Architecture

DRAWINGS

A set of drawings is not always needed to build a house. However, drawings are useful to discuss and explain layouts or our ideas to others. Sometimes they are required to apply for financing, to obtain technical advice from a city building department, or to build public buildings such as schools. Therefore for several reasons it may be necessary to put our ideas on paper.

THE PLAN OF A HOUSE OR BUILDING

There are three basic ways to represent a building design in drawings

* the view of a house when cut horizontally through the walls at a given height.

* the view of a house when cut through vertically.

* the view of a house when seen from the front or side.

These drawings must show sufficient details to know exactly which steps to follow during construction. The sizes and dimensions of each space and building part must be clearly indicated. On the elevation drawings and the sections, show the heights and dimensions for the floors, roofs, windows and stairs, and provide descriptions of the construction materials.

More detailed drawings are required for the builder. These are called working drawings. They contain the location and description of the water and piping distribution system with its fixtures (sinks, showers, taps) and the electrical and wiring system with. its components (switches, light outlets).

The drawings of a house are drawn at a reduced size and have a scale. A scale is used to create a relationship between the drawing and the real building where the proportions stay the same. For example, if the real window size is one meter high, it is drawn on paper as one centimeter. This scale is one to a hundred (1:100). In other words, when using this size scale, every centimeter on the drawing is equal to one meter of the building.

The types of building materials are also described on the drawings.

* The elevations show the locations of doors and windows and all other project constructions and components that are seen from the exterior.

SITE PLAN

A site plan is another type of drawing. it shows the buildings and houses of an area, and the location of the surrounding elements including streets, streams and parks. The site plan uses symbols to indicate the manmade structures and the natural elements on the property or in the town, such as the ones below.

building

highway

house

bridge

street

borders

railroad

ducts

river

hill

meadow

trees

HOUSE FORM

In rural zones with hot climates where people spend most of their time outdoors, the roof often covers only two areas of the house: the kitchen area and the bedrooms. The bathroom is sometimes located outside. The interior walls are usually made with the same materials as the exterior walls, but are thinner and lighter. Built-in floor-to-ceiling cabinets or closets are sometimes used as room dividers. The entrance doors face the street or, in hotter climates, they are orientated towards the prevailing wind direction to cool the interior spaces when they are open.

HOW TO DESIGN A HOUSE

The following article explain how to make a plan of a house and to combine all the necessary spaces.

There are three basic layouts:

1. Living room with a kitchen at the back

or

2. With kitchen on the side

Note: The drawings only show the walls at half the full height, as if the house were under construction, in order to better understand the location of the door openings.

The third layout shows a roof covering the central area between kitchen and living room. This open room can be used as an area to have meals and as shelter in the long periods of rain.

Using the first layout (1), extend the roof towards the back to create a covered area protected from sun and rain.

Using the second layout (2), there are two ways of providing more sheltered space:

* In front

* On the side

Using the same basic layout, add a bathroom:

* By extending the side walls, you can design a house with two bedrooms.

A further step would be to provide a separate kitchen by dividing the cooking area from the living room.

* Separate the living room from the bedrooms and add a covered outside area, such as a veranda.

Note: The windows are not shown on these drawings. Their locations depend on the orientation of the rooms to sunlight and wind direction.

Actually every successful space layout should be different, since every design is based on a set of unique conditions, including climate, landscape, vegetation, size of family and their lifestyle, available construction materials and regional construction techniques.

Rectangularly shaped rooms are easy to build and furnish. On the other hand, irregularly shaped areas can provide pleasant surprises when moving from one room to another.

* a simple rectangularly shaped room

* a room with a large bay window to let in more sun

* an L-shaped room to enjoy the view of an old tree

* a room with a curved wall which follows the shape of the hill

The shape of a house is influenced by the land and vegetation of the site.

If the land is on a slope, place the rooms on different levels, and connect these levels with stairs.

Related spaces should be placed on the same level. Later the kitchen next to the dining area, and the bedrooms near the bathroom. On a flat site create differently shaped spaces by changing the heights of the ceilings. This improves the airflow through the house, an important consideration in humid tropical zones.

