Project 3 was an exercise in collaborative architectural design and requires team-work at the level of orthographic architectural representation and model making. In this project, student teams apply the knowledge and learning of Tablinum and Minima to enhance design synthesis in Domus.
Domus: Extend your minima project to design an autonomous sustainable shared live-work environment that can accommodate three to five people in a specific climate zone.
Our teams design was set in Torquay in a cool-temperate climate. The use of materials and design was incredibly important in attaining an environmentally sustainable house. We used mud-bricks as the main structure which achieved sufficient thermal mass for the structure. The house was orientated to the north so that maximum use of the sun during the winter months was used to try and heat the building without using mechanical heating systems. In summer, when cooling is the primary objective, the eaves of the roof shade these windows and therefore reduce the heat gain from the outside temperature.
The individual experiences the house in a straight method, from the outset of entry, the whole communal area is viewable and defined. This continues out onto the deck in which outdoor entertaining is the primary objective. The separate rooms which are angled adjacently to the main communal areas are the private quarters for each individual both residents and guests.
Domus as an assignment provided challenges both in working in groups and designing a house for a particular climate to which it must be environmentally sustainable.
