05 October 2018

Looking for a new balance between the natural environment and the built one, creative and constructive process of housing is looking for new concepts and objectives.

The architect Marco Piva presented at Made the installation "Space for Life" that addresses the issues of small-scale residences, their possible aggregations in more and more complex structures.

Constructive solutions are made in relation to the highest energy standards. The manufacturing technology is that of wood, renewable natural material; energy performances are in "class A"; renewable energies are used and the structure is earthquake-proof and fire resistant.

The building materials are sustainable and high performance. The vertical walls are made with the innovative Greenbiz. Born in Japan, result of research and studies, it is a unique and worldwide patented material, result of a virtuous cycle of production. Cooking at very high temperatures, above 1000° c, makes the matter be like ceramics, so it is inert, fireproof and ultra-micro porous and lightweight.

The characteristics of absorption and thermal insulation combined with the ability to absorb water and hold it for 50% of its volume makes it the best possible material for industrial roofing and terraces with hanging gardens. Used as a coating, it works as a coat and it allows the creation of vertical green.   www.greenbizitalia.it

Edoardo Croci

25 March 2019

The San Francisco Federal Building offers a contemporary response to its context, but more importantly it establishes a benchmark for sustainable design in its use of natural energy sources. The building physically democratizes the workplace as it enhances health and comfort and empowers its users with a sense of control over their surroundings. The project has developed around three primary objectives: the establishment of a benchmark for sustainable building design through the efficient use of natural energy sources; the redefinition of the culture of the workplace through office environments that boost workers’ health, productivity, and creativity; and the creation of an urban landmark that engages with the community. A slender 18–story tower punctuates the skyline, and a public plaza and four–story annex connect to the scale and fabric of the city. The large, open plaza at the intersection of Mission and 7th is a valuable asset in the South-of-Market district, identified by the city as deficient in public space. The placement of the free standing cafeteria pavilion and the public nature of the facilities housed within the tower’s lower levels (including a conference center, fitness center, and daycare center for both local residents and employees) enliven the urban plaza with a steady stream of visitors. The re–definition of circulation and vertical movement paths provides opportunities for chance encounters, a critical mass in circulation, and places for employees to gather across the typical confines of cubicles, departments, or floor plates. The democratic layout locates open work areas at the building perimeter and private offices and conference spaces at the central cores. Many of the same design decisions that create high quality workspace also maximize energy efficiency. The Federal Building is the first office tower in the U.S. to forgo air-conditioning in favor of natural ventilation. As a result of the tower’s narrow profile and strategic integration of structural, mechanical and electrical systems, the building provides natural ventilation to 70% of the work area in lieu of air conditioning, and affords natural light and operable windows to 90% of the workstations. A folded, perforated metal sunscreen shades the full-height glass window wall system and a mutable skin of computer–controlled panels adjusts to daily and seasonal climate fluctuations. With an energy performance that surpasses the GSA’s criteria by more than 50%, the project sets new standards for applications of passive climate control, while physically democratizing the workplace and enhancing employees’ health, comfort, and sense of control over their environment. A dramatic example of sustainable design principles, the San Francisco Federal Building’s shape and orientation maximize natural airflow for cooling and ventilation, and take advantage of natural daylight for the majority of the office interior. The first five levels, with high concentrations of people and equipment, are fully air-conditioned. Above the fifth floor, the windows automatically adjust, allowing fresh air directly into the building for natural ventilation and free cooling. The window system creates a “living skin” that allows the building to breathe. Breezes pass through openings on the windward side and are vented out through the leeward wall, with control based on wind speed and direction. A computerized system, known as the building automation system (BAS), controls and monitors all of the building’s mechanical equipment including those devices that are used to maintain internal environmental conditions and lighting levels.  During the night, the BAS opens the windows to flush out heat build-up and allows the nighttime air to cool the building's concrete interior. Throughout the day the thermal mass of the exposed concrete columns, shear walls and wave-form ceilings help cool the occupants of the building. In the tower, the design of the high-performance façades is critical to the functioning of the natural ventilation. At the southeast elevation, a perforated metal sunscreen protects the glass façade from excess solar heat gain; at the northwest elevation, a series of fixed translucent sunshades are attached to an exterior catwalk, breaking the sun’s path to shade the glass. Through simple sensors, the building's automated systems manage the balance between powered and natural daylight. The building minimizes pollution by replacing high proportions of Portland cement in its concrete foundations and frame.  In the Federal Building’s concrete mixture, 50% of the pollution-intensive Portland cement is replaced with blast furnace slag, a recycled waste product from the steel industry, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from conventional concrete. This environmentally sound choice also results in higher-strength concrete and has a warm, light-colored tone that contributes to the favorable daylight penetration within the office space.  The project recycled 87 percent of its waste material. (Fabiana Cambiaso - Università La Sapienza) Credits: www.morphosis.com morphopedia.com/projects/san-francisco-federal-building   Federal Building – Morphosis Team Completed: 2007 Site: San Francisco, California (USA) Materials: Concrete, Metallic Grid, Translucent Glass Applications: Structure, Envelope Photos: © 2013 Morphosis Architects; © Frankie Flood.

