utopian housing (final 17.01.2012)

2.4Utopian Housing

Introduction: Basics of Utopian Living3.5A

Overview of Historical Utopian Ideas2.4B

Housing Projects based on Utopian Concepts2.4D

Eminent Utopian Theories and Projects2.4C

2.4A

2.4E Current Utopian Concepts

Conclusion2.4F

2

Everlasting life

All good and no evil

A perfect balance between the individual and society

Complete knowledge

UTOPIA

Utopia is generally defined as a place of ideal perfection in all aspects of existence (social, economic and legal). Once Humanity knows Utopia is the house it wants to live in, Humanity can begin to build that house. Since Utopia is the blueprint for Humanity's house, the next step is to determine what materials are needed to assemble that house. There are five basic elements to Utopia. These elements are:

Fundamentals of Utopia

• No individual could exist without some interaction with other humans, and Humanity will only survive if there is interaction of humans. Therefore, it is fundamental that a society in some form will always be necessary.

• All humans are equal in the eyes of society.

• it is fundamental that both individuals and societies must contend with the continuing battle of good versus evil.

Concept of Utopian Living

• Utopia may rightly be called the new paradigm in urban living.

• Utopia is a community or society with the ideal socio-economic and legal systems. Much like an Intentional Community where like minded people come together with a common objective.

• The idea evolved from the present explosion of bigger cities which along with the glamour and modern comforts, also brought about several grave concerns regarding fundamental issues of safety, security, law and order and health besides others.

• A role model for the towns and cities of the future. They were looking at not just housing and infrastructure that provided shelters, but a complete new living culture rooted strongly in the fundamental values of a healthy civilization - a city that nurtured the fullest growth of individuals and society.

Techniques used by urban designers and planners

• the techniques for giving form and organization to specific urban materials(building spaces, open spaces and patterns)• the techniques for composing together urban

materials • the techniques for translating the urban project in a

plan with a legal function, according to specific laws.

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

00

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

2.4 AIntroduction: Basics of Utopian Living

2.4F

2.4 BOverview of Utopian Concepts

(Top) Garden City- Ebenezer Howard, 1898

Ebenezer Howard believed that the very best of both town and country life should be married together in small Garden Cities, each with its own greenbelt. He promoted well-planned towns with careful land zoning and a quality of life.

(Left) Industrial City- Tony Garnier, 1917

In the architect developed the zoning concept, by dividing the city into four main functions: work, housing,Health, leisure.

1898 1917 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 20111952

(Right) Helix City- Kisho Kurokawa, 1961

Ebenezer Howard believed that the very best of both town and country life should be married together in small Garden Cities, each with its own greenbelt. He promoted well-planned towns with careful land zoning and a quality of life.

(Above) Walking City- Archigram, 1964

The Walking City is constituted by intelligent buildings or robots that are in the form of giant, self contained living pods that could roam the cities.

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

(Top) Plug in City – Archigram, 1967

Computer-controlled city designed for change with removable elements plugged into a ‘mega structure’ service framework.

Isozaki proposed for a multilevel urban construction above the city. Massive pylons supported elevated transportation, housing, and office systems as well as parks and walkways,

(Above) City in the air – Arata Isozaki, 1970

1898 1917 1952 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 2011


(Above) Protected Village - Haus-Rucker-co, 1970

A utopian city locked in bubbles

(Top) Arcosanti- Paolo Soleri, 1970

Arcosanti is an urban laboratory focused on pursuing lean alternatives to urban sprawl through innovative design with environmental accountability.

In this city, a large central computer determines the function the same as a big brain. Arata Isozaki generates a series Of computerized catalogs of options ranging from neon signs advertising, projectors, isolation kit, educational modules ... The whole city joins through rapid rail equipped with this great center.

(Above) Computer-aided city, Arata Isozaki, 1972

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

(Top) Pyramid city in the air – Shimizu Corporation, 2004

(Top) Hyper building - Rem Koolhaas, 1996

The model presented here has the distinction of being inflatable and then merge to the technological and visionary project, the fragility and instability inherent in an aerial structure.

1898 1917 1952 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 2011


It was the vision for future London, in which he proposed multi level transport system and walkways.

(Left) London as it could be- Richard Rogers, 1986

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Possible Problems Realization

Expandability

Form

2.4 CEminent Utopian Theories and Projects

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Compact cityIn compact city, the development of the new, modern parts is designed in continuity with the existent city, sometimes enlarging it according to some preferred directions. The form is given by• The grid of the roads and their hierarchy• The system of open spaces

Typical grids:• Quadrangular grid• Circular grid

City made by an autonomous nucleiThe city made by autonomous nuclei is a radical alternative to the existing city and its ‘spontaneous ‘ expansion. According to this idea, the expansion must be discontinuous and organized in new cities with limited sizes, distinguishable and autonomous from the old city, built far from it and connected through a railway system.

The garden city by Ebenezer Howard is the diagrammatic proposal, which was translated in diverse projects of new towns and new neighbourhoods.

