As shown, the simple choice, even in ancient times, to add an overhang to a home has significant systematic repercussions in the design of the other structures and systems involved.
Of course, without modern technology, the ancient Fijians could not solve all of these systematic problems with the high summer sun threatening to heat any part of the interior ground left unshielded by the roof, the designers could not incorporate a skylight, so the space is often relatively dark (the light materials with which the structures were built allowed some light to enter, but not as much as was likely desired. The choice to create somewhat small openings on both the south-east and north-west sides allows the trade winds to infiltrate the structure and cool it down significantly. The overhangs also meant that the structure could not be as open as those in other tropical regions, so ventilation had to be dealt with in a way other than simply creating a completely open façade. The overhangs meant that the building’s structure would be absorbing most of the heat, so they chose to use light, airy materials with low thermal mass. This, alone, may not seem so complicated, but now realize that they also understood the effects that this design would have on temperature, interior lighting, and structure. Without any m odern technology, the Fijian peoples were still able to account for the high summer sun by creating overhangs which would block it yet also allow the low winter sun to enter and warm the home. Take, for example, the vernacular design of the Fijian Bure. The sun, perhaps, is the simplest of these complex systems, mainly because it has been studied and implemented into design practices for centuries and has remained fairly unchanged. The choices necessary to construct functional and inhabitable spaces involve systematically complicated predictions of solar variations, structural ventilation, and temperature changes, among others factors. Instead, I am referring to the complexity involved in the simple choice of placing a window on the east side of a building versus the south side or adding an evaporative wind tower to a building in Cairo versus adding one to a building in Miami. Now, I know this sounds obvious, but I am talking about a different kind of complexity than the necessary creativeness, knowledge, and overall skill required to build lasting structural creations. For my final blog post, I would like to reflect on the climactic lesson I have learned from the class as a whole: architecture is more complex than it seems.
0 kommentar(er)
