Sunday, September 25, 2011

Form

Galeries Lafayette - Architectures Jean Nouvel, Berlin Germany

  • replaces the famous atrium of the Paris Galeries with a number of glass cone-shaped volumes
  • the cones spur curiosity in visitors, who seem to explore the building itself more than they might
Source: http://www.umemagazine.com/

The National Assembly for Wales - Richard Rogers Partnership, Cardiff Wales


Source: http://www.umemagazine.com/

Swiss Re HQ - Foster and Partners, London UK
  • radical approach - technically, architecturally, socially, and spatially
  • radial plan - energy conscious enclosure resolves walls and roof into a continuous triangulated skin - allowing for a column-free floor space, light, and view




 



Sun-protected, double-skinned, glazed facade.


Sources: http://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/1004/default.aspx
http://www.architectureweek.com/2005/0608/design_2-3.html

Parliament House Plans & Sections


  

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Climate Adaptive Building Shells

The following are some examples of 'climate adaptive building shells'. The shown examples deal with the skin  filtering amounts of light in and also shading - which is a main concept (controlling daylight) I will be trying to explore with my architectural entity.

Information are gathered from this online document:
http://www.bwk.tue.nl/bps/hensen/team/past/master/Loonen_2010.pdf


Aegis Hyposurface - Mark Goulthorpe: dECOi Architects
  • the system consists of transformable triangulated metal plates, driven by a bed of 896 pneumatic pistons 
  • deforms in real-time, based on various environmental stimuli, including the sounds and movement of people, weather and electronic information 
  • the piece marks the transition from autoplastic (determinate) to alloplastic (interactive, indeterminate) space
Sources: http://www.sial.rmit.edu.au/Projects/Aegis_Hyposurface.php
http://www.mediaarchitecture.org/aegis-hyposurface-kinetic-mediafassade/

Aldar Central Market - Foster and Partners, Abu Dhabi
  • the grid system provides panels of controlled permeability that vary smoothly between a covered state and a largely open state
  • in its covered configuration, the shading roof appears similar to a traditional coffered Islamic roof
  • when retracted, the roof becomes a slender lattice that complements the designs by the Foster team for fixed shading



Sources: http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/1431/Default.aspx
http://www.adaptivebuildings.com/aldar-central-market.html

City of justice - Foster + Partners, Madrid Spain
  • hexagonal shading units will occupy the central circular atrium as well as the eight peripheral atria of the judicial complex
  • when extended, the system will cover the entire triangulated roof grid. When retracted, their profile will 'disappear' into the structural profile of the roof
  • a custom algorithm combining historic solar gain data with real-time lightlevel sensing will control the shading units




Sources: http://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/1453/default.aspx
http://www.adaptivebuildings.com/city-of-justice.html

ETFE roofs
  • ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) is increasingly used in buildings because of its lightweight properties, high daylight transmittance and the potential for energy savings
  • compared to conventional glazed roofs, ETFE cushions can provide thermal insulation with reduced initial costs and less structural supports
  • application of a reflective frit to an inflatable intermediate cushion can dynamically alter the roof’s optical properties
Beijing National Aquatics Center



Source: http://continuingeducation.construction.com/article.php?L=5&C=418&P=2


Flare façade - WhiteVoid interactive art and design, Berlin Germany
  • acting like a ‘living skin’, flare façade allows a building to express, communicate and interact with its environment
  • the system consists of a number of tiltable metal flake bodies supplemented by individually controllable pneumatic cylinders
  • by reflecting ambient or direct sunlight, the individual flakes of the FLARE system act like pixels formed by natural light



Source: http://www.flare-facade.com/

Pfalzkeller - Santiago Calatrava, St. Gallen, Switzerland
  • Calatrava designed a symmetrical system, covering the glazed roof of a largely underground building
  • two arched tubes position the articulated slats on each side of the roof, and in this way dynamically control daylight
  • the system was the first application of a movable roof cover based on slats in combination with a mechanical hoist system

Source: http://www.worldarchitecturemap.org/buildings/pfalzkeller-emergency-centre


Smart Energy Glass - Peer+ | Eindhoven, The Netherlands
  • an innovative coating allows the window to switch its optical properties in three different states: dark, bright and privacy
  • part of the sunlight is captured and converted into electricity in PV-cells mounted at the edges of the window
  • when equipped with batteries, the system becomes autonomous and can be integrated in the building envelope without the need for external wires
Source: http://www.peerplus.nl/default/index/smart-energy-glass


