Comments on: Clean, green and responsive: the future of architecture? http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/2011/03/30/clean-green-and-responsive-the-future-of-architecture/ News and debate from Gardenvisit.com Sun, 20 May 2012 04:57:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Christine http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/2011/03/30/clean-green-and-responsive-the-future-of-architecture/comment-page-1/#comment-8805 Christine Tue, 05 Apr 2011 04:04:45 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=6777#comment-8805 There is an interesting discussion on courtyard housing in California, which could provide one answer to your question, in 'Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles; a typological analysis' by Stefanos Polyzoides, Roger Sherwood and James Tice. The courtyard house is a high density low rise housing typology. The reasons are essentially positive for landscape if not land use: "The coming of the bungalow caused widespread acceptance of the virtues of open space and landscape. The courts designed after 1910 reflected a strong concern with the architectural development both of the buildings and the various aspects of landscape." (p16.) There is an interesting discussion on courtyard housing in California, which could provide one answer to your question, in ‘Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles; a typological analysis’ by Stefanos Polyzoides, Roger Sherwood and James Tice.

The courtyard house is a high density low rise housing typology. The reasons are essentially positive for landscape if not land use:

“The coming of the bungalow caused widespread acceptance of the virtues of open space and landscape. The courts designed after 1910 reflected a strong concern with the architectural development both of the buildings and the various aspects of landscape.” (p16.)

]]> By: Tom Turner http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/2011/03/30/clean-green-and-responsive-the-future-of-architecture/comment-page-1/#comment-8798 Tom Turner Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:37:07 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=6777#comment-8798 The demise of courtyard housing is as mysterious as it is tragic. What could the reasons be? (1) stupidity? (2) forgetfulness? (3) too many badly designed courtyards? The demise of courtyard housing is as mysterious as it is tragic. What could the reasons be? (1) stupidity? (2) forgetfulness? (3) too many badly designed courtyards?

]]> By: Christine http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/2011/03/30/clean-green-and-responsive-the-future-of-architecture/comment-page-1/#comment-8794 Christine Mon, 04 Apr 2011 05:57:12 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=6777#comment-8794 Oh sorry. It is sometimes difficult to be clear about these things. In an inside/out home the landscape is broadly speaking - outside the house. Think the Fansworth House [ http://thingsihaveseen.squarespace.com/storage/farnsworth_900x280.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1240308961653 ] and Versailles [ http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/versailles_1866.jpg. ] Whereas in an outside/in house the landscape is broadly speaking inside the house. [ http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzie888/473073402/ ] Think Chinese courtyard houses and Roman atria houses. [ http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RsksnW4RVzw/Swa743zKPPI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/xGbn9chCRzU/s1600/PeristyleAtrium.jpg ] Oh sorry. It is sometimes difficult to be clear about these things.

In an inside/out home the landscape is broadly speaking – outside the house. Think the Fansworth House [ http://thingsihaveseen.squarespace.com/storage/farnsworth_900x280.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1240308961653 ] and Versailles [ http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/versailles_1866.jpg. ]

Whereas in an outside/in house the landscape is broadly speaking inside the house. [
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzie888/473073402/ ] Think Chinese courtyard houses and Roman atria houses. [ http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RsksnW4RVzw/Swa743zKPPI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/xGbn9chCRzU/s1600/PeristyleAtrium.jpg ]

]]> By: Tom Turner http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/2011/03/30/clean-green-and-responsive-the-future-of-architecture/comment-page-1/#comment-8777 Tom Turner Fri, 01 Apr 2011 06:59:31 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=6777#comment-8777 Maybe I do not follow your distinction. At a broad level I see the nineteeenth century design procedure as outside->inside and the twentieth century design procedure as inside->outside. Yes, this is a generalisation! Maybe I do not follow your distinction. At a broad level I see the nineteeenth century design procedure as outside->inside and the twentieth century design procedure as inside->outside. Yes, this is a generalisation!

]]> By: Christine http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/2011/03/30/clean-green-and-responsive-the-future-of-architecture/comment-page-1/#comment-8774 Christine Fri, 01 Apr 2011 05:38:09 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=6777#comment-8774 Yes. I would be interested to see the difference between inside/out homes and outside/in homes. Lumenhaus is an example an inside/out house. It reduces the interior footprint to the narrowest linear arrangement and relies on the outdoors for landscape amenity. Tangga House by contrast is an example of an outside/in house. Its focus is internal with living spaces wrapped around a courtyard for landscape amenity. [ http://www.materialiste.com/en/design/tangga-house-singapour ] Yes. I would be interested to see the difference between inside/out homes and outside/in homes.

Lumenhaus is an example an inside/out house. It reduces the interior footprint to the narrowest linear arrangement and relies on the outdoors for landscape amenity.

Tangga House by contrast is an example of an outside/in house. Its focus is internal with living spaces wrapped around a courtyard for landscape amenity.
[ http://www.materialiste.com/en/design/tangga-house-singapour ]

]]> By: Tom Turner http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/2011/03/30/clean-green-and-responsive-the-future-of-architecture/comment-page-1/#comment-8765 Tom Turner Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:52:39 +0000 http://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/?p=6777#comment-8765 It looks like a brilliant project - but the word 'inspired' aroses scepticism. I would like some old-fashioned engineers to run their slide rules over the project and calculate whether it has real sustainability creditentials in addition to boasted sustainability credentials. I do however have a deep confidence that sustainable cities are possible. Question: 'Where does this confidence come from?' Answer: 'I think I could manage my own life with 50% of the average per capita energy use in the UK'. But it would be no bad thing if an engineer ran her slide-rule over this unquantified belief. Wiki <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_Kingdom" rel="nofollow">reports </a>that 'Energy use in the United Kingdom stood at 3,894.6 kilogrammes of oil equivalent per capita in 2005 compared to a world average of 1,778.0' - so there is scope for adjustments to be made. Providing individual figures for energy use would be impractical but it would be good to have some profiles for different lifestyles and for the effect of changes in lifestyles. It looks like a brilliant project – but the word ‘inspired’ aroses scepticism. I would like some old-fashioned engineers to run their slide rules over the project and calculate whether it has real sustainability creditentials in addition to boasted sustainability credentials.
I do however have a deep confidence that sustainable cities are possible. Question: ‘Where does this confidence come from?’ Answer: ‘I think I could manage my own life with 50% of the average per capita energy use in the UK’. But it would be no bad thing if an engineer ran her slide-rule over this unquantified belief.
Wiki reports that ‘Energy use in the United Kingdom stood at 3,894.6 kilogrammes of oil equivalent per capita in 2005 compared to a world average of 1,778.0′ – so there is scope for adjustments to be made. Providing individual figures for energy use would be impractical but it would be good to have some profiles for different lifestyles and for the effect of changes in lifestyles.

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