[Jurrian]

Hello Everybody,

I think it's neccesary to introduce myself a little bit before popping the question.

I'am a second year architecture student from Amsterdam (academy of architecture). For my latest project I want to design an appartment building for vegan (veganistic?) people. As you already might noticed I'am not a vegan nor veggie myself (it probably makes me an stupid omni?)...

Still, I want to ask you if you could help me out a little bit and tell me how you would like to live in an ideal situation. This project has to be in the city so that makes the conditions a little less ideal I guess.

So how does the ultimate vegan appartment looks like?

my first ideas:

- As much as possible materials are ecological/animal friendly

- A possibility to grow your own vegetables etc.

- A large kitchen (I can imagine that some of the vagan recipes need some space?)

And I was wondering (very black and white), must it be a quite place or a place in full contact with the dynamics of the city?

Thank you so much for helping me out!

Greets,

Jurrian Knijtijzer

www.knijtijzer.com

 

[Jurrian]

Hello Everybody,

I think it's neccesary to introduce myself a little bit before popping the question.

I'am a second year architecture student from Amsterdam (academy of architecture). For my latest project I want to design an appartment building for vegan (veganistic?) people. As you already might noticed I'am not a vegan nor veggie myself (it probably makes me an stupid omni?)...

Still, I want to ask you if you could help me out a little bit and tell me how you would like to live in an ideal situation. This project has to be in the city so that makes the conditions a little less ideal I guess.

So how does the ultimate vegan appartment looks like?

my first ideas:

- As much as possible materials are ecological/animal friendly

- A possibility to grow your own vegetables etc.

- A large kitchen (I can imagine that some of the vagan recipes need some space?)

And I was wondering (very black and white), must it be a quite place or a place in full contact with the dynamics of the city?

Thank you so much for helping me out!

Greets,

Jurrian Knijtijzer

www.knijtijzer.com

 

[isowish]

I'm confused by this project. I don't really understand why vegans are so different from everybody else that they need apartments designed especially!

Though I guess it would be cool if you shared a building with a ton of vegan people...

Saying that, although every vegan is different, a lot are environmentally-conscious. Making the energy as 'green' as possible would be a good idea. Also (though again it's not true of everybody) I would say a lot of vegans would like to live in a city/town because of access to more things like health food shops and good restaurants, etc...sometimes in the middle of nowhere there isn't as much choice.

Um, yeah, I'm still confused so I'll stop there and see what other people have to say.

 

[Eclipse]

I'd agree with that. Being vegan doesn't automatically mean you want to keep a garden.

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is that some plaster, insulation and building materials may contain animal products.

Sharing housing with only veg*ns seems like a good idea at first. How would you regulate it?. Just take people's word on it and let them come or would there be more?.

And if there was, I could see it getting to the point where people would live a very controlled and regulated sort of life. A cult like lifestyle.

If it was vegan oriented, this would be even more likley to happen because of the increased complications of what's acceptable.

I'd rather see a veg*n friendly community that let them anyone come on their own, even if that meant including some omnis along the way.

 

[Alli]

I'd agree that I'm kind of confused about this. It would be kind of neat to live with a bunch of other people that share your beliefs, but I agree with Eclipse that it could become "cult-like".

The big kitchen seems like a good idea, though, and allowance of pets would be a good thing to include.

 

[TreeManEarthSteward]

Please see the obvious that this thread I think is best of your two for discussing this topic and adapt your other thread I would suggest to have as your intro thread. I know you are not a spammer, obviously, but this would be sensible to have your introduction seperate and USE THIS thread as the one for discussing your project.

I see you are not veg*n, but on the grounds that you come here with this grand idea, I as a regular member here, welcome you anyway, curious about whether you yourself might become veg as a result!

So, the face is me wondering what put you in touch with this Or what made you decide to take on such a project with a theme such as this!.... Do you not want to eat meat ideally eventually ??

 

[Jurrian]

First of all, I understand your doubts about making a building for 1 stereotype (!) of person, and offcourse I do not meen to generalize (vegan) people. But to some extend I will have to. But what I'am trying to find is maybe an exaccurated version of your whises according to your livingspace.

The idea behind making a building for a specific "type" of person is that it would result in a very specific way of living wich could lead to a new typology for housing.

The design will also include some restaurant/cafe space (with vegan menus ofcourse) and maybe some cultural functions. As a reaction to the question of regulating the inhabitants you must understand that it is a fictive design and assignment so we just assume that only vegan's live there...

And than the part of why I chose this subject. There's is an discussion in Amsterdam about building a big "pig-flat" in the harbour area. If this thing will be build, there must also be some houses for the employers of this mega-farm. You can see this design as a reaction to that....if this makes it any clearer...?

