01 October 2018

A new architecture in Imola’s skyline. A cube designed with targeted policies to reduce the energy demand to improve comfort. This is an idea signed by A2 Studio Gasparri and Ricci Bitti Architetti Associati, which translates into a careful design of the exterior and an accurate choice of materials.

The facades to the East and North were entirely made out of glass on a steel frame. They allow maximum exploitation of solar radiation in the early hours of the morning without bothering with a bright light indoors. The two most elaborate facades are South and Southwest: they have not only an aesthetic function. It's a wrap created from a masonry almost devoid of views and a second skin in extra clear screenprinted glass panels that protect the most sun and wind exposed sides. Between the two layers, there is a cavity of about 80 cm, where the air circulates in a natural way, and it helps cool the surface in summer and retain warmth in winter.

The project focuses on transparency, opting for full-height windows and creating inside rooms separated by glass, so as to generate a visual continuum between the halls. An architecture that from afar evokes an ice cube from the many reflections of light, as you approach the eye is drawn to the complexity of the details, such as the relief surface, geometric motifs that recur in seemingly random fashion. At night the transparency is accentuated by the lighting design which makes the cube even more.

Cold items such as glass, white, soft light contrast with hot elements and materials: the red door, the use of stone, greenwood, external, internal dark wood. A game of elements that gives character and dynamism to building.

Marco Mignatti

19 November 2018

BedZED (Beddington Zero Energy Development) is the UK's first and largest carbon-neutral eco-community and is located in Sutton, a residential town 40 minutes South East from London. BedZED consists of 82 residential homes with a mixture of tenures – 34 for outright sale, 23 for shared ownership, 10 for key workers and 15 at affordable rent for social housing – and 1'600 square metres of work space, an onsite shop, café, sport facilities, health centre and childcare facilities with a further 14 galleried apartments for outright sale. Residents have been living at BedZED since March 2002 and currently BedZed is home to 220 residents. The BedZED design concept was driven by the desire to create a net 'zero fossil energy development', one that will produce at least as much energy from renewable sources as it consumes. Only energy from renewable sources is used to meet the energy needs of BedZED the development is therefore a carbon neutral development - resulting in no net addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. BedZED was developed by the Peabody Trust in partnership with Bill Dunster Architects (ZedFactory); ARUP and BioRegional Development Group, environmental consultants. Transport: A green transport plan promotes walking, cycling and use of public transport. BedZED has good public transport links, including two railway stations, two bus routes and a tramlink. BedZED was the first low car development in the UK to incorporate a car club. A 'pedestrian first' policy with good lighting, drop kerbs for prams and wheelchairs and a road layout that keeps vehicles to walking speed. The BedZED project introduced the first legally binding Green Transport Plan as a condition of planning permission. On-site charging points for electric cars are available in Sutton town centre. Energy: Buildings are constructed from thermally massive materials that store heat during warm conditions and release heat at cooler times. BedZED houses are arranged in south facing terraces to maximise heat gain from the sun, known as passive solar gain. 777 square meters are covered with solar panels. Each terrace is backed by north facing offices, where minimal solar gain reduces the tendency to overheat and the need for air conditioning. BedZED homes and offices are fitted with low energy lighting and energy efficient appliances to reduce electricity requirements. BedZED receives power from a small-scale combined heat and power plant (CHP). The heat from the CHP provides hot water, which is distributed around the site via a district heating system of super-insulated pipes. To enable residents and workers to keep track of their heat and electricity use, meters are mounted in each home and office kitchen. Water: Water use is reduced to 76 litres/day; out of which 18% represents rainwater or recycled water; use of aerated taps, low flush toilets, smaller bathtubs. One innovation at BedZED is the use of a reed-water biofiltration system that purifies blackwater into graywater for use in non-potable applications, such as toilet flush or water for gardening. Waste: separate waste collection system. Local materials: To reduce the embodied energy of BedZED, construction materials were selected for their low embodied energy and sourced within a 35-mile radius of the site where possible. Where possible, BedZED is built from natural, recycled or reclaimed materials. (Fabiana Cambiaso - Università La Sapienza) www.zedfactory.com/zed www.bioregional.com Photos: © 2010 Andrew Butterton; © 2010 ZEDfactory Ltd; ©2009One Planet Living; ©2008 The Independent.