In an urban setting, where the sizes of the lots are much smaller, a house layout is often distributed on two or several storeys.

The characteristics of the spaces in a house are determined by the lifestyles of the occupants. For those who enjoy preparing meals, a good-sized kitchen is very important. Other people might like the cool night air, so their bedrooms should have a deck or terrace towards a garden, or a large balcony on an upper floor.

When working on the space layout, imagine the way of life of the future inhabitants, and consider the kind of furniture and equipment they may use in their rooms.

The most important outcome of a design is that the occupants enjoy being in their spaces. There is no need to imitate houses from the area, other regions, or cities. The home must be built to satisfy the occupants' own requirements and tastes, without necessarily seeking admiration from the neighbors.

A good layout can save space. For example, well-positioned corridors can take up less space and facilitate access to many rooms. With this saved space there is more area left to make other rooms larger, while still maintaining the overall dimensions of the house.

HOW TO DESIGN A HOUSE

To understand further the design process and how to lay out spaces, follow the example below for a small house, 6m x 9m, with two bedrooms, a living room, one bathroom and a kitchen.

LAYOUT OF THE SPACES

1. Start with the kitchen and bathroom.

2. Add the living room

3. and then the two bedrooms.

This is a basic layout

4 Now locate doors and windows.

When the land is sloped, rooms can be on different levels and connected by stairs.

* The lined part in the drawing indicates a different level of the house.

APPEARANCE

To avoid a house with a box-like appearance, displace or shift some rooms to give the layout an irregular shape. This also makes the form more interesting from the outside.

* Too many displacements are confusing.

* Rounding the corners also gives a "non-box-like" appearance.

SITE

The orientation of the house depends firstly on the lot's relationship with street access and the path of the sun.

In dry climates, the rooms are placed around a courtyard. For example, the shape of the living room has changed from a square to a rectangle. Being flexible allows for adjustments and the discovery of new possibilities or alternatives during the design and drawing process.

EXPANSION

The drawing below shows a three-bedroom house instead of the two-bedroom house from previous examples.


   ——————————————————————
   |      |  K | B |    |
   |  L   |    |   |    | 
   |         —————      |
   |            C       |
   |         ————   ————|
   |         |  R |  R  |
   |         |    |     |
   ——————    ————————————

The plan of this house is enlarged to accommodate the additional bedroom. To improve the communication between rooms a corridor (c) is added. The living room is enlarged, but the extra space could also be used for an entrance porch. In the humid tropics the upper part of the corridor walls, near the ceiling, is opened to create a cross-ventilation between the rooms.

    ———————————————————————————
    |  K | B | R  |           |
    |    |   |    |     R     |        
    | —————       |           |
    |             |           |
    |         —————     ——————|
    |           C             |
    |   L    ——————           |
    |        |        |   R   |
    |        |   R    |       |   
    ———————  |        |———————|
             |        |      
             ——————————

Another way to enlarge the plan is to project a space outwards from the main rectangle. With this move an additional bedroom is created.


                             ——————————————
                             |            |
         ————————————————————|     R      |
         |           |       |            |
         |           |       |     ———————|
         |     k     |   B         |      |
         |           |             |      |
         |     ————————————————    |   R  |
         |                                |
         |                    |           |
         |                    |  ——————————
         |                    |        |
         |    L               |        |
         |                    |      R |
         |                    |        |
         ————————————         ——————————

In this layout, the living room and bedrooms are larger. The corridor is L-shaped to provide access to all the rooms.

If the previous plan was a little too complicated, move the spaces around slightly, as shown below, to create a clearer plan:


                             ——————————————
                             |            |
         ————————————————————|     R      |
         |           |       |            |
         |           |       |     ———————|
         |     k     |   B         |      |
         |           |             |      |
         |   ———————————————— C    |   R  |
         |                                |
         |                    |           |
         |                    |  ——————————
         |                    |        |
         |    L               |        |
         |                    |      R |
         |                    |        |
         ————————————         ——————————

The bedrooms are accessed through the living room and a short corridor (c).

