Oral comprehensive examination

Kapil Arora
Department of Architecture and Planning, IIT Roorkee
Reg. No- 13910003 , Batch- 2013
Broad area: Climatic
Responsive Cluster Housing.
Aspects
Affordability: Indias growing urban population;
95% of this housing shortage for economically weaker
sections (EWS) and low income group (LIG)
categories (MHUPA2013).
Cluster/ Courtyard : Cluster planning approach has
been recommended by IS 8888; climate responsive
design.
Thermal comfort: ASHRAE, 2004; ISO 7730, 2005,
EN 15251; recommendation for adaptive thermal
comfort.

URBAN DESIGN International (2006) 11, 133150
www.palgrave-journals.co.uk/udi
Donia Zhang
Department of Architecture, School of the Built Environment,
Oxford Brookes University, Headington,
Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
CASE I- New courtyard
houses of Beijing: direction of
future housing development
aim
The aim of this study is to evaluate the physical
form of the phase one new courtyard housing
prototype in Juer Hutong (Chrysanthemum Lane)
of Beijing, and propose further design development
for the new courtyard type.
objective
To test sunlight penetration during different times
of the day and different times of the year
To find the optimum courtyard proportion of plan
form and building height
To check the variation in density and plot ratio of
existing, modified and proposed blocks
methodology
Heliodon experiments were carried out, using
architectural simulation models
Mathematical analysis
Site survey
location
context
Family recreation
Children need areas
for play
Enjoyment of the art
of landscape
Adults need areas for
sport
Elderly need areas for
morning exercises
argument
New Courtyard Houses of Beijing seem to be the
most appropriate solution.
over developed old courtyard houses
isolated new apartments
Add natural aesthetics, better view to relish
essence of the courtyard
interior landscaped realm
closed world, separated from the street
an illusion of an infinite space
offers air, light, and seclusion
creates a strong sense of territory
space for the family and social gatherings
issue
The traditional courtyard
house of China was for
one family. Therefore, a
courtyard house can be a
very convenient location
for contemplation to take
place (dates from 3000 BC).
deteriorated courtyard
Traditional courtyard houses of Beijing have been
experiencing rapid deterioration, no longer properly
serves modern living requirements
probable solution
The Juer Hutong new courtyard housing phase one
experiment won six awards, including the World Habit
Award in 1992.
Existing structure completed in 1990 on an existing old
courtyard housing site, the method is to demolish
old, deteriorated, one-storey courtyard houses, to
trace their original layout on site, and to build 2
3-storey new apartment blocks around the courtyard
aerial view, model
phase 1 Heliodon exp.

Juer Hutong site model of phase 1, 2, and 3 experiments. Photo by Y. Chen
Key feature: use
of the courtyard:
two large ones
and two small
ones shared by
46 households.
analysis of data

analysis of data

density comparison
Taking the building depth -10m, assuming that each
apartment unit is 60m
2
with 2-bedrooms (concluded
from Juer Hutong phase one experiment), and two persons per
bedroom, the density value and plot ratio of the two
proposed models were calculated (Table 5).


model A: before
enlargement
Street: 10 m, lane: 6m,
Pedestrian: 2m, Car park:
52.5 m, Service route: 1m.
model B: after
enlargement
Diagrams showing the
increase in courtyard
dimensions in plan
(according to the traditional
courtyard proportion: 1:3:4)
for a climatically better
performing courtyard.
limitations
The existing layout of the old courtyard houses
may not permit the increase in the new courtyard
size, in case to 'trace their original layout on site.
The existing infrastructure and street/ lane
patterns may also present problems in the new
courtyard achieving its optimal dimensions.
However, this theoretical model could be applied
in other new housing development areas of
Beijing and other cities in China.
quality of life
Renovated hutong
(lane) in Beijing.
Deteriorated
hutong (lane)
The urban challenge, volume 22, no. 2, 2011
Montserrat PALLARES-BARBERA
Visiting Scholar at Center for Geographical Analysis. Institute for
Quantitative Social Sciences. Harvard University (2011-2012)
Cerd and Barcelona: The need
for a new city and service
provision
introduction
The study examines Ildefons
Cerds 1860 Plan for the Urban
Expansion of Barcelona;
specifically, how and why it was
conceived in a unique way.
Nineteenth-century Barcelona
was an industrial society and
was active in trade through the
port (856 inhabitants/ hectare).
a new city
His main objective in implementing the
grid form was to avoid privileged zones
for social classes and to achieve optimal
hygienic density. His idea was to
achieve optimal living standards of 6
cubic metres per person and room and 40
square metres per person in housing. he
plan proposed incorporating an
additional 1,969 hectares to a medieval
core of only 192 hectares
The grid consisted of
1,000 blocks, 113.3
metres by 113.3 metres
in length and width,
with streets measuring
20 to 30 metres wide.
Like a compact garden-city model, the grid had two
parallel buildings on each block, from 10 to 20 metres
deep (building occupation: 40% of total block)
implementation
The first modification
allowed a 100% increase in
the construction area,
converting the parallel-
building design into a fully
built block with open space
in the inside.
Streets was reduced from 35
metres to 20 to 30 metres.
city block model
city view
orientation
To Idelfons Cerd, parks, gardens and trees had a key role .
It was he who placed the trees every 8 meters. The type of
tree of choice was the banana, and over time has proven to
be the best tree type to live in the city.
Cerd planned streets oriented parallel to the sea , got them:
i. A solar phenomenon , which all sides have direct sunlight
throughout the day.
ii. A homogeneity in search of equality, to achieve equality
between social classes and the convenience of traffic of
people and vehicles.

street view
present context
inferences
Cerds project with its innovative criteria, and the
Eixample, a reality produced by the social and economic
contradictions of its development. Nevertheless, the
Eixample is still an emblematic part of Barcelona,
boasting a dense resident population as well as a varied
mix of uses.
bibliography
1. Barcelona, C., & Santander, D. B. (1876). A lifetime of service to the
science of urbanism Cerd and the Urbanists Cerd s Theory Cerd
and His Times.
2. De Dear, R. J., Akimoto, T., Arens, E. a, Brager, G., Candido, C.,
Cheong, K. W. D., Zhu, Y. (2013). Progress in thermal comfort
research over the last twenty years. Indoor Air, 23(6), 44261.
doi:10.1111/ina.12046
3. Pallares-Barbera, M., Badia, A., & Duch, J. (2011). Cerd and
Barcelona: The need for a new city and service provision. Urbani
Izziv, 22(2), 122136. doi:10.5379/urbani-izziv-en-2011-22-02-005
4. Programme, T. E. (n.d.). C e r d .
5. Zhang, D. (2006). New courtyard houses of Beijing: direction of
future housing development. Urban Design International, 11(3-4),
133150. doi:10.1057/palgrave.udi.9000173