Winter 2008 - Arch 125: Intro to Environmental Design
The Oasis: A Place of Thermal Difference and Choice
"ARCHITECTURE - UNPLUGGED"
The Oasis suggests a place of choice and evokes images of destination: a grove or orchard, a market or crossroads, an arcade or verandah-- a sanctuary. The Oasis is a small compartment in the large scaleless boundary, where sun becomes shade, harsh light becomes dappled, still air becomes a breeze and monotony gives way to transition and variation. An Oasis is where you go for renewal and experience a ritual in your life like cool drink after a long trek or the cold spot under the warm blankets; like the warmth of a fireplace after a walk through the snow gathering firewood.
The inherent value in the oasis lies in awareness that thermal transitions are an essential element of our daily rituals. Special moments are recalled through associations with thermal and other sensual experiences- certain smells, breezes, sounds or tactile textures which define the uniqueness of a point in space/time, marking a transitional experience. In direct or subtle ways, we purposely seek relief and familiarity in the oasis. The value and richness of thermal variations in our day-to-day lives allows us to appreciate (and design for) meaningful experience of the built environment.
This project asks students to design a small Oasis - using only the Passive means that they have learned in the first core course: passive solar heating, passive cooling, materials to modify the microclimate.
• course outline
• project outline |
