During the first six months in the program, students are comprehensively trained in the principles of design and construction of advanced ecological buildings through a series of focused and intense modules, which include material production, thermal and metabolic building systems, ecological structures and façade systems and much more. After developing the necessary skills and a holistic understanding of advanced and ecological design, students collectively draft and build a full scale ecological building prototype.
Aswan, Egypt being in a hot & arid climate follow specific passive strategies, which are incorporated in the design. Installing a lattice patterned terracotta skin was seen as the primary idea for envelopes considering it enhanced the functionality of the passive strategies incorporated. Further, the thermodynamic study of heat sources & sinks indicate at the … Read more
REFERENCES ENVELOPE DESIGN Given that the NW facade is the most important facade for wind capture, we wanted to have the ability to allow wind to enter the facade as well as block the strong western sun in the summers. This is accomplished through the use of ceramic louvers that can be rotated towards the … Read more
THERMAL QUESTIONS: 1] Ideal percentage of SW glazing? 2] Can single glazing be used to reduce cost, or are energy losses too great? 3] Ideal thickness of cork bricks for insulation? 4] Ideal length of horizontal shading? In order to simplify the analysis, only the residential floors were chosen. To conduct the sensitivity studies, the … Read more
Mediterranean self-consumption Energy System Benefits Self-consumption (electricity) Monthly values Roof plan – Subproject 1 – Building 1 Roof plan – Subproject 1 – Building 2 Energy Consumption
This blog is a review of Michael Pawlyn’s book, Biomimicry in Architecture. “Biomimicry is a powerful innovation tool that allows architects to go beyond conventional approaches to sustainable design and deliver transformative solutions we need.”-Michael Pawlyn The book “Biomimicry in Architecture” by Michael Pawlyn introduces the term biomimicry and how it can impact architecture. The … Read more
This blog is a review of the book, The Natural Way of Farming: The theory & practice of Green Philosophy by Masanobu Fukuoka. The Book is a deep description on different ideologies and process developed by the author through practice and application. “When the human spirit and human life blend with the natural order and … Read more
This blog is a review of Janine Benyus’s book, Biomimicry: Innovations inspired by Nature. Click here to check out the interactive blog version. – “Claiming that we are superior to the rest of the creation is like saying the Eiffel Tower was built so that the scrap of paint at the top would have somewhere … Read more
This blog is a combined review of the two books, 1. Mission Economy by Mariana Mazzucato and 2. Good Economics for Hard Times by Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo. – “On many weighty matters, economists and everyday people disagree” – “Public sector leaders and managers are not really taught or encouraged to think outside the box, … Read more
Exploring the Fundamentals of Scaling Laws with Geoffrey West’s Scale Geoffrey West’s book, Scale, explores the fundamental principles that govern complex systems in the naturalworld, including organisms, ecosystems, cities, and companies. The book argues that these systems exhibit predictable patterns of behaviour as they grow and scale, which can be explained by a few simple … Read more
The Nest is a project designed for the city of Accra, Ghana. The Site is located in close proximity to the lagoon and the sea. The design caters to public interventions like open markets, observatories, and residential units for the fishermen’s community. The goal with the design is to highlight the traditional techniques and materials used … Read more
Due to the low angle of the sun and the few hours of daylight in Reykjavik during Winter, the cost savings through producing our own electricity with a PV system did not cover the initial investment in the technology. We therefore propose to instead harness the energy of the wind with our Weather Envelope. Each … Read more
The design of the envelope plays a vital role in the design. The roof and the facade are part of the metabolic systems to aid with generating solar energy and collecting rainwater. The envelope is also efficiently designed keeping the thermodynamic analysis in mind. FACADE DESIGN: The facade is designed using a cane facade. The … Read more
(01) Core *(02) Sleeping Shelves (N)(03) Sleeping Shelves (S)(04) Cluster Shelves (N)(05) Cluster Shelves (S)(06) Envelope (N) *(07) Envelope (S) *(08) Roof(09) Core (Ground Floor)(10) Ground (N)(11) Ground (S) * Unconditioned ZonesCore/Bathhouse – Equipment Load : 600 W/m2 In order to simulate the energy consumption of the layer system, we decided to isolate 1 cluster … Read more
With the design of the Nest, the idea is to best utilise renewable energy to offset the electric loads in the building. The goal is to use photovoltaic cells on the roofs of the building and design the structure to be as self-sufficient as possible. CLIMATE ANALYSIS: ENERGY CONSUMPTION: DESIGN ANALYSIS FOR SOLAR ENERGY: To … Read more
The region of Accra, Ghana receives heavy rainfall and has two wet seasons. As a result, through the design, the goal is to trap as much rainwater as possible and utilise it in an optimum manner. The Site is also located in close proximity to a natural lagoon. Hence, ground water and stormwater treatment become … Read more
