtleback)" by architecture for humanity.
"Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service Through Architecture" by Bryan Bell (Paperback - Nov 1, 2003)
"Rural Studio: Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency" by Andrea Oppenheimer Dean and Timothy Hursley
5 comments:
Felix:
As it is abstract at this point I hope to clarify things when we meet for the intensive. A lot of good fresh Ideas. Is the photo of singapore yours???
Tom
Hi Tom,
It is still in preliminary stage. It is my intention to have more clarity during the intensive week.
Yes, I took the photo when I was in Singapore few days earlier. The Terminal technically still close to the public, but they let me in to take a peek. It's the best airport I've seen so far.
Felix, so let me get this straight, your planning on doing "webdings" as your thesis? I think this will prove to be very challenging...maybe you can look at the elements of "webdings" as building blocks or pieces of sculpture and translate that into architectural expression. But I digress...
I assume that the webdings are just an example building block similar to Legos. A set "kit" of pieces used to construct a sentence or paragraph...
...a standardized set of building elements from which varying cultures/clients/etc. could develope there own design.
Felix,
A good resource to look into is Dwell (the magazine). They have held a competition on pre-fab housing and the first house that won and was built offered a kit of parts that offered the potential client several variations of dwelling units. Each configuration offered different elements that might be advantageous for the site (i.e. vertical or horizontal orientations).
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