Linear cityThe linear city is another radical alternative to the existing city and to the compact city too. It can be considered a variant of the garden city, as it is a thin and low density line in the country-side. It has a defined and homogenous breadth without limits of length, and it is organized by a central infrastructure (railways and main road)

Vertical cityThe vertical city suggests a ‘rational’ solution for the emerging tendencies:• High densities to save space• Separated levels for diverse transport systems• Vertical zoning to organize diverse activities in the

same buildings

Horizontal cityThe horizontal city has no limits and:• The density is low• The grid is the only way of order• The transport is by car• The functions are mixed

Functional cityThe functional city does not have any recognizable figure. Its form is the result of functional organization. The project concerns the fundamental functions: to live, to work, to move, to rest.

1963

1962

1961

1917

1929

1902

------Plug-in–city

Classification of proposed ideas of a Modern, Utopian city based on composition figures


2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

------Clusters in the air

------Helix city

------Industrial city

------Neighbourhood city

------Garden city

Helix City (Floating City)

Kisho Kurokawa’s Helix City was one of a number of metabolist urban visions that was to grow from an existing city outward on the surface of a body of water. Architecture was envisioned as a system of constantly changing 'organisms‘, which are able to integrate new 'living‘ spaces.The helical mega structures comprising the city allow for a plug-in style occupation of their levels; the city expands both by adding units within each helix and by

Japan, 1961Kisho Kurokawa (guidance of Kenzo Tange)

adding new towers. The levels of the helixes were proposed to be completely covered in gardens, allowing for a maximal green surface. Here, urban structures are being developed both vertically and horizontally, and the points of contact are not conscious.

The unity-space helix is the prototype of a city with three-dimensional growth potential.


2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

1898 1917 1952 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 2011

Area: Green space: agriculture 0Area: Greenspace: lawn 0Area: Greenspace: park 0Area: Greenspace: wilderness 7,914,552

Total Site Area (2-D; in m²) 49,068,419Total Greenspace (m²) 7,914,552

Area of Water (m²) 20,759,381 Area of Infrastructure (m²) 3,017,093Total Built Area [footprint; m²)] 17,377,393Area: Housing (footprint) 15,895,036Area: Industrial (footprint) 0Area: Public (footprint) 1,482,358Total Population 480,000Total number housing units 120,000 Number of people per housing unit 4.0Total Area (3-D; in m²) 673,421,878Number of Floors: Housing 40Number of Floors: Industrial 0Number of Floors: Public 4

Area: Total Built 641,730,852Area: Housing (3-D) 635,801,421 Area: Industrial (3-D) 0Area: Public (3-D) 5,929,431 Area: Open Space (Greenspace + Water +Infrastructure) (3-D) 31,691,026

FAR: 3-D Area / 2-D Area (x) 13.72DENSITY: total population / site area 9,782 (2-D) (people per km²)DENSITY: total population / total area 713(3-D) (people per km²)

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Helix City (Floating City)2.4 CEminent Utopian Theories and Projects 1898 1917 1952 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 2011

Each home owner is free to use whatever building materials preferred when constructing their homes on manmade land which has a spiral configuration and is provided with terraces.

This project was prepared as a housing project to be built on the surface of a lake in connection with planning of the New Tokyo International Airport in Narita.

The spiral system, or the helix structure, will bring a third order to urban space.

The structure of the city must be planned by multi-planar transport system which is centered on activities of daily life. Vertical separation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, on the roofs of the structure, is provided: the motorways and walks form a transport system which interconnects the structures of the city. A harbour is provided at each unit for use by surface crafts. A spiral escalator system provides a means of vertical transportation between the roof-top and lake transport systems.

TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN

ELEVATION-2

ELEVATION-1

BUILDING FOOTPRINT PLAN

CAPSULE PLAN

DETAIL CAPSULE JOINERY

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Helix City (Floating City)

2.4 CEminent Utopian Theories and Projects 1898 1917 1952 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 2011

The Walking City was an idea proposed by British architect Ron Herron in 1964. In an article in the avant-garde architecture journal Archigram, Ron Herron proposed building massive, artificially intelligent mobile robotic structures that could freely roam a post-apocalyptic world, moving to wherever the structures' resources or manufacturing abilities were needed. Various walking cities could interconnect with each other to form larger 'walking metropolises' and then disperse when their concentrated power was no longer necessary. Individual buildings or structures could also be mobile, moving wherever their owner wanted or needs dictated. Therefore, although this is not a proposal for a floating city, the mobile structures share the same concepts as a moving city like a seastead as they are autonomous and self-sufficient, they can interact with other moving cities, and they operate in a world where no boundaries exist.

"Walking City imagines a future in which borders and boundaries are abandoned in favor of a nomadic lifestyle among groups of people worldwide."

The Walking City is constituted by intelligent buildings or robots that are in the form of giant, self contained living pods that could roam the cities. The form derived from a combination of insect and machine and was a literal interpretation of Corbusier's aphorism of a house as a machine for living in. The pods were independent, yet parasitic as they could 'plug in' to way stations to exchange occupants or replenish resources. The citizen is therefore a serviced nomad not totally dissimilar from today's executive cars. The context was perceived as a future ruined world in the aftermath of a nuclear war.

