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NWEKE ESTHER NWADIOGWA
PG/MSC/08/53344
PROPOSED DESIGN OF A FEMALE POSTGRADUATE HOSTEL,
UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA ENUGU CAMPUS: STRATEGIES FOR
ACHIEVING SPATIAL FLEXIBILITY IN HOSTELS
Architecture
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, FACULTY OF
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA ENUGU CAMPUS
Webmaster Digitally Signed by Webmaster’s Name
DN : CN = Webmaster’s name O= University of Nigeria, Nsukka
OU = Innovation Centre
2011
UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA
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PROPOSED DESIGN OF A FEMALE POSTGRADUATE
HOSTEL, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA ENUGU CAMPUS:
STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING SPATIAL FLEXIBILITY IN
HOSTELS
BY
NWEKE ESTHER NWADIOGWA
PG/MSC/08/53344
A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
ARCHITECTURE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE (MSC. ARCH)
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA
ENUGU CAMPUS
APRIL, 2011
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APPROVAL PAGE
I herby certify that this project was done by NWEKE ESTHER NWADIOGWA
and has been read and approved by the Department of Architecture,
University of Nigeria Enugu campus
………………………
………………………
NWEKE ESTHER NWADIOGWA.
PG /MSC /08/ 53344
……………………….
……………………..
ARC O. NDUKA
PROJECT SUPERVISOR
……………………….
………………………
ARC F.O UZOEGBUNAM
HEAD, ARCHITECTURE, DEPARTMENT
………………………
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DEDICATION
To God Almighty who is the source of all knowledge
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to show my appreciation to my thesis supervisor Arc
O. Nduka for his assistance, great support and continuous advice throughout the
whole process of this study. Thank you for your patience, evaluations and inspiring
comments about the study.
I would like to express sincere appreciation to Dr Akubue for his various
contributions and insights towards securing materials needed for this study.
I owe special thanks to my colleagues, especially Elisha, Ogoo, KC and Favor from
the Department of Architecture University of Nigeria, Enugu campus for their
encouragement and support throughout the phases of this study.
I am particularly grateful to all members of my family; to my mother Mrs. Benedeth
Nweke and to my brother Mac David Nweke who have supported me endlessly and
encouraged me to be the person I am today. I would like to appreciate my friends, as
always standing next to me during this process.
Finally I would like to express my gratitude to all my lecturers from the Department
of Architecture for their various contributions towards the actualization of this project.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE……………………………………………………………………i
APPROVAL PAGE…………………………………………………………….ii
DEDICATION………………………………………………………………….iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT…………………………………………….………..iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………. ...v
LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………… xii
LIST OF TABLES …………………………………………………………….xvi
LIST OF PLATES……………………………………………………………..xvii
ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………. .xx
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction………………………………………………………….….1
1.1. Background of study…………………………………………………….2
1.2. Statement of Architectural problem……………………………….. ……8
1.3. Aim of study……………………………………………………..………9
1.4. Objectives of study…………………………………………..…………..9
1.5. Significance of study…………………………………………………....10
1.6. Scope of the project ……………………………………………….……11
1.7. Research methodology………………………………………………….11
1.8. References: chapter 1……………………………………………….......12
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CHAPTER TWO
2.0. Literature Reviewing……………………………..…..………………….14
2.0.1 An overview of the terminology and the conceptual Framework…..............14
2.0.2 Flexibility, Adaptability and Typological Variety……….…………………14
2.0.3 Flexible Housing………………………………………………………….…24
2.0.4 Flexibility in Usage…………………………………………………………...25
2.1. Historical background……………………………………………...….......30
2.1.1. A historical overview of flexible housing in the twentieth Century……..…30
2.1.1.1 1920s: Modernity and the Minimal Dwelling……………………………31
2.1.1.2 The Industrialization of Housing (1930s - 1960s)……………………....38
2.1.1.3 1970s: Participation and User Choice………………………………..….44
2.2. Theoretical frame work………………………………………………….....52
2.2.1. Overview of flexibility concept………………………………………...……52
2.2.2. Flexibility as defined by some authors ……………………………..………55
2.2.2.1. Priemus definition of flexibility…………………………………….….…..55
2.2.2.2 Schroeder definition of flexibility………………………………..….….….56
2.2.2.3. Boerman A.O definition of flexibility………………………………….….57
2.2.2.4. Dittert definition of flexibility………………………………………..……57
2.2.2.5. Van Eldonk and Fassbinder definition of flexibility……………….…..…..57
2.2.2.6 Geraedts definition of flexibility……………………………………......…..57
2.2.2.7 Hofland……………………………………………………………………..58
2.2.3. Flexibility as defined by some renowned architects…………..……….….…59
2.2.3.1 Gerrit Rietveld……………………………………………………………...59
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2.2.3.2 Louis Kahn (The Served and the Servant Spaces)…………….………….60
2.2.3.3 Mies van der Rohe (Universal space )………………………….…….…..61
2.2.3.4 Peter Einsenman (Blurred Zone)……………………….…………………64
2.2.3.5 Robert Venturi And Scott Brown (Wiggle Room and Shifting Space)…..65
2.2.4 Strategies for achieving flexibility…………………………….………….69
2.2.4.1 Soft And Hard Analogy……………………………………………….….72
2.2.4.2 Structural System……………………………………………….……...…73
2.2.4.3 Service Spaces…………….………………………………………………76
2.2.4.4 Architectural Layout……………………………………………….……..79
2.2.4.5. Furnishing for Flexible Use……………………………….……………..83
2.2.5 Examples of flexible buildings…………………………………………...…85
2.2.6 References……………………………………………………………….......88
2.3. Case studies………………………………………………………………90
1. Diagoon houses Beethovenian, delft Netherlands…………...……………….90
2. Wohnzeile, Weissenhofsiedlung Stuttgart Germany ………………….……...93
3. Extendible houses Cameroon…………………………………..……….…..…95
4. Wohnanlage Genter, Strasse, Munich……………………………….…...…97
5. Honor Oak Park, Lewisham ,Britain………………………………………...100
6. überbauung Hellmutstrasse Brauerstrasse Zürich……………………………103
7. New student quarters for Boston University Australia …………….…………...105
8. Student housing in Epinay, France……………………………………………...109
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9. Fordham University residence halls in Bronx, New York City, USA…………..113
10 .New college student residence, Toronto, Canada…………………..…………117
11.University students‟ housing Italy………………………….…..…………….…120
12. Student dormitory / Nickel & partner Architekten…………………..………....124
13. Nkrumah postgraduate hostel Enugu…………………………………………...127
14. Oba-Adetona hostel, Federal University of Technology,Yola, Adamawa …….,131
15. Babcock University Postgraduate Hostel……………………………………….138
2.3.1 Study of three housing projects in turkey from the perspective of flexibility…141
2.3.2 The Structural System…………………………………………………………146
2.4. References …………………………………………………………………147
CHAPTER THREE
3.0. General planning principles and design consideration……..…………..…. 150
3.1 Postgraduate education/ students……………………………………………150
3.2 What is Student Accommodation.....................................................................151
3.3 Hostel……………………………………………………………….………...151
3.4 NUC Recommendations................................................................................... 152
3.5 Background of Study (the UNEC system) ...................................................155
3.5.1. Change in UNEC system………………………………………………….…156
3.6 Development Plan Principles for Student Accommodation…………………....158
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3.7 Minimum standards for hostel premises and facilities…………………...……..162
3.71 Provision of necessary spaces, facilities and equipment…………………..…162
3.8 New Zealand Standard (Model General By law for Hostels)…………..…….164
3.9 planning principles………………………………………………………...…...165
3.10 Design Consideration……………………………………………………….174
References………………………..………………………………………………..…….....185
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0. Presentation of analysis and data……………………………………………...178
4.1 Site location study…………………………………………………………178
4.1.1 The city ………………………………………………………………………178
4.1.2. Brief history …………………………………………………………………180
4.1.3 Geography of Enugu………………………………………………………….181
4.1.4 Administrative and political status of Enugu ………………………………..182
4.1.5 Urbanization…………………………………………………………………..183
4.1.6 Enugu today…………………………………………………………………..183
4.1.7 Vegetation of Enugu……………………………………………………….…184
4.1.8 Transport………………………………………………………………….…..185
4.1.9 Energy………………………………………………………………………...185
4.1.10 Climatic considerations…………………………………………………...…185
4.2 Site analysis…………………………………………………………...……189
4.21. The Site………………………………………………………………………..190
4.2.2. Zones and circulation…………………………………………...…….……..194
4.2.3. The site and its nature…………………………………………………….…195
4.2.4 Climatic analysis of the site………………………………………………….200
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4.2.5 Existing developments on site analysis………………………………………205
4.3 Space/functional analysis……………………………………………..…..205
4.3.1 Types of spaces for dormitories………………………………………….….205
4.3.2 Space allocation………………………………………………………..……209
4.3.3 Environment……………………………………………………………....…211
4.3.4 Facilities………………………………………………………………….…212
4.3.5 Dining………………………………………………………………………213
4.3.6 Accommodation schedule,…………………………………………….…..215
4.4 Design criteria………………………………………………………….…217
4.4.1 Designing for further adaptability ……………………………………...217
4.4.2 Criteria for flexible design………………………………………………….217
4.4.3 The plan of the dwelling ……………………………….……………….218
4.4.4 The needs………………………………………………… ………………218
4.4.5 Canopies and porches…………………………………………… …...….220
4.4.6 Dwellings specifically for older or disabled people………… ……………220
4.4.7 Provision for cars …………………………… ………………………..220
4.5 References…………………………………………………… ………….222
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 Design synthesis…………………………………… …………………..223
5.1. Design concept………………………………………………… ………223
5.2. Design contribution……………………… …………………………….225
5.3 Recommendation ……………………………………… ……………...226
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….228
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.1: Glove vs. Mitten Sketch and examples of the spatial types………….....4
Figure 2.1: Flexibility as Capability of Change in Physical Fabric of the Building...22
Figure 2.2: Adaptability as Capability for Different Usage………………………....23
Figure 2.3: Typological Variety as Freedom in Choice………………………….….24
Figure 2.4: The Module and Its Configurations for Diverse Users…………….…....27
Figure 2.5: The Flexabilt Home……………………………………………………..28
Figure 2.6: Fleksible Boliger Housing Project Study…………………...…………..29
Figure 2.7: The Weissenhofsiedlung housing project by Mies van der Rohe…….....33
Figure 2.8: The Hufeisensiedlung multi-storey apartment block (1925-1931) by
Bruno Taut……………..…………………………………………………………..…35
Figure: 2.9: The Use Cycle Studies in Montèreau Project……………….………....36
Figure 2.10: Maisons Loucheur Housing project (1928-1929) by Le Corbusier……38
Figure 2.11: Maison Dom-ino (1919) by Le Corbusier……………………...……...41
Figure 2.12: Kristalbouw study project (1952) by Jan Trapm………………………42
Figure 2.13: Kallebäck experimental housing (1960) by Erik Friberger……………43
Figure 2.14: Wohnanlage Genter Strasse by Otto Steidle:………………………….45
Figure 2.15: Wohnanlage Genter Strasse by Otto Steidle…………………………...46
Figure 2.16: Types of flexibility according to Hofland……………………………59
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Figure2.17 - Diagrammatic illustrations of The Served and the Servant Spaces in
Richards Medical Research Laboratories Building…………………… ………….61
Figure 2.18: Diagrammatic illustrations of the Universal Space………….………62
Figure 2.19: Diagrammatic illustrations of the Deconstructivist Blurred Zone…..65
Figure 2.20: showing Diagrammatic illustrations of Venturi and Scott Brown‟s
generic building and flexible spatial configurations……………………………….65
Figure 2.21: Diagrammatic illustrations of wiggle room as Shifting Spaces in-
between programs…………………………………..………………………..……66
Figure 2.22: Diagrammatic illustrations of the adjustable kitchen and the collapsible
guest bedroom of smart spaces…………………..………………………………..67
Figure 2.23: a spatial diagram of the lobby………………………………………69
Figure 2.24: four single- detached houses in Berlin- Zealand……………….…..70
Figure 2.25: the possible configurations of the service spaces in architectural layout
……………………………………………………………………………… …...77
Figure 2.26: Vertical Access Unit either as a Freestanding Unit or as Integrated to the
Building …………………………………………………………………...............78
Fig 2.27: schematic drawing of horizontal access units in multi storey buildings...78
Figure 2.28: Siedlung Hegianwandweg Multi Storey Apartment House……...….80
Figure 2.29: The Multifunk building (floor-plan of part A)…………………………....85
Figure 2.30: The warehouse (CASA architects)…………..……………………...86
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Figure 2.31: Floor plan Diagoon Houses ………………………………………90
Figure 2.32:perspective view, section and interior perspective of Diagoon Hou
se……………………………………………………………………………………...92
Figure 2.33: Floor plan layout of extendible houses Cameroon…………………….95
Figure 2.34: showing plan layouts of honor Oak Park……………………………..102
Figure 2.35: The floor plan of New Student Quarters, Boston University………..106
Figure 2.36: Site plan of Student Housing in Epinay / ECDM…………………….109
Figure 2.36a and 2.36b: Ground and first floor plan, student housing, Epinay ...…111
Figure 2.37: Floor layouts and perspectives, Fordham University residence….…..116
Figure 2.38: showing section through university students‟ housing ……….…..…121
Figure 2.39a, 2.39b and 2.39c : plan layouts of university students‟ housing….…..122
Figure 2.40: Showing floor plan student‟s dormitory…………………………..…125
Figure 2.41: section pg hostel on a master plan and floor plan layout ,Nkrumah
hostel………………………………………………………………………….…….127
Figure 2.42: Showing the floor plan of Oba Adetona Hall ………………………132
Figure 2.43: Floor plans of Babcock university postgraduate hostel……………....139
Figure 2.44: Three options of room layout in Babcock. …………………………..139
Figure 2.45: Site plan of Eryman 3rd
stage………………………….……...………143
Figure 2.46: Site plan of Eryman 3rd
stage divided into two sub regions by HAD...145
Figure 4.1: Map of Nigeria Showing Enugu State. ………………………..………178
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Figure 4.2: Map of Enugu State Showing the Local Governments………….…….179
Figure 4.3: Map of Enugu State as an Inland State Showing Surrounding
States….....................................................................................................................181
Figure 4.4: Map of Nigeria Showing Vegetation Belt…………………………….184
Figure 4.5: map of Nigeria showing climate………………………………………185
Figure 4.6: Graph Showing the Climate of Enugu in a Year……………………...187
Figure 4.7: map of Nigeria showing temperature…………………………… …...188
Figure 4 .8: Map of Nigeria Showing Rain Distribution and the NE/SW trade winds
…………………………………………………………………………………… .189
Figure 4.9: showing the master plan of UNEC and the zones…………………… 193
Figure 4.10: Proposed site shaded with the surrounding facilities and road
network……………………………………………………………………………196
Figure 4.11: climatic analysis of the proposed site……………………………….200
Figure 4.12a, b, c, d single, double rooms arrangement……….…………………205
Figure 4.13: showing gang bathrooms……………………………………………213
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1: Various Definitions of the Terms Flexibility and Adaptability………...16
Table 2.2: 1920s Modernity and The Minimal Dwelling…………………………..37
Table 2.3: 1930s-1960s “The Industrialization of Housing………………………..40
Table 2.4:1970s Participation and User Choice………………………………....…48
Table 2.5: the structural systems for flexible housing: base structures and polyvalent
organizations…………………………………………………………………………74
Table 2.6: Architectural Layouts that are Appropriate for Flexible Housing……….81
Table 2.7: Furnishing for Flexible Usage…………………………………………...84
Table 2.8: Eryaman 3rd housing blocks project…………………………….………….144
Table 2.9: Accommodation schedule…………………….………………………..216
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LIST OF PLATES
Plate 2.1: The Weissenhofsiedlung housing project by Mies van der Rohe…33
Plate 2.2: The Hufeisensiedlung multi-storey apartment block (1925-1931) by
Bruno Taut………………………………………………………………...…35
Plate 2.3: Kallebäck experimental housing (1960) by Erik Friberger……….43
Plate 2.4: Exterior view of Wohnanlage Genter Strasse by Otto Steidle 1... .45
plate 2.5: Exterior view of Wohnanlage Genter Strasse by Otto Steidle 2….46
Plate 2.6: showing Schroder House in Utrecht, Netherlands, by Gerrit
Rietveld, and Yoshijima House in Takayama, Japan……………………….60
Plate 2.7: Richards Medical Research Laboratories Building in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, by Louis Kahn………………………………………………..61
Plate2.8: Illinois Institute of Technology in Illinois, Chicago, by Mies van der
Rohe………………………………………………………………………….62
Plate 2.9: showing Mies van der Rohe‟s Farnsworth House………….……..63
Plate 2.10: 3D model design for City of Culture of Galicia Spain, and
Deconstructive architecture, the Danish Jewish museum in Copenhagen,
Denmark built in 2004……………………………………………………….64
Plate 2.11: showing the adjustable kitchen and the collapsible guest bedroom
of smart space in New York, by AvroKO, built in 2005……………………66
Plate 2.12: showing the sitting space between the welcome desk and the bar in
the lobby of the W hotel in Times Square, New York, by Yabu Pushelberg,
built in 2001…………………………………………………………………..68
plate 2.13: Eevation of Diagoon House …………………………………….90
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Plate2.14: Aerial view site plan and elevation of wohnzeile,
weissenhofsiedlung ………………………………………………………….93
Plate 2.15: Some interior views of Wohnzeile, Weissenhofsiedlun………………..94
Plate 2.16: Elevation of extendible houses Cameroon……………………….95
Plate 2.17: Elevation and section of wohnanlage genter……………………97
Plate 2.18: interior perspective and construction by frame structures………99
Plate 2.19: showing elevation views of honor oak park………………….....100
Plate 2.20 elevations of überbauung hellmutstrasse…………… …...……..103
Plate 2.21: Elevation and a rhomboid shaped windows in the slots..………105
Plate 2.22: Façade, Bosten University student quarters…………………….108
Plate 2.23: The 7-storey glass louvered atrium and large canyon-like slots
.108
Plate 2.24: Elevations of Student Housing in Epinay / ECDM………….…112
Plate 2.25: showing views of different elevations Fordham university
residence halls USA………………………………………………………..113
Plate 2.26: The site plan Fordham university residence halls USA……..…114
Plate 2.27: Elevations of new college student residence………… ……….117
Plate 2.28: Perspective view and plan of new college student‟s residence
Toronto …...………………………………………………………………...118
Plate 2.29: Elevation and some interior views of university students‟
housing...........................................................................................................120
Plate 2.30: Elevations of student‟s dormitory ………………..……………124
Plate 2.31a: The lobby of Nkrumah Hostel serving as kitchen, storage and
circulation path……………………………..………………………………129
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Plate 2.31b: Showing a typical room and the lobby area of Nkrumah
Hostel ……………………………………………………………………....130
Plate 2.31c: Approach elevation of Nkrumah Hostel showing parking,
adjoining road and the two wings of the hostel……………….…………..130
Plate 2.31d: showing the ancillary facilities, (bar) and parking of
Nkrumah Hostel. …………………………………………………………..130
Plate 2.32: Main Entrance to Oba Adetona Hall and elevational View
from the south……………………………………………………………….132
Plate 2.33: The largest Courtyard and view inside the court yard.……134
Plate 2.34: One of the four stair cases in Oba Adetona Hall……..…..135
Plate 2.35: Showing parapet and fins at external walls……………..…136
Plate 2.36: Site layout and perspective view of Babcock hostel……...……138
Plate 2.37: Access road by the east and lady ibiam female hostel by the south-
west…………………………………………………………………………200
Plate 2.38: The site, Ibiam hostel by the south-west and Afrihub by the
west…………………………………………………………………….…...201
Plate 2.39: showing existing pathway linked with the road………….…….201
Plate 2.40: showing the drainage direction from south-west towards the north-
east direction…………………………….…………………………………202
Plate 2.41: showing the vegetative cover of the site……………………….203
Plate 2.42: showing vehicular access and adjoining facilities which can
generate noise………………………………………………………………204
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ABSTRACT
Architectural designs are aimed at achieving or fulfilling the user‟s basic needs and
aspirations. But user‟s basic needs and aspiration of space are not always the same but
vary with some factors like educational status, family status, gender, age, occupation,
demographic structure, income. When a dwelling no longer satisfies the user‟s space
needs, the users can either move or adjust the space to best suit them.
The recent changes in technology, society, opinions and views of different people,
coupled with the changes taking place in lives of users justify the need for new
building approaches which are dynamic and flexible. The need for ease of adaptation
per use of space is on great demand especially on public buildings. As a result of
change in life styles and status of people, the diversity of accommodation user
requirements is increasing and asking for more flexible solutions.
This research is to study the different strategies of achieving spatial flexibility and
how it can be applied in female postgraduate hostel design to cater for the different
space needs of different categories of female postgraduate students in University of
Nigeria Enugu campus.
Primary and secondary data collection methods were used for the purpose of this
study. Case studies were conducted on building designs that spatial flexibility have
been applied to in order to understand the strategies applied as well as the efficacy of
the designs. Reviews of literature, oral interviews as well as personal observations
were also helpful in extracting the basic information needed
Studies have shown that there are different strategies of achieving spatial flexibility in
buildings. This study therefore would help alleviate the problems of accommodation
with respect to flexibility of space in hostel for postgraduate female students in
UNEC, thus, giving them the enabling accommodation that would facilitate learning
in all fields.
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CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Many houses were designed without thinking of the basic housing needs and living
in these places could be quite uncomfortable and frustrating.
The idea of spatial flexibility in building is becoming an interesting subject matter in
architecture and the concept is an important concern in the design of housing.
Flexibility refers to the idea of accommodating change over time. Thus, flexible
housing corresponds to housing that can adapt to the changing needs of users (Till &
Schneider, (2005). Adaptability and typological variety are the other important terms
related to flexibility.
So many architects have conceptually addressed this subject of flexibility in so many
ways. Examples of these designs includes; Louis Kahn‟s The Served and the Servant
Spaces, Peter Einsenman‟s Blurred Zone, Mies Van Der Rohe‟s Universal Space,
Gerrit Rietveld‟s Schroder House, Carnegie Mellon University‟s Intelligent
Workplace. Schneider and Till, (2007) in their book titled Flexible Housing, also
portrayed some important highlights on flexibility which will be developed fully in
the chapters.
Early modern and contemporary architects adopted the concept of movable partition
as a way of achieving flexibility in building spaces. They believed and portray that a
house is a changeable open zone, which can be subdivided by sliding or revolving
partitions.
Other several means of achieving spatial flexibility were highlighted by Kevin Lynch.
These included zoning and concentration of structures at a few widely separated
points, leaving wide spans where future changes would not affect the fabrics of the
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whole, use of modular or lattice structures whose peripheral growth does not affect
the structure at the centre, use of low intensity buffer zone between spaces to allow
their programmes to expand and contract without running over their uses, avoidance
of narrow adaptation of forms to specialized functions, over supply of space to
provide generous room for future expansion of programmes, use of temporally
structures and a well networked communications so that programme and interaction
changes can be analyzed and accommodated efficiently.
As a result of changes and advancement in technology, spatial flexibility has become
even more important than it was a decade ago. The correlations between the duality of
architecture and the notion of functional flexibility in today‟s context are important
themes that should continue to be investigated in contemporary architecture.
1.1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Early building obsolescence arising from the emergence of new technologies, new
working arrangements as well as user‟s peculiar need of space is becoming prevalent
in our society today. Planning and executing projects with flexibility in mind should
be the ultimate aim of every planner in order to provide individuals with the best use
of work space to suit their requirements and to accommodate any present and future
changes. According to Schneider and Till, flexibility as accommodating change in
housing addresses a number of issues related with the current and future needs of the
users. Firstly, it offers variety in the architectural layout of the units. Secondly, it
includes adjustability and adaptability of housing units over time. And finally, it
allows buildings to accommodate new functions. In order to provide flexibility,
architects should consider the possible future needs of users during the design
process; in other words, long-term thinking in the design process is required. The
benefits of flexibility in housing are discussed both from the perspective of users and
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in terms of innovative construction and design under four main themes: the structural
system, the service spaces, architectural layout and furnishing for flexible use.
According to Schneider and Till, (2005), one of the basic principles of designing
flexible building is to avoid inflexibility. In other words, the design of the inflexible
parts of a building plays a crucial role in achieving flexibility. Structural system and
the service spaces are the permanent components. First, through the consideration of
the structural system, it is preferred to reduce the load bearing walls. Next, through
the consideration of servicing, accessibility and adaptability of technical equipment is
crucial to make changes in the future. Over the permanent components, the
architectural layout can be investigated in terms of its typological variety and
adaptability over time. The research focuses on the structure and plan of residential
blocks and their use. It also addresses the issue of social sustainability. According to
Schneider & Till, there are two controversial methods in flexible housing designs,
which are regarded to belong to the rhetoric of flexibility: a determinate way of design
that refers to movable transformable spaces and an indeterminate way of design that
points to endless changes. These two ways indicate a foreground consideration of
flexibility in the design process, but as Schneider and Till asserted, some of the most
successful examples of flexibility tend to operate in the background, which is another
way of flexible design.
Owing to current shifts in social patterns and rapid turn-over rates in building
programmes over time Scott Brown advised architects to design buildings that can
house a wide range of activities or functions beyond those called for their first users.
(Brown, 2004). She uses the analogy of a glove versus a mitten in proposing a spatial
layout that achieves this. A glove fits the fingers of the original user well but mitten
can be used by various users because of its extra „wiggle room‟. In other words,
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instead of designing a building custom fitted to one original function, Scott brown
suggests providing an architectural of the „wiggle room‟ in building to anticipate
future space requirements. Scott Brown Identified generic, high ceiling, open-plan
industrial loft buildings or Italian palazzos as examples of flexible space, in other
words, they have the capacity to meet changing requirements. This kind of
characteristics is called flexibility.
Figure 1.1 Glove vs. Mitten Sketch and examples of the spatial types with „wiggle
room‟ from Architecture as Signs and Systems.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 1: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008.
Flexibility can be defined as the degree to which the spatial and temporal boundaries
are pliable (Hall & Richter, 1988). It is also defined as the ability to adapt to new
situation; ability to change and be changed according to circumstances. (Microsoft
Encarta Dictionary 2009).
In the context of educational system, as early as1968, recognition of the importance of
flexibility in educational sector was outlined (Gross Murphy, 1968). Four distinctive
sub categories of flexibility were identified. They includes: expansible space,
convertible space, versatile space and malleable space.
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(a) Expansible space: This space can allow for ordered growth. Rydeen (2004) cited
the use of structural steel frames with long steel joists and the elimination of internal
Structural walls as key developments in this context;
(b) Convertible space: This kind of space can be economically adapted to program
changes. It involves the adoption of relocate- able partitions as part of the School
Construction Systems Development (SCSD)
In more than 3100 US schools between 1966 and 1977 the measure used to meet this
Challenge was illustrated.
(c) Versatile space: This space serves multiple functions. Rydeen, (2004) cites as an
example the „house concept‟ using a central open learning area tech-hub surrounded
by classrooms.
(d) Malleable space: This space can be changed at once and at will. Rydeen, (2004)
suggests that open learning environments help to meet this challenge by supporting
variable class sizes.
When architects employ the term flexibility, they often make distinctions between
physical properties internal to schools and abstract social forces impinging upon
school design (Ehrenkrantz 2000; Fiske 1995; Leggett, Stanton, C. William Brubaker,
Aaron Cohodes, and Arthur S. Shapiro. 1977). Under this rubric, physical flexibility
refers to the adjustability of a space to the practices of individuals, such as meeting
the special sensory and/or mobility needs of students. Movable furniture and walls, or
re-configurable buildings, rooms, and passageways all represent this type of physical
flexibility. On the abstract level, flexibility refers to the ability of built space to
accommodate for unforeseeable changes such as demographic shifts, community
needs, or policy mandates. (Moore & Lackney, 1994). The concept of a school facility
mediates between these internal and external extremes by connoting the material
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presence of buildings and their relationships to larger social structures, such as school
districts or communities.
Flexible properties of space.
In order to evaluate the practice possibilities of built spaces, flexibility is subdivided
into five properties of space: fluidity, versatility, convertibility, scalability, and
modifiability.
Fluidity: This property represents the design of space for flows of individuals, sight,
sound, and air. Open spaces lend themselves to fluidity, yet they can hinder fluidity if
they seem oppressive in their expansiveness. In these instances, well-placed screens in
classrooms, for example, can increase a sense of intimacy while triggering curiosity
for the space that flows around the screen (Caudill, 1954). Such a space then becomes
more engaging and less overwhelming. Well-placed windows can also increase a
sense of flow and connection between spaces.
Versatility: It indicates the property of space that allows for multiple uses.
Cafeterias, auditoriums, and multi-purpose rooms signal one mode of versatility, but
versatile spaces such as these run the risk of homogeneity. Since all spaces afford
certain activities and flows, generic spaces without any overt indicators for specific
use require extra effort, pedagogical or otherwise, to achieve the tone or rhythm of
specific uses. Individuals must invest more energy to work within these spaces,
because the spaces do little work on their own. For example, performing a play in a
generic auditorium requires the investment of added decoration and props in addition
to individual suspension of disbelief in order for that production to succeed.
