I am designing the façade and exploring appropriate materials for the Agro Community Kitchen such that
- interior spaces can be naturally ventilated
- allow light to flow through
- while maintaining privacy when needed
- enabling urban farming program to prosper
I have chosen to design operable sliding glass windows on the façade to be incorporated with an adjustable vertical wood louvre slat system, where users have control of how much ventilation, light and/or privacy the interior spaces have based on their preferences.
To maximize spatial efficiency and the amount of direct access to natural light that reaches the spaces where food is grown, I studied the weather and climate of Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia, through literature research and grasshopper simulations to determine the sun’s position at different times of the day and year. I have designed the back and right elevation which are south-facing to be a green façade as they receive the most direct sunlight (due to the site’s location within the northern hemisphere), in contrast to the north-facing façade where there is insufficient natural light to sustain plant growth. A maintenance walkway will be incorporated to allow for potential fruit-harvesting on the façade in addition to the interior food-growing spaces.
For the front and left elevation which are north-facing, an external filigree made of Corian (dyed petroleum-based material where there is no paint to chip or peel off) clads the glass façades. The organic branching pattern of trees are used as an inspiration to generate bifurcations of overlapping braids to form a façade design that pays homage to the building’s urban agriculture program.
Preliminary Exterior Elevations:
Looking Ahead for Week 11:
Sketches of specific features of my building I wish to show with higher resolution of design clarity through enlarged detailed architectural drawings
- Adjustable vertical wood louvre slat system
- Green Façade with maintenance walkway
- Tree-motif Panelized Façade system
