Arc

hi
tec
tu
ral
St Port
arsc 7100 I architectural studio I winter 2010

Bryan He
u fo
dio lio
“ There was a time when I experienced architecture
without thinking about it. Sometimes I can almost feel
a particular door handle in my hand, a piece of metal
shaped like the back of a spoon. I used to take hold of
it when I went into my aunt’s garden. That door handle
still seems to me like a special sign of entry into a world
of different moods and smells. I remember the sound of
the gravel under my feet, the soft gleam of the waxed
oak staircase, I can hear the heavy front door closing
behind me as I walk along the dark corridor and enter
the kitchen, the only really brightly lit room in the house.

”

- Peter Zumthor
 C
on
bcit ne 1 lobby intervention social railing 4-9

laneway house # 1 slat house 10-17

tent
farnsworth house by mies van der rohe case study 18-25

laneway house # 2 6x6 house 26-37

public space / civic space urban steps 38-47

context
3
 traffic pattern and integrated signage in railing

railing seat tree seat

social railing
4
 project description I The goal of this one week design exercise is to get familiar with hand drafting
using a 4B pencil. The intervention of the lobby space of NE1 is trying to improve the social function
of the space. The intervention also tries to incorporate the three main objective of this term’s studio,
which are sustainability, technology, and design.

bcit ne1 lobbyI

intervention
social railing

social railing
Kaide-taide by Company Architects

5
 design intent
social railing

The main idea of the intervention is through the design of a railing system inspired by Kaide-taide by Company Architects. The railing integrates the functions of handrails, safety guards,
seatings, heating, and signage. The volume of the existing lobby is a triple height space. However, the horizontal dimensions of the existing lobby is difficult to alter because of its func-
tion as an emergency exit and a structural core. To create spaces for social interaction, the intervention needs to consume the vertical volume by extending the second floor.
6
intervention

Replace partial ex-

isting façade with
operable windows to
provide view, light,
and ventilation.

Extend the second

floor to provide a
brightly lit a gallery
walk, a lunch spot,
and a mingling zone.

Replace the exist-

ing sheet metal roof
with a glazed roof.
The solar tube pan-
els provide shading
as well as hot water
for space heating.

social railing
7
 section detail

“railing“ running on wall

to provide space heating

window to roof detail

social railing

window to glass floor and entry door detail

8
detail

ridge detail and solar tube panel connection

connects to roof
trusses

social railing
glass floor and railing support integrated water pipes in railing for space heating

9
 shipping containers and structure support
10 slat house

storage / window bed / kitchen unit mock up structure support model

 w. 22rd street project description I The new laneway house by-laws is one of Vancouver’s city planning strate-
gies to achieve eco-density. This exercise requires students to use physical modeling as the main tool
to design a laneway house up to 75m2 of living space for a family of four (at least two children must be
included). As a class, this exercise covers three city blocks from south to north by King Edward Street
and West 22nd Street, from east to west by Willow Street and Laurel Street. Each block has a unique

willow street
laurel street

lane condition. In this case, a T-lane results some laneway houses to have its main façade facing east.
Students are also required to study the laneway house by-laws but are not required to follow them.
w. 23rd street

laneway houseI
number 1
slat house

11 slat house
 design intent

outdoor space kitchen, living room

bedrooms, play area

car port entrance outdoor space

The idea of the slats is to provide visual screening, interesting lighting and shading of the living spaces, and to create a soft edge condition. The initial idea of the construction technology is
12 slat house

to use heavy timber for structural members, shipping containers stacked together to provide living spaces, and dimension lumbers for the façade. However, using prefabricated light wood
frame construction for the living spaces makes more sense in regards to the availability of trades and the economic of material and technology. A staircase core is featured in the house to
provide stack effect for natural ventilation, while the stair landings double the function as hallways that connects living spaces. Since this is a physical modeling exercise, the house is mainly
designed in section as an experiment.
inspiration

Suspended stairs House Tower by Bow Wow Architects Glass stair atrium space by Architect Luis Trevino Closet bed system

