Getting Ready...

THE PRECEDENT | LOTUS HOUSE; KENGO KUMA

I've always loved this travertine screen, by Kengo Kuma, and no matter how much I have tried to force using it as a precedent, it has never found its way into my designs.

Coincidentally, when flipping through a Stone Design book to look for a different Kuma project for some inspiration, I happened to open to this page instead. Needless to say, the one time I had no intention of looking to the Lotus House for a spark, it finally gave it.

What is so beautiful to me about this screen is the contrast of its delicate form versus the implied strength and solidity of masonry.

Coupling the form of this screen with a planted, living element seemed a good path, so I took it.






THE IDEA | CONCEPTULIZING

Though Kuma's screen and living walls are gorgeous, the biggest problem with them is this: they cost your arms, legs and then some. And as appealing as building and using my hands was, I think that the biggest draw of this course was to take these ideas and technologies, and put them within reach of normal people with normal sized wallets. What became the most important to me was designing something that was easily replicable by anyone with access to basic tools.

The idea was that these long blocks would stack as a normal masonry wall would, but would be staggered to create voids where plants could grow. These blocks could easily be slid into place over rebar reinforcements. Once in place, an expanding concrete mixture would be poured in the rebar cavities to further support the structure.

Also, to reduce the weight, I decided to make the wall thicknesses as narrow as possible. Since the blocks would be long and narrow, this meant that the broad sides would be put into tension. Being masonry, concrete acts well in compression, but needs a little assistance when being put into tension. So, since this class is also about experimentation, I decided to try reinforcing it with fiber glass.

THE REAL DEAL | REALIZING THE PROJECT

• fiber glass
  

[1] The tools for mix-in, fiber glass reinforcement. A sealed container to keep the fiber glass in; 'Fiber glass mat' found at a local hardware store in the painting section; Coffee and scissors (maybe not simultaneously); protective gloves and mask to protect from fiber glass. [2] I unfolded the fiber glass mat and cut about 2" strips (any size really works; cutting strips just makes shredding the mat more manageable). [3] After shredding, I had several inch long, individual strands. [4] I mixed in enough to make my concrete look thoroughly hairy. [5] Then I mocked up several potential wall thicknesses. [6] A broken mock-up piece with fibers showing.

• the form

My final block was designed to be 6" wide, 7" deep, and 24" long, made from 3/4" ply. Knowing that I would need to make many of these blocks, I decided to make a form that could be easily reused. So, I went with a hinged system that could be opened and closed at a user's leisure. To ornament the faces, I decided to create 'scoring lines,' with one pattern on each broad side so that the block could be reversed to add variation to the overall screen's appearance.

[1] To create scoring on the faces, I used a table saw, set at 45 degrees. After making a cut on some MDF, I just flipped the board over to create pyramidal strips. Repeat as needed. [2] The 'score strips' glued to the mold wall. [3] Top view of 'score strips' on broad sides of mold. [4] Attached to the base of the mold are the mass to create a planting vessel in the final brick, and PVC pipes to create a voice to slide the rebar through. It's important to keep in mind that what you build in the mold will be reversed in the final product; a mass created in a mold (the angular mass in the middle of picture 4, in my case) leaves a void in the physical product (a planted void for my project). [5] Hinges attach from the sides of the mold to the base. [6] All pieces are painted with oil-based primer to protect the wood from moisture and wear (at least, kind of).


The final mold will be held closed with straps. This way, it's easy to open and close with out damaging the plywood mold.

NEXT STOP, POURING!

Urbanism in a Shape of “L”

or how landscaping fits in with local surroundings

 

When I think about urban environments, the first thing that comes to my mind is greyness.  Where this color comes from, somebody would ask.  And then the images start to appear into my head - pavements, architectural structures, and roads, parking structures, block walls and gates.  All of the above have something in common --concrete.

Concrete is a construction material, used widely nowadays.  At this point, I will not explain the long history of concrete from Egyptian and Roman times, but in my view it is time to integrate more nature into urban areas.  This could be accomplished by adding more vegetation into existing architectural systems, and with that many environmental problems could be resolved.

Green roofs, living walls and structures are becoming more popular over time, and the benefits of having them are: reducing noise pollution, urban heat, air pollution, runoff quantity, and increasing carbon sequestration.  Moreover, they contribute to cooling, insulation and energy efficiency of the buildings.

Top left: Detail of Louis G. Leroy's Eco-Cathedral.


Top right: Stacked wall of bricks, tiles and clay pipes, with sedums growing along the top. Oase Garden, Holland.


Bottom left: Stacked walls of reclaimed paving slabs create a sunken garden.


Bottom right: Dry stacked retaining walls optimize opportunities for growing alpines. Design by Wolfram Kircher.

Drawing by Swedish green-roof company VegTech

   Inspiration that I found after the studio was over; 
a gabion wall by Cuckoo Farm Studios in Essex

Grass Spills planter by Sean Martindale

The Idea

Steps that I followed to build my project:
1. First "L" side made by concrete.
2. Attaching the hardware cloth during the pouring process of #1.
3. Second "L" side made by concrete with attaching #1 and #2.
4. Gabion basket made by wire mesh.
5. Clothing the interior sides with pressed coco fibers.
6. Inserting soil into the basket.
7. Planting and inserting the basket into the "L" structure.
Note: Planting seeds is the most appropriate method of propagation in this structure.

The idea that I had in my mind was to create a structure that can be freestanding or stacked into a modular wall system.  The final product that I made could be used with interlocking, dry stacked precast concrete blocks of varying dimensions.  Using the shape of letter “L”, a combination of concrete, wire mesh, coco fibers and soil, I created a small prototype of a gabion structure.  This structure is very simple and easy to be built.  It consists of two parallel “L”-shaped concrete walls attached to each other perpendicularly with hardware cloth.  Inside of the structure is expletive a small gabion, made by wire mesh.  The interior walls of the “gabion basket” are clothed with pressed coco fibers, which supposed to hold the soil and water capacity.

  

                         The Process

                      The Final Product

Finally, I created two small structures that could be arranged in a different way to create varied forms.  Vegetation will be able to grow all the way from one module to another one and spread through the plant's root system.

                     Future Applications

I see the combination of the concrete and vegetation into creation of walls, benches, lights and freestanding sculptures.  This would add more GREEN color to the greyness….

MORE PROCESS

Making a Mould and Vessel in Ten Steps

Plants | Light | Modularity

When I was in Naoshima, Japan, I came across a simple stone stair that left a not so simple impression on me. It was a granite slab with a rough cut face. In the bottom left corner, a small and intentional divot was cut. On the particular day that I happened to walk up these steps, this divot was filled with rain water, which created a glowing reflection of the sky. The contrast of the rough masonry against the mirror-like surface of the water was the inspiration for my module.



I attempted to create a vessel that embodied this material relationship, and one that utilized the versatile dimensions of a standard modular brick [3 5/8 x 2 1/2 x 7 5/8]. The idea was to create a vessle that acted as a place to grow and as a water feature. It could be used as a paver, or as a cap for a garden wall.

My Concrete Concoction:
-1 part fine aggregate
-1 part coarse aggregate
-1 part cement
-Add water as needed

Major lessons learned: As for the module itself, I had no major hang-ups since the design was very linear and simple. The blog, however, is where my lesson for assignment lies, and here it is: when you open your post to edit it, make sure you know what you're doing, or else you might just delete it accidentally. Oops; second time's a charm.