Marco Mignatti

16 February 2019

In Canada, Upper Kingsburg, in an old village near Halifax, the Sliding House is a vacation home designed as an elementary box, carved and hollowed by incisions that alter its symmetry, with effects of instability and false dynamism. A construction related to the barns of this segment of Canadian coast, a structure that seems to slide toward the sea while, at the same time, penetrating the terrain, expressing a sense of belonging to the primitive landscape of Nova Scotia. The house rests on the ground like a ship on the sea, a bit sunken, a bit suspended, as if waiting for another wave to push it toward the sea that is waiting there, less than 500 meters away. The house is about to set sail: the line of the roof runs parallel to the slope of the land, and the visual effect is that the house seems to be sliding toward the ocean. The slope of the roof underlines that of the hill, which is actually just 6 degrees. Proudly facing the sea, the western facade of the house has an ambiguous expression, like a face in a curious asymmetrical sneer. The horizontal eye above it is a simple loggia, with a nautical look, entirely in wood, like all the interiors of the house. “Louis Kahn”, Brian MacKay-Lyons reminds us, “thought a building should not have more than two materials, of which one would be glass”, and this superb house has been conceived in that spirit of simplicity that is so deeply rooted in American modernism; a spirit found in the architecture of Kahn, but also the art of Sol LeWitt and the music of John Cage, who were both students at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University. The Sliding House is an elementary monument, a construction related to the rural edifices of the zone. It is the result of an encounter between David Peters and Rhonda Rubinstein, a creative couple with a young son, Dashel, and Brian MacKay-Lyons, a talented architect and part of a family with centuries-old roots in the Halifax region. Seven years ago the couple decided to build a summer home in Canada, and Peters turned to Brian MacKay-Lyons, whom he had known for thirty years and for whom he worked as a graphic artist and website designer. David and Rhonda purchased a lot from the architect in Upper Kingsburg, an old village (founded in 1750) near Halifax, where MacKay-Lyons owns about 20 hectares of land on which he has built 12 houses over the course of 25 years. The couple wanted a quick and relatively economical project, for a vacation home of about 150 sq meters, and MacKay- Lyons, with partner Talbot Sweetapple, imagined a parallelepiped cut and hollowed by incisions that alter its symmetry and generate an effect of instability, suggesting false movement. On the northern side the house protects itself from the cold wind with its thickness, a large air chamber containing the staircase, the bathrooms and the kitchen with fireplace. On the opposite side, to the south, a ribbon window opens to the sunlight and the view of the meadows and the ocean, in a sheltered, welcoming summer habitat, a panoramic promenade that terminates, on both the short sides, in loggias facing the landscape. The south side of the house

The structure is in wood, the external walls entirely covered with a continuous skin of corrugated sheet metal, a cold industrial material that forms a contrast with the warm poplar interiors. Exterior and interior design of the house

The hundreds of slats of poplar, with tones varying from red to blanched, generate an intense pattern with optical effects in the hypnotic uniformity of the floors, walls and ceilings.  