13 slat house
 section

evacuated tube intensive green roof evacuated tube

- supply hot water for shower,
dec
laudary, and radiant floor
emb heating.
er 2

july
dec 1 1
emb 2:00
er 2 pm

21
1 1 20˚
2:00pm outdoor moss garden

12:
20˚ -wet, and cold, thick moss will

0
0pm
grow
reading kitchen

july
66˚
patio
/ living room

21
12:
south - north

00p
section

m
66˚
HOUSE
kids
LANEWAY bedroom / master
playroom bedroom

bryan he I arsc 7200

neighbour
garage outdoor
carport
moss garden

grey water recycle through community living machine

west-east section south-north section

14 slat house
physical model

kitchen / living room

daytime bed
outdoor deck

kid’s room shower / toilet master bedroom

suspended glass staircase to allow maximum day light light effect of the slatted façade

15 slat house
 detail

shower room structural support detail

16 slat house
detail

storage / glass landing to daytime bed storage / glass landing to daytime bed cross section

17 slat house
 Modern proportion of greek temple: Karl Friedrich Schinkel - Altes Museum, 1823-30
18 case study

Site analysis Tiny big building: Mies van der Rohe - Seagram Tower, 1958
 project description I The Farnsworth House is built in 1951 by Mie van der Rohe for Dr. Edith
Farnsworth as a vacation home in Plano, Illinois. Because of Mie’s careful proportion, rigorous plan-
ning, and his mastery in steel and glass construction, the Farnsworth House is regarded as a master
piece in the history of modern architecture. This case study consists a series of in-depth analysis of
the architect’s tectonic expression, design intention, and the influence on habitation.

mies van der

rohe I
farnsworth
house I
case study

19 case study
 Overview Context
Farnsworth House I Mies van der Rohe Farnsworth House
Farnsworth House chronology Mies Van der Rohe chronology LOCATION
1945 3 March 1886 Plano, Illinois, USA
Mies van der Rohe meets Dr. Edith Farnsworth Born in Aachen, Germany 1h30m from Chicago
1945 1904
Dr. Farnsworth commissions Mies to design a Moves to Berlin
weekend retreat at the Fox River, near Plano, 60
miles west of Chicago 1905-7 SITE PLAN
Holds series of positions in private architectural
1946 practice in Berlin
context Fox River
The basic design of the Farnsworth House is fixed
1908-11
1949 Works in Berlin studio of Peter Behrens access
Dr.. Farnsworth receives an inheritance which
enables construction to begin 1911-14 contour
In private architectural practice in Berlin
1951
floodplain
The house is completed 1914-18 River Rhein
Military service
1951 sun path
Mies sues Dr. Farnsworth for unpaid fees. Dr.. 1919-37
Farnsworth counter-sues, alleging a cost over-run In private architectural practice in Berlin view
and design faults
1921 privacry
1953 Cofounder of G (Gestaltung magazine) in Berlin
The lawsuit is settled in Mies's favour Fraser River
1921-5 property line
1953 Director of Architectural Exhibits, November Group,
An article titled The Threat to the Next America, an Berlin amenities
attack on the Farnsworth House and on Mies van
der Rohe, is published in the American magazine 1925
House Beautiful Founder, ZehnerRing, Berlin

1954 1926-32 River St-Laurent

The Fox River rises 1.2m above internal floor level, First vice-president, Deutscher Werkbund, Berlin
damaging finishes and furnishings
1927
1968 Director of the Weissenhofsiedlung, Stuttgart
Dr. Farnsworth advertises the house for sale
1930-32 site section
1969 Director of the Bauhaus at Dessau
Mies van der Rohe dies
1931
1971 Director of the Werkbund section The Dwelling at
Dr. Farnsworth sells the house to Mr. Peter (later the Berlin Building Exhibition 1h30m drive surrounding trees
Lord) Palumbo
1932-3
1972 Director of the Bauhaus in Berlin Chicago to are 3 - 4 x the height of
Mr. Palumbo employs Mr.. Dirk Lohan to renovate Farnsworth House
the house 1933 the house
The Bauhaus closes
1977
16’
Dr. Farnsworth dies at the age of 74 in Italy 1937-8
Emigrates to the USA
1996
The Fox River rises 1.5m above internal floor level, 1938-59
breaking the glass walls and causing severe internal Director of Architecture at the Armour Institute of
damage. Lord Palumbo employs Dirk Technology in Chicago (later to become the Illinois four seasons /

oak

maple
Lohan to renovate the house Institute of Technology) vegetation
1997 1938-69
The Fox river rises 0.3 m above internal floor level, In private architectural practice in Chicago
causing minor damage
1946-51
1997 Designs and oversees construction of the
Lord Palumbo opens the restored house to the Farnsworth House
public

grass
ash
20 case study

17 August 1969
Dies in Chicago
Siting True enough, an ancient black oak at the river's edge
shelters the house from the sun's southern rays. Yet the
sun is not the most imposing natural force on this site,
Light & Shadow Midwestern light is not often brilliant, revealing
a crisp, colorful surround, but is more often
overcast, humid, obdurate, absorbing us in its

