architectural thesis on clubhouse

University of Notre Dame

Minor in Sustainability

College of Science

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Sunshine Clubhouse Community Development: A Case for the Sustainable Design of Clubhouses

Clubhouses help people with Serious Mental Illness “access the same worlds of friendship, housing, education, and employment as the rest of society.”

Why is sustainable design important for Clubhouses and cities?

• Climate change is likely to be the greatest destabilizing force politically and socially of the next century (Edwards 7)
• Human-caused climate change is happening and is accelerating; dangerous impacts are becoming evident around the world, and are projected to get worse in the decades to come, possibly much worse (IPCC, 2013). Nearly all climate scientists are convinced of these basic facts… (Maibach)
• Transport accounts for 26% of global CO 2 emissions and is one of the few industrial sectors where emissions are still growing (Chapman)
• In the US, buildings account for 40% of raw materials use, 38% of carbon dioxide emissions, 24-50% of energy use and 72% of energy consumption (Green Building 4)
• 7,000 acres of forests, farms, and countryside are lost to sprawl every day (Duany 12)

What can be done?

• Walk or bike to work
• Support sustainable agriculture
• Use energy-efficient appliances
• Use heat, air-conditioning and water less
• Construct more sustainable buildings

Smart growth and New Urbanism are counters to suburban sprawl and promote environmental behavior without people thinking about how to be sustainable. Green buildings are designed with sustainable design methods and construction materials.

My architecture thesis, the Sunshine Clubhouse Community Development in South Bend, Indiana shows how sustainable design in architecture and urbanism can improve the triple bottom line of a Clubhouse and the greater South Bend community.

SITE SELECTION

• Site has good proximity to other neighborhoods and nature.
• Is a safe neighborhood
• Has potential for urban agriculture
• Is close to employment opportunities, housing, and entertainment but also development at this location would be strongly supported by surrounding area

TRANSPORTATION

• Located on bus route
• 15 minute walk from Transpo Station

WALKABILITY

• Proposing mixed-use buildings that define street edge
• Ground floor commercial for dynamic interaction with street
• Ground floor of Clubhouse=Clubhouse Thrift Shop
• Located Clubhouse on St. Joseph River
• Exterior spaces on upper floors offer access to fresh air and nature views without going to ground floor
• Tree-lined streets, urban parks and connecting the West Bank Trail
• Clubhouse should not be isolated- so integrated it into a block of mixed-use buildings
• Clubhouse at ground level welcomes community to interact with Clubhouse members
• Large thermal window on third floor gives character and identity
• Relate with the community in any way to eliminate the stigma associated with Serious Mental Illness
• 1/3 of an acre proposed as Unity Garden
• Roof garden to grow food for Clubhouse, while improving air quality

GREEN BUILDING

• Large, operable windows to reduce need for cooling, ventilation, and lighting
• Load bearing masonry wall and interior brick piers for durable building
• Glue-laminated beams because wood is readily renewed and glu-lams require little energy to produce
• Overall, green design saves money long term; creates a healthier, more productive environment; and is best for the planet

To read more about how sustainable design of Clubhouses and towns can contribute to their triple bottom line, see the full report, Sunshine Clubhouse Community Development. (Link to PDF of paper) The end of the report offers explicit guidelines for Clubhouse and cities to design more sustainably.

I am so grateful I was introduced to this project and am simply delighted I was able to meet so many wonderful, dedicated, and hard-working people. South Bend has amazing potential to become an innovative and thriving city by thinking creatively and sustainably to implement change for the long term, by influencing behavioral change, and by taking action in the short term. In short, I am excited to see what the future holds for the city.

Works Cited

Chapman, Lee. "Transport and Climate Change: A Review." Journal of Transport Geography 15.5 (2007)Print.

"Clubhouse International Mission." Clubhouse International. Web.

Duany, Andres, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck. Suburban Nation : The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream . New York : North Point Press, 2000. Print.

Edwards, Brian, and Emanuele Naboni. Green Buildings Pay : Design, Productivity and Ecology . London : Routledge, 2013. Print.

Green Building and LEED Core Concepts Guide . 2 nd ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Green Building Council, 2011. Print.

Maibach, Edward, Teresa Myers, and Anthony Leiserowitz. "Climate Scientists Need to Set the Record Straight: There is a Scientific Consensus that Human-Caused Climate Change is Happening." Earth's Future (2014): - 2013EF000226. Print.

