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Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories

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Flexibility of Flexsola design key to creating sustainable and environmentally-friendly housing

Nicholas Varias is an innovator, plain and simple.

The president of Flexsola International Development Corporation has a lengthy cutting-edge track record dating back to the 1980s. But the culmination of his ground-breaking design efforts to create affordable, adaptable and environmentally-friendly housing just might be his latest design – the Flexsola.

“The construction sector is lagging behind in terms of innovation,” says Varias, a Canadian architect, artist and writer, whose company is based in Burlington, Ontario. “And that’s especially in respect to dealing with climate change. Flexsola can bring a much-needed contribution.”

Flexsola is a modular system for creating sustainable and environmentally-friendly multi-use developments. Its flexibility makes it affordable and adaptable to peoples’ needs as they change over time. Its functional flexibility can provide lifetime residency, opening the way for the creation of a stable, caring and economically-sustainable community.

“Flexsola will appeal mainly to first-time homebuyers and seniors,” says Varias. “That’s thanks to its capability of constructing small units and then expanding them as needed. Cost-wise, for construction, we are aiming for a maxiumum of $150 per square foot.”

A patented steel saddle connection is at the heart of the Flexsola modular building system. This novel approach facilitates the creation of space modules, which can be added, removed, or relocated within a three-dimensional rectangular grid. The flexibility and affordability of Flexsola modular building system make it an ideal solution for an ever-increasing demand in homes of all types and other uses.
“The steel saddle is the key feature of the system,” explains Varias. “It expedites the installation of the posts and beams, and permits the addition or relocation of modules.”

The Flexsola system can be used for a wide range of applications and modules can be made to any size or shape for easier transport. In addition, localized assembly plants can be utilized to increase design flexibility through the use of more complex module shapes. The system can be adapted to all forms of housing currently available on the market, with the added benefits of unprecedented flexibility and adaptability. It is also ideal for infill developments and can be easily integrated into the existing urban fabric.
A Flexsola building system property will be more attractive and economically viable than conventionally-built buildings, says Varias. Economic projections indicate that initial investment could be recovered over a few years if advantage is taken of all the potential financial benefits of using this system.

Where a large percentage of the purchase price of a home comes from a mortgage, a conventional house often remains a liability for a long time, despite its growing equity. In contrast, a Flexsola building is a financial asset because of savings not found in conventional buildings. Some examples:

  • Lower construction cost resulting from prefabrication and the unique modular system further enhanced by the use of the saddle connection system, which speeds up the erection of the posts and beams;
  • Reduced insurance costs;
  • Long-term lower costs of energy consumption and maintenance;
  • Revenue generating options due the functional flexibility of the floor plan (i.e. rental of a secondary unit, or home-based business);
  • Electricity generation revenue;
  • And relocation potential of the entire house, or of some of its modules.

Varias says a Flexsola building system has a low-carbon footprint because of very important features, such as of its innovative steel structures, landscaped rooftops, and unique devices to generate solar and wind energy.

According to the Flexsola president, a building produced and erected in this system will also be more sustainable than alternative structures. This is why:
Quick erection on site due to off-site fabrication and the patented saddle;

  • Ease of transportation;
  • Steel is 100 per cent recyclable and can be recycled indefinitely, the only “cradle-to cradle” recycled material in the world;
  • Durability and longevity;
  • Steel is a long-term investment that does not go to waste;
  • Steel manufacturing and fabrication to exact specifications causes minimal waste;
  • Flexsola system buildings will consume less energy through heating and cooling than other buildings of similar size if clad with approved off-site produced sustainable cladding materials to give the highest level of thermal fabric performance;
  • The system can outperform conventional construction in virtually every sustainability criteria including acoustic performance, air tightness, thermal performance and durability. It requires less maintenance by adhering to rigorous quality standards during assembly in the factory;
  • And enhancement to Flexsola energy reduction benefits include additional options such as green/sedum roofs, parapet and post mounted PV panels and mini wind-turbines.

Web / flexsola.com
Flexsola International Development Corporation has been awarded the 2017 Innovative Product Award by Toronto Construction Association. In 1996, Varias won the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s FlexHousing Design Competition and a model of his design was built in 1997 at the Canadian Centre for Housing Technology in Ottawa.

Architecture, Building Envelope, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories

Going the extra mile

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An architectural backstory at the heart of a glorious Kensington Market renovation

This is a story behind the story about the metamorphosis of a century-old property in Toronto’s Kensington Market district.

The project? The Kensington, 299/301 Augusta Avenue. The main player? Design/Build company Barbini Corporation. The backstory, supporting cast, in this scenario? Two architectural specialists: James L. Sa’d and Brian L. Abbey.