Study
the river is. And the final position of the Farnsworth House,
Farnsworth House as Mies Knew, is well within the floodplain of the Fox River.
density.
Strange Details, Michael Cadwell
Strange Details, Michael Cadwell

Farnsworth House
new understanding of landscape

summer summer
overlooking / sunset sunrise
symmetrically framed

summer summer
3 p.m 9 p.m

winter winter
sunset sunrise
Riehl House Tugendhat House Project Resor House winter winter
1907 1930 1938 3 p.m. 9 a.m.
noon

immersed within /
asymetically framed SUMMER WINTER

9 a.m.
Farnsworth House / normal flood Project Resor House
1951 1938
9 a.m.

12 p.m.
1996 10’3"
1954 9’3"
floor elvation 5’3"
12 p.m.
1946 3’

1946 anticipated 1954 flood 1996 flood

100-year flood
only means of natural ventilation / increase in water runoff caused by development in the

21 case study
3 p.m.
later proved to be inefficient Chicago area lead to dramatic rise in flood level
direct summer sun
direct winter sun
ambient light
3 p.m.
 Entry New Ways
Sequence of Life
Farnsworth House Farnsworth House
From the ground, we will ascend stairs The struggle for new housing is a struggle for new ways of life.
to a floor, ascend another set of stairs - Mies van der Rohe, 1927
to a floor and a roof, turn to the right to
open a door, and pass through a glass
wall to the house’s interior - each stage The thick wall galley kitchen east bathroom door lounger & fireplace
pulling us deeper into the play of
frame and landscape.
Strange Details, Michael Cadwell

Terrace from east On terrace On porch In the house functions include: The core shoves us to the perimeter of the house. Making us to
- ground - a floor - a floor and a roof - enclosed • galley kitchen orientate against the core and focus on the outdoor.
• guest bathroom
• private bathroom
• furnace
• roof drainage
• water tank
• septic tank
• zone divider
dining room
kitchen
bedroom
living room

material: service
Galley Kitchen View from bed primavera
served (public)
served (private)

From dining table Layers of horizontal bands From fireplace House from river
22 case study

the service core is the only the service core provides hot water for
If you view nature through the glass walls of the Farnsworth connection to the ground in slab radiant floor heating / exhaust is
House, it gains a more profound significance than if viewed from besides the columns housed within
outside... it becomes a part of a larger whole.
- Mies van der Rohe
Tiny Miesian Umbrella Conceptual distinction between horizontal

Big Building floor plane / roof plane and vertical

supports while denying any other horizontal

Farnsworth House What I do - what you call my kind of architecture - we

should just call it a structural approach. We don’t think
about the form when we start. We think about the right
way to use the materials. Then we accept the result .
- Mies van der Rohe, 1955
Diagram elements creating the image of an umbrella,
and the appearance of standing up.
Farnsworth House
A column/wall has two functions, the ability to
stand up, and the appearance of standing up.

COMMODITY, FIRMNESS, DELIGHT

- Vitruvius
proportion exposed structure glassiness horizontality / usonian
Karl Schinkel Hendrik Berlage Peter Behrens Frank Lloyd Wright
Altes Museum 1830 Amsterdam Stock AEG Turbinenfabrik The Pairie House 1908
1946-51 – Farnsworth House,
Exchange 1903 1900
Plano, Illinois

Mies van der Rohe Mies van der Rohe Frank Lloyd Wright
Project Brick Country Project Glass Sky The Robie House
House 1924 Scraper 1922 1910
Mies van der Rohe 1952-53 - National Theatre
Farnsworth House Mannheim (project)
1951

Mies van der Rohe

Project Brick Country
Mies van der Rohe House 1924
Seagram Building
1958
1957-61 – Bacardi Office Building,
Mies van der Rohe Mexico City, Mexico
Plate Glass Hall
1927
Mies van der Rohe
Plate Glass Hall
1927

