Harnessing the sun's heat
These diagrams, scaled at 1:120, explore the idea of heating through the act of 'cutting.' By applying my spatial generator to the existing house, I was able to detach and shift exterior rooms or walls to different locations, in hope of allowing more natural light into the building. The existing state house is constructed in a way that blocks of the sun's heat in several areas of the house. This means that some rooms will be colder than others, and as there is no insulation in the existing plan, the occupants will need to rely on other sources of artificial heating. My aim, through these diagrams, was to rearrange aspects of the house to efficiently use the sun's heat - the more natural heat that enters the house, the more safer and comfortable the environment will be to live in.Cutting the front section off the existing house
This first diagram has been cut so that the existing 'sun room' is separated from the house. I tried placing this detached room on top of the house. I liked the idea of adding another level to the house, however it would be more suitable and functional if this level were larger. Placing the 'sun room' to the left side of the house allowed more natural light into the north facing elevation but could potentially block off any morning sun entering the east facing elevation. The final concept was only a slight adjustment but is possibly the most efficient method in order to harness the sun's energy. I shifted the 'sun room' to the west side of the north facing elevation. The existing 'kitchen' does not receive a great deal of heat because the 'sun room' is in a impractical position.
Cutting through the centre of the existing house
This diagram has been cut directly through the centre of the house so that the sun will shine into the gap. However, this cut still might not receive much sunlight as the openings are both east and west facing. I decided to improve this idea by stacking one side above the other and tilting them so they are slightly more north facing. Creating another level gives the occupants more space to move around in. As the house it up higher, it is closer to the sun, therefore receiving more natural light, allowing for more heat into the space.
Cutting through the centre of the existing house
This diagram, similar to above, has been cut through the centre, but in a different direction. The angle of this cut probably wouldn't allow too much sun light into the building. Nevertheless, warm and comfortable material or cladding could be inserted to these walls, acting as insulation rather than a way of capturing the sun's heat. The following concept depicts the south facing elevation lifted on top of the north facing elevation. This layout looks very geometrical and box-like; its vertical elements allow more garden space - but is this necessary?
Cutting a section out of the existing house
A large section of the house in this diagram is cut out, leaving the floor, the south facing wall and ceiling by itself. This area thereby becomes a hollow and empty living space - but what can it be used for? I placed the remaining part of the house above, acting as another level. As aforementioned in the previous diagrams, adding an extra level is a suitable and sustainable way for efficiently using the space - smaller carbon footprint. The focus on vertical elements allows a greater amount of sunlight and heat into the dwelling, which is my primary concern for this assignment.
Cutting the top half off the existing house
The roof, ceiling and a portion of the wall space has been completely removed. This allows the potentiality of different materials in this space - glass, insulating cladding? Glass would be ideal in terms of allowing heat from the sun inside. However, large amounts of glass can become a privacy issue, and shutting blinds or curtains on a regular basis will block out the sun - a problem that I am trying to avoid. Tinted windows would be another option, but I think that altogether, the house needs more wall space - skylights are a possible way of allowing heat into a room without the privacy issue.
Diagrams selected for further development
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