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Convertibility: In educational concept, this designates the ease of adapting
educational space for new uses.
Educators must often convert spaces to accommodate for changes in enrollment,
curriculum, or pedagogy. Modern office buildings are commonly proffered as models
of this type of convertible space, because they possess a core with HVAC (heating,
ventilating, and air-conditioning), electrical, and communication systems that is
surrounded by a shell containing easily re-deployable space for varied activity
programs (Brubaker, 1998). Space designed for convertibility requires an imagination
for future eventualities; it should possess a degree of modularity and open-endedness
at a structural level, a design open to re-design by others.
Scalability: It describes a property of space for expansion or contraction.
For expansion, schools may require annexes and additions to meet the needs of
increased enrollment or curricular alterations. Tightly coupled spaces (rooms and
corridors) may utilize space efficiently in the short run but present costly obstacles for
later growth. For contraction, as space needs decrease, schools should be able to
temporarily convert buildings and rooms to other community or business purposes.
For example, surplus school space can be leased out from year to year so that when
space needs rise again, schools can re-convert buildings for educational programs
(Brubaker, 1998).
Modifiability: it is the spatial property which invites active manipulation and
appropriation. Spaces that lend themselves to quick reconfiguration are comprised of
mobile components such as walls, partitions, furniture, and equipment. Highly
modifiable spaces invite imaginative experimentation to coordinate space and subject
matter with the specific learning needs of different student populations. The design of
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such spaces requires much forethought, because these spaces must take into account
many structural dependencies such as ceiling configuration for lighting and air
circulation, floor materials for ease of partition movement. (Leggett et al. 1977).
1.2. STATEMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL PROBLEM
As a result of changing life styles, the diversity of accommodation user requirements
is increasing and asking for more flexible solutions. The technical implications being
that conventional building structures are not designed for change. For that reason
every transformation within a dwelling has to do with demolition of part of a building
or sometimes whole built structure.
The rapid densification of population in universities all over the nation today
whether induced by high pursuit of knowledge, increased awareness of the
importance of education and high demand for school accommodation induced by the
need for settling proximate to school, high cost of living/accommodation outside the
campus has caused the value of student hostel designs to rise, thereby creating an
economic necessity to re evaluate the importance of flexibility in hostel designs, and
to explore spatial arrangements that can accommodate more functions than
conventional layouts in the same allotted space.
There are many female students enrolling in education today as against what was
seen in the 60‟s. Existing hostel buildings which were built around the 60‟s could
have been more effective in use today for these female students if flexibility was put
into consideration during their construction. Therefore the increment on the number
of female students in the universities today as against the number in the 60‟s
illustrate the need to incorporate greater flexibility to meet unforeseen changes in use
in the future.
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Architecture by its nature is to respond to new life styles and necessities of today,
spaces must reflect end-user‟s satisfaction. It is a common fact that any building
facility that is not efficiently serving the needs of which it was erected is as good as a
failed building.
Rigid spaces which are found in most hostel designs do not give room for adjustment
of spaces to the needs of the user.
In order to increase buildings transformation capacity building design/construction
should be focused on further systematization of building and development of
innovative building methods that will provide flexible structures whose parts could be
easily replaced and reused or recycled.
The purpose of this study is to investigate on the different strategies of achieving
spatial flexibility in hostel design.
1.3. AIM OF STUDY
This research is aimed at achieving the different strategies for realizing spatial
flexibility in hostel design, in order to provide individuals (female postgraduate
students) with the best user space satisfaction for living and academic works
1.4. OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
The following objectives must be pursued in order to achieve the above aim,
1. Study and apply spatial arrangements that can accommodate more functions
than conventional layouts found in most hostel designs in Nigerian universities
2. Conduct case studies on buildings that their design and construction have
adopted the concept of flexibility.
3.Study the proposed site location to note the extent this flexibility would be
achieved within it.
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4. Studying the end users desires, needs and requirements and how best to
incorporate them to achieve the above aim.
1.5. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
The need for flexibility in the use of space cannot be overemphasized. A flexible
building design is one that can adapt in response to changing circumstances.
Spatial flexibility is essential in design today especially in the areas where there are
various users with different needs of spaces and also where varieties of functions are
imminent. Female post graduate hostel for example portrays the need of space for
different categories of women ranging from married, single, old ladies etc. close study
on these categories of women showed that space needs for these set of females are
different.
The knowledge of strategies of achieving spatial flexibility in designs can be a
stepping stone in achieving flexibility in the design of postgraduate female students
hostel. Recalling Scott Brown‟s advice to architects to design buildings that can house
a wide range of activities or functions beyond those called for their first users. (Brown
2004), this study will highlight different ways through which this goal will be
actualized.
Through this study, the space needs of different categories of female postgraduate
students in terms of status and academics would be addressed.
The demographic change on the number of students admitted for post graduate studies
are always increasing in progressive manner and so the need for flexible spaces to
accommodate for these changes is paramount.
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1.6 Scope of the project
The author at this stage limits her scope at research on different strategies for
achieving spatial flexibility and application of some of these strategies in female
postgraduate hostel design.
1.7 Research methodology:
Qualitative research method would be adopted for this study. It involves the
collection of data sources from observations, interviews, documentary and texts
analysis.
Case studies of existing hostels with emphasis on the ones planned in relation to the
field of study were carried out through the internet and literatures. Existing literature
such as books, publications, magazines, journals, past thesis reports were also
conducted.
The knowledge gathered from all sources will be judiciously analyzed, evaluated and
finally harnessed to meet the specific needs which would then provide a basis for the
design of student hostel for University of Nigeria Enugu campus.
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1.8. REFERENCES
Brown, S. D. (N.D) Context in Context," Architecture as Signs and Systems:
For a Mannerist Time, (pp. 175-181).
Brubaker, W. C. (1998). Planning and Designing Schools. New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Caudill, W. W. (1954). Toward Better School Design. New York: F.W. Dodge
Corporation.
Ehrenkrantz, E. (2000). Planning for Flexibility, Not Obsolescence. Retrieved
March 20, 2011, from http://www.DesignShare.com.
Gross, R. & Murphy, J. (1968). Educational Change and Architectural
Consequences: a report on facilities for individualized instruction. Nova York:
Educational Facilities Labs.
Hall, D. T. & Richter, J. (1988). Balancing work life and home life: What can
organizations do to help? Academy of Management Executive (pp.213-223).
Leggett, S. C., Brubaker, W., Cohodes, A. and Arthur S. S. (1977). Planning
Flexible Learning Places. New York: McGraw-Hill
Rydeen, J. E. (2004). Facility Planning: what is flexibility? American School
and University, 1abr.
Schneider, T., & Till, J. (2007). Flexible Housing. Oxford, United
Kingdom:Architectural Press.
Schneider, T., & Till, J. (2005). Flexible Housing: Opportunities And Limits.
Arq.(pp 157-166).
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Steven, S. (2008). Shifting Paradigms Part 1 | Renovating the Decorated Shed
Venturi, R. & Brown, S. (2004). Architecture as Signs and Systems:
Architecture as Patterns and Systems, Belknap Press of Harvard University
Press
Weisman, L. K. (1992). Discrimination by Design: A Feminist Critique of the
Man-Made Environment. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
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CHAPTER 2
2.0 Literature Review
2.0.1 An overview of the terminology and the conceptual Framework
This chapter aims to clarify the meanings of the terms flexibility, adaptability and
typological variety. As both Habra Ken, (2008), Schneider and Till, (2007)
mentioned. Flexibility and adaptability are very similar in meaning and often overlap
but the colloquial and the technical meanings can provide a departure point for their
clarification and the conceptual framework of the study. Habra Ken mentions briefly
about the confusion in the terminology; flexibility and adaptability. They have
multiple and often overlapping meanings that make it virtually impossible to come up
with a vocabulary accepted to everybody (2008).
2.0.2 Flexibility, Adaptability, Typological Variety.
a. Flexibility
The English colloquial usage of the word flexibility is:
1. Capability of being bent; pliancy.
2. Susceptibility of modification or alteration; capacity for ready adaptation to various
purposes or conditions; freedom from stiffness or rigidity. (Oxford English Dictionary
Online, 2009).
In its ordinary usage, flexibility denotes not only a physical change, modification or
adaptation, for a variety of purposes or uses, but also freedom, which emerges as one
of the key meanings. It as such also refers to adaptation. (Habra ken, 2008).
b. Adaptability
The word adaptability, points to the quality of being adaptable; capacity of being
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adaptable; capacity of being adapted or of adapting oneself; potential fitness (Oxford
English Dictionary Online, 2009). It accommodates a meaning of fitting or suiting for
a variety of purposes.
c. Typological Variety
The denotations of the word variety are:
1. Tendency to change; fickleness; change of purpose or plans.
2. Difference or discrepancy between things or in the same thing at different times.
3. Diversity of nature or character; absence of monotony, sameness, or uniformity.
4. A different form of something, quality, or condition; something which differs or
varies from others of the same class or kind; a kind or sort. (Oxford English
Dictionary Online, 2009).
The meaning of typological variety is more obvious comparing to flexibility and
adaptability. In the context of housing, it points to freedom of choice for diverse
users.
In architectural discourse, flexibility and adaptability have been defined in different
ways. Some of these definitions are compiled in Table 2.1 In this table, definitions by
Schneider and Till, (2005a, 2005b, 2007) and Habraken, (2008), Rabeneck, Sheppard
and Town (1973, 1974), Hertzberger, (1991), Groák, (1992), Maccreanor, (1998) and
Forty, (2000) are included.
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Table 2.1: Various Definitions of the Terms Flexibility and Adaptability.
Source: Flexible housing By Schneider & Till (2007)
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Rabeneck, Sheppard and Town published two articles about flexibility and
adaptability entitled Housing Flexibility in (1973) and Housing Flexibility/
Adaptability (1974). In another study, they introduced terms including tight fit-
functionalism. Tight-fit functionalism refers to the unhealthy situation of mass
housing in the twentieth century Europe. The authors explain it as miniaturized living
areas with cell type rooms, which do not allow any changes .In that sense; they see
flexibility as a tool to make the minimal housing environments capable of offering
opportunity for choice and personalization. On the other hand, they also criticize
flexibility especially for it can lead to too technical or complicated housing projects;
they termed the fallacy of freedom through control.
The scope of flexibility in the context of housing is defined by Rabeneck, et al as to
provide a private domain that will fulfill each occupants expectations. For them, a
house may be considered adaptable when it could be easily altered as circumstances
change. In their second article, Rabeneck, etal (1974) propose a more detailed
definition: The adaptable approach, in contrast to the flexible, emphasizes planning
and layout rather than constructional technique and services distribution. It is based
on carefully considered variations in room sizes, relationship between rooms, slightly
generous openings between spaces and little overt expression of room function. In this
sense, flexibility deals with how the permanent and fixed parts of the buildings are
configured: the structural system and the service spaces. The organization of the
rooms, their dimensions, the relation between the rooms and their functions are the
concern for adaptability. To sum up, Rabeneck, et al claim that while the design
decisions about the structure and service spaces are related to flexibility, the
consideration about the architectural layouts of the remaining spaces are associated
with adaptability.
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Groák discussed the difference between flexibility and adaptability in relation to
housing from a different perspective in his book, The Idea of Building: Thought and
Action in the Design and Production of Buildings (1992): The spatial organization
and internal environment may be suitable for only a limited array of uses. Here we
should distinguish between adaptability, taken to mean capable of different social
uses, and flexibility, taken to mean capability of different physical arrangements. The
building‟s capacity for accommodating changed uses will depend on the extent to
which it is adaptable and/or flexible. (Groák, 1992).
In this definition, Groák explains adaptability as suitability for adjustments and
changes related to the internal space configurations in housing units. In short,
adaptability is related to the use of space. Flexibility, on the other hand, is defined as
suitability for different physical arrangements, which is valid not only for interior but
also for the exterior adjustments of the unit itself. In this respect, it can be inferred
that Groák agrees with the definitions of Rabeneck, Sheppard and Town. Groák‟s
definition is further elaborated by Schneider and Till to clarify these concepts:
While adaptability is achieved through designing rooms or units so that they can be
used in a variety of ways, primarily through the ways that rooms are organized, the
circulation patterns and the designation of rooms, flexibility is achieved by altering
the physical fabric of building: by joining together rooms or units, by extending them,
or through sliding or folding walls and furniture. (Schneider & Till, 2007). According
to the description above, adaptability seems to deal with the internal organization of
housing units in order to accommodate the change in use. Flexibility, on the other
hand, is not only related to structural system and the position of service spaces of the
building, but also to the physical changes occurring in the remaining spaces such as
the adjustments related to both the envelope and the interior space. In that respect,
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flexibility includes both physical and social continuum in the housing. Thus, it can be
asserted as including adaptability, as well. Although Schneider and Till (2007, p. 5)
emphasize the nuance in between as where adaptability is based around issues of use,
it flexibility involves issues of form and technique, these terms do not have strictly
defined territories.
Hertzberger in his book entitled Lessons for Students in Architecture, (1991)
emphasized the importance of the concept of flexibility in architectural design . He
said that flexibility signifies, since there is no single solution that is preferable to all
others the absolute denial of a fixed, clear cut standpoint. The flexible plan starts out
from the certainty that correct solution does not exist . Although a flexible set-up
admittedly adapts itself to each change as it presents itself, it can never be the best and
most suitable solution to any one problem; it can at any given moment provide any
solution but most appropriate one.
From Hertzberger‟s perspective, flexibility in the housing context refers to houses that
are capable of proposing different solutions for diverse uses with no certain single
solution but most appropriate solution. He discussed flexibility in a different
perspective by introducing the term polyvalence. Polyvalence refers to a characteristic
of a static form; a form that can be put to different uses without having to undergo
changes itself, so that a minimal flexibility can still produce an optimal solution. The
concept of polyvalence is added by Habraken to a group of terms including flexibility
and adaptability that have multiple and overlapping meanings.
The argument of Hertzberger is supported by Maccreanor who stated that flexibility
has for a long time been a subject of interest for architects. In the years to follow this
resulted in many buildings with open, changeable planning around fixed service
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cores. One conclusion is that flexibility doesn't simply imply the necessity of endless
change and breakdown of accepted formula.
On the contrary, the buildings that have proven to be the most adaptable were those
not originally planned for flexibility. Maccreanor, 1998. Both Hertzberger and
Maccreanor point out the unsuccessful housing environments that are designed mostly
figuratively as a result of the misunderstanding of the concept of flexibility. The
confusion in meaning of flexibility is based on two contradictory roles: which
includes it having served to extend functionalism and so make it viable and it having
been employed to resist Functionalism. In that sense, flexibility is neither a
characteristic of indeterminate space that allows endless change, nor is it a
characteristic of determinate space with too much technical equipments. In other
words, if architects leave their buildings open for infinitely different solutions for the
users; they lead to open-endedness and uncertainty. By the same token, if architects
put more emphasis on flexibility through building with movable parts, they will create
false neutrality as a result of too much technicality or strictly defined spaces .They are
the two controversial approaches to flexibility in architectural design that belong
rather to the rhetoric of flexibility by Schneider and Till, 2007.
Maccreanor explained the relation between the concepts of flexibility and adaptability
by emphasizing that flexibility includes adaptability as well.
Adaptability is a different way of viewing flexibility. The adaptable building is both
transfunctional and multifunctional and must allow the possibility of changing use;
living into working, working into leisure or as a container of several uses
simultaneously. Adaptability is not primarily concerned with a designed idea of
flexibility based on the collapse of the traditional layout. An apparent robust identity
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and enduring presence within an urban context is required that allows the building to
cope with future needs and changing conditions. (Maccreanor, 1998,).
Maccreanor relates adaptability to social sustainability. The need for physical change
in housing emerges due to two reasons. The housing units are expected to offer
freedom of choice (typological variety) for users having a diversity of lifestyles prior
to occupation. Secondly, they should provide opportunity to make adjustments or
modifications (adaptability/flexibility) according to the changing wishes and demands
over time. The need for change might occur as a result of demographical changes
such as an increase or decrease in the number of household members or a possible
decrease in the capacity of inhabitants to do certain things especially due to ageing.
Maccreanor also criticizes a particular interpretation of the concept of flexibility by
stating that buildings that were designed to be flexible in their internal arrangements
had minimum floor to ceiling heights, making them difficult to adapt to future uses. It
was often more cost efficient to build new accommodation rather than to renovate or
rearrange the existing. The above definition illustrate that the design of housing needs
to be flexible and adaptable in order to provide units with a capacity for change to
fulfill the changing needs and demands of the users over time. Each residential
building, in this sense, can change in time. Long-term thinking in design process is
required. Additionally, flexible housing should also accommodate typological variety,
in order to make the residential units offer freedom of choice prior to occupation.
To sum up, the concept of flexibility is defined as the capacity of buildings for
physical change and adaptation according to changing circumstances. Flexibility as an
inclusive concept covers the related concepts of adaptability and typological variety
and it is achieved by designing the fixed elements, which are the structural system and
the servicing of a residential block in a way to allow change. Kallebäck Experimental
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Housing in Sweden, for example, has been designed in a way that the building provides
opportunities to the users to make physical changes and also adaptations in their
houses over time (Figure 2.1).
Flexibility makes residential spaces adaptable according to the demands of the users
with diverse lifestyles. Flexibility and adaptability, in this sense, are closely
associated.
Figure 2.1: Flexibility as Capability of Change in Physical Fabric of the Building:
Kallebäck Experimental Housing (1960) by Friberger in Sweden.
Source: Schneider & Till ,2007.
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Figure 2.2: Adaptability as Capability for Different Usage: Adaptable House (1962),
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
Adaptability, on the other hand, refers to situations that allow users to adjust and
modify their houses within determined territories according to their wishes. example,
Adaptable House (1962) designed by Development Group of the MHLG in Britain
has the potential of allowing different architectural configurations by replacing the
unfixed partitions within determined territories possible variation of users between the
years 1986 to 2003 ( Figure 2.2). In other words, adaptability in the residential context
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refers to allowance of variety of architectural configurations in accordance with
diversity of usage.
Figure 2.3: Typological Variety as Freedom in Choice, Überbauung Hellmutstrasse
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
Typological variety, on the other hand, refers to freedom of choice, for example,in
Überbauung Hellmutstrasse (1991) designed by ADP (Figure 2.3). This project
allows users to choose the residential units according to their wishes and needs
2.0.3 Flexible Housing
This part explores how the concept of flexibility and the related concepts, adaptability
and typological variety, influenced the approaches to housing design. The first query
is about why the concept of flexibility is important in housing design, which is related
to flexibility in usage, and the second is about how the concept of flexibility is
achieved in housing design, which refers to the methods and the areas of innovation in
technology to achieve flexibility. These two questions are discussed in reference to
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the book entitled Flexible Housing by Schneider and Till, 2007. The discussion is
based on the soft and hard analogy that Schneider and Till have introduced.
2.0.4. Flexibility in Usage.
Flexibility is an important concept in the context of housing because of the users‟
needs and demands for change and modification. The first query; why flexible
housing? refers to the capability of offering every user a minimum but adequate and
efficient basic quality at the base building level and through infill or built-in level, the
ability to respond to individual wishes and demands over time.
Schneider and Till define flexible housing as housing that is designed for „choice‟ at
the design stage, both in terms of social use and construction, or designed for „change‟
over its lifetime (Schneider et al,2005, p. 157). Therefore, flexible housing seems to
be appropriate for the users with diverse lifestyles. In that respect, the ability to
respond to wishes and demands of the users, starting from the very beginning of
occupation, and lasting over time, can be regarded as the main scope of flexibility in
the context of domestic architecture. Long term consideration in architectural design
process comes to scene with the aim of creating flexible housing, For Schneider and
Till.
In addition to works of the already mentioned scholars, Bernard Leupen‟s (2003)
book entitled Dwelling Architecture and Modernity was in the readings list of the
course called Lectures Architectural Design within the Msc1: Architecture &
Modernity package program at Delft University of Technology. Within this course in
spring 2008, the concept of flexibility was discussed by the visiting scholars and
architects.
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Flexibility is an important consideration in the design of housing if it is to be socially,
economically and environmentally viable. The degree of flexibility is determined in
two ways.
a. First, the in-built opportunity for adaptability, defined as capable of different
social uses and
b. Second, the opportunity for flexibility, defined as capable of different physical
arrangements. (Schneider & Till, 2005).
From the perspective of user, there are two issues that should be considered in
housing design in order to achieve flexibility:
a. firstly, the capacity of the project to offer a variety of choices in housing types
prior to occupation, and
b. Secondly, its capacity to allow changes after occupation. Both of these issues
require long-term thinking in the design process. The former one, offering a variety of
choices in housing types, should be considered starting from the design stage. The
building should offer the possibility of choosing different design layouts prior to
occupancy .In Bernard Leupen‟s book entitled Dwelling: Architecture And
Modernity, Gustau Gili Galfetti names this kind of flexibility as initial flexibility and
describes it as changing and modifying possibilities offered to occupants prior to
occupancy. In brief, presenting a variety of choice for different uses in the design
stage can be claimed as a prerequisite for flexible housing.
The in-built opportunity in initial flexibility is a response to the idea of designing
residential blocks appropriate for diverse users. In that sense, initial flexibility should
be considered as a part of the design problem to achieve flexibility (Figure 2.4). It
reflects an innovative way of thinking in design. Schneider and Till distinguish it from
a way of thinking that characterizes the conventional approach: the tendency to design
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buildings that only correspond to a specific type of household at a specific point in
time reflects a way of thinking that is predicated on short term economics (Schneider
& Till, 2005).
Figure 2.4: Njiric+Njiric Housing, Den Bosch, 1993: The Module (above) and Its
Configurations for Diverse Users (below).
Source: Paricio, 2003.
The main concern of the second issue in flexible use is stated by Schneider and Till
(2005) as the ability to adjust one‟s housing over time including the potential to
incorporate new technologies over time, to adjust to changing demographics, or even
to completely change the use of the building from housing to something else. It is the
flexibility offered by the structural system and the service spaces, in other words, the
permanent components of the buildings. The design of these permanent components
determine whether a housing project is flexible or not, in the long run. The capability
of fulfilling the changing wishes and demands of users over time is called permanent
flexibility by Galfetti (2003). The possible future changes in needs and demands can
be estimated from demographical changes (Needs and demands can change according
to location and time. For instance, in Yüzüncü Yıl, Ankara near Middle Technical
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University, there is now a major population of students instead of families.) such as
increase/decrease in the number of household members, practical changes required by
an occupant‟s loss of abilities to do certain things, mostly because of aging, and
possible functional transformations of the building from residential to something else.
Figure 2.5: The Flexabilt Home: A Diagrammatic Scheme of a Cycle of the Change in
Architectural Layout in Accordance with the Change in Number of Family Household
Source: Friedman, 2002.
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Demographical changes can be considered as one of the most important concerns for
flexible housing. The number of household members might change over time. As
Schneider and Till asserted that one of the problems of treating housing as a static
commodity with fixed design parameters is that it arrives into a world of changing
demographics. For instance, Avi Friedman (2002) shows a cycle of change in the
number of people in the household and accordingly a change and adaptation in the
housing unit (Figure 2.5).
Figure 2.6: Fleksible Boliger Housing Project Study by Tegnestuen Volden, 1986,
Denmark: A Scenario of Changing Lifestyle of the Household .
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
The practical changes required by situations such as the onset of losing one‟s ability
to do certain things due to ageing are the other crucial considerations of flexible
housing. (Figure 2.6) Consequently, the housing unit should be adaptable and
adjustable to fulfill the changing needs of the inhabitants. In the light of these
considerations, the users should not feel the need to move to another house, due to
demographical and practical reasons.
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As an example, the Südliche Furth Houses, Neuss, Germany by Ağırbaş &
Wienstroer (2008) offer separately designed housing units for elderly people and
people with disabilities. This is a competition project that won first prize in the
competition organized by federal state of North Rhine
A third concern is to be able to change the use of a building completely. This is also
important for a building to be considered as flexible.
2.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
2.1.1. A historical overview of flexible housing in the twentieth Century.
The main sources of this part are Schneider and Till‟s work (2005a, 2005b, 2007) and
Habraken‟s (2008) review of it. The examples are selected from the case studies of
Schneider and Till (2007) and evaluated in the light of Habraken‟s criticism (2008)
and accordingly, some additional examples were introduced.
Schneider and Till (2007) discuss the issue of flexible housing in the twentieth
century under three titles:
1. Modernity and The Minimal Dwelling
2. The Industrialization of Housing and
3. Participation and User Choice.
This discussion focuses on the prominent examples that reflect different intentions in
design. Thus, this chapter overviews and discusses themes related to flexible housing
design such as: standardization , limited space standards, minimum dwelling, base -
structures, polyvalent organizations, Convertible space, Prefabrication, modular
design, prototype design, support and infill system , customization, user participation
and Future intended design.
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2.1.1.1 1920s: Modernity and the Minimal Dwelling
Schneider and Till (2007) called the first episode in flexible housing The Modernity
and the Minimal Dwelling. The discussion of the concept of flexibility in the context
of domestic architecture is introduced under two topics:
1. The evolving conditions of the vernacular and
2. The external pressures that have prompted housing designers and providers to
develop alternative design solutions, including flexible housing (Schneider & Till,
2007). Thus, it can be claimed that flexible housing evolves from the continuation of
traditional tendencies in housing design or emerges as a new design tendency
following the outward forces in the twentieth century. The discussion on the first
period focuses on new tendencies and the outer constraints that triggered a change in
design thinking. Schneider and Till emphasize that architects, particularly in the
1920s, were questioning existing patterns of living and approached the building as
something that could change over time and something that could adapt to the wishes
of its inhabitants. In this respect, they explored selected prominent examples built
during 1920s and 1930s; this emerged as a result of a radical change in housing, after
World War I, from the perspective of modernity. According to Hilde Heynen, (2005),
the literature of modernity focuses on the idea of change and discontinuity, stating
that in a modern condition change is paramount and nothing can remain fixed or
stable. Heynen also explains the term modernity as not only a change but also a
discontinuity with tradition, or a rupture within the process of transformation from
tradition. The change and discontinuity with tradition occurred as a result of the
outward conditions such as the changes in society, economy and alike. Heynen states
that modernity refers to typical features of modern times and to the way that these
features are experienced by individual: modernity stands for the attitude toward life
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that is associated with a continuous process of evolution and transformation, with an
orientation towards a future that will be different from past and from present (Heynen,
H.1999) and the slogan of minimum dwelling.
Minimum dwelling, on the other hand, is defined as dwelling with subsistence
minimum by Karel Teige (2002). Minimum dwelling differs from other multi
residential blocks in terms of achieving an ideal functional solution which would at
least satisfy the basic minimal requirements for healthy living (Teige, 2002). The
requirement for minimal dwelling, as stated before, is a consequence of not only the
housing crisis after World War I, but also the changes in the society as a result of the
modernization process. Exhibitions on new housing projects are the prominent
examples that follow the evolution of housing design through new tendencies. The
1927 Stuttgart Werkbund Exhibition Die Wohnung: The Weissenhofsiedlung served as
a context of new and minimal housing, is presented and discussed briefly in the
following section. The main consideration of the new tendencies was to improve the
living conditions, particularly of the working class, in social housing after World War
I, and the main idea behind the design of minimum dwelling was to find out the
limited space standards of housing that could serve in an adequate and efficient way.
The concept of flexibility played a crucial role in the development of minimum
dwelling. From that point of view, Schneider and Till assert that if there was less
space, then that space needed to be used in as efficient and flexible a manner as
possible. This led to architects developing new plan types for housing, many of which
had elements of flexibility (Schneider and Till 2007). There are also some examples
of minimal dwellings that have been designed in an inflexible and unhealthy way
through tight-fit functionalism labeled by Rabeneck, etal (1973): a proliferating
response by architects to this tight-fit functionalism has been to propose flexibility or
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multi-use of restricted space as a means of providing opportunities for choice and
personalization (Rabeneck, etal,) In the light of the soft and hard analogy, flexibility
in the context of minimum dwelling can be achieved in three ways. The first approach
in the design of minimum dwelling is to determine the:
a. Base structures: which are generally designed by using soft techniques i.e.
soft form and use. The housing unit offers a variety of configurations and allows
change and adaptation.
Figure 2.7
Plate 2.1
Figure: 2.7 and plate 2.1 The Weissenhofsiedlung housing project by Mies van der
Rohe, the permanent and infill components the exterior view and interior view.
Source: Kirsch, 1989.
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The Weissenhofsiedlung experimental housing project (1927), designed by Mies van
der Rohe can be regarded as the first successful example of minimum dwelling (see
Figure 2.7). Van der Rohe only designed the permanent components of the building in
order to provide an indeterminate open space to be arranged by the users; the large
spans of column and beam system with perimeter walls, and the infrastructure for the
service spaces of the blocks were predetermined and built. Blocks are configured as
frame construction, which Mies van der Rohe thought to be the most appropriate form
of construction to balance the fixed needs for efficient forms of construction with the
changing needs of its occupants (Schneider & Till, 2007). In this way, he grants
freedom to users by allowing them to fill the main open space with light infill
partitions whenever they want. Thus, this project, as a base structure, can be regarded
as an example of soft form and soft use.
