The lighthouse is one of the worlds oldest small building structures with such a specifically defined purpose and use. As a tower building or framework that sends out light to aid navagation and piloting, these maratime beacons have marked the earths most dangerous shores, guiding ships at sea for over 2000 years.
Its basic purpose, opertation and technology have remained remarkably consistnat despite the many different styles, forms and colours it can be found in throughout the world today.
With the advent of GPS and advancements in other modern navigational devices, the lighthouse is slowly becoming less of a useful tool and runs the risk of becoming obsolete.

In doing this research on lighthouses around the world, it became clear that although certain specific details regarding materials, or style were reflected regionally, their overall form and technology have remained remarkably constitant over the last 2000 years. Again, with the invention of satelite technology, GPS and other advanced navigational tools, the lighthouse is becoming more and more obsolete. It would appear that the future of the lighthouse is growing “dim” as more and more of them fall out of service everyday.
The importance of lighthouses and their historic roles has not gone unnoticed as we see more and more preservation groups worldwide determined to ensure that the legacy of these formidable structures remains intact. The lighthouse will continue to act as a strong symbolic figure in many aspects of our modern popular culture and will always stand as inspiring monuments to our many rich maritime heritages around the world.

Floating Small Building

A boat is a watercraft that floats on water. Its main purpose is providing transportation over water. Since many years ago that faster means of transportation have been created, travelling on water is not as common, unless for entertainment purposes, or fishing far in the oceans. Some larger boats/ships can be seen transformed into restaurants, permanently parked in the harbors. Be it travelling around the world, cruise tour, or fishing, the travelers on board usually have certain accommodations accordingly, due to the unpredictable sea conditions. The boat therefore can be counted as a small building.

Treehouses : Not Just For Kids

Throughout history, the structure known as the “treehouse” to many people has changed its purpose, form, function, and scale in many ways. The treehouse began as a hunting necessity by the primitive hunters of the Stone Age. Beginning the transformations into the primary shelter of the Korowai people of Iran Jaya, and was sometimes used as a resting place for their dead. The treehouse had created new and innovative ideas for people to transport themselves from the ground and upward. The treehouse structure within the South Pacific and South East Asia had given the human being of a new tradition of refuge and shelter, protecting them from the elements of nature. When the treehouse had passed becoming a structure for shelter and protection to the primitive man, it had later became the structure for delight and escapism. Time periods dating back as Ancient Rome, Renaissance, and Romantic period have all showed of signs of the treehouse as a function of delight.

Today, the treehouse has changed once again. Now living in an environmentally cautious world, treehouse has become an alternative shelter. The methods of construction have changed dramatically, creating innovative methods to construct stronger, safer, larger/smaller, and environmentally safe treehouses. The type of issues that affect the treehouse design are being analyzed, and its impacts to its surroundings and the environmental damage that takes place from delivery vehicles bringing structural components to the project site, and the process of cutting down trees in order to produce wood studs to construct a home. The world had been taking notice into the multiple design issues of treehouses. International competitions are held to design the best and innovative treehouse design. Cases such as the Canopy Raft and The SolVin Bretzel were studied for the dynamic approach in design and scale of treehouse design.

The small structure of the treehouse has grown into an idea of a kid’s backyard playground to a environmental living solution. The world has now developing and changing the idea of the treehouse, and transforming its form and structure that could coexist with our rapidly changing environments.

Houseboats

In our study, it was our objective to analyze houseboats as completely and thoroughly as was possible. We determined that the best format for our assignment would be to examine houseboats on a region-by-region basis and then construct a comparative analysis of all the different types we discovered. As we progressed from country to country, compiling all the information we could, we unearthed many fascinating variations within this intriguing building type.

We quickly began to understand that there were houseboats, such as the kolu boats in Kashmir, which were initially designed to be something else altogether and gradually evolved into the water-going domiciles that they are today. In direct contrast to this, we also established the fact that there are modern houseboats which were designed from the beginning to be just that – houseboats. We found variations in every aspect of the houseboats; from their uses, to their formal qualities, to the social context which surrounds them. To highlight this, in one area, the boats were constructed out of natural, local materials, while elsewhere; the houseboats consisted of heavily refined, high-tech building products.

There were also some obvious similarities between the houseboats, even when they were designed centuries apart. For example, we found a familiarity between hull designs; the way in which the modern houseboat hull rises out of water is reminiscent of the rising hull on the kolu houseboat. Also, the general forms of some of the vessels were similar in that they maintained the sleek, streamlined shape of a boat while incorporating dwelling space on the deck.