Thanks for your reactions so far, if you have more questions I will be happy to answer them. And more suggestions are always more than welcome!

Greets, Jurrian

ps about not eating meat anymore...who knows what this projects leads to...

 

[Ludi]

Raising your own food is the most vegan option, so I'm very in favor of designing apartments that allow for food gardens. Vegans seem to generally want to avoid injuring animals in the production of food and the best way to do that is to grow your own, which can be done in a way which kills very few animals.

I think all new housing should be provided with food growing space.

 

[TreeManEarthSteward]

with respect to your groovy english, do you mean fictive to mean fiction-ative?

Sorry but I had to ask!

hehe, maybe "figurative" is the endeavour, I think moreso, perhaps?.... Anyways, thanks for explaining some more. I LOOOVE eco-design, and might have a career in it myself!

 

[synergy]

I think this is a wonderful project, and a wonderful statement against that pigflat you speak of...

I think the most important aspects would be very green/eco-conscious design, with the food gardens, and maybe a communal kitchen.

I don't exactly know what kind of animal products are used in building apartments, but I suppose selecting all animal free building materials would be part of it.

I think it should also incoroprate organic materials if possible, for example, natural organic fibers in the rugs etc. But I guess that may be more for the interior decorators rather than the architecture itself.

Big windows, lots of natural light and earthy materials!

 

[TreeManEarthSteward]

Cool, synergy likes!!!.... btw: do we get a free home out of this

I need one!

Rollout suggestions like Synergy everybody!!

 

[Jinga]

Perhaps if you expanded your 'client' to a vegan-evironmentalist you'd have more ideas. I'm an architect myself and did a similar sort of project while in school (minus the vegan-specific), so I hope this isn't cheating

...

1) Green Roof - Provides natural insulation, plus an urban garden for growing foods.

2) Solar aquatic water treatment - treats water, provides an aquatic greenhouse garden for the community.

3) Daylighting Systems

4) Natural Ventilation

5) The two above can be combined with the building mass to create a passive solar building, although things like a wind turbine garden would be cool.

6) In general look for highly renewable resources (like bamboo) and materials with highly recycled content.

7) Alternate forms of transportation - It'd be nice to have a metro stop on the block.

8) Rather than tearing something down, reuse part of a worn-out building or infill an empty urban lot.

Theres plenty more of this type of thing. Most can be found on an online search

 

[TreeManEarthSteward]

All good ideas Jinga, but here's two I'd like to question:

2) Solar Aquatic, whoa-dya-mean? to heat water for pond life to stop pond indoor/outdoor (possibly greenhouse like) environment freezing over or equally of importance to house & sustain exotic/warm climate aquatic greenery? ~Which, both??

Also, 7) a metro as in tram-metro is that Jinga? Are they reasonably green, better than cars for sure hey !?

 

[TreeManEarthSteward]

Jurrian, (without honoring you off the scale)

I'd like to say you has to be cool beans even if never you becomes vegan I think, in regard to paying mind to vegans at least.... I don't mean to hype you, above your station, (so to speak) but thanks again for sharing your genius as no doubt will be.....

Hope we all contribute to a degree which enables constructive outcome/criticism yo!....and with design and learning as we go~ expertize, that pours into pot pourii melting pot of ideas!...

However openminded, so and so, us people and anyone enthusiastic for the subject, should be about this, I do find maybe some caution about how far-fetched (or abstract) a design ought perhaps be.... I mean how much style is also practical as well as flair for instance

That kind of well thought criticism and consideration I think is crucial, at the outset of creating any design me thinks!

Thanx for listening.

 

[TreeManEarthSteward]

By pure incidence I noticed briefly watching tv (I think a money news analytical program) and see a company involved in a project called Greentec Systems, certainly an eco-friendly (energy-saving) builder, I will go to find their website to perhaps retrieve/expose possible inspiration of what kind of thing we might reference.....

hey, I found it, looks cool

http://www.Greentec.co.uk

 

[Jinga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VA~goth~UK

All good ideas Jinga, but here's two I'd like to question:

2) Solar Aquatic, whoa-dya-mean? to heat water for pond life to stop pond indoor/outdoor (possibly greenhouse like) environment freezing over or equally of importance to house & sustain exotic/warm climate aquatic greenery? ~Which, both??

Also, 7) a metro as in tram-metro is that Jinga? Are they reasonably green, better than cars for sure hey !?

Solar aquatic water treatment involves the use of aquatic plants to cleanse 'used' water. It's not specifically intended to preserve aquatic greenery, the water garden is just a pleasant result of well-fed plants

From my experience, most mass-transit trains are 'cleaner' for the environment than if everyone drove their own cars. A safe direct bike path to shopping and work would be even better!

 

[TreeManEarthSteward]

OK !!!!

just clarifying the main player components.