The second design approach in the design of minimum dwelling is called polyvalent
organization
b. Polyvalent organization. It is based on generally soft use, but hard form. In
this system, domestic units offer flexibility in usage within the permanent boundaries
of housing unit itself: the provision of rooms that were indeterminate in use
(Schneider & Till, 2007). The Hufeisensiedlung multistory apartment block designed
by Bruno Taut can be regarded as a prominent example. The Hufeisensiedlung multi-
storey apartment block provides rooms with no designated use. The architectural
layout of the units is composed of rooms that are similar in size. Taut used standard
dimensions that can be appropriate for diverse use. In order to accommodate users
with diverse lifestyles, the function of space is left indeterminate or neutral. The
structural system of this project is composed of load bearing walls. In that sense, in
terms of its form (structural system, construction technique and servicing), this project
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is more determinate than the van der Rohe‟s project. Users can decide the use of
rooms whenever they want. Thus, it can be assessed as an example of hard form and
soft use.
Figure 2.8
Plate 2.2
Figure 2.8 and plate 2.2: The Hufeisensiedlung multi-storey apartment block (1925-
1931) by Bruno Taut.
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
Finally, the third technique in the design of minimum dwelling is known as
convertible space.
c. Convertible space: It is more architect-determined. Since the main
consideration is the patterns for different uses, this approach can be regarded as
dealing with flexibility in use over time. Because of the limitations of the available
space, architects control and organize the usage of space by folding furnishing
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elements and moving/folding/sliding walls as elements of convertible spaces. The
cycle diagrams are used in planning the units in this approach in this example, both
the form and the use of space can be evaluated as hard.
Figure 2.9: The Use Cycle Studies in Montèreau Project (Rabeneck, Sheppard, &
Town, 1973.
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
Maisons Loucheur Housing project (1928-1929) by Le Corbusier can be given as one
of the most influential examples (Figure 2.9). This project is based on the idea of
adaptable floor plan with minimal (limited) space through the use of moveable and
foldable furniture and partitions. Le Corbusier had the idea of using the large living
space during the day and dividing that unified space into smaller spaces during the
night. In this project, Le Corbusier determined and designed every detail of the unit.
Thus, users could adapt and adjust their unit according to Le Corbusier‟s decisions. It
can be regarded as an example of hard form and use. In brief, minimum dwelling in
relation with modernity can be asserted as one of the important developments that
reflect a change in the concept of dwelling. It is an outcome of a new attempt in
solving the great problems of tomorrow in mass housing, dictated by collective
necessities, which put the question of plan in a new form. (Corbusier, 1960,). In order
to produce housing blocks appropriate for all, standardization that connotes universal
suitability and maximum adaptability became a key issue in the planning of minimum
dwelling
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Table 2.2: 1920s Modernity and The Minimal Dwelling
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007
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Figure 2.10: Maisons Loucheur Housing project (1928-1929) by Le Corbusier: Plan
and exterior view.
Source: Till, Wigglesworth, & Schneider, 2004-6.
In 1920s and 1930s, there were two controversial approaches to flexibility in
architectural design that belongs rather to the rhetoric of flexibility. On one hand,
there is a tendency to advocate the necessity of minimal dwellings designed in the
form of indeterminate unit plans, and on the other hand, the tendency to support more
determinate new modes of housing with technical and mechanical equipments.
Starting from 1930s, these tendencies have continued by adopting industrial solutions
to construction techniques in housing.
2.1.1.2 The Industrialization of Housing (1930s - 1960s)
Schneider and Till (2007) call the second episode in flexible housing as the industria -
lization of housing. The second period corresponds to the development of innovative
ideas in the construction techniques of minimum dwelling, and its reflections and
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further developments, while the first episode of the 1920s, Modernity and The
Minimal Dwelling dealt with the social and cultural aspects. The second part focused
on the technical and economic aspects of flexible housing. New construction
techniques and technology, served to establish a link between the first episode,
starting with the questioning of the existing housing patterns of the first period and the
third episode, the user participation in design process stage.
After World War I, the discussion on standardization, normalization, rationalization,
constructivism, functionalism brought the idea of prefabrication in housing
construction (Kirsch, 1989). According to Le Corbusier, the solution for the problems
in housing could be solved by offering standardized solutions. Le Corbusier came up
with the idea of standardization which was a result of the developments in industry.
These developments made possible standardized and comparatively perfect types of
production. They also led to a standardized solution that is universally accepted as the
proper and appropriate type of housing for all human beings. From this point of view,
the neutral skeleton system called Maison Dom-ino (1919) by Le Corbusier can be
regarded as one of the pioneering schemes for mass-produced housing constructions
.This scheme is soft in use. The frame (support) is separated from the in-fill part of the
building, in other words, the permanent/fixed part is detached from the infill/unfixed
elements added later.
In terms of its technology or form, it is hard because flexibility operates in the
Foreground. It was developed specifically to achieve flexibility.
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Table 2.3: 1930s-1960s “The Industrialization of Housing”, 1: (Till, Wigglesworth, &
Schneider, 2004-6), 2: (Schneider & Till, 2007, p. 23), 3: (Schneider & Till, 2007, p.
64), 4: (Schneider & Till, 2007, p. 69), 5: (Rabeneck, Sheppard, & Town, 1973, p.
721), 6: (Schneider & Till, 2007, p. 72)
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
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Figure 2.11: Maison Dom-ino (1919) by Le Corbusier.
Source: Till, Wigglesworth, & Schneider, 2004-6.
The process of standardization, led to the development of the modular design and
prototypes in housing. These are mostly assessed as examples of hard form because
the modular system is determinate and designed for flexibility and soft usage as the
users were given the opportunity to select what they wanted and needed. Growing
House (1932) by Otto Bartning is an example for this kind of construction (Table 2.3).
Habraken‟s Support and Infill theory is one of the important theories to design
housing blocks, which are examples of soft use. Habraken improved mass housing
quality by developing the idea of Support and Infill with the Foundation for
Architects Research (SAR) in 1964. He advocates a built-in opportunity in residential
blocks for a variety of types by making the architectural layout independent from the
structural system, which improves techniques and technology in mass production.
One of the other opportunities offered by his theory is that the users are seen as an
indispensable input in the design process, thus buildings allow users to make
adjustments in the future.
In brief, the support and infill system in the design of housing units seems to be based
on a separation of the structural system and the infill system. Users have no right to
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interfere to structural system while the infill system refers to configuration of the
detachable units according to users‟ needs and wishes. The housing projects designed
according to Support and Infill systems can be examples of both soft and hard form. It
depends on the choice of architect: Whether designing a determinate or indeterminate
project in terms of its form.
Kristalbouw project (1952) by Jan Trapman provides a base to the theory of Habraken
(Figure 2.12; Table 2.3). It is a concrete frame structure with an outer layer of
balconies, which can be accessed via inner access units or open access galleries.
Beside the permanent components, the use and design of the block is left open. Thus,
it is an example of soft form and use.
Figure 2.12: Kristalbouw study project (1952).
Source: Jan Trapm.
Kallebäck experimental housing (1960) by Erik Friberger, on the other hand, can be
regarded as an example of hard form and soft use (Till, Wigglesworth, & Schneider,
2004-6) and is an illustrative case (Figure 2.13, Table 2.3). A column and slab system
is based on an initial idea of shelves to accommodate the units. The form of the
project is hard because of the specific solutions for construction such as the
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demountable partition walls, wall cupboards and doors that are determined by
architect to make the project flexible. Users can extend their units by moving
demountable partition walls. In this way, architect allows user to participate in design
process.
Figure 2.13
Plate 2.3
Figure 2.13 and plate 2.3: Kallebäck experimental housing (1960) by Erik Friberger:
plan and exterior view.
Source: Till, Wigglesworth, & Schneider, 2004-6.
To sum up, the innovations in design techniques for achieving flexibility allows user
involvement in the design stage.
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According to Schneider and Till, a flexible housing design opens opportunities to the
user in three specific ways.
A. The first is through the ability to customize, which gives the future resident a
degree of choice over their future home.
B. The second is the potential to adapt design prior to occupation not so much as
a means of customization (which tends towards treating housing as a commodity) but
as a means of involving future tenants in a participative capacity, as well as giving
housing providers the freedom to change the housing mix.
C. The third way that flexible housing empowers the user is post-completion,
when a flexible design enables users to make adjustments on their own terms.
(Schneider & Till, 2007).
2.1.1.3 1970s: Participation and User Choice
According to Schneider and Till, 2007, the third episode in flexible housing is known
as the Participation and User Choice. Habraken‟s Support and Infill theory led to the
participation and user choice in housing design, providing an exception to what
Rabeneck, Sheppard and Town say about mass produced housing: The public sector
in mass housing response to housing design problems has been to research users
needs as a means of generalizing the condition of „invisible‟ clients of public housing
architects that leads to anthropometric studies. (Rabeneck, Sheppard, & Town, 1973).
The use of standardized components would allow adaptation over time, in terms of
replacement or addition, with minimum fuss. However, the analogy about the form
cannot be regarded as a totally soft one. Les Marelles prefabricated housing project
(1975) by Bernard Kohn and Georgers Maurios, for instance, offer prefabricated
elements from which the users can pick whatever they want to customize their houses.
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Here, all the possibilities are predetermined by the architects, and the design is an
example of hard form but soft use (Table 2.4). According to Habraken, the bad reason
for keeping flexible housing at arm‟s length was that, when participation came to the
fore, many architects resented the idea that users would make design decisions. And
many still do. Two important housing projects, Wohnanlage Genter Strasse by Otto
Steidle and Partners and Überbauung Hellmutstrasse by ADP Architektur und
planung, offer soft use and also soft form. The structural systems in these projects are
totally different from each other; the former one is a base structure, while the latter
has a polyvalent organization. Wohnanlage Genter Strasse was built in three phases in
1970s where Steidle and partners used a structural system called Elementa, which is
composed of reinforced concrete column and beam system with ceiling panels
(Schneider & Till, 2007). Users are given the opportunity to define the free open
space according to their needs and wishes.They can also customize their units by
using glazing or solid infill panels. Additionally, there are excess spaces that users can
claim over time as either outdoor space or indoor space. In brief, as a base structure,
the fixed part and the infill part are separated from each other. Thus, this project is an
example of soft form and use (Figure 2.14; Table 2.4).
Figure 2.14 Plate 2.4
Figure 2.14 and plate 2.4: Wohnanlage Genter Strasse by Otto Steidle: Plan and
Exterior view Source: Till, Wigglesworth, & Schneider, 2004-6.
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Überbauung Hellmutstrasse, on the other hand, is designed by ADP Architektur
und planung. Although there are interior load-bearing partition walls, users are given
the opportunity to make changes in the future. Additionally, the block allows multiple
arrangements to fulfill the needs of users with diverse lifestyles. Thus, these future
changes can include enlargement or reduction in the size of the units. In brief, this
project is another example of soft form and use. The architects allow user
participation in the design process and also give users the opportunity to customize
their houses (Figure; 2.15, Table 2.4)
Figure 2.15 Plate 2.5
Figure 2.15 and plate 2.5: Wohnanlage Genter Strasse by Otto Steidle, Plan and
Exterior view.
Source: Till, Wigglesworth, & Schneider, 2004-6.
Three European architects, Lucien Kroll in Brussels, and Nabeel Hamdi and Nicholas
Wilkinson in UK are also important in this framework (Habraken, 2008). N.Hamdi
and N. Wilkinson improved Habraken‟s Support and Infill theory and developed an
approach called Primary System Support Housing and Assembly Kit (PSSHAK) in
Britain (Rabeneck, Sheppard, & Town, 1973, p. 727). They tried to separate not only
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the structure from the infill but also the service spaces of the housing block. The
implemented goals of the scheme are listed as:
1. To allow tenants to choose plan layout before moving in;
2. To allow layout to be adapted to a family‟s changing needs, and to subsequent
tenants;
3. To provide longer term adaptation of the basic structure to different mixes of
dwelling sizes thus allowing for future increases in space standards and family size.
(Rabeneck, Sheppard, & Town, 1973)
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Table 2.4 1970s Participation and User Choice; 1:
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
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Table 2.4 contd.
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Table 2.4 contd.
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In this context, PSSHAK flats designed by N. Hamdi and Wilkinson and GLC in 1970
are considered as the product of a successful design process. Varieties of house types
are provided for users with diverse lifestyles and as a result of the zoning principle of
the service spaces, the users were given the opportunity to adapt and adjust their
houses according to their demands. In this example, users can implement their
individual choices within the soft infill area.
In brief, the idea of separating the elements of construction, the support and infill
systems is not only a technical solution in flexible housing design. It also empowers
the user as a participant in the design process.
Conclusion
The approaches to housing design related to flexibility in the twentieth century are
discussed under three episodes. These episodes are labeled by Schneider and Till
(2007) according to the social, technical and economic dynamics in the twentieth
century.
In the first epoch, the discussion was based on new models of housing schemes with
respect to minimal space standards. In the next epoch, the focus was shifted to
standardized construction models of houses; Le Corbusier is one of the pioneers with
his neutral skeleton system for mass produced housing along with Habraken with
Support and Infill theory. The last epoch, 1960s, introduced new themes such as
customization, future intended design through user participation in the design process.
This chapter reflects on the question how flexibility was achieved in the twentieth
century. According to Till and Schneider there were mainly two systems: soft and
hard. Accordingly, the approaches in flexible housing were based, on one hand, on
standardized solutions with an indeterminate way of design called soft systems and on
the other hand, a more advanced and complicated, determinate way of design called
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hard systems This brief presentation of the developments in flexible housing, pointed
to the changing demands such as the need for housing and limited space standards,
innovations in construction techniques and technology, and user participation in the
design stage. This investigation constitutes a broad framework to explore the methods
and strategies utilized in design of three case studies from Turkey that would be
discussed later.
2.2.0 Theoretical frame work
One of the harbingers of modernism, Bruno Taut explicitly referenced this flexibility
in his book versatile is the house (Bruno, 1920). He said; just like men, flexible yet
solid, variable and flexible plan forms for an architect and clients alike signified the
true beginning of modernism which is driven both by necessity and also by a strong
belief in the liberation these plan forms will bring to their users. The buildings as well
as the individual residential units were approached as something that could and would
change over time. In a challenge to the stability of tradition, flexibility respond to the
flux and dynamism of modernity as EL Lissitzky made clear when he wrote
convertible spaces have to be created to allow multiple uses of ways and movements.
Every form he said should be the frozen momentary image of a process. Therefore the
building is a moment of becoming and not a solidified end. The above are strong
words challenging architects to completely revise notions of their art as the
representation of stable timeless forms and instead to see building as flexible as the
time they are placed within.
2.2.1. Overview of flexibility concept
The concept flexibility refers to pliancy and adaptability .In case of a flexible building
(i.e. a product) the building will be pliant and consequently adaptable to different or
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changing situations. The term flexible is also used for the building process; in case of
a flexible designing and building process, the concept refers to a pliant and adaptable
process: during development processes (i.e. designing, building), stakeholders (future
users as well as commissioners) are being enabled to postpone decisions about
requirements or design solutions until a late moment in the development process.
The concept of flexibility of products can be considered as an answer to changing
circumstances. In describing flexibility, the first point of interest is what
circumstances are changing. In the context of housing, consumers‟ behavior is
changing and consequently, requirements for dwellings. Requirements of one single
household change over time and different types of households have different
requirements. From the point of view of one household, ( Priemus, 1969). makes a
distinction between cyclic and non-cyclic changes, and a distinction between intern
concerning one specific having a meal, studying, sleeping, can be investigated; within
a slowly changing society, predictions about behavior can be inferred, as well as the
way buildings can meet these changing requirements. Intern, non-cyclic changes are
more specific for each household, especially with respect to the specific moment a
household will change, with respect to different households, at various moments
children are born, grow up and move out. However, apart from the point of time,
rather accurate predictions can be made and consequently, buildings can be designed,
adaptable to these kinds of changes. According to (Priemus, 1969), extern, cyclic
changes are weekly or monthly returning changes in behavior, like behavior on
Sunday, at Christmas, in summer or winter; these changes are relatively known and
buildings can be designed to meet the returning requirements. However, extern, non-
cyclic behavioral changes, among others depending on technical and societal
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innovations, are rather unpredictable; as a consequence, adaptability of a building is
difficult to design beforehand.
Extern, non-cyclic changes refer to societal changes. (Dekker et al), in
describing a macro-environment of business companies, mention environmental
components influencing marketing conditions demographic, cultural, economical,
natural, technological and political-juridical factors (Dekker, 1989) have an impact
on the behavior and requirements of a household as well. These changing factors
lead to changing requirements to the building (Hofland 2005). Superficially, based
on bad predictability of behavioral changes and change of requirements, it seems
realistic that houses will be adaptable for the lifetime of a household, say 30 to 40
years. However, just as the canal houses, most buildings last for a much longer
period. Evidently, after a period of 30 to 40 years, buildings have residual value that
makes refurbishment or renovation, or just longer use, lucrative.
Roughly speaking, the technical performance of the structure has a longer useful
lifetime than its functional performance. (Brand, 1994) offers a model, relating
changes of a building to its structural composition; six shearing layers of change are
discerned. They include: site, structure, skin, services, space plan and stuff, each layer
relating to a different lifetime; the structure can perform during a period of 200 or 300
years, while the stuff (furniture and kitchen equipment), will be out of performance
within about 15 years (Brand, 1994).
In one way or another, different layers should be replaced after different time periods,
demolishment and development of new buildings being too expensive and too labor-
intensive to carry out every 15 or 20 years. (The building capacity of the construction
industry only allows replacement at a rate of 0,2 % of the housing stock per annum
(Thomsen, 2002). As Brand argues, different layers loose capacity to meet changing
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requirements after different periods of time Brand, 1994. The shorter the period of
time, the lower replacement costs should be, and, in the opposite case, layers that are
expensive like structure and façades (in terms of Brand: skin), should stay for a long
time. This means, that characteristic for a flexible building should be the pliancy of its
expensive, long term layers (like the structure). A pliant structure allows for
adaptation and replacement of short-term parts.
During its lifetime, a building should meet changing requirements;
performance of a building that stays unchanged, will diminish year after year, and
consequently, the value of the building will decrease
This will continue until the level of performance is no longer acceptable. Renovation
or refurbishment or demolishment and rebuilding should upgrade the performance
level. At the time that renovation decisions are made, the value of the building can be
described as the value after renovation (or refurbishment) reduced by the costs of
intervention (renovation or refurbishment):
2.2.2. Flexibility as defined by some authors
2.2.2.1. Priemus definition of flexibility
Priemus defines a dwelling as flexible if it has the capacity to remove the
discrepancies between living situation and a customer„s aspiration image. (Priemus,
1969). His focus is on the perspective of the user.
Different layers are also related to different responsible stakeholders
Value of a building is influenced by different factors De Jonge, et al 2005. In this
paper, the concept will not be worked out.
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Aspiration image is really attainable, to be discerned from ideal image which
is a kind of a dream [Priemus, 1969].
2.2.2.2 Schroeder definition of flexibility
Schroeder, in his description of flexibility chooses the point of view of the building:
the discrepancy between the functional and technical lifetime. Both authors, however,
come to the same solution categories in order to remove discrepancies: the user adapts
to the dwelling, the dwelling is adapted to the user, or the user moves out to another
dwelling. Schroeder adds the situation that lifetime of the fixtures and fittings equates
the functional lifetime [Schroeder1979]. Schroeder discerns the capacity of a dwelling
to adapt in the sense of flexibility (adaptation without changing building structure),
and to (Schroeder, 1979). adapt in the sense of variability (adaptation by changing
building structure) Priemus, analogously makes a difference between adaptation by
kind of use and adaptation by renovation. Schroeder explicitly adds a difference
between short term and long term adaptations. The authors have translated these
broad concepts into building characteristics like multi-functionality (if the dimensions
of a room or the technical equipment allow for different behavior, or activities
(Priemus, 1969). and enlargement facilities (if a room or a dwelling can be expanded
outside the walls. The concepts will not be worked out, except for one which shows
the influence of cultural-political circumstances, even on the conceptual framework.
Schroeder describes possibilities to split up a dwelling into two apartments, one of
which can be sublet for some time. In The Netherlands tenants have the right not to
move out, even if the owner needs the dwelling for his own use or if he wants to sell
the house. Therefore, Dutch owners would not be inclined to let part of their house. In
the Netherlands, this kind of flexibility is not useful, and not found in literature. It
turns out that political circumstances contribute to the content of the concept
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flexibility. Although Schroeder mentions discrepancies between the paces of
decreasing functional performance in relation to the structural performance, he
focuses on cyclic household changes.
2.2.2.3. Boerman A.O definition of flexibility.
Another framework, from Boerman A.O., focuses on cyclic changes too. (Boerman et
al, 1992). These authors distinguish non-structural and structural interventions (with
or without the help of professionals) and scale levels of the object being changeable:
furnishing of rooms, walls of room, interior lay-out and lay-out of the building. The
authors elaborate all possible combinations. The more professional intervention is
needed to adapt a dwelling, and the higher the scale level (room, dwelling, residential
building), the less pliant (flexible) a dwelling is.
2.2.2.4. Dittert definition of flexibility.
Dittert, in describing flexibility as adaptability of the system, discerns functional,
expansion and structure flexibility, comparable to the concepts of Priemus and
Schroeder. However, Dittert adds the concept of flexibility as diversity in the stock:
supply flexibility, variability within the stock of dwellings at a certain moment, in
order to meet requirements of various household types [ Ditter et al ,1982].
2.2.2.5. Van Eldonk and Fassbinder definition of flexibility
Van Eldonk and Fassbinder, apart from functional (without professional
intervention) and spatial flexibility (based on professional intervention), mention
character flexibility, pointing to possible changes in façade or dwelling identity
aspects of architectural quality [Eldonk et al, 1990.]
2.2.2.6. Geraedts definition of flexibility
Geraedts, in developing a tool to assess the extent of flexibility of buildings, makes a
difference between space flexibility and technological flexibility. According to
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Geraedts, the rate of technological flexibility (concerning building technology as well
as installation technology) defines the boundaries of space flexibility. He takes into
account residential as well as real estate buildings. (Companies often are confronted
with expansion and shrinking, and required repulsion of parts of a building) [Geraedts
et al,1996 ].
Within the framework of Open Building, scale levels have been related to levels of
participation with regard to different stakeholders in building processes. There is a
congruency between the level of flexibility and the degree of participation for
different stakeholders. At the level of a room in an apartment, tenants have a right to
decide about the furniture; at this level, flexibility is high. At the level of the
apartment, (future) tenants should be allowed to participate in the process of deciding
on the floor plan. The structure should have the capacity to permit different floor
plans, but in itself the structure is much less flexible. (This is an example that applies
to all plan levels) [Habraken, 1961]. In the Open Building theory, flexibility is
conditional for participation, and conditional for accommodating unknown future
changes [Cuperus et al,2003 ]. Technically, the system has been worked out to a high
level.
2.2.2.7. Hofland in his study on flexibility [Hofland, 2005 ], aims at sustainability
for a long period (200 years); based on the work of Dekker and Szerkowski, he
discerns different societal changes (demographic, socio – cultural, economic,
political- juridical, natural and technological ones) [Dekker et al , 1989 ]. On different
levels, from dwelling up to building, neighborhood, and so on, societal changes have
influence. Participation in decision making follows the same levels, according to the
OBOM model (Cuperus, 2003). Hofland has worked out implications of the
changing environmental state with respect to changing requirements. The
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requirements are related to different types of flexibility. The result is a list of 13 types
of flexibility that could be used as checklist to measure the extent of flexibility of a
design. Fig. 2.16 shows the list [Hofland ,2005].
Figure 2.16: Types of flexibility according to Hofland
Source Flexible housing By Schneider & Till (2007).
From all definitions and models of flexibility, it can be concluded that flexibility is a
complex concept of which the problems have not yet been solved. Problems have not
been solved in a theoretical sense: different definitions and models all have their
value, and they have not been solved in a practical sense: flexibility makes high
demands on a building plan, and consequently the investments are considerable.
In the next part, two complex examples are presented. The first is a building, under
construction now; the design is aimed at flexibility to a high degree. The other
example is a design for renovation of an old warehouse.
2.2.3. Flexibility as defined by some renowned architects
2.2.3.1 Gerrit Rietveld
Inside the living room of De Stijl architect Gerrit Rietveld‟s 1924 Schroder House is a
changeable open zone, which can be subdivided by sliding or revolving partitions.
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The concept of movable partitions, inspired by the sliding Shoji screens and doors of
traditional Japanese architecture, is an idea employed by both early-modern and
contemporary architects to achieve flexibility. This method became particularly
popular in the Industrial Age as advancements in engineering technology minimized
the need for structural elements in building interiors and allowed for larger open
spaces. (See Figure 2.17)
Plate 2.6: showing Schroder House in Utrecht, Netherlands, by Gerrit Rietveld, and
Yoshijima House in Takayama, Japan.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 1: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008
2.2.3.2 Louis Kahn (The Served and the Servant Spaces)
Louis Kahn‟s served and the Servant Spaces in the 1960s was built on Mies‟
Universal Space but it also acknowledged the secondary back-of-house function as an
integrated but independent part of the whole. In Louis Kahn‟s design of the Richards
Medical Research Laboratories Building, he located the circulation and utility shafts
(Servant Space), to vertical and subtly connected entities at the periphery of the
laboratories (Served Space), thereby providing flexibility to the spatial layout in a
minimally interrupted plan. (See plate 2.7 and figure 2.17 below)
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Plate 2.7: Richards Medical Research Laboratories Building in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, by Louis Kahn.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 1: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008.
Figure 2.17: Diagrammatic illustrations of The Served and the Servant Spaces in
Richards Medical Research Laboratories Building.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 1: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008.
2.2.3.3 Mies van der Rohe (Universal space )
In the 1940s, Mies van der Rohe investigated flexibility through his concept of
Universal Space a generalized interior space, with evenly distributed artificial and
natural lighting and minimal structural elements, as illustrated in his design of the
Illinois Institute of Technology. (See plate 2.8) He also suggested reorganization of
the space via movable partitions, to accommodate the different programs of the
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institute. (See Figure 2.18)
Plate 2.8: Illinois Institute of Technology in Illinois, Chicago, by Mies van der Rohe.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 1: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008.
Figure 2.18: showing - Diagrammatic illustrations of the Universal Space.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 1: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008
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Plate 2.9: showing Mies van der Rohe‟s Farnsworth House.
Mies van der Rohe‟s Farnsworth House is without doubt the most influential today. It
embodies two especially pertinent ideas that support flexibility. Its standardized
industrial components suggest a demountable and reusable kit-of-parts architecture
which, sixty years since, is the concept behind today‟s explosive proliferation of
prefabricated modular and recyclable housing solutions. The Farnsworth House is
spatially adaptable as well. Its open plan reflects Mies‟s ideal of timeless universal
space, the usefulness of which might outlive ephemeral functional assignments. From
the wheelchair of his later years, Mies would have appreciated a further merit of
this open plan; its lack of physical barriers. Such a house has the potential to remain
useful to an occupant whose own physical condition changes. Mies raised the
Farnsworth House several feet off the ground to protect it from the flooding of an
adjacent river, abandoning an on-grade alternative scheme might have made it truly
accessible. (Build for flexibility)
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2.2.3.4 Peter Einsenman (Blurred Zone)
In the 1980s and 1990s, Peter Eisenman experimented with another form of flexible
architecture. Adapting Jacques Derrida‟s notion of an arbitrary text, Eisenman
formulated a Blurred Zone through randomly dislocating the conventional
architectural texts of function, site, program, and tectonics, ultimately creating a space
that is not finalized but rather in the state of constant change, and hence
metaphysically flexible. (See plate 2.10 and figure 2.19) However, in reality, the
introduction of an arbitrary text and the resulting sculpturally abstract and
intentionally chaotic architectural elements merely produces a frozen image of a
space/program overlap, rather than initiating true functional flexibility. Frank O.
Gehry‟s design of the Stata Center in Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while
exuding the feeling of flexibility via its intersecting forms, in reality is a static
allocation of programs in a rigid space. However, the range of space types in the plan
may, if the circulation serves them well, allow for flexibility through variety. This is
like the Furness Building at the University of Pennsylvania which, one hundred years
after being built, allowed for the introduction of computer library system through its
diversity of spaces
Plate 2.10: 3D model design for City of Culture of Galicia in Spain, by Peter
Eisenman, and Deconstructive architecture, the Danish Jewish museum in
Copenhagen, Denmark by Daniel Libeskind, built in 2004.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 1: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008
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Figure 2.19: showing Diagrammatic illustrations of the Deconstructivist Blurred Zone
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 1: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008
2.2.3.5 Robert Venturi And Scott Brown (Wiggle Room and Shifting Space)
The wiggle room in Venturi and Scott Brown‟s mitten spatial layout derives from
unspecialized forms of generic spaces, central concentration of core and access, modu
-larity and regularity of architectural elements, generosity in space provided both in
height and plan, and evenness of lighting. (See Figure 2.20) Such wiggle room allows
for initial flexibility in the layouts of the building‟s first users, and anticipates future
growth of programs and recombination of spatial layout between occupancies. In add-
ition to these flexibilities, this paper identifies a particular type of subsequent flexi-
bility emergent in contemporary architecture, which begins to engage another reading
of wiggle room one that allows for a shifting between programs during occupancies.