However, as we delved into some of these similarities we gained insight into another level of variation. To further explain what we mean by this, if we look at the traditional Chinese sampan, we see that bulkheads have been designed into the hull. Bulkheads are also present in the hulls and pontoons of modern recreational houseboats. However, these design features were meant for two vastly different purposes. On the sampan, the bulkheads were in essence, bedrooms; while on the modern houseboat the bulkheads are used to contain possible leaks to one section of the hull.

We found it very interesting to watch tried and true design and construction methods persevere throughout the years, while at the same time witnessing all of the different ways in which houseboats exist from region to region and from one time period to another. Truly, the houseboat is a unique and highly versatile small building.

Trulli houses: they are "trulli" remarkable...

In the heel of the boot that is Italy, or the southernmost part of Italy known as Puglia, mortar-less stone structures called trulli houses evolved from a land where stone was in abundance, and timber had long since run out.

Although local history speculates that the easily dismantled trulli were built in the 1600s in order to avoid the taxation of extra dwellings, other less-romanticized theories on the origins of trulli have been put forward by historians. One theory suggests that the trulli may have been an evolution of Mycenaean monumental stone tombs called tholos, while another maintains that trulli evolved from nuraghi: un-mortared, cylindrical domed towers made of stone. The last theory of course is that trulli houses may have simply evolved as a vernacular form independently, without the influence of other stone structures.

Trulli, back then, were used primarily as housing and storage, but their function depended largely on where they were built. In most areas of Puglia, a trullo was used as a temporary shelter for field workers and in some cases, evolved into the establishment of permanent residences; in the town of Alberobello, trulli were used as bars, stores and offices.

The most primitive form of the trulli are capanne, small pit dwellings with stone foundations and wooden roofs, which evolved into different variations, depending on where they were built. These trulli can vary from capanne-like structures located in the northern area of this region, to stepped-pyramid looking casella located on the eastern coast, to dry-stone shelters called chipuri in the south. However, it is only in the Murgia region of Puglia where permanent trulli dwellings were established, forming complex, multi-room structures.

Trulli were generally built without mortar, using limestone from nearby fields. They have very little openings and as well as very minimal interior space. Starting with a rectangular base, trulli walls are built up of limestone and rubble to create a domed roof. The main room of the trulli is located directly beneath the cupola, which is built from concentric rings of stone and is topped with a pinnacle, which in most cases, takes the form of a sphere.

Of all the the trulli found in Puglia, there are two buildings that particularly stand out. The Trullo Sovrano has the distinction of being one of few two storey trulli built in the area, and the Casa D’Amore represents the significant shift of trulli houses from the prehistoric to the palazzo.

In 1996, the trulli located in the Alberobello region of Puglia were designated as a World Heritage site by The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), for being one of the few ancient structures that employ prehistoric building techniques, but are still functioning today. The International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) also establish that the trulli are important examples of dry stone walling, and their high concentration of buildings in one area also make the trulli houses very unique. Although there has been a preservation plan in place for the Alberobello trulli, many of them have fallen into disrepair, left abandoned by their private owners, and as many of these preservation guidelines have been overlooked, many more of these small buildings have lost their authentic integrity as they have been altered for commercial purposes.

m.t. tran / l. d'amico / g. nasser / s.m. albinger / c. lin / a.n. mai / s. downes / a.r. kae

I have sinned!

Confessional Booths in churches are intriguing small buildings with unified function. The confession culture has always been integrated with human lives in various forms. Confession as a religious ritual had been embraced in Christianity more than others, consequently a separate space have been dedicated to such activity in catholic churches. Each confessional booth represents a different era in Architecture and they have collectively evolved as the philosophy of religion has. Traditional Confessional Booths are well-crafted separate installed features of the church, while the modern ones are incorporated in the architecture and building of the church. Today as we face a new united Christianity, confession culture, does not take place as extensively, instead it has been replaced in virtual spaces such as Journals, Magazines, Reality Television or Speaker Corners. Despite the fading of religion rituals, these small buildings are kept to remind us of the power of religion in old days and their social, psychological and cultural impacts. The photos show respectively St.Micheal’s Catholic church in Toronto as a traditional model and St. Columba church on Minnesota as a contemporary model. The following video is confession in a more contemporary, casual manner in today's popular culture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXrZ65-qkkM

Mobile Homes Project 1

http://www.thingsmagazine.net/2006_07_01_oldthings.html

    The topic of mobile homes includes a large variety of both types of buildings, and public preconceptions. They may be viewed as a lower standard of living by some, but they were clearly once a promising future amenity, encompassing affordability and flexibility of travel. In short it is a lifestyle choice, not just a home.  Many aspects of construction have been influenced by these ideas, including modular construction industries for profit, and emergency shelters for the needy.  It has been very interesting to learn about a living and building style that may seem so distant to us, but is actually all around us. 