This type of ground-level plan can create diverse and interesting spaces. The same plan can be used on a sloped site with a staircase connecting the upper level to the lower level.

our intuition often provides us with an initial good idea. Sometimes it is better to continue to improve on this first idea until it is a satisfactory design instead of trying different solutions. Of course if a plan is not working out, it is preferable to move on to other ideas.

It is difficult to reduce space layouts once they are designed, so start with smaller spaces, and if they need to be larger, increase their size later on.


      ——————————————————————
      |  K    |  B   | R   |
      |       |      |     | 
      |   —————        3x3 |
      |              ——————|
      |                    |
      |  L           | R   |
      |              |     |
      ——————         ———————

                          →
      ——————————————————————
      |  K    |  B   | R   |
      |       |      |     | 
      |   —————        3x4 |
      |              ——————|
      |                    |
      |  L           | R   |
      |              |     |
      ——————         ———————


Workshops and stores which are part of a house should be located near the living room area so that their activities do not disturb the privacy of the rest of the house.


                 
            ————————————————
            |        |     |
            |   R    |  R  | 
            |        |     |
            |——————  |     |
            |        ——————|
            | B  |         |
            |————|         |
            |    |    L    |
            | K  |         |
            |              |
            |——————        |
            |              |
            |   workshop   |
            |              |
            ——            ——

                            
      ——————————————————————
      |       |     |      |
      |   K   |  B  |  R   | 
      |   ———————          |
      |              ——————|
      |          |         |
      |      L   |    R    |
      |          |         |
      |   ———————|—————————|
      |                    |
      |       store        |
      |                    |
      |                    |
      ——                  ——

On narrow lots, create interior or courtyards between the living spaces and bedrooms to naturally light and ventilate the spaces.

MODIFYING LAYOUTS

Do not hesitate to move elements around and modify a layout. For example if the windows or doors cannot be located where they are first planned,


                                  
      ——————————————————————
      |       |     |      |
    → |   K   |  B  |  R   | 
      |   ———————          |
      |              ——————|
      |                    |
    → |      L      |  R   |
      |             |      |
      |————————————————————|
              ↑

consider placing the kitchen-bathroom on the other side of the living room:

  
      ——————————————————————
      |             |      |
     →       L      |  R   | 
      |             |      |
      |              ——————|
      |   ————————         |
      |        |    |  R   |
      |    K   | B  |      |
      |————————————————————|


It is important to locate the bedrooms more or less towards the east side so that the occupants wake up with the rising sun. Bedrooms placed on the west side are very warm in the evening when it is time to sleep.

UPPER FLOOR

On small sites some rooms can be situated on a second storey:


      ———————————————
      |       |     |
      |   K   |  B  | 
      |   ———————   |
      |             |
      |             |     
      |      L      | 
      |             |    
      |———————————
             
 Plan of ground floor

Use the initial plan as a starting point. Place the two bedrooms on the upper storey. The staircase can be against the kitchen-bathroom wall.

Use this same wall as a support with handrail to climb the stair. Access to the bedrooms is through a short corridor.

With one roof over the whole space, the living room can have a high ceiling, and the upper floor can be a mezzanine level. This layout creates a small and comfortable house. When the site is narrow and sloped, the rooms are laid out one
after the other.


To make room for the staircase, the size of the bedrooms is modified from 3m x 3m to 4m x 2.5m. For a larger three-bedroom house, the roof is higher to locate windows in the kitchen and one of the bedrooms.

CLOSETS

The best place for built-in closets is near the entrance of each room, along the partition walls.

DESIGNING A COMFORTABLE HOUSE

It is often believed that a comfortable house is achieved by using expensive materials or with a lot of time and effort. However, the luxury and comfort of a house has no relationship with its size or the type of construction materials. Real luxury means living in a house which perfectly suits your habits and way of life. The article explain how to design your ideal house by realizing your dream spaces. For example, here are:

six spaces to rest, eat, sleep, work ...