Stewart, Sara. “Mission Statement.” Unity Gardens . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014

CLUBHOUSE, RAIPUR

The modern building abhorred superfluous surface decoration and induced the use of concrete, glass, and steel. With times, the architectural vocabulary in terms of form and function has been transforming, and while designing any built form, it has been mostly debated if form comes first or function. However, in today’s contemporary architecture, it is the form that follows function wherein dynamism of the latter is playing a vital role in creating cityscape for the new environment and spaces. One such building is a Club House in a Group housing project for Avinash Builders at Raipur. This form has set a benchmark in Contemporary Indian Architecture. Clubhouses have become a fad in the 21st century. Along with health care services provided at clubhouses, architects are progressively designing clubhouses as breakout spaces. The Club House in Avinash Capital Homes forms an iconic landmark structure on its own, owing to its fluid design. Nature was the inspiration in visualizing the iconic structure of the building. Raipur is surrounded by forests, waterfalls, mountains, and other natural geographic features that inspired the organic form. The design builds on the concept of the fluidity of water. The layout of the clubhouse moves away from rigid straight lines and instead explores a unique dimension of architecture. The façade of the clubhouse remains the most iconic feature of the building. It has interesting circular cut-outs that allow the penetration of natural sunlight thus reducing the use of artificial lighting systems in the daytime. The exterior façade seamlessly carves through the interior spaces maintaining its whimsical form and generating cave-like interiors. The clubhouse caters to the need of people from various age groups. It has all the modern facilities and equipped with the latest machines in the gymnasium, encouraging people to become health conscious. The main entrance of the clubhouse leads to the swimming pool. The concept here was to introduce a water feature at the sight of entrance creating a tranquil environment. The swimming pool is anthropometrically designed in a way to accommodate maximum people. Waterfront café has been introduced on a green carpet that seamlessly merges with the interior banquet. The banquet has been acoustically padded thereby reducing noise pollution in the vicinity. On the ground level, one can indulge in strenuous sports activities like squash, badminton, and lawn tennis. The club also has a health juice bar, where members of the society can also provide cooking classes. The yoga studio and gymnasium are located on the upper floor, in an attempt to isolate it from the bustling sounds of ground floor activities. It is sculpted with wooden floors to provide a clean and comfortable environment. Overlooking the swimming pool on one side, and the green lawns on the other, the yoga studio creates a perfectly balanced space. Our vision was to create an experience that unravels and gets richer each time for the user. The circulation is maximized on the upper level with each functional space opening into the corridor. Considering the fluidity of design in mind, the construction uses Ferrocement over wire mesh with 200 metal framework of a profile section arranged to support the mesh. The materials like Glass-reinforced concrete and Glass-reinforced gypsum have been selected to sculpt the clubhouse. The use of white color on the exterior bolsters the immaculateness of the built form. The surreal design of the clubhouse catches the fancy of every passer-by.

Architects: Creative Group, New Delhi Year: Started in 2017 (Ongoing) Client: Avinash Group Built-up Area: 1300sqm.

Prof. Charanjit Shah, Ar. Gurpreet Shah, Creative Group

S 2024 M 2023 S 2023 M 2022 S 2022 M 2021 S 2021 M 2020 S 2020 M 2019 S 2019 M 2018 S 2018 M 2017 S 2017 M 2016

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• Designing a Club House

Abhinav K Iyengar

Design a Club House of a specified user group in an area of about 300 sq. m, with resolved structure. A material was specified to us and we had to research and understand it's properties and make the club house out of that material.

Club House Case Study

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The Best Golf Clubhouse Architecture

By Michael Slenske

Loch Lomond Golf Club Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Situated on a lakeside estate that used to be home to the Colquhouns, a Highland Scottish clan, Loch Lomond’s clubhouse is built of local pink and yellow sandstones—some of which had been salvaged from the clan’s 18th-century Georgian-style Rossdhu Mansion. To keep their spirit alive, the Colquhouns, who lived on the 660-acre estate throughout the 1970s, lent original artwork and furniture to the estate after it was reimagined as a golf course in 1994.

Jack Nicklaus Golf Club New Songdo City, South Korea

Iranian architect Mehrdad Yazdani ’s clubhouse vision for South Korea’s first Jack Nicklaus golf development, which opened in 2010, is about as chic as golf gets. Fitted with curved zinc roofs, the pavilions sit on neutral-color stone plinths and feature pilasters made from local Merbau wood that minimize glare and heat gain. Inside, it’s all marble floors, bead-blasted stainless-steel columns, and limestone wall panels. The combined effect is, as Nicklaus says, “Something very unique and very special.”

