Tutorial 2 Minutes-Battersea 5

In discussing Chelsea’s design idea the following ideas were considered:
- Carving the sleeping section out of a hill constructed using rammed earth.
Rammed earth construction involves using a mixture of soil, concrete and mud which can be shaped as desired and will then set.
It provides good thermal mass and allow us to be experimental with form.

Ash:
- Idea of open plan
- Good idea to build hill section of house facing north as this will protect the house from direct sunlight.
- Outdoor living space would be better if it took the form of a courtyard surrounded by other areas of the house.
- It would be a good idea to experiment with form using clay – do this as a group to help develop and agree on a final design.

Lucy:
- Idea of constructing servant areas as part of a wall.
- Idea of constructing bedrooms out of a wall – bedrooms mounded out of rammed earth.
- Bedrooms don’t necessarily need to be well lit – could cut windows out of rammed earth similar to those of the Chapel at Ronchamp design by Le Corbusier.
- South light is the best light – no direct heat and no direct sunlight.
- Solar panels can be used as a building material.
- Create roof space for three and a half people.
- Water tanks need to be big enough to store all required water at once as the majority of rain will fall around the same period of the year.
- Wind can be used for evaporative cooling, therefore consider positioning of water tanks.
An evaporative cooling system works when wind blows over water and then into the house. The only disadvantage in using this system is that it will use some water.
- Bedroom section of house could sit at a higher level to act as a sun shade for the living space.

FOR NEXT WEEK:
- Atart working towards single design.
- As a group experiment with modeling clay to develop design.
- Look at constructing bed section of home out of rammed earth.