Their task? To perform a wholesale makeover of a mixed-use building – with a storied history to say the least – owned by John McBride.

“One of the more interesting challenges,” says Sa’d, OAA, Principal, Paradigm Architecture + Design, “was that the building is located on a very compact, restrictive site, with a proximity to neighbours that required us to prescribe several innovative envelope solutions in order to be able to comply with fire-resistance requirements set out in the building code.”

Keep in mind that architectural considerations always factored in the core wishes of the owner – to create a new landmark building for a neighbourhood that is undergoing significant change, albeit at a much slower, more selective pace, than the rest of Toronto. As the process evolved, the site underwent a gradual transformation. Today, it’s a three-storey, mixed-use building consisting of a new home for the Kensington Brewing Company on the ground floor, a commercial office space on the second, and four executive rental micro-apartments on the third.

“Looking back on our first meeting, over six years ago, sitting there in the Barbini office, it’s really hard to believe what you see today,” added Abbey, Principal, Licensed Technologist, OAA. M.A.A.T.O. BSSO. A Sc.T. CSC. BCQ with Adtek Building Consultants. “The Kensington, 299/301 Augusta Avenue, has completely transformed the neighbourhood over that period of time.”

Back in 2011, it was Abbey and Adtek who got things going. Later, Sa’d and his Paradigm team were brought into the mix; fortuitously, as it happened. More on that later.

“I realized early on that it would take a lot of ingenuity and creativity to come up with any kind of concept that would be both aesthetically pleasing and financially feasible as well as sustainable, accessible and energy efficient,” Abbey says.

“I came up with the idea of creating a three-storey mixed-use building that would contain retail or restaurant space on the main floor, flexible commercial space on the second floor and luxury residential units on the third floor. We all agreed that this concept, in principal, would be an ideal attribute to the Kensington Market community.”


What followed was the hard part – making the concept work within a long and narrow lot, and treating the project as a renovation, not a new build, which meant maintaining 50 per cent of the main walls in the existing building.
Abbey says he wanted to come up with a pleasing design, but also wanted to have as much flexibility as possible to allow for any future change of use.

“So I chose to design it as a fully sprinklered, non-combustible construction building, even though it was, technically a ‘small building’ regulated under the Ontario Building Code (OBC),” he explained, “being less than 600m2 in gross building area and no more than three storeys in building height.”

It was at this stage of the project that Abbey says he was “thrown a curve.”

“This happens in all designs, but in this case the owner wanted to add an additional seven feet at the rear of the building to gain more space,” Abbey recalls. “ We pushed the building over the limit of 600m2 and it then was considered a ‘large building’ and subject to different regulations.”

When all was said and done, and the building permit process completed and approved, it was time for Abbey to turn over the architectural design duties to Sa’d and Paradigm.

“Although I was pleased and excited to have been instrumental in the conceptual design, the design development, the construction drawings and the building permit process, I was really upset that being only an accredited architectural technologist that I had to hand over the reins to a licensed architect of record because of the building’s new classification,” says Abbey.

“Notwithstanding that hurdle, I have to say that Jim Sa’d and his team from Paradigm Architecture have done a magnificent job and I am really proud to have been part of the project.”

With Sa’d and Paradigm at the helm, the reno continued. The building has a façade composed of materials, Sa’d says, that suggest a dichotomy reflective of the struggle between Kensington Market’s past and future, all within a relatively narrow lot frontage.

“Two thirds of the façade consists of contemporary, purple-black, high-iron content brick accented with crisp, clear anodized aluminum awnings above each storey,” he explains. “While the last third harkens back to the gritty and organic history of the Market by virtue of a sculptural, Cor-Ten steel-clad elevator shaft with backlit perforated letters that spell out the Market’s namesake, all the while creating a subtle beacon, now recognizable to visitors and residents of the neighbourhood alike.

“Perforated black steel guardrails on the second and third floor Juliette balconies echo this language of raw materials that are found on various buildings nearby.”

Sa’d says the apartments were designed with many space-saving solutions, including Murphy bed units that collapse atop couches, instantly transforming living rooms into bedrooms, and kitchens packed with highly organizational cabinetry and concealed appliances, such as an under-sink dishwasher drawer. Alternate lighting options and high, coved ceilings add to the illusion of larger suites, each of which contains its own washer/dryer.

Yes, there were architectural hurdles, but they were circumvented. And that’s one of the trademarks of the Barbini Corporation brand.

