Container Architecture - 'Crossbox' House

These images are of 'Crossbox' house in France, the house was designed and built using 4 shipping containers. A very sustainable way of building, as you're reusing something which is not needed anymore. I think the house looks really well, and unless told you probably wouldn't know that the house was constructed using containers. 

The house works well, the bottom containers have a green roof on each end and create and roof garden while the top containers create shade and shelter for both the entrance area where a car can be parked under and over the deck area on the opposite side.

"Touch the earth lightly"

The most energy-efficient buildings function similar to living things. Designed in such a way to capitalize on the local environment and to respond to the climate.

Glen Murcutt uses the Aboriginal proverb touch the earth lightly to express this way of designing it expresses his concern for nature. Making sure that the area on which we build is protected creating an area which we can live within an environment without disturbing it. Even though he is an Australian Architect his way of thinking expands further than that, whether you live in Australia or not the idea of touching the earth lightly doesn't change.

I personally think that we in Ireland can learn a great deal from this. The idea of touching the earth lightly here and using the Glen Murcutt way would make a lot of sense. His ideas create a sustainable building choice one which is certainly becoming the preferred. He is known for designing buildings with readily available materials which are easy to obtain close to the site and native to Australia which makes it sustainable cheaper and easier. His buildings are designed to gain as much natural light as possible and follow the sun and usually have verandas, skylights and adjustable louvers trying to be as energy efficient as possible, all of which we could adapt to our climate, in Ireland of instance we don't get enough sun and the idea of us maximizing this by following the sun is great and our homes are dark in winter because of short days and as much natural light as we can gain from is a plus. His homes work with the Australian climate and land in a sustainable way, which we can learn from by adapting his ways to our own climate and land.

"Life is not about maximizing everything, it's about giving something back like light, space, form, serenity, joy." Glen Murcutt

8 Stages of works and weightings

The overall process from inception to completion on a project is broken down into 8 sections and each section having a specific weighting of payment which should be made from the client to the Architect.

These 8 stages are:

1. Inception of general services    0% (or hourly)
2. Outline proposals                  10%
3. Scheme design                      25%
4. Detail design                         20%
5. Production Information         20%
6. Tender action                      2.5%
7. Project Planning                  2.5%
8. On site completion               20%

The payments are calculated by the % of building cost sum (B.C.S.)

An Architects fee is:
Meters squared x € = B.C.S Building cost sum.
Meters squared x class of building x cost data base.

Cost Control - It's someone else's money!

Remember as an Architect you are making decisions about someone else's money, and the cost of the work is always determined by the market.

Talk to the client.
Develop the brief
Set a budget and be realistic about it!
Involve consultants.

Brief.
Complete programme, design to completion
Budget
Site
Schedule of area / spaces
Technical requirements, specification and finishes
Intangibles
Identify what is achievable
Do the resources and match clients expectations

Discuss, record and update
Initial budget, is there any flexibility?
Set up a contingency
Procedure for variations and payments

Design
Cost plan at sketch design
Estimating and adding detail
Cost report at construction information stage
Tender and negotiation, bill of quantities

Contract
Pricing of variations - monitor and instruct of any extras
payments which are made as per contract agreement

Cost plan
This is a written document
Give a cost range...
List what works are included
State if VAT is included
List anything which is excluded (fees, charges, etc)
State assumptions - Building unoccupied, single phase, normal ground works.
State what is out of your control - Inflation, market prices, planning permission, main drainage works , etc.

Cost estimating
Estimate and never guess
Ask for advice - published data, quantity surveyor, contractors, suppliers, etc.
Identify non-standard items
Keep a detailed record and update this regularly
Attach drawing to your record.

*Advise your client to stick to a set amount.
*Account for errors in construction documents

Avoid cost over runs! Be realistic, simple payments.

Learning the parts of the Technical guidance documents.

The 12 parts of the Building regs, which I found on the Wexford County Council website and an explanation of each one.
Found an easy way of remembering some of these the rest I remembered as they were. The letter A looks like a structure and the explanation comes with this. B thinking of Burn, and you think of fire safety. E Thinking of ear and you think  Sound. For F I found easier to remember as F..entilation and sounds very similar. The letter K looks like a stairs in side view. Just makes remembering them that much easier.

