Living Box - Gaudreau Marc [57686]

[3CPO]

Living Box - Gaudreau Marc [57686]

GBN architecture
International Design Competition
Living Box


GBN architecture is a young group of intern architect based in Montreal. After several collaborations in a five years formation-master in architecture at Laval University, in Quebec City, the actual members of GBN took separate ways in their new careers. After almost two years, while some went working in Barcelona, Hong Kong or Montreal, the group of friends meet back for professional purposes. The newly formed team is composed of three friends sharing common thoughts and interests on numerous subjects in areas such as architecture, design and arts. At this point, all members are having their own personal career in different architecture offices in Montreal. GBN is a reason for the young intern architects to get together for divers matters: discussing and exchanging ideas, developing and submitting proposals to architectural and design competitions, designing objects and furniture and finally, sharing our forces and knowledge in the realisation of small projects. GBN is the unification of young and ambitious spirits, to fully liberated their creativity and gradually materialize the will of an architectural practice.

Number5 B0x

Unavoidable and intangible numbers
…
3,…
27,…1…
526, 0 911…
9871-10… 2/2893…
…
21st century, a state of abstract numbers? What do numbers involve, impose and suggest in our contemporary ways of living? What would our comprehension of the world be without the numbers? Timelines, history, geographical positioning, address, social ID, age, social and demographical data, economical situation, physical principals, communications, mass consumption, precise engineering …liberty? Numbers are part of almost everything that defines the contemporary world as we’ve known it up to now and how we forecast it. Since the era of modern men, the sciences of numbers have supported, and developed through mankind’s own development and progresses. Numbers have literally enlaced and enlarged our knowledge of the world’s possibilities. They informed societies’ past decisions, they virtually rule and regulate the present and they have the power to suggest either bright or dark promises for the future. They actively and passively acted in sculpting a world of liberty for our senses and spirit. A world of digits and numeral systems, made up to ensure mans’ healthiness, security and enhancement. They abstractly and practically, define most people’s day to day life. A person is constantly involved and evolving within numbers, whether she has control on them in a practical and subsisting manner, whether they are imposed and part of a system or a concept that defines the boundaries, constrains and limits of men’s possible actions. At some point, a strange impression is rising; an impression of illusionary liberty, of conditional liberty. A liberty that could depend on whether or not a person is playing the appropriate numbers, or on whether or not she’s been attribute the right numbers to function normally and easily in the systems. A feeling that without the significant and necessary numbers, a person could loose a part of her functional, social and perceptive identity. A thought that numbers have the power to, at different degrees, to impersonalize an identity. At an extreme point of view, a person living aside the numbers would be difficultly identifiable to the eyes of the systems.

On daily basis, numbers, visible or invisible, play a great influence on the sequence of a person’s actions that could possibly take place in a finite day time schedule. Someone living “freely and happily” within and according to the numbers could get a taste of liberty. A form of liberty that allows that person to make choices: what to do, where to go or with whom to spend time, in a planned societal organization. In a reverse hypothesis, would it be possible that numbers which partly compose and state the guide lines of liberty, are organized to convince a man’s spirit of an accepted misleading and illusionary liberty that maintain a global stability and advancement? For instance, regarding to the current globalization, numbers, depending on their significance, values and meanings, are monopolizing the leading and orienting discussion over the future’s destiny. And all this, for the sake of favourable numbers to a limited population who can influence, manage and manipulate them. This new way of “numbering” is leaving a majority of people in incomprehension, and disapproval. In case like this, numbers tend to, while defining societies role to play faced to others, become more and more abstract and meaningless to a lot of free citizens. Can you live freely in a world where numbers shape your life while you have so little influence on them?


Chosen and materialized numbers

In this hypothetical state of abstraction and reality of numbers, where numbers can act as elements of personalization or depersonalization of a person’s identity, what possible influence can they have on that person’s living space. Meaning and value of numbers take sense when those are placed in particular contexts or perspectives. Out of context, without any explication, numbers standing alone don’t make any common sense. They are just abstract symbols expressing emptiness and submit to people subjective thoughts. Can the abstraction and concept of a digit be materialized in a physical liveable space? Instead of living within intangible imposed numbers that have more influence on men lives than they’re conscious of, what If those could choose to live in physical and spatial abstract numbers. Concrete spatial numbers that would shelter its occupants, offer a delimited, flexible, comfortable and secure contemporary space. Graphic numbers made of tangible materials, which imply nothing more than the modulation of inhabitable space that they generate and a person’s personal motivations to select them among others. They can act as elements of personalization if intended at as so, or they could be looked at as abstract shapes of matter that are personalized by the happenings going on in and around them. Inhabitable numbers brought to significance by its occupants life and living environment. Numbers that are not randomly imposed and out of comprehension, but numbers that you choose, numbers you like, lucky numbers, numbers you feel right, just numbers… It’s a person’s physical reach on numbers.

1: choose among the numbers

Experience the presence and purity of one number, or the chaotic expression of randomly multiplied numbers in a more dynamic context. You could choose to “live” the numbers. Live within, in between and around some contextualized three-dimensional spatial numbers. An abstract materialized number boundary that is brought up to you for your temporary or permanent contemporary accommodation. A number light-protection-layer that allows grasping the world that surround the occupants.