Carlo Bardelli

An excerpt of master thesis in Design & Engineering, academic year 2010/2011 by Marta Musitelli School of Design, Politecnico di Milano Speaker: Barbara Prof.ssa Del Curto Co-rapporteur: Prof.ssa MariaPia Pedeferri Sustainable Smart Insulation is the thesis of the research conducted by Marta Musitelli at Politecnico di Milano. The project aims at the development of sustainable and innovative insulating panels, achievable through the use of two components: the cellulose, obtained from recycling waste paper, and Phase Change Materials (or PCMs), substances capable of accumulating and releasing heat on a scheduled basis. Through the mixing of two substances during processing of recovered paper, it was possible to obtain a composite material with an entirely new set of features, which combine the thermal properties of the two components. In the construction field, the PCM is used and studied for several years to improve the capabilities of heat insulation of the walls. Cellulose fibers are used as ecological insulating material. The aim of the research is to get an array of cellulose insulation enriched by thermal properties of PCM and carry out studies and tests to verify its suitability in the context of use. Several ideas for optimizing material properties, such as lightness, mechanical resistance, fire resistance, resistance to water absorption and environmental sustainability, were proposed and tested . The presence of air zones within the structure of a material reduces the density and at the same time improve the insulating properties. In order to achieve a more efficient and lightweight Panel several techniques of inclusion of air inside the new material in waste paper and PCM have been tested, such as:

1. Lyophilization process
2. Proving process
3. Distribution of flakes
4. Shape modeling

An effective method to get air pockets within a structure is lyophilization. A second method is to use leavening agents such as baking soda, able to decompose at high temperatures and to create carbon dioxide particles inside the wet pulp, which during drying in stove increase in volume due to the boiling water. The addition of sodium bicarbonate in various quantities gives different results: the Panel made with 30% of baking shows a significant increase compared to the panel thickness without additives; the Panel with 50% of baking shows a thickness increase further compared with the previous coming to be about double the Panel without additives. A third method is to get a get a lightweight structure through the layering of cellulose flakes obtained by grinding. This method allows you to obtain lightness thanks to the air that is trapped between disordered fibers, but it is not suitable for use in the construction field because it is not workable and mechanically resistant.

Upcycle House is an experimental project, aimed at exposing potential carbon-emission reductions through the use of recycled and upcycled building materials. In the case of Upcycle House, the reduction has been 86% compared to a benchmark house. With increasing building performance in regards to operational energy consumption, focus has now shifted towards CO2-emissions related to construction.

Upcycling is the process of converting waste-materials or waste products into new materials or products of higher quality resulting in a reduction in production and therefore CO2-emissions. When building houses, it is therefore environmentally beneficial to think in terms of material recycling, since the materials have already emitted CO2. It is even better to develop processes where garbage or useless materials can be upcycled and reused for new building materials of higher utility value than they had originally. Upcycle House. Realdania Byg (a Danish foundation that promotes innovation and good practice in the building sector) has developed and constructed a single-family house with Lendager Architects called Upcycle House conveying the principles of upcycling in a tangible and clear example. The house is built of processed recycled materials and Upcycle House investigates how much it’s actually possible to reduce the CO2 footprint by using upcycled materials to the extent possible.

The loadbearing structure consists of two prefabricated shipping containers, while the roof and facade cladding is made from recycled aluminium soda-cans. Facade panels, consist of post-consumer recycled granulated paper, which is pressed together and heat-treated. The kitchen floor is clad in tiled champagne cork-leftovers, and the bath tiles are made from recycled glass. Walls and floors are covered with OSB-panels consisting of wood-chips that are bi-products of various production sites, pressed together without glue. The recycled materials are not very visible and the house does not radiate a recycled look – The house looks and functions like a contemporary house built of conventional materials.

