[Greenbuilding] Open Building

Sun Mar 4 14:56:30 CST 2012

Thanks John!

At 07:57 PM 3/3/2012, John Straube wrote:
>Nice job on drawing update David!
>I have heard many speakers reference Brands 
>work, but it is true that it is not mentioned 
>much in the limited building literature.
>I attach an scan from Brand's book from those 
>who dont have it.  David's really a good update.
>
>Dr John Straube, P.Eng.
><http://www.BuildingScience.com>www.BuildingScience.com
>
>On 12-03-02 1:24 PM, David Bergman wrote:
>>When researching for my book, I found 
>>surprisingly little in print or online. Tedd 
>>Benson seems to be the primary advocate, at 
>>least in the US. See http://bensonwood.com/innovation/whitepaper2003.pdf.
>>
>>It's more conceptual than what I think you're 
>>looking for, but here's a link to the 
>>illustration we created for my book, based on a 
>>combination of Benson, Stewart Brand and Philip 
>>Proefrock's writing on the idea. 
>>http://cyberg.com/building%20layersnew.jpg . Here's my accompanying text:
>>
>>Durability or Planned Obsolescence?
>>
>>In light of the amount of material and embodied energy
>>invested in every building, a clear element of sustainability
>>is ensuring that it has a long life. With few exceptions
>>(such as temporary structures), building for durability is
>>one of the basic tenets of ecodesign. But creating a structure
>>that will endure over the years is not just a matter
>>of designing it with long-lasting materials. One perhaps
>>obvious point: the building must be valued by those who
>>use it. If the design does not result in a building that functions
>>well and is pleasing, then it is likely to be renovated
>>or demolished sooner.
>>
>>If a building is to last, then it needs to be able to adapt
>>to changes in usage, technology, and cultural patterns. In
>>other words, it needs to be durable and flexible. “Design for
>>deconstruction” is one way to achieve flexibility and provide
>>for the eventual need to replace the building. The industrial
>>design world has for a while been at work on design for
>>disassembly (DfD, which can also stand for design for deconstruction).
>>One high-profile example involves the office chair;
>>several manufacturers have engaged in a kind of competition
>>to design the chair that can be disassembled the fastest
>>and with the fewest tools. The objective is to make recycling
>>more economically viable by designing so that materials are
>>readily separable at the end of the product’s life.
>>
>>Buildings, of course, are more complicated than
>>office chairs. And they should last longeror at least parts
>>of them should. Stewart Brand, in How Buildings Learn,
>>describes how buildings should be thought of as having
>>six layers, ranging from the site, which is timeless, to the
>>skin and structure, which may last generations, to furnishings
>>that are frequently changed.6
>>
>>The application of this concept has become known as
>>open building, and it can lead to a fundamentally different
>>way of understanding buildings in which these layers are
>>independent.7 To a degree, modern offices do this already
>>with non–load bearing, demountable partitions and
>>mechanical cores. But more often than not, an office renovation
>>or a home remodel involves brute force removal
>>(destruction, really) of building materials. Imagine if the
>>walls of our homes were built so that wiring and plumbing
>>could be easily accessed for repairs and modifications
>>without cutting holes in walls, perhaps without encountering
>>obstacles, and then without patching and painting
>>(or, for instance, if windows could be replaced without
>>entailing interior and exterior damage). The key lies in
>>separating the layers so that the less durable layers can be
>>altered without interfering with the others.
>>
>>Open building also relates to the concept of futureproofing:
>>designing and constructing buildings to anticipate
>>the future. If, for instance, PV panels are not in the
>>budget but may be added eventually, run conduits to the
>>roof and provide support structure so that the panels and
>>wiring can be accommodated later with minimal disruption
>>and cost. Similarly, a gray-water system may not be
>>allowed by current code, but if you provide the necessary
>>plumbing at the outset, it can be implemented by simply
>>opening a valve when the code catches up.
>>
>>
>>David Bergman  RA   LEED AP
>>DAVID BERGMAN ARCHITECT / FIRE & WATER LIGHTING + FURNITURE
>>architecture . interiors . ecodesign . lighting . furniture
>><mailto:bergman at cyberg.com>bergman at cyberg.com    www.cyberg.com
>>241 Eldridge Street #3R, New York, NY 10002
>>t 212 475 3106    f 212 677 7291
>>
>>author - Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide
>>adjunct faculty - Parsons The New School for Design
>>
>>At 12:26 PM 3/2/2012, Jason Holstine wrote:
>>>Can anyone point to a nice succinct resource 
>>>on Open Building techniques?  The idea that 
>>>the walls are built without the conduits 
>>>inside, so they can be more easily maintained, 
>>>changed, moved, deconstructed, etc?  Thanks.
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>>
>>
>>
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David Bergman  RA   LEED AP
DAVID BERGMAN ARCHITECT / FIRE & WATER LIGHTING + FURNITURE
architecture . interiors . ecodesign . lighting . furniture
bergman at cyberg.com    www.cyberg.com
241 Eldridge Street #3R, New York, NY 10002
t 212 475 3106    f 212 677 7291

author - Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide
adjunct faculty - Parsons The New School for Design  
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