Up in the hills of Europe a family waits patiently for their father to come home from war, as day by day passes they wait anxiously to see if he will walk up the hill and come home. Lost in time they wait as days and months go by in the hope that one day he will return.
Setting (Topography):
The Dwelling is tucked away in a hill with lush vegetation, behind dwelling is a beach.
Forms and features of the dwelling:
Lighting:
Slits in the walls allowing natural light to pass through the home, rather than windows. These slits will serve as showing time pass. From sun-up to sun-down different shadows are cast off walls and furniture. The use of this idea is to make the wait seem shorter with changes inside and outside the house which the family can experience instead of an empty home that is motionless.
The idea is that the suns rays (once a day before the sun sets) will travel through openings slowly along the ground and climb the adjacent wall. The purpose of this specific positioning/timing is to provide the family with a last beacon of light before the misery of the night sets in, knowing that most probably that their father will not return in the night and providing comfort and hope that he will return the next day.
Inspiration:
- Sun shines on Ramses II at Abu Simbel The first rays of the morning sun lit up the the statue of pharaoh Ramses II at his temple in Abu Simbel in southern Egypt, a phenomenon that occurs only twice a year.
The sun began to enter the temple at 0555 local time (02.55 GMT) for 24 minutes to illuminate the figure of the king of the XIX dynasty of the New Empire (1539-1075 BC). During that brief time, the solar rays traveled along a distance of 60 meters until reaching the sanctum of the temple to announce the start of the month of ‘Bert’, which marked the beginning of the agricultural season for the ancient Egyptians.
The sanctum contains four statues depicting Ramses II as equal to the gods seated in the middle of Re-Herakhty and Amen, with the god Ptah to the right of Amen. The rising sun illuminates all the figures except that of Ptah.
The Great Temple at Abu Simbel is constructed so that the sun’s rays illuminate the statue of Ramses II only twice a year: on October 22, to commemorate his access to throne, and again on Feb. 22, on the occasion of his birthday.
Source: http://allaboutegypt.org/2008/10/sun-shines-on-ramses-ii-at-abu-simbel/
With simple geometry applied, the idea here is not to overdo the architecture as it is a waiting place for a family - which i think is most appropriate. The main room in the dwelling is the highest floor, which provides the best view looking down the hill (so that the family can see if anyone is coming up). On the back wall will be a small window, this view of the sea is important in providing the occupants inside with a view of the topography and the changes in seasons based on the vegetation and the sea.
The window will be made small because the view is not important rather the purpose as to why they are there. Also as it provides a small view of the ocean and being able to hear the crash of the waves as a form of "change/movement" in the dwelling.
So that the dwelling will face down the hill rather than face the sea. Placement of the dwelling is also in relation to the course of the sun.
A court yard is placed above the first cube, this exterior space is separated by a glass door which can be opened and this is when both interior and exterior space comes as one. This concept is also used at the entrance, when both doors downstairs are left open it brings both interior and exterior together.
