Torus House

Torus House œ˜‡Š œŽ‡

Torus House is predicated upon the notion that progressive single people will choose to cohabitate with other single people in order to share living costs, to reduce environmental impact, for social support, and to create special-interest networks, and to experiment with notions of space and community.

Œ¿‡Ž ’Ž”‹Öœ” ’ŽÖŒŒ¿ •ŒŽ˜¿Š “˜ ––Œ‡” œ˜‡Š œŽ‡
Ž‰Œ“ŒÖˆŠ Ö¾ÝŠ œˆ •ŽÖŠ“ ,—–‘ Œ–“ Ž‹‘ ‹Ž‡ œŒŽ“
•Ž‡Š“ Ž‹‘Œ ,’Ž¿Ö ¿ŒšŽ“ ,œŽœ“ŽŠÖ Š‘Ž”œ “Ž‡‡ ,’Š“
."Š“ŽŠÖ" “Œ "““" “ ’Ž‰Œ”Š œˆ

In nature, the most important parts of an organism are always located at its centre. It only follows logically that when designing a house, the most important rooms should be in the middle. In Turtle House, designed for a nuclear family, the bedrooms were in the middle; but in Torus House, a communal cooperative housing unit, the common room is in the centre.

ÖŒŽ‹‡ ’Žˆš”Ý ¿ŒšŽ “‘ “ ’Ž‡Œ Ž‘Š ’Ž¿‡ŽˆŠ ,˜‡‡
œŒŽŠ“ ’Ž‡ŽŽ œŽ‡ “‘‡ ’Ž‡Œ Ž‘Š ’Ž¿‹Š ,•‘“ .¾‘¿”‡
,4 “ Š™”“ ‡šŒ˜” ,‡šŠ œŽ‡ .œŽ‡ ŒœŒˆ ˜š”ˆ‡ ÖŒŽ‹‡
ˆŒŠ ,œ˜‡Š œŽ‡‡ “‡ˆ ,˜š”ˆ‡ ’Ž”ÖŒ”” ŠÝŽŠ Ž¿‹
.œŽ‡Š ¾‘¿”‡ ˆš”Ý —œŒ”Š •Œ“–Š ,—œŒ” œŽ‡

Like the Turtle House, the Torus House continues to utilize the circular shape in both private and common rooms, with the premise that circular rooms are the most energy-efficient, and that they are the most comforting to us, psychologically. Designing with the circle created a number of interesting design challenges and opportunities in Torus House.

,’Ž“‰Œ˜” ’Ž¿‹‡ ”œ” ’‰ œ˜‡Š œŽ‡ ,‡šŠ œŽ‡ Œ”‘
’Ž”Ý” ’Š Ž‘Œ ,œŽ‡Š ’Œ”Ž œÝŽ‡” ’Ž“Ž˜Ž ¿œŒŽ ’Š Ž‘
’Ž“‰Œ˜” ’Ž¿‹‡ Œ”ŽŠ .œŽ‰Œ“Œ‘Ž–™ ŠÝŽ‡” ŒÝœŒˆ
.ŒÝœŒˆ ¿‰œˆ” ’‰Œ ŒÝ“ ¿™ˆ”

Torus House can comfortably house up to eight individuals in their own private bedrooms. Each room has its own private closet, but toilets and showers are each shared by two people. I've observed that one toilet and shower for every two people with Western patterns of water consumption is the correct ratio.

ŠÝŽ ¿‹‡ ‹ˆ “‘ ,œ˜‡Š œŽ‡‡ ŒÝ‡ ¿Œ‰“ ’Ž“Œ‘Ž ’ŽÝˆ 8
’ŽœŒ¿Ž Ö¿ Ž “‡ˆ ,•Œ¿ˆ Ž ¿‹ “‘“ .Š“ Œˆ Œ“ Ž¿™Š
“‘ Š‹‡Œ˜“ ‡“ Žœ” .’ŽÝˆ ŽÝ “‘“ œˆ œ“Ö”Œ ‹ˆ
’“Œ˜“ œ˜šŒ”” œ‡Ý ’Ž” œŒ”‘‡ ’Ž”œ” ’ŽÝˆ ŽÝ
.œˆ ŠŽ‡”ˆŒ ‹ˆ ’ŽœŒ¿Ž ’Ž‘Ž¿š ,Ž‡¿˜”Š

Interestingly, in Torus House, the person that you share your toilet with is not the same person that you share your shower with. Though this was an accident resulting from the overall layout and design, it has the effect of creating a chain of intimate interaction that links every inhabitant of Torus House.

