sustainable multifamily social housing

contents

the importance of different scales: slides 03-06

zoning of the plan + other key concepts: slides 07-14
course outline and schedule: slides 15-16
final requirements: slides 17-17
rules of the game: slides 18-20
housing precedents: slides 21-50
analyzing the precedent: slides 51-62
the design toy: slides 63-71
considering MULTIPLE SCALES during the design process;
you might start with the smallest or the largest; all matter

1: at the smallest scale, the housing unit and its interior spaces
2: then the design of pairs or clusters of 2-6 units of neighboring dwellings
and their inter-relationships; their orientation to one another; their shared
spaces (considering how neighbors might become community)
3: the aggregation of clusters into / around larger social forms / spaces (like
courtyards, mews, urban alleys or atriums, for example)
4: the relating of the building to the urban context including urban
functional and circulatory networks (in larger housing projects); maintain
active and lively streets; relating to the heights of neighbors
A “facility in (a) northern European (example) typically groups four to six clusters of units. Each
unit cluster contains 6 to 8 residents; therefore, (identifiable areas or sections of) a building
might have as few as 24 or as many as 48 residents.”

This principle can be applied in universal design to enable social relationships for anyone who
wants to interact with neighbors or feel like part of a neighborhood.
Victor Regnier. Design for Assisted Living: Guidelines for Housing the Physically and Mentally Frail (p. 137). Kindle Edition.
 living space
The

can act as
centerpoint/ The
floor plan "without
corridor"

(2012-04-18). Grundrißatlas
Wohnungsbau / Floor Plan Manual
Housing (Kindle Location 2164). Springer -
A. Kindle Edition.
social life and shared space at the edge of a
building is a traditional part of urban life in
Vietnam. Could / should it be part of
modern Vietnamese dwellings?

Ralph Erskine: “BykerWall,” Newcastle-

upon-Tyne, 1969-1981
(2012-04-18). Grundrißatlas Wohnungsbau / Floor Plan Manual
Housing (Kindle Location 1777). Springer - A. Kindle Edition.
Considering MULTIPLE SCALES is KEY
First, at the smallest scale, the unit design; second, the design of a pairing or cluster of 3-8 units of
neighboring dwellings; third, the aggregation of clusters into a larger building design formations and 4th,
the relating of the building to the urban context.

This patio can be covered with a cotton tarpaulin

(2012-04-18). Grundrißatlas Wohnungsbau / Floor Plan Manual Housing (Kindle Locations 4208-
4209). Springer - A. Kindle Edition.
 in a ‘thin plan’, units have two exposures for light and air (which may
be a thin plan wrapped around a courtyard), all the spaces may have
windows

zoning of the housing plan

in a ‘thick plan’, units have one side exposed to air and light; an
interior core of stairs, elevators, bathrooms (plus, sometimes kitchens
and dining rooms) with a ring of bedrooms and living rooms, that
must (by law) have natural light, enjoying windows

‘thin plan’ that is two interior spaces thick for most of the
plan (except for when it is one space thick)

furnishing proposals
can be flexible

(2012-04-18). Floor Plan

Manual Housing (Kindle
Location 4634). Springer - A.
Kindle Edition.

‘thick plan’ with a ring of bedrooms and living rooms getting light
 community and privacy in a scheme by Jaap Bakema

house typologies of solid

and void spaces in
Borneo-Sporenburg

Cousins, Matthew (2009-05-29).

Design Quality in New Housing:
Learning from the Netherlands
(Kindle Locations 654-655). Taylor &
Francis. Kindle Edition.
considering a variety of factors
diagrammatically
considering the experience of being there
exploring precedents

Kanchanjunga
by Charles Correa
(1983)

Narkomfin (1928-1930) Unitee d’Habitation

by Moisei Ginzburg by le Corbusier
(1952)
Water as visual feature, as flood-management responsibility, as
multi-valent resource for re-use, cooling and plant cultivation . . .

“A key feature of the scheme is the ponds in the central communal

space. These collects rainwater run-off from roofs and roads. The
water is cleansed for re-use by passing it through reed beds and then
through two ponds containing gravel filters. The ponds have a
beneficial environmental effect by reflecting sunlight during the day
and releasing heat at night stimulating air flow. They are also an
opportunity for cultivating water plants.”

Graham Towers. Introduction to Urban Housing Design: At Home in the City (Kindle Locations 2653-
2656). Kindle Edition.
 MOHO Manchester
This louvred framework provides shading from the
summer sun, while allowing the lower angle of the
winter sun to provide passive solar gain.

