03 Muchen

are a practice of 3 architects in Munich. They have done some nice small houses, their larger scale stuff is not so impressive and their ehibition and furniture design downright mediocre. They look very young in their practice photos but have built a lot.

Attached is an image of their Hellmuth house. Check out their website here and more information about their Hellmuth house here (both in German).

Fire regulations

The Scottish Building Regulations 2004 and their associated 'Technical Handbooks' (available to download free from here) provide the followiing guidance on 'Escape Windows' under Domestic part 2, fire:

2.9.4 Escape windows (E2.17)

The normal means of escape from a dwelling in the event of a fire will be by way of the internal stairs or other circulation areas.

In order to provide the occupants with early warning of the outbreak of fire, mains operated fire detection should be installed in circulation routes (see guidance to standard 2.11). The early detection of smoke should allow the occupants sufficient time to evacuate the building safely. However in some cases the circulation area may become impassable due to smoke or heat and openable windows large enough to escape through should be provided from every apartment from which the occupants could make their escape by lowering themselves from the window.

The use of an escape window will be the last resort for the occupants and inevitably involves some risk.

An escape window should be provided in every apartment on an upper storeyat a height of not more than 4.5 m. In addition, escape windows should also be provided in every apartment that is an inner room on any storey at a height of not more than 4.5 m. Escape windows are not necessary from apartments where there are alternative routes from the apartment to circulation areas or other rooms.

Escape windows should be a window, or door (french window) situated in an external wall or roof; and having an unobstructed openable area that is at least 0.33 m2 and at least 450 mm high and 450 mm wide (the route through the window maybe at an angle rather than straight through). The bottom of the openable area should not be more than 1100 mm above the floor.

Locks and safety fittings for many types of windows continue to present practical difficulties. This is because the design of the fittings needs to consider child safety, safe cleaning and security as well as escape in the event of a fire. At present there is no guidance provided on the type of lock or fastening that can provide both security and escape, and the occupants of dwellings can choose to fit devices most suitable for their situation. Devices that should be prohibited are permanent obstructions such as fixed security grills. The intention is to assist escape, but not to prohibit the use of locks, restrictors or other safety devices.

Developments

Two options, one with one dormers to the west




One with three dormers to the west

I wonder if I'll still be posting changes to the design in 2007? My goal was to have the deisgn finished by the end of October and although I feel like I am getting closer when I change the design the old deisgn looks ridiculous to my eyes: how could I have thought that was good?

I am leaning towards one...

And here the view from the south east

Schmoozing and other things

Some good advice on the essential art of schmoozing (there is also stuff on presentations which is how I was directed to it...) from the blog of Guy Kawasaki (a venture capitalist).

Interior views, November

Interior views (images are doing some weird things at the moment :-( so hope it works)

Latest design

Some images of the latest design, the main decision is to separate the top from the bottom, have a heavy stone base and lightweight timber top... next I need to find materials

Stories of Houses

A very interesting blog which presents the stories of fairly well known houses and their architects. Here is a plan of a Ben Van Berkel (of UN Studio) house for a couple and their two children who wanted:

"a house that would be acknowledged as a reference for the renovation of the architectural language"

A pretentious brief but an interesting house.

double glazed windows glazing bar thickness

Part of an interesting debate on double glazed windows on historic properties. he full deabte is here.

Biff

posted on 05-11-06

...it's obvious which windows are double glazed and which single. But the real issue over maintaining the architectural heritage of British townscapes is the width of glazing bars. Through much of the 18th and 19th centuries these were tpically about 20mm, sometimes even slimmer. For a standard insulated glazed unit, a rebate of about 12mm is requires to hide the seal, both for aesthetic reasons and to protect the seal from uv-light. A 12mm rebate either side of the glazing bar plus 6mm of timber between the units adds up to about 30mm for the width of the bar. This really is a practical minimum and many manufacturers make the bars nearer 40mm. While this might not look out of place in a Queen Anne or early 18th century building it really makes a difference to the appearance of many later buildings. Applying thin fake glazing bars to the outside surfaces of a large continuous igu, with corresponding bars inserted between the panes, gives a semblance of the traditional pattern but is, nevertheless, a fake and does little for the respect of historic fabric. The glue used to bond the bars to the glass probably has a limited life. The appearance of windows replaced by modern units is further compromised by the ubiquitous use of float glass. Its optically flat and parallel surfaces gives a dull and lifeless character, quite different from the movement created by cylinder or crown glass. Crown glass, in particular, is completely irreplaceable. The skills employed in making it have been lost, perhaps permanently. To remove a piece of crown glass and replace it with float is, in my opinion, akin to throwing away a piece of antique furniture or old masters painting and replacing them with self assembly flatpack furniture and prints from IKEA. Hand made, mouth blown, cylinder glass is still made at a couple of factories in Europe but if folk knew the cost they might be less ready to break their old windows. With the growing awareness that global warming is the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced, there is obvious pressure to throw out anything that is thought to be energy profligate. However, that our irreplaceable historic heritage should be the first victim of our effort to live sustainably, is a tradgedy that cannot be repaired. There are other more energy efficient routes to be travelled first. I would recommend Richard Heinberg's book, Powerdown, and particularly the chapter, Building Lifeboats - The Path of Community Solidarity and Preservation, as a particularly pertinent contribution to the debate. Let us build sustainably, and let us convert our existing housing stock to be fit for sustainable living, but let us not destroy our heritage and the beauty that our forefathers have left us. It was not the 18th century lifestyle not resulted in global warming.

