added a search feature to habitat. give it a try and state whether or not you find it valuable enough that it might be useful to add to the other sections, as well.

i am replacing all of the entries and comments to habitat at a pace of about 9 at a (undetermined amount of) time. some of the image links are broken, though, and they will remain so until i can get over to the office warehouse and root out the back up discs. some of the images will need to come from the decatur files; perhaps we can have a personnel conference some time this week to fill the holes.

[update: subsequent site changes may have rendered the information in this post incorrect]

the two (2) online supplement images have been updated. i still have doubts about the competition mongers’ intentions to investigate them.

The house relies on structural insulated panels for both its flexibility and economy. Using the panels as both wall and roof, the cost of the panels is
$17088. The cost of the thermal mass wall system is $7,526.

roof:
panels 1440 sq ft $4.00 $5,760.00
roofing 1440 sq ft $0.44 $633.60

structure:
panels 2832 sq ft $4.00 $11,328.00

mass wall:
cmu 5 $64.00 $320.00
glass 5 $1,152.00 $5,670.00

clerestory: 4 $384.00 $1,536.00

slab: 1440 sq ft $0.92 $1,324.80

doors: 5 $20.00 $100.00

total: $26,672.40
† continue reading Home:House Final Textual Submission

listening to marvin gaye and drinking ‘cafe el-aguila’

these drawings investigate the relationship of lateral full height walls that allow tempered air to pass northward through the house from a series of programmed south-oriented radiant floor slabs/thermal masses

+ plan
† continue reading passive radiant floor courts

please take a look at these interior views and provide some insight on which is the most effective representation. also, any tips that you have on colour/textures are welcome.

some quick views of the plan you sent last week. not all are touched up; i just wanted to get them ‘out there’ this morning. look for more notes on these in the p.m.

“incontinent mother plan”
† continue reading some schemes w/ cleretories/sawtooths

here are some new models; they are based on the plan that you sent yesterday. the views correspond to the similarly numbered views in the previous post. (serves02.jpg is same view as sevresB-02.jpg).
† continue reading sevres2; model of wire-pulling plan

ashley workgroup (10:20:29 PM): are you online?
john workgroup (10:20:33 PM): yes
† continue reading also from aim, tuesday/wednesday

john workgroup (00:59:30): command: mirror

+ plan doodle from aim
this is a rather conventional configuration of the plan. it does however illustrate the vocabulary of panels, block walls, large glazing zones, and punched openings.

+ bangolet field

here are some details of the possibilities within the scheme mentioned in a previous missive. each chambre has it own mass wall, built according to the insulspan s.i.p. grid (here 4′x12′ and 4′x4′ panels are pictured). the locations of the chambres � as determined by the habitants � are along an east-west boulevard whose program is open for interpretation, but it would be expected to host ‘part time’ occupations such as meals or folding clothes as well as serve circulation (human and hvac) needs. depending on the planning of the habitants, the spaces between the chambres can be left as residual private alleys, allowing indirect light into the chambers, or the space can be large enough to operate as a public court (indoor or outdoor). perhaps with the rhythmic attributes of the s.i.p. the decisions can be more free with regards to cost, as changes will not necessitate costly planning or reconfiguration.
† continue reading bangolet

i think this piece has to be accessible for the handicapable.
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/

perhaps this system will work better towards your ends of establishing ‘courts’, as i do not think that the other system (thermal mass floor) will function without enclosing the floor area with glazing.

here, you may use solid walls along the south face, and they will passively control the temperature within any chambres you place them. windows can now be added with indifference to the angle or louvres or flooring, but keep in mind that every addition of window surface is more heat lost gained.

+ santouen_section01.jpg
1 room thick house w/ wall section as seen in next image.

† continue reading re: passive radiant floor courts

+ clichy_section_01
† continue reading clichy scheme

+ lifted_01.jpg

some ‘sections’ to illustrate the idea about lifting some floater walls which was mentioned yesterday.
† continue reading lifted floaters

there is not so much to say about these plans from me this morning. i will try to attach a few lines if my managers take their gaze away from me for more than two (2) minutes today.

+ plan view
† continue reading plans extruded from hfh site extraction

There isnt so much to say about these plans from me tonight. There would obviously be an infinite amount of variations. Some would fail practically and others would fail conventionally. Should we be pushing a lifestyle shift with this plan or just an applique of “spirited” materiality?

Due to its versatility and structural independence, i am musing about the possibility of using SIP’s (structural insulated panels) as a building block for the habitat. i believe these could be used in a relative way to the high art custom increments of mr. lynn’s embryologic house in that they could be precut in a group of shapes that are components of the parametric system that arranges the program. or, rather, the panel shapes become the solution set for the program configuration. here are some informative materials about this product:

insulspan SIP’s website

bob vila visits a habitat build

bob vila peeps the installation of SIP’s at the habitat build

random google cache

i actually do feel like designing a building is appropriate, i think we have stirred the pot quite a bit and are ready to lick the spoon to taste all the concepts we have tossed in, i do think we have some good ideas on the table and it is impossible to see how to institute them without getting our hands dirty, i am in the process of drawing plans on 8′ modules with the anchor programs up front and a variable system of spaces in the rear, tell me more about “thermal mass” if you could.