__The Bridge Bridgehampton, New York__

Constructed on the site of a former racetrack in 2010, the boldly modernist 40,000-square-foot glass-walled clubhouse at the Bridge boasts unparalleled views of the Rees Jones –designed course—through louvered and sustainably sourced cypress shutters. The interiors of the turbine-bladed Roger Ferris + Partners –designed two-story structure are equally stunning, showcasing works from such blue-chip artists as Richard Prince and Tom Sachs (both of whom are members of the club).

King Kamehameha Golf Club Maui, Hawaii

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the KKGC clubhouse, with its iconic porthole windows and desert-rose skin, is one of only two Frank Lloyd Wright designs on the Hawaiian islands. Originally intended to be the 14,000-square-foot Connecticut home of Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe, the plans were later acquired by the club’s developers, who expanded the footprint to 74,778 square feet. Though the course, cradled in the foothills of the West Maui Mountains, is private, the clubhouse is open to the public and features African-mahogany casework, a stained-glass skylight depicting butterflies, and a stunning collection of Hawaiian art, including Herb Kane’s epic panel painting of Kamehameha and his chiefs.

By Eric Wills

By Katie Schultz

By Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar

Royal Birkdale Golf Club Southport, England

Though it’s received some recent updates, the Art Deco–style clubhouse at Royal Birkdale still retains much of architect George Tonge’s 1935 shiplike design. Dry-docked on England’s Southport dunes, this massive cinder-block edifice was originally equipped with its own card room, smoke room, and billiard room. As one reporter remarked at its opening, “Standing on the promenade deck overlooking the Irish Sea it needs little imagination to feel that one is on a cruise.”

Medinah Country Club Medinah, Illinois

Chicago-born architect Richard Gustav Schmid was renowned for crafting pre-Depression-era buildings that incorporated Byzantine, Oriental, Louis XIV, and Moroccan flourishes. One of his most celebrated designs is the 1926 redbrick and green-roofed clubhouse at Medinah Country Club, whose famed Course #3 has played host to numerous PGA events, including the 2012 Ryder Cup. Reportedly modeled after a Turkish mosque, the structure is capped with mock minarets and a dramatic domed rotunda. (Inside, the rotunda features a mosaic painted by the German artist Gustav A. Brand*.)  *

The Hills Golf Club Arrowtown, New Zealand

A finalist for the 2008 World Architecture Festival, the neo-Brutalist bunker at the Hills is constructed of 200 tons of meter-thick concrete and schist rocks sourced from local rivers. Built in 2007 to host the New Zealand Open, the course is set at the base of the Remarkables Mountains in the former gold-mining town of Arrowtown on New Zealand’s South Island. The wedge-shaped building, known as the Divot, sits three quarters belowground, and were it not for the fire pits and double-glazed glass walls, it might well be invisible.

Stoke Park Country Club Buckinghamshire, England

Situated on a nearly 1,000-year-old estate, the Palladian white stone mansion at Stoke Park was designed by George III’s architect, James Wyatt. The building remained a private residence until 1908, when it was sold and turned into a clubhouse for Britain’s first country club. Boasting palatial terraces, marble pillars, period paintings, antique furnishings, and views of Windsor Castle, not to mention having hosted many famous rounds—James Bond tees it up here in the 1964 film *Goldfinger—*it’s the closest duffers can get to royalty.

__Oijared Country Club Floda, Sweden__

Featuring a naturally ventilated living roof, geothermal heating, and a 36-sided glass façade, Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh ’s sunken clubhouse at Oijared redefines green design. Built in 1988 and inspired by Argentine talent Emilio Ambasz’s subterranean masterpieces, the structure comprises six levels, with exterior walls that seem to cut into the forested landscape like a Robert Grosvenor sculpture.

Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s Golf Club Lancashire, England

Built in 1897, this green-trimmed redbrick clubhouse was once described as “the former residence of Count Dracula”—surely a reference to the punishing, trap-laden George Lowe–designed course that has stymied so many British Open champs and not the edifice’s Tudor-style architecture. With billiards, books, and a wide selection of beers in the wood-paneled Club Room, it’s difficult to imagine a more inviting 19th hole.