“ —œŒŠ ˆ“ ˆŒŠ ’ŽœŒ¿Ž“ ’‹ˆ-•‡ “ —œŒŠ ,Š¿Ö”‡
Ž““‘Š ‡ŒšŽ˜Š “ ŠˆšŒœ œˆ¾ œŒ¿”“ .œ“Ö”“ ’‹ˆ-•‡Š
“‰˜”‡ œŽ‡Š ŽÝ‡ “‘ œˆ ¿Ö” Š¾ :•Œ¿œŽ ‹Œ˜ Œ“ Ž ,œŽ‡Š “
.œŒŽ”ŽÝŽˆ “

The bathrooms and showers, bordering the outer wall of Torus House, have windows, but the bedrooms and common room do not. Instead, they have large skylights which allows natural light to enter. To circulate the air within each room, its doors would have to be opened. This, in turn, allows for more interaction between the inhabitants of Torus House, again, one of the avowed goals of the design.

While shared space is definitely the focus of Torus House, that does not mean that there is no privacy. Every individual in the house can themselves move from, and bring other people from their own personal space into either the shared space, or into the public space, without having to negotiate with any other resident of the house.

œˆ¾ “‡ˆ ,œŽ‡Š “ "–ŒÖŒ™"Š ˆŒŠ "‹Ž"Š “ ““Š •Œ‘Ý
“Œ‘Ž ‹ˆ “‘ .œŒŽ¿™ œ˜‡Š œŽ‡‡ ’Ž¿ŽŽ‹“ •Žˆ œ¿”Œˆ ˆ“
œŒ¿"“ "‹ŽŽŠ œŒ¿"” ’Žš™Œ ’ŽÝˆ ¿Ž‡˜Š“Œ ¿Œ‡˜“
.’Ž¿ˆŠ ’Ž¿ŽŽ‹Š” ‹ˆ‡ “ÖœŠ“ Ž“‡” ,Œ™ŠŒ ,"’Ž‡¿Š

The image below of Torus House is not meant to accurately portray the building materials used in the construction of the house, but to allow one to see through the walls of the house in three-dimensional perspective. The actual materials used will likely be straw bale, or other environmentally-friendly and natural building materials, depending on the local landscape.

’ŽŽœŽ”ˆŠ ’Ž¿”ŒŠ œˆ ‰šŽ“ Š¿Œ”ˆ ˆ“ Š”“ ŠÝŒ”œŠ
œŽ‡Š Œœ“ “‘œ–Š“ ŒÝ“ ¿™ˆ“ ˆ“ˆ ,œŽ‡Š ŠÝ‡Ž ’Š”
’ŽŽ˜‡ ’Ž¿”Œ” Œˆ Ö” ŠÝ‡Ž œŽ‡Š ,“˜Œ™‡ .‹”Ž”-œ“œ‡
.’Ž“Öˆ‡ ŽŒ“œ ,’Ž¿ˆ

Torus House	œ˜‡Š œŽ‡
Torus House is predicated upon the notion that progressive single people will choose to cohabitate with other single people in order to share living costs, to reduce environmental impact, for social support, and to create special-interest networks, and to experiment with notions of space and community.	Œ¿‡Ž ’Ž”‹Öœ” ’ŽÖŒŒ¿ •ŒŽ˜¿Š “˜ ––Œ‡” œ˜‡Š œŽ‡ Ž‰Œ“ŒÖˆŠ Ö¾ÝŠ œˆ •ŽÖŠ“ ,—–‘ Œ–“ Ž‹‘ ‹Ž‡ œŒŽ“ •Ž‡Š“ Ž‹‘Œ ,’Ž¿Ö ¿ŒšŽ“ ,œŽœ“ŽŠÖ Š‘Ž”œ “Ž‡‡ ,’Š“ ."Š“ŽŠÖ" “Œ "““" “ ’Ž‰Œ”Š œˆ