Web / amedeobarbini.com

Barbini Corporation is a leader in green building. Architect James L. Sa’d of Paradigm Architecture + Design says a number of sustainable features were incorporated into the project at 299/301 Augusta Avenue. “Mineral wool insulation with R-values above minimum code standards were employed in order to reduce energy consumption costs for heating/cooling; daylight tubes were installed in order to reduce the amount of artificial lighting required during daytime hours; a greywater recycling system was employed that reused rainwater collected and stored in retention tanks in the basement for toilet flushing within the third-storey rental apartments. Generally, materials, finishes and energy efficient technologies were incorporated into the design and construction of the building.”

 

 

Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

Qatar to build a fully modular, demountable World Cup stadium made from shipping containers

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THE FIRST EVER TRANSPORTABLE AND REUSABLE STADIUM IN THE WORLD

Spanish firm Fenwick Iribarren Architects (FIA), led by architects Mark Fenwick and Javier Iribarren are the visionaries behind this venue’s bold design.

The stadiums design is unique as it’ll be the first ever demountable, transportable and reusable stadium in the World. Its structure is based on shipping containers, which can be easily assembled or disassembled as required.

The main objective is to create a socially responsible stadium based on following concepts: modularity, movability, legacy, functionality and iconic image.

Using adapted shipping containers as building blocks cuts down on the amount of building materials required, creating less waste and reducing the stadium’s carbon footprint.

Mark Fenwick, from Fenwick Iribarren Architects, assures that “we are confident that this innovative and sustainable concept will serve as an inspiration for other architects from all over the world. And will allow for the creation of aesthetically pleasing spaces to serve as a legacy for future projects”.

The concept of sustainability is at the very core of Ras Abu Aboud Stadium

Constructed using shipping containers, removable seats and other modular ‘building blocks’, not only will this innovative, 40.000-seat venue have a remarkable design, but it will be completely dismantled and repurposed following the tournament.

“This venue offers the perfect legacy, capable of being reassembled in a new location in its entirety or built into numerous small sports and cultural venues. All of this in a stadium that delivers the atmosphere fans expect at a World Cup and which we will build in a more sustainable way than ever before,” said Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary-general of Qatar’s World Cup organizing committee.

In its short lifetime, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium will create an innovative blueprint that will give global stadium developers and tournament planners a fine example to follow. It will guide the way towards more sustainable and more legacy-driven sporting competitions, opening up hosting opportunities to countries all over the world. The stadium is aiming to achieve a four-star Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) certification.

People who live close to the stadium site will enjoy a verdant waterfront development that will occupy the site once the stadium has gone. Work will begin soon after the final whistle brings the venue’s Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match and the stadium’s tournament duty to an end.

As soccer fans make their way to Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, enjoying stunning views of Doha’s skyscrapers from across the bay, they will marvel at a soccer stadium unlike any other. This 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup venue will be constructed using shipping containers and modular steel elements, echoing the nearby port and Doha’s long maritime history. The result will be a distinctive, boldly colourful and thoroughly modern arena that will almost look like it is made from building blocks.

The design uses prefabricated and modular elements. This approach reduces the waste generated during production of stadium components and the waste created on site during construction. The use of modular elements also reduces the venue’s construction duration.

The venue’s temporary nature and clever modular design will mean that fewer building materials will be required than in traditional stadium building, helping to keep construction costs down. And with other projects reusing the seats, roof and other components of the arena, parts of the venue will be utilised for years and even decades to come. Minimizing construction costs and ensuring regular future use are the key ingredients in making a new stadium and sporting mega events sustainable.

The design concept will result in the swift, cost-efficient construction of a stunning arena, which will have an elegant curved square form. The enclosed shape of the stadium will ensure a memorable atmosphere for fans and players alike at the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup fixtures up to the quarter-final stage

Web: www.fenwickiribarren.com

Architecture, Building Envelope, Ideas, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

Making deserts bloom

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Hybrid tower using Milessa Modules accommodates layers of vertical gardens

Carlo Milessa isn’t one to rest on his laurels.

In great detail, just a few short months ago, Milessa drew attention to his novel approach to architectural design – the Milessa Modules, a hexagonal housing cluster that essentially resembles a honeycomb.

Already, though, he has tweaked the initiative, by adding a vertical garden element that would see these similar buildings perfectly suited for construction in deserts bordering saltwater seas. The high-rise model is a hybrid, utilizing Milessa’s original module design.

“I call this ‘Make Deserts Bloom,’” says Milessa, who originally came up with the Milessa Modules concept over 50 years ago, then kickstarted it earlier this year. “You can place the five-storey structures in the desert, near the sea. Due to the hexagonal shape, with vertexes pointing north and south, sunlight can be allowed in, during the morning, noon and afternoon.