(See Figure 2.21)
Figure 2.20: showing Diagrammatic illustrations of Venturi and Scott Brown‟s
generic building and flexible spatial configurations.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 2: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008.
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Figure 2.21: showing Diagrammatic illustrations of wiggle room as Shifting Spaces
in-between programs.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 2: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008.
Smart space, a small residential unit designed by New York based architecture firm
AvroKO, is an example of how spaces can be shared by overlapping programs,
allowing their uses to shift during occupancy, thereby maximizing the use of limited
space. For example, the division between the kitchen and the guest bedroom shifts to
allocate the space between them to whichever function is primary, depending on the
time of the day. (See plate 2.11 and Figure 2.22) In this way, the simplistic moveable
partitions and furniture, which vaguely alter areas through occasional rearrangements,
can be taken to the next level.
Plate 2.11: showing the adjustable kitchen and the collapsible guest bedroom of smart
space in New York, by AvroKO, built in 2005.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 2: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008.
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Figure 2.22 showing Diagrammatic illustrations of the adjustable kitchen and the
collapsible guest bedroom of smart spaces.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 2: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008.
Shifting spaces may not even require movable elements. Lynch argued that spatial
flexibility can be achieved if the pattern (of programs) is arranged so that each use
most liable to grow has, in at least one direction, a substantial low intensity buffer
zone between it and the next important activity, hence allowing the programs to
expand and contract without running over other uses. Shifting spaces takes this idea
further, by assigning a generic function, which is a common denominator of
surrounding programs, to the suggested low intensity interstitial buffer. The sharing of
common functions in the interstitial space will not only maximize usage of the area,
but also smooth the transition of programs, increasing efficiency and effectiveness of
spatial flexibility.
One such example is the lobby of the W hotel in Times Square, which locates two
specific programs in one open space, a welcome-desk and a bar with a generic sitting
space in-between the two. During the daytime, this interstitial space belongs to the
welcome-desk as the function of check-in/check-out becomes more dominant, while
in the evening, the sitting area appropriately caters to the bar. Similar spatial
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configurations can also be seen in older, small European boutique hotels, where the
lobby functions as a tea-room in the afternoon when the function of check-in/check-
out diminishes. The spatial layout and program allocation thus allow the designed
space to house multiple programs and shift its function accordingly. This idea can also
be expanded to larger-scale applications. A generic parking lot can be strategically
placed within convenient proximities to both a baseball stadium and a corporate office
zone. This allows the parking lot to be shared by the two programs with different peak
hours during the day and the week, and prevents the inefficiency and redundancy of
having two separate parking lots.
Plate 2.12: showing the sitting space between the welcome desk and the bar in the
lobby of the W hotel in Times Square, New York, by Yabu Pushelberg, built in 2001.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 2; Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008.
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Figure 2.23: showing a spatial diagram of the lobby.
Source: Shifting Paradigms Part 2: Renovating the Decorated Shed, May 15, 2008.
2.2.4 Strategies for achieving flexibility
The first method of achieving flexibility within a modernist minimal dwelling is:
Through the notion that flexibility could be achieved through the provision of
rooms that were indeterminate in use rather than prescribing certain uses to specific
rooms as happened in the bourgeois dwelling. (Schneider and Till,2007, p: 19) These
plans allow the user to decide how their homes were to be occupied.
The second method of achieving flexibility within a modernist minimal
dwelling is much more architect determined. Here, the word flexibility is taken at face
value, with architectural elements folding and unfolding in response to differing needs
within the same space. It is with this approach that accords with Breuer‟s call for
buildings of which every part can be altered. Foldable furniture initially designed for
sleeping cabins on trains and on ships was incorporated on the dwelling in an example
of technology transfer typical of that period. Different functions were superimposed
and what was a living room during the day would become through mechanical
changeability a bedroom at night. Le Corbusier produced a series of design based on
night/day scenarios. Notably maisons Loucheur and in 1931, Carl Figer showed a
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similar concept for a small apartment at a building exhibition in Berlin. Both
proposals demonstrated through the use of sliding walls and movable furniture, the
capability of an apartment to offer plenty of space despite restrictions in the actual
size. Bruno Taut suggest also that such mechanism could be applied to mass housing
in which the apartment is always a box with single living space. Partition walls
movable so that the interior can easily adapt to every wish. The reality was that vast
majority of experiments into moving wall; folding furniture and mechanical
changeability were for the one-off house. Thus Eric Mendelson‟s extra ordinary
Drehbuhne or changing stage, a rotating and compartmented device that transforms
the living room into three different sets may be just about suitable for its proposed
use in a 1923 Berlin villa but is difficult to see its principles being carried out into
mass housing. See figure: 2.24. Attached to the living room of the two of the four
houses was a „Drehbuhne‟ or revolving stage. This was done in an attempt to vary the
function of a room by rotating -in a set dining room table, a piano or an additional
seating area.
Figure 2.24: 4- single detached houses in Zealand, Richard Neutra Eric mendelson,
1923.
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
The problem lies in the specificity of the solution with the modernist architect
determining or rather, over determining the way spaces are used the most famous
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house of all, the Schroder Huis in Utrechr designed by Gerrit Rietveld in close
collaboration with the client is an intense response to the specific needs of the client.
The complex sliding walls and folding screens have been fetishes by architects ever
since largely ignoring the fact that they become redundant without the original client
and her intimate knowledge on how to use the building through its daily cycles. The
Schroder Huis has promoted the myth of flexibility to architects fascinated by the
mechanism of objects over and above their social relevance or practicality.
Rietveld, Taut and Mendelson were typical of architects who took an interest in
flexibility as a response to the new demands of housing provision. Most famously
Ludwig mies Vander Rohe argued that buildings that buildings should last longer than
he function for which they were initially designed. He saw flexibility as one of the
most important concepts of architecture, and frame construction as the most
appropriate form of construction to balance the fixed need for efficient form of
construction with the changing needs of its occupants (kirsch, 1987).
Other different patterns of achieving flexibility can be examined under four main
themes:
1) The structural system: the location of load bearing walls and the columns,
2) The position of service spaces: the access system and the organization of wet
spaces,
3) The architectural layout of the residential blocks in terms of the variety of unit
types and the spatial organization of types, and
4) Furnishing for flexible use: the use of furniture to separate different functional
spaces or the use of folding furniture to allow different configurations for day and
night Before proceeding with their explanations, it is good to note that these related
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strategies, however, can be applied in different ways in the design of flexible housing
according to soft and hard analogies proposed by Schneider and Till, (2007).
2.2.4.1 Soft and Hard Analogy
The soft and hard analogy that Schneider and Till introduce, refers to two different
ways of flexible housing design. For Till and Schneider, soft refers to tactics which
allow a certain indeterminacy, whereas hard refers to elements that more specifically
determine the way that the design may be used (Till & Schneider, 2005). The related
techniques can be distinguished by analyzing form (or technology), and use of a
housing project. Here, use is related to the architectural layout of housing. The form,
on the other hand, comprises the construction techniques, structural system and
servicing of the housing projects, and deals with how they affect the degree of
flexibility in housing projects. These two categories use and form, can be either soft
or hard. These techniques, soft and hard use, soft and hard form, are briefly discussed
according to Schneider and Till‟s point of view .The projects, which are examples of
soft use, allow users to make changes or adaptations according to their needs and
wishes in time. Architect works in the background. One of the common features of
that kind of projects is stated as the provision of more space; this technique is based
on a relaxed and indeterminate approach. The others, which are examples of hard use,
on the other hand, are more architect based ones where architects work in the
foreground and determine the possible changes or adaptation for users over time. The
common features of that kind of projects can be listed as being preferable to use in the
premium space, the preferable use of the folding/movable elements, and the
production of highly specific nature of the configurations.
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2.2.4.2. Structural System
The structural system, as being one of the fixed and permanent parts of the building,
is important in determining whether the architectural layout will be flexible or not.
The flexibility of residential buildings is related to their permanent components and
the variable ones. Projecting future scenarios during the design process makes
buildings to be adaptable and changeable according to ever changing wishes and
demands of the users. For instance, correct decisions about the frequency of the
structural elements and the usage of load bearing walls, can allow changes to be made
in future. In that sense, there are two main structural methods to attain flexibility:
1. Base structures and
2. Polyvalent organizations.
Base structures refer to a structural system that allows a layout that is not fixed in
functional sense, however vague and left as generic space. It is mostly composed of
columns and beams.
Polyvalent organization is based on designing vague rooms or cells that are
appropriate for any function (Schneider & Till, Flexible Housing, 2007) (Table 2.5).
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Table 2.5: the structural systems for flexible housing: base structures and
polyvalent organizations.
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
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Base structures also called as indeterminate buildings with a provision of open space,
is a way of design with a limited number of permanent elements. There are some
exceptions in base structures such as open buildings according to Habraken N. J.,
1972) or SAR (Foundation for Architects Research) .If the architect develops the form
of the building i.e. structural system, construction technique and servicing specifically
to achieve flexibility, then the project is an example of a hard form. E.g. Kallebäck
experimental housing, 1960 by Erik Friberger. Faced to the vitality and diversity of
potential occupancy, the reaction is to provide a frame and within it empty generic
space that can be filled in and adapted over time. The architects may intentionally
leave the rest as a generic space for the users to fill in according to their needs and
demands, as incomplete and indeterminate. Therefore, this approach can be regarded
as generally accommodating soft form (table 2.5).
As opposed to an indeterminate space idea of base structures, the space in polyvalent
organizations is generally divided into permanent modules with standardized
dimensions, appropriate for diverse functions. Hertzberger is one of the pioneers of
this kind of approach that is discussed in the later. In this approach, the sizes of the
modules are standard and fixed in form, but it is possible to join two or more modules
together or to divide a module into smaller modules. Hence, this approach is generally
evaluated as accommodating hard form. There are also some exceptions in polyvalent
organizations, if the form of the building (structural system, construction technique
and servicing) is indeterminate, then the project is an example of a soft form.
E.g.Überbauung Hellmutstrasse, by ADP Architektur und Planung, 1991,
Switzerland.
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Hertzberger asserts that the only constructive approach to a situation that is subject to
change is a form that starts out this changefulness as a permanent that is, essentially a
static given factor, a form which is polyvalent. In that sense, polyvalent type of
housing design is considered as more determinate than the open space idea of the base
Structures. However, the usage of these polyvalent forms is determined by the users,
and thus, can be regarded as soft in use likewise the former. The benefits of
polyvalent organizations, in comparison to the former one, are stated by Schneider
and Till as Rather than the provision of open space, it starts with a cellular structure.
Flexibility over time is provided in two ways:
First, the rooms are indeterminate in their function.
Secondly, the divisions are laid out and structured so as to allow them to be connected
together in a variety of configurations. The structural system, in some cases, can
accommodate these two structural techniques together (as explained above). In brief,
both of the organizations related to the choice of structure are to be among the main
concerns of the architects who want to achieve flexibility at a very early stage of the
design process.
2.2.4.3. Service Spaces
The position of the service spaces and service cores can be regarded as a determinant
for the configuration of the main spaces. Service units can be a part of the structural
system, or they are designed separately. They comprise access units in the scale of
both building and unit, and the infrastructure that determine the location of wet
spaces. Schneider and Till emphasize the importance of the position of service spaces
in the design of housing:
1) The strategic placing of service cores to allow kitchen and bathrooms to be placed
within specific zones but not to be permanently fixed.
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2) The ability to access services so that they can be updated at a later date.
3) The distribution of services across the floor plate so that they can be accessed for in
any plan arrangement. Access to the service elements is another prominent concern in
making the building capable for alterations for a variety of unit types and giving the
opportunity to make adaptations and adjustments in the future. One of the practical
ways in this sense is to collect all the services in a single zone so that the main space
can be undisturbed as generic space, freedom in internal layout. The service spaces
can be placed on areas of the facades or in the middle of the building. On the other
hand, they can also be located in two or more locations on the same floor (see Figure
2.25).
Figure 2.25: the possible configurations of the service spaces in architectural layout
Source: Schneider & Till ,2007.
The type of access units too determines the layout of a building. Schneider (2003)
emphasizes the importance of the position and type of access units as a typology of
housing structures can be prepared by classifying them according to the access
branches onto which the associated apartment groups are tied in and the position of
these branches in the building. She offers a typology of access units as vertical and
horizontal, open and closed systems. The main access unit of the building can be
external or internal.
The vertical access units are configured as service cores with staircases providing
vertical access to the housing units around it. They can be either a freestanding core
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attached to the building or located within the building itself (see Figure 2.26).
Figure 2.26: Vertical Access Unit either as a Freestanding Unit or as Integrated to the
Building .
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
The horizontal access units, on the other hand, serve to connect the vertical access
units and the housing units. They are located inside the building as a closed system or
attached as an open gallery type of access system (see Figure 2.27)
Figure 2.27: schematic drawing of horizontal access units in multi storey buildings.
Source: Schneider F., 2003.
In brief, together with the structure, the position of service spaces as being fixed
elements, affect the degree of flexibility in housing design. In multi residential
housing, besides minor changes such as adding balconies or other open air spaces, the
facade is generally “fixed” too. In that respect, the main indeterminate space outside
the service zone provides freedom to apply alternative methods of creating flexible
housing that allows practically useful alterations in its architectural layout.
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2.2.4.4. Architectural Layout
The configuration of the permanent components reflects the degree of flexibility in
housing. Flexibility of architectural layout depends on the configuration of the
permanent components of the buildings. This investigation on the architectural layout
of flexible housing focuses on two scales:
Building scale and
Unit scale.
Firstly, in building scale, the alternative configurations of different types of units on
each floor are investigated. Units are composed of permanent components such as
service spaces, wet spaces (kitchen and bathrooms) and structural elements, and
besides, the main space is composed of living spaces and rooms.
Secondly, in unit scale, the spatial organization of different functions in units is
explored. The aim is to discuss the limitations and possibilities of the permanent
components on the design of architectural layout.
The first controversies over flexibility was whether flexibility was better achieved by
making the work of architecture incomplete and unfinished in certain respects, leaving
it to the future to decide, or whether the architect should design a building that was
complete, though nonetheless flexible. (Forty, 2000).
This can be regarded as the main contradiction on flexible housing:
Either an indeterminate (incomplete) project that architect gives the floor to
the users, or
A determinate one that the architects determine the architectural layout in a
way that the users do not need to make any physical changes: soft or hard use .In this
respect, the configuration of main space is also important in creating flexible
housing. It is examined under two subtitles:
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a. the types of units, and the
b. Spatial organization of the units.
a. Types of Units
As the study investigates also the concepts of typological variety and adaptability, the
ability to offer alternative configurations in housing types becomes an important issue
in creating flexible housing. The possibility of proposing different arrangements in
unit types is related to the two stage of flexible use: initial and permanent flexibility.
Before occupation, the residential block should offer a variety of choices to users
(Figure 2.28) and, second, during the post occupancy period, the housing units should
Figure 2.28: Siedlung Hegianwandweg Multi Storey Apartment House Project by
EM2NArchitekten, 2003, Switzerland.
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
allow users to make changes according to their wishes and demands. From this point
of view, it can be stated that one of the major problems of the conventional housing
projects is their limitations to allow changes or adaptations over time, or in other
words, their inappropriateness for future scenarios. In relation to this issue, Paricio
stated that diversity of housing supply is one response, but it is not the one which the
market has chosen. Developers all underline what is, apparently, the largest segment
of the market: the conventional family the conventional option.
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The other possibility is a house which can accommodate diversity which is capable of
adapting to the needs of the user before or after the purchase.
Table 2.6: Architectural Layouts that are Appropriate for Flexible Housing.
Source: Schneider & Till ,2007.
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As Forty states, accommodating diversity of unit types is one of the important
characteristics of flexible housing: [the incorporation of flexibility into the design
allowed architects the illusion of projecting their control over the building into the
future, beyond the period of their actual responsibility for it [post occupancy phase] .
b. Spatial Organization
The spaces, as mentioned before, can be designed in either a complete, determinate
way, or incomplete, indeterminate way. Indeterminate space is called raw space by
Schneider and Till. This can be used for both the base structures and the polyvalent
organizations. Raw spaces are spaces that are not fully formed (cooked) and their
eventual spatial form is a shared production of designer and the user 2007.
In flexible housing, the architectural layout of the units can include slack spaces
which are described by Schneider and Till as follows: the designer intentionally
provides spaces for appropriation but does not determine their exact use or
configuration.
The elements used as separators or partitions become important for the spatial
organization of the units. These elements determine the relation between the spaces.
The relation between the spaces can be provided by sliding/moving/ folding walls, as
furnishing elements, which are discussed under the title of furnishing for flexible use.
These separation and partition elements can be considered as an opportunity for users
(Table 2.6).
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2.2.4.5. Furnishing for Flexible Use
The issue of furnishing in the context of flexible housing is not limited with
movable/folding/sliding walls or foldable furnishing. In the housing scale, a unit itself
can be considered as an indeterminate space, which is called house as furnishing
(Table 2.7). By the same token, in the scale of unit itself, rooms can be considered as
indeterminate spaces and they can be treated as furniture: Room as Furniture (Table
2.7). However, furnishing within this context was not deeply discussed in this study.
Rabeneck, Sheppard and Town state, architects interested in flexible housing often
take it upon themselves to invent systems of furniture or detachable units tailored to
their conception of flexibility. Furniture can serve as a separator or a compact unit
that accommodates functions as well. For instance, the project (1990) designed for
Habitatge i Ciuttat competition, by Iňaki Abalos and Juan Herreros in Spain, is based
on different configurations that are created by movable furniture. The floors, ceiling,
and columns on the periphery are fixed components of the block and the interior
configuration of the units is determined by users by moving the furniture that serves
as a separator as well (Table 2.7).
Furnishing for flexible use, in other words, can be achieved by using furniture as a
surface or as a functional unit. They can be used as a stable or movable/foldable
element in the house (Table 2.7). The use of movable/foldable furniture, such as a
kitchen or a bed utility, is to transform space during day and night according to the
needs and demands of the users. That kind of foldable furniture is preferred in
minimal dwellings. On the other hand, furniture can be used as a functional unit that
can make rooms appropriate for different functions during night and day.
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Table 2.7: Furnishing for Flexible Usage.
Source: Schneider & Till,2007.
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2.2.5 Examples of flexible buildings
The new building Multifunk is checked on flexibility. The project contains
various dwelling types at several price levels, for rentals as well as for owner-
occupied properties. In one building block also commercial accommodation is
located. A basement, stretched underneath the major part of the complex, provides
parking space for cars and bikes. Fig. 2.29 shows the building.
Figure 2.29: The Multifunk building (floor-plan of part A)
Source: Schneider & Till,2007.
A change of floor plan is possible to some extent; inside walls can be removed, but
kitchen equipment is fixed at the moment of completion. With respect to
modernization flexibility, pipe and wiring systems are oversized, and after completion
yet partly out of use. Different heat sources can be installed. With respect to its
capacity for expansion, the extra load bearing capacity of the structure and a staircase
provision in the concrete roof structure allow the owner-occupied houses to be
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expanded with a third floor. Except from financial flexibility, Hofland has checked all
13 types of flexibility in this project. All criteria have been met, at least to some
extent. While detailed cost data were not available, it is unknown if the investments
will turn out to be profitable in the long run.
The other example is an old canal house from the 17th
century; many times, it
has been renovated (see fig.2.30). The building consists of two ware houses, the left
one being renovated (1890) into a fire station, the right one into a school.
Afterwards, both buildings contained a police office (1926-1980). Since 1980, part of
the buildings has been renovated, and used as apartments, another part functioned as
T.V studio. The most recent renovation (10 new owner-occupied apartments in a part
of the building) has taken place in 2001.
Figure 2.30: The warehouse (CASA architects).
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
To meet contemporary requirements during a period of 50 years, far-reaching
interventions have been made. For security, foundation has been renewed, further,
new staircases have been built, rooms are 4 m in height, acoustic isolation between
apartments by box-in-box-system has been constructed, and every apartment has
outdoor space. The quality of the building is high, and so are the costs (ƒ 285.000,
excl5). Apparently, the selling price (ƒ 525,000 – ƒ 950,000) is conform market value.
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It is plausible, that not every building should be renovated against that price; some
characteristics of the building made renovation worthwhile.
Can we confirm that this ware house from the beginning has been a flexible building,
as pretended in the introduction? Comparison with a new building at a comparable
location would give an answer. At any rate, some characteristics turn out to be
worthwhile: the socio – cultural or historical value (character flexibility, according to
Hofland), the opportunity to (re)build spacious rooms (neutral for furnishing,
possibility for change of floor plan, capacity for isolation between apartments
(modernization capacity), room for outdoor space (possibility for change of floor
plan). However, the costs of renovation are high, despite this original aspects of
flexibility
Conclusion
This chapter introduces a conceptual framework. Three concepts, flexibility,
adaptability, and typological variety, are discussed in the context of housing.
The characteristics of flexible housing and the methods to achieve it are evaluated
with reference to the concepts of soft and hard use and form. Soft refers to an
indeterminate way of design that offers endless solutions, while hard systems, to a
more determinate way of design.
Four themes are determined in order to evaluate and discuss whether a project is
flexible or not: structural system, service spaces, architectural layout, and furnishing
for flexible use.
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2.2.0 REFERENCES
Forty, A. (2000). Words and Buildings: A Vocabulary of Modern
Architecture. New York, United States Of America: Thames & Hudson Inc.
Galfetti, G. G. (2003). Introduction Pisos Piloto in B. Leupen, & J. Leupen,
Dwelling: Architecture and Modernity (pp. 87-102). Delft: Tu Delft: Faculteit
Bouwkunde.
Groák, S. (1992). The Idea of Building: Thought and Action in the Design and
Production of Buildings. London: E & FN Spon:
Habraken, N. J. (2008). Design for Flexibility. Building Research &
Information. (pp. 290-296.)
Habraken, N. J. (1972). Supports: An alternative to mass housing. (B.
Valkenburg, Trans.) London, England: Architectural Press.
Hertzberger, H. (1991). Lessons for Students in Architecture. I. Rike, Trans
Rotterdam, The Netherlands: 010 Publishers
Leupen, B. (2003). De Veranderbare Woning. In B. Leupen, & J.
Leupen,Dwelling Architecture And Modernity (pp. 105-137). Delft: Faculteit
Bouwkunde, Technische Universiteit Delft.
Maccreanor, G. (1998). Adaptability. A+T Magazine , (pp. 40-45).
Paricio, I. (2003). Objectives for New Dwelling. In B. Leupen, & J. Leupen,
Dwelling: Architecture and Modernity (pp. 73-86). Delft: Tu Delft: Fakulteit
Bouwkunde.
Rabeneck, A., Sheppard, D., & Town, P. (1973). Housing Flexibility?
Architectural Design , (pp.698-727).
Schneider, T. & Till, J. (2007). Flexible Housing. Oxford, United Kingdom:
Architectural Press.
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Schneider, T. & Till, J. (2005). Flexible Housing: Opportunities and Limits.
Arq. , (PP. 157-166).
Venturi, R. & Brown, S. (2004). Architecture as Signs and Systems:
Architecture as Patterns and Systems, Belknap Press of Harvard University
Press
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2.30. CASE STUDIES
CASE STUDY 1
DIAGOON HOUSES BEETHOVENLAAN, DELFT NETHERLANDS
Project: Diagoon Houses
Architect: Architectuurstudio Herman Hertzberger
Location: 62 Beethovenlaan, Delft Netherlands
Date/Type of construction: 1971/ soft form
Work Type: New Built
Type of Building: 2-3 storey-Terrace Building -8 –units‟ number
Project Information: Diagoon Houses are not just neutral buildings that offer an
infinite number of options. They provide a framework and give indications as to the
possibilities of spatial arrangement. There is a tension here between architectural
intent and user control
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Figure 2.31:Floor plan Diagoon Houses
plate 2.13: Eevation of Diagoon House
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
Design principle: The principle behind these houses is based on the idea of the
incomplete building, meaning that a basic frame leaves space for the personalized
interpretation of the user in terms of number of rooms, positioning and functional
uses. The houses are designed to provide alternative to how dwellings are typically
conceived, handing over the power of design to the occupant. The occupants
themselves are able to decide how to divide the space and live in it, where they will
sleep and where to eat. If the composition of the family changes, the house can be
adjusted and to a certain extent enlarged.
Architects view: Hertzberger calls the structural skeleton used in this design a half-
product, something that everyone can complete according to his own needs and
desires. There are two fixed cores, one contains the staircase and the other one kitchen
and bathroom on different levels, with several half-storey levels attached. Indicating
the inherent possibilities of the house, Hertzberger illustrates the opportunities for the
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spaces through diagrams. A typical plan shows the building sectioned into 4 planes.
The first one can contain the entrance to the house, a workroom, storage and a smaller
or larger garage. Moving up a half storey, the kitchen is the focus point but leaves the
space around it for interpretation: where and how big a dining room is, whether to
have one altogether, how the living room constitutes itself and how the relationship to
a balcony is made use of. Another half storey up, one entire floor above the entrance
level, more private rooms can be created. The fourth level is grouped around a
bathroom around which space can be divided into individual bedrooms or be left
open. The principle of incompleteness, also expressed in the relatively raw
appearance of the block work that is used as infill material of the skeleton, is
continued on the outside of the buildings in the exterior spaces: is there a fence, or
not, how can the small space underneath the terrace be used, what to do with the roof
terrace or the tiny yard next to the entrance? Over time these slack spaces have been
appropriated.
Figure2.32: perspective view, section and interior perspective of Diagoon House.
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
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Case study2
WOHNZEILE, WEISSENHOFSIEDLUNG STUTTGART GERMANY
Plate 2.14: Aerial view site plan and elevation of wohnzeile, weissenhofsiedlung
Source: Schneider and & Till, 2007.
Project: Wohnzeile, Weissenhofsiedlung
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Architect: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Location: Am Weißenhof 14 - 20, Stuttgart Germany
Date/Type of construction: 1927/ soft form
Work Type: New Built
Type of Building: 4- storey tenement / apart. House [detached] Number of Units:24
In Mies van der Rohe's apartment block for the Weissenhofsiedlung, the initial floor
plans are completely open plan apart from one or two internal structural columns. To
one side of the stairs is a smaller apartment of 45m² or and to the other side a larger
one of 72m². Bathrooms and kitchens are pushed against the party wall and stair
enclosure. Four identical of these units, staircase plus small and large apartment, are
set repetitively next to each other (Haus 1, Haus 2, Haus 3 and Haus 4) into one long
Zeile or row. The combination of open plan spaces and services arranged around a
core is similar to the flexible principles of the speculative office block, where generic
space is provided for the client to fit out as they wish.Van der Rohe then called on
others to finish these raw spaces with internal partition walls, demonstrating both the
ideological basis and the real practicality of his approach to flexibility.The large
apartment on the ground floor of Haus 1, designed by Lilly Reich, features two living
rooms, one bedroom, a kitchen and one bathroom. On the first floor of Haus 3, the
Austrian architect Franz Schuster planned a apartment for a childless couple: one
bedroom, living room, a large kitchen and a bathroom. On the second floor of Haus 4,
the Schweizer Werkbundkollektiv proposed a bachelor apartment with a room for a
piano and a small study separated from that room by a moveable partition wall. Next
door, the larger apartment is fitted out by the same architects to accommodate two
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bedrooms (one with a double bed and the other one with two single beds), a small
dining / living room and a study. Other architects engaged in Mies van der Rohe's
project included Adolf Meyer, Rudolf Frank, Richard Lisker, Arthur Korn, Brüder
Rasch, and Adolf Schneck.
Plate 2.15: Some interior views of Wohnzeile, Weissenhofsiedlun.
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
Case study3
EXTENDIBLE HOUSES CAMEROON
Project: extendible houses Cameroon
Architect: J.H. van den Broek, J.B. Bakema
Location: Cameroon
Date/Type of construction: 193/ soft form
Work Type: New Built
Type of Building1- to 3-storey- terrace
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Figure 2.33
Plate 2.16
Figure 2.33 and plate 2.16: Floor plan layout and elevation of extendible houses Cameroon.
Source: Schneider and Till, 2007.
Van Broek and Bakema‟s project for extendible houses is an example of
intentionally planning for future expansion, something often overlooked in normal
housing design. On an elongated plot of land, the architects propose a narrow house not
unlike a nineteenth century British terraced house. This core house contains a small front
garden; it has a kitchen with direct access the back garden, and a combined dining and living
room on the ground floor. The core house in its smallest state also has a second storey,
which houses three rooms: a larger room to the front and two smaller rooms towards the
back of the house.
This smallest functional unit is designed to be expanded by pushing out horizontally
to the front and back, and vertically upwards. Towards the front, on the site of the
front yard, an additional room can be built, which might be a garage, a small shop or a
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guest room. Towards the back, the entire rear garden can be transformed into a series
of rooms that are organized around a courtyard - which almost doubles the useable
space on the ground floor. Finally, planning permission allows for an additional room
to be built on top of the first floor flat roof. Together these changes allow for the
initial house of 85 m2 to be transformed into one of 130 m2.