The esplanade - DP Architects and Michael Wilford & Partners, Singapore
  • movable triangular sunshades admit diffuse daylight while at the same time excluding direct sunlight
  • the shapes and sizes of each of the 7139 shutters were determined on the basis of solar optimization studies
  • provides the building with climate control mechanism, much as an animal can raise the hair on its back
 
 
Source: http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/Feature101.htm

Structures & Facades


Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center - Renzo Piano, New Caledonia
  • native architecture inspired
  • built to honour an assassinated Kanak leader and the culture of the Kanak people
  • the cultural center is modeled after a traditional Kanak village
  • the pavilions were inspired by Kanak huts
  • used traditional materials and respected traditional construction: iroko wood, bamboo, glass, steel
  • green building strategies to keep the pavilions cool and integrate them within nature
  • operable roof skylights
  • the laminated wood screen facilitates natural ventilation - wind pushes hot air out to the top
  • the bamboo wall filters light into the interiors





Source: http://inhabitat.com/jean-marie-tjibaou-cultural-center-inspired-by-native-architecture/

Royal Ontario Museum - Daniel Libeskind"One could imagine this building as a place where the public is engaged in an ongoing drama rather than a static 19th century museum which suggests that nature has been conquered and culture has been archived."


Sources: http://biladesign.wordpress.com/2006/09/12/geodesic-crystal-formations-sheets-of-metal-and-glass-collide-with-the-world-as-we-know-it/
http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/projects/show-all/royal-ontario-museum/

geodesic construction in contemporary architecture
  • futuristic aesthetic
  • geodesic construction: principle that the triangle is an inherently stable form, independent of size, and that a triangular framework held together in tension enables the creation of structures that are lightweight but profoundly strong
The Eden Project - Nicholas Grimshaw Architects , Cornwall England
  • top three attractions in the UK
  • appeal of geodesic structures
  • exemplar of sustainable building techniques
  • original geodesic domes that Buckminster Fuller envisaged as controllable environments that could house people on a small or monumental scale
  • domed shape offers practical benefits that are essential to the survival of the diverse range of plants that grow inside
  • the large, transparent surface allows plenty of natural daylight to enter, whilst the concave interior form creates a natural airflow and reflects and concentrates the warmth, preventing radiant heat loss

Dalí Museum - HOK/Moris Moreno, Florida 



  • geodesic skin s pierced by various funnels and voids that allow light to enter the interior and help direct the flow of movement around the building
  • a solid concrete bunker interrupted by a glass and steel ʻEnigmaʼ that allows natural daylight to enter the large atrium
  • Yann Weymouth: "The flowing, free-form use of geodesic triangulation is a recent innovation enabled by modern computer analysis and digitally controlled fabrication that allows each component to be unique. No glass panel, structural node or strut is precisely the same."
Source: http://www.architonic.com/ntsht/neo-geo-geodesic-construction-in-contemporary-architecture/7000588

White Block Gallery - Heyri, Korea
  • exhibition and cultural space
  • spaces have a wide variety of proportions and lighting conditions well suited to a variety of artworks
  • fritting pattern takes on more figural volumes to create areas of privacy and publicity
  • shapes merge with the patterns of early morning fog
  • "high" and "low" tech strategies are used for daylighting
  • a parametrically developed frit pattern optimizing for daylight distribution while minimizing heat gain
  • city-regulated blooming trees become part of the shading strategy in their ability to change seasonally
  • as the frit pattern moves from opaque to transparent, exterior trees appear to shift from outside to inside



Shading with Patterns at White Block
  • the gradation works in multiple different ways:
  • it shades the space during the warmer summer months while allowing in the low winter sun for passive heating
  • it also filters views to the outside giving the larger galleries a sense of interior intimacy while allowing controlled views to the natural surrounds
  • the exterior it lends the building many complex readings: sometimes reflecting and augmenting the landscape and sometimes allowing views to the interior logic of the structural system.
Sources: http://www.ssdarchitecture.com/works/cultural/white-block-gallery/
http://www.ssdarchitecture.com/2011/02/shading-with-patterns/