A Pattern Language - Building Patterns

The second set of patterns deal with building design.  The comparisons are a bit lighter since the design is conceptual.  In many cases my comments relate to possibilities or improvements that may be realized during a complete design process.

A Pattern Language - Town Patterns

Christopher Alexander, an eminent architectural theoretician, published  A Pattern Language in 1977.  I dusted off my old copy, compared it with The Townlet and found 45 relevant patterns with several others at the margins.  The patterns are organized in three broad categories Towns, Buildings and Construction.

The Townlet is based on design of Pienza, a small Tuscan town that evolved organically from the work of Alberti and Corsollino in 1459 to its present state as a healthy 21st Century town.  The 1459 town plan remains viable after more than 500 years.

The following connects the Townlet with the relevant 18 Town Patterns.  Interesting comparison.

Distributed Energy Generation / Micro-CHP / Solar

Technology and economics are converging to create new opportunities. 

"Take a look at Germany. Generous subsidies there caused solar panels to sprout all over what is hardly a tropical paradise.  As traditional utilities E.ON and RWE have struggled to adapt, their combined market value has slumped 56% over the past four years... Subsidies and falling technology costs are making distributed solar power - panels on roofs, essentially - cost-competitive with retail electricity prices in places like the southwestern U.S... And once panels are installed the energy is free... For most of the U.S., natural gas from shale is a bigger energy opportunity.  Gas isn't free like sunlight. But it's still cheap - and available day or night... it can fuel  generation equipment in the basement... What looks too expensive or esoteric today can quickly make gains; think mobile versus fixed-line phones... U.S. electricity consumption this year is forecast by the Energy Department to be 2% below the peak in 2007.  Efficiency efforts keep eroding electricity requirements." (WSJ 12/23/13) [Bold added for emphasis]

"A particular advantage of distributing power generation locally at the end-user rather than a remote power plant is that it can reduce the need for new power plant installations and free-up transmission line capacity for other uses (e.g. solar energy or wind turbine farms). There is also the advantage of it reducing long-range power transmission losses. Avoiding transmission line losses and power plant construction reduces costs, energy consumption and pollution for everyone. In a fully realized distributed power generation scenario, micro-CHP offers a reliable answer to the less predictable generation provided by other alternative energy sources and can, therefore, increase grid reliability.

In conventional power systems like the utility grid, thirty to forty percent (30- 40%) of the fuel used to produce energy is delivered to the household. The rest, or sixty to seventy percent (60-70%), is lost to the atmosphere as heat in the production or transmission of the electrical power. This contributes to global warming and the green- house effect."  (M-CoGen Company Brochure) [Bold added for emphasis]

Solar panels and natural gas micro combined heat and power units (micro-CHP) have the ability to change The Townlet from energy consumer to producer that may share excess power with the public grid.  Power generation can be provided by photovoltaic panels (PV Panels), internal combustion engines, fuel cells, Stirling engines  or micro turbines.  The micro-CHP/PV Panel combination provides reliable 24/7 power and heat.  Super insulated construction, passive solar storage and DC power distribution for lighting and  other DC devices assure that loads are minimized.

Scale and Behavior

Behavior changes in each significant scale.   Particles defy the rules of Newtonian Physics at the Quantum Scale.  The Universe is expanding at the scale of the Universe because Dark Matter and Energy are propelling the galaxies apart.

Human behavior changes with very small increases in scale.  

Monumental Scale evokes a sense of power and authority that focuses the visitor's attention on the organization that built the environment.

Vehicle Scale generates vehicle behavior that dominates any environment.  Land area requirements are huge, buildings must be much further apart, pedestrian paths are broken by traffic and parking dramatically increases pedestrian path distances.  The results are long, interrupted and unpleasant pedestrian paths that few enjoy.  Vehicle Behavior is more aggressive and intense than Natural Human Behavior.

Human Scale requires very small land areas, buildings are close together and pedestrian paths are short and pleasant.

Human Scale is the basis of The Townlet.  Its small land area, well defined perimeter, small buildings and intricate pedestrian streets provide an urban experience that reinforces Natural Human Behavior.  

The Townlet Algorithm in Iambic Pentameter

Storm Townlet

Katrina, Northern Japan and Sandy have shown the challenges faced by those who live in areas vulnerable to floods.  We used to think that design for the 100 year flood was adequate. Unfortunately, the old standard is overly optimistic.  The reality is that we should follow the Dutch lead and prepare for the 10,000 year flood, as modeled from historical data.  Well, maybe the 500 year flood is more realistic.  Prevention is infinitely more economical and humane than disaster recovery.  Recovery will often take decades for those who can afford it.  Many never recover.

Major approaches to flood prevention include:

Massive public works as in the flood barriers of New Orleans or the giant movable barriers in Holland are very expensive and make require decades to complete.

Small scale local interventions as in flood-proof subway and garage entrances are relatively inexpensive and can be constructed quickly.

Neither approach is without risk as shown in the failure of seawalls in northern Japan and lower Manhattan.  Hurricane Sandy would have devastated the areas exposed to the Atlantic even if the giant movable barriers had been in place at the mouths of the three estuaries in New Jersey and New York.

The individual homeowner needs to be very wealthy to rebuild with adequate flood prevention infrastructure in a storm vulnerable location, especially with the predicted  increase in severity and frequency of storms.  Insurance and financing may not be available even with the highest credit rating.  Small scale local interventions may be affordable and insurable for compact developments that distribute costs amongst many homeowners.

The Townlet is an option for those who want to live by the sea.  Its compact footprint greatly reduces the cost of required storm damage prevention infrastructure.  Architects and engineers can design for the strongest predicted storms and highest storm surge with building, mechanical, electrical and communications systems that function during and after the weather event.  A possible major advantage can be that all utilities may be generated and processed within The Townlet footprint.  The flood damage prevention infrastructure cost is shared by hundreds of owners.  The design is compact enough that models and mock ups can to be tested in established labs to optimize form, material use and detail, significant cost savings measures. 

IKEA Townlet / Target Townlet

It is interesting to speculate on the integration of other big box retailers with The Townlet.  Each company's business practices and values are different, but I think they may share many of the same challenges.  The effects of the digital retail revolution and access to urban markets may be mitigated by an IKEA Townlet or a Target Townlet.

IKEA is an international big box retailer who has started developing real estate. IKEA and The Townlet share many values and ideals.  Great design, affordability, spatial efficiency, prefabrication and simplicity make the IKEA Townlet a logical extension of IKEA business lines.  It is technically feasible to design an entire Townlet as “prefabricated flatpack” that is trucked onto the site and erected by semi-skilled workmen.  Obviously, furnishings would be provided by IKEA.  A typical IKEA is about 300,000 square feet, can be two story and has maybe ten departments compared to ninety six for Walmart.  Each department sets the character of the square that it defines and provides a realistic setting for product development and marketing.  Bridges have been added to create the IKEA path through each department.  Ten two story departments for IKEA may be organized as shown below.

A Target Townlet may be similar to the Walmart idea, however, Target's emphasis on quality, affordable design presents interesting possibilities.  Target stores range in size from 55,000 to 175,000 square feet with some two story stores.  The two story City Target at 55,000 square feet could easily fit in a Townlet to serve as the General Store and provide an anchor for small entrepreneurs as shown below.