Technical & Technological Questions

As mentioned previously, the thesis proposes an existing council estate to be transformed by extending the structures upwards and thus allowing more housing units to be provided within a similar ground footprint. This chapter deals first with structural challenges encountered during the design followed by the discussion of passive engineering as well as incorporation of the urban farming systems in the project.

Working with existing structures, the crucial challenge was to find the least

intrusive way of connecting the new load bearing structure to the existing concrete frame. Structural and mechanical engineering consultations allowed to devise a system that performs well as a load bearing structure as well as provides sufficient service infrastructure. A pre-cast concrete frame has been proposed as the primary structure allowing the loads to be safely transferred via the columns to the piled foundations and to the ground. The columns also provide a preferable vertical pathway for the services to be delivered to individual flats.

Proposed sketch detail of reinforced pile foundation

I recognise there is a large risk of undermining existing foundations during the construction as the original design has not allowed for additional loads of such significance to be imposed on the structure. Thus a reinforcing of existing foundations would be required before the construction works of the extensions commence. A sketch detail below illustrates a possible solution to reinforcing a pile foundation by extending the existing footing and providing sheet piles around the improved soil.

A further structural issue was posed by the connections between the proposed concrete frame and the load bearing structure of the existing building which are shown on the following page. The connections have been located on the load bearing points of the existing structure to allow safe transfer of the loads into the ground. All structural solutions have been discussed in detail with both a structural engineer as well as a technology tutor to ensure the most efficient design was proposed.

In parallel with the structural issues being addresses during the design, I have investigated several environmental as well as farming technologies that were applied in the final proposal. Since the project offers water-based farming facilities to all residents, soil-less farming systems had to be incorporated. Aquaponic farming allows to create an ecosystem between plants and fish that provides a continuous nutrient supply for the plants which in turn clear the water from ammonia. Aquaponic farming has been chosen for the project as, apart from creating a sustainable ecosystem, it allows to grow plant as well as animal based [fish] foods offering a more versatile solution.

Lastly, a couple of environmental considerations have been introduced to the project allowing the design to utilise renewable natural resources of rain water and solar energy.

A rain water collecting facade system has been integrated with the circulation core curtain walling system which allows the rain runoff to be collected as it travels down form the roofs of the buildings. The prototype system is based on and has been analysed within the previous technology module which focused on developing technological strategies for the design. The diagram on the right hand side shows how the hexagonal system of tubes creates a pathway for the moisture as well as rain water to be collected for future use.

Second environmental strategy utilises the solar cells to harvest the energy from the sun. The proposal incorporates large areas of glazed surfaces which offer the possibility of collecting solar energy by utilising a glazing system with integrated solar cells allowing the curtain walling as well as the roof to become energy collectors.

Throughout the design I have tried to research and incorporate new technical and technological strategies to challenge myself as well as current models of mass housing design. I believe that my chosen strategies, particularly the food growing and the environmental considerations, could be developed in more detail and potentially applied in a variety of designs. Furthermore, thinking about the technical and technological questions from the start of the project allowed me to incorporate chosen strategies into the design so the two became integral parts of each other rather than add-on elements.

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