The Oil Barrel House


The Oil Barrel House

Zero Energy Concept  Self-help construction

Architectural System  

Abstract for the PLEA 2008 Dublin Conference

"The Oil Barrel House" is the next step in chronological order, but also the initial, of “The Oil Barrel Project”. At “The Oil Barrel Project” we dealt with large and small scale issues, camp organisation, networks etc. We tried to establish a procedure for mass people relocation and sheltering through bioclimatic and low energy perspective.
At "The Oil Barrel House" we focus on the RE-USE of Oil barrels as a building material, in the context of an evolving symbiotic relation, from commensalism to mutualism, among the expanding globalised city of Lagos and the living organism of millions attached to the boundaries, of the city trying to establish their survival, ( expanding the boundaries in unimaginable ways).
It seems plausible that what begins as a parasitic relationship might over the course of time evolve into a mutualistic one as the two organisms evolve to minimize the damage to the host. The city of Lagos is a paradigm for approaching other types of symbiotic relations in manmade societies.
Objectives
Lagos, due to land shortage? Is expanding on the lagoon, the water underneath the housing is the sewage system but also the usage water provider, water is the transportation medium, and unlikely the food providing medium. By proposing autonomy in small compounds attached to the city boundaries we establish the minimum subsistence level of housing, the minimum level of health and hygiene standards.
5th INTERNATIONAL BAUHAUS AWARD 2008 “Housing shortages”
Design
Description


Lagos city expanding at the lagoon [Google Earth]

Introduction

This proposal addresses the housing shortage at the city of Lagos Nigeria. A city that is rapidly expanding and transforming, that allows for the survival of seventeen million people. Lagos shelters under its globalized economy membrane, a reuse-recycle organism as the only antidote to poverty, the only vehicle for the local population survival.
Living conditions of the majority of local population reflects the state of poverty they face.
We are inspired by this organic system and we adopt the RE-USE as our design principle.

Design description

The aim is not only to provide affordable housing solution but also a basic framework of acceptable living conditions with autonomy in water and sanitary facilities since city infrastructure is not always present.
Key features of the design are:
  • A structural system based on the abundant oil barrels of the area. Their initial content is replaced by soil, to form load bearing columns with the addition of timber posts as a stabilizing axis. All materials are locally available and most of it is re-used for at least a second time. Therefore we have ZERO CO2 emissions.
  • Self Help construction through the implementation of Low Know How techniques without the need for electric machinery.
  • Layout and incorporated infrastructure-‘Cluster’ organic network.
    • The basic module is the ‘Cluster’, accommodating ~30 members of an extended family according to the local habits. The Cluster consists of 5 separate dwellings plus a washroom with sanitary facilities with biological treatment, (‘Wet Space’) around a common yard with cooking facilities. (Label 3)
  • Sustainability-Bioclimatic design The environmental issues of the entire project, from dwellings to cluster, have been considered through the 4 Elements prism, i.e. the varied aspects of energy, water, air, and matter. Regional Factors are considered from climatic data to social and economic background.

Key Players

The implementation of the proposal requires four main actors:
  1. The designers, for advice during planning and construction
  2. A relief organization, for coordination, training and monitoring
  3. A local authority, for management and support
  4. The people themselves, as the key decision makers and main workforce.

Conclusion

Lagos is not the only city facing poverty, house shortage and environmental threats by human actions or natural phenomena. The implementation of the RE-USE Principle could be applied, in other regions also, with the necessary Regional factors adaptations.
For example “The Oil Barrel House” with the Re-Use of oil barrels as a key building ingredient and the environmental attributes of the design, address conditions in oil-producing regions with a warm and humid climate. Therefore the scheme could be applied in any of the red regions shown below.



Participants

1- Phaethon Psichis Architect Engineer NTUA

References

Most of the work is based on hands on experience gained during my long term visits in the area of Lagos and in other cities in Nigeria during the years 1993 to 1998. The research of Koolhaas confirmed my personal observation and expressed greatly my admiration for the extraordinary city of Lagos. I was surprised by the fact that a research project could capture the very essence of such a complicated mechanism. Although we had no implementation we adopted it as an outstanding research project.
Now we reproach the issue of housing shortages at Lagos city through the relationship of symbiotic species and energy-bioclimatic issues. For someone to understand the dynamic of Lagos further reading is required. We provide some necessary first approach links at the bottom

Links

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/koolhaas-1122.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d08QX83dpyE

For further reading

Lagos

Lagos: How It Works
written by Rem Koolhaas
Lagos: How it Works is the result of more than eight years of research in Lagos, Nigeria. As a symbol of West African urbanism, Lagos contradicts almost every defining feature of the "modern city...