Requalification, recovery of buildings and cutting-edge technology to design the home of the future: this is what was presented at 51° Edition of the SAIE, international building exhibition in Italy.

At the heart of the new SALT SMART HOUSE, in the Services area of Bologna fair (held like the interior of a great intelligent and sustainable house), SMART HOUSE LIVING has been presented. This project consists of 4 souls: an exhibition – Smart House Solution – on which was represented a new culture of sustainable living, which allowed visitors to ' touch ' practical applications and innovative technological solutions; a playful and participatory path – the Wheel of Sustainability – to bring the public to the culture to "triple zero" (zero consumption, zero emissions, zero waste); the Forums on the themes of designing, building and inhabiting the houses of tomorrow; the BIG Energy Idea — a ' emotional room ' of innovation told through videos and sounds: a project to push for change through knowledge.

In SMART HOUSE LIVING area, energy has been the main topic thanks to the forum "Building & Innovation". In the Digital Smart Building technology how this innovation can revive the construction industry has been the main topic. Many laid optical fiber is still unused. Since last July with the Decree Unlock Italy, "all new buildings must be equipped with a passive multiservice physical infrastructure inside the building, consisting of adequate space and installation of high-speed communications to the fiber optic network termination points". The legislation makes the provision in new homes be mandatory. SAIE #Idrogeo has been the main new of this edition: it is an informative area and exhibition dedicated to the theme of recovery and securing of the territory from the hydrogeological point of view, that this year 2015 focused on the theme of urban land preservation thanks to the work of engineers and geotechnical in particular. 'Green' has been the guest star in new edition of SAIE, too. Inside the 'Live' path, #Landmaking group has organized ‘To build green’, an area where some of Italian excellences in the field of green have been gathered. The construction industry's interest is directed towards the energy efficiency of existing buildings, as well as through the performance improvement with the aid of new and more modern systems and engineering solutions.

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

13 Jenuary 2019

The purpose of the Design Hub is to provide accommodation in one building for a diverse range of design research and post graduate education. The Hub provides a collegial research base where post graduates in fields such as fabric and fashion design will work alongside those involved in architecture, aeronautical engineering, industrial design, landscape architecture, urban design and so on.

Research groups have the ability to locate and fine tune their accommodation within ‘warehouses’ – open plan spaces where research teams can set up and tailor their work environment to suit their particular needs. Teams may stay for anywhere from six months to three years depending on the nature of and funding limits to their research and education programs. Research may include the need for workshops to make physical models to be located alongside computer studios, three dimensional printing, virtual reality modelling and so on. Given the time frames associated with research projects all the warehouses require a high level of adaptability and flexibility. In that sense these spaces are designed to accommodate the organic nature of research – ever evolving, adapting, changing and growing. The plan of the Hub acknowledges the desire for incidental cross pollination where researchers from one field encounter those from completely unrelated other fields as part of their day to day use of the building. An exhibition space and design archive provide a public interface with both industry and research outcomes. These spaces combined with a variety of lecture, seminar and multi purpose rooms facilitate high level exchanges in a number of forums.

The Hub has a large number of ESD features and incorporates strategies of water, waste and recycling management that are the equal of any ESD focussed building on the planet. In particular the outer skin of the Hub incorporates automated sunshading that includes photovoltaic cells, evaporative cooling and fresh air intakes that improve the internal air quality and reduce running costs. The cells have been designed so that they can be easily replaced as research into solar energyresults in improved technology and part of the northern façade is actually dedicated to ongoing research into solar cells to be conducted jointly by industry and RMIT. The entire building façade, in other words, has the capacity to be upgraded as solar technology evolves and may one day generate enough electricity to run the whole building. The façade comprises a specifically detailed double glazed inner skin on each face of the building and an automated operable second skin shading device. The second skin shading device surrounds the entire building, from the ground floor to the roof plant level. It is made up of nominally 600 mm diameter sandblasted glass disks, which are fixed to either a horizontal or vertical aluminium axel. Each axel is fixed to the outer face of a galvanised steel cylinder of a slightly greater diameter and nominally 130 mm in depth. 21 glass discs and steel cylinders are fixed together in panels of nominally 1.8 m by 4.2 m, which are supported on a secondary galvanised steel frame set out about 700 mm from the curtain wall face of the building. These are accessed by an external service walkway on each level.

Each typical panel is made up of 12 operable glass discs and 9 discs which are fixed. At the ground and plant room levels all glass disks will be fixed. There are 86 panels on each level and therefore 774 panels for the nine levels of the building. Perimeter air intakes and fine mist sprinklers incorporated into the double glazed inner skin provide passive cooling to the UFAD system. The water used in this ‘Coolgardie safe’ system is harvested from the roof. Fresh naturally cooled air provides a less expensive, lower energy consumption and more desirable thermal comfort alternative to a wholly conditioned work environment.   Credits: www.seangodsell.com RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, by Sean Godsell Material: Frosted glass,  Low-E insulating glass, steel profiles and galvanized steel Application: Envelope Area: 13,000 sqm Completed: 2012 Figures: © Earl Carter (Fabiana Cambiaso – Università La Sapienza Roma).