             
   ——————   ——————————————    
   |    |   |    |       |
   |    |   |    |       |
   |    |   —————————————— 
   |    |   ——————     ———————
   |    |   |    |     |     |
   |    |   |    |     |     |
   |    |   ——————     |     |
   |    |     ——————   |     |
   |    |     |    |   |     |
   |    |     |    |   |     |
   ——————     ——————   ———————



Joined together they make a house


       
             
   —————— ——————————————    
   |    | |    |       |
   |    | |    |       |
   |    | ——————————————     
   |    | —————— ———————
   |    | |    | |     |
   |    | |    | |     |
   |    | —————— |     |
   |    | —————— |     |
   |    | |    | |     |
   |    | |    | |     |
   —————— —————— ———————




This design does not have any features that draw our attention. But if the spaces are moved in or out such as the three rooms below, the shape of the house is slightly changed This design may be a little more labor intensive, but it is more interesting.


   —————— ——————————————    
   |    | |    |       |  →
   |    | |    |       |
   |    | ——————————————     
   |    ———————— ———————
   |  ← |      | |     |
   |    |      | |     |
   |    ———————— |     |
   |    | —————— |     |
   |    | |    | |     |
   |    | |    | |     |
   —————— —————— ———————

             ↑

            plan              
 
This movement generates new possibilities such as:

a. a place for bookcases

b. a Wide bench or a veranda

c. a pleasant entrance

THE LOCAL CLIMATE

In a hot, dry climate where roofs should be flat, the walls can be moved or the ceiling heights varied to create a more attractive facade:

* move the spaces in or out

* or change the heights of the roofs

* Or both

In the humid tropics or temperate climates, the roofs are sloped at different heights with different pitches or with  various types of roofs. In all climates, beautifully designed house facades can also provides some interesting features. Try integrating:

* porches

* balconies

* different types of windows projecting from the facade or roof

MODELS

DESIGNING WITH MODELS

It is sometimes difficult to imagine the outcome of a design in the plans, sections and elevation drawings. A model can help to understand and verify the size of the spaces and the appearance of the house. A good model can be made from cardboard or heavy paper. Below are instructions for making a model at a scale of 1:50.

1. Cut 5cm-wide cardboard strips. These represent 2.5-meter-high walls.

2. Draw a sketch of the plan on a sheet of paper. Each meter equals 2cm in the drawing. Leave spaces to show open doors and windows:


      ——————————————————————
      |       |     |      |
      |       |     |      | 
      |   ———————          |
      |             ———————|
      |                    |
      |             |      |
      |             |      |
      |————————     ———————|

The example above is a typical plan of a house with a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom.

3. Cut the strips the same length as the lines of walls on the plan, and glue them onto the lines.

4. Check if this plan expresses the original idea. lt may be necessary to modify or reposition some of the elements of the model, such as doors and walls.

5. When all the elements 9re in the right position, cut out or draw 1n the windows.

6 On the model draw the plumbing lines for the water supply and drain pipes, as well as the position for the lighting.


                      water

                        ↑

             ——————————————————————
             |       |     |      |
             |       |     |      | 
  drainage ← |   ———————          |
             |             ———————|
             |                    |
             |             |      | → light
             |             |      |
             |————————     ———————|
              

7. Decide on the most adequate type of roof shape depending on the climate and the construction materials.

  
                    ———————————— 
                    |          |
                    |          |    
                    |          |
                    |          |      
                    ———————————— 

                 dry tropical climate

                   
                    ————————————— 
                    |╲        ╱|
                    |  ╲    ╱  |    
                    ————————————
                    |  ╱    ╲  |
                    |╱        ╲|      
                    —————————————
                
                 temperate climate

If the whole family agrees with the design, then the work begin!

Below is an example of a simple low-budget house located on a difficult site.

The bedroom and bathroom are on the upper level.

The living room and kitchen are on the lower level.

The foundations are also at different heights.

Make the wall of the model half the full height in order to see the spaces .

This type of plan can be used for beach or mountain sites.


DIMENSIONS

To have an idea of the size of the house when designing, use as a reference the dimensions of the room you are presently occupying. For example, suppose the room you are sitting in is 3m x 3m.

