Sustainable Architecture and Urban Design Principles

Transforming East Timor Conference

06 July 2009

Salvador Pires, Master of Architecture

Director of PIRES Architects
Sustainable Architecture and Urban Design Principles

Discussion Covers

• Generation of Sustainable
Architecture

• Fabrication of Sustainable
Architecture

• Perception of Sustainable Architecture

• Projects
-Residential
-Education
-Civic
-Urban Design
Generation of Sustainable Architecture

1. Achieving a total understanding of the context

– Politically (the intention of architecture: appropriate moral stance towards the society, sense of ownership, sense of
development/innovation, capacity building to locals, cultural specific, contextual sensitivity)

– Socially –culturally and Spatially (particular lifestyle, symbolic cultural elements and use of spaces for all needs)

– Economically (local resources accessibility, possible income generation for the client, employment generation for
locals and use of appropriate technology, provide options of technology use)

– Climatically (the orientation of the wind for cross ventilation and the sun)

2. Taking advantage of inherited qualities in the context.

- Maximize use of passive energy

- Shading by trees
- water resources
- Existing infrastructure available

3. Achieving a total understanding of functional requirement of the client and the stakeholders

4. Designing for other potentials through total integration and strong spatial functional relationships
between elements

Program distribution relies on a total integration and strong spatial functional relationships (functional adjacencies
and flexibility) between architecture, landscape, infrastructure and the interior of buildings, the new insertions as an
automatic self adaptive system negotiating the needs against time and day to day existence
Generation of Sustainable Architecture

Intensive day to day existence mapping

Fabrication of Sustainable Architecture

• Maximizing the use of locally accessible resources (technology, materials and human)
Timbers, hollow bricks, Bebak and so on.

• Introducing new technology and synthesize with local construction technique. Plasterboard finishing, suspension ceiling system,
colorbond & trim deck roofing. Insulation for both noise and heat.

• Layers of skins composed of materials and landscape

• Roof ventilation for evacuating hot air trapped in between roof and ceiling.

• Using appropriate technology such as water tank; underground water; louvers, and screening devices, composting toilet.

• Maximizing the use of Recycle Materials

Tan Hock Beng in Bay (2001)

“Argued for a need to evoke traditions in the tropical Asian architecture and proposed that there is an authentic
way of doing tradition-based to ensure new production of rich tropical architecture for this region.
He calls for a true understanding of traditional large pitch roof form, planning for cross ventilation, in between
realms and courtyard, traditional opening, tropical materials, water & landscape & the appropriate application
of such elements so as to ensure the integration with nature and a poetic expression of tradition.”
Fabrication of Sustainable Architecture
Fabrication of Sustainable Architecture
Perception of Sustainable Architecture

• Generous is character rather than just metaphorical, monumental and symbolic representation
• Interior of spaces “inside feels like outside”
• Definition of spaces are flexible and multifunctional programmatically in response to situational
needs.
• The foreground and the background is totally integrated (landscape, architecture, infrastructure,
interior spaces)
• Minimum infrastructure but maximum amenities

Environmentalist Donald Watson in Bay (2001):

“5 Metaphors for tropical architecture:

1. Natural heat exchanger

2. Natural Light diffuser
3. Micro-Climate
4. Biological System
5. Ecological Niche
Residential Project

Taibesse House
Generation of Architecture
Taibesse House
Generation of Architecture
Taibesse House
Generation of Architecture
Taibesse House
Generation of Architecture
Taibesse House

Cross Ventilation
Fabrication of Architecture
Taibesse House
Fabrication of Architecture
Taibesse House
Fabrication of Architecture
Taibesse House
Fabrication
of Architecture
Construction
Perception of Architecture
Taibesse House
Perception of Architecture
Taibesse House
Perception of Architecture
Taibesse House
 Perception of Architecture
Taibesse House

Rigorous spatial functional relationships.

Total Integration between architecture,

landscape, infrastructure and the interior spaces.
Education Project

Cassait Kindergarten
Generation of Architecture
Cassait Kindergarten
Fabrication of Architecture
Cassait Kindergarten
Perception of Architecture
Cassait Kindergarten
Perception of Architecture
Cassait Kindergarten
Civic Building Project

Timor Leste’s National Library

Generation of Architecture
Timor Leste’s National Library
Generation of Architecture
Timor Leste’s National Library
Perception of Architecture
Timor Leste’s National Library
Perception of Architecture
Timor Leste’s National Library
Urban Design

Dili
Generation of Urban Design
Dili
Perception of Urban Design
Dili
Perception of Urban Design
Dili
Perception of Urban Design
Dili
 Sustainability

What is primary?
What is secondary?

Rationality comes first and intuition comes later

Generous characteristics come first rather than monumentality or metaphor or representation

Collective benefits rather than individual benefits

Minimal infrastructure maximum amenities rather than maximum infrastructure maximum amenities

Total integration between elements, functions and needs rather than separation

Taking advantage of inherited qualities rather than all brand new or introduced quality

Salvador Pires, MA