An extrapolation of values found in architecturally relevant drawing types to be found here.

+ the body v. the environment

fixed: service core, anchor point @ street, minimize utility length and energy expenditure, street is nerve bundle for neighborhood utilities, bring the house to the source
parametric: variable program space, “active living” “act of living”
† continue reading Moving on

+ Figure it out yourself
Move beyond the reductive palliation of ‘custom homes’ in which the only signature of the homeowner is the selection of a precoordinated ‘theme’ that will gloss over the fixtures and finishes schedule.
The importance of handcraftsmanship is the manner in which it empowers the community by reflecting and indexing the spirits, abilities, and desires of its people. Seek personalization that lies deeper than the realm of decoration.
† continue reading cementing of themes in linguistic and plagiaristic form

external skin [abilities: passive solar, biomass] establishes atmospheric …

+ dual membrane

external skin [abilities: passive solar, biomass] establishes atmospheric conditions within which individual chambres drift. occupants [abilities: ventilation, shading regulation] engage in seasonal or daily migration through the atmosphere according to desires for comfort and privacy.

re: planning(site), materiality, planning(program)

“If the new idea or gadget does not assist in keeping their lives simple and their families together, [the amish] probably will reject it.”
† continue reading solidification of values in text and precedent form

what the hell is happening here?

= slow

i have begun a graphic inquiry over the weekend involving floating boundaries and liquefied orders of construction but have hit the following snags: dhart forgot to pay my isp bill and i do not have internet access from my studio + the copy of fmz you sent me doesnt seem to be working on my machine. bear with me.

i am somewhat skeptical of this bundling of systems. it makes me nervous that we might be psychologically cutting out the notion of independence that makes homeownership such a strong force. i know these would still be individual dwellings but i feel that the sharing of architectural elements, whether they be roof, wall, or floor, is (as you and i have experienced) a quite emasculating phenomenon. i think as a concept, which is what i understand your images to be, it could be useful to think of how shared systems can minimize land usage, but i think maybe those systems could be more latent, ie. driveway/garage, septic field, waste disposal… it just makes me nervous to see anything resembling a duplex because the idea of habitat for humanity seems to be founded on the single family home, not getting people into a ‘nicer’ multifamily housing situation.

a tender probe into graphic communications has been made: manual.jpg. i propose the consolidation of some of the components of the homes, reducing the space between them, and, in turn, reducing the amount of land wasted with asphalt and driveways (and less “drive time”) in an attempt to bridge the distances.

there is a gap between recycling something and using something that is recycled. whereas the promise to recycle can be used as an excuse for consumption or destruction; the idea of using something recycled, in a way, has preempted some of the damage by lessening the raw materials taken. whether or not recycled materials are recycled again; their use presupposes a more positive move than the use fresh materials with a mere promise of recycling later.

balance the chances of occupants getting the full mileage out of a dwelling against the certainty that one day abandonment and demolition will befall it.

the hope would be that, a building’s quality and precognition would enable it to meet all uses perpetually, however, it seems likely that, eventually, all usefulness will come to an end. if the building were demolished and its component pieces placed into other uses or recycled, it would be acceptable. as a failsafe, however, perhaps it is appropriate to construct something that degrades after a certain period � the project life of the program – from materials that will less of a trace as they seep back into the earth destroyed by exposure.

“it doesn’t matter if you win or lose; it’s only how good you play the game.
this is the oldest sneak attack, cause it takes away our senses to gain”
- krs-one

whereas consumption of commercial goods or services may prove to be an endlessly repetitive and ultimately fruitless endeavour, ownership of one’s home provides an individual or a family with a valid sense of empowerment. as opposed to seeking happiness through the acquisition of an expanding market of temporary goods, the ownership of a home carries with it a feeling of further control over one’s destiny.
† continue reading moves?

Some time ago you posed a question…
† continue reading Backtracking

I am in the process of cobbling together a document of pilfered quotes, texts, demands, bulletins, and general directives that might serve as an impetus for a manifesto or proposal on our side. I have come across a some things of interest that will appear in that document. Here are two full texts that might be worth reading (1) (2).
I am also curious as to whether it would be profitable to upload an Open Office document or whether I could convert it to html and make it a new page.

it was somehow managed that two (2) pages were affixed to a drafting table in the northern offices this morning.

have you any tips for how one should begin this undertaking?

there is an article here [w] concerning the history and status of habitat for humanity, as seen in 1995. whether or not it is pertinent to our ‘design’, some of their strategies are interesting, such as the ‘blitz-builds’ in which houses are built in 6 hours.

site: http://www.secca.org/home