Description

Contents

 

THE DESIGN BRIEF: SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE –TURTLE HOUSE DESIGN (WITHIN AN AZTEC CULTURAL CONTEXT) Page 10

SITUATION. Page10

DESIGN BRIEF. Page 10

FOR TEACHERS: What is behind the lesson/design brief that could benefit students?. 10

For example, in this design brief, most of these areas – as discussed by Wagner (2012) – are included: 12

Critical thinking: 12

Which strategy do the individual and the group select to solve the turtle house brief?. 12

Collaboration: 12

How successful is the syndicate (e.g. a group of 3) to discuss, and communicate their design ideas, and how successful are their co-operative actions?. 12

How adaptable are the students to place themselves literally in the ‘shoes’ of the turtle family?. 13

How deep do the individuals, or syndicate dig to come up with new, and original (creative & innovative) solutions for the design brief?. 13

How effectively do they communicate their ideas as a group?. 13

How well are they accessing the appropriate information/knowledge for solving the brief?. 14

Are they curious to find a unique solution?. 14

Link to a video clip by W van Zyl (YouTube): Illustrates a possible solution to the sustainable turtle home design brief. How would you solve it?. 16

A short story of the “Turtle Island” from Wikipedia as inspiration- American Indian culture context: 16

A New Zealand context (Indigenous Māori story): Māui hauls up the North Island out of the ocean from his canoe (‘waka’). 18

IMAGE: Typical Maori sculpture (woodcarving). North Island New Zealand. Credit picabay.com. 19

Now read about the Aztecs in Mexico, and their city on Lake Texcoco. The city Tenochtitlan was built in the lake on stilts: Imagine yourself and your turtle family living in the lake….. 21

How to harness your imagination: 22

You should consider: 23

Passive solar design (slides): “The basics.” 24

Suggested procedure to complete the design brief: 25

Competition: 30

Aztec Turtle House Design Brief Solution: Research other indigenous cultures like American Indian, Maori (New Zealand), and former Aztec culture. 31

About this resource: 31

Sustainable Turtle House. 32

Situation: You are a turtle living in Mexico (South America) during the age of the Aztec civilisation. You see the Aztecs travelling every day by boat (canoe) transporting vegetables, meat, etc. on their waterways. You and your turtle family live on the banks of the large lake and swim among the Aztec daily. Remember the Aztecs build their city on stilts in the water. It is the year 1521… 32

Design Brief: Design a sustainable turtle house for you and your family. The structure has to accommodate 4 x turtles in total, including your mum and dad (or caregivers). Use bio-mimetics—ask nature how—to guide you. You have to think like a turtle (draw on your experiences-research). However, you must construct it like a human being. In other words, think like a turtle and construct (build) like a human. 32

Research: A freshwater Turtle tank. 33

Research: Aztec freshwater turtles. 35

Research: Aztec culture overview. 36

Video clip: How the Aztecs Changed the World: Documentary on the Aztec Empire. 36

Research: What do freshwater turtles eat?. 37

Research: 10 Amazing Turtle Species. 37

Research: How to set up an aquatic turtle tank: 38

Turtle Architecture: 40

Research: Bio Creativity-Art [Blog posts] 40

Research: How to build a land turtle habitat 43

Research: How to create a turtle habitat 43

Research: Feeding aquatic turtles: 45

Research biomimetics: biomimetics + architecture +turtle. 45

Zurich Elephant House boasts a domed wooden roof and swimming pools for animals (inspired by a turtle/tortoiseshell) 45

Conclusion: 47

References: 48

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 49

APA REFERENCING AND CITATION: Page 51

 

SKETCH FROM EBOOK:

Sketch 3: Sectional view – details are showing a possible solution to the sustainable turtle home brief. It includes harvesting rainwater, and harvesting wind and solar energy.  Concrete sphere shaped home, made of concrete. The roof can open and close like a shutter (electrical motor and gear mechanism will move it). Wind turbine far right: Will provide power to the battery (far right bottom). A deciduous tree (centre of page) shed its leaves during winter to allow the sun to reach the turtle house. The sun will heat up the concrete house (passive solar principle). During summer, the foliage of the deciduous tree will filter the sun and cast a convenient shade over the house to keep it cool. Far left is a pond: rainwater will be harvested and stored in this pond for the turtles. Insulation (loose grass) will cover the summerhouse like a typical green roof on the south side (location New Zealand). It means the loose grass will only be on the south side where the sun can’t reach. It would act as camouflage and insulation for the sustainable turtle house. The grass (sedum – best choice) will act as a ‘blanket’ during winter and a cover during summer. Credit: W van Zyl