1962-68 – National Gallery,

Berlin, Germany

Mies van der Rohe

Tugendhat House
1930 Mies van der Rohe

23 case study
Barcelona Pavilion
1929
 Moving Where traditional buildings were ornamented,modern
buildings must be bare. Where traditional houses
had rooms, modern ones must be open-plan. Where
Miesian
the Fixed Grammar
traditional rooms were thickly carpeted and curtained, I don't want to be interesting, I want to be good.
and densely filled with furniture and bric-a-brac, - Mies van der Rohe
modern ones must have hard, clean surfaces and
be virtually devoid of furniture and possessions.
Farnsworth House Farnsworth House
Miesian approach
deindustrialization - plug weld technique to achieve jointless white substances of Platonic perfection
layout 1: glass enclosure around the kitchen

layout 2: over minimal furniture layout

1
layout 3: final plan with undivided living area and
minimal furniture layout

rules:
• specified Mies Van der Rohe furniture
• specified furniture layout
• no additional furniture connection beam placed plug weld connection X-crossing /
• no pictures / artwork on the wall prepared finished Barcelona Chair 1929
• no curtains 2

“cold, barren, sterile, thin, uncomfortable”

- House Beautiful Magazine, April 1953

Inhabitants have always felt the need to add

objects. Mies’ layout was never realized.
3

layout 4: 1951-1971. Original owner Edith

Farnsworth installed mosquito screen around
the patio, roll up blinds inside, and brought in
antique furniture.
window frame detail frames invisible from interior corner detail open groove
“Mies talk about his ‘free space’, but the space
is very fixed. I can’t even put a clothes hanger
in my house without considering how it affects
everything from the outside. I thought you could
animate a pre-determined, classic form like this
with your own presence. I wanted to do something 4
meaningful and all I got was this glib, false
sophistication.”
- Edith Farnsworth
layout 5: 1972-1990s. Second owner Peter
Palumbo restored the Miesian layout.
Sculptures are displayed in the house.
“Shortly after sunrise the early morning light, "form" over "function" drainage is provided between drainage and footing column to footing
- same slab thickness the joins of floor tile achieving detail connection is
24 case study

filtering through the branches of the linden tree,

first dapples and then etches the silhouette of despite different continuously flat floor slab concealed
the leaves in share relief upon the curtain. It is structural loads
a scene no Japanese print could capture to 5
greater effect.”
- Lord Peter Palumbo
Typology
Farnsworth House
1. Structural elements painted in abstract colour
2. Farnsworth House exhibitionist glass box form
3. The Seagram Building in New York as a result of
the Farnsworth House diagram
4. Itsukushima Shrine - 6th Century
5. In urban Vancouver context
6. Annual flood of the Fox River - kayaking stacked
Farnsworth House

7. Annual flood of the Fox River - aquarium

8. Karl Friedrich Schinkel - Altes Museum, 1823-30

3
2
4 5
6 7
8

25 case study
 structure and glass wall configuration The exhibitionist nature of the Farnsworth House by Mies
van der Rohe. Nude models photographed by Trevor Brady.
26 6x6 house

typology of the Farnsworth House in Vancouver laneway project 50x50 by Mies van der Rohe plug-weld beam and column connection
 w. 22rd street project description I The second laneway house requires students to use the precedent case study
as a guideline to design a laneway house that also conforms the City of Vancouver’s laneway house
by-laws. In this case, the precedent is the Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe. The challenge of
this exercise is to design a glass jewel box to house a family of four in the urban context of the Van-
couver laneway. The limitations of the Miesian grammar and the by-laws results a modest 6 metre by

willow street
laurel street

6 metre one-storey house that features a central service core and an open-plan living concept much
like the Farnsworth House. In order to achieve the program requirements, a ceiling retractable bed is
w. 23rd street used. The sliding glass walls are designed to maximize the confined living space and create a con-
nection to the outdoor. In terms of sustainability, the elevated house minimizes the building footprint
for better storm water management. The bio-swale incorporated in the landscape design also enables
on-site storm water and waste water treatment. This laneway house offers a new way of sustainable
habitation.

laneway houseI
number 2
6x6 house

27 6x6 house
28 6x6 house

studies
design intent

The Farnsworth House does not function as a comfortable habitat because of the sterile qual-
ity of steel and glass, and the lack of privacy despite its private location. This laneway house
has to find solutions to those problems. The solid walls are designed to meet the privacy re-
quirements of the by-laws, at the same time an opportunity to introduce a prefabricated wall