Walking City Great Britain, 1964Ron Herron (Archigram)

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4


The Plug-in City is set up by applying a large scale network-structure, containing access ways and essential services, to any terrain. Into this network are placed units which cater for all needs. These units are planned for obsolescence. The units are served and maneuvered by means of cranes operating from a railway at the apex of the structure. The interior contains several electronic and machine installations intended to replace present-day work operations.

Typical permanence ratings would be:

Bathroom, kitchen, living room floor: 3-year obsolescenceLiving rooms, bedrooms: 5-8 year obsolescenceLocation of house unit: 15 years durationImmediate-use sales space in shops: 6 monthsShopping location: 3-6 yearsWorkplaces, computers, etc: 4 yearsCar silos and roads: 20 yearsMain mega structure: 40 years

In addition to the main crane way there are smaller crane ways and mechanized slipways as well as telescopic handling elements.

The Plug-in City as a total project was a combination of a series of ideas that were worked upon between 1962 and 1964. The Metal Cabin Housing was a prototype in the sense that it placed removable house elements into a "mega structure" of concrete

It is a mega-structure with no buildings, just a massive framework into which dwellings in the form of cells or standardized components could be slotted.

The machine had taken over and people were the raw material being processed, the difference being that people are meant to enjoy the experience.

Computer-controlled city designed for change with removable elements plugged into a ‘mega structure’ service framework.

Plug-in City Great Britain, 1967Peter Cook(Archigram)

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4


2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Plug-in City2.4 CEminent Utopian Theories and Projects 1898 1917 1952 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 2011

One of the most spectacular and important unbuilt projects of the 20th Century was Arata Isozaki's “

In ‘Clusters in the Air’ scheme, he proposed cantilevering housing units from a central spine. Isozaki proposed round columns that permitted growth in any direction, instead of a square support system which limits expansion to four directions.

• The concept of the clusters was to develop a new way to structure housing around Tokyo.

• The Cluster represent leaves from trees which are the housing units and the core represents the trunk of the tree.

Joint Core System

• Isozaki proposed for a multilevel urban construction above the city.

• Massive pylons supported elevated transportation, housing, and office systems as well as parks and walkways,

(Above) Conceptual model

City in the Air(Clusters in the Air)

Japan , 1961Arata Isozaki

Arata Isozaki was an architect who mainly designed structures with Metabolist principles. Isozaki’s City in the Air was created as a counterproposal to an urban city filled with skyscrapers, contained cylindrical shafts, or “joint cores,” which would hold up the smaller, interchangeable components. His later Clusters in the Air had a similar joint core concept. However, instead of having the interchangeable parts in between the joint cores, Clusters in the Air had the interchangeable parts cluster together on the cylindrical towers. A city of these structures would give the impression of being in a forest, with each joint core resembling a tree. This plan would allow for a free flow of traffic and pedestrians on the ground below. Isozaki’s structures are also indicative of advancements in technology and in engineering.

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4


2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Located about sixty miles north of Phoenix, Arcosanti is a “prototype urban laboratory” conceived by Italian architect Paolo Soleri (opposite) that presents an alternative to the typical modern American community

Soleri designed Arcosanti to take advantage of its site in every way possible. Dramatically situated on a basalt-cliff mesa sixty-five miles north of Phoenix, it lies in the midst of a 4,060-acre preserve, using only twenty five acres for its footprint.

Arcosanti is designed to accommodate five thousand residents when (and if) it’s complete, all living and working together, sharing resources, enjoying culturalofferings on site, rarely using motorized vehicles, and having as little ecological impact as possible. It exemplifies the principles of what Soleri coined “arcology”— architecture and ecology as one integral process.

All buildings at Arcosanti are oriented to the sun; the compound is perched on the south-facing edge of its mesa. “The site design takes into account the position of the sun throughout the seasons and throughout the year”.

Arcosanti Arizona, 1970Paulo Soleri


A pedestrian-friendly “city,” it squarely addresses the issues of pollution, congestion, and social isolation andembodies Soleri’s vision for a sustainable urban alternative.

Arcosanti is the exact opposite of urban sprawl which, many are slowly realizing, wastes resources and, according to Soleri, isolates people from each other. He explains that in an arcology, the buildings and their living inhabitants interact as organs in a highly evolved being, with systems working together in an efficient circulation of people and resources.

Soleri designed a community that included places to live, work, and play, making total dependence on automobiles a thing of the past. He imagined Arcosanti as a prototype that would inspire the world.

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4


Arcosanti

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Pyramid City in the Air is a conceptual "city in the air" designed to make the most of nature's blessings, including wind and sunlight, and to serve as a home and workplace for about one million people.

A mega truss structure, which also serves as a platform for infrastructure facilities, makes it possible to create a huge, livable pyramid city measuring 2,000 meters high. The basic structure—an assembly of regular octahedral units composed of shafts made from lightweight materials such as carbon fiber—is designedto meet the needs of residents and the surrounding

environment at the same time. The mega truss construction method allows flexible, unrestricted structural arrangement of the facilities, eliminating the need to build massive foundations. The city's basic construction units, each measuring 350 meters per side, contain office buildings, residential complexes, and other facilities, held aloft by structures that provide support from all directions.With each unit capable of enclosing an entire 100-story building, TRY 2004 represents a project of unprecedented scale and proportion.