“With the structure close to the sea, filtration systems will be applied and then fresh water can be pumped to the top, and sprinklers will make it ‘rain’ on the Milessa Modules below.”

This is a new development, and one that Milessa believes will pique interest in his work. The essence of his visionary concept remains, however, and he is convinced the Milessa Modules will find a niche market.

Bolstered by a tie-in to climate change concerns, the original Milessa Modules’ approach is a concept that involves having six hexagonal buildings arranged in a large hexagonal shape, all connected by outside walls, with a seventh building placed in the centre of a courtyard.

What this does is allow one cluster of buildings to be easily linked to another to create a honeycomb network of self-contained spaces where each modular building could be customized for a different function. Moreover, this type of modular building could be mass-produced, and disassembled and reassembled as well, much like a LEGO effect.

“If you can build one, you can build many,” Milessa says. “Mass production of the modular buildings would significantly lower the cost compared to traditional housing options. This would make the modules appealing to both Canadian and international markets.”

Previously, he explained that the hexagonal modular setup could be utilized in many ways. Milessa says housing units, holiday rentals, greenhouse, retirement communities – even summer camps – would be ideal common-sense fits for Milessa Modules. He stresses that the unit’s hexagonal shape allows for more efficient use of space, but what really creates a winning alternative to traditional housing are the green building features.
Many of his ideas were met with dubious reactions back in the Sixties, when first unveiled at the National Home Show in Toronto, but seem to be the status quo heading into 2018. He points to the use of gardens, rainwater collection systems, natural light and solar panels as examples of how developers can maintain an eco-friendly and cost-efficient operation.

As to the addition of the vertical gardens, Milessa explained that they seamlessly complement the original design.

“Essentially, with these high-rise structures in a desert near the sea, you would have concrete slabs sitting on top of each other, with spans of 12 feet between them,” he says. “That will accommodate an equal number of Milessa Modules’ spaces for roof gardens.”

Keeping in line with his think-outside-the-box mentality, Milessa speculates on other positives that could be derived by utilizing Milessa Modules.

“I continue to explore the advantages of variable geometry architecture in planning a modular components synthetic biosphere for a future space academy,” he says. “They could be used for space farms to feed scientists, deep space exploration or storage units for space-based mineral reserves. There’s also the fact that an air pocket can ben created if the module is turned upside down in the water. This could turn into development of a subsea wellhead maintenance and ocean floor exploration platform, where rare minerals could be accessed.

“I am also concentrating on the rain harvesting feature. This could capture rainfall in cisterns and create small artificial lakes. That could be very impactful for the dry regions of the world.”

FYI
Carlo Milessa has mailed information pertinent to his ongoing research on variable geometry to architectural firms. He says his business plan involves this strategy: When a U.S. firm wants to utilize Canadian intellectual property, in this case Milessa Modules, it will contact the appropriate Canadian trade commissioner, looking for a joint venture with a Canadian architectural firm. Then Milessa will be contacted for the adaptation rights. Up to this point, Milessa says he has been in talks with companies in China, Malaysia and India regarding possible furnishing options for the modules. Additionally, a book on Milessa Modules, authored by Milessa, can be found in various university libraries, including the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ideas, LEED, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

The first edition of the virtual Green Building Expo has been a success.

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Canada’s premier virtual trade show for green building

Virtual Trade Shows are quickly gaining popularity among exhibitors and event marketing professionals due to their relatively low cost and high rate of return. The ability to generate leads directly from your office without having to incur the cost of travel and lodging is appealing for many companies, which allows for a wider range of diversity among exhibitors and attendees.

 

For exhibitors, Green Building Expo, the initial Canadian virtual trade fair for green buildings, has been an opportunity to highlight their leadership and commitment to sustainable building. It has also been a chance to showcase their green offerings to a laser-focused group in the green building industry.

Having received over 1,500 visits to date, including visitors from Canada and other countries such as United States, Germany, Italy, Romania, India, Lithuania and Great Britain (and coupled with the upward trend in event registrations), it seems highly likely that this will be Canada’s biggest virtual trade show yet by event participation and lead generation.

For sponsors and exhibitors, the platform provides built-in tracking, lead management and attendee profiling to help exhibitors identify high-potential leads based on the level of their engagement with company representatives and booth content. The ample branding space in the virtual landscape is fully utilized by incorporating clickable corporate logos that are tactfully placed in all high visibility spots at the expo.