The initial work on Upcycle House takes place in the workshop where window holes are cut, and the containers are fitted with plumbing and wiring for the bathroom and the kitchen. The containers only serve as the constructive frame of the house.Upon arrival at the site in Nyborg, the containers are placed apart, shaping a central living space, dining space and master bedroom. The two shipping containers are insulated on the outside, making the recycled structural framework invisible. The result is a 129 sq. meter (1390 sq. feet) house that is designed to create the optimal setting for a family’s everyday life. The house features a large living room connected to a spacious kitchen, a master bedroom, three smaller rooms, bathroom, utility room and a passive cooling chamber. In addition to this the house is also fitted with a large greenhouse adjacent to the kitchen and a large south-facing terrace. Anders Lendager (owner of Lendager Architects) comments on the results of using recycled materials: “We initially thought that a reduction of 65% CO2 was unrealistic, but when we ran the LCA (Life Cycle Assesment) on all materials throughout the entire project, it turned out that we had reduced the CO2 emissions associated with construction with 86%, compared to a benchmark house. With that in mind, we are surprised that no one else is working on this. Why is it not included in everything we do as architects? Why is it not included in the building code that a certain percentage of building materials have to be recycled?” Passive sustainability. Besides the material approach, Upcycle House aims to reduce emissions through an array of sustainable features. Due to the limited economy of the project (1,7 Mil Dkr.) a special emphasis has been put on the house’s passive properties. Therefore Upcycle House is designed with orientation, temperature zones, daylight optimization, shading and natural ventilation in mind. This makes for a single family house with a significant reduction in emissions, that is also well within economic reach of the average family. To illustrate the potential of this house, the team did a rough calculation: The CO2 emission from Upcycle House is 0,7 KG CO2/M2/YR compared to 5,0 KG CO2/M2/YR for a benchmark house. In Denmark 10.000 single family homes are built every year. With a reduction of 4,3 KG CO2/M2/YR and an average floor area well over 130 sq. meter this makes for a potential reduction of 5590 tons of CO2 – per year. Area: 129 sqm Completion: 2013 Materials: Wood, Aluminium, Glass, Plastic, Paper, Applications: Envelope, Structure lendagerark.dk Figures: © Jesper Ray; © Polfoto

04 February 2019

Italian architects Onsitestudio have completed the Milan headquarters of an electrical product manufacturer, wrapped in profiled steel. The main purpose of the project is the overall reorganisation of an area used for the production of electrical converters, located in an industrial compound along the Cassanese state highway, east of Milan. The main idea is to define the boundaries of the production site by building a continuous wall to create a feeling of an enclosed urban block. The building “thickens” this wall near the angle, separating the internal space from the external one, with an internal garden and public spaces along the street . The project foresees research spaces on the ground floor, withdrawn and facing the internal garden and offices on the second floor. The volume folds around the angle and stretches out with two bodies, characterized by a continuous glass façade: the first body, facing the birch garden, is designed to be used for directors’ offices, while the second one, facing the street, will be used for the operating offices. On the far west side, in direction of the state road, the volume becomes a vertical body, with the tower hosting the technical stations. The metal skin, constituted by shaped and drilled sheet metal in opaque stainless steel, envelopes the building entirely like a curtain, thus conferring to the volume a balanced character, where the opaque and transparent portions are ambiguously defined. The skin filters the light into the building at different opening degrees, depending on the exposure to the sun and the degree of intimacy desired in the interior. The facades are completely defined by a metallic skin composed of opaque stainless steel shaped, perforated and stretched sheeting. The steel selected for this project is stainless AISI 304, with a 2 mm thickness and 4 to 4.5 m high sheets. The texture of the metallic elements has been developed in several phases trying to use common industrial elements, such as folded and perforated sheets, to then achieve a bespoke solution to follow the concept of a cladding whose variety can be shown at different levels, both in plan and elevation. In correspondence of the glazed elements the metallic cladding continues and maintains its shape, but it is perforated. The presence of many small oval holes allows the metallic skin to filter the light with various grades of opening in relation to the sun exposure and the level of intimacy of the internal spaces. Only the entrance which is characterised by zenithal light. The sensation for those who are inside is of an intimate and reserved environment with relaxing views over the green of the internal garden. The choice of the metallic cladding, as well as for the rest of the construction executed with the assembly of prefabricated elements (iron profiles for the structures and plasterboard panels for the partitions), has been dictated by the desire of slimming down and simplify the construction phase, while speeding up the phases, reducing the storage space for materials on site and improving the quality of the finished product. The building is designed to meet the class A energy efficiency requirements of CENED. The metal covering  has been designed to be covered with photovoltaic panels in amorphous silica. Energy efficiency is achieved through several strategies: a high performance covering system for both opaque and transparent portions, external shielding systems against solar radiation, internal curtains, technical systems based on heat pumps, he recovery of rain water for irrigation and high performance double glazing. Stratigraphy is organised as follows: a sandwich panel in wood and mineral wool with a thickness of 150 mm, coupled on the outside with a transpiring, watertight and UV resistant membrane, and completed on the inside by an insulated wall lining in plaster with 3 plates. (Fabiana Cambiaso) Credits: Onsitestudio Architects Friem Headquarters, Segrate (Milan, Italy) Building Surface: 2100 mq Opening: 2010 Materials: Steel, Wood and Mineral Wool Applications: Envelope Cladding, Solar Shading, Sandwich Panel www.onsitestudio.it Figures: © Filippo Romano; © Onsitestudio; © Helene Binet.

Carlo Bardelli