Case study4
WOHNANLAGE GENTER STRASSE MUNICH.
Plate 2.17: Elevation and section of wohnanlage genter .
Source: Schneider& Till, 2007.
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Project: Wohnanlage Genter Strasse
Architect: Otto Steidle and partner
Location: Genter Strasse, 80805 München North of the city centre in close proximity
to the English Garden, Munich.
Date/Type of construction: 1972/ soft form
Work Type: New Built
Type of Building: terrace, 5 residential + 2 office units (Genter Straße)
The houses between Genter Straße, Peter-Paul Althaus Straße and Osterwaldstraße
were built in three phases in the early 1970s. The three phases also represent a
continuous process of adaptation of an industrially prefabricated building system. The
distinct phases are also expressed in three different working collaborations (Phase 1:
Otto Steidle with Doris Thut, Ralph Thut and Jens Freiberg; Phase 2: Otto Steidle
with Eckardt Böck and Gerhard Niese; and Phase 3: Otto Steidle with Roland
Sommerer and Jens Freiberg). Whilst all buildings of all three phases are built with a
skeleton of reinforced concrete column and beams, they all differ in their detailed
design. During the first phase, a row of seven houses was built on Genter Straße. The
building system consisted of a reinforced concrete skeleton with corbels on every half
storey, reinforced concrete columns with double height longitudinal downstand
beams, cross beams and ceiling panels and braced through installation cores made
from in situ concrete. The second phase again consisted of seven units, which were
built just behind those on Genter Straße.
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Here, Otto Steidle used the reinforced concrete skeleton 'Elementa', which presents
itself as a simplified system of columns with longitudinal downstand beams and
ceiling panels. Here, prefabricated wet cores provide the necessary structural
integrity. Phase 3, finally, uses a reinforced concrete skeleton system that is without
direction and only has columns and ceiling panels; prefabricated wall panels and wet
cores are used for bracing. Apart from structural differences, there are differences in
the way the structure is expressed, open as in the Genter Straße or completely encased
in the buildings of the two later phases, as well as differences in span. Whilst the
buildings also differ in terms of architectural expression, the spatial possibilities are
the same.
The buildings, in particular the buildings on Genter Straße with their visible structural
frame, illustrate a principle of flexibility that can also be found in Hertzberger's
Diagoon Houses. Steidle provides lots of space from the very beginning, a reserve of
space through construction, within which additional space can be realized either on
the outside through building into the non-filled parts of the expressed frame or on the
inside by filling in initially one-and-a-half or two storey spaces. Because of the clarity
in distinction between loadbearing and non-loadbearing construction, in particular in
the Genter Straße scheme, walls within the frame can be altered easily to be adapted
to users' needs and wants. Over the last 30 years, volume, interiors, and uses have
changed considerably.
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Plate 2.18: showing interior perspective and construction by frame structures
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
Case study 5
HONOR OAK PARK LEWISHAM ,BRITAIN
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Plate 2.19: showing elevation views of honor oak park
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
Project: Honor Oak Park
Architect: Walter Segal, Jon Broome and self builders
Location: Honor Oak Park, SE23 Lewisham ,Britain
Date/Type of construction: 1987 / soft form
Work Type: New Built
Type of Building: single-detached ,Number of Units:14 / 13
The thirteen buildings in the London borough of Lewisham were the second phase of
self-built houses to be overseen by Walter Segal in that area. They represent a refined
version of the building system developed by Segal and Broome in order to increase
the choice open to individual self-builders not only during the initial building process
but also in the future. The system was designed to empower self-builders to take
control of both the design and construction of their homes, and was seen as a direct
antithesis to the mass housing schemes that had been developed in the public sector,
with their repetitive and inflexible designs which gave the dwellers no control over
their own environment.
The self-builders were selected from a list of families interested in building their own
houses. Upon joining the scheme they were supplied with very basic plans and
sections and a typewritten specification that described the sequence of construction.
They could then adapt the layouts to their own purpose.
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The main elements of flexibility within the Segal system are lightweight dry and
demountable construction system with a modular frame that accepts standard panel
sizes. Adaptations and improvisation are possible within a set of precise rules: the
overall dimensions are given (a multiple of the underlying 65 cm grid), and the
location of the service and circulation core is set together with the position of the
twelve structural members.
Whilst the exterior of the buildings is relatively uniform, no two floor plans are the
same. Ground floor plans show variations show how kitchen, dining and living room
may either be separated or combined into one large space, some plans have a
bedroom downstairs, and first floor plans variations in number of rooms and range of
sizes for bedrooms. Because the self-builders know the building inside out through
having been part in the construction process and because of the readily accessible
building materials and simple construction, adaptations and extensions to the
building can be easily accomplished, as indeed has happened over time.
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Figure 2.34: showing plan layouts of honor Oak Park.
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
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Case study 6
ÜBERBAUUNG HELLMUTSTRASSE BRAUERSTRASSE ZÜRICH
Plate 2.20 elevations of überbauung hellmutstrasse.
Source: Schneider & Till, 2007.
Project: Überbauung Hellmutstrasse
Architect: ADP Architektur und Planung
Location: Hohlstrasse 86a-c, Brauerstrasse 75, 8004 Zürich
Date/Type of construction: 1991/ soft form
Work Type: New Built
Type of Building: 34-units tenement / apart. House [detached]
Other Uses: commercial units, nursery, kindergarten, Wogeno office
The design concept for the buildings in Zürich was developed as a result of a
consultation process with future tenants who belonged to a housing cooperative
committed to the idea of a form of communal living in an urban neighbourhood. The
design is split into three distinct horizontal zones. At the top is a line of similarly
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sized rooms divided by loadbearing partitions, and with the possibility of inserting
non-loadbearing partitions to define circulation. These rooms have no designated
use. Then there is a row of serviced spaces that can be either bathrooms or kitchens.
Finally, a zone containing what is usually a kitchen and living space, but which can
also be used as a self-contained studio apartment. All apartments are accessed from
an external staircase and balconies, which are generous enough to share with others.
The overall arrangement allows multiple arrangements to be achieved, from large
groups of single people living together right down to self-contained one-person
studio apartments. The zoning also allows future changes to be made with ease.
These changes can include the possibility of enlargement of one unit and the
reduction of size of another one, which means that the overall number of apartments
is not fixed but depends upon demand. In practice, the design proved most flexible in
handling the multiple demands of the initial occupants.
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Case study 7
NEW STUDENT QUARTERS FOR BOSTON UNIVERSITY AUSTRALIA
Project: New Student Quarters for Boston University
Location: Chippendale Sydney, Australia
Architect: original designs for the building were drawn up by Silvester Fuller, with
Tony Owen Partners seeing the plans through to completion
Construction: Ceerose Pty Ltd headed the construction stage and Arup Partners
provided the environmental analysis
Type of Building: residential building
Other Uses: lecture halls, a library
Plate 2.21: Elevation and a rhomboid shaped windows in the slots to maximize efficiency
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
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Figure 2.35: The floor plan of New Student Quarters for Boston University
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
Brief history
Boston University in Sydney embarked upon a mission to generate new
accommodation facilities for visiting students, each of whom pay around $17,000 per
semester. Now completed, the angular voids that penetrate the front facades of the
residential building permit the warm Australian sunshine to flood through the
bedroom windows to the facility‟s occupants. With its rhomboid shaped windows
and „canyon-like slots‟, the 164-resident complex makes a confident architectural
statement on an otherwise generic street.
The original designs for the building were drawn up by Silvester Fuller, with Tony
Owen Partners seeing the plans through to completion. Ceerose Pty Ltd headed the
construction stage and Arup Partners provided the environmental analysis.
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Facilities
Hailed as a „modern educational showpiece‟, the strong yet sensitive design
comprises residential space, three lecture halls, a library, internet lounge, cafe, rooftop
terrace with timber decking and a communal kitchen.
Appraisals
Tony Owen explains: “East-facing operable louvers on each level help to
lower ambient temperatures by drawing in fresh breezes.
The design allows more light and ventilation into each bedroom, provides
good views, and would be a sensible „blueprint‟ for city planners to consider in their
quest for ways to increase residential density in the CBD without compromising
comfort.
The eight-level, environmentally-efficient building can accommodate up to
164 students in a style to which scholars are not usually accustomed.
It also has three lecture halls, a library, and an Internet lounge, a rooftop
terrace with a timber deck and an adjoining fully-equipped communal kitchen, plus
cafe.
The design uses large canyon-like slots in the façade which allow sunlight
and ventilation to penetrate deep into the building and into each room.
The windows in these slots have a rhomboid shape to maximize efficiency,
and deliver a bold architectural façade which is illuminated at night through an ever-
changing light show.
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Plate 2.22: Architectural façade illuminated at night through an ever-changing light show.
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
The end walls of the slots are made from glass louvres that are
seven stories high,
The building also contains a seven-storey glass louvred atrium. “Air is drawn
through the voids and passes through the building like gills, allowing the building to
breathe naturally.
Plate 2.23: The 7-storey glass louvered atrium and large canyon-like slots
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
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Case study 8
STUDENT HOUSING IN EPINAY FRANCE
Project: Student Housing in Epinay / ECDM
Location: Epernay, France
Architect: Emmanuel Combarel Dominique Marrec
Client: Espacil Habitat
Project Management Associate: Betom, BET – Michel Larsonneur
Project Manager: Aliette Chauchat
Date: 2003-2008
Constructed Area: 9,000 sqm
Type of Building: a residence for students of 150 housing
Figure 2.36: Site plan of Student Housing in Epinay / ECDM.
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
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Brief history
French architectural firm Emmanuel Combarel Dominique Marrec completed an
architectural project of student housing for Espacil Habitat in Epinay, France. The
residence housed 170 residents, and 19 housing for researchers or invited professors
and housing for women in distresses. The objective is to create some social
coeducation while having for each of the establishments a management with human
scale benefiting from synergies between establishments. The project reintroduces and
prolongs the morphology of the fragmented which structured the district, by four
buildings of differentiated writings.
Brief: The project will have to play the role of revelation of a district in future,
articulation of a split up territory, a synthesis of a town planning consisted of
industrial and commercial buildings, detached flags of the last century, complexes
and public equipments. The stakes are to impose a politeness on a secondary road, to
desynchronize the shelf space built by the rhythm of the automobile, to modify the
perception of a landscape having undergone without having controlled it the
transformation of its territory.
Facilities
The building comprised of guard‟s accommodation, private study rooms, laundry,
space out relaxation internal and outer, gardens were fitted out with fruit trees.
Joining the geometry everything in length of the plots of land of the district, built
household of wide spaces of full végétalisée ground. In this urban logic, overlaps a
geographical logic with a rational orientation of the east-west buildings and the
facades protected from the noise pollutions of the voices shod and of the secondary
road by effect of mask. The volumetry of each of 4 buildings is specific to become
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integrated into its immediate environment, manage transitions with existing
neighboring. The global density of the plot of land will be about 1.25, density.
Figure 2.36a: Ground floor plan student housing, Epinay .
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
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Figure 2.36b: first floor plan student housing, Epinay .
Plate 2.24: Elevations of Student Housing in Epinay / ECDM
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
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Case study 9
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE HALLS IN BRONX, NEW YORK
CITY, USA.
Location: Bronx, New York City, USA
Architects: Sasaki Associates, Inc.,
Location: Bronx, New York City, USA
Project area: 175,000 sqm
Project year: 2010
Plate 2.25: showing views of different elevations Fordham university residence halls USA.
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
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Plate 2.26: showing the site plan Fordham university residence halls USA.
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
Brief history
Fordham University's new residence halls is situated at the main pedestrian entry to
campus, it will complete a major campus lawn and re-establish the importance of an
historic pedestrian path through campus. Set on a raised terrace of mixed hard and
softscape, these buildings will house as an alternative to the traditional model of a
long double loaded corridor, the new residence halls will accommodate 450 upper
class students in two 'houses', in each of two buildings, forming four towers. Each
tower will be centered around multi-story lounges, creating small, welcoming two
floor neighborhood communities, expressed as fully glazed elements on the façade
linking these social spaces to the campus community. All units will be apartment
style, suitable for the transition of upper class students to life beyond
Fordham University constructed two new seven-story residence halls on April 24. The
buildings, each with two towers joined at the base, were located on the southwest
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corner of the Rose Hill campus, in a location currently occupied by a parking lot. The
southernmost residence (closest to the Walsh Family Library) is known as Campbell
Hall, named in recognition of Robert E. Campbell, CBA ‟55, and Joan M. Campbell,
whose gift of $10 million to Fordham is among the largest in the University‟s history.
The buildings will encompass 166,000 square feet (Campbell Hall will be the slightly
larger of the two at 90,000 square feet), and accommodate 460 student. The building
was constructed using energy efficient lighting and construction materials, and was
certified by the LEED green building rating system. The living spaces were splited
into four- and six-person suites, half equipped with single bedrooms and half with
double bedrooms.
Valera said the aim is to combine the best aspects of dormitory style living with those
of apartment life. That means building lounges on every floor that receive natural
light from both the east and west and the landscaping that will accentuate the green
space currently surrounding Martyr‟s Court and the Walsh Family Library.
Facilities: The facilities include student‟s room, multipurpose room, café and
classrooms open to the population of the campus, integrated learning community like
seminar rooms that professors will be able to use to teach classes.
These spaces will become the heart of student life in this area of campus, and will be
clearly visible through large areas of glass in a heavily textured stone base. The stone
rises to form a single tower, creating an iconic figure near the campus entry, and
accentuating the vertical nature of this heavily Gothic campus.
Appraisals:
The buildings were configured specifically with juniors and seniors in mind,
with individual kitchens within every unit.
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The most common request from students were apartments with single
bedrooms, students enjoy living with their friends, but they also like to have
their own space. Therefore single rooms were provided on the Rose Hill
campus but none of the singles are located within apartments.
Figure 2.37: Floor layouts and perspectives of Fordharm University residence
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
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Case study 10
NEW COLLEGE STUDENT RESIDENCE TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
Architects: Saucier + Perrotte architectes
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Program: Student Residences (277 beds, related functions, meeting spaces & sport
room)
Constructed Area: 11,000 sqm
Project year: 2003
Plate 2.27: Elevations of new college student residence Canada.
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
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The New College Residence of University of Toronto is intended to be a meeting
place, a venue for the exchanging of ideas within both an academic and urban setting.
The organization of the architectural elements reflects the relationship of the student
community with its surrounding urban campus environment. The lower levels become
a gathering place for the community at large. Raised above the street, the mezzanine
level contains the administration offices and reception and provides access to the
residences above and the ground floor below. The versatile ground floor provides a
theatre for public performances along with quiet study halls for the large student
population.Two unique hanging gardens promote the well-being of student life on
campus. On Spadina Avenue, a wall of large perforated masonry plates floats above
the transparent mezzanine level. This brick volume is complimented by a zinc and
glass-clad volume which contains the East Garden and faces the St. George Campus.
This three-storey space is a place of repose as well as an exterior community room
available to all residents.
Plate 2.28: Perspective view and plan of new college student’s residence Toronto .
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
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Connected by an interior stairwell, the West Garden is carved out of the brick facade
at the northern end from the fifth to the eighth floors. This allows the evening sun to
stream through the glass façade at the back of the garden and into the common areas
behind.
The seven floors of residences create a community atmosphere intended to provide
both a sense of home and the opportunity for social interaction. All common areas are
co-ed and are located in the central circulation area between the two main volumes.
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Case study 11
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ HOUSING ITALY
Project: university students‟ housing
Location: Florence, Italy
Architects: C+S Associates
Client: Immobiliare Novoli Spa
Project Team: Carlo Cappai, Maria Alessandra Segantini
Structures & Plants: Flatengingeneering e Maire Engineering Spa
Project Year: 2007
Plate 2.29: Elevation, perspective and some interior views of university students’ housing
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
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The students‟ university housing in the former Fiat area at Novoli, Florence, was
designed to adapt to the constraints of the brief the perimeter of the lot, the
alignment, the building height and to use them as a spring¬board for original
compositional and typological solutions that have produced articulated, light-filled
interior landscape inside severe walls. Despite the double-courtyard layout the
building is far from inward-looking and imposes order on the wider context: the
passageway that cuts crosswise through it is seen as a city gate, a way through the
block and a focus for communal activities, as well as access to the students‟ lodgings.
The twin themes of urban silence and constructed mass, borrowed from historical
city‟s fabric but updated to reflect today‟s different formal and plastic awareness, are
evident on the solid though not impenetrable exterior facades.
Figure 2.38: Section through university students‟ housing
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
Facilities
Facilities includes The students‟ bedrooms , communal area, shops, entrance and
refectory on the ground floor, study rooms and services on the upper levels facing the
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principal street and lodgings (for 250 students) The students‟ bedrooms (two types)
are the outcome of painstaking typological research – the carefully calculated
interlocking of reduced surfaces looks like a modern-day shot at existenzminimum –
and successfully reconcile external balcony access with dual exposure towards the
street, behind the shingle screen, and the internal courtyards with their colored walls
and quiet gardens. The halls of residence are typologically hybrid, with balcony
access and dual exposure. The standard lodging comprises an entrance hall with a
large window opening onto the access balcony, two bedrooms (18 sqm) and two
bathrooms; a third bedroom (12 sqm), also with a bathroom, is situated towards the
balcony and 80 cm higher to prevent passers-by from looking in. A second standard
lodging has a communal area facing the balcony and at the same height, instead of the
third bedroom.
Figure 2.39a:
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Figure 2.39b:
Figure 2.39c:
Figure 2.39a, 2.39b and 2.39c Showing plan layouts of university students’ housing.
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
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Case study 12
STUDENT DORMITORY / NICKL & PARTNER ARCHITEKTEN
Plate 2.30: Elevations of student‟s dormitory.
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011
Architects: Nickl & Partner Architekten
Location: Im Neuenheimer Feld 136, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany
Client: Studentenwerk Heidelberg
Project area: 3,800 sqm
Project year: 2008-2009
Brief history
The newly constructed dormitory for the University of Heidelberg is situated in a
prominent position on the banks of the Neckar, in the area known as the Neuenheimer
Feld. Friendly, communal accommodation has been created for 194 students in an
area characterized by solitary elevations and separately arranged structures.
Two terraced units, each with three or four stories, merge to form a compact
residential complex: One wing anchors the structure and provides an architectural
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finish. The second part, with its meandering, folded composition, creates a spatial
connection to the buildings of a neighboring residence. The arrangement of both
components of the building creates two separate courtyards, with views of the
surrounding scenery, including the adjacent bank of the Neckar.
Figure 2.40: showing floor plan student‟s dormitory.
Source: http://www.archdaily .com, 2011.
The central courtyard is not only an access area, but also a common venue, meeting
place and public square that faces the river. It imparts a communicative character to
the dormitory and forms the focal point of the entire complex. The recreational areas
of the dormitory, such as music and common rooms, café and kitchenette, are located
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here. The two central stairwells and the arcades that look out on to the open areas
allow for quicker access to the residential units, which primarily consist of single
apartments.
The principle of folding is a distinctive architectural strategy: In the first instance it
creates spaces, which are then brought together in a stacked, coherent ensemble. This
principle of folding can also clearly be seen in the design of the façade. A seemingly
unending band, folded horizontally as well as vertically, playfully generates open and
closed structures
A central design element is the north-south connection for pedestrians and cyclists,
which links the university campus to the Neckar riverbank. The squares that have
been created by this axis offer an exciting series of spaces with different
characteristics. The smooth transition between public path and private quarters allows
for open views into and out of the complex, and encourages communication and
exchange.
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Case study 13
NKRUMAH POSTGRADUATE HOSTEL UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA
ENUGU CAMPUS
Project: Nkrumah postgraduate hostel
Location: university of Nigeria Enugu campus
Type of Building: 2- storey residential building
Other Uses: study rooms, shop and offices
Figure 2.41: Nkrumah P.G hostel on a section of the master plan and Floor plan
layouts Nkrumah hostel.
Source: Author ,2011.
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The hostel in its design is typical of the traditional hall of residence made up of 2-
storey block containing student‟s room, entrance, lounge, hall supervisor‟s office,
porters lodge and a hall warden‟s office. Each wing has 14 study-bedrooms on a
single loaded corridor on each floor. The link with a similar arrangement contains
13-study bedrooms. One of the wings has a basement floor. The Z-shaped plan of the
hostel on the whole contains 97 study bedrooms each actually designed for one
student (this is evident in the size of the room). The room size is 2.4 x 4.2 and the
basic layout is simple with furniture consisting of a fixed wardrobe, movable desk,
chair and bed. The type of conveniences provided showed that the building was
originally designed for male students only. The building is presently housing both
female and male postgraduate students with each wing allocated for each of the male
and female category.
Appraisals
Due to correct orientation on site, the rooms are taking advantage of the
south west/north east trade winds thereby making all the rooms well ventilated.
Again the toilet facility which is one of the marine area of the building is oriented
towards the east; making the place always dry.
Since the rooms were designed for singles, it affords the user the privacy
he needs.
The materials used in the external facades aid ventilation and lightening
into the interior spaces of the building.
The prominent feature of this design is the screen wall of its south west
façade which gives it an institutional appearance.
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Fluidity in terms of visual as one of the flexible property of space is
eliminated as the screen wall used in construction of the south façade prevent student
from viewing the surrounding scenes.
The location of the conveniences at the extreme end of the building is
very inconveniencing to students as they have to travel each time to ease off even in
the middle of night.
As a result of inflexibility of the building more spaces could not be
created to accommodate more person , thus the sanitary facility are over used by the
excess no of persons accommodating the building.
This is not in compliance with the NUC standards which specifies a maximum of
one toilet for six student
Construction materials
Roof is made up of aluminum roofing sheets and timber trusses.
Doors are wooden flush doors.
Ceiling is perforated asbestos ceiling tile hung at the height of 2.6m for
topmost floor and reinforced concrete slab for lower floors.
Walls are made up of sandcrete blocks.
Windows are of glass louvers on wooden frame.
Plate 2.31a: The lobby serving as kitchen, storage and circulation path.
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Plate 2.31b: showing a typical room and the lobby area
Plate 2.31c: Approach elevation of Nkrumah Hostel showing parking, adjoining road and
the two wings of the hostel.
Plate 2.31d: showing the ancillary facilities, (bar) and parking.
Source: Author ,2011.
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Case study 14
OBA-ADETONA HOSTEL, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY,
YOLA, ADAMAWA STATE
Project: Oba-Adetona hostel
Location: Federal University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa state
Project year: 1982-1983
Architect: inter-partner Architects and builders
Construction: Madugu and Sons Construction Company.
Brief history
The building was designed in 1982 by the inter-partner Architects and builders in
collaboration with Madugu and Sons Construction Company. It was built in 1983. It
was aimed at catering/accommodating 288 students (4 students per room).
Style
The presence of exposed parapet walls with fins and relatively flat roofs categorized
the building under the international style. But considering the shading devices and
louvered windows which aid protection from sun rays and proper ventilation make
the building to be adaptive to the harsh weather condition of the state (Adamawa)
This shows that the building is designed in the New West African Style.
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Plate 2.32: Main Entrance to Oba Adetona Hall and elevational View from the south.
Source: http//:www.goggle .com, 2011.
Figure 2.42: showing the floor plan of Oba Adetona Hall .
Source: http//:www.goggle .com
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Facilities and technical description
facilities in the building includes games room, common room, porter‟s office, a
shop/kiosk, and stores which are all located near the major entrance of the building.
The building contains 72 rooms. A room dimension is 3m of height, 5m in length and
4.5m in breath/width which reveals an area of 22.3m2
. Towards the end are two
centralized wardrobes with dimension of 1.6 X 0.7m. At the other end just beside the
door is a giant open shelve for cooking utensils.
Each room is cross ventilated with 3 windows located at the edges of the walls of the
room. At one end are two (1200 X 600mm) windows with a wardrobe at their center
and the third window of size considerably smaller than the other two, (800 X 660mm)
in at the other end of the room. It is located besides the cooking shelve in such a way
that the shelve is between the window and the entrance door. The door size is 900 X
2100mm. These sums a total area of 3.81m2
for ventilation and a habitable space to be
67.5m2
The door is a flush type while the windows are louvered.
Shading devices are provided both in front (by using decked corridors) and at the back
(fins and parapet). The longitudinal part of the building is positioned along the east-
west lane with both windows facing the North and South, respectively. This
orientation is excellent for the climate of Adamawa because it minimizes the
penetration of sun rays into the room to a great extent. There are 3 courtyards in the
building. One large courtyard is located at the middle of the building and two smaller
ones flanking at both sides. The courtyards give cross ventilation to all rooms of the
building (free passage of air through the building).
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Plate 2.33: showing the largest Courtyard and view inside the court yard.
Source: http//:www.goggle .com, 2011.
As huge as the building is, all the rooms on the same level are connected by passages
of width 1.2m (corridor), then to staircases (which are 4, located at each quarter of
the building). The staircases are located away from the rooms.
There are three entrances/exits in the building. One major entrance is at the building‟s
façade with two smaller exits located at two rare ends of the building. The two smaller
exits can serve as good escape routes.
At the last floor is a man hole that leads to the roof. A deck leads to every part of the
roof. This helps to create means of maintaining the building.
Materials for construction
At the sub-structural level, the floor is terrazzo floor finished with ebonite strips laid
at 1.2m X 1.2m. At the super structure, external walls are finished with texcoat, while
the inside with emulsion. The wall materials are of 9 inches block covering the void
of the post and beam construction.
Windows are louvered carried by aluminum frames. They are supported by horizontal
burglars of iron rods, while the doors are flush types, except for major entrances
which are metal doors.
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At the roof level, over all rooms are mono-pitched, entrance hall and common room
are pyramidal while over others are decked. Long span aluminum roofing sheet over
wooden trusses were used.
The roof over walk passages, toilets, staircases are flat decked/concrete roofs.
Functional analysis
All the rooms of the building are freely/flexibly linked with passages making every
wing of the building accessible. The building has staircases evenly spaced for easy
mobility .Toilets and bathrooms are 12 at each level.
The location of the staircase (isolated from the room) provides fire break. Also, the
provision of 2 entrances at the edges of the building serves as escape routes
Plate 2.34: showing one of the four stair cases.
Source: http//:www.goggle .com, 2011.
The three courtyards provide for an open space for ventilation and also, in an African
context, they unite students during their leisure. This is in collaboration with the
common room. The parapets and the deep corridors serve as shading devices against
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the harsh sun rays of Adamawa. The louvered windows give free passage of air in the
rooms.
The parapets are not well extended hence, during rainy season, the rain finds its way
through the windows despite the closing of the louvered glass.
Plate 2.35: showing parapet and fins at external walls
Source: http//:www.goggle .com, 2011.
We suppose that during the design, the rain of Adamawa which is accompanied by
heavy wind should, have been considered. This would have prevented rain penetration
which is the major problem for the students in the building. The small slope rooms
give room to roof leakage which affects the rooms at the last floor.
At the upper level, proper drainages are not provided from floors, and also, no space
is provided for washing of dishes. This leads difficulty in maintenance.
The decked parts of the roof leaks constantly.
Appraisals
Although aesthetics is not well emphasized here, the functionality of the
building brings out its significance and altogether making it beautiful
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The building orientation fits the climate; almost the whole building is
designed with the climate.
The shading devices, building styles and orientation help shield the rooms from direct
sun glare/rays.
the design, orientation, shading devices, functionality, safety and
culture/unity were considered.
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Case study 15
BABCOCK UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE HOSTEL OGUN STATE
Plate 2.36: Site layout and perspective view of Babcock hostel.
Source: http//:www.goggle .com, 2011.
Figure 2.43: Floor plans of Babcock university postgraduate hostel.
Source: http//:www.goggle .com, 2011.
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Figure 2.44: Three options of room layout in Babcock.
Source: http//:www.goggle .com.
Location: Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State
Brief history of Babcock University: On May 10, 1999 Babcock University got its
license and accreditation. The University Administration has recently taken an action
that all students of Babcock University both under and postgraduate students will now
reside in the hostels on campus.. Buildings have been expanding over the years to
accommodate all. Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State has commissioned a
500-capacity carriage hostel named after the late Felicia Adebisi Dada. The Vice
Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Makinde said the hostel was named after Dada because of
the kind of life she led. There will be separate male and female Hostels for
Undergraduate students of the University.
500 male students and 500 female students are expected to be accommodated. Each
room will house 4 students. All rooms will be en-suite.
A 2-man room is provided on the ground floor to accommodate disabled persons.
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In accordance with Babcock University‟s tradition of enhanced student‟s welfare, a
Hall Master‟s residence (3-bedroom apartment) is provided. While this apartment is
joined to the hostel block, it has a separate entrance.
A 650 seater Activity hall is equally connected to the Hostel Block. This is a multi-
purpose hall for students use.
The hostel gross Floor Area is 5360 sqm. The building is on 4 floors. The activity
Hall occupies 500 square metres.
Facilities:
Multi-purpose hall for students use.
. Hall Master‟s residence
Study room .Each room occupies 20 sqm
2 Nos laundry rooms are provided on each floor.
Total number of bed-spaces is 502
Hall Managers Office
Reception + Lobby
Visitors Lounge
Storage space.
