MEDITERRANEAN | Metabolic Systems Energy
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
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.
BIOMIMICRY in ARCHITECTURE by Michael Pawlyn | Ecological Thinking II
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
MEDITERRANEAN I Ecosystemic Structures
ITERATION 1 Large Span Truss Structure Main Structural Components Primary Trusses Catlogue Forces Diagram Lateral Forces Diagram Gravity Truss Junction Details Physical Model understanding the structure Load Testing After a thorough analysis of the structural loading and its behavior, we have developed a more efficient and lightweight approach to address the cantilever and overall structure. … Read more
THE NATURAL WAY OF FARMING: The Theory & Practice of Green Philosophy by Masanobu Fukuoka | Ecological Thinking
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
BIOMIMICRY: INNOVATIONS INSPIRED BY NATURE
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
MISSION GOOD ECONOMY FOR HARDER TIMES
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
SCALE by Geoffrey West | Ecological Thinking
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 | Ecosystemic Structures
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
Arctic Onion | Metabolic Building Systems – Energy
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 NEST | Resilient Envelopes
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
Arctic Onion | Digital Tools
(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
Arctic Onion | Resilient Envelopes
- Material Catalogue : Collecting & Cataloguing materials around Valldaura; Simulating real-time construction process of procuring material from waste sources.- 1:20 Model of Weather & Cluster Shelf Envelopes - Multiple Layers of the Weather Envelope: Wind Turbines, Water Channels & Raincoat - Front Elevation: Raincoat of the building made of Upcycled Sails & Fabrics - ... Read more
THE NEST | Metabolic Systems: Energy
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 NEST | Metabolic Systems: Water
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
AL HABIBITAT | Advanced Digital Tools II
Basant Abdelrahman, Disha Arora, Pradyumna Vikharankar and Raffaele SchiavelloMASTER IN ADVANCED ECOLOGICAL BUILDINGS AND BIOCITIES 2022-23, IAAC THERMAL QUESTIONS THERMAL MODEL WALL DETAIL SENSITIVITY STUDIES DIGITAL TOOLS FOR CLIMATE ANALYSIS
AL HABIBITAT | Ecosystemic Structures
Basant Abdelrahman, Disha Arora, Pradyumna Vikharankar and Raffaele SchiavelloMASTER IN ADVANCED ECOLOGICAL BUILDINGS AND BIOCITIES 2022-23, IAAC CONCEPT Inspired by the Nubian Architecture, we conducted in depth research on the characteristics and structural elements of Aswan Villages. ASSEMBLY Assembly process highlighting the important elements in each step STRUCTURAL GRID CLUSTER PLAN 01 CLUSTER SECTION 01 … Read more
THE NEST | Advanced Digital Tools
THERMAL QUESTIONS: Q1. Having studied the sun path diagram, it is observed that there are low sun angles in the east and the west throughout the year. How can thermal heat gain be prevented from the east and the west direction? – To prevent the heat gain from the lower angle of the sun from … Read more
Arctic Onion | Ecosystemic Structures
We don’t wantWe don’t want to FEEL LONELY We don’t want to WASTE RESOURCES We don’t want to DEMOLISH structures We don’t want to EMIT Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere We don’t want UNIVERSAL and HOMOGENEOUS structures We don’t want to LOSE CONNECTION to our environment We wantWe want to LIVE in COMMUNAL settings We … Read more
Arctic Onion | Thermodynamic Fabrications
Site > Bríetartún 5, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland | Arctic Climate Zone (1) Temperature Range always below Comfort Levels. Comfortable hours indoors are only achievable with additional measures. (2) Constant High Humidity (3) Strong Winter Winds Climate | People > History | Everyday Living(1) Long Lasting Tradition of Wool Washing & Knitting (ca. 1934) (2) Icelanders ... Read more
Natural Capital Investments | Barcelona Protocol
-The future of the earth, its eco-systems, and our own civilization will be decided in and by our citIes– Learn more about Barcelona Protocol here “Only if we ensure that the material, means, and methods with which we build and manage our cities are primarily drawn from regionally available and sustainably managed biological resources can … Read more
MEDITERRANEAN l Thermodynamics
01. Introduction Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges.According to the Köppen climate classification, Venice has a mid-latitude four-season humid subtropical climate, with cool, damp winters and warm, humid … Read more
THE NEST | Thermodynamic Fabrications
A new look on a a Tropical Residential Scheme where 40% 0f the building program is used for Recreational and Commercial Activities. LOCATION & SITE The site chosen is that of Kpeshie Lagoon, in Accra, Ghana. The site over looks the lagoon and is surrounded by trees. The site is close to the sea and … Read more
AL HABIBTAT | Thermodynamics
Basant Abdelrahman, Disha Arora, Pradyumna Vikharankar and Raffaele SchiavelloMASTER IN ADVANCED ECOLOGICAL BUILDINGS AND BIOCITIES 2022-23, IAAC LOCATION The Urban social housing studio aims in finding ecological and social design solutions for urban housing, with a special focus on various climate zone this semester. In our specific case, we found a site in a hot … Read more
Sustainable Forest Management
Our Sustainable Forest Management course kicked off in December with an open air lecture from Dr. Arbol. This explorative walk through the Valldaura forest helped us to better observe and understand how the ecosystem forest functions. We also learned how to identify the existing tree species and their way of growing in the context of … Read more
