seamlessHousing application for computer aided mixed-use/user living fabric design case study in Jaffa tutors: Prof. Rivka Oxman Arch. Arielle Blonder Dr. Yasha Grobman presented by: Bshara Rezik

problemDescription Growing urban population Grow in Housing demands The project deals with the problem of today's growing urban population: More and more people are moving to major cities, an issue that raises a large demand in accommodation projects having to be planned and built in a short period of time.

problemDescription Top-down planning scheme Zoning plan Architectural design Conventional Top-Down planning starts as a zoning plan, choosing a site planned as housing, on the most extreme case: creating boxes as "containers of houses", and giving out one public space around and inside the building whose size is set according to the number of residents. This kind of planning raises a lot of problems: lack of natural hierarchical logic, lack of human scale at some precedents, and most important, lack of feeling of belonging. Everything is the same and everyone gets a share of the "big pie".

problemDescription Bottom-up natural growth system Vernacular architecture Jerusalem Nazareth old market (Sooq) On the other hand, the opposite extreme is vernacular architecture: bottom-up architecture, emerging from the needs of individuals, creating a complex and exciting fabric of living architecture. Uses are mixed, users are of different kinds and socio-economic levels, and the fabric lives for 24 hours without having any dead spots.

problemDescription ? Density Individual Needs Time How can we create a neighborhood that is dense enough for urban criteria, conserve the needs of each and every individual, and do all of that in a short period of time, not having to wait for natural growth mechanisms?

Concept The concept is having a fast growth mechanism, that simulated the growth of a neighborhood over time, but gives us an instanious result. That is achieved by using the concept of L-systems:

L-system (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) An L-system or Lindenmayer system is a parallel rewriting system, namely a variant of a formal grammar (a set of rules and symbols), most famously used to model the growth processes of plant development, but also able to model the morphology of a variety of organisms. L-systems can also be used to generate self-similar fractals such as iterated function systems. L-systems were introduced and developed in 1968 by the Hungarian theoretical biologist and botanist from the University of Utrecht, Aristid Lindenmayer (1925–1989). Concept Algae Lindenmayer's original L-system for modelling the growth of algae. variables : A B constants : none start  : A rules  : (A → AB), (B → A( which produces: n = 0 : A n = 1 : AB n = 2 : ABA n = 3 : ABAAB n = 4 : ABAABABA n = 5 : ABAABABAABAAB n = 6 : ABAABABAABAABABAABABA n = 7 : ABAABABAABAABABAABABAABAABABAABAAB

Concept Urban L-system Growth simulation of an urban fabric.

depth=0 Hierarchy is set as accessibility levels (street -> walkway -> living room -> ... ) Concept

Concept Needs growth ratio along urban L-system tree – Needs are then placed in a growth buffer in their relevant level in the hierarchy of the tree.

sunRights safe Envelope Concept Shaviv, Isioro, Kapeluto In order to avoid damage of solar rights of the different growing elements, an algorithm for the reservation of solar rights is developed according to the solar rights code written by Shaviv, Isioro and Kapeluto. The concept is of solar envelopes that guarantee a solution space under and above them.

hybridAlgorithm L-system growth based computer-human workflow for planning of 3D use-based parcellation of site.

hybridAlgorithm Group Generator – Concept for the growth of accomodation units for a mixed user community. $ $$$

graphicUserInterface (based on max-script by autodeskTM) Site Node Configurations Manual setup of point/linear/volumetric “nodes” in site, defining the forces acting on the elements of the system, thus determining growth decision statistics in the tree. Point Sampler Calculates the weighted average of the forces working on the selected item, according to distance from nodes and the node’s force strength. Growth Control Workflow tools. Setting a base, growing from it according to sampled point statistics, creating a sunRights safe envelope, and hierarchy manipulation tools. hybridAlgorithm L-system growth based computer-human workflow for planning of 3D use-based parcellation of site.

caseStudy in Jaffa In a more specific study case, the question of gated communities in Jaffa in Israel comes to hand. New high socio-economic level dwellings are being built in Ajami neighborhood, a neighborhood where the original residents cannot afford maintaining their houses anymore because of harsh penalties given by the government using the excuse of illegal growth (when there was no other way of growth available since the municipality of Tel-Aviv Jaffa refused all suggested plans of natural architectural growth). The new projects also create some sort of closed "private public spaces" not accessible by the original residents of Jaffa, hence creating pauses in the continuity of urban public space.