__Olympic Golf Course Clubhouse Rio de Janeiro__

Last played at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, golf finally returns to the Summer Games in 2016 at a 72-hole course in Rio de Janeiro’s lush Barra de Tijuca district. Local firm RUA Arquitetos designed the tropical modern clubhouse, which boasts interior gardens, a wheelchair-accessible rooftop lounge, and a translucent canopy with a rainwater-catchment system that helps irrigate the mangrove-filled course. Construction is scheduled to be finished in December 2014, and following the Games, the course will be open to the public.

Formby Golf Club Liverpool, England

Destroyed by an 1899 fire, the clubhouse at Formby was reconstructed two years later by Liverpudlian architecture firm Haigh, Marmon & Thompson. Set amid terrain dotted with pine trees, the building features a now-iconic clock tower that was a gift to the club in 1909 from White Star Line chairman Joseph Bruce Ismay—later known as the Coward of the Titanic —to mark its 25th anniversary. The structure was expanded in the ’90s with an Arts & Crafts–inspired west wing.

__The Blessings Golf Course Johnson, Arkansas__

Arkansas architect Marlon Blackwell did much to up the Ozark region’s design cred—not to mention golf’s—with the Blessings’s cantilevered clubhouse, built in 2004. While the industrial-style exterior is made of dry-stacked stone and wrapped-copper panels, the interior resembles a Zen temple with walnut and cherry woodwork and glass curtain walls that offer panoramic views of the Robert Trent Jones Jr.–designed course. There’s even a soothing green-tiled double-height spa in the locker room to help rid oneself of any lingering memories of bogeys.

Sunningdale Golf Club Berkshire, England

First known as Ridgemount, Sunningdale’s quaint brick-and-shingle clubhouse was originally built as a home by developer brothers and club founders Tom and George Roberts. Though the Harry Colt–designed course has welcomed the European and British Women’s Open in recent years, the sepia-tone photographs lining the clubhouse walls and the gabled clock overlooking the 18th green keep things firmly rooted in nostalgia.

Old Course at St. Andrews St. Andrews, Scotland

Considered to be the Vatican of the golf world by players around the globe, the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse at St. Andrews may well be the most hallowed architectural marvel in all of sports. Architect George Rae’s 1854 neoclassical clubhouse, which attends to the links where the game was born, has undergone eight expansions over the decades—additional floors, wings, and the iconic bay windows have all been added.

By Nick Mafi

By Fred A. Bernstein

• AutoCAD 2010 (v 18.0)

POLO RETREAT @ Cochin - THESIS 2014

Design of a Polo Retreat ie a complex where the sport of Polo can be played professionally with a clubhouse for members of the Polo Club as well Read More

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K31 Courtyard by UN Studio: An Architectural Affair

The residential complex at 31 Krzhizhanovskogo Street in Moscow by UN Studio has an award-winning design that attempts to make the most of the location’s best features in order to meet the problem of fostering community in a congested urban environment. Moscow is presently undergoing a surge in residential development as a result of the city’s new masterplan, which was approved in 2012 and permits residential construction on the former industrial regions. With a surface area of around 118,000 m2 and height 145 m, it stands out as a magnificent structure.

A design that blends the area’s historical legacy and fosters the development of a local community was requested by project developer Glavstroy, who in turn asked Citymakers to create and organize the worldwide competition. The K31 Courtyard plan aims to develop a model of future living that prioritizes the welfare of the inhabitants, promotes indoor-outdoor living , fosters a sense of security and home, and offers a variety of sustainable social possibilities in this quickly changing urban environment.

Design Principles

The city of Moscow has recently experienced the conversion of former industrial sites into residential districts following the approval of a new masterplan, and the rise in density came with issues in developing a feeling of community. This problem is addressed by the architecture, which fosters a sense of security and belonging, promotes indoor-outdoor life, and offers a variety of social activities.

A stepped pedestal that surrounds a private courtyard and two towers that face each other diagonally to provide every tenant the best view corridors and allow for more light to enter the apartments make up the design of K31 Courtyard, which combines two common residential building typologies.

The podium’s stepped terraces are intended to provide extra amenities for the neighbouring units, such as verandas, greenhouses, and orangeries, while also ensuring that the courtyard-facing apartments receive a sufficient amount of natural light. The development includes a variety of apartment types, as well as a park, a fitness centre , a kindergarten, and commercial spaces. It also has underground parking. Each tower also has a separate community space with co-working areas, sports facilities, and a clubhouse for residents on top of the podium.The apartments facing the inner courtyard are intended to receive enough sunshine thanks to the podium’s raised terraces. Due to their potential usage as extra facilities for the nearby units, these sloped terraces also lend a distinctive element to this residential building. In order to meet the needs of various inhabitants, the development also provides a variety of apartment types and layouts. While common areas and entrances are shared by everybody, the typology split is made to minimize the separation of various social groups.