November 1, 2017 was the “live” day when visitors and exhibitors interacted through audio, video and text messages. Product manuals, demos, brochures, posters, videos and other valuable informational material were conveniently downloaded by visitors.

In the virtual auditorium, Svend De bruyn and Erik Janssen from Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) presented Attending Net Zero webinar – An Introduction to Heat Pumps and Photovoltaics, with numerous visitors in attendance.

For those who couldn’t make it to the November 1 “live” show – or want to see it again – the individual booths and webinars will remain active for six months and available online 24/7. The fair’s exhibition booths function as a website and the exhibitors can still have the visibility and availability of their information.

For attendees, our Green Building Expo is free.

The following are some testimonials from both exhibitors and visitors:

“The organization and the setup of this virtual expo were amazing and I think that this first edition was a success. The platform was great at simulating a real expo hall. A good variety of people visited my booth so that I was able to network with many interesting companies.

I loved the sustainable nature of this event: no brochures to print, no booth

to build, no travel. Overall an amazing and completely new experience! Congratulations to organizers and we wish you more success at the second edition!”

Nicholas Varias
Dipl. Arch.,CBCO

President

Flexsola International Development Corporation

“Kudos for marketing! The expo proved to be a great venue for my new wall product. For the first time I could showcase what I have been working on for the past 26 years. How great is it that your green building expo site will continue to showcase my Structural Cellular Forms SCFs for the next six months. Site visitors have commented on the good quality of the presentation.”

Daniel Charlton
Principal
Charlton Building Concepts Inc.

“For me it was exciting to meet and exchange contact information with so many people from the green building network. High quality exhibitors were easily reached directly from my PC.

Walking around the expo was easy and fun.

The webinars were extremely informative and easy to attend, just in one click, without stressing over travelling problems. A smart way of doing business!

A great experience for all involved and I’m looking forward to the next such event. Thumbs up!”
Virgiliu Petre
OAA LEED AP MBA  DEA M.Arch
Principal
Eco Revival Consulting

The 2nd edition of Green Building Expo will take place “live” on November 1, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time and will continue for three months after that.

To learn how to become a sponsor or exhibitor, contact Giulio Marinescu, Executive Managing Director at 416.250.0664 or giulio@green-building-expo.com

Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram for updates.

Web: www.green-building-expo.com

Architecture, Building Envelope, Green Energy, HVAC, Ideas, LEED, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

THE 5 FARMING BRIDGES. Architect Vincent Callebaut proposes reconstruction model for Mosul using high-tech 3D-printing technology involving spider-like robots and drones.

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Recyling (and upcycling) debris helps historic, war-torn Mosul emerge from ruins

On July 9, 2017, after nine months of fierce battle, the Iraqi army, backed by an international coalition, defeated the forces of the Islamic State that had occupied Mosul since the proclamation of the “caliphate” in June 2014.

Emerging from the ruins, civilians celebrated the long-awaited liberation of the devastated city from apocalyptic streets and ruined buildings.

A month earlier, on June 19, 2017, Islamic State militants attacked the city’s historic, social, and cultural heritage. Shiite mausoleums and sanctuaries were blown up, as well as the emblematic Al-Nouri mosque and its tilted minaret from the 12th century.

Now, lengthy reconstruction work is ahead for the Iraqi government and the inhabitants. Whole neighborhoods were razed: hospitals, mosques, sports complexes, and thousands of houses. In total, between 50 and 75 per cent of the city was wiped out, leaving only millions of tons of rubble looking for a new life through recycling.

Everything has to be rebuilt. The shovels are clearing the rubble … In the logic of a circular economy and upcycling, everything that can be reused, recycled, and transformed must be inventoried and valued.

A 100-day plan dealt with immediate problems, such as material sorting as well as de-mining, trash removal, and rehabilitation of utility facilities. This process opens the way to a 10-year reconstruction plan, which will affect all Iraqi cities liberated from ISIS. Initial rehabilitation efforts will include roads and bridges, as well as electricity and water services.

According to Iraqi government sources, more than $1-billion will be needed to rehabilitate basic services throughout Mosul and prepare a resilient urban plan to welcome the returning war refugees and internally-displaced persons to the country with dignity.

At the heart of the cleanup is the rebuilding of five Mosul bridges connecting the west and east districts across the Tigris which were destroyed. The concept is to rebuild them as inhabited bridges by building the new city over the old city. It is a matter of recycling the city from its heart, not from rebuilding it to its periphery by encroaching on an obsolescent agricultural land.

These inhabited bridges will be printed in 3D using debris from war ruins and rubble to address the shortage of affordable housing, estimated at more than 53,000 dwelling units.