Ground foundation area: approx. 800 ha

Facilities: Residential buildings, office buildings, etc. (layers 1 through 4) and research centers, leisure facilities, hotels, etc. (layers 5 through 8); approx. 240,000 residential units and 2,400 ha of office space

Estimated population: 1,000,000 people (both workingand residential)

Pyramid City in the Air Japan, 2004Shimizu Corporation

1898 1917 1952 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 2011


Design

The basic design of the is based on a combination of regular octahedral units, each measuring 350 meters per side. Each octahedral unit is formed by vertically joining two square pyramids at their bases. These units are then combined both vertically and laterally to enable flexible expansion to suit specific purposes.

Each octahedral unit contains sufficient space to accommodate an entire 100-story office building.

This construction also exposes the interior spaces to abundant sunlight. The three-dimensional trusses are slender pipes, allowing sunlight to reach deep into the infrastructure and creating a highly livable environment.

(Top) An example of residential building

(Bottom) An example of an office building

(Above) Flexible-space octahedral unit

Transportation and Distribution Systems

To move vertically within the city, people will use a continuous circulatory transportation system that incorporates elevators in diagonal shafts. Residents will use a new linear-motor transportation system set up inside the horizontal shafts to move laterally.To move from a node to a building, people will use moving walkways, escalators, or corridors. Those within buildings will use elevators.

The distribution system established in the city will rely on a continuous circulatory transport system for vertical conveyance. Then, at each node, the automatic transfer loader will place packages onto a container carriage or conveyor belt for automatic delivery in the horizontal direction.

(Above) Transport network

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Pyramid City in the Air


The aims of the Unite d’Habitation, declared by Le Corbusier were two fold, “The first: to provide with peace and solitude before the sun, space and greenery, a dwelling which will be the perfect receptacle for the family. The second: to set up in God’s good nature beneath the sky and the sun, a magisterial work of architecture, the product of rigor, grandeur, nobility, happiness and elegance.

BUILDING TYPEMulti-family housing, concrete structure

POPULATION-There are approximately 1600 residents

CLIMATEMediterranean

2

(Top) front view of the building(Left) close-up of the front view(Right) Site plan of the housing complex

Design ConceptNo city or community is complete without the functions and services that accompany housing. Corbusier’s concept of “The extended dwelling” is evident in the design of the Unite. “Implicit with Le Cobusier’s notion of the Unite as a vertical garden city is the ideal that the community should be self-supportive. The collective mechanical services and social amenities, such as the nursery school, day care center, gymnasium and shops that contribute to, and compliment daily life in the individual unit” should all be included.

2.4 DHousing Projects based on Utopian Concepts 1898 1917 1952 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 2011

Unite d’Habitation Marsielles, France, 1952Le Corbusier

Plug-in-cityGarden city City in the air Walking cityIndustrial city

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

2

Le Corbusier designed the community that one would encounter in a neighborhood within a mixed use, modernist, residential high rise. Le Corbusier’s idea of the “vertical garden city” was based on bringing the villa within a larger volume that allowed for the inhabitants to have their own private spaces, but outside of that private sector they would shop, eat, exercise, and gather together.With nearly 1,600 residents divided among eighteen floors, the design requires an innovative approach toward spatial organization to accommodate the living spaces, as well as the public, communal spaces. Interestingly enough, the majority of the communal aspects do not occur within the building; rather they are placed on the roof. The roof becomes a garden terrace that has a running track, a club, a kindergarten, a gym, and a shallow pool. Beside the roof, there are shops, medical facilities, and even a small hotel distributed throughout the interior of the building. The Unite d’ Habitation is essentially a “city within a city” that is spatially, as well as, functionally optimized for the residents.

Salient Design Features• The buildings large volume is supported on

massive pilotis that allow for circulation, gardens, and gathering spaces below the building;• The roof garden/terrace creates the largest communal space within the entire building, and• The incorporated patio into the façade system minimizes the perception of the buildings height, as to create an abstract ribbon window that emphasizes the horizontality of such a large building.(Right) East façade of the building(Left) Latitudinal Section of the building(Bottom) Typical Residential Floor Plan of the building

2.4 DHousing Projects based on Utopian Concepts

Unite d’Habitation

1898 1917 1952 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 2011

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

2


Unite d’Habitation

1898 1917 1952 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 2011

3D view of the building. (Top)Axonometric section of a single unit. (Bottom)

Plan of alternate floors. (Top)Section of units. (Bottom)

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Concept

"Safdie's dwelling complex 'Habitat' was designed to give 'privacy, fresh air, sunlight and suburban amenities in an urban location.' It was designed as a permanent settlement and consists of 158 dwellings, although originally it was intended to provide 1,000 units. The resulting ziggurat was made up of independent prefabricated boxes with fifteen different plan types.“

Habitat 67 was meant to be a demonstration of the implementation of those ideas in the contemporary world. The location was supposed to create an ambience that could promote, by the hand or architecture, harmonic social communication and healthy living in contact with the outer world, no matter if your apartment was on the top floor: all apartments boast a variety of views toward the surrounding space and a vast garden-terrace as large in size as the main interiors, but relatively reduced because the main purpose at the onset was to build economical houses.