caseStudy in Jaffa New high-class housing projects in Jaffa create gated communities, result in an increase of real estate value, and cause original inhabitants of Jaffa to leave (Gentrification). “give-take” relationship discontinuity of public realm caused by gated communities gated communities as “cancer” in the urban fabric

caseStudy in Jaffa

caseStudy in Jaffa New high-class housing projects in Jaffa create gated communities, result in an increase of real estate value, and cause original inhabitants of Jaffa to leave (Gentrification).

caseStudy in Jaffa Mandes Pranz st. Bet Pelet st. Dr. Donolo St. Jeffeth st. Ha Etrog st.

caseStudy in Jaffa Existing area configuration

caseStudy in Jaffa User set configuration

hybridAlgorithm

caseStudy in Jaffa Open Blocks Volume is maintained in order not to interrupt accesibility of block. walkWay Pedestrian walkway. measurments: 2 X 2 X 3 m (WxLxH) openGreen Open green area. with tree: measurments: 2 X 2 X 6 m (WxLxH) without tree: measurments: 2 X 2 X 3 m (WxLxH) Staircase used in order to move between levels. In growth operates as new level maker. measurments: 2 X 6 X 3 m (WxLxH) 2 X 8 X 4 m (WxLxH) autoStreet street for automobiles measurments: single lane: 4 X 8 X 4.5 m (WxLxH) double lane: 4 X 12 X 4.5 m (WxLxH) 2 X 3 m (WxLxH)

caseStudy in Jaffa Closed Blocks Volume indicates maximum allowed actual building volume. commerce Commercial store. measurments: 10 X 6 X 4 m (WxLxH) Leisure A need - a place for leisure activities. measurments: 14 X 9 X 4 m (WxLxH)

caseStudy in Jaffa Closed Blocks Volume indicates maximum allowed actual building volume. openOffice sample 1 Core-concept office building. no. of offices: 5 no. of users: 5 openOffice sample 2 Core-cocept office building no. of offices: 15 no. of users: 30

caseStudy in Jaffa Closed Blocks Volume indicates maximum allowed actual building volume. studioApartment Single room studio apartment. no. of users: 1 - 2 House types samples Volume indicates maximum allowed actual building volume. familyHouse A house fitted for family use. includes: core, living room, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, master bedroom, master bathroom (if not affordable housing) roommatesHouse A house appropriate for any use. includes: core, living room, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms.

caseStudy in Jaffa Growth Clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UnG4-b_Pxk Please watch the following growth clip: This clip shows the actual growth mechanism in action. Actual growth time was 4 days - due to the time needed for the human made actions such as fine tuning the position of each unit grown (the hands in the algorithm).

caseStudy in Jaffa The result of the growth mechanism is a 3D parcellation of the site, showing volumes that can be given to the client as maximum volumes to be built and still maintain the qualities of the fabric.

caseStudy in Jaffa commerce 21 units houses 46 units 18 family Houses 5 roommateHouses 23 studioApartments total users: 128 adults: 96 children: 32 openOffices 13 units 68 offices total users: 68 openGreen pedestrianWays programUnits autoStreets + parking site total area – 7500 sqm leisure 1 unit

caseStudy in Jaffa The following stage is fully manual, and is individual for each and every planner.

Total open area (not uncluding main streets)= 3100m Open area per person = 16 sqm caseStudy in Jaffa Site Plan

Total open area (not uncluding main streets)= 3100m Open area per person = 16 sqm caseStudy in Jaffa We can see that the section maintains the qualities of the natural topography of the site. Section

caseStudy in Jaffa Prototypes Custom made pre-fabricated units commerceUnit Expandable, flexible, all direction opening system. creates arcade when cascaded. openOfficeUnit Core concept fold building. flexible screen system allows various kinds of screens facades in different offices. Core contains movement and structural bearing system, and is completely open.

caseStudy in Jaffa Prototypes Custom made pre-fabricated units houseUnit Core concept housing unit. Core includes plumbing and utilities, and acts as a structural bearing element. It also circulates the air in the house, creating a natural ventillation effect. Elements of the house are precast volumetric units, self bearing while supported by the core. “Unfinished ends” are left for the user to fill up.

caseStudy in Jaffa Prototypes Custom made pre-fabricated units

View Inside the Fabric

View From Inner Street

View From Commercial Street (Main Street)