They will be covered with urban farms and agricultural fields dedicated to permaculture in order to guarantee food autonomy to their inhabitants and excellent thermal inertia to the built environment. Urban farms and orchards will be irrigated by water from the Tigris, pumped by Archimedes screws. Gray water from bathrooms and kitchens will also be recycled and filtered by plants in lagoon waterfalls connected with the river. Biomass composters will feed their orchards and vegetable gardens suspended in biological fertilizers.

The bridges will also incorporate wind chimneys for cool, natural air, cold ceilings using the thermal energy of the river, solar water heaters for hot water, and hundreds of photovoltaic pergolas producing the necessary kilowatts.

In architectural terms, each bridge will resemble an artificial mountain generated by repetition in the space of one single basic module of 12.96m²: a 3,6m cube creating an edge vault using the intersection of two cradles, which intersect at right angles.

Inspired by the muqarnas – the famous ornamental honeycomb pattern used in Islamic architecture since medieval times – stacking these typical houses in a space creates a corbelled structure consisting of thousands of stalactites, which redescend the structural loads towards the bridge piers.

The typical houses will consist of two, five or 10 modules, respectively, forming dwellings of 25, 65, and 120 m². The constructive system will thus respond to different habitable capacity requirements, according to the size of the Iraqi family to be accommodated. Stacked in large groups, the typical houses will form quarters with ocher-toned facades, and, over the years, a dense, green, and sustainable village above the Tigris. The facades are reminiscent of the ziggurats with their succession of superimposed terraces, distanced with respect to each other.

Five 3D printers in the form of articulated spiders will allow the construction of 30 houses per day, or nearly 55,000 housing units in five years spread over the five bridges.

All debris will be transformed into resources. To feed these 3D spider printers, drones will continuously bring them construction materials coming from the districts in ruins; previously crushed and transformed in recycling centers. Equipped with an industrial precision robotic arm, the spiders print the housing modules by directing any building nozzle such as those used to pour concrete and insulation materials, or those using a milling head.

What kind of impact are we talking about? In 10 years, two-million lives are expected to be positively affected.

Restoring the self-confidence of war refugees, their confidence in an optimistic future, and allowing them to participate actively in the repatriation process, is essential to the success of this reconstruction in the heart of the city.

Mosul, about 400 kilometres north of Baghdad, will be a showcase with the rebuilding of the five bridges, harkening back to the mythical hanging gardens of Babylon (present-day southern Iraq), offering a vision of a positive future and a prototype of affordable and adaptable housing for each family unit.

It is an urban planning model that can be easily replicated with the goal of rapidly increasing the housing capacity in the city and providing a practical and inspiring solution for war repatriates. This pioneering concept could change the way to construct buildings – making the process faster and less costly, fighting poverty and feeding the post-ISIS Mosul.

The 5 Farming Bridges is the Winning Project of the Rifat Chadirji Prize Competition (3rd Place) – “Rebuilding Iraq’s Liberated Areas: Mosul’s Housing”
Copyright / Vincent Callebaut Architectures

Architecture, Building Envelope, HVAC, Ideas, LEED, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS

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KAPSARC (King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre)

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

KAPSARC (King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre) is a non-profit institution for independent research into policies that contribute to the most effective use of energy to provide social wellbeing across the globe.

KAPSARC develops policies and economic frameworks that reduce the environmental impact and overall costs of energy supply and enable practical technology-based solutions to use energy more efficiently.

 

Collaborating with international research centres, public policy organizations, worldwide government institutions and global industry, KAPSARC brings together leading experts from around the world to tackle energy challenges; freely sharing its knowledge, insights and analytical frameworks.

The 70,000m² KAPSARC campus incorporates five buildings: the Energy Knowledge Centre; the Energy Computer Centre; a Conference Centre with exhibition hall and 300-seat auditorium; a Research Library with archives for 100,000 volumes; and the Musalla, an inspirational place for prayer within the campus.

KAPSARC’s design has solid technical and environmental considerations at its heart, drawing the five elements of the campus into a unified whole. ZHA’s first project to be awarded LEED Platinum certification by the US Green Building Council, the centre is designed in response to the environmental conditions of the Riyadh Plateau to minimize energy and resource consumption.

The primary organizing strategy of the design is a cellular, partially modular system that integrates different departmental buildings as a single ensemble with interconnecting public spaces.

Hexagonal prismatic honeycomb structures use the least material to create a lattice of cells within a given volume. This structural and organizational principle determined KAPSARC’s composition as an amalgamation of crystalline forms that emerges from the desert landscape, evolving to best respond to the environmental conditions and internal program requirements. The honeycomb grid is compressed towards its central axis as an extension of the natural wadi that runs to the west.