Edoardo Croci

Founded in 1937 in Milan, Mapei has become the world's largest producer of adhesives and building products. By the time the company has developed a stronger sensitivity to sustainability, it allocated more than 70% of investments in research and development for the study of eco-sustainable products. In 2000 it was awarded the "business award for Eco efficient" in "environmentally-friendly" category in an important initiative of the Lombardy region and the Chamber of Commerce. Today the commitment is even stronger, as shown by some of the main building where Mapei was involved, alongside the best international architects.   The Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore, designed by Israeli architect Moshe Safdie, also includes the ArtScience Museum and the Gardens By the Bay: a futuristic project for which several coatings, such as ceramics, marble, slate and bamboo, were laid. Waterproofing works were made to ensure moisture protection and impact resistance. For this, Mapei products with very low emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC) have been chosen.   Dragon Bridge is in Da Nang in Vietnam. It is a concrete bridge with steel arches in the shape of a dragon. The weight of the bays and the exposure of atmospheric aggression made the use of specific products necessary, in order to achieve the concrete to protect the structure. Mapei has provided concrete additives and eco-friendly paint resistant to ultraviolet rays.   Environmental responsibility is very important for the company and his choices, starting from design and operation; ensuring greater durability means avoiding subsequent interventions on buildings and infrastructures. Mapei’s products are the result of intensive research, aimed to obtain innovative formulas integrated into complete application systems, more effective. Special attention is also compatible with substances of health professionals working in business and advanced technology solutions that contribute to environmental protection. The eco-sustainability is a commitment that requires, application and research method, but above all experience. And that's why Mapei is committed to working on large architectural projects and achievements are also important from an environmental point of view.

18 February 2019

Facades enhance up to become urban decoration projects. And now it is becoming a trend in the City, no more just a technical requirement. It concerns not only on public buildings that are renewed, starting from the exterior, but also on private homes buying charm with luxury finishes.

The British Squire& Partners architectural studio has restructured a three-levels private house, Mayfair House, in Mayfair Conservation Area, in Westminster, just starting from the exterior. This is a shining example of architectural decoration.

Taking inspiration from the urban development of the area and, in particular by a 1800s’ building whose facades are covered with leaves and vines, the architects have clad the exterior and the roof of the house with over 4,000 leaf shape metal elements: each leaf has been folded and aluminum ppc coated. These metallic elements were produced in different colours, ranging from red to orange, to make the project recall the vegetation that characterizes the English homes, which changes color with the changing of the seasons.

The impact project is the result of a research project lasted three years and developed in partnership with the Swiss manufacturer Tuchschmid.   www.squireandpartners.com

Edoardo Croci

18 March 2019

Andreas G. Gjertsen and Yashar Hanstad are two Scandinavian architects. They grew up professionally in the heart of design and innovation. Next 25 September they will be guests of the international exhibition of ceramic, telling their project for cinnamon growers of Indonesia.

It is a job with a budget of 30 million euros, and it involved both students and young architects. It starts with a story: a french businessman, after having crossed the Sumatra (the third largest island in the Indonesian archipelago) arrived in Norway, in Trondheim, at the studio of designers. He told them the producers of cinnamon life, explaining that the 85% of whole cinnamon consumed in the world is produced in that land, Sumatra. A story that is not taking any chances even sad details, including the human, and also economic, condition, to which all workers were subdued.

Impressed, Andreas and Yashar decided to invest on this land, and to design a school for cinnamon growers. Cassia Coop Training Centre was born this way: an institution that also aims to establish new principles, for example workers receiving a pay, a healthcare plan and access to schools and education.

Local architecture The school is a building designed with lightweight materials. It was made of cinnamon wood, it rests on a brick base (local production) and cement. Wood was chosen to recall the nature and the woods around which it was built. It was very important to be able to create a breezy climate, reducing the impact of the Sun's rays. For this, and for the need for earthquake-proof requirements, a central block was created, around which the various lock functions (workshops, kitchen, etc.) are designed and organized. Union element is a continuous coverage covered with sheet metal and bamboo mats. In the project 70 local workers were involved: a choice dictated by the need to reduce costs and also by the desire to raise awareness.

Marco Mignatti

06 March 2019

An “energy-smart façade” that generates and stores energy throughout the year makes this house, designed by zillerplus Architekten und Stadtplaner München, an “efficient house plus” – a building that is capable of generating more energy than its residents use. This is made possible by techniques such as the use of particularly clever phase-change materials (PCMs), which are also used in “pocket warmers”.