A quick way to start drawing the design is to use grided paper. Assume 1 centimeter equals 1 meter.

If you want a living room that is double the size of the space you are presently in, draw twice the 3m x 3m square, or a space that equals approximately an area of 18 square meters. Be flexible with the design in order to select the most adequate shape.

When adding on more spaces, verify how they all fit together.


DIMENSIONING

After deciding, in a simple drawing, the size of the spaces and their relationship to each other, make another type of floor plan fort builder or contractor.

Here is an example. To the right is a simple drawing for the design of the final layout.


        ——————————————————————
        |       |     |      |
        |       |     |      | 
        |   ———————          |
        |             ———————|
        |                    |
        |             |      |
        |             |      |
        |————————     ———————|

In the new drawing for the builder, represent all the walls with double lines, and indicate the position of the doors and windows.

To position the walls, draw their dimensions using corners as references, and then measure the spaces from these points. During construction, the walls are located on the ground using these dimensions.

The trenches for the foundations are measured and traced from point to point and marked using stakes.

Below are typical dimensions for house spaces, in square meters:

living room

5 x 4 = 20 m²

bedroom

4 x 3 = 12 m²

kitchen

3 x 2 = 6 m²

bathroom

1.5 x 2 = 3 m²


THE STRUCTURE

To prevent structural problems in earthquake, high wind or flood zones, consider the following principles:

* the thicker the wall, the stronger it is.

* the longer the wall, the more easily it bends.

* the higher the wall, the more easily it falls.

* a heavier roof puts more weight onto the walls

* square corners are easily damaged

Below is a table demonstrating the resistance of a wall supporting a slab roof. The strength factor varies with the size of the wall. Assume the higher the factor, the more resistant the wall is to collapsing.

modify the width

20cm factor 3

60cm factor 10

modify the height

350cm factor 3

250cm factor 6

modify the length

1000cm factor 3

400cm factor 6

The weight of different roof types affects the resistance factor:

* slab

* sheathing

The shape of the corners is also important. A semicircular wall has the same strength as a square wall strengthened with reinforcing rods.

ENVIRONMENT

A house shelters us from all types of climatic conditions, whether it be the heat, rain, cold, or humidity. It is therefore important to first carefully observe the local climate before designing or building a house.

There are three basic climates:

* The humid tropical climate with very warm temperatures which vary little between day and night, heavy precipitation and rich vegetation

* The dry tropical climate which is also hot, but has large temperature differences between day and night, little precipitation and therefore scarce vegetation

* The temperate climate with a very cold season and cold nights

Immigrants often build in their new homeland the same type of house they had before. This is a common mistake, and can make their houses inadequate for the local conditions, by either being very warm or too cold.

Before designing observe how the local people build their homes. This will help prevent importing designs and materials that do not suit local conditions. The house must adapt to the climate. -

HUMID TROPICAL CLIMATE

* Build houses close to hills or elevated sites where there is more air circulation.

* Build thin walls so humidity does not accumulate.

* Build sloped roofs to evacuate rainwater.
 
* use materials such as wood, bamboo and reeds.

* Install large windows to improve ventilation.

* Separate houses to allow cool breezes to circulate.

* Build verandas around the house to protect it from rain.

* Elevate the ground floor to avoid the earth's humidity.

DRY TROPICAL CLIMATE

* In regions with hills, build houses in the high areas where there is more air circulation.

* Use thick walls to decrease the penetration of the heat during the day and the cold at night.

* use materials such as stones, adobe, bricks and blocks.

* Install small windows to prevent the entry of dust and sun.

* Join houses to expose as few walls as possible to the sun. The houses then shade each other.

* Build interior courtyards to ventilate the rooms.

* Build the ground floor on the earth's surface to take advantage of the cool ground temperature.

TEMPERATE CLIMATE

* Build houses in areas with exposure to the sun.

* Build thick walls that prevent heat from escaping.

* Build roofs with an average pitch.

* Use materials such as wood, adobe, bricks and blocks.

* Install small windows on the south side and large ones on the north side. This applies to the Southern Hemisphere; do the opposite in the Northern Hemisphere.