Habitat is a model community constructed along the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, composed of 354 prefabricated modules which combine to form a three-dimensional space structure. The modules, or 'boxes' as they are known, are connected in varying combinations to create 158 residences ranging from 600 ft to 1,700 sq.ft. Pedestrian streets serve as horizontal circulation throughout the entire complex. Habitat '67 was the realization of Moshe Safdie's thesis titled "A Case for City Living, A Study of Three Urban High Density Housing Systems for Community Development“.

Canada, 1967Moshe Safdie

Habitat 67


Plug-in-cityGarden city City in the air Walking cityIndustrial city

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

In the case of Habitat 67, the mega structure was designed by the very housing units: each and every module consists of a rectangular-shaped tube, with two of its sides made of large reinforced concrete panels that serve as load-bearing walls that can support the upper unit. They were put in place with the help of tall cranes specially designed for this building project.

They firmly believed that the future of human housing would no longer be the individual house hedged with gardens and aloof from the urban center, but rather a collective housing, the building of communities that would not stay in closed buildings but rather in open urban spaces, city neighborhoods capable of containing all necessary services to make living there more pleasant and desirable.

Among the many aspects that single out Habitat 67, one of the most outstanding ones is precisely its being the physical concretion of an idea that remains a utopia some four decades later.

(Top) Section

(Above) Arrangement of blocks(Above) On-site placement of blocks by crane

(Top) Arrangement of blocks

Terraces

Block 2

Block 1


Habitat 67

1898 1917 1952 1961 1964 1967 1970 1972 1986 1996 2004 2006 2011

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Concept

The Nakagin tower had interchangeable, prefabricated apartment units which attached to a service core via a simple cantilever mechanism. Units could theoretically be added or taken away at will without affecting the structural or functional integrity of the unit.

The Nakagin Capsule Tower is the world's first capsule architecture built for actual use. Capsule architecture design, establishment of the capsule as room and insertion of the capsule into a mega structure, expresses its contemporaneousness with other works of liberated architecture from the later 1960's, in particular England's

Archigram Group, Kurokawa developed the technology to install the capsule units into a concrete core with only 4 high-tension bolts, as well as making the units detachable and replaceable. The capsule is designed to accommodate the individual as either an apartment or studio space, and by connecting units can also accommodate a family.

Nakagin Capsule tower is a mixed-use residential and office tower designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa and located in Tokyo, Japan. Completed in 1972. Each capsule measures 2.3m × 3.8m × 2.1m and functions as a small living or office space. Capsules can be connected and combined to create larger spaces. The original targets demographic for the building were single businessmen who worked late in the city.

Typical Capsule isometric view (Right) Working Desk

Japan, 1970Kisho Kurokawa

(Top Right) Typical Floor isometric view

Nakagin Capsule Tower Plug-in-cityGarden city City in the air Walking cityIndustrial city


2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Advantages of Nakagin Capsule Tower:

• Mixed-use residential and office with fully self-contained units. Fitted with utilities and interior fittings before being shipped to the building site.• Has the capacity to create larger spaces.• On site and off site construction - efficient in time.

Disadvantages of Nakagin Capsule Tower:

• Occupants cite squalid, cramped conditions and asbestos.

The Nakagin Capsule Tower realizes the ideas of metabolism, exchangeability, recycleablity as the prototype of sustainable architecture.

Window Section Shower Section

Desk Section

Plan

Process of building up of Capsule Tower

Lift Shafts circled by spiral staircase.

Service Risers : Fins on the lift shafts

Prefabricated Capsules :Steel truss boxes, clad with galvanized ribbed steel panels.

Large Trucks brought capsules to the site from assembly plants.

Lifted by Crane and bolted with four high-tension bolts.


Nakagin Capsule Tower

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4


Nakagin Capsule Tower

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Concept:

This home concept is intended to replace the outdated design solutions at Habitat for Humanity. We propose a method to grow homes from native trees. A living structure is grafted into shape with prefabricated Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) reusable scaffolds. Therefore, we enable dwellings to be fully integrated into an ecological community.

Advantages:

1. Composed with 100% living nutrients.2. Make effective contributions to the ecosystem. 3. Accountable removal of human impacts.4. Involve arboreal farming & production.

Fab Tree Hab Japan, 2008Terreform One

5. Subsume technology within terrestrial environs. 6. Circulate water & metabolic flows symbiotically.7. Consider the life cycle, from use to disposal.

2.4 ECurrent Utopian Concepts (Post 2000)

Organic City

A fully grown dwelling unit. (Top)Stages of growth of a dwelling unit. (Bottom)

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

The Fab Tree Hab is a living structure single-family home and encompassing ecology. Tree trunks from the load-bearing structure to which a weave of pleached branch ‘studs’ support a thermal clay and straw-based infill. The Fab Tree Hab plan accommodates three bedrooms (one on the second level), a bathroom, and an open living, dining and kitchen area placed on the southern façade in accordance with passive solar principles.