In combination with the possibility to use of the outdoor terraces on the stepped podium, the design for K31 Courtyard encourages residents to enjoy outdoor living throughout the year and to create an open neighborhood in the sky and a lively new addition to the Moscow skyline.

Community Block

The concept of “a neighborhood” has several dimensions for K31 Courtyard. The expansion is intended to spread horizontally and link to the city, drawing inspiration from the old-style Moscow courtyard, which was peaceful and private yet open and secure. The courtyard’s playgrounds and green areas for amusement are also visibly connected to the blocks outside perimeter pedestrian paths.

Through the use of common intermediate amenity areas, neighborhoods can also grow vertically to foster ties between residents who live next to the same stairs. At the base of each tower, there are two additional designated public areas that can hold co-working spaces, athletic facilities, and a clubhouse for residents.

By adding curated terrace units like verandas, orangeries, or greenhouses, the roof apartments on the podium in the diagonal neighborhood created by the stepping roof terraces can be made more unique.

Façade Design

A modular method with parametric modelling is used to create sophisticated facade diversity. We add a random arrangement of modules with windows, bay windows, French balconies, and conventional loggias into a strong grid, resulting in a greater variety of apartment types with overt indoor-outdoor variances.

We encourage the new K31 Courtyard residents to live outside all year long and build an open neighborhood in the sky that will become a new landmark for the Moscow skyline, along with the potential usage of the outdoor terraces on the tiered platform.

Façade styles:

Brick and black metal are used in the podium facade’s outside perimeter to match the nearby structures and maintain the area’s history as an old industrial area.

The podium’s two towers include loggias and panoramic windows. When viewed from the courtyard, it is particularly crucial for the towers’ light materialization and color to appear less ominous so that their volumes appear to visibly dissolve into the sky.

Similar to the lightness of the tower volumes, the courtyard’s interior facade uses natural wood to create a cozy and welcoming ambiance for the occupants while forging a strong link to the lush, tree-lined courtyard.

References: 

• K31 Courtyard

Moscow, Russia, 2021

https://www.unstudio.com/en/page/15783/k31-courtyard

• UNStudio Designs Community-Oriented Residential Development in Moscow Written by Andreea Cutieru November 16, 2021 

https://www.archdaily.com/971952/unstudio-designs-community-oriented-residential-development-in-moscow

An Architect/Designer who stands utmost to facilitate success and break the stereotypes that have been followed for a very long time in architecture. He believes every design must be conceived to add charm and enhance the surrounding's innate beauty with energy and resource efficiency as key driving factors.

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05/17/24 CLASS OF ‘24 SPOTLIGHT ON LAUREN JIAN

Connect with us on social media and sign up for our mailing list to receive information about upcoming events, exhibitions, school news and more.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture, Lauren Jian pursued her interest in design advocacy through her final project and on-campus involvement. She served as the president of the USC American Institute of Architecture Students and co-founded Architecture + Advocacy , a student-run non-profit organization. Through her final project, Lauren explores how LA street vendors provide informal resources and serve as an agent for urban renewal, using technology to reconstruct and reimagine these in-between built spaces. 

Through USC Architecture, Lauren was awarded with Magna Cum Laude distinction, the Renaissance Scholar, Global Scholar, Discovery Scholar, and the Thomas Byerts Social and Community Design Award. 

Learn more about Lauren’s journey.

Q: Tell us briefly about your background and why you chose your program at USC Architecture.

I am a LEED AP BD+C certified designer in the Bachelor of Architecture program at the University of Southern California. I served as the President of USC American Institute of Architecture Students from 2022-2023. I am an artist showcasing at the 2024 Venice Biennale. I chose USC Architecture for its engaged student community and diverse faculty perspectives. 

Q: What is the title and short description of your final thesis project?

City of Play explores Los Angeles as a food desert, and how food vendors provide an informal resource. They become an agent for urban renewal to create equitable pedestrian friendly third spaces. This enables pedestrians to take back the street as a public, communal space through community led design.

Q: What have been your best experiences during your program?

I had the incredible opportunity to co-found Architecture + Advocacy, a student-run 501(c) non-profit with my peers. Within A+A, we create workshops that engage high school students in equitable design and partner with community partners to execute design builds.

