Part 2.

Problem Solving and Presentation of Solutions

- Formulation of Ideas
- Response to Identified Scenarios
- Solutions to Problems
“since most of us spend our lives doing ordinary tasks, the most important thing is to
carry them out extraordinarily well.”
• Thoreau

Part 1. Problem Identification and Understanding

- Problem Seeking
- Idea sketching
- Identifying Problems
- Assessing Scenarios
Problem Seeking

What?
• House
• Customer needs
Who?
• Aboriginal artist and her partner
Where?
• Notrthern Territory, Australia
Why?
• Hot, insects, hurricane
Identifying Problems
• challenge of creating a livable home in a tropical climate where temperatures
never drop below 25 º and can reach 40 º
• Another challenge was to keep out the various species of reptiles and spiders,
some poisonous
• create a structure strong enough to withstand hurricane winds common place
• To the south and west of the house is the Mangrove forest and northward the
Arafura Sea, location causing winds and strong tides
• high humidity
• Being built in a rural Aboriginal, access to the house is by dirt roads or sea
Idea sketching
Assessing Scenarios

Part 2. Problem Solving and Presentation of Solutions

- Formulation of Ideas
- Response to Identified Scenarios
- Solutions to Problems
Formulation of Ideas
Concept
Marika-Alderton house is an economic and sustainable prototype sample serving the
Australian authorities to build comfortable spaces, and adapted to the place, where they
can live the aborigines.
Analysis of existing conditions
• Australian authorities have always built solid masonry houses poorly
ventilated and uncomfortable, especially in summer and humid tropical
climate of northern Australia, which caused them to be abandoned or
destroyed, houses were inappropriate and unusable.
• Marika House demonstrates the ability of Glenn Murcutt to adapt its
principles and ideas of architecture to the different demands of the tropical
climate. This thoroughly studied tropical monsoon climate, the movement
of the wind, sun and water over three years.
• Some scholars criticize the house Marika disregarded the political and
historical situation of the native culture, arguing that Aborigines have
never built fixed and permanent structures. But those who love the houses
say Glenn Murcutt combined his own creative vision with Aboriginal ideas,
creating a unique and valuable bridge between cultures. The opening and
closing system, similar to that of a plant, the architect behind the concept
of a flexible shelter exists in harmony with the rhythms of nature (Lynch
2008).
Response to Identified Scenarios
Construction
The house is a steel gable on a platform high straight. The gable roof provides ample
overhangs to keep the sun off the four walls of the house, being mainly in the north
facade generous. On the south side have been arranged vertical slats that protect deep
inside the sun grazing summer, early in the morning and late in the afternoon.
Ventilation
Fins
The house is sheltered from the sun by using wide eaves. Rotating tubes along the roof
expel warm air and vertical fins, facing the ocean, capture, slow speed and the incoming
fresh and fragrant ocean breezes in the interior spaces of the house creating a more
comfortable environment.
Walls
The surfaces of the vertical walls in the interior of the house, there are always upward.
These walls are cut a little before reaching the ceiling, which allows heat in closed
spaces, is raised above the roof along each environment and exit more quickly.

Structure
The structure rests on piles allowing wind flowing below, helping to cool the soil. This
elevation also protects the home from storm, flood, animals and safeguard the natural
vegetation of the area, as it is intact
Solutions to Problems
Spaces
Access to the house is by the north, using some steps that save up on stilts
• The one-story house, elevated on stilts open in all directions and that is not a
closed volume, but a shaded platform, with all kinds of racks, spoilers and brise
soleil, without glass windows. Instead, the house has shutters that slope down to
provide additional shade, when necessary, also let in light and air flow when
open. All rooms except the bathrooms enjoy all the headroom available.
The house is divided into two separate areas: the large open living area and the
bedroom area.
• Living room
The living area is on the northeast corner, with a kitchen in one corner, followed by the
laundry area. This location allows the morning, when the residents of the house make
the most of their preparation, laundry, food, exercise, work, this is the cooler area.

Bedrooms
Plans Marika Alderton house are designed so that the bedrooms are located in the
southwest of the house. At night the southwest corner happens to be the coolest part of
the house, establishing a more comfortable sleeping arrangement. Besides providing a
cooler sleep environment, platforms on which rose sleeps 2 meters above the ground
so that the circulation of air below the bed is harnessed as possible. The bedrooms are
5, one principal, and 4 smaller, also ranked a sink and a shower room
Structure and materials
The architect uses simple materials, walls painted or stained wood, eucalyptus wood
blinds and metal roofs coarrugada.
• The rectangular structure is steel and hardwood to withstand the tropical rains.
This prefabricated structure was performed by two local craftsmen and
assembled in a few days, reducing costs, time and energy required to lift a
building. We must also add that for the reduction of expenditure included the
donation of local steel company that brought the 6 BHP light steel frames. The
plumbing and electrical components have been centralized to cut costs.
• Structural stability is achieved through its length, combining wood slats in that
direction with the structural steel frame positioned in the shortest direction. In the
metal structure round sections are used, with powerful triangulations help
withstand hurricane winds. Steel cables timber holding straps which in turn hold
the corrugated deck.
Typical Plate Contents
Sample Concepts