In nature, the most important parts of an organism are always located at its centre. It only follows logically that when designing a house, the most important rooms should be in the middle. In Turtle House, designed for a nuclear family, the bedrooms were in the middle; but in Torus House, a communal cooperative housing unit, the common room is in the centre.	ÖŒŽ‹‡ ’Žˆš”Ý ¿ŒšŽ “‘ “ ’Ž‡Œ Ž‘Š ’Ž¿‡ŽˆŠ ,˜‡‡ œŒŽŠ“ ’Ž‡ŽŽ œŽ‡ “‘‡ ’Ž‡Œ Ž‘Š ’Ž¿‹Š ,•‘“ .¾‘¿”‡ ,4 “ Š™”“ ‡šŒ˜” ,‡šŠ œŽ‡ .œŽ‡ ŒœŒˆ ˜š”ˆ‡ ÖŒŽ‹‡ ˆŒŠ ,œ˜‡Š œŽ‡‡ “‡ˆ ,˜š”ˆ‡ ’Ž”ÖŒ”” ŠÝŽŠ Ž¿‹ .œŽ‡Š ¾‘¿”‡ ˆš”Ý —œŒ”Š •Œ“–Š ,—œŒ” œŽ‡
Like the Turtle House, the Torus House continues to utilize the circular shape in both private and common rooms, with the premise that circular rooms are the most energy-efficient, and that they are the most comforting to us, psychologically. Designing with the circle created a number of interesting design challenges and opportunities in Torus House.	,’Ž“‰Œ˜” ’Ž¿‹‡ ”œ” ’‰ œ˜‡Š œŽ‡ ,‡šŠ œŽ‡ Œ”‘ ’Ž”Ý” ’Š Ž‘Œ ,œŽ‡Š ’Œ”Ž œÝŽ‡” ’Ž“Ž˜Ž ¿œŒŽ ’Š Ž‘ ’Ž“‰Œ˜” ’Ž¿‹‡ Œ”ŽŠ .œŽ‰Œ“Œ‘Ž–™ ŠÝŽ‡” ŒÝœŒˆ .ŒÝœŒˆ ¿‰œˆ” ’‰Œ ŒÝ“ ¿™ˆ”
Torus House can comfortably house up to eight individuals in their own private bedrooms. Each room has its own private closet, but toilets and showers are each shared by two people. I've observed that one toilet and shower for every two people with Western patterns of water consumption is the correct ratio.	ŠÝŽ ¿‹‡ ‹ˆ “‘ ,œ˜‡Š œŽ‡‡ ŒÝ‡ ¿Œ‰“ ’Ž“Œ‘Ž ’ŽÝˆ 8 ’ŽœŒ¿Ž Ö¿ Ž “‡ˆ ,•Œ¿ˆ Ž ¿‹ “‘“ .Š“ Œˆ Œ“ Ž¿™Š “‘ Š‹‡Œ˜“ ‡“ Žœ” .’ŽÝˆ ŽÝ “‘“ œˆ œ“Ö”Œ ‹ˆ ’“Œ˜“ œ˜šŒ”” œ‡Ý ’Ž” œŒ”‘‡ ’Ž”œ” ’ŽÝˆ ŽÝ .œˆ ŠŽ‡”ˆŒ ‹ˆ ’ŽœŒ¿Ž ’Ž‘Ž¿š ,Ž‡¿˜”Š
Interestingly, in Torus House, the person that you share your toilet with is not the same person that you share your shower with. Though this was an accident resulting from the overall layout and design, it has the effect of creating a chain of intimate interaction that links every inhabitant of Torus House.	“ —œŒŠ ˆ“ ˆŒŠ ’ŽœŒ¿Ž“ ’‹ˆ-•‡ “ —œŒŠ ,Š¿Ö”‡ Ž““‘Š ‡ŒšŽ˜Š “ ŠˆšŒœ œˆ¾ œŒ¿”“ .œ“Ö”“ ’‹ˆ-•‡Š “‰˜”‡ œŽ‡Š ŽÝ‡ “‘ œˆ ¿Ö” Š¾ :•Œ¿œŽ ‹Œ˜ Œ“ Ž ,œŽ‡Š “ .œŒŽ”ŽÝŽˆ “
The bathrooms and showers, bordering the outer wall of Torus House, have windows, but the bedrooms and common room do not. Instead, they have large skylights which allows natural light to enter. To circulate the air within each room, its doors would have to be opened. This, in turn, allows for more interaction between the inhabitants of Torus House, again, one of the avowed goals of the design.
While shared space is definitely the focus of Torus House, that does not mean that there is no privacy. Every individual in the house can themselves move from, and bring other people from their own personal space into either the shared space, or into the public space, without having to negotiate with any other resident of the house.	œˆ¾ “‡ˆ ,œŽ‡Š “ "–ŒÖŒ™"Š ˆŒŠ "‹Ž"Š “ ““Š •Œ‘Ý “Œ‘Ž ‹ˆ “‘ .œŒŽ¿™ œ˜‡Š œŽ‡‡ ’Ž¿ŽŽ‹“ •Žˆ œ¿”Œˆ ˆ“ œŒ¿"“ "‹ŽŽŠ œŒ¿"” ’Žš™Œ ’ŽÝˆ ¿Ž‡˜Š“Œ ¿Œ‡˜“ .’Ž¿ˆŠ ’Ž¿ŽŽ‹Š” ‹ˆ‡ “ÖœŠ“ Ž“‡” ,Œ™ŠŒ ,"’Ž‡¿Š
The image below of Torus House is not meant to accurately portray the building materials used in the construction of the house, but to allow one to see through the walls of the house in three-dimensional perspective. The actual materials used will likely be straw bale, or other environmentally-friendly and natural building materials, depending on the local landscape.	’ŽŽœŽ”ˆŠ ’Ž¿”ŒŠ œˆ ‰šŽ“ Š¿Œ”ˆ ˆ“ Š”“ ŠÝŒ”œŠ œŽ‡Š Œœ“ “‘œ–Š“ ŒÝ“ ¿™ˆ“ ˆ“ˆ ,œŽ‡Š ŠÝ‡Ž ’Š” ’ŽŽ˜‡ ’Ž¿”Œ” Œˆ Ö” ŠÝ‡Ž œŽ‡Š ,“˜Œ™‡ .‹”Ž”-œ“œ‡ .’Ž“Öˆ‡ ŽŒ“œ ,’Ž¿ˆ