Descriptive Relation
Living Box Competition (29 Nov/05)
Essential Lifestyle
The standard of living in today’s lifestyle is arguably higher than our
grandfather’s and even our father’s generation. We pay for this with by giving
more of our time, energy and ourselves to achieving and maintaining today’s
standard of living. As a result, committing ourselves to this hectic lifestyle
leave the majority of us exhausted. This is compounded by the world
seemingly looking more and more unstable, uncertain, and insecure. We feel
more and more bounded by the world around us, to such that even to some
the walls in our own home hem us in. The individual member of society must
cope with and make sense of the fast paced uncertain world, in order to
function and live to attain today’s standard of living. Each individual is left to
deal with today’s anxieties and chaotic lifestyle in their own unique way. In
the end it can be argued that we have more than our parents and
grandparents; but in order to obtain more we lose precious time for ourselves.
Our standard of living maybe higher than ever before but our quality of life is
not, and maybe lower than ever before.
The home, the living unit, to where everyone returns to and resides can help
alleviate the stress from today’s world and increase our quality of life. It can
reduce the confinement placed on us by the world and help us perceive
physical boundaries as transparent. The architecture of the home and its
associations with warmth, security, family and love could be used to help
dispel the anxiety of today and be the stable core from where one can venture
out and cope with our lifestyle of today.
Beside the bare functional requirements of a living unit, it should sustain
healthy and contemporary lifestyle. The home, the living unit, was stripped of
nonessential elements revealing core essentials to live in today’s world. The
core essentials to life provide for the needs of the occupant to live and grow,
such as relaxation, meditation, rejuvenation, and connection. Through
tranquil spaces and connection to nature relief from everyday stress,
frustration and anxiety can be achieved. With this, there is an attempt to calm
ourselves and give us a moment to rejuvenate and have a closer look at
things happening in our busy lives. Natural ventilation, natural light, rain water
collection, green and soft spaces helps smoothes out the stress of the
everyday. The core essentials is perceived of as a prefabricated piece placed
into any home, whether it being new or existing. It will compliment the
traditional ‘living components’ of the home such as spaces for eating, sleeping,
bathing, sanitation, and studying etc.
The design of the core of essential living is perceived as an oval core because
of the oval’s intrinsic outward and inward movement, representing the inward
Zero Three Design
Descriptive Relation
Living Box Competition (29 Nov/05)
Page 2 of 2
introspection and outward connection to society. The oval also provides a
natural movement that leads the occupant throughout the home, acting as
circulation hub and visual landmark for the resident and visitor.
The core of essentials will bring light and ventilation into the dwelling and at
that the same time provides a conduit for water to funnel and pour down into
the interior.
Light, especially natural light contributes to the mood of the individual; the
core will use glazing and strategically placed reflective surfaces to collect light
and distribute it throughout the dwelling. The skin of the core plays on
transparency, translucency and screening of changing light conditions from
living spaces and natural light conditions. Programmable LED lighting with
the ability to change colours can be introduced from below to light up the core
at night. Its glow can contribute to the overall mood of the house and enliven
the residents. Screening of light and images can be achieved through frosted
glass and horizontal wood louver screens. The tactile feel of wood and its
association with warm can soften the home; as well the louvers are operable
allowing for the core to function differently to the occupant’s needs.
The sight and sound of water soothes the mind and helps promote
contemplation and introspection. The core brings in rain water from the funnel
like roof and allows it to fall down the interior of the wall.
Natural elements can be introduced into the home with the ground floor of the
core able to receive planted trees, plants or bamboo shoots that will bring
variety and soften the home, as well contribute to rounding the edginess of the
anxiety of the outside world.
The core can be broken up into pieces and shipped to site, where it can be
snapped into place with minimum on-site work. The glazing assembly,
supporting structure, wood louvers, and thermal and weather protection
elements of the core can be preassembled in the factory. The core can be
divided into equal pieces of these preassembled components, shipped to site,
and fastened together. The concept of the core will allow it to integrate with
other living components that use traditional construction so it is a flexible
design element.
The prefabricated core is envisioned as an architectural element placed in the
home to enhance the quality of life of the occupant. Its intent is to be used by
designers as a key element to design around in new homes, or used to
upgrade existing homes. The core itself can be adjusted to the needs of the
designer but its main concept, of bringing in essentials to enhance the quality
of life, will remain. Quality of life and standard of living are both needed for the
home to be successful in today’s frantic, uncertain world. The world may not
be something we can change easily but our homes can be something that is
in our power to alter and enhance to meet our needs. In the end, quality of life
is the essential lifestyle to counter the anxiety and stress of today.