     Our Report includes information regarding the history, construction, dimension and transportation, statistics and communities of mobile homes.  

Sahar Ahamadabadipour  Sara Khudhair  Laura Games David Lee Damian Saramak  Sander Waxman  Justin Yeung

PHONE BOOTHS-GROUP 1

PHONE BOOTHS

In its simplest state a telephone booth can be described as a box that one would enter in order to make a phone call in a public place. The booth provides comfort from noise and the elements. On the other end of the spectrum the telephone booth is part of a complex global communication network that links people together. The telephone booth is a small building that is culturally important and rich with history. It has it roots in a time of great progress and invention during the industrial revolution. They began to emerge in industrialized countries in the later 19th century in areas of high traffic and later would dot the entire urban fabric as they do today. The principal behind the telephone booth remains the same however they have gone through an evolution of style, form and structure. The materials used have evolved from wood structure to a more sophisticated us of modern metals, glass, plastic and fibreglass. Form has evolved from heavily ornamented gothic and classical inspired kiosks to sleek modern glass pavilions. The phone booth is deeply embedded in our culture. There have been numerous instances where phone booths have emerged in popular culture to become cultural icons. The red telephone boxes of England have remained on the streets because of how they have become part of the cultural context. Unfortunately with the rise of cell phone use it has been suggested that the survival of the telephone booth is in question. Some countries have gotten rid of them completely. But perhaps it is too soon to write off this small building. Much like kiosks were adaptively reused for phone booths at the turn of the century perhaps the future lies with retrofitting phone booths with the latest in communication technology. The internet is already popping up in phone booths all over the world. There are some booths that are designated simply for cell phone use. There have even been proposals for the possibility of creating communication pods that would have desks for a laptop. All this suggest that the evolution of this small building type continues.

Poster By:

s. banerd, j.black, m. Cameron, j.han, r. jang, j. jirasek, a. Massender, l. parks, m.siemicki

Public Washrooms_Group 02

Although they are not the most preferred places to be, public washrooms are increasingly becoming recognized as an important component in architecture. Varying in history, materials, form, physical contexts, and details, they often hint at the community in which they are found. The economic, environmental, and political aspects which affect a community’s architecture trickles down and is reflected in their washrooms as well. As such, there has been, and will continue to be, a major gap concerning the standard of public washrooms.

(The image above was taken in a public washroom in Nam San Tower in Seoul, South Korea)

Where did that Igloo come from?

Not sure who built this, but it's awesome! Hopefully some architecture students are responsible 'cause I think it's really cool.

J. Fung

Head Houses

Head houses exist within our built environment in many different sizes, uses and forms. They ‘pop-up’ as region indicators towards a subterranean program hidden beneath the surface level of our cities. These modern day obelisks remind our place in the city centre’s we work, live and play in. Occurring in various types, head houses seem to speak of both their immediate physical and social contexts. Additionally, head houses seem to radiate urban development schemes, act as nodal points along transportation systems, filter circulation below grade and stand proud as monumental cultural icons. The head house is an example of a small building that has a place in almost every culture in our world, ranging from the Egyptian Empire to our modern day societies.

Group 05

Small Houses! Big Problems?

Lane way housing is a great way to intensify the urban fabric and it has recently become a outlet for innovative housing designs in many large cities around the world. Lane way housing is an practical, affordable and sustainable option that allows more people to enjoy the benefits of city living. However, it also presents a number of inherit challenges, such as restricted spaces, that force designers to be creative and calculated in their designs. Often these circumstances produce some fantastic architecture which people get to live in but this is not always the case.

Lane way housing housing actually has very humble roots that originate in the community of the working poor. Historically cities like Toronto have had a large population of recent immigrants that have come to Canada with very little money. These people come to Canada and need a place to stay. They often found shelter by renting converted out buildings or other makeshift housing in lane ways. In todays society where there is an increasing polarization of the classes and a large number of working poor there is still a huge demand for affordable housing in major cities around the world.

In a short walk around Toronto we found a number of makeshift residences crammed into lane ways and it makes you think about not only the problem of homelessness in the city but also the unfortunate living conditions of many of the cities working poor. Behind the tapestry of many beautiful row houses in Toronto is an entire city that few of us know about and if few give much thought. Maybe it's time we start thinking.

Jordan Matchett