One Façade, Three Layers: all the Better for the Climate   The outer shell of the Smart is Green building is made up of layers including a vertical garden façade that acts as a heat shield during summer, along with insulating glazing, which protects from both heat and cold, and a PCM “curtain”. PCMs are in a constant aggregate state between solid and liquid. Like “pocket warmers”, which absorb heat when immersed in hot water and can be used to warm freezing hands when it is cold, these materials can absorb the warmth from the sun’s energy and release it later. Excess heat is thus removed from the area during the day, preventing the apartments from overheating. This stored heat is then released during the cooler hours of the night.

Peak temperatures during both summer and winter can thus be intercepted and balanced out, resulting in a very pleasant interior climate. PCMs are also used for the building’s central heating storage facility, with a volume that is only half that of a conventional storage tank. The surplus heat from the solar thermal facility is stored here and maintained at the right temperature for under-floor heating. If there is a significant excess of solar energy, it is fed into the Wilhelmsburg local Energy Network.

In return, this ensures a sustainable heat supply, especially in long periods of cold weather. Both the exterior cladding and the roof are mounted with photovoltaic surfaces that transform energy from sunlight into electrical energy, and solar thermal surfaces, which convert solar power into heat energy. The façade and roof therefore play an active role in the building’s ingenious engineering concept, using innovative forms of technology to generate energy that can be consumed within the house itself. Moreover, such technologies are integrated into the very architectural concept behind the building.   Tomorrow’s Properties Will Help their Residents to Get Around   Like all of the concepts behind the Smart Material Houses, the façade with its clever materials is not the only innovative element – the integrated concept for the whole project is also groundbreaking. In Smart is Green this can be seen in the ground plan and the way in which it can be accessed, with various entrances to the individual apartments via stairs or lifts. The house is laid out so that the apartments can be configured or modified in a versatile way, allowing them to be partitioned or extended in order to meet the needs and changing living arrangements of their inhabitants. The attractiveness of “green living” is also embodied by the spacious terraces on each landing, each containing a small garden, between the planted and glazed areas on the southern side of the building.   The Technical Innovation Doesn’t Stop with the Building   Just in front of the green façade are facilities for providing green energy for getting around in the future, in the form of a fast charging station for electric cars. Surplus energy can be offloaded onto vehicles, which act as energy storage devices and can thus make an important contribution to the energy design of the building. E-cars also form a natural part of the mobility concept, as a car-sharing system is planned for the residents. All of this will make car-sharing among neighbours an attractive alternative to owning private vehicles. Extra charging devices for electric bicycles and scooters can also be installed in combi-boxes on the ground floor upon request. (Fabiana Cambiaso - Università La Sapienza) www.zillerplus.de   Smart Green, Zillerplus Architekten Prototype IBA 2013 Hamburg Completed: 2013 Site: Hamburg, Germany Materials: Phase change Materials (PCM), Steel, Concrete Applications: Curtains, Solar Shading Figures: © Zillerplus Architekten.

Marco Mignatti  

This project deals with the extension and the restructuration of a young workers residence, a 10-levels building made of a concrete structure with overhangs every 2.50m. The existing building was built in a brutal way in the 1970s on the Fondation Eugene Napoleon domain, a group of Heritage buildings.

To go faster, allow freedom of interior organization and future flexibility, the extensions have been assembled using a metal frame.

The anodized aluminium envelope draws up a new geometry, free of architectural styles, that encompasses the extensions and the existing buildings.

It reflects the light and is slit by openings onto the windows and the balconies/galleries of the garden. Final touch to the Fondation’s composition, the garden is connected to the Boulevard by openings in the outer wall, to the communal life spaces on the ground floor and to the galleries on the western façade.

The housing itself is the result of working on expanding minimum space, on series and repetitions. The metal structure allows shifting forward or backward the light frame partition walls in the flats to create two spaces, the “services” in the hall and the living space close to the window.

 (Fabiana Cambiaso - Università La Sapienza) Credits: suzelbrout.com Figures: ©  Hervé Abbadie; © Frédéric Delangle Young Workers Residence, Paris, France aasb_agence d'architecture suzelbrout / Suzel Brout, Leslie Mandalka Site: 3751 mq Completed: 2011 Materials: Modular panels of anodised aluminium with serial holes made with laser technology, Steel Applications: Envelope, Structure