Structure, form, and growth

A methodology new to buildings yet ancient to gardening is introduced in this design – pleaching.Pleaching is a method of weaving together tree branches to form living archways, lattices, or screens.The branches form a continuous lattice frame for the walls and roof. Weaved along the exterior is a dense protective layer of vines, interspersed with soil pockets and growing plants. Scaffolds, cut from 3D computer files control the plant growth in the early stages. On the interior, a clay and straw composite insulates and blocks moisture, and a final layer of smooth clay is applied like a plaster to dually provide comfort and aesthetics.

2.4 ECurrent Utopian Concepts

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

FAB TREE HABRenewal

In congruence with ecology as the guiding principal, the home is designed to be nearly entirely edible so as to provide food to some organism at each stage of its life. While inhabited, the home’s gardens and exterior walls produce food for people and animals. The seasonal cycles help the tree structure provide for itself through composting of fallen leaves in autumn

Life sustaining flows

Water, integral to the survival of the structure itself, is the pulmonary system of the home, circulating from the roof-top collector, through human consumption, and ultimately exiting via transpiration. A gray water stream irrigates the gardens, and a filtration stream enters aLiving Machine, where it is purified by bacteria, fish, and plants who eat the organic wastes.

"Peristaltic city" is a tall building made of a cluster of shifting pod spaces. The pod skins alter the volume locations within. This soft, pliable, sealed, and non-mechanical innovation encapsulates volumetric structures. Textile reinforced hoses execute a peristaltic action. Thus, the modules are enabled to create an articulated motion that is symbiotically connected to an urban armature.

Peristaltic City Manhattan, 2008Terreform One

By employing a dynamic spatial application against the traditional organization of core and space, we dissolved the dichotomy between circulation and habitable environments. We have eliminated typological stacking where experiences are vapidly suggested to be diversified by simply designating floors to particular social practices..

Transportable Units with Textile Reinforced Fluidic Muscles to Execute Peristaltic Action

Peristalsis:

The rippling motion of muscles in tubular organs characterized by the alternate contraction and relaxation of the muscles that propel the contents onward.


Organic City

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Ideation: Circulation = Space

An inhabitable pocket is contained within a flexible element. It is a module that flows in a vertical communicative field with the surrounding members. Their positioning is determined and managed by a responsive signaling system.

Technology: Fluidic Muscle Tectonics

This is a soft, pliable, sealed, and non-mechanical innovation which encapsulates the volumetric structure. Textile reinforced hoses execute a peristaltic actionThus, the modules are enabled to create an articulated motion that is symbiotically connected to an urban armature.

Perspective: Urban Window

The peristaltic-fabric is designed as a sequential organization around an ‘urban window’ condition; a visual gateway to both city and waterfront allowing a selection of interchanging viewing angles and heights. This temporal effect re-reads the city constantly promoting a quality of transparency in the context of urban mass. A micro cosmos is born which inter-relates habitation to light, air, space, and views across scales of individual units, clusters and cities.

Social construct: Urban Cluster / Mixing Use

Here, at West Side rail yards, we imagine a metropolitan assemblage that registers mobility and freedom. As a vibrant set of recombinant programs it operates in section and plan simultaneously. On the ground plane a multistory plinth fits the cluster into the metabolism of the cityscape. The assemblage acts as an elevated setting for cultural and multimodal uses, e.g. auditoriums, esplanades, piers, and parking.


2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

(Above) Site Plan of Pods and Solar Chart

(Above) Section of Four Story Pod Spaces.

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

This is an architectural proposal for the fabrication of 3D printed extruded pig cells to form real organic dwellings. It is intended to be a "victimless shelter”.

(Top) In vitro meat habitat - Terreform One, 2010

Mycoform structure grown from strains of fungi into a specific 3D fabricated geometry. The main objective of Mycoform is to establish a smart, self sufficient perpetual -motion construction technology.

We are committed to promoting the principles of ecotourism and responsible travel. It is important to determine if your trip conserves and improves the places you visit. These mini-lodges are composed of prefabricated pleached structures. Each unit has access to composting toilets, gray water systems, and solar powered lighting.

(Right) Willow Balls – Terreform One, 2009


(Above) Lilypad - Vincent Callebaut Architects, 2008

Lilypad is the vision for a floating Ecopolis for Climate Refugees, in the year of 2100. It is a prototype for a self-sufficient amphibious city, by architect Vincent Callebaut.

(Top) GEOtube - Thom Faulders, 2009

Geotube is proposed for Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The design of the sculptured tower is built on the realization that the Red Sea water contains high level of salts. Therefore, the Geotube needs a membrane skin that establishes chemical reactions to support the city's energy needs. This building is never complete, it simply changes the form of the surface with large salt crystals taking shape as a balance of positive and negative ions permeates the structure.

(Left) Mycoform – Terreform One, 2010

In Multiplicity, the idea is to build upwards, not outwards, from Melbourne's city centre. A giant platform above the city is suspended by pylons between buildings, offering a space to grow food and giving shade to residents from rising temperatures in coming years.

(Top) Multiplicity - John Wardle, 2008


2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

HYDRO-NET is proposed as an occupiableinfrastructure that organizes critical flows of the city. It provides anunderground arterial circulation network for hydrogen-fueled hover-cars,removing higher speed traffic from city streets.