Part A - Structure.
Requires buildings to be designed and constructed to withstand combined loads, without impairing stability.

Part B - Fire Safety.
Mains powered fire detection systems window sizes for escape. Adequate fire resistance within the building.

Part C - Site Preparation and Resistance to Moisture.
Site preparation, drainage, dangerous substances for example (radon, gases) Resistance to weather and moisture.

Part D - Materials and Workmanship.
Fitness of materials which are used and the adequacy of workmanship.

Part E - Sound.
Resistance to noise pollution from one building to another.

Part F - Ventilation.
Adequate ventilation within rooms of a certain floor area and condensation in roofs.

Part G - Hygiene.
Adequate installation of washing and toilet facilities.

Part H - Drainage and Waste water disposal.
Installation of waste water drainage and septic tanks.

Part J - Heat Producing appliances.
Appliances which burn solid fuel, oil or gases adequate air supply, exhaust gases.

Part K - Stairs, Ladders, Ramps and Guards.
Adequate design of stairs ladders ramps and guards and protection from falls.

Part L - Conservation of fuel and energy.
Limiting heat loss, Maximizing heat gains and controlling output.

Part M - Access and Use.
Approach to, access and around circulation areas, access to power controls, switches , etc. and the provision of sanitary accommodation.

The Role of the 'Irish Architect'

According to the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland website an Architects role is to help the client set out a brief and budget for the building. They are there to help the client through the planning process, attain an estimate for the work that is to be carried out, supervise the budget, engineers and surveyors. And also oversee the construction contract. The RIAI website also explains that Architects recognise new ways of construction methods, materials and finishes and can help their client through the process from the design level to the completion of the building.

“Their experience and creativity can help stretch your budget, for example by identifying new ways of utilising a site and exploring alternative construction methods, materials and finishes.” 

“An architect will not just provide the design and drawings for your project, you will have someone on your side who knows the construction industry and who can guide you through building regulations.” (RIAI, 2012)

Although the RIAI says this on the website, is this really the case in Ireland? There is reason to believe that this isn’t the case. In the past couple of years in Ireland there has been cases where buildings had turned out not be up to the standards that they should have been. We have to ask ourselves how does this happen?

A recent case was the Priory Hall apartment block in Dublin. The Apartment block was deemed as highly unsafe and in turn was declared as uninhabitable as residents were forced to evacuate by Dublin City Council. Causing The High Court to order the evacuation of an apartment complex because of serious concerns about fire safety. The architect who signed off on the building said the cavity fire barriers were in their original project drawing and it has now been confirmed that they were not installed. This causes serious questions to be asked... 

Can an architect really oversee an entire project?

Is the definition of the role of an architect in Ireland the right definition?

It is hard for an architect to keep a close eye on all building works which happen from the beginning of the building stage to the end as the architect can’t always be on site inspecting all building works which are being carried out by all builders. There is a visual inspection which must be carried out by the architect firm before signing off on the job, but as suggested by the architect on the Priory Hall case. It is a visual inspection and he isn't going to get a hammer and break a hole in the wall. Suggesting that the role of an architect set out by the RIAI is not necessarily the right role is clear. It is apparent that the lack of policy enforcement is a main factor attributing to the lack of quality buildings in Ireland. This in the author’s opinion is due to the lack of clarity, with regards to the role of an architect.

Personally I feel that the responsibility should not rely solely on the architect but should include all members of the design team this including architectural technologists, structural engineers, landscape architects and civil engineers. As it is not only the architect who plans, designs and creates drawings for the building but more so the entire design team. If each member was to extensively check certain aspects at different times this would create an overall stronger working environment. 

We all know that Priory Hall was a victim of the 'Celtic Tiger' era like many other horrible, quick built buildings of their time but, how many more buildings in Ireland were not built to the standard that they should have been? Although great at the time, I think we will be paying for this 'Celtic Tiger' era for a long time to come.

Heres a new way of looking at curtains!

This is definitely an unusual way of keeping a building cool in summer, Hertl Architekten added curtains to a renovated apartment building in Austria to help mitigate solar gain. gives a nice look to the building especially at night when the light inside shines through the curtains.