Levitt, David (2012-12-06). The Housing Design Handbook: A Guide to Good

Practice (Kindle Locations 4248-4249). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition.
COURSE OUTLINE for the 17 work weeks of the spring 2023 semester

RESEARCH
1.1: PRECEDENT The studio starts with a precedent analysis of a canonical mass housing example, including focus on structure, circulation +
function, light, and the relationships between neighbors / groups + clusters of 3-5 units.
1.2: DESIGN TOY PRECEDENT UNIT DIAGRAM MODEL: The CAD modeling of the precedent should include a CAD diagram model (coding
structure-black, circulation-yellow) of a unit that can be shared with the class for use as a “design toy” (for experiments in combining / stacking
flats and maisonettes from different architects’ schemes). This research is distributed, so that everyone can learn from all of the precedents
– 5 WEEKS

2: SITE ANALYSIS Then the students are given a site to document, draw, model and analyze, which they will then use for both projects.
– 3 WEEKS

3: PINUP 8th week of 17

4: 1st PROJECT ALTERNATIVES’ REQUIREMENTS

: prepare three alternative, sited diagram models, using the rules of the game for:
: a 5-unit project on the site, including green design features and
: a more public space that is shared by all 5 (a courtyard or a children’s play space or a garden or . . .).
: the design should draw on findings from the class’s study of precedents.
: 3 of the 5 units must be two level ‘maisonette’ units and have double-height living rooms;
: 2 of the units must be flats with an outdoor yard or balcony, with universal design suitable for handicapped people.
: include parking.

: make diagrams, sited diagram models, site plan and plans, site section and sections, elevations, and model for the chosen scheme
– 4 WEEKS

5: MIDTERM PINUP12th week of 17 The Midterm Pinup looks at all the research and process steps done up until that point.
6.1: 2ND PROJECT students start the 2nd project with further consideration of their precedent analysis, but with
more focus on the larger scale of organization, circulation, community formation, and its overall relation to its site

6.2: PROGRAM: Students now design a 50-unit project, including:

: including off-grade parking for units not entering at grade, accommodating bicycles, cars and
motorbikes

: one flexible, roofed, multipurpose space, usable for full-court basketball, performance and dance.

: 30 of the units must be two-level ‘maisonette’ type and have double-height living rooms;
: 20 must be flats with a balcony

7.1: 2ND PROJECT ALTERNATIVES Students develop 3 alternative SITED diagram models, using their completed 5-unit
schemes, their design toy studies and other ideas as inspiration and research. Code vertical and horizontal structure,
vertical and horizontal circulation + functions [diagramming zones of space requiring natural light (bedrooms / living
rooms)] plus core functions and shared functions.

7.2: FINAL SCHEME students design their chosen scheme in more detail. The 50-unit proposal should draw on what
has been learned during the precedent analysis and the 5-unit study. In each case color-coded analytical diagrams and
models by each student are part of the process
8: FINAL PINUP16th week of 17
– 5 WEEKS (+ 17th week to prepare / hand in the digital books)
10: FINAL REQUIREMENTS
Include all the steps you made in the design process:

: precedent analysis / diagramming / diagram modeling / “design toy” unit diagram model
: program diagramming
: site sketching
: site documentation, analysis, modeling and diagramming
: site model
: three 5-unit sited scheme diagram models: design sketches, plans, sections, elevations,
diagrams, diagram model
: sited descriptive model

: “play” with the class’s shared design toys, trying different arrangements of rows, stacks and
circulation horizontally + vertically
: two sited alternative diagram models of the 50-unit project
: final 50-unit scheme: design sketches, plans, sections, elevations, diagrams, sited diagram
model and sited descriptive model
RULES OF THE (circulation-to-use-green-design models) GAME:

3 alternatives research at the 5-unit and 2 alternatives at the 50-unit scale:

apply three of the following rules for each, choosing from a set of design rules that
include many GREEN RULES to apply: ** all the double-star rules must be tried at
least once”

In all the housing designs, sustainable materials, solar filtering, water collection /
filtering, green roofs, natural ventilation and green landscaping are to be used.

