Integrated Design III

Mini Research
Presentation
ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING

GROUP 3 - SECTION A (2018)

Group Members

 Abenezer Thomas (NSR/454/14)

 Ayele Mesay (NSR/577/14)
 Ephrem Tadesse (NSR/1602/14)
 Nathanael Yohannes (NSR/2883/14)
 Nuhamin Badele (NSR/1876/14)
Organic
Architecture
Organic Architecture – Key
Points

Definition: Harmony between buildings and natural surroundings.

 The goal of the design concept known as "organic architecture" is to produce

structures that have a close relationship with their surroundings.
Historical Evolution: Vernacular huts → Pantheon → Wright → Hadid.
 Prehistoric and Vernacular Structures: Harmonized with environments. e.g African
Tukul Houses, Native American Pueblo, Mongolian Yurt.
Modern Development
- Frank Lloyd Wright: Emphasized harmony with natural surroundings.
Trends: Integration with nature, renewable energy, parametric modeling.
Integration with Nature: Topography Design
Theories: Wright (site-specific) vs Yeang (eco-skyscrapers).
Organic Architecture- principles

Harmony with Nature: Buildings should blend with their natural surroundings,
respecting
landscapes and ecosystems.
Form Follows Function: Design should emerge naturally from its purpose and function.
Simplicity & Clarity: Forms should be simple and direct, avoiding unnecessary
ornamentation.
Material Truth: Use materials honestly, respecting their inherent properties.
Continuity & Flow: Spaces should be interconnected and allow smooth circulation.
Human-Centered Scale: Design should respect human proportions and experiences.
Integration of Structure & Site: The site and the building should form a unified whole.
Respect for Local Culture & Context: Design should reflect the culture, climate, and
traditions of its setting.
Organic Architecture– Case Studies

Fallingwater (Frank Lloyd

Wright, USA):
 Organic Integration: Built
over waterfall; local
stone/concrete blend with
landscape.
Organic Architecture- principles

1. Harmony with Nature The house is literally built over a waterfall on Bear Run in
Pennsylvania, not beside [Link] didn’t alter the stream but made the building
an extension of [Link] stone was quarried on-site and used for walls, blending
seamlessly with the rock [Link] terraces project outward like natural rock
shelves.
2. Form Follows Function The cantilevered balconies serve as outdoor living
areas where occupants feel immersed in the [Link]-plan interiors flow into
terraces, encouraging a lifestyle in close contact with [Link] like
circulation, views, and interaction with the waterfall dictated the building’s
shape.
3. Simplicity & Clarity Instead of ornamentation, Wright relied on pure
geometric forms — horizontal slabs (terraces) and vertical stone cores
(chimneys).The design avoids decorative excess; beauty comes from
proportion, light, and integration with the site.
4. Material Truth Materials were left unfinished or minimally treated:Stone walls
retain their rugged [Link] is expressed as a structural [Link]
frames are visible and [Link] honesty creates a sense of authenticity.
Organic Architecture- principles

5. Continuity & Flow Interior spaces merge with exterior terraces through glass
walls and corner windows without mullions. The sound of the waterfall
permeates the interiors, making nature part of the experience. Movement
inside the house feels like moving through nature — continuous, flowing, and
open.
6. Human-Centered Scale Spaces were designed for comfort and intimacy,
not grandeur. Low ceilings in some areas encourage a cozy, protective feeling,
opening into expansive terraces for contrast. Wright believed this “compression
and release” created a natural rhythm in human experience.
7. Integration of Structure & Site The building doesn’t dominate its environment;
it seems grown from the rock. Wright refused to move the boulders; instead, he
built around them (even leaving one inside the living room as part of the
hearth).The house cannot be imagined without its site — they are inseparable.
8. Respect for Local Culture & Context Wright adapted his design to
Pennsylvania’s climate: Wide terraces provide shade. Open spaces encourage
natural ventilation. He used regional materials and respected the rustic, natural
character of the rural landscape.
Sustainable
Architecture
 Sustainable Architecture – Key
Points

Definition: Ecological, economic, and social

balance in design.
Historical Evolution: Ancient passive →
Industrial era → Modern eco-tech.
 Trends: Net-Zero Buildings, Passive House,
Green Roofs, Smart Cities.
 Theories: Techno-centric vs Eco-centric,
Anthropocentric vs Eco-centric.
Vertical Forest – Bosco
Verticale (Italy):
 Concept: Residential towers
with 20,000+ plants.
 Sustainability: Improves air
quality, reduces energy use
via natural insulation.
Sustainable Architecture- principles

