Apartment House, painting by Edward Hopper
|
Spatial Concept
Modern life in collective housing is usually described as lonely, divided, and lack of connection to the outside world. A sense of local community can rarely be found. Even though people live couple feet away from each other, face-to-face interactions are superficial and scarce. 949 Moraga Rd is a co-housing project. It recognizes the situation of contemporary housing and looks for possible alternatives. By investigating the relatively recent construction material, cross laminated timber, it opens up a new possibility for co-housing design. |
L-shape Walls
To design and to construct buildings with CLT panels is relatively simpler than many conventional methods. It is direct. The structure and architecture is the same, but it is also because of the directness of building that it affects the outcome of the spatial and architectural quality. The project proposes to build the whole site with the L-shape CLT panels. The L-shape CLT panel is not only an economical way of cutting openings, but it also challenges the conventional notion of constructing a wall. If we see the fundamental nature of architecture as the division of space, and the division of any kind of interaction among people, light, air or sound, we may then ask the question: Why do we build a wall here, and simultaneously how do we build it? |
The L-shape wall has an inherent potential to frame an open and enclosed space at the same time. It is a wall but also not really a wall. It’s a partial wall. It divides, but also connects. It opens up opportunities for social interactions and activities. It is a perfect wall to be used for a co-housing project.
|
Study Models of the L-shape Walls
Project done in CED, UC Berkeley | Year: 2016 | Instructor: Renee Chow