To help you make three schemes that are really different from one
another, and which respond to society’s needs for sustainable design, follow these
rules: for each one of the three schemes, choose and explore a different set of
three requirements from the following list. Mark each scheme accordingly (BHI or
CFG or . . .):
A: define (3) different interesting views and provide a special view towards at least one
of them, for every unit
B: provide north light entering from above in an entry or entries
C: provide the entryways to each of the housing units with a place to sit outside with a
friend (or friends), family member(s) or neighbor(s)
D: make a more public area and a more private area feel like the same space, but
separated by glass
E: create a courtyard garden (open to the sky), surrounded by units, with trees or a
bamboo grove; provide tree planting or a bamboo grove on a roof (or roofs), **
F: provide for ventilating air to flow easily through each unit **
G: make a sidewalk space that works well for outdoor food merchants**
H: separate the arrival and departure flows of the multi-use space, as much as possible
I: make one mass a ‘glass box’ (with a double skin or filtered skin as need to protect
from too much sun) and another a ‘wood box’ **
J: strongly filter summer mid-morning and summer mid-afternoon sun; provide rooftop solar panel
water-collecting canopy / canopies **
K: include shared “urban farming” as a residential function **
L: make permeable ground surfaces, a retention pond, and rainwater collection / filtration facilities **
M: include a Japanese-style genkan as part of the unit designs
N: provide sky-lighting that allows direct sun into your double-height living rooms only in winter
O: use bamboo and cross-laminated bamboo or mass timber and cross-laminated wood for the principle
structure and as the main material(s) for enclosure **
P: explore ABA, ABBA and other alternating plan / section patterns of unit types or unit orientations
Q: create social clusters of 5-6 units w/ a shared social space; stack the clusters into a tower

The analytical diagram models for alternatives are to be labelled for functions and color-coded:
: black (structure)
: yellow (circulation)
: green (planted roofs, urban farming, etc.)
: grey (enclosure / solar filtering)
: white model bases
: blue (water collection and filtering)

** all the double-star rules are ‘green design’ rules

 housing precedents

year , (slide 22
1: Immeuble Villas, Le Corbusier, 1922, (slide 22)
2: Narkomfin, Moscow, Moisei Ginzburg, 1928, (slide 24)
3: Vienna Werkbund Housing, Adolf Loos, 1931, (slide 26)
4: Unite d’Habitation, Le Corbusier, 1952, (slide 27)
5: Halen Housing, Atelier 5, 1955, (slide 29)
6: Flamatt 1 and 2, Atelier 5, 1957, (slide 30)
7: Keeling House, Denys Lasdun, 1958, (slide 32)
8: Harumi Housing, Kunio Maekawa, 1958, (slide 33)
9: Peabody Terrace, Cambridge, Sert, Jackson & Gourley, 1964, (slide 34)
10: Habitat 67, Montreal, Moshe Safdie, 1967, (slide 35)
11: Kanchanjunga, Charles Correa, 1970, (slide 36)
12: Trellick Tower, Erno Goldfinger, 1972, (slide 37)
13: Nexus World, Steven Holl, 1991, (slide 38)
14: Kitagawa Housing, Gifu, Kazuyo Sejima & Ryue Nishizawa, 1994, (slide 39)
15: The Whale, de Architekten Cie, 2000, (slide 40)
16: Silodam, Amsterdam, MVRDV, 2002, (slide 41)
17: Mirador Apartments, MVRDV, 2004, (slide 42)
18: Carabanchel Housing, Foreign Office Architects, 2007, (slide 43)
19: Harvard University Graduate Housing, Cambridge, Kyu Sung Woo, 2008, (slide 44)
20: Star Apartments, Los Angeles, Michael Maltzen, 2013, (slide 45)
21: Interlace, Singapore, Ole Scheeren, 2015, (slide 47)
22: Social Housing, Bordeaux, France, Lacaton & Vassal, 2016, (slide 48)
23: L’Arbre Blanc, Sou Fujimoto, 2019, (slide 50)
 Immeuble
Villas by Le
Corbusier,
1922
(+ Pavilion
l’Esprit
Nouveau,
1925)
One unit of the Immeuble Villas by
Le Corbusier, 1922, was built as the
Pavilion l’Esprit Nouveau, in 1925.
Moisei Ginzburg (with Ivan F. Milinis): Narkofin Apartment Complex,
Moscow (1928-1930)
From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
From Key Urban Housing of the Twentieth
Century by Hilary French
Atelier 5: Row Houses Flamatt 1 and Flamatt 2
https://atelier5.ch/arbeiten/1961-flamatt-2- https://atelier5.ch/arbeiten/1961-flamatt-2-
flamatt?cat=1&cHash=f12757493e19b8fb30f6d9ed2c2d8f20 flamatt?cat=1&cHash=f12757493e19b8fb30f6d9ed2c2d8f20
From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
 From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French