* Protect the house from winds with vegetation and earth berms.

* Use the sunlight to heat rooms. Insulate the floor from the cold ground.

The environmental conditions where you build are not always clearly defined by the basic three climates. In some humid tropical regions forest resources have been destroyed causing a scarcity of wood for building. There are also dry tropical regions with green valleys and abundant palm groves, where the houses are built all in wood.

It is therefore recommended to build only houses that are most ecologically sound and in harmony with the local environment.

Today there are many opportunities to build with new types of materials or imported materials; however it is always preferable to use materials that blend in with traditional building types. Designing a house that is different from the local ones, by modifying all materials, the shape of house, the interior layout, and the use of spaces, eventually causes uncomfortable conditions.

A HOUSE AND ITS ELEMENTS

A house shelters in three ways:

1. protection from the sun and rain
2. protection from ground humidity
3. protection from wind

A house should withstand winds and the vibrations of heavY vehicles.

A house is composed of these three elements:

* walls

* floor

* roof

Problems such as water infiltration, insects, excessive heat or cold are first located in the joints or connections of these elements: roof, floor and walls.

After exposure to wind, rain or earthquakes, any construction defects often appear first in these joint areas.

USING THE ENVIRONMENT TO IMPROVE HOUSES

Environmental conditions are often misunderstood and not taken advantage of. By taking a closer look at the environment we can use it to improve housing and house systems.

It is not appropriate to imitate elements or construction styles from other regions with different environmental conditions. For example a window in a cold climate allows the sun to enter and warm up the room, but the same window in a dry tropical climate overheats the room and makes it unbearable to live in.

The roof, floor and walls should integrate into the natural environment and climate, and use it in a favorable way. There are detailed descriptions of ways to do this.

BUILDING ON SLOPED SITES

Often houses on sloped sites are built identically to ones on flat sites. The result IS an overspending on the construction of the foundation and the walls, and the destruction of the environment. When a s1te ts extremely sloped some earth should be moved but the plan should always suit the shape of the site.

A much more efficient house can be built on the same type of site by placing the spaces on several levels:

house sections

a) a flat roof

b) an inclined roof

- upper floor

- lower floor

c) a roof with 2 sloped planes

The money spent building retaining walls and infill can instead be used for improving other areas or parts of the house.

SUN AND WIND CONDITIONS

To prevent overheating the interior of the house, follow the principles below:

1. Prevent sun rays from hitting the walls

* with a large roof

* with eaves

* with trees

* with plants

* by protecting the longer walls from the sun

* by painting surfaces white

When the sun's rays hit an outside wall, they heat it up and eventually the heat penetrates into the interior spaces and the temperature inside the house rises.

2. prevent sun reflections from other surfaces:

If a house has many glass windows, the sun's rays can reflect off them and hit the neigh boring house on the other side of the street:

* large windows reflect sun rays

* water also reflects sun rays

Dark pavement or asphalt absorbs the heat and radiates it onto surrounding buildings.

* the dark ground absorbs and radiates

The best protection from this outside heat gain are plants and trees, which store cool air between their branches.

3. To well ventilate the interior spaces and keep the hot air circulating and non-stagnant, locate the doors and windows in relation to the prevailing winds.

* upper windows: the hot air flows

* tower windows: the cool breeze is felt

* wind entering under canopy

* percola or canopy separate from the wall

* the heat enters through the roof

* the heats exits the room

* air circulating from above to below is not very efficient

* air circulating from below to above is much more effective

* the closer hot air is to the head, the warmer you feel

* a cross-circulation is more effective with openings in the lower part of doors

* low trees: the breeze rises and does not enter

* high trees: the breeze descends and cools.

The distance between plants or trees and the house is also important, for example:

* when a hedge plant is 3 meters from a house, a breeze enters

* when a hedge plant is 6 meters from a house, a stronger breeze enters

A tree is more effective for cooling when it is planted close to a building:

* when a tree is 6 meters from a house, there is little breeze

* when a tree is 3 meters from a house, more cool air enters

Planting hedges around a house can also change the circulation of prevailing winds:

* without plants the breeze circulates around and away from a house.