29 6x6 house
panel system that features warm wood texture. The sliding glass walls that service the kitchen
area allow for natural ventilation and additional seating on the slab edge in the summer time.
The outdoor deck enhances the entry sequence, reinforces privacy, and functions as an exten-
sion of the living space.
 plans

toilet

ceiling retractable sink dinning area

bed

shower

laundry

living room kitchen

closet

fireplace

laurel street

lane
w. 23rd street

deck

The floor plan of the 6x6 house could be the most simple of all the laneway houses designed in this studio, but it requires extensive design complexity in order to achieve efficient use of
30 6x6 house

space as well as to provide functional spaces. Living and sleeping are functioned in the same zone achieved by using a retractable bed system while two solid walls provide privacy. The
most private functions are contained in the wood core and they can be used separately. The dining area and the kitchen is screened by a line of bamboo trees on the east side yet still allow-
ing the occupants to overlook and animate the lane. Parents cooking in the kitchen have visual connection with the kids playing in the meadow fieldv or on the deck. The parking is provided
on the north side away from any visual connection to de-emphasize automobile in daily lives.
axonometric studies
dimension:
column: 250 mm x 250 mm
floor, roof and patio slab: 350 mm
window mullions: 40 mm x 150 mm
triple pane window wall: 150 mm
pre-fabricated wall panel: 150 mm
material:
wide-flange steel columns painted white
L shape steel bracket floor support painted white
C shape steel channel roof support painted white
polished concrete floor, roof, and patio slab
31 6x6 house
hickory wood panelling for core
black walnut wood panelling for west wall
green roof with fritted skylight
 detail

Steps
steel T support
bolted cast in place concrete

Floor and roof edge design sketch Door handle

flushed key hole
white painted aluminium frame
minimalist lock release bar

Slab edge
L bracket
32 6x6 house

concrete
drainage
double window wall tracks
polished concrete floor
wall section

roof:
green roof assembly
roofing membrane
plywood sheathing
wood fibre board insulation
moisture barrier
in-situ concrete
supported by steel C channel

pre-fabricated wall panel:

concrete panel cladding
metal furring strip / rainscreen
building paper
plywood sheathing
stud space with wood fibreboard insulation
wood interior finish panel

floor:
concrete topping with radiant heating
moisture barrier
wood fibreboard insulation
in-situ concrete
supported by steel L bracket

ground:
1 metre clearance
meadow with wild flower
bio-swale trench around the 3 sides of the building

33 6x6 house
concrete pad footing in ground
 elevations

east south west north

34 6x6 house
product selection

Gutex wood fibre board insulation Sky-Frame sliding window wall system Umbau BedUp ceiling retractable bed system manufac-
Architekturbüro by Herzog & de Meuron tured by Decadrages from Paris

35 6x6 house
 digital renderings

site axonometric
36 6x6 house
digital renderings

5 3

2 1 1. approaching the house from w23rd street 2. exterior shading as privacy screening at night with the bed
pulled down

37 6x6 house
3. dining area perspective 4. kitchen area perspective with visual connection to kids outside 5. living room perspective with the bed in the ceiling
 location: willow street and west 23rd street, vancouver, bc

site area: 1400 m2

program: theatre 100m2

lobby 25m2
daycare 75m2 plus outdoor playground

café 25m2

1 meeting room 50m2

2 meeting rooms 25m2/each
public space
community allotment garden

38 urban steps

woodstock farm by Rick Joy Architects early design sketches

 w. 22rd street project description I The densified neighborhood resulted from the previous two laneway house
exercises requires a public space as a point of release and a neutral space that serves the community.
This exercise explores social space design in the scale of a community. Through the lessons learned
from observing Vancouver’s public realm during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, students are re-
quired to find solutions to improve the situation of the lack of public realm in Vancouver.