Q: What are you hoping to pursue after graduation?

I plan to continue my work in design advocacy. 

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Article Contents

Proceedings of the 4th international conference on architecture: heritage, traditions and innovations (ahti 2022).

The spatial development of the city is influenced by morphological processes, period of construction, geological landscape of the area and urban context. The modern policy of architectural and spatial development of cities is based on the process of regulation. It becomes important to comprehend the basis of regulation: humanistic perceptions of the living environment, everyday needs to preservation of traditions, identity of communities, respect for others, tolerance, and taking an active part in shaping the living environment. In the theory of city morphology, a number of morphological studies focus on the analysis of the evolutionary form and development patterns of planning structures. Furthermore, a town plan analysis method is introduced, among the key aspects of which are the physical plan of the city and the land use structure of settlements.

2. DEFINITIONS OF “MORPHOLOGICAL FORM” OF RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN THE WORKS OF SCIENTIFIC SCHOOLS OF URBAN MORPHOLOGY

The British school of urban morphology concentrates around the work of M.R.G. Conzen. The research of this body of works is based on the method of “town plan analysis”, the key aspects of which are physical plan of the city and land use structure of settlements. It establishes a number of concepts, terms, and methodology for the analysis of the actual town plan, which explains both the form of development and spatial relationships. The plan and development form are seen as the result of a sequence of historical, economic, cultural events [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Their research further identified three components of the urban structure: a) the town plan (or ground plan), which in turn is formed by a system of streets, fragments of the urban fabric (plots and neighborhoods), and other naturally formed planning units (landscape units); trace plans of buildings and structures; b) building fabric; c) land use and land tenure. The British School proved “a link between history and the structure of the urban form”. In this regard, a city is believed to consist of a combination of landscape areas. In the study of Karl Kropf (1993) “The Definition of Built Form in Urban Morphology”, based on the established theories of Konzen and Whitehand, identified the main reference terms and definitions of city morphology: morphological period, morphological framework, fringe belt, morphological region, morphological element [ 4 , 5 ].

2.1. Morphological Region

Conzen defines a morphological region plan formation as an area that has a form distinct from surrounding areas. At the same time, the boundary between different areas can be more or less rigid. The map of morphological areas is the result of the method of morphological zoning, designed to reveal historical development of an urban area ( Fig. 1 ). Conzen defines a hierarchical order of morphological regions, the smallest type of which is morphotope.

In: V. Olivera, Urban Morphology: Historico-Geographical Approach [ 6 ]. Left: [ 6 ], pp.16. Right: [ 6 ], pp.87.

2.2. Morphological Element: Morphotype and Morphotope in Conzen's Theory

Conzen defines a morphotope of a planning unit as any smallest part of a city, which is an individualized combination of streets, lots and buildings, distinct from its neighbors, unique to its location and endowed with a measure of morphological unity and/or homogeneity. Morphotopes represent mainly morphogenetic types of plans and vary in character and configuration. Simple combinations represent subtypes, their integration with more complex modules forming types represent morphotypes. He tested his observation on the analysis of Alnwick on Tyne (UK), where he identified two different bases for grouping subtypes of the area: streets and identical elements of plots, areas with characteristic geometry and configuration of buildings ( Fig. 1 ). Geometric relationships established between the elements in the definition of each complex formed the basis for the definition of morphotopes. Physical combinations of the urban plan, building forms and land use patterns, together with the natural component of the site are locally integrated into the smallest morphogenetically homogeneous areas, conventionally called “urban cells”. The cells are grouped into small urban areas, which, in turn, unite at different levels of integration with the formation of a hierarchy of city regions. It was found that the development of the city, which leads to the diversity and complexity of the arrangement of morphological elements-divisions is formed by morphological periods, which correspond to periods of socio-economic development, entailing specific changes in the city (redevelopment and new construction). Combinations of land use define various urban morphotypes, such as commercial, retail, business, professional, industrial, transport, residential, etc. In his later works, Conzen also began to explore what was called urban landscape management, suggesting the use of morphological analysis as a basis for decision-making to control change in the artificial environment. The use and expansion of the method by Conzen's followers demonstrates the value of his contribution to global urban planning science ( Fig. 2 ).

In: V. Olivera, Urban Morphology: Historico-Geographical Approach ([ 6 ], pp. 27).

The English school of urban morphology attempted to combine the view of urban morphology with dynamically changing patterns of land use.