* with a front hedge plant the breeze circulates further away from a house.

* with a back hedge plant the breeze enters and cools a house.

* With one back and one front hedge, a strong breeze enters.


ROOF VENTILATION OPENINGS

One way to prevent the house interior from heating up is to build openings in the upper part of the walls or in the roof. Since hot air always rises, these openings provide exits for the heat.

There are three ways to ventilate:

A. Allow interior hot air to exit:

* to let in cool outside air, the interior air must be evacuated.

Examples of method A:

- the hot air exits through openings in the upper walls

- the hot air exits through roof openings.

B. Prevent hot air from entering the rooms:

* the hot air flows into the eaves and exits through openings near the ridge.

Example of method B:

- another type of opening near the ridge

C. Draw hot air between the roof and the top of wall :

* with a flat roof the breeze lifts the air that is stagnant beneath the eaves.

Example of method C:

- the breeze enters through holed tiles in the upper part of the walls.

There are many types of site problems including odors, noise, smog, polluted water, unattractive zones, destroyed landscapes, and difficult infrastructure.

Industrial activities often are the cause of pollution in cities. These industrial activities can be less harmful if they are located in areas that do not affect the population. All factories should install equipment to treat their waste before it is disposed of.

* The factory waste will not affect as many people if the
river current is running away from the village.

Locate houses far away from the source of contamination.

http://www.tibarose.com

INGENIOUS

KIND OF

EFFICIENT

ACCOMMODATION


Swedish furniture giant develops quick-fix shelter


Ikea, a household brand synonymous with affordable DIY furniture, is launching an innovative new product.

   But the model will not be featured in its latest furniture catalogue.

   Working with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), an organisation that helps look after the welfare of refugees worldwide. Ikea Foundation (the Swedish furniture maker's philanthropic branch) has designed a flatpack shelter that can rapidly assembled in crisis areas.

   Made up of canvas, ropes and poles, temporary refugee shelters have not evolved much over the years. They are hot during the summer and cold in winter.

   But the new design is sturdy and durable, and comes with features like solar panels and USB ports to provide electricity.

   The Ikea Foundation has reportedly invested US$4.8 million towards developing the new shelters.

   Previously tested in Ethiopia and at the Domiz refugee camp on the Iraq-Syria border, 50 shelter prototypes have been sent to refugee camps and areas of crisis in Syria.

1. The shelters arrive in the typical Ikea flat cardboard packs for ease of handling and shipping.

2. Each shelter can be put up in 4 hours, without the need for tools

3. Each shelter is designed to last at least three years. Normal refugee shelters last only six months

METAL FRAME : Held together by connectors and wires. The panels snap onto the metal frame and are secured by plastic fasteners

SOLAR PANEL : Helps to power built-in lamps and USB ports

SHADE-NET : Made of metallic fabric, the net deflects heat during the day and retains it at night

ROOF & WALLS

Made of Rhulite, a lightweight semi-hard polymer developed specifically for this project. The material is light enough to be transported easily yet strong enough to withstand harsh climates.

The polymer allows light in during the day but keeps light from casting shadows at night, ensuring privacy.

IKEA FLATPACK SPECS

Size : 17.5 sq m

Accommodation : Five people

Weight : 100 kg

Cost : US$1,000 per unit (once it's in mass production)

SOURCE : GRAPHIC NEWS, THE TELEGRAPH, WIRED

Contest for European cities

NEW YORK - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is offering European cities millions to come up with plans to improve urban life.

   The billionaire businessman-turned-politician invited about 600 sizeable European cities, with a population of 100,000 or more, to compete for €9 million from his personal foundation.

   The contest is modelled on a Bloomberg Philanthropies contest that awarded US$9 million to five United States cities this year.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jaffa Apartment : http://www.blessthisstuff.com/stuff/living/living-space/jaffa-apartment-by-pitsou-kedem-architects

13 Strangest Buildings of the World : http://www.wonders-world.com/2010/03/13-strangest-buildings-of-world.html