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The French doors, the shutters and the mosquito netting hung on the
galleries not only provide thermal comfort, but do so in a visible and
variable manner. Their visibility and obvious connection with comfort allows
them to become objects of "affection", which broadens our appreciation
and care for the place.12 Similarly the twenty-eight round columns
act as sun-dials, casting shadows which move daily and seasonally, placing
the house in time. On overcast days, the curves of the column shaft model
the soft light, always distinguishing the protected zone of the galleries
from the outside environment through light and shade.
7. CONCLUSION
Heschong reminds us that "the association of comfort with people and
place are reinforced by the ritualized use of a place. It establishes,
in time and behavior, a definition of the place as strong as any architectural
spatial definition."13 Oak Alley provides a magnificent architectural
set upon which these rituals can develop. The northwest corner of the upper
gallery was used each summer evening for sitting after dinner in a rocking
chair, feeling the breeze pick up around the corner of the house, watching
the coolness come as the sun set. The seasonal ritual of taking up the
rugs to bare the marble floors and hanging the mosquito netting on the
galleries defines the summer house in time as well as place.
These "psychological" aspects of thermal comfort, which cannot be "measure"
on site or modeled in the lab are those which ultimately make the envelope
performance and migration patterns worth examining. It is not only that
the alley is cool or that the galleries catch the sun which makes them
worthwhile. The sophisticated thermal performance of Oak Alley is made
significant spatially and architecturally, and the house graciously acknowledges
and welcomes the actions of the occupants as part of the whole. Here, in
Oak Alley, we have more than a collection of climate response design strategies,
we have an example of climate responsive architecture.
8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Brian Andrews and Brian Spencer, former students at Tulane University
School of Architecture, were the major researchers for this paper and provided
all drawn illustrations. They put in long hours of site tests, physical
modeling, computer modeling, and contributed exquisite graphics and careful
insights. My dependence on their work cannot be overstated. Both Brian's
and I owe much to my co-teacher, Dr. Eugene Cizek, and the Zeb Mayeaux,
the owner of Oak Alley, who enthusiastically allowed us full access to
the house and site.
9. REFERENCE
1. Fitch, J.M. and D.P. Branch. "Primitive Architecture," Scientific
American, vol. 203 (April 1960), p. 137
2. Brown, G.Z. and B.J. Novitsky. "A Design Methodology Based on Climate
Characteristics," Proceedings of the 6th National Passive
Solar Conference, Portland, OR. September 1981, pp. 372-376.
3. AIA Research Corporation. Regional Guidelines for Building Passive
Energy July 1980
4. AIA, p. 232.
5. Watson, Donald. "Bioclimatic Analysis and Design Methods," Passive
Cooling, International Passive and Hybrid Cooling Conference, Miami
Beach, FL. November 1981. pp. 597-611 |
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