A research centre is by its very nature a forward-looking institution and KAPSARC’s architecture also looks to the future with a formal composition that can be expanded or adapted without compromising the centre’s visual character.

The modular design generates consistent organizational, spatial and structural strategies that drive all elem

ents of the plan. The six sides of the hexagonal cells also offer greater opportunities for increased connectivity when compared to rectangular cells with only four sides.

KAPSARC’s five buildings differ in size and organization to best suit their use. Each building is divided into its component functions and can be adapted to respond to changes in requirements or working methods. Additional cells can readily be introduced by extending KAPSARC’s honeycomb grid for future expansion of the research campus.

The specific arrangement and form of KAPSARC’s buildings contribute to softening the strong light and heat of the Riyadh Plateau.

The buildings of the campus surround a large public courtyard shaded by canopies supported from a forest of crafted steel columns. Presenting a solid, protecting shell to the harsh sunlight from the south, the KAPSARC campus opens to north and west; encouraging prevailing winds from the north to cool the courtyard during temperate months and facilitating connections with any future expansion of the campus to the north, as well as creating connections with the researcher’s residential community to the west.

Privileging the pedestrian, each of the buildings within the campus is entered through this central public courtyard that also serves as a meeting space and link between buildings during temperate seasons. An underground link also connects the main buildings on the campus for use at the hottest times of the year.

With its strong, protective shell on the exterior that shields from the extremes in weather, KAPSARC’s architecture is porous within. Specific hexagonal cells strategically located within each building are left open to create a series of sheltered courtyards that bring softly-controlled daylight into the interior.

Orientated for the sun and wind conditions, the crystalline forms of the prismatic architectural cells gain in height towards the south, west, and

east to shield internal spaces from direct sunlight, while the courtyards within are oriented to the north and northwest to bring indirect sunlight into the spaces below.

‘Wind-catchers’ integrated within the roof profiles on the southern sides of each courtyard catch the prevailing winds from the north, cooling each courtyard.

KAPSARC’s architecture promotes transparency and encourages an active exchange between researchers and visitors. By strategically off-setting floorplates, spatial layering effects are created throughout the centre to provide views to the floors above and below; offering transparency between floors in public areas designed as collective zones for researchers to meet informally and exchange ideas. Secure areas and rooms requiring privacy are located within areas of each building where floorplates overlap.

KAPSARC was awarded LEED Platinum certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) through its application of passive and active solutions including:

  • A 45% reduction in energy performance (compared to the ASHRAE baseline standards) achieved via KAPSARC’s building massing and orientation, façade optimization, system selection and the solar PV array located on the roof of the south-facing Conference Centre with a capacity of 5,000MWh/year.
  • All KAPSARC’s potable water is recycled and reused on site and 100% of irrigation water is from non-potable sources.
  • 40% of KAPSARC’s construction materials have been sourced from within 500 miles, and 30% of materials made with recycled content.
  • 98% of all wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
  • 4,000 tonnes of waste separated and diverted from landfill.

KAPSARC has also been named Saudi Arabia’s ‘smartest’ building in the Honeywell Smart Building Awards program. Based on criteria that include environmental sustainability, safety and productivity, KAPSARC received outstanding scores across all three categories.

As a forum of innovation and collective research, KAPSARC’s convention centre recently hosted its first major public conference, with more than 20,000 visitors attending Saudi Design Week 2017.

Architecture, Building Envelope, Green Energy, HVAC, Ideas, LEED, Style, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

KILLA DESIGN – Office of the Future

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World’s first fully functional 3D printed office building

Located at the foot of Emirates Towers, the Office of the Future is the world’s first fully functional and permanently occupied ‘3D printed’ building. The 253 sqm building acts as the home for the Dubai Future Foundation and as an exhibition space and incubator for future emerging technologies in the emirate.

The “Office of the Future” is the first 3D-printed building of its kind. A 3D-printer 20 feet high x 120 feet long x 40 feet wide was used to print the building. The printer features an automated robotic arm to implement printing process. The entire structure was printed using a giant cement printer using an additive manufacturing technique, then assembled on site. Printing took 17 days and installed in two days. Subsequent work on the building services, interiors and landscape took three months.

The labour involved in the printing process included one technician to monitor the function of the printer, a team of seven to install the building components on site, 10 electricians and specialists to take care of MEP. Labour cost thus, was cut by more than 50% compared to conventional buildings of similar size. Other projects have tested various elements of 3D printing before, but the Office is the first real building to be built at scale, with full services, that people can use on a daily basis.