“I decided that urban housing, as a way to rethink apartment buildings, would be my thesis. I was trying to think about how you can take the
traditional city of individual buildings, apartments, offices, et cetera, and rearrange them three dimensionally in a way that would give them more
light, more contact with nature, streets in the air and so on.” https://metropolismag.com/viewpoints/moshe-safdie-tells-tale-habitat-67-predicts-housing-future/
Trellick Tower by Erno
Goldfinger, 1972
From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
 From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
From Key Urban Housing of the
Twentieth Century by Hilary French
Harvard
University
Graduate
Housing,
Kyu Sung Woo,
2008
Interlace, Singapore by Ole Scheeren, 2015
19: Social Housing, Bordeaux, France, Lacaton and Vassal, 2016

https://www.archdaily.com/915431/transformation-of-530-dwellings-lacaton-and-vassal-plus-frederic-druot-plus-christophe-hutin-architecture
https://www.archdaily.com/915431/transformation-of-530-dwellings-lacaton-and-vassal-plus-frederic-druot-plus-christophe-hutin-architecture
2019
 Adolf Loos: Rufer and Scheu Houses, Vienna
Rufer exploded axon (student work by Jonathan Bell)

analyzing the precedent

word analysis comes from an

The origin of the
older word meaning to loosen. Here the purposeful
exploding of the drawing has been used to take the ‘loosened’
parts of a building and separate them outwards, so each can be
seen more clearly, while maintaining their orientation of
connection. We can mentally put them together.
 Adolf Loos: Rufer and Scheu Houses, Vienna
Rufer exploded axon (above: student work, Jonathan Bell)
Rufer and Scheu volume study axondiagram (below)
Façade diagram (left)

deducing (and explaining) ideas

through analytical diagrams in section,
elevation and exploded axonometric
 structure

diagrams
-------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------
lower level plan movement

-----------------------------------------------------------
simplify the subject, enclosure
representing it selectively in
purposeful ways – selecting
and simplifying are two ways
we ‘abstract’
Images: pp. 28-29, Meier, Richard (1984), Richard Meier Architect. New York: Rizzoli.
 diagrams can help
explore
environmental issues
– the sun’s path and
its effect on the
building for example
 2-dimensional coded
diagramming can clarify
organization of the elements of
a design

pp. 13, 73 in Frederick, Matthew (2007), 101 Things I Learned in

Architecture School, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
 analysis can be a
process of selecting and
‘loosening’
elements or ‘chunks’ of
a building. Here program
masses are selected,
‘loosened’ and
‘exploded’ in an
explanatory way
Images: p.20, Fenton, Joseph (1985), Hybrid
Buildings. New York: Princeton Architectural
Press.

deduce
an idea
you can try inducing an idea in the analysis
within a field of plan, section and volume
diagrams

Because the drawings are so close to one another they

can, in a way, ‘talk’ to one another
p. 110, Hertzberger, Herman (1998), Notations of Herman Hertzberger. Rotterdam: NAi
Publishers.
 Structural diagram of the plan

diagrams can help

us Plan to section diagram
deduce the form of
many elements
of architecture

Plan
pp. 33, 107, 216, 220, Clark, Roger and Pause, Michael (1979),
Analysis of Precedent, Raleigh, NC: NC State University Plan
Moller House by Adolf Loos
plan to section analysis of view, light
and circulation; Loos arranged rooms
as volumes, when he designed, then
linking them with circulation
 Villa LaRoche analytic model (top right: student project, Jonathan Bell)

simplifying circulation
by ‘unfolding’ it, or
straightening it, in order to
p. 85, Evans, Robin, (1997), Translations from Drawing to understand sequence more
Building and Other Essays. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
clearly
comparing plans according
to their circulatory simplicity
Zaha Hadid: Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center
Photo (above)
Model Diagrams (right)

a mix of 3-
dimensional
analytic / synthetic
diagrams of
circulation and
volume
a student diagram
model of
circulation and
function. can you
do the same for
your precedent?
 the ”design toy”
through the analysis, each
student develops a “design
toy” in Sketchup showing
function + circulation +
structure for dwelling units in
your precedent; you and your
classmates share them and
try playing with combinations

a shared-among-classmates Sketchup model tool

alllows students to experiment with combinations
of diagram models, made from different housing
precedents, to explore possibilities . . .
 Explore alternating unit
Experiment with strings
types from different
linked by horizontal
architects. Try linking
circulation, stacks linked by
strings or stacks by one
vertical circulation and
architect with strings or
rotations of units around
stacks by another. Can you
vertical cores. Try combining
create a wall of units of
strings, stacks and / or
mixed and different types?
rotations about vertical cores.
Atelier 5: Halen Housing design toy piece,
ripe for combination with other toy pieces
Atelier 5: Halen Housing: the design toy
Charles Correa: Kanchanjunga Apartments: a design toy piece ripe for combination
combining Safdie’s Habitat units with
Correa’s Kanchanjunga units
combining Safdie’s Habitat units with
Correa’s Kanchanjunga units; allowing for
Safdie’s idea of roof gardens for everyone
stacking units - linking them with both structure and circulation
stacking and interlocking units – experimenting with green spaces in the voids