Structural Analysis
Foundation: Reinforced concrete pad foundation and ground slab.
Structure: Framed structure with reinforced concrete columns, beams and slab.
Walls: Sandcrete non-load bearing block wall.
Roof: Colorcoated long span aluminium roof covering on a timber roof support
structure.
Appraisals
Babcock provided not only first class room facilities, but also social facilities.
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All rooms are en suit
Room varieties to serve for different space needs
2.3.1 Study of three housing projects in turkey from the perspective of flexibility
This study explores how flexibility and the related concepts, adaptability and
typological variety, have influenced design approaches to housing in Turkey, and
illustrates how flexibility can inspire new ways of housing design and enhance the
quality of housing projects. Within this perspective, the main purpose of this Study is
to find out how flexibility grants the opportunity to the architect to produce creative
options that will respond to changing demands of the users during occupancy whether
or not these options are used by the users. It also aims to understand the extents and
limitations of flexible design approaches over selected cases. To achieve these goals,
three innovative examples are examined:
Eryaman 3rd Stage20 housing blocks designed by Ahmet Gülgönen,
blocks designed by Tuncay Çavdar in the same stage and
Levent Loft 1 housing project designed by Tabanlıoğlu Architects.
The projects are discussed,
firstly, in terms of the methods and strategies used to achieve flexibility,
secondly, in terms of flexible usage related to ever changing needs and wishes
of the users, and
Finally, in terms of the views from the architects themselves.
Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with Ahmet Gülgönen,
Tuncay Çavdar, and Tabanlıoğlu Architects and these Three questions were
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directed to them about their design approaches in these selected projects, the
question includes:
Was the concept of flexibility an input when the design phase of the project
started?
Did you consider the changing demands and wishes of the users throughout time?
How do you integrate these four themes, structural system, service
spaces, architectural layout and furnishing into your design?
Do you have similarly conceived projects?
Can you describe your experiences related to these projects?
Information obtained from these interviews formed a basis for the discussion in this
study. These projects are different from the more conventional residential projects in
many ways. One of the significant characteristics of the two cases in Eryaman 3rd
Stage, for instance, is that they were designed for an urban design competition
organized by the Housing Development Administration (HDA) for 3195 housing
units. HDA divided the region into two areas, one being larger than the other.
Within the projects submitted, Ahmet Gülgönen‟s proposal for the site was found
eligible to be constructed on the larger area. Gülgönen developed both a site Plan and
a group of residential blocks and units. Another important feature of Eryaman 3rd
Stage housing project is that: For the first time in the planning of a new settlement in
Turkey, the planning decisions of Eryaman points out the necessity of developing
detailed „urban design‟ schemes for each of the neighbourhood units, the
neighbourhood centres and the central areas. (Bilsel, 2000, p. 9)
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Figure 2.45: Site plan of Eryman 3rd stage.
Source: Archive of housing development administration,2011.
Tuncay Çavdar‟s proposal was found eligible to be constructed on the secondregion
Both of the projects were designed in 1993 and built between 1993 and 1995. Levent
Loft 1, on the other hand, is a prominent example of a transformation project. It is an
unfinished office building transformed into a residential block by preserving the
existing concrete basic structure. In brief, these selected cases illustrate how
flexibility is interpreted in three different contexts.
Flexibility as a design criterion is discussed under four main themes:
1. The structural system
2. the service spaces access units and residential “wetspaces3
3. the architectural layout, variety of types and
4. the spatial organization of units) and
5. Furnishing for flexible use.
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They are explored in the light of the soft and hard analogy. The design approaches of the
architects are also discussed.
Table 2.8: Eryaman 3rd housing blocks project.
Source: Eryaman 3rd
housing blocks, Ahmet Gulgonen, 1993.
The prominent characteristics of Gülgönen‟s project are the site plan of the
neighborhoods and the typological variety in blocks and units. The idea of the site
plan was based on clustering the blocks around an inner courtyard. Another important
characteristic of the project is that it has 25 building types with nearly -250 types of
housing units (Cengizkan, 2005, p. 51). These variations are obtained as a result of
both the position of blocks on the lot, and the changing number of floors in the blocks.
The positions of blocks on the site provides variety; a type of block, for example,
stands as a single building on the site, or as attached to other blocks. By the same
token, as Bilsel (2000, p. 10) mentions: a variety of housing types of different heights
is mixed to provide an architectural diversity. In both ways, blocks preserve the same
construction principle and architectural layout, and the variation is created by minor
change.
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Figure 2.46: site plan of Eryman 3rd stage divided into two sub regions by HAD.
Source: Eryaman 3rd
housing blocks, Ahmet Gulgonen, 1993.
Gülgönen responds to the question whether the concept of flexibility was an input
during the design process of Eryaman 3rd stage housing project, or not, as follows:
The concept of flexibility has been a prominent concern in my approach to
architectural design. Additionally, the necessity to tackle a project of this size within a
short period of time as an urban design project affected the approach to design. In
contrast to conventional social housing projects, a generous, humane and respectful
environment, which is also in a harmony with its landscape, is created. (Gülgönen,
Personal Communication, 2009)
There are mainly three types of housing blocks, which contain a number of housing
units and they are scattered in the whole area. These three types of blocks are
discussed under four themes:
1) Structural system,
2) Service spaces,
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3) Architectural layout, and
4) Furnishing for flexible.
2.3.2 The Structural System
The structural systems used in these three blocks are generally composed of
reinforced concrete column and beam system with additional load-bearing walls In
type C, for instance, the columns are positioned on the periphery of the building,
while, in type A and B, in addition to the columns on periphery, there are also
columns located at the center of the building. On the other hand, load bearing walls
are used for the service spaces (vertical access units) in all three blocks which at the
same time, form the structural cores of the blocks. Gülgönen states that “the structural
system of the buildings is composed of reinforced concrete column and beam system
which is an advantage for
Flexibility (Personal Communication, 2009).
The architectural design of the blocks can be described as a base structure that is
composed of supports with an exterior envelope. Gülgönen‟s residential blocks
remind the Weissenhofsiedlung by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1927, Germany) and
Kristalbouw project by Jan Trapman (1952, Amsterdam) which were influential in the
development of Habraken‟s Support and Infill theory in 1960s (Schneider & Till,
2007). Kristalbouw, like Gülgönen‟s blocks, has a bunch of columns positioned both
on the periphery and inside the building, and the load bearing walls are used to hold
the service spaces.
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REFERENCES
Bakema, J. B. (1981). Thoughts about architecture, London: Academy
Editions.
Berger, P. (2003). Für die Zukunft planen', Wohnen, (pp. 43-44).
Bilsel, C. (2000). Three Recent Settlements In Ankara: Batikent,
Eryaman And Bilkent,Questions On Quality And Sustainability Of The
Built Environment.(pp. 1-16). Paris: IAPS 16 Metropolis .
Boerman, J., Lans, w., Thomsen, A. & Van der Voordt, D.J. (1992).
Veranderbaar gebruik, ontwerpmaatregelen t.b.v. neutraliteit,
flexibiliteit,en variabiliteit van woningen en woongebouwen,.RIW,
OSPA, Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture (not
published),
Brand, S. (1994). How Buildings Learn: What happens if they„re built.
USA :
Cuperus, Y. (2003). Lean construction in housing, IAPS/ENHR-
International conference “Methodologies in housing research”,
Stockholm.
Dittert, B. G. (1982). Kongruenz und Divergenz zwischen
Nutzanforderungen und dem Flexibilitätsangebot in Wohnungsbau,
Fakultät Architektur und Stadtplanung der Universität Stuttgart.
Dubbelink, D. & DeJonge, T. (2000). Luxe projecten voor duurzaam
gebruik, Bouwmarkt, (pp. 18-29). Vol 40,
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Eldonk, J. & Fassbinder, H. (1990). Flexible fixation, de paradox van
de Nederlandse woningbouw, Van Gorkum, Assen, Maastricht.
Geraedts, R. F. (1996). Communicatie over en beoordeling van
flexibiliteit tussen gebouwen en installaties. SBR/ISSO, Rotterdam:
Habraken, N.J. (1961). De dragers en de mensen, het einde van de
massawoningbouw. Amsterdam:Scheltema & Holkema.
Hanks, P. Collins dictionary of the English language. London,
Glasgow, 1070:
Hertzberger, H. (1978). "Diagoon", Delft', Architecture d'aujourd'hui, ,
(pp.20-23).
Hertzberger, H. (1991) Diagoon houses, Delft', A&U,(pp.66-71).
Hertzberger, H. (N.D) Lessons for Students in Architecture, Rotterdam:
Uitgeverij010Publishers.
Hofland, C. M. (2005). Het accomoderen van het onbekende: Faculty
of Architecture, TUDelft, Delft:
Leupen, B., Heijne, R. & Zwol, J. V. (2005).Time-based Architecture.
Rotterdam: 010 Publishers.
Priemus, H. (1969). Wonen, kreativiteit en aanpassing, Onderzoek naar
voorwaarden voor optimale aanpassingsmogelijkheden in de
woningbouw, Mouton & Co, Den Haag,
Schneider, T. (1994). Grundrißatlas Wohnungsbau - Floor plan atlas:
housing, Basel: Birkhäuser,.
Schroeder, U. (1979). Variabel nutzbare Häuser und Wohnungen,
Grundriszlösungen, anpaszbar an Familiengrösze und Lebensform
Bauverlag GmbH, Wiesbaden, Berlin.
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Tatjana S. & Till J. (2005). Flexible housing: opportunities and limits.
Architectural Research Quarterly, 9. pp (157-166).
'Uberbauung H. (1989). im Bau', werk, bauen + wohnen, (pp. 50-55)
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CHAPTER THREE
3.0. General planning principles and design consideration
Before the planning principles and design consideration of the intended design would
be discussed, it is worthwhile to have a background study of the design
(hostel/student accommodation) and the group of students it would be planned for.
3.1 Postgraduate education/ students
By definition, postgraduate education is the level of education which is pursued after
the first degree award. It consists basically of two levels: the master and the doctoral
levels. At this level of education, research skills are acquired and new knowledge is
produced. (Saint, 1992).By and large, the status of the master‟s degree and by
extension, the doctorate has risen not only because of the need for graduates to
professionalize in this era of technology but also as a result of the increasing demand
by the private and public sector for specialized skills.
Thus, even though the graduate schools are the primary producers of university
teachers, many holders of the doctorate are now found in work places other than
academics. Some of them get employed in industries and in government circles while
others, who are self-employed in related fields of Endeavour, acquire the doctorate
degree in order to give them prestige.
Postgraduate students:
These students could be taken as an advanced student specializing in one area of study
or the other. Their age ranges from 24-60 years or more. The most important thing
about this group is that they are matured students comprising of workers,
professionals, Singles, married and engaged. Their level of work includes research
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work and inventions. It could be said that they need a well enabling environment to
achieve this purpose.
3.2 What is Student Accommodation?
Student accommodation is housing specifically designed to accommodate students,
such as a „live-in‟ residential college, boarding house or other purpose built
development containing student units with other ancillary facilities (i.e. study areas,
communal lounge and kitchens). These forms of development will be assessed as
student accommodation or a boarding house. A boarding house provides a principal
place of residence, in which bedrooms are not self contained and usually share a
common kitchen and/or bathroom.
Student accommodation could also be taken as housing (outside the family home)
used by students as their place of residence. It can be either:-
i. a residential building used to accommodate students, or
ii. An existing dwelling, (house, unit, apartment or flat etc) occupied by
students.
Traditionally this is provided through various housing types that satisfy different
student needs and budgets. Apart from those who live at home, the main options are:-
on/off campus residential buildings managed by the institution
privately operated residential buildings
shared rental of dwellings
individual rental of a dwelling/room
3.3 Hostel
Hostel according to Microsoft Encarta Dictionary is defined as a cheap inn; an
inexpensive inn or place of lodging.
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Students prefer to live in close proximity to their institution, creating significant
localized student populations. It is evident that demand for quality student
accommodation has outstripped the local supply in some universities.
This demand for student accommodation has not only resulted in a number of
planning permit applications, but also, a significant number of low standard, rigid
shared housing facilities.
3.4 NUC recommendations
In the beginning, Nigerian Universities were established with the intention of
providing comfortable Hostel accommodation for all students on campus. Thus up
till the early 1970‟s there was no problem of providing accommodation for
University Students on campus. The total Students population in the few Universities
in the 1974/75 Academic session was 23,817 and the total available Hostel bed
spaces were adequate to cater for Students. Nigerian Universities in existence at that
period were planned and designed to house its staff and students on campus. Hence
their location on a large expanse of land far away from the developed area of the
University town. Of course, adequate funds were then made available to the existing
Universities to construct student‟s hostels.
With the increase in student‟s enrolment and the establishment of more Universities
in the late 1970‟s, adequate funding of the Universities became a problem to the
extent that provision of students‟ hostels for all students on campus was no longer
feasible.
A Committee was set up by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 1977
known as Brigadier T. B. Ogundeko Committee, to look into funding problems in the
Nigerian University System and submit recommendations. The recommendations of
the Committee on students‟ accommodation are as follows:
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a. Government policy that only 75% of university students should be housed on
campus should be continued and the need for these students to interact with the
public is valid.
b. In order to relieve the pressure on government finances in the areas of student
housing, the older universities should henceforth finance construction of student
living accommodation with loans, while Government should finance one third of the
student accommodation required by the newer universities; the latter
recommendation should put the newer universities at per with the older ones which
have had at least one third of their student accommodation requirements financed by
Government. The students should contribute a substantial part of the repayment.
c. The universities should employ the services of an Estate Agent to undertake a
feasibility survey of the best avenues of raising loans from the many mortgage
establishments, Insurance Companies, the Provident Fund and banks.
d. Designs for students‟ hostels should be more modest, simple and functional, so
that they can be within the means of students.
The Nigeria National Universities Commission (NUC) has the following guide lines
for Student Hostel designs:
It proposed the design of hostels to be based on a module of 100 rooms in a
block of two or three floors.
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It defines a Bed space as a reasonable ample space for a standard 1.8m x
0.75m bed, desk space for studying and a personal computer, bookshelves and
0.537m wide 2.850m high built-in wardrobe for each student.
Maximum of four people in a room with a minimum of 5-7m² per person and a
maximum of six hundred people in a building.
e. Students should be charged N150.00 per session for lodging. The subsidy for
additional hostel would come from lodging charged on existing buildings in older
universities while only in newer universities would Government require to pay a
subsidy until it has developed one-third of the accommodation required.
A new accommodation policy that guarantees accommodation for fresh students and
final year students was therefore put in place when it was realized that even with this
new policy, available Hostel bed spaces were, inadequate. Many Universities
introduced the concept of using double bunk beds to increase available bed spaces
without a corresponding increase in the number of convenience (such as toilets)
serving the Hostels. This turned to be a palliative measure as students‟ enrolment
continued to increase without a corresponding increase in Hostel facilities.
In 1975, seven new universities (known as second generation universities) were
established. Capital allocation to Universities therefore dropped sharply and only
academic buildings were accorded priority in project execution. The policy which
provides for accommodation of about 33% of the total students enrolment in the
Universities was therefore enforced in the 1980‟s. Unfortunately, this brought about
the problem of squatters in our students Hostels. The problem was compounded by
the fact that many of these universities were located far away from the city and the
municipal transportation system could not conveniently support off-campus living.
The problem continued to worsen as undue pressure was put on the existing bed spaces
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and the associated utilities (such as water supply, Electricity supply and toilets)
resulting in their frequent breakdown.
In the middle of 1980‟s, the problem of student‟s accommodation in our Universities
became so acute that some students had no choice other than to live off-campus and
grapple with the problems of insecurity, unsteady water and Electricity supplies as
well as inefficient municipal transportation. Some even sleep in the classrooms! The
congestion in the students‟ hostel reached an alarming stage to the extent that in
some Universities the female students had to wake up as early as 4:00 a.m. to take
their bath in the open within the Hostel premises!
The effect of this situation on the academic performance, health standard and social
behaviour of students cannot be overemphasized
3.5 Background of Study (the UNEC system)
The university of Nigeria decree, 1978, highlighted the objectives of the university.
These include the advancement of learning, the provision of courses of instruction
and other facilities for the pursuit of learning, and the undertaking of any other
activities appropriate for the University of the Highest Standard. These and other
objectives of the university are all expressions of lofty ideas. Yet, one wonders if
they can, at all be achieved unless the student, for whom the institution is primarily
established, is adequately catered for not only through provision of an enabling and
quality accommodation but also accommodation that can adapt to the changing needs
of users over time. A quality hostel accommodation therefore can be viewed as an
indirect instrument for the achievement of the institutional primary goals.
Cognizant of the fact that postgraduate students are research students, made up of
different categories of persons and that an enabling and quality accommodation
would help them develop their academic prospective, a need for a modern functional
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pliant structure/ hostel which would allow for different adaptation space needs
cannot be over -emphasized. Again, notably among other issues is the fact that
there‟s been a progressive increment in the number of female student not only
enrolling in education but taking a bold step of completing their studies up to
master‟s and doctorate degree level. Most of these females‟ students are single,
engaged or married, young, old, dependent and independent .it‟s been observed that
their need for accommodation varies greatly.
This project aims at providing specifically an enabling and conducive hostel acco -
mmodation for female postgraduate students in UNEC, flexible enough to
accommodate changes over time, thus, adapting to the changing needs of users.
Studies have been conducted through collection of primary and secondary data on
student‟s accommodation with particular reference to the existing postgraduate hostel
in UNEC. It has been noted that apart from the fact that the existing PG hostel cannot
efficiently accommodate the PG students seeking for school accommodation, the
hostel was not planned to best suit the needs of these female postgraduate students
especially when the nature of womanhood is put into consideration.
This project therefore would help alleviate the problems of accommodation for
postgraduate female students in UNEC, thus, giving them the enabling
accommodation that would facilitate learning in all fields through the proposal of
designing a flexible hostel accommodation. The execution of this proposal would
also encourage women in all levels of life to pursue their career despite their marital
status.
3.5.1. Change in UNEC system
Change they said is the only thing that remains permanent. A lot of innovations in
the school system of operation have taken place within a space of time and the
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effects of these innovations cannot be overruled. It is not out of place to say that a
pattern of school administration in the 60‟s is not what is obtainable in this jet age.
Nowadays, there is influx of students into the Nigerian universities for Bsc., MSC
and Phd programmes because of increased awareness on the importance of
education. Of particular interest is the increment on the number of post graduate
female students
The reduced attention of Nigerian government and school authorities towards the
needs of students has led to gloss inadequacy of some basic infrastructural facilities
with particular reference to hostel facilities. Studies conducted on hotels in
University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC) have shown that before now students
feeding was taking care of by the institution. Each student is provided with a meal
coupon which he/she uses to order any food of his/her choice from the general
refectory. In other words, the hostel built then (which is still in use today) didn‟t
incorporate spaces like kitchen and dining to aid student‟s feeding which one can say
is an indispensable aspect of student life. Today, students are left to cater for their
own food which they do by whatever means. Their feeding is no longer taking care
of by the school authority. Consequently food preparation started in these hostels
where no spaces and facilities of such were provided before. The adverse effect of
this is enormous as studies have shown among which are: health depletion of
students as a result of overuse of spaces provided only for reading and sleeping for
other activities like cooking and laundry.
The report of presidential visitation panels which looked into the operations of all
Federal Universities between 1999 and 2003 revealed that academic and physical
Facilities at all Universities were in deplorable states with insufficient
lecture/Theatre halls, laboratories, hostels among others (NUC, 2005). According to
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the report, it was sited that if the necessary action is not taken it may be difficult for
University education to assist in achieving Millennium Development goal (MGDs).
Research reports showed that the present structures in our Universities could not
support the enrolment neither could it efficiently serve different user space needs.
The continuous growth in enrolment without corresponding expansion of the
facilities leads to over utilization of the existing facilities.
Any building facility that is not efficiently serving the needs of which it was initially
erected or obsolete as a result of change is as good as a failed building. The quantity
and quality of infrastructural facilities available in our Universities go a long way in
determining the quality of our university education. When the enrolment increases,
without any appreciable addition to the institutions‟ Infrastructure, or when
innovations in the style of living as a result of change is imminent, the resultant
effect would be inadequacy. Inadequacy off course is not our goal.
3.6 Development Plan Principles for Student Accommodation
When assessing a development application, Council needs to identify what planning
approval is being sought for. A standard apartment building or dwelling (e.g. rented
share house) that is intended to be used for student accommodation and is designed
and laid out so that any resident can occupy the building will be assessed as
residential dwellings.
The Development Plan outlines minimum standards appropriate for residential
development. For some student accommodation proposals, Council is often asked to
consider variations to some of the standards, such as unit sizes, storage areas, open
space and car parking.
Development Plan provisions that should be considered are listed below.
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Amenity
provide a high quality and adaptive living environment by ensuring the
following : minimum internal floor areas:
a. Studio (where no separate bedroom): 37 square metres
b. 1 bedroom: 50 square metres
c. bedroom: 75 square metres
d. 3+ bedrooms: 100 square metres
A smaller sized unit may be acceptable where quality living environments are being
provided i.e. where there is access to adequately sized and located common facilities,
outdoor spaces and the internal design of the unit provides a space that caters for a
students need (eg. space for a desk and computer, bed, book shelves and other
storage).
• The internal layout arrangements are functional and provide sufficient living
amenity;
• Living areas have a satisfactory outlook;
• provide open space areas by incorporating balconies or communal open space areas
accessible by all occupants of a development as outlined below:-
Size of dwelling/apartment Private Open Space Requirement
Studio (where there is no separate bedroom) No minimum requirement but some
provision is desirable
1 bedroom dwelling/apartment 8m2
2 bedroom dwelling/apartment 11m2
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3+ bedroom dwelling/apartment 15m2
Housing Choice
• provide a high level of support services and communal areas (eg libraries, common
room, recreational space etc) for students; and
• incorporates a variety of unit sizes (a percentage of smaller sized flats in a proposed
building that comprise of a range of housing types, such as a mix of studio, 1 bedroom
and 2 bedroom apartments could be seen as consistent with the
Development Plan and supported, subject to detailed assessment).
Adaptability
• Adaptable for the future eg. smaller size apartments capable of being converted in
the future to form one larger sized dwelling unit, or an alternative use;
• Purpose built accommodation should have an adaptable layout to accommodate a
range of activities during its life cycle to ensure there is flexibility as the City‟s needs
Evolve eg. adaptability for a variety of future accommodation and living needs;
• Be adaptable for people‟s needs which vary with age, special access or mobility.
• Land division should not preclude future apartment living.
Privacy
• Designed and sited to minimize overlooking into living areas and bedrooms of
adjacent development; and have a minimum setback of 3 meters from rear and side
boundaries of neighboring properties.
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Sunlight Access and Energy Efficiency
A high level of natural light and ventilation to living and sleeping areas;
Maximize natural sunlight, daylight and ventilation to reduce the need for artificial
lighting and mechanical heating and cooling;
• Place living areas in a position that will maximize access to sunlight, daylight and
natural ventilation and avoid planning bedrooms with poor access to sunlight, daylight
and natural ventilation;
• ensure maximum distance from a living room, dining room or kitchen to a window
providing natural light is no more than 8 metres; and
• locate living areas, private open space and communal open space where they will
receive sunlight.
Site Facilities and Storage
• provide storage facilities for its occupants at the following minimum rates:
studio: 6 cubic meters
1 bedroom dwelling/apartment: 8 cubic meters
2 bedroom dwelling/apartment: 10 cubic meters
3 bedroom dwelling/apartment: 12 cubic meters
• provide an appropriate area for refuse storage and collection, clothes drying and
mail collection.
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Noise Attenuation
• Bedrooms and private open spaces are located away from noise sources such as
major roads and entertainment venues (unless incorporating shielding measures);and
• satisfies the noise attenuation provisions.
Management
• provide information on how the student accommodation is to be managed and
operated in terms of on-site staff, security, student behavioral management, waste
management and details of any rules of occupancy.( Development Information
Guides 2007)
3.7 Minimum standards for hostel premises and facilities
This part of the regulations sets out requirements for hostel premises and facilities,
Building maintenance, emergency management and general safety.
3.71 Provision of necessary spaces, facilities and equipment
Because it is not possible to account for all hostel circumstances, the regulations
establish minimum requirements for facilities and equipment without prescribing
exactly how those requirements must be met. The key point to remember is that both
you and the Authority must be satisfied that the requirements have been met. You
may be able to include cross-referenced sections of hostel publications to support or
demonstrate compliance with these requirements.
Also, the regulations do not prevent a hostel from controlling use of these facilities –
for example, setting „normal‟ visiting times or having a booking system for meeting
rooms or telecommunications equipment.
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The following are examples of facilities which hostels may provide and serve as a
prompt for further thinking by hostel owners about what is appropriate for their
particular premises.
Boarders’ recreation
Facilities might include social space, television and games room(s), and access to
nearby school cultural and sporting facilities and equipment. If the hostel is remotely
located from the school, similar facilities might be provided at the hostel premises or
arrangements made for the boarders to have access to other local facilities.
Quiet activities
Quiet places for study such as a „prep room‟ or private spaces within or adjacent to
sleeping areas. Provision might also be made for access to a library, and computers
for research and recreation.
Food preparation
Facilities might include a place to make hot drinks and heat snack foods adjacent to
recreation areas. Student access to the main hostel kitchen should be restricted
because of food hygiene and health and safety concerns.
Eating
A communal dining room, and/or fl at-style accommodation with separate dining
facilities are two examples of what might be appropriate.
Sleeping
Sleeping arrangements will vary between hostels and there is no intention to prevent
the use of dormitory-style sleeping facilities. Consideration should, however, be
given to the need to separate boarders for reasons such as differences in age, sex, or
any special needs.
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3.8 New Zealand Standard NZS 9201: Part 3:1999 (Model General Bylaw –
Hostels) has the following guidelines on the numbers of people who should be
permitted to occupy a „bedroom‟. The Authority will consider space requirements
when determining the maximum number of boarders a hostel may accommodate.
Number of persons permitted to sleep in a bedroom
Area of bedroom Number of persons
Under 4.5 m2 Nil
4.5 m2 or more but less than 6 m2 1/2
3 in an existing building but nil in a
new building4
6 m2 or more but less than 10 m2 1
8 m2 or more but less than 10 m2 11/2
10 m2 or more but less than 12 m2 2
12 m2 or more but less than 14 m2 21/2
14 m2 or more but less than 17 m2 3
17 m2 or more but less than 20 m2 31/2
20 m2 or more 4 persons and 1 additional person for each additional complete 5 m2
3 For the purposes of this information 1/2 a person means a child who is one year or
more but under 10 years of age
4 For the purposes of this information an existing building means a building existing
before 10 October 1947 when the Housing Improvement Regulations 1947 came into
force
Personal hygiene and privacy
Where there are open or shared sleeping spaces, separate changing facilities will be
needed to meet the privacy requirements of the regulations. Toilet and bathing areas
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should be partitioned for a reasonable degree of privacy. They also need to be easily
accessible so should be reasonably close to sleeping areas.
Laundering of clothing
Facilities for boarders to wash personal clothing need to be provided on site.
Secure storage of personal effects
The requirements of the regulations could be met through the provision of lockable
storage facilities in or close to sleeping areas.
Boarders meeting and communication facilities
The requirement to provide space for students to meet with parents or other visitors
in privacy could be met by having a dedicated meeting room.
The use of card phones allows boarders to make prepaid phone calls. A range of
other solutions are also available to manage the use of phones and other
telecommunications.
Lighting, heating and ventilation
Owing to the range and variation of heating and lighting systems and hostel
premises, no specific guidance can be given. It is recommended that specialist advice
is gotten about the adequacy of lighting, heating and ventilation.
General advice is also available in Ministry of Education publications 5
3.11 planning principles
These Design Principles and Guidelines will be incorporated into all decision
processes and communication that directly impact or otherwise affect the physical
character and design quality of the female postgraduate hostel.
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Design principles for hostels redevelopment need to be seen within the context of the
objectives of broader housing policy. The National Housing Vision, as set out in the
Housing Act of 1997, is:
“The establishment and maintenance of habitable, stable and sustainable public and
private residential environments to ensure viable households and communities in
areas allowing convenient access to economic opportunities, and to health,
educational and social amenities in which all citizens and permanent residents of the
Republic will, on a progressive basis, have access to:
a. permanent residential structures with secure tenure, ensuring internal and
external privacy and providing adequate protection against the elements;
b. And potable water, adequate sanitary facilities and domestic energy supply.
Housing conditions are an essential aspect of striving to create a better life for all.
There is a strong link between housing quality and general mental health and social
well-being: "since housing provides the scenario for family life, recreation, rest, sleep
and social interaction, it follows that many aspects of poor housing, such as
overcrowding, noise, air pollution, bad odors or dampness, give rise to considerable
dissatisfaction and annoyance and perhaps contribute to poor health" (Ranson, 1991).
Various studies have also shown that early exposure to adverse living conditions are
likely to increase vulnerability to illness and disease in later life (Hunt, 1993).
