plains house elevation

Since I changed the roof system and placed windows and rooms, I drew a new semi-final facade elevation of the plains house.

prelim plans

For the plains house I chose to show the roof pattern in dashed lines. I thought it was important to show that the kitchen unit has its own roof structure independent from that of the rest of the house.

design fix

I finally created a floor plan that fits the shape of the one-storey and has the same number of rooms as my two-storey!

There are four rooms that can be used as bedrooms, one bathroom, two public-type rooms, and a kitchen. Everything but the bathroom and kitchen would be flexible in terms of function and can be divided in different ways. The house as a whole can be made smaller by taking length off the left side.

design troubles

I'm having trouble finding layouts for the interiors of my two house concepts for Nepal. The two-story one is a bit easier to create spaces, but the single-story structure requires a bit more thinking. I might completely change my designs, but for now this is what I have. 

Nepal first designs

I started thinking of designs for Nepal, but the variation in topography gave me some trouble. The same house that works well in a hilly region may not be appropriate for the plains. Instead of creating just one design, I drew vignettes of two very similar designs that work in the two main topographies.

Just as the design for the Congo was very simple, geometric, and based off of the traditional Congolese home, my ideas for Nepal are simplified forms of Nepali architecture.

construction materials

Nepali durja temples consisted of a platform, a single room, and a tall roof made of several tiers. They are built of wood and stone.

Clay, brick, and tile are traditional building materials. The Kathmandu Valley is famous for its skillful brickmakers and the quality of brick construction. Clay is found in many different colors and is taken from riverbeds or terraced hills.

Brickmaking with a Hoffman oven, the most common type of kiln, requires coal to produce the heat necessary to set the bricks. Coal, as we know, can be a very inefficiently burning fuel that releases greenhouse gasses and particulate pollutants. I will probably limit the use of brick in my design.

Wood is used for the basic framework of temples and houses alike. The structural elements of a temple are all timber post-and-lintel construction. Different types of wood are used in different parts of the structure according to properties such as strength and weight. Wooden elements are pieced together to avoid using non-wood elements like nails to fix them together. The wooden roofs are very steeply pitched and hang far past the walls of the buildings to protect from monsoon rains.

Unfortunately, deforestation is a big problem in Nepal. Deforestation causes landslides and erosion in the hills and mountains without roots to keep the soil intact. With the increasing population more homes and buildings are needed and more trees are cut down to accommodate. 

Stone was once used heavily in temples and monuments, but in residential homes only serves as a foundation on which to build with brick. In some rural houses the stone may extend all the way up the first floor and in urban areas it may extend around the main doorway. 

The use of stone is limited by transportation. Stones are found in riverbeds and some fields.

Adobe is extremely common in rural regions of Nepal. Sundried bricks are laid as two parallel walls and the space between them is filled with the same earth used to make the bricks. The outer brick may be finished with a plaster made with clay which protects the house from monsoon rains. Clay/adobe is also used on the interior to create permanent furniture and flooring.

Clay for adobe construction can be found on and off site.

Gallery and Congo finished product photos

Nat Geo

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/nepal-facts/

The country ended its long-standing constitutional monarchy in June 2008 when King Gyanendra, who'd come to power in 2001 after the tragic murder of the previous king, abdicated the throne. Nepal's first president was chosen by parliament the following month. This precipitous government transformation came after nearly 20 years of political turmoil, including an often violent Maoist insurgency from 1996 until 2005.

Nepal possesses the greatest altitude variation on the Earth, from the lowlands near sea level to Mount Everest at 8,850 meters (29,035 feet). 

Nepal Research

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/np.html#top

varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south

varying terrain: Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north

landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest - on the borders with China and India respectively

natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydropower*, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore

*homes could have their own versions of hydropower

environmental problems: deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions

Population: 30,430,267 (2013) number 41 in the world


Drinking water:
improved:

urban: 93% of population

rural: 88% of population

total: 89% of population

unimproved: 

urban: 7% of population

rural: 12% of population

total: 11% of population (2010 est.)

Sanitation:

improved:

urban: 48% of population

rural: 27% of population

total: 31% of population

unimproved: 

urban: 52% of population

rural: 73% of population

total: 69% of population (2010 est.)

GDP per capita: $1,300 (2012 est.)

country comparison to the world: 208

Agricultural Products: pulses, rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, jute, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat

Industries: tourism, carpets, textiles; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production

One down, One to go!

On Sunday night I finally finished my Sketchup 3D model of the DRC house and put together my process book for the gallery!

All of my final drawings are also done and are up in the Meril Gallery right now so I don't have pictures yet. Now it's time to turn my attention to Nepal, which I have already been thinking about and I did a little research to finish my proposal.

My biggest concern for Nepal is the lack of resources that will hold up in the harsh weather and varying topography. They have everything from mountains to plains and winters are cold and snowy. I might be relying on some more recycled materials for this one!

Final designs