willow street
laurel street

w. 23rd street

public space I
civic space
urban steps

39 urban steps
 studies population
23rd avenue
lwh main house

number 16 19

ave. occupancy per house 4 4.5

total occupancy 64 85.5

32 children / 32 parents 38 children / 38 parents / 9.5 senior

70 children / 70 parents / 9.5 seniors

24rd avenue
lwh main house

number 14 22

ave. occupancy per house 4 3.5

total occupancy 56 77

28 children / 28 parents 22 children / 44 parents / 11 senior

50 children / 72 parents / 11 seniors

24rd avenue
lwh main house

number 14 24

ave. occupancy per house 4 4.5

total occupancy 56 108

28 children / 28 parents 48 children / 48 parents / 12 senior

76 children / 76 parents / 12 seniors
total 196 children / 219 parents / 32.5 seniors

summer shadow winter shadow

40 urban steps

form and rhythm: context across the street

design intent

lane

OUTDOOR
MEETING ROOM ENCLOSED
KITCHEN / CAFE elevate theatre
PLAYGROUND NEW
PEDE to create ground
STRIA interaction
N PAT
H LIN THEATRE LOBBY
KING
NORT
H AN
widen public realm to create plaza D SO
UTH

THEATRE

N
23rd street

The one-storey low mass building is to fit the scale of the neighborhood (especially the adjacent house to the
west), while the program distribution and it’s form maximize the site’s solar potential. Because the public realm

41 urban steps
requires the most sunlight, it is placed in the middle of the site connecting south-north. This pushes two building
to the sides flanking the public realm. Since the initial section, the public realm is made wider to create plaza
spaces and the theatre is moved to the ground level to create interaction with the public realm. The five metre
elevation change from south to north provides an opportunity to create urban steps throughout the public realm.
 plan

theatre community allotment garden

daycare
backyard
café
meeting
rooms entrance / backstage
lobby locker /
waiting area stage
public
realm
parti diagram

daycare outdoor urban steps/ theatre

creative play area theatre extension
area

café
meeting
rooms / gal-
lery hall
nap area
lobby

public realm
42 urban steps
theatre I urban steps I café

The public realm is also a theatre. It is a place for people to gather and show off talents and to
exchange ideas and stories. In the summer time, the theatre stage extends to the outdoor. Small

43 urban steps
plays and music festivals happen on the stage and everyone in the community can participate.

A retired couple operate the café serving bakery and coffee in the morning. The café also functions
as a community kitchen for block parties and potluck dinners.
 daycare

section through daycare

winter sun section through playground

continuous skin
high performance

summer shading
partial fritted glass canopy for

daycare
thermal mass wall

radiant heat section through public realm

mechanical
room

north
connec
ted to livin
g mach
ine
rain water
collection tank
landscape

south-north section daycare play area

The form of the daycare is developed to receive the most sunlight as it is essential for the function
of a daycare. It also generates the architectural language of the whole program: steel structure barn
style construction with rainscreen technology clad with 13 mm thick fibre glass reinforced concrete
panel system. The indoor spaces provide the necessary functions of a daycare while the exterior
44 urban steps

playground offers a didactic play experience. The punched windows along the south side provide the
kids to have visual connection with the public realm, while security is achieved by the transparency
of the whole building so both the public and the supervisors of the daycare can actively monitor the
safety of th kids. didactic play experience
daycare

creative area

inter-connected indoor / outdoor space

Like the theatre, the daycare and its outdoor playground are inter-connected by sliding open the glass

45 urban steps
wall. The creative area is where the kids scribble and paint and make clay figures. The kitchen counter
is right next to the main activities for easy supervision. The storage space is provided by a long strip of
cabinets suspended from the ceiling only accessible by adults. However, the kids are required to put
the toys back to the storage boxes at the end of a day.
 meeting room I gallery hall

plan detail of the sandwich panel

deep window frame tectonic expression of the 2x6 wall system

for solar control

The interior partition system is inspired by the existing barn construction technology. The natural aesthetic
of dimensional lumbers complement the man-made quality of steel frame structures. It eliminates the ap-
46 urban steps

plication of excessive interior finishes while providing a simple tectonic expression. The sandwich panel
developed for this project is to provide good acoustic performance of the meeting room considering the
daycare is right beside it. The large top-hung sliding doors also allow the meeting rooms to transform into
a gallery hall to show case the talent in the daycare and in the community.
elevation

street elevation

community allotment gardens

backyard

lane elevation

backyard

The stepped community allotment gardens animates the lane during the growing seasons. It is a place

47 urban steps
where the neighbour would exchange herbs and vegetables while exchanging stories in lives. The steps
also allows for visual connection with the urban steps while providing a smooth transition from the street
to the lane. The backyard is an open field for a place to play with the dogs and throw a frisbee while al-
lowing air and light to get to the surrounding laneway houses.
The 102nd thing I learned in architecture school: Design never ends.
7100 I architectural studio I winter 2010

Bryan He