This entry was noted by the jury primarily for the intelligent use of the site and the layout of the houses. In the layout, the groups of houses are arranged in a series of varying densities, thus freeing up a portion of the land for communal green spaces. The vehicular access road, which is more extensive than in other award-winning entries, reduces walking distances to the more distant dwellings. As for the plan Project Brief
This design attempts to address some of the problems and limitations of Canadian housing today, especially its lack of adaptation to new situations. Changes in family structure, economic conditions, the energy crisis, environmental awareness - the design of our housing has not yet reacted to these recent developments. We notice the resulting problems:
1. waste of land, lack of connection with the land and natural elements,
2. waste of energy,
3. too high costs; maintenance costs as well as purchase costs,
4. too much emphasis on one form of housing, the single-family detached house, which does not correspond to the needs of various individuals and families: the elderly or handicapped, young couples, and people whose children have left home
5. in higher density projects designed to reduce costs and dependence on energy, a lack of personal identification and environmental quality that is found in the single family home.
Social concept
The project is designed as a distinct entity, a "micro-neighborhood" organized around these common elements.
Each housing unit has its individual street access and address, to allow for identification and personalization.
The organization of the project responds to the needs of various individuals and families:
- All 1-bedroom and 4-bedroom units are located at ground level, with a private garden.
- A high percentage of the 3 bedroom units are also located at ground level. All of these units have significant outdoor space.
- Half of the 3-bedroom units contain a "suite" near the entrance to give privacy to a single parent or college-age person.
- For the elderly or disabled, a proportion of each type of unit is located at ground level, with no exterior or interior stairs.
- The 2-bedroom units are designed for young couples with a preschooler, and for middle-aged couples whose children have left home.
Planning and relationship to the landscape
The units are clustered and stacked to free up a large proportion of the site for recreation, and to retain most of the existing trees.
There is only one street to be built; a 7 m roadway to allow two lanes, within a 15 m right-of-way.
Buildings and carports are generally not set back from the right-of-way; this minimizes asphalt and facilitates snow removal.
A dense coniferous planting at the west end of the site creates a barrier to the prevailing winds and noise from the shopping center.
The open space includes the following facilities: two mini parks for preschoolers, a "creative play" area for children ages 6 to 12, a rest area for seniors and adults, and a grassy area of sufficient size to allow for activity flexibility. These recreation areas are connected by a "green path" that leads to the shopping center.
Unit and Grouping Design
All units have direct access to the street, to maintain the positive attributes of the single family home, including its safety. This is done in accordance with the requirements of the Residential Building Standards, Canada, 1977: "(a dwelling) may have only one exit, provided that the exit is an exterior door directly to a floor at or near ground level. The floor of the upper storey of the dwelling unit shall not be more than 6 m above the level of the floor or continuous landing at Tissue."(Section 93(6)).
This eliminates any common stairs or hallways; an economical and "custom" solution. Each unit has a patio, garden, or terrace garden; all of these private spaces are directly south-facing, and almost all are open to the sky. The spaces retain their privacy with the help of planters along the terraces.
The mid-floor layout maximizes ground access and minimizes excavation.
Natural ventilation is distributed throughout the units.
The "cathedral ceilings" of the rooftop units create a sense of space that is rarely found in multi-family housing.
Precast concrete floors and party walls create good fire and noise insulation.
Energy
All units face the sun, where all living and dining rooms are oriented, with large glass surfaces. Only the bedrooms face north, with smaller windows.
The courtyards and terraced gardens to the south create favorable microclimates.
The minimal surface area of the buildings is oriented towards the predominant westerly winds, which are broken up by the new planting.
The stacking of the dwellings and their mid-storey profile also minimizes the building area exposed to undesirable orientations.
The use of precast concrete party walls and slabs, insulated on the exterior and exposed on the interior, retains heat during the winter through the "thermal mass" effect, and completely eliminates the need for air conditioning in the summer.
Insulation: RSI 2.1 on exterior walls, RSI 6.1 on roofs, using closed cell polystyrene on concrete walls, and fiberglass on roofs and non-load bearing walls. Triple glass in the north, double glass elsewhere.
Drawings
Heating: hot water system; natural gas furnace in each group of 5 units. In sum, maximum use of "passive" solar energy; (active use of solar energy would contradict the economic objectives of the project.
Costs
The investment costs are minimized by: the concentration of buildings and the resulting minimum of engineering works (streets, services), the superposition of units and the twinning of clusters, the elimination of corridors, entrances, public stairs, the elimination of heated garages; 60 percent of the units have a shelter, the others park outside, the use of elements made with current technology, not expensive innovations. The simple wooden forms (in the factory) and jigs of the current manufacturers will serve well. At the scale of 110 units, the cost of framing would be reduced by 10%-15% over traditional methods; the time saved also has its economic value.
Maintenance costs are minimized by: minimizing paving, using materials that do not require maintenance: exposed concrete on the interior, asbestos cement (full color) on the exterior, minimizing dependence on energy; maximizing passive use of solar energy.
Structure
The structure consists of precast concrete wall panels, oriented north-south, and precast concrete slabs oriented east-west that are supported on the panels. The panels are 2.6 m high (equal to one floor); the slabs are 2.4 and 2.6 m wide, and their span is typically 6 m or 8 m. Thicknesses: 200 mm walls, 150 mm slabs. Joints are welded and filled with cement on site.
Non-load-bearing exterior walls (east-west oriented) are prefabricated in wood: 2" x 6" studs at 600 mm covered with pre-finished plywood.
Insulation and vapour retarder are installed in the non-load bearing panels at the factory. The polystyrene insulation is glued to the load-bearing panels at the site; and then the asbestos cement sheathing is applied with standard bolts. The design of the dwellings is simple and straightforward, with an emphasis on southern orientation and cross-ventilation. The jury had doubts about an elaborate roofing style which, upon examination, proved to have no significant role in energy conservation and appeared to be very costly. In addition, the difficulties of access to some of the dwellings in the higher buildings raised concerns.
(Unofficial automated translation)
This project, like its counterpart by some of the same authors in the Ontario Regional Competition, was recognized primarily for the strongly logical ordering of its basic site organization. The loop road system, direct access of vehicles to units, simple resolution of orientation considerations and provision of collective landscaped open space were all admired by the jury. A general reservation was felt about the underdeveloped design of the facades. Some jurors were concerned about the stacking of one-storey units, one on top of the other. They felt this added unnecessarily to cost and generated difficulties of access from vehicle to unit. These concerns, in their view, prevented Submission 9 from being ranked any higher. One juror, on the other hand, called for higher recognition for this submission than for Submissions 5, 7 and 12. To quote, "It was a sound scheme. It could not be faulted in its handling of the site topography, orientation, car and pedestrian relationship, landscaping and the several other criteria we retained."
(From jury comments)
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