1. Optimize Site Potential: This involves selecting and developing sites in ways that
minimize disruption to local ecosystems, such as reusing existing structures, orienting
buildings for natural light and ventilation, and managing storm water runoff to
support native plants and wildlife. It reduces transportation energy needs and
preserves natural habitats.
2. Optimize Energy Use: Prioritize reducing energy demands through efficient design,
insulation, and systems, while incorporating renewable sources like solar or wind. This
addresses climate change by lowering fossil fuel reliance and operational costs.
3. Protect and Conserve Water: Design to minimize water use with efficient fixtures,
rainwater harvesting, and on-site recycling. This conserves resources in water-scarce
areas and reduces the energy associated with water treatment.
4. Optimize Building Space and Material Use: Select eco-friendly, locally sourced
materials that are durable, recyclable, and low in embodied energy. This principle
promotes adaptability, pollution prevention, and resource conservation over the
building's life.
Sustainable Architecture- principles

5. Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ): Create healthy interiors with

ample daylight, good ventilation, acoustic control, and low-emission materials.
This improves occupant health, productivity, and comfort while allowing user
control over environmental systems.
6. Optimize Operational and Maintenance Practices: Incorporate easy-to-
maintain systems, monitoring tools, and training to ensure long-term
sustainability. This reduces ongoing resource use and prevents failures through
proactive design.
These principles align with broader objectives like avoiding resource depletion,
preventing environmental harm, and fostering productive spaces.
Energy-
Efficient
Design
Energy-Efficient Design – Key
Points
Definition: Minimizing energy with
comfort & sustainability.
Historical Evolution: Ancient cooling
→ Industrial tech → Net-Zero.
Principles: Passive design, insulation,
smart tech, renewables.
 Theories: Passive vs Active,
High-Tech vs Biophilic.

One Angel Square – Manchester, UK.

 Sustainable Architecture- principles

1. Passive Solar Design & Natural Lighting The building is oriented to maximize
daylight penetration while minimizing glare. Its double-skin façade allows
controlled daylight to enter, reducing dependence on artificial lighting. Triple-
glazed windows with louvers adjust automatically, balancing solar gain and
shading.
2. 2. High-Performance Building Envelope The double-skin façade works as a
thermal buffer: In winter, it traps warm air for insulation. In summer, it vents hot air
naturally to prevent overheating. This drastically reduces heating and cooling
loads.
3. 3. Efficient Heating, Cooling & Ventilation Uses a Combined Heat and Power
(CHP) plant fueled by pure plant oil (rapeseed grown on the Co-op’s own
farms).Heat generated is reused in the building, and surplus electricity goes back
to the grid. An earth tube ventilation system draws in outside air through
underground pipes, naturally pre-heating in winter and cooling in [Link]₂
sensors regulate ventilation to prevent energy waste.
4. 4. Renewable Energy Integration On-site renewable energy sources include: Solar
PV panels on the façade and roof. CHP plant (biofuel).These reduce reliance on
fossil fuels, making it net-zero carbon.
 Sustainable Architecture- principles

1. 5. Water & Waste Efficiency Rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling supply
toilets and irrigation. Ultra-low-flow fixtures reduce water consumption by over
30%.Waste heat recovery systems recycle energy.
2. 6. Smart Building Systems Building Management System (BMS) monitors
temperature, lighting, and occupancy in real-time. Automated shading devices
optimize thermal comfort while minimizing energy [Link] infrastructure designed
for low-energy computing.
3. The design supports open-plan office spaces, allowing easy ad7. Flexibility &
Future-Proofing aptation without major reconstruction. Modular building services
(like raised floors with plug-and-play systems) reduce lifecycle energy use.
4. 8. Performance & Certification Achieved BREEAM Outstanding rating – the highest
sustainability score at the time. Recorded 50% less energy consumption than
comparable office buildings. Operational energy use is net-zero carbon.
Low-Cost
Design
 Low-Cost Design – Key Points