The Italian school of urban morphology is based on typo-morphological studies of the structure of Italian cities. In 1950–1956, Muratori initiated a study of the established plan structure of Venice and later Rome (1956–1973), which then served as a basis for the integration of new development into the urban fabric. Muratori formulated four morphological levels of cities, which, despite their relative autonomy, are hierarchically linked to each other: they are building, block, city, and district, which together form the urban fabric. Muratori pointed out that, at certain stages, small-scale changes at the level of the building, the block, are confronted by additional changes in the larger structure, caused by sovereign planning. The formation of settlement structures is a process of alternation, in which individual practices of small-scale change and collective intervention enter into a complementary relationship. Muratori's follower, Gianfranco Canniga, continued to develop a theory that conceptualizes the city as an organic result of a dynamic political-economic typology of form.

The researchers of the German school of urban morphology note the school of Gorki. Analyzing the forms of settlement in Westphalia, the Gorki came to the conclusion about the existence of five models of morphological structure of German cities: urban streets form radial, grid, featherlike, parallel and single street. The author identified the main morphotypes of urban areas: circular-radial and rectangular-rectilinear. The study of urban morphology in Germany relies on urban geography. At the University of Bonn, Cross argued for the possibility of creating a new research area: urban morphology. In the study by Eva Lovra “The Urban Typology Matrix (1867–1918)”, devoted to the systematization of established morphological elements of the historical environment on the basis of analysis of 70 cities in Hungary, they identified 16 main morphological areas ( Fig. 3 ) [ 7 ].

3. MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES IN RUSSIAN URBAN PLANNING SCIENCE

In 20th-century theoretical studies of urban planning and architecture there were a number of works focused on the analysis of evolution of urban systems and the study of development patterns in planning structures. While investigating the influence of the urban environment variability on the principles of its design, Gutnov (1971) proposed an approach to the design of urban planning structures based on principles of rigid regulation and probabilistic choice of object characteristics [ 8 ]. The development of urban planning projects and forecasts should be based on comprehensive information about the city by functional-spatial, socio-economic, mathematical and other models, and expressed in the design of flexible planning schemes. In such designs, “types of residential development, placement of individual structures within the general regulations are adjusted each time in connection with the specific capabilities of the project at a certain stage”. The work of Kostrikina (1977) “Town Plan as the Basis for the Formation of its Artistic Image” introduces the methodological basis for the analysis of urban plan composition: the principle of historical and natural determinism. Also, she developed the concept of morphogenesis as a study of the evolution of form based on its internal (immanent) laws of development of historical, natural and morphological factors [ 9 ]. The author further proposed the principles of morphogenesis: the principle of “continuity” and the principle of “correspondence of the form of the plan to its size”; as well as a comprehensive method of assessing the plan as the basis for the formation of city’s artistic image. Lavrov described the method of planning structure transformation in the historically established city at different periods of its development, the formation of cultural landscape of the city [ 10 ]. Methods of morphological analysis of urban structures are reflected in the works of Vasina, Gutsalenko, Kraynya, Kukina.

The studies of Akhmedova (1994) substantiated the concept of urban economic regulation of the regional habitat on the basis of historical, ecological and cultural development priorities. She also proposed a method of urban economic evaluation of lands based on consumer qualities of the environment. According to the author, a city consists of basic spatial elements that form various open and closed spaces as well as a variety of transport corridors [ 11 ].

The monograph by Bolshakov (2021) reveals the role and importance of spatial structures – grids – in solving the problems of shaping the environment of cities. Grids are considered as geometric sets of cells. The parameters of morphological cells, their arrangement and connections between them are modified. These modifications allow to apply variable configurations of grids in solving problems in different conditions of formation of the artificial environment, including its regulation.

In a number of modern publications, researchers analyze morphotypes of the urban environment using GIS technology to identify a number of parameters: the density of the urban fabric, porosity and the ratio of open and closed spaces, the number of stories of buildings, the nature of the interposition of buildings in a residential group, quarter, etc. The authors of the study “Morphogenesis of the Architectural and Planning Structure and Principles of Reconstruction of the Historical Center of Irkutsk”, Bolshakov and Belomestnykh, revealed morphotypes based on the ratio of masses and voids in quarters, the number and cohesion of open space cells ( Fig. 4 ) [ 12 ].

In: E. Lovra, The Urban Typology Matrix (1867–1918) [ 7 ].

Fragment of the study in [ 12 ] conducted by the Irkutsk National Research Technical University.

4. APPLICATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS METHOD AND BUILDING REGULATIONS: APPLIED RESEARCH

In 2020–2021, Siberian Federal University conducted a comprehensive analysis of developmental patterns of the volumetric, spatial and morphological structure of Krasnoyarsk city using the methods of mathematical modelling and geoinformatics analysis. There were no previous studies of the city structure with the same methodology.

At the first stage, it is necessary to define the principles and methods of urban morphological analysis (i.e. the relationship between building type and urban fabric) and identify the typology of building morphotypes, which can be interpreted into certain morphotypes. In the course of the study, a map of residential planning units of mass housing construction in Krasnoyarsk was developed according to the identified morphological periods. 187 microdistricts were identified. When comparing the morphological plans of residential planning units, one can notice the pattern and the character of a microdistrict plan in a particular period of development. Morphotope in this study is understood as the smallest inseparable element of the development pattern of the plan in a residential planning unit [ 13 ]. The authors of the study analyzed the characteristic microdistricts of mass residential development in Krasnoyarsk and identified their predominant morphotopes based on geometry: “line”, “dot”, “spline”, “L-shape”, “U-shape”, “block” form of the building ( Fig. 5 , Fig. 6 ).

The algorithm for identifying morphotopes of mass residential development in Krasnoyarsk.

Comparison of microdistrict plans with periods of mass housing construction.

A visual-graphic presentation of morphotope balance, demonstrates a formation pattern in the topological plan characteristic of a period of construction and substantiates the morphotypes of established microdistricts: period 1 – “Linear Development” – due to the predominance of morphotope “line”; period 2 – “Free Development” – due to the presence of different geometric shapes in the development plan; period 3 – “Mixed Development” – due to a variety of different types of development; period 4 – “Homogeneous Development” – the same morphotope (“dot”, “block”, etc.) is repeated.

Comparative analysis of characteristic morphotypes of Krasnoyarsk residential planning units using key volumetric and spatial indices has identified trends of morphological transformations: a departure from discrete forms to dense high-rise development. A return of homogeneous planning structure is also observed. Nowadays, research into formation patterns of urban morphotypes is enriched with socio-cultural characteristics of the modern city. At the present stage of urban development in Russia, the issue of development densification in large cities is acutely pressed against maintenance of comfort and a favorable microclimate. Understanding of the trends in the morphological development of residential microdistricts of mass housing construction can be used to improve the methodology of residential area design, their development management and normative-regulatory basis of urban planning [ 14 ].

Understanding of processes and ways of management of particular morphological form must become the fundamental basis for the development of residential areas. The identified morphotypes of mass residential construction should be supplemented by documents on urban planning regulation of spatial development, based on the subject analysis of the environment.

5. CONCLUSION

The results of the study of urban morphology serve as a basis for planning, forecasting and design of urban development. They serve to form and rationalize its functional and planning organization: housing and transportation subsystems, systems of urban and suburban landscaping, industrial zones, etc. Creation of the optimal urban morphology is a necessary condition for social development of urban formation. The review of scientific and methodological developments revealed a tendency of transition from regulation and planning to the search of new approaches to forecasting sustainable development of architectural and historical environment.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The reported study was funded by the Science and Technology Development State Program of the Russian Federation within the Program of Fundamental Research of the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation and Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences, 2022.

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Dogchitecture: WE Architecture Designs a Center That Challenges Traditional Animal Shelters

• Written by Ella Comberg

Copenhagen firm WE Architecture has completed a proposal for a “Dog Center” in Moscow that challenges traditional notions of animal shelters. Nestled in the countryside, the one-story pavilion will rely on a series of courtyards divided by pergolas that disappear into the landscape. The firm notes that the courtyards, which provide enclosed outdoor space for the dogs , allow the center “to avoid the 'jail-like' fencing which is often associated with dog shelters."

WE, in collaboration with MASU Planning , hopes to create a “healthy and inspiring environment for sheltered dogs and for the different people who will visit and work at the Center.” The project accomplishes its atmospheric goals by complimenting steel pillars with wooden rafters. The rafters extend to create an exterior overhang which functions as “a sun screen in summer time and as an exterior cover/hallway on rainy days.” As visitors approach the building, the green roof , which sits atop the wooden rafters, is meant to serve as a “fifth facade” that can blend in easily with its wooded surroundings. Extensive outdoor seating space bleeds into greenery, inviting both human and animal recreation.

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