Marco Mignatti

15 Ottobre 2018

L'università di Stoccarda ITKE Institute, Dipartimento di Strutture e Costruzioni della Facoltà di Architettura, nell'ambito del Research Proiect Bioplastic Facade, ha progettato e costruito il nuovo padiglione ArboSkin: è composto di 388 piramidi di bioplastica, materiale totalmente biodegradabile o riciclabile derivante da materie prime vegetali rinnovabili annualmente, come l'amido di mais o la farina.

 

L'intero padiglione è realizzato con elementi di facciata in 3D e dimostra le potenzialità estetiche e strutturali delle bioplastiche. Ha vinto recentemente un premio in uno dei più importanti concorsi tedeschi sulle idee innovative.  

La bioplastica è un materiale estremamente malleabile, ma con buone prestazioni strutturali, particolarmente adatto nello sviluppo di facciate complesse e con motivi in rilievo. Allo stesso tempo consente di rispondere alla crescente domanda di materiali da costruzione provenienti da risorse efficienti e sostenibili, limitando l'utilizzo di derivati da combustibili fossili.

Il progetto della struttura a guscio è basato su una rete di forme triangolati in pezzi tetraedrici di dimensioni diverse. La doppia pelle curva è fatta con piramidi di bioplastica di 3.5 mm di spessore che vengono assemblate meccanicamente per creare la superficie di forma libera. La forma complessa a doppia curvatura portante è realizzata collegando tra loro i tetraedri con anelli di rinforzo e travicelli. I fogli di bioplastica possono essere modellati e adattati liberamente per soddisfare qualsiasi esigenza estetica dell'edificio.

I fogli di bioplastica sono stati plasmati e termoformati ad alta temperatura consentendo di coniugare una elevata adattabilità ai disegni più complessi e i rifiuti prodotti durante la fresatura sono stati recuperati, ricostituiti e riutilizzati per creare altri elementi di facciata tridimensionali. I granuli di bioplastica sono estrusi in lastre, che a loro volta sono ulteriormente elaborate in base alle singole esigenze per ottenere superfici e strutture anche di notevole complessità. I prodotti semilavorati sono utilizzabili sia per rivestimenti esterni sia per rivestimenti interni. A fine vita il materiale può essere riutilizzato o smaltito tramite compostaggio.

Finora le bioplastiche erano state utilizzate solo per il confezionamento ma questo padiglione dimostra che il materiale può essere promosso ad alternativa verde al cemento, la cui produzione rappresenta l'otto per cento delle emissioni globali di anidride carbonica. (Fabiana Cambiaso Università La Sapienza) www.itke.uni-stuttgart.de ©ITKE; ©Roland Halbe.

Carlo Bardelli        

28 November 2018

Mud huts, wooden houses, stone houses: the architecture of all the world is changing, evolving and adapting to the environment, climate and local materials. Great examples of sustainable construction, expressions of traditional cultures, arise from here.

"Learning from Vernacular" exhibition was staged at the Vitra Design Museum. It has been an opportunity to discover examples of traditional architecture: a contemporary design that hides new forms of construction, from South Africa, Egypt, China, to Malaysia up to Cameroon; wooden architecture, spectacular projects in bamboo up to structures that resemble tunnel and were made with Palm grass.

The exhibition presents the residential projects of the Auburn University of Rural Studio in Alabama, the collaboration between architects and craftsmen in India, the work of architect Carin Smuts in South African townships or the bamboo structures of the Colombian Simón Vélez. Films, photographs and plans demonstrate how the buildings were built and the everyday life of their inhabitants.

With its 40 models, the exhibition presents a veritable panorama of world architecture. And it opens the eyes of the public for the abundant variety of materials, shapes and construction techniques that exist outside of the commercial market and are handed down from generation to generation. In these cases, the social aspects of architectures are often just as important as aesthetics or the economy. Thanks to the numerous examples of renewable raw materials and energy-neutral solutions, it offers numerous opportunities for sustainable development of resources. Learning from vernacular was made possible thanks to the complete collection of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). This collection includes more than 700 1:20 scale architectural models and many documents. The collection is part of a large archive dedicated to modern architecture, whose Director Pierre Frey is the curator of the exhibition. One of the pioneers of sustainable and social construction practice is the architect Anna Heringer, that held a conference at Vitra Museum about projects in countries such as China, Morocco or Bangladesh, where she developed a unique approach to architectural design that closely involves the community and local materials. www.design-museum.de www.anna-heringer.com  

Marco Mignatti

The Institute for Computing Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart have designed a Pavilion visually and physically reminiscent of an insect, or rather a beetle. The working group is not new to these recent projects: in fact another hall has been recently designed, and it is based on the exoskeleton of a lobster; its structure is designed and built on the model of the skeleton of a sea urchin.   The project is based on robotic development of double modules structures composed of layers of carbon fiber: in this way the entire architecture remains minimal and lightweight, allowing a high degree of freedom. It covers an area of 50 square meters, but weighs only 593 kg. The team of researchers and students have used high resolution 3D models of various beetle shells – known as elytra – to conduct an analysis of the complex internal structures, working closely with biologists and paleontologists of the University of Tuebingen. These structures were converted then into a set of design principles, made with glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymer to give the hall an optimal strength-to-weight ratio.   "The project presents a new approach to composite fiber structures in architecture", explained researcher and member of the ICD team Marshall Prado.