The general key design principles that should guide hostels redevelopment are:
• Adequate living space and privacy
• Good quality communal/open space
• Optimal use of space
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Energy efficiency
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• Greening
• Integration into the surrounding urban area
• Contextual suitability
Adequate living space and privacy
Adequate housing has to provide adequate space for the occupants. Research has
shown that there is a linkage between overcrowding and respiratory infections such as
bronchitis and tonsillitis in children as a result of the increased risk of pathogen
transmission which overcrowding brings (Ranson, 1991). There is also a strong link
between overcrowding and psychological distress (Gabe and Williams, 1993). The
key elements of ensuring privacy are:
• Single person units for single people and family units for families
• Private bathrooms
• Individual access to units
Design options and delivery models for hostels
Private bathrooms and individual access to units (as opposed to communal stairs and
corridors) may not always be possible for single person accommodation, however.
Practical experience with hostels redevelopment suggests that a minimum acceptable
self-contained unit should consist of:
• A bedroom with at least 9m2 of floor space.
• A lounge/kitchen with at least 11m2 of floor space, including a kitchen sink (the
Uniform Building Code of the Internal Association of Building Officials and the
MANTAG guidelines both recommend that at least one room in every dwelling have
an area of at least 11 m2.
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• A bathroom of at least 2.5 m2 of floor space, including a toilet, shower and wash
hand basin.
The unit should therefore have a total of at least 22.5 m2 of floor space. The overall
minimum size of the unit, from outside of wall to outside of wall, or to the midpoint
of walls shared with other units, will typically be at least 25 m2. Each room should
have at least one light fitting and one window. The unit requires only one external
door. A sliding door should be used for the bathroom – although more expensive than
side hung doors, they can save valuable space.
The suggested minimum size is less than the minimum size of 30m2 specified for
subsidized housing in the Minimum Norms and Standards for Permanent Residential
Structures, but households in hostels are generally smaller and have a more fluid
structure than most other households. In some cases it may be possible to achieve
larger sizes, but space and financial constraints may sometimes mean that even this
basic minimum standard will be unattainable, and that some sharing of facilities may
be necessary.
For single people, one room, with access to shared ablution, laundry and cooking
facilities can be adequate. The minimum sized room for a single person should be
12m2, with access to a shared bathroom and kitchen (ideally, a maximum of four
single people should share a bathroom or kitchen). Where it is possible to have private
bathrooms, the minimum size unit including a bathroom should be at least 15 m2. It
should be noted that, in practice, single rooms can often become occupied by families;
this should be avoided through needs analyses prior to the design process to determine
whether there is a demand for single room accommodation, ongoing monitoring of
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occupancy rates and flexible allocation procedures to respond to genuine changes in
household size.
Good quality communal/Open Space
This principle is:
To ensure that an adequate area of communal open space is provided on site to
meet the recreational needs of the students.
To ensure that the communal open space is integrated into the design of the
student accommodation facility providing a convenient, safe and well
proportioned usable space.
To ensure that the shared communal spaces contributes to the functionality of
the student accommodation facilities and promotes interaction between
students.
To ensure that existing significant trees are incorporated into open space areas
and sufficient space is provided for the planting of new canopy trees.
Even after redevelopment, hostels are likely to have a fairly high occupational
density, so it is important to ensure that there is also good quality communal space
that can be used for activities that are unable to be accommodated within the units.
Both internal and external communal space is important.
External space can consist of:
• Play space
• Space for hanging washing to dry
• Space to put out refuse bins for collection
• Green space: trees, flowers, grass, communal vegetable garden
• Space for outdoor work and social interaction (for example, an outdoor
braai area)
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Design options and delivery models for hostels redevelopment
Internal space can consist of:
• Office space/meeting space (especially if a communal ownership body is going to be
set up)
• For where there are rooms without facilities, there will need to be shared kitchens,
bathrooms and laundry facilities
• Communal stairs and corridors (these can be important social spaces and should be
spacious and well lit).
• For large complexes, there could be additional communal spaces such as a
recreation room or a communal laundry. The quality of external space is particularly
important, as often this is neglected. In the past, hostel areas were noted for the sandy
wastelands between buildings, with shacks, abandoned cars and litter. Experience
shows that outdoor space is only used if it defensible, for example, where the outdoor
space is overlooked by windows and where there is a sense of enclosure created by
the location of buildings, fences and trees. Given the absence of private yards, it is
important that there be defensible space for the use of the residents. Landscaping or
paving of public spaces is also important, to enhance the attractiveness and usability
of the space.
Flexibility and adaptability
Units must ideally be designed so as to be flexible enough to meet the needs of a wide
range of different types of persons. Multi-purpose rooms are important, for example,
the bedroom could be converted to living room also be able to be used as an eating or
reading area. Being able to convert single person accommodation to family units (or
vice versa) can also be important, for example, through the design of a unit that can be
used either as a self contained family unit or as accommodation for single people
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sharing a bathroom and kitchen space. This is part of the concept of lifetime homes,
i.e. “homes designed to meet changing needs occurring throughout one family‟s
lifetime or to meet the varying needs of numerous changes of occupier in the same
home” (Cummins, 1999). This means that dwellings should be able to meet the
varying needs of occupants over their lifetimes, including needs associated with
moderate mobility difficulties and the normal frailty associated with old age (Ibid). It
should be noted that although the sizes proposed in the section on adequate living
space can be acceptable in the short to medium term, in the long term there should be
provision for being able to extend the units to more acceptable sizes (e.g. through
being able to extend buildings horizontally or vertically or through being able to
convert units as add space for extensions.
Design options and delivery models for hostels redevelopment
The ideal minimum size to aim for flat sizes range from 30m2 for one person to
85m2 for a household of six people (JHC, 1998). For single person accommodation,
in which cooking and ablution facilities are shared, the minimum size room can be
adequate in the long term.
Greening
Trees and vegetation are an essential component of a desirable living environment.
One of the most noticeable differences between affluent suburbs and low-income
areas is the lack of trees and other vegetation in low-income areas. In the Netherlands
for example, the Building Code of Practice makes it a legislative condition that
wherever possible landscaping with trees and vegetation be part of all building
developments (Holdsworth and Sealey, 1992).
Vegetation can have many beneficial effects:
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• Enhance the appearance of an area and help create a sense of enclosure, e.g. trees
and bushes along roads and around public spaces.
• Provide shelter from noise, sun, wind and rain.
• Help in filtering pollution: trees with a bushy canopy and broad leaves are able to
trap dust and other pollutants and act as air purifiers (Holdsworth and Sealey, 1992).
• Reduce runoff: vegetation acts as a sponge to absorb water, which improves on-site
drainage
• Reducing erosion and sand storms: vegetation can reduce erosion by
up to 50% (Cotton and Franceys, 1991).
• Provide fruit and vegetables: a 50 m2 food garden can provide for all
the vegetable needs of four people (about 300 kg per year) (Eberhard,
1987).
Energy efficiency
In order to make the redevelopment more sustainable it is essential that principles of
energy efficiency and sustainability are integrated into the design. Proper design can
reduce energy costs, which typically forms 20-40% of lowincome households‟
monthly expenditure (Eberhard and Van Horen, 1996).
The installation of ceilings and plastering of walls are important in reducing heat loss
and minimizing the need for space heating. In the Kutlwanong project in Kimberley,
energy efficient designs resulted in a 70% saving in space heating costs.
Design options and delivery models for hostels redevelopment
Solar orientation is also important. In the southern hemisphere houses should face
north, i.e. most of the window surface should be on the north side. There should
ideally be no more than a 15 degree variation from north-south, east west (Guidelines
for Environmentally Sound Low-Cost Housing, 1998).
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Windows on west facing walls should be avoided due to problems of overheating
during the afternoon. As an example of the effect of orientation, a study found that
north facing houses were comfortable 28% of the time in winter, while west facing
houses were comfortable only 11% of the time (NBIR, 1987).
Ventilation and lighting
A noticeable trend with existing hostels is a severe lack of ventilation and day
lighting. Adequate housing needs to be suitably ventilated and have sufficient natural
illumination during the day. Ventilation is necessary to provide fresh air and to
remove indoor air pollutants, via openable windows and air-bricks.
Windows are also essential for providing light during the day. "The penetration of
direct sunlight into living accommodation has favourable psychophysiological effects
on both thermal comfort and biological activity of the body, and also has a
bactericidal effect. Daylight gives occupants a feeling of direct contact with the
outside world, an important factor for mental and social well-being" (Ranson, 1991).
The lack of adequate daylight in a dwelling can also prevent activities such as reading
and sewing from being undertaken
indoors. In the new housing projects studied in the background research for this
report, it was noticeable that, due to curtains being continually closed or windows
being permanently boarded up for reasons of privacy and security, daylight
illumination was often inadequate even for tasks such as cooking.
Openable window space of 5% (1:20) is an international standard for minimum
ventilation requirements for habitable rooms, and can also provide adequate lighting if
the windows are suitably positioned.
Windows that are too large, however, can result in unacceptable heat gain or heat loss
and can also be a security risk.
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3.10 Design Consideration
Buildings and Facilities
Architectural Character and Historic Precedent
It is the intention of these guidelines that the design of new structures and additions
should be responsive to and informed by the historical context and style of buildings
on campus. The main campus of the University Nigeria includes a predominant
number of buildings that are distinctive in pattern and embrace relatively consistent
adaptations. Essential design considerations include basic massing (typically large
areas of both solids and voids), proportions and materials, window fenestration, sun
protection on east and west façades, relatively deep recesses on south-facing façades,
earth-toned colors, courtyards if adopted as organizing elements of building floor
plans, the use of portals as connectors, and the incorporation of terraces and other
transitional spaces at building entries. Given the historic character of the campus and
the desire to maintain a humanistic quality of this environment, horizontality is
preferred rather than verticality in building forms
Other considerations and guidelines outlined below should be employed in designing
new buildings and facilities, and in reuse of and/or additions to existing buildings and
facilities.
Orientation/Placement of Building On-site
The following considerations should be addressed in building siting and design:
views, circulation, open space, on-site parking, future expansion, microclimate, and
existing site features.
Indoor-Outdoor Relationships
A more active relationship between interior and exterior space than has occurred in
most existing facilities is a goal in the siting and design of new buildings and
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additions. This relationship is sought not only on the ground plane, but at other
building levels as well.
Scale and Massing.
New facilities are generally becoming increasingly large and bulky. At the same time,
these buildings must be compatible with existing buildings often at a smaller scale,
and must be humanly scaled at the pedestrian level(s).
Architectural Style.
Within the Historic District, all new construction should be as compatible as possible
with existing historic structures. This includes overall massing, fenestration,
brickwork, and architectural detailing. In predominantly built-up areas already
existing on campus, new construction should be architecturally compatible with the
existing structures. While contemporary architectural styling is anticipated,
appropriate massing, building materials, and detailing should contribute to a sense of
visual unity.
Building Materials.
The selection of exterior building materials for permanent facilities should be based
on long-term institutional durability and ease of maintenance; texture and textural
variety; color palette, energy conservation considerations, cost and availability and
type and use of structure.
Artwork and Graphics.
(indoor and outdoor) and other high-use common areas. This may include sculpture,
murals, architectural relief, and/or pavement patterning.
Landscaping and lighting.
Landmark buildings anchor activity nodes or major open space areas. A landmark
building is designed to be easily identifiable or visually significant, especially to
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pedestrians, because of its clear or unique form or massing; high figure - background
contrast due to siting, scale, color, or architectural style;
and/or its prominent spatial location. Special attention should be given to building
design and massing, landscaping, and lighting. New landmark buildings should be
designed to actively structure and enhance the usable open space they anchor.
Safety and security
This should be a primary design consideration, including the location and visibility of
Vertical circulation, night lighting, and graphics
In summary for flexible design to work efficiently, some principles must follow:
Understand the users' needs versus their preferences
Focus the planning effort on what will or could happen versus what is
happening today.
Keep work spaces standardized and rational
Make the work spaces adaptable over time to accommodate changes in
future(Viñoly,2003)
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REFERENCES
1. Development Information Guide.(N.D) retrieved from http://
www.adelaidectiycouncil.com/council/planning/dev_assessmen
t.asp
2. National University Commission (NUC). (2000) Private Sector
Participation, in University Hostel Development and
Management. National University Commission Lagos:
3. NUC. William Saint,Teresa Hartnett, Erich Strassner ((2002).
Higher education in Nigeria A Status report.
4. NUC (2005) The Role of National Universities Commission in
quality assurance in Nigerian Universities. Nigerian University
System.
5. Viñoly(2003)retrievedfromhttp://www.hhmi.org/janelia/concep
t.html
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Chapter four 4
4.0. Presentation of analysis and data
4.1.Site location study
Nigeria is located at the tropical region of the world. Nigeria covers an area of
923,768 sq km (356,669 sq mi). At its widest, it measures about 1,200 km (about 750
mi) from east to west and about 1,050 km (about 650 mi) from north to south.
The sun is always perpendicular at noon on almost every day of the year. Generally
the tropics are characterized by high amount of sunshine, high rainfall, high humidity;
an architectural design to be situated in this region must take proper consideration of
these factors.
Figure 4.1: Map of Nigeria Showing Enugu State.
Source: Fatowore, 2008.
4.1.1 The city
Location: The city of Enugu is located in south-central Nigeria. It is situated at the
bottom of the Udi plateau, on the railroad from Port Harcourt. From Port Harcourt, it
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is 150 miles or 240 kms south-southwest. Enugu is positioned at the junction of roads
approaching from Aba, Onitsha, and Abakaliki.
The city is geographically located on latitudes O6, 28‟ North of equator and 07° 33‟
east of the Greenwich Meridian.
Enugu State is an inland state in southeastern Nigeria. Its capital is Enugu where the
state derives its name. The name Enugu comes from two Igbo words Enu and Ugwu,
meaning top of hill. The principal city in the state is Enugu, and towns are Nsukka,
Awgu, Udi, and Oji-river. Enugu lies on the edge of the plains and lands of the
eastern Nigeria at an average altitude of 223 meters above sea level.
Figure 4.2: Map of Enugu State Showing the Local Governments
Source: Fatowore, 2008.
The city of Enugu is composed of roughly six built-up areas divided by streams,
valleys, and the railroad, which cuts a great swath through the middle of the urban
area. The older sections of Enugu comprise Ogbete, Ogui, Asata, Uwani, and the G.
R. A. (Government Residential Area). These areas include not only housing, but many
shops and small business establishment.
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Administrative institutions and commercial firms and facilities (such as the railroad)
formed the core of early Enugu, establishing these points as important growth centres
and destinations.
4.1.2. Brief history
The modern city of Enugu dates from the discovery and development of the coal
mines (1909). The original mine was at Udi (1913), but later moved operations to the
area at Ogbete, one of the oldest parts of town known as the “Coal Camp”. Therefore,
the oldest part of Enugu lies adjacent to the long north-south escarpment, and on top
of this “wall” is Enugu Ngwo. Enugu began to grow as a major coal-mining,
administrative, educational, and trading center. Manufactures include steel, tile,
pottery, asbestos, cement, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, and machinery.
In 1916, the first coal train left Enugu for Port Harcourt and, ever since, coal and the
railroad have played important roles in the total growth of the township. Enugu has
plenty of land, a good climate, and a railway line which ensures communication. It
became the administrative province, later known, first, as the eastern region and then
as the East central state. It is still the capital, but of a similar area known as Enugu
State. Enugu state was created in 1991 from the old Anambra State.
Over the years, the political seat of power in Enugu took precedence over industrial
development with the exception of rail maintenance yards and coal mining. Since
independence, considerable efforts have been made to attract industries to the area,
but its location (off-center relative to internal markets; i.e. the Onitsha/Aba axis or the
Owerri/port Harcourt axis) has impeded such growth.
Enugu was formerly the site of Enugu State University of Science and Technology
(1980), now in Agbani, but is still the location of the Enugu campus of the University
of Nigeria (1960), and the Institute of Management and Technology (1973). Enugu
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became an administrative center after the railroad to Port Harcourt was completed in
1912. Enugu makes a significant contribution to the state economy, which is based
mostly on subsistence level primary production. Due to this unique position, Enugu
has experienced a very high growth rate which has placed a large demand on the
city‟s public facilities, transportation and distribution networks, and the supply of
utilities, which have been unable to keep pace with the burgeoning demand. As such,
the urban settlement of Enugu is faced with chronic transportation and distribution
bottlenecks, acute shortage of water, power and communication services, and frequent
breakdown in public facilities.
4.1.3 Geography of Enugu
Enugu, city in southeastern Nigeria, capital of Enugu State, 93 km (58 mi) northeast
of Onitsha. Enugu state is one of the states in the south eastern part of Nigeria. The
state shares borders with Abia and Imo states to the south, Ebonyi state to the east,
Benue state to the northeast, Kogi state to the northwest and Anambra state to the
west.
Figure 4.3: Map of Enugu State as an Inland State Showing Surrounding States.
Source: http//:wwwgoggle.com,2011.
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Though land-locked, Enugu is approximately 2-1/2 driving hours away from Port
Harcourt, Calabar and Warri, all coastal cities with major shipping ports. Enugu is
also located within an hour‟s drive from Onitsha and 2 hours‟ drive from Aba, both of
which are trading centers in Nigeria. The city is also located within 5 driving hours
from Abuja and 7 driving hours from Lagos, the administrative and commercial
headquarters of Nigeria respectively.
Lying partly within the semi-tropical rain forest belt of the south, the state spreads
towards the north through a land area of approximately 8727.1 km2. Its physical
features change gradually from tropical rain forest to open wood-land and then to
savannah. Apart from a chain of low hills running through Abakaliki, Ebonyi state in
the east to Nsukka in the north-west, and southwards through Enugu and Agwu, the
rest of the state is made up of low land separated by numerous streams and rivulets,
the major ones of which are the Adada River and the Oji River.
Enugu has good soil and climate, sitting at about 223 meters above sea level, and the
soil is well drained. The mean temperature in Enugu state in the hottest month of
February is about 36.2oc (97.16F), while the lowest temperatures occur in the month
of November, reaching 20.3oc (68.54F). The lowest rainfall of about 0.16cm
3 is
normal in February, while the highest is about 35.7cm3 in July.
4.1.4 Administrative and political status of Enugu
As a result of the coal mining and extension of rail lines from Enugu to Port Harcourt
and the consequent population growth, Enugu began to assume greater importance.
By an order in council No. 19 of 1917 Enugu was declared a second Class township
and it gained township status and the layout of Enugu started.
Another order in Council No. 2 of 1924, declared it a Supreme Court area. Its
political importance was underscored when it was chosen as the headquarters of the
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then Southern Provinces in April, 1929 and a Lt. Governor was appointed in the
person of Capt. Buchanan.
In 1939, the Southern Provinces was divided into Eastern and Western Provinces and
Enugu became the headquarters of Eastern Provinces. All these while, Enugu was
known as Enugu Ngwo but the suffix “Ngwo” was dropped in 1922 to distinguish it
from Ngwo village.
4.1.5 Urbanization
Urbanization in Enugu started in 1917 with the declaration of Enugu as a second class
township, (i.e., township status). In 1924, it was declared a Supreme Court area and
in 1926, it was laid out and divided into zones viz: European reservation areas, the
residential and business areas, the neutral zone and the native locations.
Between April 1929 and 1939, Enugu was the administrative headquarters of the
Southern provinces up to Cameroons.
After the discovery of coal, migrants from different parts of Nigeria representing
various political and commercial interests came to settle in Enugu. With the changes
in political status of Enugu and the influx of people from different parts of Nigeria,
rapid urbanization was witnessed which resulted in the construction of railway lines,
markets, roads, hotels and recreational clubs.
4.1.6 Enugu today
Enugu town has a population of 3, 267,837 (2006 estimate). The people of Enugu
belong largely to the Igbo ethnic group, which is one of the three largest ethnic groups
in Nigeria. The city‟s slogan is coal city state.
Enugu state capital can be referred to as the education capital of Nigeria because it
hosts an array of very fine educational institutions within the rolling green hills of the
well planned city. Enugu state is seeking to attract foreign investors to exploit the
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huge solid minerals deposit and agricultural potential. Enugu state remains one of the
most peaceful states in Nigeria.(Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Economically, the
state is predominantly rural and agrarian, with a substantial proportion of its working
population engaged in farming, although trading (18.8%) and services (12.9%) are
also important. In the urban areas trading is the dominant occupation, followed by
services. A small proportion of the population is engaged in manufacturing activities,
with the most pronounced among them located in Enugu, Oji and Nsukka.
4.1.7 Vegetation of Enugu
Lying partly within the semi-tropical rain forest belt of the south, the state spreads
towards the north through a land area of approximately 8,727.1 square kilometers
(3,369.6sq mi). Its physical features change gradually from tropical rain forest to open
wood-land and then to savannah. Apart from a chain of low hills running through
Abakaliki, Ebonyi State in the east to Nsukka in the north-west, and southwards
through Enugu and Agwu, the rest of the state is made up of low land separated by
numerous streams and rivulets, the major ones which are the Adada River and the Oji
River.
Figure 4.4: Map of Nigeria Showing Vegetation Belt
Source: http//:wwwgoggle.com,2011.
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4.1.8 Transport
Enugu is located on the main narrow-gauge railway line from Port Harcourt. The
main airport in the state is the Akanu Ibiam International Airport. The mainstay of
transportation is by taxi cab buses and recently by okada, which are motorcycles.
4.1.9 Energy
Electricity supply is relatively stable in Enugu. The Oji River Power Station (which
used to supply electricity to all of Eastern Nigeria) is located in Enugu State. With the
deregulation of electricity generation in Nigeria, and the privatization of the Power
Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the State Government would assist the
reactivation of the Oji Power Station.
4.1.10 Climatic considerations
Figure 4.5: Map of Nigeria showing climate.
Source: http//:wwwgoggle.com,2011.
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As Enugu belongs to the tropical hinterland with the vegetation type aptly described
as Guinea Savannah, two main seasons are here:
a. The Rainy Season – brings rainfall and thunderstorms. Lasts from March to
November.
b. The Dry Season – lasting from December to early March. It is characterized
by low humidity and reduced visibility.
At this period where we are losing our ozone blanket caused by the green house
effect, there is increase in temperature and variation in season. This implies that
planning consideration should be evolved towards having:-
i. Covered walkways
ii. Protected windows (window hoods)
iii. High capacity drainage ways
iv. Vegetation to act as breaks as well as blinding matrix for the soil against
erosion.
v. A means of storing the run-off water for use during periods of water scarcity.
vi. Flashings on exposed parapets
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Figure 4.6: Graph Showing the Climate of Enugu in a Year
Source: http//:wwwgoggle.com,2011.
Rainfall
The lowest rainfall of about 0.16 cubic centimeters (0.0098 cu in) is normal in
February, while the highest is about 35.7 cubic centimeters (2.18 cu in) in July. The
peak of the rainfall alternates between July and September.
Consideration must be given to the design in regard to drainage analysis.
Temperature
Enugu has started experiencing high temperatures; as much as 36oc be recorded
monthly and occurs almost throughout the whole year especially February to April.
For planning considerations, the following is required:
a. Planting of shading for radiation absorption
b. Minimum use of asphalt works, as it absorbs a lot of heat and radiation
c. Shading devices – use of canopies, covered walkways, verandahs, etc.
d. Consideration should be given to construction and expansion joints
e. Considerable ventilation to promote air movement
f. Use of HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning) is almost
inevitable for huge buildings with spaces of the nature of a Cineplex.
However, greater consideration should be given to natural ventilation as much
as is possible
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Figure 4.7: Map of Nigeria showing temperature.
Source: http//:wwwgoggle.com,2011.
Sun and wind path
The sun rises and sets in the east and west respectively; and the wind which is NE and
SW winds, allow for the planning considerations of lighting, ventilation and
orientation of building to maximize these. These parameters are very important,
considering the epileptic power supply and cost in the country. This maximum and
effective harnessing of their potential will help in reducing running cost of the
complex.
With this in mind, placing the orientation of the building in the southwest direction
makes for effective cross ventilation and also helps to reduce the menacing effect of
the northeast trade winds. While planting trees would act as buffers to the
predominant winds, care should be taken to ensure that the beneficial southwest trade
winds are not obstructed.
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Figure 4.8: Map of Nigeria Showing Rain Distribution and the NE/SW trade winds
Source: http//:wwwgoggle.com,2011.
4.2.Site Analysis
Site Analysis by Architects before building design has often been likened to looking
before leaping. This is because it affords the designers first-hand knowledge of the
site on which they are designing. Site analysis provides data on vital issues like
topography, wind direction, drainage, access to the site, and noise sources which the
architect will put into consideration while working on his design.
It is very common today to see architects design without visits to the site hence
leading to construction delays and problems and ultimately to building failure.
There are eight basic factors which are individually important in the process of site
analysis. These are: Topography, drainage, temperature, wind direction, Humidity,
access to site, noise sources and vegetation. A good site analysis should afford the
architect the following.
It enables the architect to understand the site massing or topography so that he
would be able to decide correctly on the adjustments to be made on the
drawings so that the building will be well integrated well with the site.
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It enables the architect to understand the best way to locate the building on site
so as to take all possible advantage of natural ventilation and avoid
unnecessary solar radiation.
It gives the architect an idea of the best direction from which to provide access
to the site.
Helps the landscaper and the architect with landscaping and car parking provision.
Since site analysis also includes the study of existing buildings on or around
the site, it enables the architects to create designs that will merge well with its
surrounding.
It enables the designer, and landscapers to choose the kind of vegetation, for
example shrubs, trees and grass that will also suit the building. However, this
does not mean that the planners are not free to use what plants they think are
best suitable.
It educates the architects on the best way and place to place facilities like
water closets and urinary which require drainage by taking advantage of the
site and existing drainage system.
It enables designers decide on the best kind of foundation and structural
system On the soil types.
It enables the architect to decide on the best place to locate entrances to the
building by affording him information on vehicular and pedestrian access to
the site
4.21. The Site
The University of Nigeria, Enugu campus and the university master plan: -The
University of Nigeria was founded on October 7th 1960 as the very first autonomous
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University to be established in Nigeria with the rights to award her own degrees and
certificates. It started with 200 students and 13 staff.
The University, at its onset had only the campus at Nsukka since the courses being
offered then were not much in number and its student‟s population was still small.
With time the University grew in both diversity and size and hence required
„additional facilities to accommodate it.
This development invariably led to the acquisition of the former campus of the
I1federal college of Arts science and Technology at Ogui New Layout, Enügu.
The University, right from the onset when it was still being funded by the then
Eastern Nigeria Government had always had a history of inadequate planning and
provision of infrastructure.
However, in 1973 a ray of hope appeared, when the then Federal Government took
over the funding of existing Universities in Nigeria including the University of
Nigeria. This proved to be a blessing since funding which seemed to be the most basic
problem of all was more readily available.
Due to the National Universities commission (NUC) 1975 Master Plan programme
for the seven new and six older Universities and also partly because of the increased
yearning for more and better facilities the University administration
fouder Prof. F.N. Ndili in the year 1978 awarded the contract for the University
Master Plan to a team of indigenous and foreign consortia. Their basic mission was to
prepare a comprehensive Master Plan proposal as a guideline for the planning and
Infrastructural development of both University Campuses to the standards laid down
by the N.U.C. It was also meant to be appropriate to staff and student population
in planning briefs. Other objectives are:
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a. The revisitation of the approach road systems for both campuses for different
reasons.
b. The development of a zoning plan for both campuses for different reasons.
c. To bring about an ordered development which allows for proper future
growth.
d. To develop and define organized pedestrian ways which are segregated from
vehicular routes.
e. To provide the Nsukka Campus with a more idenuhable academic centre and
to enlarge that of Enugu Campus.
f. The provision of a more elaborate and efficient circulation system particularly
for vehicles.
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Figure 4.9 showing the master plan of UNEC and the zones.
Source: Author, 2011.
The Enugu Campus of the University of Nigeria consists of the Faculties of
Environmental studies, Business Administration, Law and Medicine.
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4.2.2. Zones and circulation:
The existing land use pattern is strongly established and in general satisfactory. The
entrance road into the school is realigned to avoid the dangerous traffic junction at the
entrance perimeter of the site. The primary roads demarcate the principal zones of the
academic core, staff residential area and students hostels (see fig ).
A pedestrian system of circulation exists and fairly developed while ample parking
space is provided.
The campus is basically divided into academic and non-academic areas. Zones are:
The core: This is the centre of the original development for the Nigerian college of
Arts, science and Technology occupying the highest point on the site. It will be
expanded to form a new core for the Campus. It will contain a new Administration
Building, the Central Library, the Division of General Studies, the Faculty of Law,
and a new Refectory arid Medical Centre all grouped around a central piazza. This
core is dominantly pedestrian in terms of circulation.
Academic zone A: The academic zone „A‟ is an L-shaped area immediately north of
the core and contains academic facilities for the faculty of medicine including a
paramedical complex of prefabricated buildings.
Academic zone B:- This academic zone contains facilities for the Faculty of
Environmental studies. It lies immediately to the south of the core and has a direct
pedestrian connection with the core. Vehicular access is from the primary road to the
south of the zone.
Academic zone C: This zone lies in the west of the core towards the campus entrance
from Enugu town and contains the faculty of Business Administration. The EDI
Research Institute (Economic Development Institute) is in this area as is the
University Guest House. An exhibition and conference centre is also proposed here.
