Demolishing Doors
Project Objective: Build a tiny house for the Dartmouth Organic Farm
Site plan:
After a close site analysis, as a group we decided that it would be best to put the building on the hill facing towards the river and the field (North West), where the view was best.
The entry path from the farm's entrance to the site is marked in red.
Precedents / inspiration:
Considering the view and surrounding environment, I was mostly inspired by buildings that incorporated aspects of nature into itself. I was also interested in buildings that didn't stand out-- those that worked to melt into the environment itself while also providing an open and transparent view of its environment.
This building stems from the idea that a building located in a beautiful environment like the Dartmouth Organic Farm should work to demolish the sense of distinction between the inside and the outside. A building's wall is essentially a division, and an "obvious geometry of which blinds us as soon as we bring it into play" -- it has the "sharpness of the dialectics of yes and no" (The Poetics of Space, pg 211). The first thing that the class as a whole noticed when we took a trip to the farm was the exceptional view, from the hill towards the river, as well as the view following the length of the river. I made it my building's goal to make the distinction between outside and inside disappear as much as possible. It wasn't enough just to take advantage of the view, however, because in order to truly make the people in the building feel like they were part of the nature and in a unique environment, all the different senses have to get involved. "The eye collaborates with the body and the other senses", and a person's sense of reality is "strengthened and articulated by this constant interaction" (The Eyes of the Skin, pg 41). This building, therefore, takes advantage of the environment and the view as much as possible, and at the same time incorporates a part of nature into itself-- the living roof. Architecture is an "extension of nature into the man-made realm, providing the ground for perception and the horizon of experiencing and understanding the world." (The Eyes of the Skin, pg 41) By inviting people to not only view and enjoy but also experience the nature and environment of the O-farm, this building works to provide a sense of awareness and appreciation, and push Dartmouth forward in terms of sustainability.