DOMUS

Task
Domus: Extend your minima project to design an autonomous sustainable shared live-work environment that can accommodate three to five people in a specific climate zone.
Objectives

Understand the relationships between individual (private) and collective (shared) spaces within a living environment;

Explore the relationships between buildings and their environment (landscape, climate and culture);

Explore the impact of energy (passive), materiality and external site constraints (shadow, breeze, topography) from the environment on making architectural space;

Introduce the notions of ordering, organisational principles, repetition and composition in architectural form making;

the project must address the local climate with an emphasis on environmental sustainability and passive low-energy architecture. You are required to develop a prototype for your climate zone. Specifically, your prototype must show how the external physical environment (temperature, humidity, breeze, heating, cooling, light and precipitation) can be addressed through architecture.
The live-work envelope must cater for two types of spaces, individual private spaces, and shared collective spaces. Within these, you can define how a sleeping space, study or work space, a living and dining space, and services (wet areas, food preparation, storage) are allocated.



















































Publish Postakadu is located in the tropics, 12 to 14° south of the Equator. The climate is monsoonal, characterised by two major seasons: the dry season and the wet season. The 'build up' describes the transition between these two seasons.

During the dry season (April/May to September), dry southerly and easterly trade winds predominate. Humidity is relatively low and rain is very unusual. At Jabiru the average maximum temperature for June-July is 32°C.

During the 'build up' (October to December) conditions can be extremely uncomfortable with high temperatures and high humidity. However 'build up' storms are impressive and lightning strikes are frequent. In fact the Top End of Australia records more lighting strikes per year than any other place on earth. At Jabiru the average maximum temperature for October is 37.5°C.

The wet season (January to March/April) is characterised by warm temperatures and, as one would expect, rain. Most of the rain is associated with monsoonal troughs formed over Southeast Asia, although occasionally tropical cyclones produce intense heavy rain over localised areas. At Jabiru the average maximum temperature for January is 33°C.

Annual rainfall in Kakadu National Park ranges from 1,565 mm in Jabiru to 1,300 mm in the Mary River region.

The following charts provide an indication of rainfall, temperatures and humidity within the Kakadu region. Data for the charts was sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology, Darwin.