The initiative comes as part of Dubai’s 3-D Printing Strategy, which was launched on April 27, 2016 and focuses on the development of 3D printing to improve people’s lives. It will tackle three sectors: real estate and construction, medical, and consumer, and commits the Emirates to the use of 3D printing in 25% of its buildings by 2030.

The Office radiates around a tree shaded cafe courtyard. It provides a partnership lounge & gallery for exhibitions, events and workshops, a flexible space for team brainstorming and design work and private meeting rooms. A series of openings throughout the project bring natural daylight deep into the space while allowing occupants to remain connected to the outside environment.

 

The building envelope design is inspired by natural coral. Coral has been used for generations as a traditional building material in the UAE. It is easy to handle and to work, has excellent thermal properties and provides a beautiful texture to the building surfaces. Killa Design aimed to recreate this traditional beauty in a sustainable manner by 3D printing cladding elements with the beauty and complexity of coral. In this way, the project seeks to merge the age-old tradition of coral construction with the latest technologies and fabrication techniques.

The building is extremely energy efficient. It is oriented to maximize visibility and natural light, but to shade the inside through digitally sculpted overhangs above the windows. This minimizes direct solar heating and reduces the need for air conditioning and lighting. Further sustainability features include 100% LED lighting, responsive building systems, green landscaping, and low energy air conditioning and cooling. Wastage on site was minimized and thus helped reduce the environmental footprint of the project.

As part of a wider initiative to be involved in the most cutting edge and innovative projects, Killa Design made use of a super insulated cladding system with 800mm thick panels constructed using computer controlled manufacturing techniques to create the unique form of the building and complex geometry of the building envelope,

” The progressive design of the office conveys a shift from the traditional form of work environments thus paving the way for stimulating innovation and communication within teams.”

– Ben Piper, partner at Killa Design

Web: www.killadesign.com

Architecture, Green Energy, Ideas, Sustainability, Technology, Top Stories, Trends

PAUL LUKEZ ARCHITECTURE – The Hydroelectric Canal – Boston, MA

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Generating Resilient Urban Ecologies

Paul Lukez Architecture’s innovative design reconnects and reuses fresh and marine water systems through restored fringing salt marshes, shellfish beds (including oyster reefs), tidal flats and pools, and eel-grass beds. Each of these natural habitats is integrated with human ones (e.g. Living Building Quads), providing comprehensive human and ecological services: primary production, food production, fish and shellfish habitat provision, biogeochemical cycling of nutrients, carbon sequestration, sediment trapping, wave attenuation, shoreline stabilization, water quality improvement, etc.

PLA proposes to harness clean energy through hydropower generation from tidal changes and storm surges in low-lying urban areas to shape economically and environmentally resilient, self-sustaining communities. The proposal offers an array of integrated landscaping, ecological restoration, urban development and financing strategies for achieving this goal. The latter include public-private partnerships for creating a new energy-producing, amenity-laden infrastructure that reduces risk to communities and investors.

This proposal would restore 232 hectares of intertidal salt marshes to store 4 million liters of water/acre, reduce tidal wave heights by 90% within 20 meters of the marsh edge, accrete sediment by 0.25 cm/m²/year, and absorb 481 tons of CO2/year. It would also restore 63 acres of oyster/mussel/clam beds as a shoreline buffer filtering 30-50 gallons of water/day/oyster for water quality improvement and sediment reduction. Other ecological benefits would include shoreline revegetation for coastal habitats, biodiversity and landscape quality, intertidal pool expansion for rocky habitats, wetland remediation, and courtyard water recycling for stormwater management.

PLA proposes cutting a channel through Columbia Point to connect the northern Old Harbor with the southern Savin Hill Cove. The new Morrissey Channel would capture rising sea levels and tidal changes and embrace the ebb and flow of natural water currents to generate hydroelectric energy through advanced turbine technologies, which would power communities and build lively public spaces. This ecologically sustainable urban model would assume a new form of resilient urbanism that generates an amenity-rich landscape, restored ecology, and an economically viable, self-sustaining community.

The Hydroelectric Canal by Paul Lukez Architecture as the overall winner and winner of the Climate, Energy & Carbon prize for its innovative approach to shaping economic and environmentally resilient self-sustaining communities. The Hydroelectric Canal addresses the complex challenge of rising sea levels. PLA together with a multidisciplinary team are working on a scheme to harness the energy from the rising tides in low lying urban areas. The communities will be able to draw clean energy through advanced hydroelectric systems, which will generate power from the tidal changes.