Design choices:
1.Choose areas large enough to allow settlements of a certain density and preferably close to public transport, especially the tram network which is the largest in the world.
2.Reduce land use by increasing settlement density with tall, multi-purpose buildings.
3.Reduce the size of the individual housing units by increasing the common spaces.
4.Bioclimatic and green architecture systems at high altitude to reduce CO2 emissions and compensate for the lack of gardens in the single-family house with green terraces on the various floors.
5.To reduce construction times and costs in dry steel and wood, with the production of blocks, in the workshop complete with finishes and their subsequent transport and assembly on site.
Melbourne map showing quarter acre blocks. There appear to be a lot of them, but because the blocks are so small, the total area occupied by quarter-acre blocks is significantly over-represented on this large-scale map.
The scheme is based on a central distributive core on which the various wings are grafted with various compositional possibilities. Below are some combinations on quarter acre lots.
The choice of tall buildings increases settlement density and therefore reduces land consumption, the extension of service networks, the use of public transport as an alternative to the car, management costs shared between various owners. It was decided to build the buildings through the dry assembly of modules made in the workshop, of the same size as the containers for goods, to facilitate their transport to the construction site. The modules are also complete with systems, fixtures and finishes as well as possibly bathrooms and kitchens.
To compensate for the smaller size of the individual real estate units, common spaces for homeworking activities, laboratory, laundry, music room, gym, children’s playroom, event room with kitchen and a garage on the floor are provided with reference to the various chousing practices. underground. The activities are located at various levels.
All the assembly technology except the foundations is dry to reduce waste time and costs. The main structure is in steel with HEB 340 pillars and HEB 260 and HEB 300 beams. Even if the cost of steel is higher than other raw materials used in the construction sector, in total it is possible to have lower costs thanks to a shorter duration of the work and the lightness of the material that can be transported and handled more easily and durability over the years. The structural mesh is very simple around a central core with vertical connections, columns with a distance of 12.34 m x 5.14m are inserted.
Prefabricated wooden modules are inserted on the steel structure whose dimensions do not exceed 2.40m x 12.00m with H 3.10m so that they can be transported easily, in fact they correspond to the dimensions of the cargo containers.
To allow covering such large spans with limited thicknesses of the floors, the construction system of the modules is made of plywood boards also known as CROSS-LAM or XLAM. These are CROSS-LAM ribbed floors in which it is possible to insert insulators and systems. The walls are also of the same type of material with any type of finish and possibly an insulating layer. The module is complete with finishes and systems for this reason there is also a compartment in the false ceiling. The modules are fixed by a steel profile to the supporting structure and fixed to it with pins welded on the upper wing of the beam.
In addition to the internal spaces, terraces are provided for each property unit and a vertical garden made with self-supporting CROSS-LAM modules superimposed on each other and fixed to the main structure.
All assembly is done quickly by crane.