Definition of Low-Cost Design

Core Concept:
 Creating affordable buildings without compromising functionality, safety, or
sustainability.
 Optimizes resources, minimizes waste, and maximizes value through intelligent
choices.
Key Objectives:
 Reduce construction/operational costs.
 Prioritize essential needs over luxury.
 Integrate local materials, innovative techniques, and sustainability.
Scholar Perspectives:
 Francis D.K. Ching: Strategic use of materials/space to cut costs.
 Christopher Alexander: Inexpensive yet timeless, functional, and emotionally
satisfying.
 Amos Rapoport: Balances cost-efficiency with cultural relevance and
environmental harmony.
Low-Cost Design – Key Points

Historical Background
Early 20th Century:
 Garden City Movement (Ebenezer Howard): Self-sufficient cities with
green belts.
 Modernism (Le Corbusier, Bauhaus): Functionalism, mass production,
modular designs.
1950s–1970s:
 Post-WWII Reconstruction: Prefabrication, social housing (e.g., Soviet
Khrushchyovka).
 UN-Habitat (1976): Global focus on affordable housing and
sustainability.
1980s–Present:
 Sustainability Shift: Hassan Fathy’s vernacular architecture (mud bricks).
 Technological Advancements: Digital fabrication, 3D printing,
participatory design (e.g., Elemental’s "Half a House").
Low-Cost Design – Key Points

Key Principles
Affordability:
 Use local materials (e.g., bamboo, earth, stone) to cut transport costs.
 Modular/prefabricated components to reduce labor/time.
Functionality:
 Simple layouts, eliminate redundant spaces.
 Prioritize structural integrity and safety.
Sustainability:
 Energy efficiency (passive cooling, solar orientation).
 Recycled/reused materials (e.g., reclaimed wood, rubble foundations).
Adaptability:
 Incremental housing (e.g., expandable "Half a House").
 Design for disassembly (reuse materials).
Low-Cost Design – Key Points

Trends and Practices

Sustainable Materials:
 Bamboo: High tensile strength (comparable to steel), seismic-resistant.
 Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEBs): Eco-friendly, low-cost, durable.
 Recycled Materials: Reclaimed wood, metal, concrete aggregates.
Construction Techniques:
 Modular Design: Reduces waste, shortens timelines.
 Community Participation: Self-build housing (e.g., John Turner’s approach).
 Low-Tech Solutions: Hand-built wells, solar water heaters.
Sustainability Integration:
 LEED certification: Energy/water conservation, waste reuse.
 Circular Economy: Minimize waste, reuse materials.
Low-Cost Design – Key Points

Design Guidelines & Standards

Architectural Guidelines:
 Site-responsive planning (solar orientation, natural ventilation).
 Efficient floor plans (simple shapes, maximize usable space).
Structural Guidelines:
 Standardized modular designs.
 Simple detailing (exposed elements, minimal finishes).
Material Selection:
 Local materials (bamboo, clay, stone).
 Low-maintenance finishes (polished concrete, composite decking).
Rating Systems:
 LEED Certification: Energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality.
 Local Standards: Ethiopian Building Code Standard (EBCS).
Low-Cost Design – Key Points

Design Techniques – Walls

Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEBs):
 Soil-cement mix; eco-friendly, durable.
 Protection: Roof overhangs, lime-wash finishes.
Rammed Earth Walls:
 Compact soil/sand layers in formwork.
 30–60 cm thick; excellent thermal mass.
Bamboo-Reinforced Walls:
 Bamboo as tensile reinforcement (replaces steel rebar).
 Filled with adobe or concrete.
Cost-Saving Tips:
 Use interlocking blocks to reduce mortar.
 Local labor for manual compaction.
Low-Cost Design – Key Points

Design Techniques – Foundations & Roofs

Foundations:
 Folded Strip Footings: 18% cost savings vs. traditional (less steel
reinforcement).
 Rubble Trench Foundations (RTFs): Trench filled with rubble/stones;
minimal concrete.
 Earth-Bag Foundations: Polypropylene bags filled with local soil; barbed
wire reinforcement.
Roofs:
 Corrugated Sheets: Lightweight, affordable (galvanized iron/fiber-
reinforced plastic).
 Vaulted/Domed Roofs: Eliminate beams; use compression (e.g., barrel
vaults).
 Prefabricated Panels: Ferrocement or precast concrete; reduce on-site
labor.
Low-Cost Design – Key Points

Design Techniques – Floors

Earth Floors:
 Compacted soil/clay stabilized with lime/cement.
 Layers: Sub-base (gravel), compacted earth, smooth finish.
Cobblestone Floors:
 Local stones over gravel base; joints filled with sand.
 Ideal for outdoor/pathways.
Low-Cost Finishes:
 Polished concrete, vinyl tiles, bamboo flooring.
 Recycled materials (carpet tiles, reclaimed wood).
Cost-Reduction Strategies:
 Minimize concrete use; dry construction systems.
 Local materials to cut transport costs.
 Low-Cost Design – Case Studies

