Process: Ger District Insights - Key Takeaways
In order to create an energy efficient ger that is adapted to the living aspirations of current ger households living in the Ger Areas, key characteristics were deduced based on the community member’s feedback, including:
Building an energy efficient Ger
Proper ventilation and air filtration
Designing an efficient plumbing system that is adapted to the waterfall system of the Ger Areas
Creating a foundation and structural system that is built to Ulaanbaatar’s seismic construction code
Fast and easy build of the ger is very important, families are willing to build themselves - DIY (Do It Yourself)
No longer using stoves as a heat source, and instead using an alternative cost effective heating system that does not pollute
Making the ger easier to maintain. I.E. Not having to take down the ger 2 times a year to air out the felt, making the interior wall to roof fabric and floor less prone to dust collection
Option for separate rooms for privacy, while maintaining the shared space of the Ger
Using passive housing design strategies to reduce energy load on homes as much as possible
Design Development
The project went through five critical phases; concept development, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and final construction documents. During the concept development, seven different housing concepts were presented to families in the Ger Districts. Based on the community member’s feedback, two schematic designs were developed to summarize the preferred housing layout. The design development phase then took into consideration the materials, systems, and costs to propose two final concepts. Based on the feedback from GerHub and EcoTown, the team decided to move forward with the Passive Ger design, developing construction drawings with Shinest Construction and EcoTown, followed by the Final Construction Drawing set with NSP Architects.