(Right) Hydro-Net – Iwamoto Scott Architecture, 2008 (Above) Urban Forest - MAD Architects, 2009

In the proposal Urban Forest by MAD Architects, Chinese cities would contain higher vertical development, coupled to aerial agriculture to support the inhabitants. This structure attempts to follow eastern philosophies of nature-human balance.

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Ocean city is a proposed underwater city, spawned from the rising interest in biomimetic practices and materials in the advent of climate change. The design features a collection of specialized organisms or pods. some pods are energy producers, some industrial, and others are used for sustainable farming and food production.

(Top) Ocean city – Arup biomimetics , 2010

(Left) Aqua town - NH Architecture, 2010i

Aquatown would be based off the coast of Australia by 2050, complete with a decoupling of agriculture, manufacturing and residential areas from the mainland - to become a self sufficient water based city.


WORKac proposed a series of experimental new housing typologies, stacked in a 45-story building. Each housing type is expressed as an independent section, rotated around the building’s core to take full advantage of sunlight and views. Each section’s rooftop is a different ecosystem.

(Right) Plug out city – WORK Architecture Company, 2010

The Ideal City prompts us to think about a number of issues and factors.

First is careful consideration of temporal and geographical location. Specifically what

technological practices ranging from modes of governance to media of communication effect social ethos?

Second come questions of property and production. How can comprehensive planning be

matched with corporate or individual ownership and be made capable of incorporating volatile changes in taste especially around everyday appearance and identity?

Third is the definition of community in terms of cultural no less than political and economic consideration. What does urban citizenship require and how should it be encouraged through planning?

Fourth is the education of architects, planners and citizens including instruments to enable meaningful dialogue.

Fifth is the resolution of the opposing demands of community and privacy, of individuality and inclusivity, or of mobility and equity.

Sixth is the durability of the urban scenery central to the sense of belonging. How can change to the civic environment retain artifacts of civic memory that are both representative and inclusive? Seventh, what among the dynamics of change whether natural, technological or cultural must be understood to ensure the social justice and sustainable community in the world's cities?

The Ideal City therefore can lead to action by stimulating greater awareness and appreciation of what needs to be done to achieve sustainable urbanism – and especially how we can ensure the relevance of our plans to regional, local and individual situations and wants. The ideal perspective can help assess the success of planning policy, bring new issues and information to its discussion, and get people thinking. One final level of speculation is possible. The ideal, or optimum actual, city of the 21st century is likely to exhibit the following range of features.

It will comprise active participatory debate and democratic decision-making about the conception and construction of the urban fabric and infrastructure. It will be undertaken as a continuous rather than end game practice, centered on reflexive analysis of the effects of planning and development. It will re-construct the built environment in response to the changing condition. It will depend as much on the expression of communal values (the Canadian ethic of multiculturalism being an opposite example) as upon either acquisitive economic speculation or preconceived paradigms of design or governance. It will maximize land use and associated resource consumption through the critical application of technology. Buildings may follow uniform organization but will exhibit a variety of scale and form generally arranged in more compact configurations to allow for landscaped private and public precincts, reduced energy use and ecological damage. The governance of the city will thus need to incorporate an equally broad awareness of natural environment, social equity and cultural value.

2.4 FConclusion

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

The Attainability Of Utopia

Generous ‘memes’

A good deal of social and other reforms are conventionally achieved via legislation, tax incentives, and appeals to good conduct. An alternative approach is by introducing good ideas or practices that are ‘contagious’. The scientific term ‘memes’describes habits and other systems that replicate themselves. Catchy jokes, viruses, and gestures can be said to be ‘memes’, i.e. they are 'contagious'. Optimistically, if we could design memes that are beneficial, could make a Utopian ‘avalanche’possible; and how might we start it? Arguably, successful design memes are always desirable, attainable, reproducible, and maintainable in order to make them work. Understanding these conditions will help us to design good memes.

Naming makes the ‘impossible’ more conceivable

Although practical proposals must always be ‘possible’ they need not necessarily be ‘thinkable’. For this reason, having the ‘right’ theories is not essential to success. However, in some cases good intentions do not get turned into shared actions if they are difficult to grasp or communicate. Many people are mobilized by words, rather than images. A good example is the word ‘genocide’. Although politicians were alarmed, they were indecisive about what Churchill had called “A crime without a name”. In 1944 Raphael Lemkin had the foresight to invent the hybrid Latin/Greekterm ‘genocide’. This enabled the politicians to acknowledge the problem and to address with it properly for the first.

SOME LIMITS TO UTOPIA

Does Utopia contain the seeds of Dystopia?Where the domain of the ‘ideal’ can accommodate the very best of all possible worlds it can also provide models of the very worst. As we may note from the history of the twentieth century, many totalitarian regimes were founded on a Utopian dream.Many people therefore mistrust Utopianism because a fervent idealism usually leads to disappointment, if not to misery and terror. The issue of Utopia's ‘attainability’ has an even more important one. Many wars have been fought over ideals. As Isaiah Berlin said:"Utopias have their value, nothing so wonderfully expands the imaginative horizons of human potentialities, but as guides to conduct, they can proveliterally fatal."