Flood Risk

In England the Environment Agency. In Scotland the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). They both have flood risk maps. Sepa is here

Richard Wood

Richard Woods makes art that is a cross between graphics and architecture.

read more here and here

Japartment

A Japanese apartment block by New York based designers Arakawa and Gin. A different Kind of texture! from here

scrap wood and the patina of age

I would like to build a house that doesn't look brand new when its finished but I don't think the British planning system will allow me to do that.

Above is an image of 'scrap wood furniture' by designer Piet Hein Eek, website here

Using rocks as a heat sink

A scientific paper concludes:

Abstract

A study was conducted to store solar energy in an underground rock-bed for greenhouse heating. Experiments were carried out in two identical polyethylene tunnel type greenhouses, each with 15 m[2] ground area. Rocks were filled in two canals excavated and insulated in the soil of one of the greenhouses. Greenhouse air was pushed through the rock-bed by a centrifugal fan with 1100 m[3]/h air flow rate and controlled by two thermostats when the energy storage or release was required. No crops were grown in the greenhouses and the vents were kept closed unless excessive condensation occurrence inside the greenhouses. The results of this study showed that the rock-bed system created an air temperature difference of about 10 °C at night, between the two greenhouses, the control one having the lower temperature. Furthermore, the rock-bed system kept the inside air temperature higher than that of outside air at night, even in an overcast day following a clear day. Whilst solar energy collection efficiency of the system was 34%, its energy recovery or release efficiency was higher than 80%. A numerical mathematical model considered here represented actual data well. An economic analysis indicated that the rock-bed system is more economical than the LPG or petroleum-based fuel burning heating systems widely used in Turkish greenhouses.

from here

Schindlers letter

Excerpts of a very incisive letter published in 1944 by Rudolph Schindler, available in full here

"...The architect has always over-emphasized his value as a supervisor and policeman of construction work, with the result that his real social contribution is generally unknown. It can be understood why the owner hesitates to employ an architect for the portion of the job which any technician can apparently do as well at lower cost, especially since the law protects the owner against gross structural inadequacies and flagrant dishonesty. In most communities, plans and structures are inspected by structural, plumbing, electrical, and health inspectors, and in addition, the finance agencies (banks, FHA) check the construction at repeated intervals.

Unless the public will come to realize the importance of the architect's spiritual contribution, his standing in the building industry will deteriorate further....

The "preliminary plans" are the very crux of the architect's contribution. They embody the over-all conception of the building and represent a complete synthesis of the architect's gifts, schooling, and experience. They should be the result of minute and lengthy studies of functional, structural, financial, and cultural problems entailed by the human needs and physical and financial limitations involved in the building.

It is for this main creative effort that the architect earns the smallest portion of his fee...

The architect must realize the importance of his contribution and demand sufficient payment to permit proper performance. However, building is already overburdened with the charges listed above, and must be relieved. It is senseless for a family to spend years saving for the "down payment" and then occupy "their" shelter burdened with twenty years of debt bondage.

The only solution, both for the owner's over-indebtedness and for the architect's under-compensation, is for the architect to take charge of all building processes himself. His designs should include interiors and landscapes, to be executed by experts and subcontractors working under the architect's guidance ( In the planning of "contemporary" buildings, this procedure is a necessity.)

Complete management of building operations will not add much to the architect's tasks if he is in the habit of supervising properly, and need increase the percentage rate of his fee only slightly. It will bring him into closer contact with craftsmen and give him greater knowledge and control of costs...

Should the architect fail to regain leading position as a builder, his outlook is dismal: the public will pay any amount for services of a commercial nature, but is unwilling to recognizing cultural contributions...."