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Students’ Residential Areas, Zone A:This is the established area containing all the
existing students‟ hotels. A future five, four-storey blocks are planned in zone B
located in the new site to the east.
Sports Facilities: The re-alignment of the main entrance road allows the present
sports area at the west end of the site to be easily expanded. The location also makes it
relatively easy to handle and accommodate spectators and participants from Enugu
town without much interference with the school.
Staff Housing: A new senior staff residential area in zone C in the new acquisition
area to the East is planned with a mixed development of flats and single homes.
The existing senior staff housing zone D remains while a small area for junior staff
housing is provided at the east and of the students residential zone A.
Other Buildings: A strip of land to the north-west of a(‟ad1nw zone A is separated
from the zone by a road and is designated for a bank, shops, a super market, a post
office service station and maintenance workshops and stores. Staff schools are
provided for at the upper west end of the campus while religious buildings are
provided in sites widely dispersed around the campus.
4.2.3. The site and its nature:
The area designated by the University Master Plan for the proposed female hostel is
The Students‟ Residential Areas Zone A. This is the established area containing all
the existing students‟ hostels. An open land in this zone has been chosen for this
project and is adequately sized to provide for land needs for the proposed project (see
fig4.10
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Figure 4.10 Proposed site shaded with the surrounding facilities and road network.
Source: Author, 2011.
Criteria for choosing site:
Location
Goals
To ensure that student accommodation is located in reasonable proximity to
academic areas.
To ensure that the location of student accommodation has convenient access to
public transport.
To ensure that student accommodation has convenient access to a range of
commercial, retail, entertainment and social facilities
Guidelines
The „Preferred Location‟ for the use of a site for student accommodation should
satisfy one or more of the following Guidelines
within 1500 meters of academic areas.
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within 800 meters of a Principal, Major or a larger Neighbourhood Activity
Centre
within 400 meters of a bus route that provides direct access to the educational
institution.
The development of student accommodation that does not satisfy one or more of the
above guidelines is discouraged.
Neighborhood Character
Goals
To ensure that student accommodation is designed in accordance with the
appropriate Desired Future Character Statement for the relevant institution
Character Precinct as detailed in the Neighbourhood Character Study.
To ensure that bulk, mass and height of new student accommodation does not
visually overwhelm the scale of existing development
To respect the existing character and scale of the surrounding built form.
To articulate new student accommodation and avoid “box-like” design.
To encourage creative and quality design solutions that enhance existing
residential areas.
To ensure that the design respects the existing neighbourhood character or
contributes to a preferred neighbourhood character.
To ensure that development responds to the features of the site and the
surrounding area.
Guidelines
Student accommodation should be designed to respect the predominant characteristics
of the built form of the surrounding area, including:
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built form, mass and proportion, roof form and pitch, façade articulation and
detailing, window and door proportions, verandahs, eaves and parapets,
building materials, building heights, visual impact
The provision of student accommodation does not justify the development of
buildings that have a greater built form, massing or scale that is incompatible or does
not respect the existing built form character of the location
The design response must be appropriate to the neighborhood and must respect the
existing or preferred neighborhood character for the site.
This can be achieved by:
Designing proposals of the same or similar style in streets that display a
unified architectural style.
Utilizing similar building materials to that on adjoining properties.
Designing buildings which exhibit a high degree of articulation and detailing.
Incorporating similar roof heights and pitches to that of adjoining
development.
Specifying new dwelling heights no greater than existing dwelling heights
within the vicinity
The retention of semi-mature and mature canopy trees.
The provision of sufficient space within the property for the planting and
development of large native trees.
The planting of semi mature trees in open space areas, along boundaries
adjacent to neighboring open space and in front setback areas to reinforce the
garden character of the area.
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Open Space
Goals
To ensure that an adequate area of communal open space is provided on site to
meet the recreational needs of the students.
To ensure that the communal open space is integrated into the design of the
student accommodation facility providing a convenient, safe and well proportioned
usable space.
To ensure that the shared communal spaces contributes to the functionality of
the student accommodation facilities and promotes interaction between
students.
To ensure that existing significant trees are incorporated into open space areas
and sufficient space is provided for the planting of new canopy trees.
Guidelines
Student accommodation facilities should provide a communal open space area at
ground level located to the side or rear of the building, with convenient access from
the student amenities area having an minimum area of 75m2 or 4m2 per student,
whichever is the greater, designed with a minimum dimension of 3 metres, including
one area to the side or rear of the building of 35m2 with a minimum dimension of 5
metres. For large scale student accommodation facilities, the total area of communal
open space may be limited where exceptional circumstances exist if the recreational
needs for the students are satisfied by other means. That is: -
proximity of the site to a major public open space area or other recreation
facilities.
The provision of generous communal indoor recreation areas.
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4.2.4 Climatic analysis of the site
Figure 4.11 climatic analysis of the proposed site.
Source: Author ,2011.
Plate 2.37: Access road by the east and lady ibiam female hostel by the south-west.
Source: Author ,2011.
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Plate 2.38: The site, ibiam hostel by the south-west and Afrihub by the west
Source: Author ,2011.
Plate 2.39: showing existing pathway linked with the road
Source: Author ,2011.
Access:
Access to the site is from the main gate through the campus core which lies to the
north to the Students‟ Residential Areas Zone A and the site in particular is by the use
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of vehicles from the existing primary road which bounds the site to the east. Other
means is by non-vehicular means, that is by pedestrian means through some pathways
intermingling within the residential zoned area.
Topography:
This site is of an interesting nature. It is slightly undulating and slopes from the
southwest towards the southeast.
Drainage:
Drainage in the site is very adequate due to the very nature of the site. The pattern
follows two major courses. The first course is from the core of the of the master plan
towards the southern boundary, while the second is from the water tower area towards
the east. It can therefore be said that the general course of drainage is south easterly
direction.
Plate 2.40: showing the drainage direction from south-west towards the north-east
direction.
Source: Author ,2011.
Soil type:
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The site lies in the area of hydromorphic soils which are mineral soils whose
philology is influenced by seasonal water logging caused by underlying impervious
soil.
This logging is however transitory in nature because of the Sloppy nature of the land.
The soil is reddish brown in color, gravelly with clay and some concretions. The
bearing pressures for the soil are usually high and vary from lOOkn/m‟ to about
It is not particularly prone to erosion even though it is quite sloppy. This is because of
the strong top soil which has been bound hard and together over the years by the
vegetation on it. The soil is therefore good enough to carry heavy structures and so
requires little emphasis on an elaborate and complicated foundation systems for any
building intercled for it.
Vegetation: The site has the same sub-savannah grassland vegetation typical of the
Enugu region although its grasses are of the low type while the trees were planted.
These trees includes the mango trees, pine trees. Small shrubs can also be found on
the site.
Plate 2.41: showing the vegetative cover of the site.
Source: Author ,2011.
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Plate 2.41: contd.
Noise sources:
Almost all of the noise that reaches the site are those from vehicles passing through
the road and from the adjoining student‟s hostels.
Plate 2.42: showing vehicular access and adjoining facilities which can generate noise
Source: Author ,2011.
4.2.5 Existing developments on site analysis:
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Currently the proposed site is bounded on the two sides by female hostel buildings
namely Ibiam female hostel (on the south-west region) and new hostel (on the north –
east region). On the west of the site is an existing Afri-hub building and the main
access road to the site is on the east region across which exist the junior staff quarters
buildings. The other surrounding buildings includes: the post graduate hostel i.e
Nkrumah hostel, Adelabu hostel, student centre .
4.3.0 Space/functional analysis
4.3.1 Types of spaces for dormitories:
e. Single room: the single room provides controlled privacy for its occupant
with respect to all other students. It may open directly to a corridor and thus provide
complete privacy coming or going, or it may be part of a suit or apartment. The
single room should be arranged suitably so that it is possible to study effectively with
an invited guest. Her e the student would be able to play his radio, phonograph, tape
recorder without creating an acoustical problem to others.
A single room should not be less than120 sq ft. the furniture should be movable not
fixed to allow the student to organize his own environment.
Figure 4.12a single rooms.
Source: Neufert, E. & P. Architects Data (3rd
edition)
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f. Split double room: it provides the social contact and a certain degree of
privacy by connecting two spaces with a common space. The room design solves a
problem of conflicting patterns of life and study between students. The wardrobe and
shelves with reading tables could form a fixed partition. A connecting door would
provide better privacy. One space (if large) can be used for sleeping while the other
could be for reading and entertaining visitors for compatible roommates. The split
double room is the best arrangement if two students must share a space because of
the easy choice that exists for privacy and socializing.
iii. Double room: this is the standard and traditional room design for economy.
This type of room promotes interaction between roommates but lacks privacy. This
variety is included for students who prefer its condition.
Figure 4.12b double room w.c shared by two rooms
Source: Neufert, E. & P. Architects Data (3rd edition)
iv. Suits: the arrangement where four or more students share the total space in
single and double rooms with or without bathrooms and at least one extra common or
living area. The major value of this living arrangement is the promotion of student
interaction and freedom of student to use various spaces as they wish. The common
space reduces pressure felt by two students trying to share a room. The sharing of a
fair amount of space by a group of students makes possible a variety of usage
patterns and provides considerable flexibility in room arrangement.
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Provision of bathroom facilities should comply with NUC guidelines which specify a
ratio of one toilet, one bathroom for six students.
A kitchenette should be provided for students who prefer to do their cooking in each
suit arrangement.
Figure 4.12c: diagrammatic arrangement of rectangular double rooms.
Source: Neufert, E. & P. Architects Data (3rd edition)
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Figure 4.12d: Diagrammatic arrangement of rectangular single study bedroom
Source: Neufert, E. & P. Architects Data (3rd edition)
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4.3.2 Space allocation
a. Dimension of student’s room: rooms of minimum sizes cause many complaints
from students; this was reflected in both URBS and another recent study. The
situation has changed a great deal in the past 25 years .stern hall at Berkeley was
built in 1940 and allowed 480 gross sq ft per student with 250sq ft in the student
room. Present rooms of 85-95 ft per student create serious problems of constriction.
Built in furnishing compound this problem by preventing an expressive control by
students of the layout of their rooms. Movable furniture, in most cases because the
small room size dictates only one possible arrangement. The need for expression is
very important to the student that he sometimes resort to irrational layout such as
placing the bed across the door opening, in an effort to control his environment.
The allocation of space will be the decision of the campus. Adequate space allocation
within the student room must have first priority so that enough space is provided to
allow both immediate individual expressions by the student and future arrangement
by the university. (De Chiara et al ,1983). Several studies have recommended that a
single student room of rectangular shape contain 100 to 115 sq ft. The rational for this
recommendation is that a room must contain enough space to provide the student
with:
1. The furniture he needs
2. Space for the use and service of this furniture(make beds or open drawers),
3. Possibility of variety of furniture layouts. .(De Chiara et al ,1983)
Purpose built student accommodation buildings should provide for a variety of
room sizes and types. This includes rooms that are self contained, have
communal facilities, and have both private and common rooms or common
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areas. All external open spaces, whether private or shared should be of a
sufficient size to ensure that they can be used for recreation and other needs.
Room sizes are to be consistent with the regulations to the Public Health and
Wellbeing Act 2008 which stipulates that: to minimize overcrowding the
following minimum room sizes must be adopted:
1 person 7.5m² - 12.0m²
2 persons 12.1m² - 16.0m²
3 persons 16.1m2
In general consideration should be given to amenities within lodgings including:
A study area with a desk and table with seating provision.
A robe /drawer unit for storage of clothing and personal items.
Internet and TV connection and power points.
The provision of direct natural light and ventilation to living areas and
bedrooms in the form of windows that can easily open.
Provision of rooms and shared facilities that could be utilized by a person with
limited mobility. (Student Accommodation Guidelines – June 2010 ) A schedule
outlining the floor area for each dwelling, the internal and external communal space.
All forms of natural light should be from external walls and not from internal
windows to corridors. Consideration must also be given to communal facilities such
as bathrooms and laundries. Where not shown on the plans, the above minimum
requirements would be sought as a condition on any approval. To ensure sufficient
living requirements are met the provision of a minimum of 1 kitchen per 6 beds
should be provided. This number can be varied if rooms are to be self contained.
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Relevant aspects for Common Space are: Despite lodging rooms being self
contained, the provision of internal and external common space is considered to be
important to encourage social interaction. This should include shared kitchen, dining,
media (TV/DVD) and outdoor space. It is important that any application identifies
the anticipated population of the use (i.e. how many lodgings may be available to
couples). As a guide, up to 3 sq. meters of indoor and outdoor communal space
should be provided per student.
4.3.3 Environment
a. Thermal. Student room requires an appropriate thermal environment for the
functions carried on within them. The environment is affected by temperature,
ventilation, humidity radiation and the quality of air produced by filtration. It is
important the air be kept moving and clean, particularly in students room, interior
spaces, lounges and study areas. Because of variation in student hygiene, separate
ventilation of individual‟s spaces is required as the odors in many residence halls
were found by visitors to be overpowering. Although conventional air conditioning is
more economical within a sealed space, it is recommended that students be able to
open their windows to enjoy the soft, fresh morning and evening air.
b. Lighting: the quality of lighting in student rooms is determined by the
quantity and brightness of both light sources and their general surroundings. High
illumination levels are appropriate to study. In the daytime, natural dayligtlight may
provide the necessary illumination if windows are well placed and the glare
eliminated. Lighting sources in student rooms should be integrated with the movable
furnishings. This tends to minimize maintenance and fix the light‟s proper level.
c. Acoustics; quiet is the most desired characteristics of any living arrangements
in the opinion of students, so acoustical consideration are of great importance.
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Fundamental to providing quite environments are walls, floors, windows, and doors
providing adequate reduction of sounds from adjacent activities.
d. Color, texture and materials: materials presently used are hard, unyielding
and chosen for their durability and ease of maintenance. However, those used
invariably provide lead to depressing, sterile, institutional appearance. The student‟s
need for expression and the university‟s need for ease of maintenance need not
conflict. Walls can be covered by safe, removable wall covering panels that provide
the student with unrestricted freedom of color and decoration. At the same time, this
wall covering can still protect the underlying materials. Such panels would allow
female students to compensate for the universal institutional aspect of student housing
by softening the environment through the use of feminine colors, textures and
material.
e. Appliances: the number of electrical appliances brought by the student to the
hostels invariably exceeds the number anticipated by the designers of present day
residence hall designers. As a result, this generates a problem of general safety, fire
hazards intolerable odor, noise level and frequent interruption of electrical services.
4.3.4 Facilities:
Bathing. The gang bath is one of the most persistence features of residence halls. It
has been defended on the basis of economy and its contribution to socialization.
Certainly, the initial construction cost of one central gang bath is less than that of a
smaller installation in several locations. It is also evident that when a bathroom serves
more than a few students, maintenance becomes nobody‟s business but the
universities; the student does not realize that he is paying extra for the university‟s
maintenance of the gang bathroom. The initial extra expense for smaller baths will
actually result in long term cost saving if the students themselves maintain the smaller
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bathroom, because it eliminates the need for maid service throughout the life of the
building.
Figure 4.13: showing gang bathrooms
Source: Neufert, E. & P. Architects Data (3rd edition).
Another economic factor against the gang bath is its inflexibility. Residence halls with
gang baths are far less appropriate for participants in conventions, reunion, and
institutes where both sexes are involved than are areas with smaller baths serving a
few persons
4.3.5 Dining: there is universal agreement that the single, large room for hundreds of
students is not satisfactory solution to the problems of student dining facilities.
Although the large kitchen with its extensive equipment, service line arrangement and
building area is the most economical and efficient method of food preparation, the one
large dining room for all student negates a congenial atmosphere for social interaction
during mealtime. Dining facilities that combine the best advantage of the large
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kitchen efficiency and at the same time providing a pleasant and social dining
environment can be built. Proper planning permits large central areas to be divided by
movable walls into smaller or intimate dining rooms. The walls can be moved when a
large scale is needed for social events such as dances.
Facilities for student accommodation -
Design for student accommodation should incorporate the following Facilities for
each student accommodation unit: -
Self contained accommodation: - minimum of 24 square metres floor area per
unit.
Non-self contained Accommodation: - minimum of 16 square metres floor
area per unit.
Bathroom with shower, hand basin and WC. (en-suite facilities preferred)
Separate sleeping area.
Cooking area with dual hotplate/gas stove, sink, microwave, and fridge and
cupboard storage. (Only for self contained accommodation)
Inbuilt cupboards in the sleeping area with hanging, storage and draw space
for clothing and personal items.
Study area with desk and provision of seating.
Independent heating/cooling facility
Internet access
Communal facilities
Student accommodation should incorporate the following communal facilities:
Common kitchen and dining/meals area to cater for the total number of
students. (only for non-self contained Accommodation)
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Indoor communal recreation space/room with convenient access to the
external communal open space area.
Common bathroom/toilet facility available for visitor use.
Laundry, with clothes washing and drying facilities. The provision of outdoor
drying facilities is encouraged
Secure well lit, foyer/entrance area with individual mail boxes for each
residential unit.
Waste storage area integrated into the site design to facilitate easy waste
removal off the site
Where a „live in‟ manager is required, adequate room space and individual
amenities including areas for storage of property manager‟s equipment for
building maintenance.
4.3.6 Accommodation schedule
Table 2.9: Accommodation schedule.
SPACES
AREA/
M. SQUARED
Entrances
Entrance hall 42
Reception 29
General lounge 124
wc 2.2
Students area
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Single bedrooms 13
Double bedrooms 16
W.C 2.2
Shower 2.2
Kitchenette 6
laundry 18
lounge 9
Wardens office 9
WC 2.2
porter‟s room 9
cleaners 3msq
circulation 2/3msq per person
furniture store 5
Commercial facilities
Grocery shop 16
Hairdressing saloon 16
Research places
Mini library/reading room or
study room
20
Internet room 25
Source: Author, 2011.
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4.4.0 Design criteria
4.4.1 Designing for further adaptability
The more flexible a dwelling is the greater potential it has for accommodating
different needs during its lifetime and the less costly any adaptations to suit these
needs will be. Certain features help provide flexibility and less costly adaptation:
load bearing partitions should be kept to a minimum as they can make
adaptations difficult and expensive;
stairs should be able to take a stair lift and allowance should be made for the
possible installation of a through floor lift;
in two storey houses an area at ground level that could accommodate a bed
also adds to flexibility of use;
Lack of a WC at ground floor level can makes a house unusable, and even
unvisitable by a person who cannot climb stairs.
4.4.2 Criteria for flexible design
Provide robust building configurations, which utilize multiple entries and
circulation cores, especially in larger buildings over 15 metres long
A mix of apartment types
higher ceilings in particular on the ground floor and first floor
separate entries for the ground floor level and the upper levels
Use sliding and/or movable wall systems.
Provide apartment layouts, which accommodate the changing use of rooms.
Design solutions may include:
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windows in all habitable rooms and to the maximum number of non-habitable
rooms
adequate room sizes or open-plan apartments, which provide a variety of
furniture layout opportunities
Utilize structural systems, which support a degree of future change in
building use or configuration.
Design solutions may include:
the alignment of structural walls, columns and
services cores between floor levels
the minimization of internal structural walls
higher floor to floor dimensions on the ground floor
Consider providing additional storage in the form of built-in cupboards to
promote a more efficient use of small spaces.
4.4.3 The plan of the dwelling
For the convenience of the occupiers the arrangement of the space provided is
important:
The main entrance door should always open into a hall or lobby, never directly
into a room;
stairs should preferably not be open to the main living area;
The kitchen and the eating space should be adjacent; Complex plan
arrangements will exacerbate confusion.
Bathrooms at ground level that allow for a floor gulley are less costly to adapt
for a walk-in shower.
4.4.4 The needs
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All dwellings within themselves should be free of „barriers‟, or potentially so.
Even a house on a steeply sloping site or an upper floor flat that internally is
designed to be barrier free can be of benefit to an occupant who is temporarily
impaired, to those who can manage steps but are otherwise disabled, or a disabled
visitor who may need assistance up steps or stairs, but once inside is able to move
around.
The plan of a dwelling should provide convenient accommodation with
circulation areas kept to a minimum.
Adequate space is the feature above all others that provides a home that is
flexible and able to accommodate people who have problems with mobility. It is also
the feature that is most difficult and costly to add at a later date. It is essential that the
best use is made of available space through careful planning and that very restricted
areas are avoided.
Open plan arrangements in which different activity spaces, (e.g. living room
and kitchen), are screened from each other rather than fully segregated, can be of
benefit. For people with mobility problems it reduces the number of doors and
partitions, which can make moving around easier, and for people with dementia or
cognitive impairment it allows them to see where they need to go. This is particularly
relevant in dwellings for one or two people where individual privacy is less critical.
The relationship and circulation between the bathroom and bedroom(s) is
particularly important. The route should be as direct as possible. This will help
people with mobility problems to move more easily between the two. The WC being
visible from the bedroom is of benefit to people with dementia. Some wheelchair
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users may need a ceiling mounted hoist to travel between the bedroom and bathroom
necessitating that these two rooms are adjacent. .
In flats it will usually be necessary to have self closing fire doors to comply
with the Technical Standards [3], Part E, though on a day-to-day basis such doors are
inconvenient for anyone, but particularly people with mobility problems. The
number of fire doors should be kept to a minimum while complying with the
Technical Standards.
4.4.5 Canopies and porches
The protection of a canopy or porch is of benefit to everyone, but particularly those
who are less agile and may take time in opening the door.
4.4.6 Dwellings specifically for older or disabled people:
All main entrance doors should have a canopy or porch to give protection to
someone unlocking and opening the door. The canopy should also give protection to
visitors using the door bell or entry phone system and should extend at least 900mm
from the face of the door.
Where there is a level threshold the protection of a canopy or porch also helps
avoid water penetration from wind driven rain. Consideration should be given to
providing additional protection from the prevailing wind through the orientation of
the door or possible return walls.
For wheelchair users the covered area should be of a size to protect the whole
chair and extend at least 1200mm from the face of the door. This is usually best
achieved by the canopy being part of the roof of a carport
4.4.7 Provision for cars
It is always preferable for car owners to be able to park their car within their
own curtilage and this is particularly so if someone has impaired mobility. In-
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cartilage parking space should be at least 4800mm long and 3000mm wide to allow
for people with impaired mobility. A potential to increase the width to 3600mm
would allow for a wheelchair user. There should be level access between the parking
space and the entrance door.
Examples of super-flexible housing include open roof trusses to facilitate
upwards extensions, semis with attached garages to incorporate strengthened
foundations to accommodate future first floor extensions, open or flexible
floor plans.
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4.5.0 REFERENCES
Banyule City Council Student Accommodation Guidelines, June 2010
Planning codes retrieved from
http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/programservices/pdf/designcode/03_part03_
a.pdf.
.De Chiara, J. & Hancock, J. C. Time saver standard for building types; 2nd
edition.
Housing for varying needs; design guide: retrieved from
http://www.archive2.officialdocuments.co.uk/document/deps/cs/HousingOut
put/content/index.html.
Superflexiblehousing:http://www.miltonkeynespartnership.info/DocLibrary/T
attenhoe_Park_Development_Framework_Chapter_7.pdf.
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CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 Design synthesis
5.1. Design concept
Philosophy of flexibility
The Philosophy behind the notion of flexibility is that the requirements of modern
life are so complex and changeable that any attempt on the part of the designer to
anticipate/expect them results in a building which is unsuited to its function and
represents as it were, a false consciousness of the society in which he operates.
(Schneider etal) Schneider and Till (2005, p. 287) also presented that one of the basic
principles of designing flexible building is to avoid inflexibility. In other words, the
design of the inflexible parts of a building plays a crucial role in achieving
flexibility.
Concept
New designs of residence halls must have a greater purpose than simply being places
where students are housed while they are pursuing their educational endeavors
(especially when viewed from the perception of womanhood). Modern residence hall
facilities must be designed to complement the educational and curricular mission of
their institutions as well model the individual resident on it, and should be
intentionally designed to fulfill this objective.
Pertaining to the designing of student housing/accommodation, a concept would give
the proposed residence hall an identity that defines the educational experiences
students will have while they are living in the building. A clear concept articulates
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behavioral expectations to students who will choose to live there, and can more
Cleary describe the type of experiences students will have.
What exactly is a residence hall concept? In many ways it is the primary identity
given to a residence hall facility. The concept is the lens that shapes the image of the
facility within the campus. It impacts function, purpose and design focus. It affects
architectural programming, internal and external space configurations and site
location. The concept determines who will live there and role of the building in the
campus. Above all, the concept gives the facility an educational purpose, and
articulates linkages between students in class and out of class experiences
It is essential that residence halls be designed to be educationally purposeful and to
support the academic success of student. Although living- learning concept have
emerged as the most effective way of achieving these goals, it is important that each
campus select a concept for a new hall which best support the unique educational and
community development needs of its students.
For the purpose of this (design) female postgraduate hostel proposal and with the
merit of having studied the different strategies of achieving flexibility in building, the
following conceptual ideas would be adopted in order to achieve a functional,
purposeful hostel accommodation that can adapt to the changing needs of users.
a. Structural System:
The structural system, as being one of the fixed and permanent parts of the building,
is important in determining whether the architectural layout will be flexible or not.
Base structures and polyvalent organizations which are the two main structural
methods of attaining flexibility would be adopted.
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b. Service spaces
The position of service spaces, the access system and the organization of wet spaces,
would be well planned to allow for flexibility of use
c. The architectural layout
The architectural layout of the residential blocks in terms of providing varieties of
unit types and the spatial organization of these types would be looked into.
d. Furnishing for flexible use:
The use of furniture to separate different functional spaces or the use of folding
furniture to allow different configurations for day and night
It is good to note that these related strategies, however, can be applied in different
ways in the design of flexible housing according to “soft” and “hard” analogies
proposed by Schneider and Till (2007)
The adoption and application of these conceptual ideologies would aid in achieving
the following
Give the building a shape that‟s easily extended, and design circulation and
services to support growth.
Placing the building on its site to leave room for an addition ,In anticipation of
future need of more space,
Save space by designing areas to serve more than one function.
Placing critical spaces on the lowest floor for ease of access to people
of different degrees of mobility, and age
5.2. Design contribution
Cognizant of the fact that human need changes with time, today‟s society requires
buildings that can be rapidly transformed without any major construction work and
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can therefore easily accommodate various types of users needs.
The advantages of such buildings are not just financial and organizational; they also
have significant advantages in terms of longevity
The need for flexible student hostel design was foreseen by the author of this
research as a result of:
2. Personal experiences
3. Experiences by other female students especially the married women, advanced
women as well as handicapped female students.
4. From the opinion sought, through personal interview and questionnaires and
preferences of the proposed users of the design.
Flexible female student housing design is a lean way to the difficulties experienced
by these categories of female postgraduate student. It is therefore the interest of the
author that this proposal is executed in order to proffer solution to the diverse
changing needs and trends seen in the life of users.
5.3. Recommendation
1. The Nigerian University Commission (NUC) should as a matter of change
incorporate policies that would encourage the design of flexible student housing.
This is to promote housing that can accommodate diverse needs and trends, and to
anticipate future requirements that are not necessarily foreseeable in order to achieve
high-quality, cutting edge, imaginative and well designed solutions for new student
housing by incorporating innovative ideas that can be built into dwellings to enable
them to be adapted or extended more easily than a standard dwelling.
2. University authorities should set up a committee comprising of students
representatives, representatives of academic and non academic staff as well as the
directors of physical planning unit and student affairs in the provision of student
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hostel. This committee would facilitate and promote housing that can accommodate
diverse needs and trends, and to anticipated future requirements that are not
necessarily foreseeable through their contributions. This off course is called user
participation
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CONCLUSION
Flexible design provides the potential for housing for life. It increases the life span of
buildings and encourages the idea of accommodating user‟s change of needs over
time.
Many authors have studied flexibility in housing. Although names and definitions are
diverse, the core of the results seems the same. However, an important aim of
flexibility in buildings is to prolong lifetime particularly functional lifetime.
Louis Kahn‟s „The Served and the Servant Spaces‟, Peter Einsenman‟s „Blurred
Zone‟ Mies Van Der Rohe‟s „Universal Space, Gerrit Rietveld‟s Schroder House,
Carnegie Mellon University‟s “intelligent Workplace all expressed this idea of
flexibility. Schneider and Till in their book titled Flexible Housing also portrayed that
flexibility can be examined under four main themes:
1) The structural system: the location of load bearing walls and the columns,
2) The position of service spaces: the access system and the organization of wet
spaces,
3) The architectural layout of the residential blocks in terms of the variety of unit
types and the spatial organization of types, and
4) Furnishing for flexible use: the use of furniture to separate different functional
spaces or the use of folding furniture to allow different configurations for day and
night
Cognizant of the fact that human need changes with time, today‟s society requires
buildings that can be rapidly transformed without any major construction work and
can therefore easily accommodate various types of users needs. Flexible housing
allows this kind of change. The house owner can reconfigure his house as his lifestyle
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and needs changes. Rooms can change in size and/or a complete floor may change in
function.
Through this study, the knowledge of strategies of achieving spatial flexibility in
building has been acquired. This knowledge would be applied to the design of
postgraduate student hostel UNEC to cater for the needs of different categories of
female students.
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