Utopia as co-sustainmentAt the high point of the Arts and Crafts Movement, John Ruskin (1819-1900) valorized the four-fold relationships that usually attend the craft process. Thisacknowledges how the craftsperson is absorbed in his or her task, his/her relationship with his or her cherished tools, the immediate environment that continuously co-produces all of these elements, and the society that benefits from the work. Whilst the worker enjoys a

well-deserved pride in her work, the materials and meanings are revealed in a new way, and the society is co-sustained by the shared experience. There are six connections that make up the whole.

The idea of dystopiaSince the time of Ruskin, industrial automation has tended to reduce our pride in the making process. It also distracts us from our sense of responsibility to theenvironment. Karl Marx (1818-1883) blamed capitalism and technology for what he termed 'self-alienation' - a kind of 'dehumanization' - an estrangement in feeling oraffection caused by our productive activity. He claimed that we have become alienated from our own actions, from our fellow beings, from Nature, and from the human race as a whole.

Will affluence get us to Utopia?How closely does Marx’s idea of alienation apply to today’s situation? For one thing, he was mainly interested in the exploitation of the poor. But why are we increasingly escapist in our pleasures? Why are suicide rates rising for the prosperous nations?When individuals become richer they usually become happier. However, when society as a whole grows richer we fail to notice. Recent studies of 'happiness' show that what was once considered a luxury is soon viewed as essential. People quickly adjust to changes in living standards, but although improvements make us happier for a while, the effect soon fades.

Utopia as an escape from realityBecause of our faith in technological future it seemed to promise a ‘reality’ that is closer to the angels than it is to the corporeal realm. Literally speaking, whereas‘perfect’ means ‘finished’ or ‘complete’, the word ‘pristine’ describes a condition without stain or blemish. It would seem that Utopia embodies both meanings…i.e. it neatly satisfies the purposes of our plans and it has no ugly or awkward details. Most of us who grew up alongside the horrors of the twentieth century were also raised on the ‘innocent’ escapism of Walt Disney. Some of his cartoons have been criticized for sanitizing and sentimentalizing the natural world.

2.4 FConclusion

2.4A

2.4B

2.4D

2.4C

2.4E

2.4F

01

| U

topia

n H

ousi

ng 2

.4

Utopian wisdomHere, we must remember that memes may have both good and bad effects. Also, they can become corrupted and/or mutate into something unexpected. This means that they must be monitored and maintained for their integrity to endure. For thisreason it is important to build safeguards into a definition. In our definition of Utopian wisdom, for example, it may suffice to say that wisdom cannot berepresented usefully as information. We may strive to achieve it, but we would only see it in retrospect. Once we understand that it is an emergent property we will see that individuals cannot own it. Once this happens we may begin to admire it for its social and ecological value alone.

Towards a ‘creativity’ societyToday, the so-called ‘creative industries’ are understood for their potential role in social and economic regeneration in poor areas. True, but the word ‘creative’ emphasizes unfortunate overtones of‘individual genius’ that became applied to artists like Byron and Beethoven. With these exemplars we became fascinated by the fact that rules were broken, rather than why, or whether the new values wereappropriate. Consequently it might be useful to reframe the idea of ‘creativity’ in the more ecological sense of ‘embedding.

Creativity and integrationAs we have suggested, the idea of creativity may need to be re-framed in a more consensual form. However, individuals inform collective actions. Their self-image,perceived role, and value in the world are therefore important. Here, we may learn from the North American Indians and their ability to interpret their dreams in their own way. This is a serious process in which an individual may decide to make anitem of clothing that captures the essence of a very special dream. By wearing, say, a T-shirt with their ‘dream’ painting on it they begin to externalize, and to share some aspect of their inner spirit.

Five seconds of UtopiaPractically speaking, there is no need to become a Utopian in the 'purist' sense. Humans are smart enough to believe in something and at the same time to disbelieve it. Hence, we can integrate Utopianism within a practical mission. By scheduling a short phase of radical Utopian dreaming - or envisioning - into the early stages of a project it may be possible to see far beyond our usualshort-term habits and methods. How much money or resources might it save? How long does it take? We cannot say in advance. Five days might be enough. But then sometimes, a lot of Utopian thinking can take place in just five seconds.

Lifestyle design could change the way we liveHere are some suggested aspects of Attainable Utopias. All proposals have been tested separately in different experiments. Therefore nothing listed below isunworkable. Nothing is new. However, what we need to do is to ensure that they can be encouraged and successfully combined at the practical level.

• biological diversity• building and other materials that are sourced locally• celebration and shared awareness• co-sustainable principles• cultural diversity• developmental change)• holistic and integrative health care.• inclusive decision-making processes• local food production• design for adaptability/inclusivity• design for growing fondness and attachment by

users/inhabitants• mainly solar & local economics• optimum adjacency of individuals/families for co-

operative living/working• optimum well-being• partnership with natural processes• renewable energy systems

utopian housing (final 17.01.2012)

Documents

removable

careful land

nakagin capsule

multilevel

ebenezer howard

eminent utopian

current utopian

housing projects