Depending on the needs and preferences of an individual regarding space apprehension and configuration, a quantity of modular prefabricate numbers are physically or virtually chosen. Each one of these is compose of an assemblage of light translucent modules reinforced and locked together by translucent structural members. The materialized numbers, from zero to nine, can be assembling in many spatial configuration and sizes. Added to others, they settle a sequence of possible interior and exterior spaces. The indoor sealed and brought to comfort conditions volume, is enclose by generous clear glass plates that include pivotal opening mechanisms that simply plug in the assembling members. These same elements allow the global, spatial numbers fashioned, composition to connect to a last main component. An enveloping and shielding structure, composed of small sized repetitively distanced frames, which delimit a three-dimensional parcel within the numbers can be shaped and fastened. They enrich the relation in between the numbers being framed, and the relations generated by the linking interstitial spaces that take place in between the numbers and the frames. As intersecting junctions between the numbers, practical plug-in voids can be added to incorporate functional and technical element. These objects, made of a contrasting matter, create a dynamics and organised spatial effect that ensure contemporary comfort targets. The whole prefabricated system is a modular mouldable set of possibilities to create personalized sequences of living in enclosing and extensive bearing frames. The frames would be designed and in sufficient quantity to permit a carrying capacity of three cells. In allowing that, the Numbers Box can be lived a part, in an isolated setting, or be grouped and join in an urban composition.

All possible combinations and sculptured numbers derive from one generic component: the translucent wall panel. This sealed unit, of 1,5m x 1,5m x 0,5m, consist of light and almost transparent biopolymer sheets, that are fasten together into a box. Formed out of that unique matter, which is eco-friendly and completely recyclable, the panel aim to minimize its environmental impact by implying a low intrinsic energy and a generous transmission of day light to reduce interior artificial lighting. For thermal performance, the unit is subdivided into vertical thin air cavities. These air spaces are separate and sealed from one and other by low thermal conduction thin layers of biopolymer. The total thickness of the module can be split into as many cavities necessary to ensure walls, floor and roof thermal resistance. The isolation value of multiplied air voids permit to reach the performance required in rigorous climates, with an isolation material that is free of cost and environmentally sustainable. The empty sealed cavities limit the panel weight, offering easier manipulations, delivering and assembling. The multiplicity of biopolymer layers, while providing a surrounding effect of natural light; ensure a certain level of intimacy in the inhabitable space by diversifying the translucence. This basis module, complemented with large glass windows, are structurally reinforced and locked together by linking members made of steel extrusions and bio polymer capping. The members act as self bearing structures that clip the panels jointly in a tight and solid way. Finish with biopolymer cap; the polyvalent members also play a role of thermal barrier in between the module. They also permit to attach this translucent grid composition to the main rigid recycled-steel frame. This protective and shielding element carry the light numbers (panel+ members) and allow a vertical multiplication of the living cell. The frames allow the translucent numbers to be fixed on many points of their faces, to consolidate brace and counterbrace the assemblage.

2: Assembly and delivering, or delivering and assembly

Once the numbers are chosen and the spatial living sequence is define, the Numbers Box can either be assemble in place of prefabrication and delivered, or be transported in separate pieces and reassemble on the eventual occupation site. The modularity and the nature of the components ensure a dry assembling, without any supplement manoeuvre. In view of the basics numbers chosen and the sequence wanted, a determine quantity of prefabricated pieces are identified and necessarily implicated. Each component is designed in a modularity that provides the liberty to configure and link any numbers sequences. For an upcoming enlargement of the living space, new numbers can gradually be added either in a longitudinal way or on top of others. They can be delivered and clip to the existing composition. This easy assembling system permits trouble-free reparation or replacement of broken element. Made of light and repetitive parts, manipulation is simplified. Once Numbers Box is assembled on ground level or in manufacturing place, the rigid protective and bearing frames that surround the numbers serves as a container skeleton to lift and transport the living space.

3: Live and make live the numbers

When numbers were chosen, that the prefabricated translucent biopolymer modules were assembled with the members and tied to main frame, the Numbers Box is delivered to future living site. Once it get there, the impact of these giant abstract, materialized fit for human habitation numbers redefine the environment. They are offered as free interpretative liveable symbols, as numeral figures of our existence that completely characterized by the scenes taking place around and in them. Free of any explication or common sense, these tangible numbers are the articulation of pure space and technicality to shelter people. They offer a contemporary and comfortable living space, figurative and metaphorical expressions of the numeral and numeric state of the 21st century. Instead of being submit to unavoidable and intangible numbers, a person can now fully get the feeling of what living among the numbers can represent. They have the liberty to assemble or break into pieces numbers that usually seem so complete and untouchable. A person can now live and make live the numbers, considering her true needs and preferences. What could be evocative, personal and spatial experience of living, isolated on a lake shore, in a giant 08? Crossing the street in a dense urban context and catch a glimpse, on the roof of an old warehouse, of some 680 26 150 34 79 sequence of habitable spaces? Everyone around it, or living in it, would have their own personal thoughts and interpretation of this, for once, completely of sense and obligation numbers.