Case Studies
Elemental’s "Half a House" (Chile):
 Concept: Incremental housing;
basic structure expanded later
by residents.
 Materials: Concrete blocks,
wood, corrugated metal.
 Impact: Affordable,
community-driven, adaptable.
.
How the project fulfills each low-cost
architecture principle
1. Affordability and Value Maximization
The core principle here is stretching limited funds to deliver dignified
housing that gains value through resident investment, avoiding the pitfalls
of cheap, depreciating units. Quinta Monroy achieved this by allocating
the full $7,500 budget to essentials only, providing 45-65 square meters of
initial space per family—far superior to the 36-square-meter "turnkey"
homes typical in Chilean subsidies, which often become slums due to poor
quality. By leaving expansion space (up to double the size), residents
could invest incrementally, increasing property value by 20-30% within
years as they added rooms or stories. Unlike fully built low-quality units that
lose 50% of value post-occupancy, this model ensured homes
appreciated, as extensions used resident savings rather than loans,
reducing financial risk. Long-term, it saved the government millions by
preventing informal squatting, while families avoided debt traps, aligning
with the philosophy of "half a good house now, rather than a whole bad
house."
How the project fulfills each low-cost
architecture principle
2. Efficient and Incremental Design
Low-cost designs emphasize simplicity and flexibility to cut construction
time and waste. Quinta Monroy's "half-house" typology exemplifies this:
each unit is a rectangular, mass-produced concrete frame split
longitudinally—one half fully enclosed (with plywood partitions and
timber stairs), the other an open skeleton for future infill. This modular
grid (three modules per unit, with one or two pre-built) allowed quick
assembly using prefabricated elements, reducing build time by 40%
compared to custom homes. The design anticipates growth—e.g.,
ground-floor voids for shops or parking, upper voids for bedrooms—
enabling families to expand "pay-as-you-go" without demolishing the
core. After 20 years, 80% of units have been extended (e.g., adding
duplex levels or facades), proving adaptability. Courtyards foster
shared amenities, optimizing the site's density (93 units on 5,000 sqm)
without sprawling, which keeps infrastructure costs low.
How the project fulfills each low-cost
architecture principle
3. Use of Cost-Effective and Local Materials
Sourcing affordable, accessible materials minimizes upfront and
logistical expenses. The project relied on standard Chilean supplies:
reinforced concrete for seismic-resistant foundations and frames
(essential in earthquake-prone Chile), plywood for interiors, and basic
steel for stairs—totaling under $7,500 per unit. These were locally
procured, slashing transport costs by 15-20% and supporting regional
economies. Residents received a simple manual for extensions,
recommending lightweight, cheap options like tents or corrugated
metal initially, progressing to concrete as funds allowed. While some
added pricier materials (e.g., brick), the core's durability (surviving a
2014 quake intact) ensured low embodied energy. This avoided exotic
imports, aligning with low-cost tenets by recycling site soil for backfill
and using modular molds for efficiency.
How the project fulfills each low-cost
architecture principle
4. Community and Resident Participation
Engaging users as co-designers cuts labor costs and builds social
capital. From inception, Elemental consulted the 93 families, retaining
neighbor groups from the old settlement and incorporating their input
on layouts (e.g., courtyard orientations for social interaction). Residents
contributed sweat equity during expansions, with Elemental offering
free workshops on safe building techniques. This "bottom-up"
approach reduced professional labor needs by 30%, as families
handled infill using personal resources. Joint property ownership
encouraged collective maintenance of courtyards, though
challenges like subletting arose. Overall, it empowered residents—e.g.,
one family turned a void into a shop, generating income—fostering
ownership and reducing vacancy rates to near zero, unlike top-down
projects.
Low-Cost Design – Key Points

Conclusion
Low-Cost Design = Holistic Approach:
Balances affordability, sustainability, and community needs.
Reduces initial/long-term costs without sacrificing quality.
Key Strategies:
Local materials (bamboo, earth, recycled elements).
Modular/prefabricated construction.
Participatory and incremental design.
Global Relevance:
Addresses housing crises, climate resilience, and social equity.
Proves affordability and quality can coexist through innovation.