View From Commercial Street (Main Street)

seamlessHousing text. The project deals with the problem of today's growing urban population: More and more people are moving to major cities, an issue that raises a large demand in accommodation projects having to be planned and built in a short period of time. Conventional Top-Down planning starts as a zoning plan, choosing a site planned as housing, on the most extreme case: creating boxes as "containers of houses", and giving out one public space around and inside the building whose size is set according to the number of residents. This kind of planning raises a lot of problems: lack of natural hierarchical logic, lack of human scale at some precedents, and most important, lack of feeling of belonging. Everything is the same and everyone gets a share of the "big pie“. On the other hand, the opposite extreme is vernacular architecture: bottom-up architecture, emerging from the needs of individuals, creating a complex and exciting fabric of living architecture. Uses are mixed, users are of different kinds and socio-economic levels, and the fabric lives for 24 hours without having any dead spots. In a more specific study case, the question of gated communities in Jaffa in Israel comes to hand. New high socio-economic level dwellings are being built in Ajami neighborhood, a neighborhood where the original residents cannot afford maintaining their houses anymore because of harsh penalties given by the government using the excuse of illegal growth (when there was no other way of growth available since the municipality of Tel-Aviv Jaffa refused all suggested plans of natural architectural growth). The new projects also create some sort of closed "private public spaces" not accessible by the original residents of Jaffa, hence creating pauses in the continuity of urban public space. Objectives of the Project

seamlessHousing text. The method chosen in order to deal with the problem is creating a mechanism of growing architecture as a planning tool. A workflow I called "hybridAlgorithm" was developed, uniting the human architect with the computer in order to create a logical hierarchical growth mechanism. As the site is inserted into the system, "Forces" are defined by the user (the Architect) as lines, volumes and points, giving them strengths and decay methods. This resembles the conventional planning method of defining a "total scheme" for the site, only now this scheme becomes a diagram of statistical powers affecting each point of the site. As points in the site are sampled, one can see the effect of all the forces around it, and hence statistics for further growth of the system are defined. As the system grows, the user is asked to place and rotate the units (blocks) created by the computer so that they create a space suitable for use (the intuition of the designer comes in handy at this point for the computer lacks the ability to decide which positioning is better). The growth itself is controlled by the algorithm written by myself in "maxscript" (the scripting language of 3ds max by autodesk), and works according to accessibility levels: starting from the street - the highest and arriving to the lowest which can be a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, an office, a store... Along the growth tree, special needs are developed according to the number of users, and these needs are then born in their place according to their hierarchical level in the tree. In order to provide a spacing mechanism for the fabric, a 3d sunRights envelope is created for each block that needs direct sun light, according to the hours it needs. Also, the user can provide open spaces where he sees appropriate (in front of a store...). each and every block must have at least one open facade. The result of the growth method is a 3D parcellation of space, which will be detailed in the next step. Progress, Methodologies and tools used for the Project

seamlessHousing text. A video that shows the growth process (recorded step by step by a special script I wrote): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UnG4-b_Pxk The growth process took 4 days to finish - a very short period of time compared to the time it takes real growth procedures to occur (tens of years). The final fabric received is of hight density (relative to Tel-Aviv), and also gives out more open space per person than required in the Israeli code for open spaces. Doing so in 4 stories at most is a pretty unique accomplishment of the design system. Also note that this is not the most dense result we could receive. The design process could go on much further, but I decided to stop it at this point where it seemed to look well and dense enough. After having finished growing the 3D parcellation of the site (Image 6), the architect can start the process of detailing the fabric. This could be done by many ways: selling 3D volumes of uses and letting the customer design it as he wished using another architect, or just one architect planning the whole area. I chose to detail the whole project using a very simple typology: the Core typology. This typology works well with the growth Idea, since the growth is hierarchical and so is the Core concept (explained in Image 7). The Idea of the houses is to be built as custom made volumetric modules in a factory, and then assembled in the site, while the core acts as the structural element, and each volumetric unit also has structural qualities of its own. The offices share the same idea of a structural core, but in this case offices can be custom designed by the users. The office buildings form clusters of "openOffices" available for rent by the residents of the fabric or other people from outside. The Commerce units can be open in all directions, and can be joined together in order to create arcades (very common in Jaffa). Results

seamlessHousing end.